Officially on spring break, and it doesn't really feel like it, mainly because I'm surrounded by snow...but that's all going to change tomorrow when I head off to Port-au-Prince with MESDA.
Don't be jealous...
Typical...my phone being at 15%...
Today was my first, and only day of "break", since I will be working and playing hard for the next week. It began around 11, when I finally decided to get out of bed, did a little shopping since I don't have a nice white shirt to perform in (and I don't want to be the only person wearing all black like last time), then I played a round of racquetball with some wind players, finished Downton Abbey (Season 3 finale, and wept silently into a bag of M&Ms), then I went to a friend's incredible voice recital. So, true to form, I saved most of my preparation and packing at the last possible minute. On my way home from the recital, printed a few copies of music, stopped at the CFA to get my instrument and more music, and now I'm at home, sitting on my bed, sipping on a vanilla-espresso concoction (breaking the no caffeine rule, I know)...and the packing has yet to begin.
I've learned a lot more about what to expect since I've already been on one MESDA trip to the Dominican Republic back in November. First off, I am prepared with a lot of music to share with my students, as well as bringing lots of warm up and technique exercises for my lessons, and I think that is most important. A little less important, is the fact that this time I am bringing bug spray (the remnants of my hundreds - not exaggerating- of mosquito bites are still apparent months later), as well as sunscreen, and lots of different meds, just in case. My first meal coming back from Haiti will not be fried food, that was a terrible idea last time, and I even know a little bit of French, which will help with speaking and understanding Creole. The most important thing is to arrive with an open mind, and an excitement of the week to come.
It's about time to get packing...and I need to figure out what time I need to get to the airport. Tomorrow is daylight savings time, and good thing I remembered, because I "could have gone Dominican style" - kind of an inside joke. Sorry.
Hopefully there will be a strong enough wifi signal where we're staying, and the next time you hear from me, I'll be in Port-au-Prince updating you on my amazing and rewarding week.
This blog started about 7 months ago, and over that period of time I've done some pretty awesome things. In August, as a way to get used to blogging I took a picture every day, which ended up being a great way to document my family's big move to southern RI. In September, in an effort to get a little healthier, I drank nothing but water for 30 days (with the exception of having a beer at a major sporting event). October started a two month Boston exploration which involved visiting museums (MFA), taking tours (U.S.S. Constitution, Boston Library), and some hard core sight seeing. The end of November brought my first trip with MESDA to the Dominican Republic, and December was a month of kindness and fact finding. In January I went as internet-free as possible (with the exception of being required to check my BU email), and in February I became vegetarian.
The first post of each month, as you who have been following my blog already know, is a reflection and introduction of a new month-long challenge. This month is going to be slightly different in the latter aspect.
But first, what was so great about being a vegetarian? Um...pretty much everything.
First off, I'd like to say that I wasn't expecting anything huge to happen, or to have any profound realizations. I've always wanted to try out being a vegetarian, partly for health reasons, and partly to see if I could actually do it. Well, I did it (with that one exception that I've already written about), but looking back, I've felt so much healthier. By totally cutting meat out, I've been able to pinpoint all the things giving me stomach problems. I've always had a sensitive stomach, lactose intolerance aside: I can't eat anything too spicy, or too heavy, or too fatty, and I can't eat too much without feeling like I'm being stabbed by a thousand knives in the stomach. Fatty meats were apparently a big factor in me not feeling well, and I also discovered...so is espresso. Kind of a bummer. I've been slowly easing my way back into being a carnivore, focusing on having more lean meats, and just having less meat in general. I've felt like I've had more energy too, since I was so worried about not getting enough nutrition that I went a little overboard (a good thing) on making sure I got enough protein and vitamins. The February vegetarian challenge was totally worth it, and one of the best life-changing challenges I've done so far.
So what about March?
It is time for me to officially make an announcement that has been a little more apparent on Facebook than on this blog, so many of you already know.
MESDA was invited to work at a school in Haiti, and on the 10th I am leaving to spend a week with music students in Port-au-Prince.
Once again, I will be bringing my computer in hopes that the wifi is strong enough to make a blog post or two while I'm there to update you on the work that we will be doing. Taking a look at our schedule, the days will be completely packed with lessons, coachings, rehearsals, and performances. In a lot of ways it will be similar to the work we did in the DR, but I'm excited at finding out what the differences will be. I also know that where we will be staying will be very different, as I needed to get an assortment of vaccines and medications: Hep A, Typhoid, Malaria, antibiotics...and that's just the beginning. I still need to acquire hand sanitizer, potent big spray, sun screen, Tums, and Immodium (which hopefully I won't need, but come on...it's me).
