They always say...

...you'll "find love when you least expect it". Ummm, right. I gotta tell ya, I've been least expecting finding anything for a long time, and I'm still coming up empty-handed. Yesterday, before meeting some Peabs for a Thai dinner mini-reunion, I almost ran (literally) into Gary- a man I dated briefly in the fall. This is the first time I have ever seen a former suitor (from New York, anyway). I never run into dudes I've dated in New York. It's a gigantic place. I wondered, if we never ran into each other before we met, why would we run into each other after the fact?

I was actually amazed at how thrown I was after seeing him. I don't think he saw me, and the text message to apologize for not saying hello confirmed that. "Funny! Hi!", he said. When we were dating, I liked him a lot, but I felt that there was something missing. At first, I couldn't put my finger on it- he's cute, very successful, hip, smart, funny, witty, and genuine. So what happened? I did. I happened. You can't force passion, and when it came right down to it, there was no passion. Nada. Zilch. I had a wonderful time with him and genuinely looked forward to seeing him, but I never left feeling breathless. Lately, I've been wondering if I'll ever feel breathless again.

A co-worker forwarded me this article. (A long read, but worth it.) In short, the article basically says instead of being overly choosey with men, it's OK for we women to settle, and in fact, we should settle. Who wants to be alone for the rest of her life? As a VERY independent woman, and also one who is not even 30, I can't say I wholeheartedly agree with her position, but I DO see her point. This woman is a 40-year-old single woman, who had a child via a sperm donor, and is now cursing herself for not settling earlier in her life. So when should we start thinking about settling? 28? 32? 37? Maybe I shouldn't have been so quick to toss Gary aside- after all, my romantic ideals of Mr. Canada proved to be false.

I can honestly say I'm in no rush. Then again, I'm 27. I haven't had a relationship in a few years, and the thought of being in one terrifies me and excites me all at the same time. I'm not an idiot- I know the perfect man doesn't exist. I know that on some level, I'll always be settling. Perhaps if I'm still single at 35, I'll change my tune. But for now, I'm going to try and avoid running into any more Mr. Could-have-beens.

Herr Doktor

I need a change. I need something to look forward to. I need something to work on. I've been applying for new jobs, I've been granted a fair amount of interviews. No luck. I thought now might be the time for me to start a new relationship. Also, no luck. I've got a few gigs on the books, which is always a good thing, but with the economy as shitty as it is, I'm bleeding money and living paycheck to paycheck more than I ever have before. Me no likey.

So, I've decided to look into DMA programs. I never really thought of myself as a teacher, since I don't particularly LOVE teaching. But if the right college job came along, and I was able to perform, and teach, maybe start a new program or take on an administrative head position at a conservatory, I could deal with that. Also, call me doctor.

I've started to research some programs, to see what the possibility is of me obtaining my DMA for little to no cost. I've heard a lot of good things about McGill, in Montreal, so I did some digging, wrote some emails, and of course now I've convinced myself that I have to move to Montreal and study at McGill. Just kidding. Kind of. Anyway, I've started researching apartments and the cost of living in Montreal, as one is wont to do, and I'll tell ya- I nearly started bawling. Let me share a few statistics:

(keep in mind, these are just averages. It's surely not like this EVERYwhere in Montreal)

Average cost of a 2 bedroom apartment in Montreal (in 2007): $647

Monthly public transport pass: $65

The taxes are a little high, (16% for income and 15% for federal), but let's not forget about a little thing called Public Health Care.

Now, just for shits 'n giggles, let's compare Montreal to Toronto, since Toronto is more NYC-like than Montreal.

T-ro:

Annual Amount

Food: $8,035

Shelter: $17,771

Household Operation: $3,586

Personal Income Taxes: $20,105

M-real:

Food: $6,988

Shelter: $10,605

Household Operation: $2,459

Personal Income Taxes: $13,123



How do ya like that?

Guess I should start practicing.

Convenient

I have a crush on my neighbor. I'm not sure if that's a good or a bad thing. It's not a "oh my God, every time I see him my heart skips a beat" kind of crush, or a "I'm listening at the top of the staircase to see who's coming in because I've memorized the sound of his footsteps" stalking, errr I mean crush. It's just a simple "I think he's incredibly nice, cute, and has the whitest teeth of anyone I know", kind of crush. I should at this time mention that this is a wonderful example of why I don't write as often I as I used to- I'm certain I would be rather embarrassed if he googled my name (helLO- he's totally doing that) and found this post, where I admit to having a crush on him, making the next time we run into each other at C-Town or on the stairs awkward. But what the hell- I'm bored and felt like updating.

