I'm a singer, I swear!
For a girl who claims to be a professional singer, I sure don't talk about it very much, let alone advertise my performances. Whoops. Well, since I didn't tell you all about my performances last fall, I'll make up for it now by giving extremely short notice for two upcoming shows. If you click on the Puget Sound Concert Opera link on the right, you can read up on the production of Puccini's "Suor Angelica" that we will be presenting tonight and tomorrow. I think the music is pretty gorgeous and the singing is really high quality. I find it amazing that there are so many talented, well-trained people singing for free in this area. Wow.
Okay, so to give an extra "head's up," I will also be a featured soloist in some Holy Week church services around the area. If I don't give proper notice of those performances, either, then shoot me a message when you're getting ready to paint Easter Eggs and I'll tell you where I'm performing. :)
So, onto the EARTHQUAKE!!! I was rattled awake at 5:30 this morning by a shaking apartment. It was so rhythmic and bizarre that there was no chance of the motion being caused by a semi-truck driving by or my neighbors running up and down the stairs. At that moment all I could think of while lying in bed was that I need to get renter's insurance ASAP and make an inventory of my house. And get together an emergency-preparedness kit. I know, I too was surprised by my ability to make a thorough to-do list 1) in the middle of an earthquake and 2) immediately upon waking up. Kudos to me for not being the type who needs a cup of coffee before tackling any important decisions in the morning. :)
My bedroom makeover is nearly complete! After getting some new pillow shams yesterday, I only need to finish my headboard and then I will take pictures for you to see the new sanctuary. I am really proud of this particular makeover and can't wait to show you how it turned out!
This is turning out to be a fairly random blog entry, so I'll just roll with it and also share that I interviewed for a job in downtown Seattle yesterday and fell in love with the location. It's right in the heart of my favorite part of the city and, although the job is not glamorous, it would be awesome to be in that location every day. So keep your fingers crossed that they choose me!
Well, I guess I'm all out of randomness to write about. Have a Happy Friday and enjoy the weekend!!
Definition
How do you define yourself as a person? What parameters do you set for yourself as a definition of "Me?" What word pops into your head first: Mother, Friend, Wife, Daughter? Do you let other people define who you are?
These are very interesting questions that I have been confronted with countless times in the last six months. Almost every day I wake up and ask myself these questions, but rarely do I have a concrete answer.
In American society, I would say most people are defined by their job. They wear it like a badge and other people respond to them in a manner appropriate to the value placed on that position. For instance, when I was a graduate student, people were impressed that I was so serious about my education, but they normally teased me about the fact that I would make a great secretary with two masters degrees. And when I found full-time work as an opera singer, people were shocked and very impressed that I had such a non-traditional job in a competitive field.
I still have my flashy degrees, and I still sing part-time as a professional singer, but some of the flash and sparkle have worn off as I have looked for work back here in the United States.
(What do you think of when you hear the word "Temp?") I am starting to hear things like, "Well, you don't have to put ALL your degrees on your resume, do you??" or "It's going to be pretty hard to *explain away* your opera singer experience on your work history." Yes, these are verbatim quotes.
So at this point in my life I want to examine who I am and how I choose to define myself. Funny enough, I wouldn't put "opera singer" and "overly-educated bookworm" at the top of my list. Actually, after living in Germany for two years where my entire existence was defined by work, I don't want my own definition to be about employment. But those things are still there all the same and make up the whole me.
When was the last time you defined yourself? Is that definition living and breathing with you every day? I'm curious to hear what makes you You.
The most beautiful morning
The sun was shining so brightly today that I just couldn't stay inside. I grabbed my camera and headed out to explore my area a little more. After living in this apartment for four months (can you believe I've been back in the US for over six months now?!?) I am ashamed that I haven't done more exploring.
This gorgeous view comes from a park just a few minutes by foot from my apartment. Look at all of that blue!
Wow, the lake looked like a piece of glass today. This is Meydenbauer Bay, which is a little cove on the east shore of Lake Washington.
This is the park at Meydenbauer Bay, complete with a swimming area, play toys, and even a shower facility! I can imagine this place is pretty busy in the summer, but in this cold weather the only other visitors today were responsible dog owners walking their pooches.