So there it is. Off to Haiti in about 5 days, and lots of preparation to do before then.
If you're looking for a 30 day challenge you can complete in the States, try going 30 days without caffeine! I know, the horror! The slogan "America runs on Dunkin" is a testament to how addictive caffeine can be, and shows how thousands, maybe even millions of people are addicted to it. Since espresso and coffee routinely ruin my stomach, and also my day, I'll also be going caffeine free for 30 days. This means no tea either, and no soda (which I sometimes use as a last resort to stay awake). Now, in the DR I was only getting 4-5 hours of sleep a night, usually less (by my own fault), and was dependent on coffee and soda throughout the day. This is going to be a tough one, since Haiti might be the same kind of situation, but hopefully I can find a way to get to sleep at a somewhat reasonable time, and not fall asleep in some random place during the day. Like I usually say, if it was easy, it wouldn't be a challenge.
I know I'm technically supposed to be writing about being a vegetarian instead of all the incredibly fun things I'm doing, and I am, but like a fellow blogger stated, it's my blog and I'll do what I want to. I sort of...caved...this weekend on the veggie front, but I'll get to that. I have a whole bunch of new and awesome things to tell you about.
Friday was yet another racquetball day, and as usual probably burned more calories laughing than from actually running around doing a sport. A friend and I were supposed to finally go see Django, but that failed miserably when it started snowing and we got all comfortable on a couch dubbed "the cat-napper". We did go out to an amazing little place called Saus that has sensational french fries with lots of dipping sauces, sandwiches, waffles, and beer...so what's not to love?
Nothing quite like fries in a cone...located by Government Center
Then we attempted to watch Looper, but it proved to be a difficult venture when some people couldn't keep their voices down, and also I took a little nap where I apparently missed a very important part.
After a little craft beer, a little hookah, and a few too many episodes of TV shows, we also stayed up a little too late with lots of laughs and really good company.
Saturday was fantastic in that I got to sleep the heck in. Cleaned for a bit during the day while listening to some music:
Before I knew it, it was dinner time and we were riding the T on our way to China Town. My Thai Vegan Cafe is literally a hidden gem, and if I hadn't been with someone who had been there before, I wouldn't have known it even existed. Don't be put off by the semi-sketchy stairwell, because at the top of the stairs lies a damn good Thai restaurant, probably one of the best I've been to. Heck, the best I've ever been to. I had pad thai with veggie-shrimp and veggie-chicken, that were so extremely close to the real thing I almost felt naughty for eating it. Everything there is 100% vegan, and if you like bubble tea (which I don't), they apparently have some of the best.
What followed was a night of entertainment. I saw a fellow clarinetist play a great recital, and I even got to apply my expertise in page turning. A little hard, since the lighting produced a very awkward glare in which I couldn't read half the music. Still nailed it. Afterwards, I began watching my new favorite TV series. It's sort of like Downton Abbey meets Dexter meets CSI. Sherlock.
And Sunday was freakin' sweet as well, due to an awesome morning/afternoon of sleeping in and then continuing to watch Sherlock. This is where I caved. You could say that the aroma of chili cooking in a slow cooker was the thing that woke me up (really, what I woke up to), and I was seriously craving some. It was a cold day today, snow was falling outside, comfortable on the cat-napper, watching Sherlock with friends...then someone walked in with Panera bread bowls, and it was all over. Twenty five days of being vegetarian, and homemade chili in a bread bowl was my downfall. Totally worth it.
After finally getting my act together I arrived at school for two consecutive rehearsals, and then watched the Oscars. I sincerely regret not seeing Argo in theaters, but I think I did pretty well seeing most of the movies that were nominated.
Here's some music for the road (recently recommended to me by someone with great taste in music):
I'm afraid that I've been getting used to all these three day weekends and I'm just not going to go to school next Monday. The time off has been great, and I've been doing a lot of fun Boston things (relating to my October challenge: Explore Boston...a challenge that will never be finished), spending time with friends, and even with family.
Let's start with Valentines Day, which I spent with my new boyfriend Anton Bruckner:
The amount of concerts that I've attended that have been life changing and profound are few, but this was one to add to the list (others include the BSO performing Mahler 5, and Richard Stoltzman performing Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time with the Eroica Trio). Maybe it was the fact that I've been taking a Dvorak class and thoroughly enjoyed reading the program notes, maybe it was because I had recently finished my audition and deserved a break, or maybe it was that the BSO played especially well; but whatever it was, the stars somehow aligned and the music spoke to me and made me feel something very profound, in a way that only music can.
