Back From STL…

...and busy as hell!

My trip couldn’t have been more wonderful. (Unless it was longer) Barb and her family were very gracious hosts for the week. I stayed in her little brother’s room on his very short bed. Barb and I got a lot of time to talk and cuddle, which made me feel very loved. Yay Barb!

I also got all of my work done for the opera company. I stopped by to make sure all of the synths were still working. They were, though I did make a few mistakes in the guide. The thought crossed my mind to leave the inaccuracies in it so that I would be guaranteed a few phone calls or emails, but my morals kicked in and I fixed it. :) The check should be coming in the mail any day now…

I caught up with good ol’ Sam and Madalene. Sam is quite busy doing science demonstrations, growing mushrooms and driving around in his fairly new biodiesel Mercedes. We cooked, played Tetris, watched movies, and generally had a great time.

I stopped by Webster to chat with some old friends and teachers. I got to show a few people some of the stuff that vee device is doing on our new album. Most everybody seems to be doing ok. A few friends are getting married, and one couple I know is spawning a child. Very creepy…

Oh, and I got to ride a Segway!

Anyway, upon my return I’ve had a bunch of rehearsals and a concert with the chamber orchestra. Things got a little hectic on Wednesday since I didn’t know we had a rehearsal until after it had started. I had to speed across town, grab my bass, and get back into town. Thursday’s rehearsal was much less stressful, and the concert was a success.

Today was finally a slack day. I had to mix sound for the live show, but that was basically it. I hung out with Dave for the rest of the day playing games and drinking beer. We also caught a Newcomer’s Home show down at Everyday Joe’s. All in all, it was the perfect end to a crazy week.

Back on Top Again

With the way this week has gone, I can definitely say that I am back on top of my game once again. I’m as busy as ever, making a bit of money, and doing what I love.

The Orchestra tour went fine. I met some interesting people, and hopefully turned some kids on to the idea that they should consider becoming music majors. Additionally, I have been asked to become a full time member of both this chamber symphony, and the larger orchestra that it is a part of. Looks like I’ve still got what it takes to play classical music.

I’ve also been offered the job of co-hosting a radio show about classical music around town with the conductor of this symphony. It’s going to be a lot of work, but I think that it will be an amazing opportunity to meet even more classical musicians in town, which is always a good thing.

Other quick happy things in my life right now:

- The opera company got my synth guide and have offered to pay me $300 for my efforts.

- We celebrated our 500^th live radio show on the air today.

- I’m less than $100 away from buying an iPod.

- I received a wallet sized college diploma today which was promptly inserted into my wallet (right next to my wallet sized high school diploma).

- I can finally sleep in tomorrow.

And best of all, I get to see Barb and my STL friends next week!!!

I hope this trend of happiness continues indefinitely.

New Opportunities

I can’t believe how much crap I’ve had to do this week. I thought I might have a nice relaxing weekend, but fate has yet again intervened to rob me of precious slack time.

I’ve been doing some work for an opera company in Saint Louis that is a continuation of some work I did last summer. I programmed and set up synthesizers for a modern opera which is now going on tour. I’m basically the only one in the country who knows exactly how to set up the synths, so I got hired to write a little startup guide to help out the new techies as the show travels from city to city. Who knows, maybe I will be shipped of to some far away state to once again hear the strains of minimalist opera. I can only dream…

Anyway, the startup guide has to be done Monday so I can ship it, but the problem is that something has come up and I’ve got to finish it a little earlier than expected.

I heard a rumor that a symphony in town is looking for a bassist ASAP, so I called one of the guys in charge and he confirmed that a bassist was needed. In fact, if all goes according to plan, I’ll have a rehearsal with them at 2:30 and then get on a bus with them and drive to Colorado Springs to spend a few days playing for school kids. I’m a little stressed out about playing classical music again on such short notice. I haven’t played any classical music on bass in 6 months, and though I haven’t lost my chops completely, style, phrasing and perfect intonation are proving quite challenging. If only I had a few more days. At the bar, nobody cares how your bowing looks; at the symphony, they do.

Tonight I also had a gig with the Celtic band at Connor O’Neils. It was a good show but I‘m now exhausted and need sleep. I’ve got to go to the coffee shop tomorrow morning which also doesn’t help my stress and sleep levels, though I’m surprisingly unstressed right now. I guess that’s what Celtic music does to you.

Today’s lessons: Get your work done early, take the opportunities that come your way, and don’t try to learn Bach in 2 days.