rothenburg ob der tauber: no. 14

I've been quite caught up in preparing for comps, hence the lack of posts. I've read seven books in the last four days, and have twelve more to read in the next seven. I can do it, right?

I've been taking a little bit of time off over the past week, first to visit with friends before they left for Scotland, then to edit some pictures (and regain a bit of mental sanity). I have about 750 more to edit, and lots now posted on Flickr (some of which will appear here).

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iTunes: Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince on the AppleTV

rothenburg ob der tauber: no. 9

Quick post. In paper-writing-mode. Have to crank out a seminar paper by Monday morning, and just started writing this morning. Blurgh.

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iTunes: Paparazzi by Lady GaGa

rothenburg ob der tauber: no. 6

Every street was perfectly picturesque. It helped that there weren't cars everywhere, since they would seriously throw off the aesthetic.

Last night I discovered a new bar and a new beer. The bar: Cask Republic. The beer: Fransikaner Hefe-Weißbier. I don't tend to be much of a bar person -- they're usually too loud, too grimy, and too annoying, but this one was even palatable on a Saturday night. I think we'll be going back in future. The beer was good, too! Not only do I tend to prefer European brews, but I just enjoy ordering anything in German because it's so fun to pronounce. (And I sound like I know what I'm doing.)

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iTunes: Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, by J.K. Rowling

rothenburg ob der tauber: no. 4

There will be quite a few postings from the streets of Rothenburg ob der Tauber -- it was a very picturesque, quaint little town, despite being so tourist-y. I really enjoy all the cobblestone streets. And, yes, I can walk on them in heels -- though I didn't have heels with me for the trip. I fit everything I needed for nearly three weeks into my backpack. Impressive, yes?

Winding down the last week of my spring break. Can we just extend it a little longer? I've been hanging out with my favorite kid since Tuesday, and it's just she and I today because she doesn't have school. She's pretty tuckered out from all the excitement, so she's still asleep and I have a chance to get some early morning work done and to post another Europe photo.

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iTunes: Brandenburg Concerto No. 1, by J.S. Bach

rothenburg ob der tauber: no. 2

I love how brightly colored the building were on the main square. It almost gives the town the feeling of being an enlarged doll's house. I imagine they weren't so bright during the Middle Ages, especially with all the soot, dirt, and grime that a city produces. But it looks nice now.

I've had a lazy day today. Watching the Harry Potter movies and knitting while in my pajamas. (I'm on the sixth movie now!) Perfect way to spend a rainy day in West Virginia.

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iTunes: Hochgetürmte Rimaflut, Op. 103/2, by Brahms

amsterdam: no. 10

Amsterdam returns. As does more snow and ice tonight. And I just discovered that my driveway is already a solid sheet of ice.

Can you say massive wipe-out?

Anyway, this is a view from the porch area of Carla's Café. I like the juxtaposition of old buildings with "new" technology (tram power lines). And the morning light.

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iTunes: Violin Partita, BWV 1006 by Johann Sebastian Bach

amsterdam: no. 4

When we arrived back in downtown Amsterdam the morning after arriving in Europe, the weather couldn't have been better. Or more different from the evening before, which had involved buckets of rain. The bright blue sky just seemed cheerful, and we walked around for a bit to take pictures and see what the city looked like in the light of day and without lots of rain.

Pretty nice, huh?

And now... off to start the first day back. Wasting no time diving right back into classes!

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iTunes: Va tacito e nascost, by Handel

amsterdam: no. 3

This is a shot of the Haarlem train station. After the morning walk, this is where we picked up the train to head into downtown Amsterdam for the morning. What I like about this shot is seeing the textures and lines of the iron work in the old station. I also like the silhouette of the older gentleman standing about halfway down the track. We spent quite a lot of time in train stations during the trip because we had Eurail passes and used them to get from city to city. It was convenient for all the places we wanted to travel, though the next time I go back to Europe, I probably won't try to fit so many different cities into one trip.