Sadly, I missed the Mozart concerto that was the entire first half of the concert, but strangely enough, being late made me cross paths with an old friend from about 7 years ago. We spent a summer together at the BUTI music festival, and it the first time I actually felt like I belonged somewhere: amongst musicians. We were musical companions for weeks in the most beautiful place on earth, playing and hearing the most beautiful music ever written, and discovering so many important things about life and music. You never can forget someone like that.
BUTI 2006
Friday night was a little different. I am by no means a hipster, but I do have friends that are, and so I was introduced to a little but of the hipster-eque world, which ended up being amazing. I found myself sitting in a basement of an apartment with a good friend of mine and a six pack, listening to performances of original songs, covers played on ukelele, and some incredible spoken word. It was an incredible and energetic experience to be around so many good vibes and talent. It was dubbed the Friday Night Hoot-Tea-Nanny, due to the consumption of large amounts of tea (and other beverages).
Saturday was Zombie Night at Royale, but I was really disappointed with the lack of Zombie-ness. We really went all out, and I was impressed with the all around creepy effort. The music could have been better...not a huge fan of pop mash ups, although they are fun...but I've seen both Square pusher, Booka Shade, and Ferry Corsten at Royale, which are tough acts to follow.
Despite the odd looks on the T, I think we were pretty successful.
Then my little brother came to visit! He's 11 years old and the biggest deal ever. We went out to eat with a bunch of my friends and played with a bunny the first day. The second day I showed him around my school, then we played a few hours of racquetball (which I then continued today...it's kind of my thing now), and went to a concert. This morning I had to take him back to the train station to meet up with my parents to send him on his way. Sweet kid.
Tennis lessons finally paying off...for me at least.
And finally the veggies. What's better than a salad served in a taco and covered with guacamole? Um...probably chips covered in melted cheese served up nacho style...
Even so...the vegetarian thing is going well. Feeling good, lots more energy, lots of motivation...and not as many stomach problems, which is the biggest thing I've noticed. It's probably because meat tends to be high in fat, so maybe when I start eating meat again I should look for meat that's more on the lean side. It's interesting, I was worried about not getting enough nutrients by cutting meat out of my diet, but I've been eating more and more greens, vegetables, and fruits. With the occasional carb or two. And maybe perhaps a cookie.
Still avoiding making quinoa, but I made some awesome roasted chick peas. Luckily I had all the spices on hand due to guacamole making, so if you have a variety of spices, try this recipe:
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon cumin
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
salt, pepper, crushed red pepper
1 can of chick peas (15 oz)
You mix 'em all up and pop them in the oven for about 35 minutes (350 degrees), shaking the pan every 10 minutes or so, and take them out when they are crunchy. I think I took them out too soon, because some of them were a little more crispy than others, but they were still pretty good, high in protein, and filling.
The finished product
If you're looking for a less spice oriented snack, there's always the classic "ants on a log", but I dislike the "ants" part.
Just the log...
It is now time to get started on doing my homework, so I hope everyone is having a great week.
My posts this month have been few and far between, and for that I apologize. The past few days have been sort of hellish, but I would rather have way too much to do than not enough. We had a great three day weekend thanks to Blizzard Nemo...what a stupid name for a blizzard. I'm pretty sure Boston actually got the best deal out of it; school was cancelled, we got lots of fun snow to play in, and we never lost power. The amount of snow was crazy, so how about some nice before and after pictures?
Our street AFTER
Our street BEFORE
Being veteran shut-ins (Sandy was to blame earlier this year), we were prepared with lots of snacks, assorted beverages, candles, and movies. We also brought our instruments back to our apartment since school was closed, which was smart because I had a giant audition to prepare for, as well as a symphony to practice, chamber to play, and a Stravinsky piece to learn. So we began by making some yummy soup to warm our tummies and cracked open a couple of ice cold craft beers.
Delicious minestrone soup...vegetarian.
Above is a picture I took right before I started practicing on the first night. I laid all my music out on my cozy looking bed, and made sure to get a shot of the window with falling snow outside. What you can't tell about this picture, is that it was quite cold in this room, as our windows get kind of drafty when there is a lot of wind. I was able to run some of my audition excerpts and quickly get the Mozart back under my fingers after I warmed up with scales and long tones. I also worked on the Prokofiev Quintet that I'm playing with my chamber group, and then I started the arduous task of learning Stravinsky's L'Histoire du Soldat (A Soldier's Tale).
