New year, new adventures

2011 is set to be one of the more adventurous years that I have ever had.  Between joining the Navy, moving out of Rochester, running a half marathon (hopefully), I've got a lot on my plate for 2011.  I am so excited, but also very anxious - new adventures almost always brings new obstacles.  Moving sucks, and I have to somehow make it through eight weeks of boot camp.  And the uncertainty of what Ben is going to be doing is kind of scary.  The prospect of living separate is something I really hope doesn't come to fruition.

As far as new years resolutions, I don't have any major ones.  I'm not a "new years resolution" type of person, I think that if you want to better yourself, you shouldn't have to wait for a new year to start making those kind of commitments.  I feel like I accomplished a lot in 2010 - I started running, and I completed two 5ks and an indoor triathlon!  Also I got some direction in my career, which I desperately needed.  I also performed my first non-school recital, which was quite an achievement considering I work full time in a non-musical job.  I would say that my audition hiatus of 2010 (besides the Navy audition over the summer) has helped my playing a lot.  I felt like I was able to focus on fundamentals instead of stupid excerpts.  I feel like my playing is more focused, and better executed.  Plus I can sight read a whole lot better now!

As far as resolutions for 2011, I want to keep doing what I'm doing.  Keep running - I want to do a half marathon before I leave for boot camp.  Also keep practicing hard as usual.  Maybe do another recital????  We will see.

I am feeling pretty good about the Navy Band audition in a few weeks, a lot better than I did a year ago for the Marine Band audition.  I'm just trying to be as prepared as possible - lots of slow practice.  I decided not to go back to H&R Block this year for tax season.  I liked working there, but it was just too much.  Last year, it was so busy at the tax office in January I barely had time to practice (check out my blog post from that week!).  And the most annoying thing was that as soon as February hit, it was completely dead until April!  I don't want that to happen again, and if I want to be in the Navy Band in DC I need to make clarinet a priority!  Even if it means I have to tighten my budget a little.

One more thing, here's a new years treat from my recital this past October, me performing Debussy's Syrinx.
(sorry about the camera angle, its just the way the stage and the camera was set up!)
 



I'm going to post the rest of the pieces soon, but this one is my favorite!