Boston Strong

Hello fellow blog readers.

I have to apologize for not writing in a while. I found it impossible to write anything during last week due to the events that were happening in Boston. Things have quieted down since, but the stress of the end of my first year as a masters student is closing in, and I have papers to write, presentations to give, and a recital to play. Not to mention work, preparing for an audition and an upcoming gig.

I was going to try to give an update of the events that happened last week, but words have failed once again to describe mix the of emotions and events, ranging from terror, to hope, to healing, to strength...leaving Boston with the slogan: Boston Strong.

There was one blogger, a friend of a friend who found the right words, if you would like to read up on the thoughts and feelings of one fellow Bostonian.

I will resume the posts when my year comes to an end, but until then, I feel that I must take a breather from blogging, just for a little while. After my recital, the running will continue.

And if you'll be in Boston in early May, you are cordially invited to my recital. Leave a comment if you would like some more information. :)

I'll see you soon!

Boston Marathon 2013

The chilling images from yesterday were still with me when I woke up this morning, and will continue to be with me throughout my whole life. Seeing as my blog this month has been geared towards running, I would have been at the finish line yesterday if it wasn't for a trip to New York. While walking around a different city, I received a massive amount of text messages (from all over the US and even other countries) asking if I was okay, and it wasn't until I turned on the TV that I realized the sheer gravity of the situation. What was amazing, though, was the response of people over social media offering help, kind words, and prayers to the people effected by the horrible and tragic events of the explosions that happened during the marathon, one of Boston's oldest and greatest wonderful traditions that will now forever be changed.

I know we've seen enough of this horrific event on the news, but this video does contain graphic images and strong language. Even though the tragedy happened so quickly, you can still see people rushing toward the crowd trying to help the injured.

Since I feel as though none of my own words can do justice, I would like to share with you some of the posts I saw on Facebook yesterday. If you see your post here and would like me to take it down, add your name, or anything, please leave a comment or message me.

A friend from Texas wrote, "What I remember most fondly were the beautiful concerts and plays in the parks, free for all of the public, and I truly pray most of all that their shared communal experience of joy, art and friendship not be hindered by such an atrocious act. We love you Boston!!!"

A friend who recently moved away from Boston wrote, "Hoping everyone finds some peace tonight and gets enough rest. Much love to my big ole Boston family, I'm so glad you are all safe!"

A fellow musician and student shared a link and wrote: Thank you to everyone who tried to reach me today. I was a block away from the area just an hour before the bombs went off and would have stayed to watch the race had I not had a midterm to take at 3pm. Feeling very grateful for that midterm right now and so relieved that my friends and teachers in the marathon are okay! My thoughts go out to the victims and their families ♥ Amazed at the strength of this city...

Amazing Acts of Kindness in Boston

An old roommate of mind who lives elsewhere, but who is from the area wrote: So incredibly heartbroken over what has been happening in Boston today. Comforted to see that everyone I know and love who were running in or watching the marathon are okay

Click here to read a fellow blogger's beautiful response.

More responses from friends:

"The Boston Marathon is always held on Patriots' Day, which commemorates the first battles of the Revolutionary War, where terror was abundant and frequent. Boston will rise from what has happened today, and will become stronger for it, just as our ancestors rose up to battle for their freedom as well as ours."

"At this point, I do not even want to turn on my television or watch the news. This hit too close to home."

"We are only as strong as we are united, as weak as we are divided"

"Today, there are not republicans or democrats, northerners or southerners, yankee fans or red socks fans... we are one, brought together by our sadness and are united in our quest for peace and comfort for the city and victims in Boston today."

"To all the loyal Boston readers out there, and everyone else who is affected by today's tragedy in Boston, please never forget that we have the power. We have the power to remind ourselves at every moment that cowardice never, ever wins. My deep condolences to all the families affected by this random act of cowardice, and my encouragement to ALL of us to distance ourselves further and further from the reaction of division and violence. Moments like this give us the chance to choose light and love, and boy do we need that now more than ever." - Joyce DiDonato

Another friend wrote: My 2nd grade teacher Mrs. Lawless taught us to say a little prayer when we heard a siren, which I frequently still do.