The next day we ventured out into the tundra...
People were actually walking in the streets due
to the roads not being shoveled.
We found a little path through the woods that went by a little stream...a beautiful little place I never knew existed!
Snow covered branches
A little pond
We walked through the snowy landscapes, observed kids sledding, dogs playing, climbed a tree, crawled through a tunnel clearly made for a smaller child, and tried to build a snowman.
The sun setting on the tundra
Sunday I came back to school to play in the BU conducting auditions where we played Soldier's Tale, and then practiced and practiced and practiced. Then Monday happened.
On Monday I had a lesson at 10am, and then I had a chamber rehearsal. After chamber I had a quick lunch before heading off to orchestra rehearsal for a few hours. Directly after rehearsing a Mahler symphony, we met at 808 Commonwealth Avenue, a gallery, and the venue of our new music concert for the group Time's Arrow. There was also a giant beehive in the gallery, which added to some of the fun. We rehearsed one of the pieces for the very first time before our concert began at 8, and lasted until about 10. Then I went back to school and practiced for two hours.
Then Tuesday happened.
I woke up at 6 am, left for school where I warmed up and ran through some music, and then went to Symphony Hall to audition for Tanglewood. The auditions took place in the bowels of Symphony hall, but it was relatively easy to find the room due to my previous knowledge from the concerts I've played there. Then I came back and played in studio class, went to wind ensemble rehearsal, went back home took a quick cat nap, grabbed my concert clothes and arrived at the Tsai Performance Center shortly thereafter.
Musicians are great at going from street clothes to concert clothes in less than one minute. After getting dressed, I found a seat in the audience that had easy access to the back stage door and watched the orchestra perform Mozart's Symphony No. 41 ("Jupiter"), and then I went back stage, grabbed my music and clarinets and performed Mahler's Symphony No. 1. After a long day and a good concert, we met at a local bar and celebrated all of our achievements with a few pitchers of sangria.
And in case you were wondering what all the Mahler talk is about: (if you watch until the end, the horns will give you a very cheesy surprise!)
As for being a vegetarian this month, it's been great. Super easy and I feel a lot better health-wise. I've been so busy that I haven't been cooking as much, but meals include fried rice with veggies, minestrone soup, salads in wraps, spinach salad with mushrooms, and whole wheat pasta with marinara sauce. Now that my audition is over, I plan on using some time to cook more, and hopefully will have a few creative and yummy recipes.
I soon need to leave for a late night coaching on the Prokofiev...
Going vegetarian has been a lot easier than I thought. With the exception of the occasional cravings for bacon or a turkey sandwich, I've been able to make and find some really delicious things to eat. An example? There is a Panera across the street from where I go to school where I usually get their sierra turkey sandwich, but when I walked in I noticed they had a new salad. I usually stay away from salads because they usually leave me feeling hungrier, but I realize that most of the salads I eat are comprised of romaine or mixed greens, which don't have a whole lot of nutrients and are basically just...water. This salad was all spinach, plus some chopped up egg, crispy onions, mushrooms, and onions with a vidalia onion vinaigrette. There was also bacon and I think some sort of cheese which I went without.
So, I should have covered this in the first post, but it was late and I had a lot on my mind.
What exactly is a vegetarian?
I am currently an ovo-vegetarian, meaning I don't consume dairy products, but I can eat eggs - an "eggetarian", if you will. The definition of "vegetarian" is one who abstains from eating red meats, poultry, and fish. There's a bunch of reasons for going vegetarian, whether for health or religious reasons, "animal rights", or environmental and cultural reasons. And a very small amount of people choose being vegetarian for 30 days just to try it :)
I have excluded dairy from my diet for the past year due to health reasons, since I was recently diagnosed with lactose intolerance. Others exclude dairy because they are concerned for the treatment of female cows, who are kept constantly lactating. Ovo-vegetarians can eat eggs because they are unfertilized eggs, meaning they are not a living animal. They also prefer eggs from uncaged, "free range" hens.