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iTunes: Circus Band, by Charles Ives

new haven: part 1

I know it's long overdue, but I finally got to walk around my new town a bit and take pictures. Three weeks into the semester, my brain finally told me I needed a break. Instead of the short breaks I've been taking each day, I decided to give myself the whole day off from any sort of brain work. Well, a whole day split between two -- I took off Friday evening until Saturday evening.

After getting back from my last class on Friday, I make some comfort food, played a little (okay, a lot of) piano, then curled up and watched about six episodes of Bones, then hit the sack. Saturday I slept in, watched more Bones, played more piano, then went on my photo adventure. (Yes, I think I am now addicted to the show...) This was one of my favorite spots to photograph -- they're the stairs to the University Chapel, and I love how the steps are bowed with age. Convenient that the chapel is free for Yale students to use for weddings. Now all I have to do is locate a groom, right?

Well, since I was lazy for most of the weekend thus far, it's back to the grind for me. Finished Ives reading earlier, almost done with Schenker, still have to pull together a presentation for tomorrow, then start on Nazis. Time for more coffee...
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My iTunes: Welche wonne, welche lust from Mozart's Die Entführung aus dem Serail

steps

Another shot from my trip to Annapolis.

I'll try to post again soon -- the end of the semester means my schedule is cram-packed...
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My iTunes: Injurious Hermia from Benjamin Britten's A Midsummer Night's Dream based on the play Shakespeare.

new haven

And JC gets another point: guessed the state and the university!  I will be moving up to New Haven, Connecticut, this summer.

This is one of my favorite shots.  I love black and white, and I love the lines and textures of this one.

But for now, I have a to-do-list that's longer than my arm and to top it off, we lose an hour this weekend...

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iTunes: Je Veux Vivre by Gounod.

new england visit: take 4.

I doubt that this shot will give a hint as to where I went, but I like it anyway so it will be today's post.  Pictures of benches always make me think of my friend Anna.

Bravo to JC for guessing the state (Connecticut).  I find it rather amusing that I will be moving to a state with my initials.  Even funnier because one of my professors calls me "CT", which he believes is short for "Chord Tone."  What can I say -- my life revolves around music.

Today's hint will be how old the university is: 308 years old.  Older than this country, which is a rather odd thought.

Today was very busy.  I left for class before 9:00 and was in classes or the MIDI lab until 6:00 with no break, then worked the closing shift at work.  I wish I could reward myself with a good night's sleep, but I have to come up with a thesis between now and my meeting tomorrow.  I've already pushed my luck a bit more than I'd like...

new england visit: take 3.

Another shot from my trip to New England.  I see that my last hint didn't inspire any guesses.  This is a shot of one of the libraries at the university I was visiting.  It really looks like a cathedral on the inside.  I didn't manage to get pictures of the interior, but since I will probably be living there for the next 6 years, I should have ample opportunity for taking photographs!

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My iTunes: No Name Jive by Gene Krupa and His Orchestra

new england visit: take 2.

Well, it seems as if my failure to post regularly has certainly cut down on the number of regular blog readers I have.  (Although I know a few of you know where I was visiting last week and aren't spoiling the surprise and "guessing" where!)

But here is a second installment.  The campus was really gorgeous -- I wish I had more time to walk around and take pictures, but I was in and out of meetings and classes during my visit, plus I was fighting off a sinus infection so I wanted to stay out of the cold as much as possible.

Another hint as to where I was: the abbreviation for the state in which the graduate school is located can be found in each of the pictures I'm posting.

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My iTunes: Sepia Panorama by Duke Ellington

new england visit

I am currently in New England visiting a prospective graduate school.  In between meetings with professors, lunch with current graduate students, and sitting in on classes, I had a few minutes to walk around the main campus with my camera.  This is one of my favorite shots that I took, but it is hard to choose just one favorite.  Since I have a few, maybe I'll post a bit more frequently for the next couple weeks.  (No guarantees, though.)

The visit has been quite successful and I have really liked what I see.  And even though I came down with a nasty sinus infection right when I came, I've really enjoyed myself.  And my host student has been wonderful, even staying with me at the local pharmacy for over an hour trying to convince them to give me my prescription.

I'm sure I'll share more about my visit as I continue to post pictures, but for now I need to get things ready to fly out later today.