What I really love about this park is that the road that goes through this area was built on a bridge to retain the lovely shoreline and area. You can either get to the park by looping around through a neighborhood or going down a few flights of stairs by the bridge.
There is also a marina and yacht club at Meydenbauer Bay. There are a lot of playtoys here, making me think this is also a busy little hub in the summer. Gosh, just look at that water! If you peek closely, you can see all the way through to the ground beneath!
I am thrilled that I "ended up" in such a gorgeous area! I wanted to live near downtown Bellevue and be close to public transportation and shopping, but I also got great parks and view along with the bargain!
During, again.
Although most of the apartment is furnished and decorated, my bedroom has been in need of a makeover since nearly the time I moved in! Remember last fall when I went on a long and arduous search for the
perfect drawer pulls for my bedroom furniture? Well, after buying the pulls and spending the next few evenings after work drilling dozens of holes for them, I finally had my project done. And I didn't like it.
Somehow I thought putting hardware on the drawers would make them look and function better, but after a few months I realized that my bedroom was just full of oversized furniture with nice-looking knobs. Who needs 23 drawers of clothing storage in addition to a full closet, anyway??
So, Craigslist came to my rescue. I listed the furniture for way over what I paid for it, even after buying the hardware, and started afresh. I found a great wooden desk at Goodwill for $10.99 that is the perfect scale for my bedroom. I salvaged a pine nightstand of mine from my parents' attic to go with it and headed to Home Depot for some paint.
Here's the color of the desk and nightstand.
I quite like it.
I liked the green a lot, but still needed a dresser. Thanks to another trip to Goodwill and some heavy lifting by my Dad and roommate, I have a gorgeous green antique dresser spread all over my living room in various stages of drying. Hopefully it will be done soon and I can actually put my clothes away.
The bulky desk that had previously been in my bedroom was also listed on Craigslist, and sold for six times what was paid for it at a garage sale. Wow!
And when the painting is finished, it's on to the headboard. This headboard was only $12.00 at Goodwill (by the way, all of these items were purchased at separate Goodwill stores.) I like the shape of it (and the cost!) but it is in serious need of a makeover.
So instead of sanding it and painting it green like the other furniture, I plan on upholstering it. Here is some construction foam board from Home Depot. For about $5.00 you can buy enough to cover a queen-sized headboard.
It has been trimmed and screwed onto the wooden headboard and is awaiting completion. All I need to do is wrap the headboard in quilt batting (my Grandma left scads of it after she died a few years ago) and cover that in fabric. I think I'll buy extra fabric to make a throw pillow or two, and then my room should be the sanctuary I've always wanted. I'll put more pictures of the Ocean in my next post, but hopefully "after" pictures of my room will follow shortly after!
Labels: Home sweet home...improvement
Prom with the Parents
The Governor's Inaugural Ball was this past Wednesday night and I had a fantastic time. I went with my parents, and I think we were the three best-looking people at the festivities. My Mom and I had never seen Dad in a tuxedo before!
When we got to the ball we did a quick loop around the rotunda, and then moved outside to the heated tents, where food, wine, and music awaited us.
Inside the Temple of Justice, the real party was underway, complete with a chocolate fountain, cream puffs, champagne, and a swinging jazz band. However, this was definitely NOT the place to be if you had any concerns about flailing elbows and dripping something on your fancy dress. I'm happy to report that I came through unscathed.
There were many ice sculptures scattered throughout the grounds, each with a Washington theme. They lasted long into the evening and were a great resting point for a photo opportunity.
Some non-Washingtontonians may not see the resemblance, but this is a Geoduck (pronounced "gooey-duck"). I know, most of you 1) don't believe me and 2) have no idea what it is, so follow
this link to see what Wikipedia wrote about them.
On to my favorite sculpture of the evening! This lumberjack was carved entirely out of cheese! I am standing next to the master cheese-carver himself. Not only was it a great sculpture, but the cheeses on this table were divine.
Here I am with my Mom in front of one of the portable heaters in the tents. Eveningwear for women is fairly impractical for winter occasions, but we managed to get by.