Unfortunately today I could not keep up. Praying for everyone in this city.

Another response from a fellow Bostonian: Thanks to everyone checking in over the course of the day. Obviously, we still don't know all that much, but it's a relief knowing that many of you are safe tonight. Please keep in your thoughts those that were affected by today's events. It'll take a while, but we're gonna get through this.

Another article: Boston Marathon: All My Tears, All My Love

"Cowards: This is BOSTON. We fight injustice, promote enlightenment, and celebrate athletic achievement. You changed none of that." - Scott Kirsner

"Marathon Monday in Boston is supposed to be a day of celebration of people's athletic achievements, and for this year specifically, also a day of remembrance for the victims of the Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting this past December. It's horrific to think that this year it will likely be remembered for the tragic events that unfolded today. I can't even imagine why someone would even think about doing something like this, especially during a marathon of all things and in such a lovely city as Boston. Let's hope this whole thing clears up soon and we find out how and why this all happened. Good night y'all, sleep well."

"We are not afraid.

You will not rattle us.

You will not change our way of life.

You may test our faith in freedom but it will not falter.

We love each other and our love makes us stronger than you."

"it is 2AM and I still can't believe what happened."

When you finally think that you've lost all faith in humanity, don't forget about the Heroic First Responders who put themselves in harms way to help the wounded.

And what Obama said when he addressed the nation:

"On days like this there are no Republicans or Democrats—we are Americans, united in concern for our fellow citizens."

"Boston is a tough and resilient town. So are its people. I'm supremely confident that Bostonians will pull together, take care of each other, and move forward as one proud city. And as they do, the American people will be with them every single step of the way." - President Obama

Boston will overcome, but the memory will be with us forever:

"I can't seem to shake off this heavy sadness I've been carrying since yesterday. It seems like a night of sleep and a sunny day should just erase it. Though it is beautiful to see how people are finally working together, openly loving and appreciating one another as our race should. I also hope that people all over the country can continue to respond to such a horrific act by continuing to open their hearts and act out of Love, not with identically destructive feelings. 

Everybody needs a wake up call to finally feel and do what we know is right. Keep it up friends!"



I have been living in Boston for the past 6 years, and I am proud to call this beautiful city my home. Most of my friends are from Boston, have lived in Boston, or are in the immediate area, and seeing everyone pull together and help each other was very moving. I am so lucky to have family and friends who care about me, even enough to send a quick text message from across the country, down the street, or in another country to make sure that I was okay. I love you all, and Boston will be okay.

Let's all remember the innocent lives lost, and lives that have been changed forever.

All in for Boston.

Spring Things

I had the most lovely weekend.

What is better than spending time in one of your favorite cities, with someone who actually lives there who can show you some pretty awesome things? Things, that even though you've been visiting Manhattan since you were 10, you never knew existed.

Seeing as one of the most notable things about this weekend was seeing Das Rheingold, the first opera of Wagner's epic Ring Cycle that I've been obsessed with for years, I'll start with the second most notable thing about this weekend: The weather.

Flowers blooming in the old railroad tracks of the High Line. 

The weather was gorgeous. It was the first time in a long time that I could actually feel spring approaching, saw some flowers blooming, and had a marvelous time walking around the city. Not to mention that the company present was one of the reasons why this weekend was so great.

Other reasons why this weekend was amazing?


1.) The High Line.

The High Line is an urban park, built along on old rail line that is elevated above the streets of Manhattan, so that it actually goes past the windows of apartments (a good reason to keep your living room clean). Aside from adding a new perspective to how you look at buildings, it also offers great views of the Hudson, street traffic, and modern architecture. It runs from West 34th street to the Meatpacking district, where we caught a few minutes of Nummer Negen, the day I didn't turn with the world. It is essentially a video of the artist who created it, standing at the north pole for a span of 24 hours, slowly rotating in the opposite direction that the earth is spinning. The video was about nine minutes long, and I started to get really cold just by watching only a few minutes.

