Soprano Sommerreise 2013: The day has come...

Hi all!

It has been a wonderful week back at home, and tomorrow morning I leave for NYC! As some of you know, it was my original plan to be in NYC for the entire summer, but then these other wonderful opportunities arose and so it became the plan for the last third of the summer. I have a sublet next to my friend Caroline, with whom I've been friends since my senior year of high school. She is such a great person, and having great success in her career. I'm looking forward to spending 3 weeks in Da Bronx, living like a New Yorker and not like a tourist. I have a book called "Cheap bastard's NYC" and I am going to try to do things in there like free museums, ushering for theatres, and hoping to get it to see at least one late night TV show. I finally looked at my finances, and although I have to tighten my belt, I'm making it work! I shall be basically starting over at the end of the summer, but I guess that was the point, wasn't it?

In the week I've been home, I've loved sleeping in my own bed and sitting on my chaise lounge, and watering my garden, and spending time with Nichole, and actually getting to look at my purchases from LA and Spain and Portugal. I love the things I bought- I had to be mindful of packing them the entire time, so everything is small, but lovely. This week I have also- copied all my recital music, paid property taxes, done every piece of laundry, made Nichole's avocado dish, made a trifle, made eggs, and made crescent rolls (I'm eating one right now!). I have returned a pair of hiking boots, bought some new books at Goodwill, watched 6 movies from the library (OMG, have you every heard heard of Owl and the Sparrow? It was very good! A Vietnamese movie about a child flower seller. Broken Flowers with Bill Murray was very good, and I laughed out loud by myself a few times. To me, that is a measure of a truly funny movie. I also watched Capote, which is very good). I finished "Dead Man Walking"--

"My parents never acted mean to black people, even though they never questioned the system of racial discrimination that permeated every aspect of life. Daddy, an attorney, represented a slew of black clients, charging them five dollars for his services, and he helped several families buy property and, eventually, own their own homes. It would take me a long time to understand how systems inflict pain and hardship in people's lives and to learn that being kind in an unjust system is not enough." (p.7)

"We must persuade the American people that government killings are too costly for us, not only financially, but--more important--morally. The death penalty costs too muchAllowing our government to kill citizens compromises the deepest moral values upon which this country was conceived: the inviolable dignity of human persons." (p. 197)

I skimmed through Rob Lowe's new autobiography and am currently skimming Frank Langella's new tell-all (he was a naughty boy, let me tell you!).

I have gone for walks with Nichole and Sierra, I have watched the opening of the Olympic games and some of the competitions yesterday. I have taken care of some school business, and caught up on the mail, I have read some of my many, many magazines, and I have been asked to be the Vice Chair of the Chancellor's Search committee. I have had two research meetings and will have to have one more today. I have finally unpacked! Today I must pack again, take care of my indoor plants, get my music to Barbara my pianist, do some cleaning, and then tomorrow will be here! Can't wait

Oh, and today it is RAINING! We need it so badly.

Nancy and Ike