Here is the dome of the Capitol rotunda. If you take a tour of our capitol the guide will tell you that this chandelier is large enough to fit a VW bug inside!
And the mystery is solved! Since I was wearing a floor-length gown, I didn't have to worry about further injuring my toe with uncomfortable high heels. Instead I donned my most-comfortable walking boots with sweat socks and enjoyed a pain-free evening of walking on the marble floors.
All in all it was a really great night. If you have never been to your state's Inauguration, I highly recommend it. It's a great opportunity to meet some legislators, get dressed up, and party all evening in one of the most beautiful spaces in the state!
Cinderella's most important accessory
If I were to ask you what Cinderella's most important accessory is, what would you answer?
I agree with you completely, her glass slippers.
Tomorrow night is the Governor's Inaugural Ball in Olympia and I will be attending. For days now I've been thinking about which one of my gowns I want to wear, and visions of jewelry and accessories have been floating through my head. However, a doctor's appointment this afternoon took my accessory of choice--satin high-heeled shoes--out of my wardrobe plans. Although I don't have any broken bones, a mysterious painful and swollen toe that has been perplexing me is also perplexing the physicians over at UW medicine. Since nothing is broken and gout and infection have been ruled out, I've been told to ice, medicate, and treat myself to a new pair of athletic shoes. And this just shows what I princess I am. How in the world am I supposed to go to the Governor's Ball in tennis shoes??
I have a few ideas, but I'll post pictures tomorrow or Thursday of what I ended up wearing. But I can tell you now, my footwear will not be made of glass. Sigh.
On a side note, I find it funny and a little ironic that I scheduled and checked-in hundreds of X-Ray patients at the radiology clinic during my three-month assignment, but had my first X-Ray today. If the head of Sports Medicine hadn't wanted to take a look at my film, I was hoping to take it home and put it on my wall as a souvenir. :)
Being there, doing that
I think about my blog a lot, even though I don't update it every day. Sometimes when I have an interesting experience I think to myself, "Wow! This would be something great to write on my blog!" Or I keep my camera in my purse and tend to take pictures of things that most people don't take pictures of (ahem,
Thanksgiving dinner) because I think readers might enjoy the stories that go along with the pictures.
But lately a lot of those thoughts and pictures haven't resulted in an actual blog entry, and that makes me feel pretty good.
Good?What??But Teresa, why aren't you WRITING, for goodness sake???Well, here's the thing. When I started this blog and was updating it regularly from Germany, I had very little contact with my family and friends. Heck, I had very little contact with anyone when I wasn't at work, let alone people who wanted to speak English and hear about my day. The fact of the matter is that updating my blog with clever little anectdotes about German culture or funny stories about my day was a small way to keep a bond with the people I care about. And I am happy to say that a lot of my free time nowadays is actually spent WITH the people I care about. This past weekend I had a sleepover with my sisters, tried on bridesmaid dresses with my best friend (yes, I am going to be a bridesmaid for the fifth time) and enjoyed an evening of cheese and wine with some friends.
I have some fun pictures to share and funny experiences and anecdotes tend to gravitate towards me, so don't worry about me falling out of the blogosphere. But if you know me personally and you want an update, let's get together soon for a knit night or a cup of coffee, or send me an e-mail to say hello and let's reconnect. It's the greatest feeling to be back home and feel like I belong in this community.
Labels: Home sweet home...improvement
Check!
I feel like an errand girl. This entire week has been about checking little things off my to-do list. And all of these "tying up loose ends" blog posts also reflect my desire to clean up, organize, and check off all the pesky projects that have been cluttering my life. So in addition to getting new watch batteries, cleaning out the closet, returning borrowed books and catching up on laundry, I managed to finish knitting a cap.
Remember the fun hat I knit in November out of my own handspun alpaca?
Well, I really loved the look of the pattern and decided it would be fun to make another cap. So, using my notes I knit up another hat with a store-bought wool. And it was small. SO small. So I ripped it out. Here is the beginning of attempt number three from a few days ago. Ripping back is the pits.
But, it is usually worth it in the end! Here is the new twisted cables watchcap!
I had to add 12 more stitches to the round in order to make it fit on my head, and I used smaller needles for the ribbing at the brim so it would stay on better.
