The End of the Road

There is nothing like a gigantic feeling of relief. You know- that feeling you get when something so huge and important, that you realize was not nearly as nerve-wracking as you imagined it to be, is over. Done. And you were a success. That, my friends, is how I felt on Saturday morning, circa 11:15 AM, after my JOC audition.
I had not been as nervous as I was for Juilliard since auditioning for grad schools. And I think I was even more nervous for this than my Peabody audition. All week I had stress-related dreams, and my stomach was in knots. My father (who was visiting for the weekend) and I had lengthy conversations about audition and performance anxiety, and how to get over the psychological hurdles associated with performing. He said, "When you breath in, you're a machine. When you being to sing (or in his case, play), you are an artist." So true. I thought about that as I sang for the 10 people in the JOC audition. And you know what? It worked. I only had to sing 2 arias (GIGANTIC relief), and I felt like I represented the best version of myself on that day. That is really all we can do. My goal was not to outdo anyone else, but was to sing well and present myself like the professional I am. Mission accomplished.

In other non-related news, Boccismo!'s winning streak has come to an end. In the semi-finals on Saturday, we won our first game, but lost the second. Unfortunately, this means that we will not be playing in the championships, but I may go just to watch the final brawl. We did not go down without a fight. We played some pretty tight games of bocce, with a rather large crowd present. My dad cheered us on to victory with a beer in hand. It was pretty awesome to see my teammates high-fiving my dad. Good guys.

After the game, I treated my dad to dinner at Pastis , which was great. Having a friend who works for the GM is always helpful when reservations are needed. 2 people, 8:00 on Saturday, corner booth? You got it.

So, onward and upward.