When I first began this challenge, I thought I was dooming myself to a month of salads...so what else is there? So far I've made an impressive veggie stir-fry with sauce over rice, and my "pantry" is stocked with whole wheat pasta and quinoa. For breakfast I have cheerios with soy milk, then when I get a little hungry I have a little hummus with pretzel crackers or trail mix...and starting to really love dried cranberries. Then there have been an assortment of delicious salads, veggie burgers, and salads in a wrap - today I had mixed greens with apples and dried cranberries, candied pecans, and apple cider vinaigrette in a tortilla.
Trying to eat vegetarian has made me more aware of what I eat, and I've been eating a lot healthier. With the exception of Super Bowl Sunday:
Delicious home made nachos
I'm still looking for a yummy looking quinoa recipe, or I'll be making some pasta with veggies and marinara sauce this week. Either way I'll be back with something tasty to make.
Hope everyone is having a great week. Oh hey, if you want you should become a follower on my blog, or follow me on Twitter: https://twitter.com/CelineNatalie. Go to the right and give me your email, or if you have a blogger profile, join my blog!
Warning: this post will likely contain typos and grammatically incorrect sentences. I have been awake for 19 hours. This post will also contain clarinet shop talk, which I will try to keep to a minimum.
Today started for me at 5 in the morning. A great friend of mine picked me up in our shared rental and we began our journey to Pennsylvania. Why the trip? Well, we were on our way to a highly recommended clarinet repairman to adjust and fix the problems we had with our lovely clarinets. Not only was my A clarinet disassembled, cleaned, and oiled, but some tone holes were resurfaced, 8 pads were replaced, the register tube was swapped out for a festival one, replaced a loose screw with a teflon screw, side keys were realigned, and rim of the bell was shimmed.
Clarinets!
Hammer Music Company
While all of this amazing work was going on, we took off to grab some lunch in the city. I snapped as many pictures as I could of our whirlwind day through Philly. Although I wanted to see the Liberty Bell, run up the stairs to the art museum in a Rocky-esque fashion, and see where Ben Franklin was buried, time was tight, the wind was cold, and our bellies were empty. I am BY NO MEANS any kind of expert in the restaurant scene in Philly, but we did go to a great restaurant where there was great food, so if you're in town, a good option for a place to get some grub is the National Mechanics. It didn't really look like a restaurant at first until we went inside, the booth seats were made of old church pews, and there were good reviews of the food from everyone at our table. I had a delicious and colorful veggie burger, with a fried egg on top and some french fries. They also had a yummy looking Bloody Mary bar which I did not partake in, but one of the condiments you could get along the rim was called bacon salt, which also got great reviews from our table.
Some shots of Philadelphia: (regardless of the short time we spent, I'm so glad I was able to see a little bit of the city)
Reminds me of Boston...
Also reminds me of Boston...
Going to and from Philly in one day definitely took it's toll on us, and although we were both exhausted when we got back home, it was a day (and money) well spent. Our clarinets are our babies in a way, and the things we do to improve upon them will only make us better musicians in the long run. We made a few stops for coffee and snacks along the way, and at one of the stops we were greeted with these babies:
CINNABON
I don't care what Jim Gaffigan or Louis C.K. says about them, but I had my very first bite of a Cinnabon today, and oh what a tasty, gooey bite it was. We listened to good music, texted and called some great people (mainly our clarinet instructor to tell him of our great success), and had some serious girl bonding time. Long effing day.
So what's my new challenge for February?
In an effort to eat healthier and understand a good portion of our population, I am going vegetarian. Since I can't have butter, milk, or cheese (dairy in general) most of the meals I will be eating will be unintentionally vegan. I chose February because it's the shortest month, since it will be an especially tough challenge for me. I've already made myself a delicious vegetable stir-fry over rice with hoisin sauce, and today found veggie burgers to be quite good. I know it's basically a sin to go to Philly and not try a cheesesteak, but since I can't have the cheese part, why try to even have the steak part?
I remember when I was in high school I attempted to be a vegetarian. I was such an amateur: peanut butter and jelly sandwiches for lunch, mac and cheese at dinner, attempting to eat salads and such. Then one day I caved and needed to have an Italian sub. I lasted one week. Hopefully I can quadruple that.
I was researching ways to get enough protein and nutrients into my diet, which I will get by making whole grain pasta, quinoa, and rice. I'm also going to be really good about taking my vitamins (B-12, and calcium supplements are the important ones). I'll be cooking at home more, eating healthier things, and (hopefully) gain an understanding into why someone would choose to be vegetarian/vegan.
Please share with me any recipe ideas you have, and I will share mine!
I hope you folks have a relaxing Superbowl Sunday :)