All in all I think it turned out really well. So now that my cap is done, I'm delving back into the unfinished project bag to check something else off my list. It is going to feel so great to have these projects done!
Labels: Knitting
Loose ends, literally
Thanks for the concern some of you voiced about my impending credit doom after closing down so many credit accounts. I did, in fact, know the credit risks associated with cancelling all of those unused cards (thank you Suze Orman!), but decided to do it anyway. :)
So I have other kinds of loose ends besides too much plastic in my purse. In the last several months my collection of yarn and unfinished knitting projects has really exploded. I think when I started packing boxes way back in July and yarn got put out of sight, I forgot what I owned and started buying more yarn. And then when I got back to the States I found a stash of yarn in my parents' house. And then I went to a couple yarn stores and realized how inexpensive yarn here is compared to Germany and went a little crazy. And then I started knitting projects with my new yarn and my Germany projects and Germany yarn were ignored. Until now! I want to start off 2009 with some destashing projects so that I don't feel so darn guilty going into my new favorite yarn store in Bellevue. Here's what I have on my plate:
This is the third attempt at
my own hat design. I successfully knit a hat out of my handspun, but this squishy wool is much different than the alpaca and I needed to add on way more stitches to make my pattern work with this yarn. But when the hat is done I will have used up the rest of my magenta Germany yarn that I had bought to make a
cardigan back in June.
Oh Lord. I don't even know what to say about this project anymore. The pattern isn't that bad, it's just a bit fiddly, but for some reason it is the easiest project in the world to abandon. However, I know it will be cute once it's finished, so I'm determined to get this top done. Yes, it's going to be a top, if you couldn't tell from the picture. :)
These socks were the result of an impulse yarn purchase approximately four seconds before I moved away from Coburg. And approximately four seconds after I moved away from Coburg I lost interest in finishing them. But they will be so comfy when they are done and I'd rather have wool socks in the winter than in the summer. Have you heard more snow is coming?
This purse is so close to being done I can actually feel it. Actually, it is completely knit, it just needs a lining, zipper, and handles. I'm not totally on fire about the way the yarn knit up, though, which is probably why it's not done yet. Well, in any case I want it finished and out of my life.
Once these projects are done I plan on systematically going through the stash of yarn I now have organized and stored under my bed and knitting fabulous garments out of all of it. But the amount of yarn I bought just may ensure that I will be tying up these loose ends until 2010. Gulp.
Labels: Knitting
Loose ends
The beginning of the year is a great time to work on a fresh start and to tie up loose ends. Since I have a bit of extra time on my hands while I am job-hunting, I took a break this morning to consolidate the store membership and credit cards in my possession.
After checking in patients for three months at the radiology clinic, I have asked thousands of people for their insurance cards. In that time, I'd say over 100 people had to dig through not only their wallet, but also through an additional bundle of plastic cards in their possession in order to find their insurance information. Some people used rubber bands to secure their cards. Others had chic cigarette cases to hold the extra plastic. But either way, it was almost comical to see how many club cards, membership cards, identification cards, and credit cards we carry around. Or, in the case of one patient who flashed eight different credit cards in the search for her insurance information, it was more frightening than comical.
Although I didn't carry all of these bits of plastic around with me everywhere, it was a bit shocking to go through a pile of store credit cards and membership cards that have been collecting dust since I moved to Germany in 2006. Aside from my bank card and my Safeway (grocery store) club card, none of the other cards have been touched since moving back to the U.S. in July. So, I took 45 minutes of my morning and cancelled every last one of them. The funny thing was, when I finally navigated my way through the various phone trees to speak to a real person to cancel my accounts, they all tried to bribe me into staying a card member, usually with coupons or discounts of some kind. Tempting as it was, I would rather pay cash for my items and have no coupons or discounts than use a store credit card with an annual percentage rate of 22%! Wow, Macy's, no wonder you're trying to keep my account open.
What kind of loose ends are you tying up this time of year?
Labels: This and That
Happy New Year!
I went to a really fun New Year's Eve party last night. The hosts were gracious, the food was bountiful, and the atmosphere and views were amazing. Here are a few pictures of the festivities. I hope you have a great 2009!
Labels: This and That