Any guesses as to what school I'm visiting?  (Some of my readers know already -- NO CHEATING!)

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My iTunes: C-minor Mass by W.A. Mozart

pour house collection

I thought I would break with tradition and include a whole slew of pictures in a single post, especially since posting daily seems to be a difficult task these days. I was up FAR too late last night editing these, but I kept saying to myself, "I'm almost done, I'm almost done. I'll go to bed when I finish." 2:36 finally rolled around and I made the executive decision to be done. Thank goodness I don't have work today until 12:30. From now on, no matter how awake I feel at 11:00, I shouldn't let myself get sucked into editing pictures, because I know I'll be up too late for my own good.

Today is our dark day, and Norma opens tomorrow night. Now that we're to the actual shows and not rehearsals, I can enjoy it a bit more, for reasons that I won't say here for professional discretion (though I have had a few good venting sessions with friends). The singers are wonderful, and I look forward to hearing them on opening night.

In other news, I finished the final draft of my massive paper. At this point, it's being proof-read by about eight different people and when I get their comments back, I'll just fix it up a bit before handing it in on the 24th. I also just finished the replacement Latin paper, for those of you who are regular readers, which means I am done with Latin classes for life (hallelujah!).

But now, I need to run errands. If I don't, I'll have nothing to eat for the next week. Hopefully I'll have something to post soon (and time to post)!

the pour house

The Pour House
November 2008

My iTunes: Spirate, pur Spirate by Donaudy

Yesterday was a sad, sad day -- the Pour House, the best coffee shop I have ever been to (and I've been to many coffee shops on multiple continents), closed its doors. I have so many memories there from the past 3 1/2 years, and it still hasn't quite hit me that they're closed. They were the first place I got to display my photography, and the owners are truly wonderful. I spent the last three days there. Yesterday, two of my three classes were canceled, and the third class was just me and my voice teacher, so we had class there. I was glad we could do that -- having coffee at the Pour House with her was one of the random things on my "Bucket List." I bought 3 lbs of coffee and espresso to continue my addiction.

I did an impromptu photoshoot there on Tuesday morning, and this is one of the shots. I'll probably be posting more as they're edited. But until then, farewell Pour House.

pictures at the coffee house

Pictures at the Coffee House
September 2008

My iTunes: Je suis une enfant by Carla Bruni

Here they are -- I've just ordered 11x14 prints of each of these. I'll pick them up later today (because it's almost 2:00 a.m. on Saturday) and take them over to the coffee shop. I was there last night and the owners were really excited. I'll try to remember to take my camera with me and share a shot of the line up.

Now, time for bed!

old e city

Old E City
September 2008

My iTunes: Die Mainacht by Brahms, sung by Bernarda Fink

I have a feeling that my posting might be more sporadic for the next few months than I'd like it to be. With taking 10 classes, working, helping out with IV, working with the Baltimore Opera Company, applying to and visiting graduate schools, preparing for auditions, and trying to make time to eat at sleep, I have to be really disciplined with my time. I'll try my best to keep up with this, though, especially as I start off with my fledgling photography business.

The latest photography news is that I'll be showing some of my photography at a local Jazz and Art show tomorrow night. Should be fun. I picked up prints this evening, but one turned out really dark, so I might have to reprint it tomorrow.

Anyway, I was up way too late last night (1:45) because an old friend was in town, so I'm going to hit the sack A.S.A.P.!

the chapel

The Chapel
August 2008

My iTunes: Symphonie Fantastique by Hector Berlioz

This is the large chapel on campus, affectionately known as "Big Baker." I like how the leaves for a sort of silhouette frame around it from this angle. I've taken pictures of the chapel at several different times of year, and I think it would be nice to display them all together. Unfortunately... my external drive, where I kept all my back-ups and most of my pictures (about 250 gb worth!) died the other day. I don't know what happened, but it won't turn on and it makes horrible clicking noises. It seems like I can't have 6 months go by without experiencing some sort of computer trouble like this. I think I have some of the pictures backed-up on DVDs, but they are all in storage and I can't get to them at the moment. So for now, I'll be shopping the sales for a new external hard-drive.