I should start out by saying I have 3 neighbors. Actually, I have 4, but in the 6 months that I've lived in this apartment, I've never seen the dude who lives in the one bedroom. Not once. So, I don't really include him in my neighbor descriptions. Anyway, the 3 guys who live below me are all surprisingly wonderful. I say surprisingly because you really never know what you're in for when it comes to neighbors. Ashley and I lived next to 2 dudes who we thought seemed pretty cool (and whose cat we often saw on the balcony), but they were NEVER home, and when they were, we never really spoke. My last neighbor in Astoria presumably gave us bed bugs, so there's that, and as far as neighbors in other Baltimore complexes go, well- I can't really say much of anything. It wasn't very social. So, that being said, the first time I knocked on their door out of distress, Cute Neib. NO. 1 dropped what he was doing to come help me out, and told me never to hesitate asking for help. He also said that I should come down and hang out sometime when I'm not in dire need of assistance. They all individually know what me and my roommates do for a living, and actually ask about our goings on; they always invite us when they are having a party, and if things get a little loud, they always apologize the next day and make sure things are kosher. 3 single 20-something dudes who are just genuinely nice? Perhaps that's why I have a crush. Well, that and the teeth.

I will probably never find out if he realizes just how convenient our fake hooking up would be. Besides, I'm off to the Great North this weekend to visit Andrea and co., and to see a boy. Right now he's part of the "co", but who knows- maybe he'll turn out to be as excited about me as I am aboot him.

Time for bed. But fist, I have to put my ear to the floor to see if my neighbor is still awake...

For Robert

The man who manually started this blog for me is asking why I have forsaken it. (No, not President Bush, but good guess.) I told Robert, I feel like everyone knows anything I have to say, and if they don't, I guess it's because I don't really have any "news" (besides the whole pregnancy/moving to Kansas to raise my baby with the Marils thing)- but that's OLD news.

So, I've decided to do more of a once-in-a-while update, with news and stories. I know it's hard to believe that my life isn't as exciting as a Bond movie (who am I kidding- it totally is), but some days are just pretty normal. I'm also a little bit paranoid about posting news and tidbits on the interwebs that I don't necessarily want people to read. You never know who's googling you...

So, on that note. Here are some bones:

I'm planning a recital for the spring- all 20th century music. I'm pretty excited about a John Duke set I'm doing; this is the first time I've heard it or heard OF it, and it's absolutely gorgeous. The poetry is just gut-wrenching. So yay for that.

I did do one audition- Britten-Pears. It went well. I sang some Schubert. It would be nice to summer (for 10 days) in England!

I'm going to Toronto next month to see Andrea and another friend. More on the other friend later. :)

Boccismo! still rules. We played the D-bag team AGAIN in the finals, beat them, they tried to fight us for the second time, but our composure and skills prevailed. We have a month off until Winter Season starts, and we're currently bouncing around ideas for our gear. We're thinking of going with a collegiate/fox hunting/lodgey look. Does that make sense? Anyway, it will be awesome, whatever it is.

I'm looking forward to going home for Christmas, seeing that baby, and my sister (one in the same), and the rest of the fam and friends as well.

Oh, and I'm not re-auditioning for the Army. I've decided to stay put. New York has seduced me.

You know I dreamed about you for twenty-nine years before I saw you

Well, it's not QUITE the end of the year, but close enough, and time for my Top Ten list. I have to say, I'm not sure I can choose ONE favorite album of 2007. There were several amazing records this year, making it nearly impossible for me to rank the top five or so.

So, here we go:

10.!!!- Myth Takes
9. The Arcade Fire- Neon Bible
8. Common- Finding Forever
7. Rufus Wainwright- Release the Stars
6. Jose Gonzalez- In Our Nature
5. Rogue Wave- Asleep at Heaven's Gate
4. LCD Soundsystem- Sound of Silver
3. Band of Horses- Cease to Begin
2. Radiohead- In Rainbows
1. The National- Boxer

Like I said, my top 5 albums are all so amazing, it makes it very difficult for me to choose a no. 1, but Boxer is such a ridiculous album that every time I listen to it, I fall in love all over again. Hard.

oh, and LET'S GO MOUNTAINEERSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS!

WVU is ranked no. 2 in the nation right now, and after we beat Pitt, we'll be No. 1 and HEADED TO THE NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIP.

Totally awesome. Morgantown is gonna burn to the ground.

Updat(ion) Station

Greetings from the dead. I haven't had anything particularly exciting to report as of late, i.e.- I'm not publishing everything on the interwebs- so I apologize if my lack of posts has left all 3 of you high and dry.

Same ol', same ol'. Nice vacay, don't really want to be back at work, December is going to be mad busy- you know how it goes. So rather than write about the shit we're all going through, I'll feature a few bright spots.

I've been to a few of these spots, and they do NOT disappoint. I think I'd like to go to Al di la for Christmas eve. It will remind me of barrelling through mass at St. John's after just eating 4.5 lbs of penne with vodka sauce and bottle of wine. Ahhhh memories.

Last night, I had an amazing beer here, and the full name escapes me at the moment, brewed by Mahr's. It was very malty- in fact, the malt was slowroasted, giving the beer an aftertaste of honey. Seriously one of the best beers I've ever had, and it was imported by these guys. Cast your beer snob stones if you will, but if there is one thing that I can afford to lend my snobbery to, it's beer.

Alright. Back to work.

Say it ain't SO

Global warming is effecting EVERYTHING. Get green, people.