2009: End of the Aughts

Well, another year has marched on by. Let’s take a look at what happened for me in 2009... I saw some great concerts with some heavyweight Broadway talents: Kristin Chenoweth, Mandy Patinkin and Patti LuPone! Also got to see some great operas, including Salome and Ghosts of Versailles at OTSL, plus a world premiere musical: Abe—which turned out to be quite entertaining (despite all the hype of its camp value). Got the opportunity to go to Italy (next year) with my church choir peeps. Best of all, I worked a LOT this year. My favorite gig? Merry Widow, because who wouldn’t love to sing German operetta in German??? Was great to work with Tim Ocel twice: first with Don Pasquale and secondly with Amahl and the Night Visitors—for which I got my first legit newspaper review. And as much as we had to say about O Pioneers!—for better or worse—there is something to be said about doing a new work and creating the first characterization of a role…and being heard on the radio for it wasn’t too shabby, neither!

Can you believe we’re about done with another decade?!? Remember how about 10 years ago this time, lots of people were freaking that computers were going to send us back to the stone age? Crazy that it’s been that long. Looking back, there were many highlights to the years of the Aughts—the decade of my twenties. Here’s a list of some highlights of each year:

2000 – The Pirates of Penzance | attending President Clinton’s speech in Quincy

2001 – spending Spring Break in cold Chicago | having the best. summer. job. EVER: MUNY Usher

2002 – Amos in Chicago | turning 21 | experiencing real-life sitcom living in Senior House with Mark, John and all those wacky guest stars (you know who you are!)

2003 – going on Franciscan Pilgrimage to Italy

2004 – conducting Gypsy | graduating from QU | becoming Uncle Phil to little William

2005 – having least stressful (and laziest) summer in recent memory

2006 – earning my Masters from WashU | seeing Voigt in Salome

2007 – birth of my niece, Grace | performing The Magic Flute | seeing Christine Brewer in Die Frau ohne Schatten…then missing the bus!

2008 – serving as Best Man at John and Hilda’s wedding | experiencing and obsessing over the Election

2009 – making Radio Broadcast Debut | singing quite often (and in this economy, that’s a blessing!)

Hope you have an enjoyable (and safe) New Year’s Eve. I’ll be enjoying a friend’s cabaret concert in midtown, then ringing in the new year in South City. Happy 2010!

It's baaaaaaaack!

Well, hello there!  I decided to get back into this blog-writing habit of mine.  Figured it would be healthier than meth, don't you think?  The last time I blogged over at LiveJournal, I was leaving for Canada* for John & Hilda's wedding.  Well, don't worry, friends...it's not as if I was detained for five months in Canadian customs for trying to smuggle free health care, maple syrup or Celine Dion into the states.  I just lost the desire to blog...and that's odd cuz I'm at a computer an awful lot.  Oh well...

*still pronounced kuh-NAY-dee-uh

In case you still believe I was detained in Canadian customs (or some other wacko conspiracy theory), here is the fast-forward version of what you might have missed in my life since returning from Canada (just imagine the 'micro-machines' guy reading this next paragraph):

In July, I saw a production of Otello, wherein the title singer missed a stage entrance by a minute...awkward!  As August rolled around, I began work on a production of Carmen, which is pretty much all that happened...well, that and I turned 27.  September?  Nothing ever seems to happen in that month.  During October I sang in Il tabarro and volunteered for Obama, whose glorious win in November brought about the relief-giving departure of Sarah Palin back to moose-huntin', baby-tendin' and general evil.  Samson et Dalila dominated the first half of the month...and then Thanksgiving rolled around, pushing me into a tryptophan coma.  The month of Christmas-- erm-- I mean, December had me in a Christmasy mood, except for on the actual day (though I did see Doubt which was awesome). HIGHWAY 40 WEST FINALLY REOPENED!!!1!! Attempted to ice skate for the first time; failed miserably.  Somewhat newlyweds John & Hilda came the day after Christmas and we hung out for New Years...and even visited Quincy on New Years Day!

*whew*  *wipes sweat off brow*  *has cigarette*

So here we are on this, the fourth day of January 2009--a new year.  Ought-Nine doesn't really have that much significance to me, other than that it will be the Tenth Anniversary of two milestones:  

a.) graduating from high school (may) 

b.) matriculating at college (august)

HOLY CRAP!  Has it really been TEN years?  I'm going to have to sort out all these weird feelings I'm having of dis-accomplishment that I may or may not be right to feel right now.  *Zoiks*  Everyone says we're in for a shitfest this year, but nevertheless, there are a few things I personally can hope for in the new year:

a.) the possibility of an intelligent, pragmatic presidency (yes, he screwed up on choosing the invocation speaker, but as long as he's better than Bush on issues related and unrelated, I'll forgive this misstep)

b.) further development of my career (including--OMG--Met Auditions?!?)

c.) a new Palin baby...so they can name it Tweeker Zamboni Oxycontin Palin.  (Oxycontin is the Christian name...read the latest news to figure out who might suggest it...teehee.)

Of course I'm joking, but let's face it.  You KNOW that family's due for several more unfortunately-named chilluns.

I have yet to develop any plans or special postings for this blog.  I'm going to see how it fleshes out.  I certainly hope you'll come and read it when you can...and feel free to leave your comments.  I love reading those as much as the blogging itself.  

Here's to the New Year and the New Blog!