check-in

First of all CONGRATULATIONS to my friends Tim and Diane! After 5 years or so of living in Houston, where Tim was playing violin with the Houston Sypmphony, he was just offered a job in the 1st violin section right here in the Seattle Symphony!!! Which means they'll be moving here! Yay!

...and now for a weekly check-in! (by the term "weekly," you should by no means infer that I will remember to do this once a week.)

• total number of boxes I've packed: 25
• number of those that have been packed in the last 36 hours: 20 (you didn't think I'd procrastinate forever, now, did you?)
• number of those that are filled with my shoes: 2 (big ones, not even counting the sandals I thought I might need in the next month)
• number of wonderful French films I've seen in the last week: 1 (Les Choristes -- it's a must see for singers, teachers, or saps for adorable little french-speaking boys)
• number of cds I've recently loaded on to my i-pod: 17
• favorite of said cds: Sarah Vowell's great book, Assassination Vacation. Yes, I could just read it, but her voice is half the fun!
• number of auditions today: 1
• number of recordings to make this week: 2
• number of times I've been to the gym this week: 3! (I'm currently flexing my muscles proudly in celebration. Alec has been 5 times!)

... and finally:

things that are on my piano at the moment (i.e. things I am, or should be, practicing)

1. Rossini: final aria from La Cenerentola (for the audition tonight)
2. Handel: Messiah alto solos
3. Mozart: "Laudamus Te" from the c minor Mass (both of the above for a recording/audition requested by a conductor)
4. Humperdinck: Hansel and Gretel (I'm performing the complete role of Hansel here in October.)
5. lots of choral music (a local conductor pays me to record the women's voice parts for her choirs)
6. many books of french art song from the library -- I'm planning an all-french recital program for later this year.