The concept of having seats overlooking a New York city street. Pretty cool. 

2.) Learning a lot about modern architecture.

Architecture is an art form, and I learned quite a bit just from seeing a few buildings along the High Line. The building in the picture below that is all the way to the left is the IAC building, designed by Frank Gehry. It's inspiration is...a sailboat; a glass schooner of a workplace. I really wish I had taken more pictures, but I was having such a great time that I didn't feel like constantly documenting everything. I guess next time I should find a happy medium.

Beautiful buildings. Architectural genius.

3.) Kafana

After a long walk through the East Village (we did walk in the wrong direction for a little while), we finally found Kafana, one of the coolest restaurants I've ever been to. Cool for me at least, seeing as it's strictly a Serbian restaurant, and I've never actually had Serbian food. I've also never really heard anyone speak Serbian before, and I'm happy to say that there was plenty of that as well. I had to look up the menu, because there is no way I would have remembered what I had. We started with an order of Lepinja sa kajmakom, traditional bread with a cheesy spread (even though I have issues with lactose, it was totally worth a few bites). For dinner I had dimljena vesalica, which was smoked pork neck...dude. Amazing. I even got to try some Cevapi, which is another traditional dish that was apparently - because I wouldn't know - spot on with the way it was supposed to taste. Topped off with a refreshing beer and lots of water, it was the perfect end to our quest through the city. (We also stumbled upon a little tea shop, that was totally cute and unrefined yet homey). 

4. Central Park. 

Until now, my favorite moment in Central Park involved eating a gingerbread cookie with some hot apple cider around Christmas time last year. I've never really experienced the park in the spring, and now my favorite moment in Central Park is the following: Simply eating lunch that we ordered at the Boathouse Express Cafe, sitting outside, in the sunshine, and talking. We shared an order of french fries as well, and then walked it off through scenic park.

That's the other thing about this weekend. There was a lot of walking. I didn't exactly run, but oh man was I walking. 

Like a Fairy Tale. 

Those are just a few note worthy adventures that were had this weekend, not to mention seeing Rheingold up close and personal, eating more amazing food, listening to even more great music, having great conversations, and having time to practice in the midst of having all this fun.

And I leave you, with a really great song. "No, I regret nothing".

Running is Real and Relatively Simple...

…but it ain't easy. Stated by Mark Will-Weber (runner and author of a few running books-who knew there were running books out there?), and verified by anyone who has ever tried to run. I have a confession to make. It's been two days since I've run...but let me explain. 

The first day, I was feeling way too ambitious, and for not running or going to the gym at any point in the recent past, I was pretty sore the next day. 

The second day, I thought "well, I need to keep up my challenge", so I went on a shorter 20 minute run.

The third day I thought, well maybe a shorter run will help...and plus, it's Easter, and I'll be eating way too much later, so I need to get a run in now. Happy Easter by the way, this is only a small sample of some of the amazing food that we were able to partake in, as well as a photo bomb:

Well, on the fourth day I had trouble performing simple tasks, like going down stairs...since my quads were pretty stiff and still sore. So I took Monday off. 

And by my own fault, I procrastinated on a paper so I had to take today off as well. 

The good news is that today I did have to complete the 15 minute walk to and from my apartment twice, and walked all the way to my rehearsal venue which is 15 minutes away from school...and then I walked all the way home after my brain became mush from taking 10 pages of notes. 

So right now my brain needs a little break to digest, and my ears need to listen to something that isn't Dvorak. Turns out, there is such a thing as too much Dvorak. It's too much of a good thing though, so I suppose it could be a lot worse. 

I also thought it would be a good idea to run when I got home, to clear my head and try my chances at not getting mugged, but it's way to windy...like, wind tunnel windy...like, icy wind tunnel windy. 

So instead I will indulge in a different kind of back breaking exercise: cleaning my room. 

And then writing a paper. 

It's going to be a long night. 

www.collegetocareers.com