scales

no, not like the do-re-mi ones..
I mean the ones with kilograms on them....
I have never been a person that owned one, but we happen to have one now...
and so I'm just curious...
what's the difference after a whole day of food
what's the difference in the morning
what's the difference IF I EAT BREAD OR NOT!!
And this seems to make the BIGGEST difference.
OK, going to bikram, yes, I'll be 1/2 a kilo lighter the next day, at LEAST.
But- eating bread-- and I'm definitely 1 kilo more the next day.

In the middle of this weekend when I had bikram thursday, bike ride friday, jogging saturday... I was down to the lowest of low weights for me in a while.
And then I had to go and ruin it all by making guacamole and since we didn't have chips we just had it with a white bread baguette....the horrrrorrrrr!
So- 5 pieces of that later, plus a piece of quarkaese tortchen (that's amazingly good cheesecake cheesiness), and I'm up a kilo.

ALL I'm trying to do is stay under a CERTAIN number so that the wedding dress looks good.
I'm still UNDER that number, but it would be nice to be SAFELY under it :)

owwww

My head hurts from counting.
Love the new opera, it SOUNDS so--well, not easy, but CLEAR.
And then I look at the score..and it's like 2/2,3/4,3/2, 17million sixteenth notes over 2.
Time to get out the pencil and start with the "one ee and uh's".

out of the blue

I got a call this morning from the ZAV- that's the 'employment'..well, I guess UNemployment state agency for artists in Deutschland. You see, once you register with them when you are here, they have your resume and supposedly call you if there are any openings anywhere that THEY hear about before actual agents start calling.
Some tiny town theater in the north of Germany was looking for an Adele, a Gretel and an Eliza Doolittle (auf Deutsch).
Fest for this season.
In my AWESOME German (**read: I was freaking out in my head hoping to remember to use SIE instead of DU) I replied that Gretel was not truly repertoire/fach and although the other roles would fit, Gretel would not, so thank you very much.

I mean, in a tiny house of COURSE I could sing Gretel, but in addition to that, I already have plenty of work for this coming season, so a fest would be impossible.

It was COOL that I finally (after HOW long? Oh yea, a YEAR) got a call from one of the state agencies about something. Wait, that's not true. They sent me on one other audition in the fall...

Well, it was a nice and surprising call to say the least since I had assumed this season for auditions was pretty much over...I suppose there is always someone that doesn't know their budget at the last minute or what singer has to leave or wants to leave at the last minute.

We had a lovely weekend away at a Strawberry and Champagne (Sekt) festival and a gallery opening yesterday followed by a new restaurant that a friend owns...and now, it's back to the routine.

coaching

I have a coaching today with someone new at the opera whom I'm looking forward to working with.
He just conducted Ariadne auf Naxos in the US a few months ago, so I am hoping to get really specific with that...since it is... in my future at a company I'm not allowed to name at a time yet to be revealed, but I'm at least allowed to say TBA and it will be one of the biggest, if not the most 'high level' US house I will have sung at by that time.

What am I doing until then?
Well, it's 11:30 and I slept like a ROCK last night due to an extreme amount of sportive activities yesterday.
First- 25 minute bike ride TO bikram.
Then 1.5 hours of bikram.
Then 25 minute bike ride BACK home.
And in the evening:
25 minute ride TO swimming pool
20 minutes of laps (yes, I know this seems so little, but I've never been a swimmer before and I'm trying to start...so in the meantime, not hyperventilating after 20 minutes is a GOOD thing)
and then 25 minute bike ride home.

I woke up this morning feeling, good, but kind of headach-y which I think is because I didn't drink enough water after all of the activities. That shall pass, I shall have some BEE POPS cereal (otherwise knows as puffed wheat with honey in the US), and warm up a little before the coaching later this afternoon.

Maybe I'll even go on a bikeride.

I was GOING to be adventurous and try bikram 3 days in a row instead of my normal day off routine..buuuut, I think it's not going to happen today.


Back to the music, though---
I've been listening to the new opera that I am learning for next Spring, and I really like it. The story is always the same. Upon first introduction to 'new'/contemporary/modern music...I can appreciate it for what it is, but I can't quite get to the point of realizing the genius until I break it down, look at the relationships inside, listen to a section over and over until- OH YEA- THAT is what he was going for....well in the middle of that entire wall of sound, rhythm, and other general 'craziness to the ear'- I GET it now.

And I really like that. It's kind of like score study, only I'm not even studying my part OR writing the chord structure under some Beethoven sonata in theory class---I'm just... trying to 'get' it. Get what he did and why he did it.
The relationships of Western music to the ear are already ingrained in me. Some eastern (well, Middle Eastern) music as well. I understand it, it's familiar to me... but with new compositions, it always takes a little more time to figure out- theoretically and aurally- what he wanted, what I'm supposed to be hearing, and how it will all come together in the opera and in my role.

Mondiale

It's been three to four days straight of soccer, ...ooops, I mean Fussball.
Yes, we bought a tv specifically for the occasion.
No, we didn't have one before, yes, I will probably watch the news in German now and see if I can actually understand everything.

That would be sweet.

Ok, today I have massive workout goals... since yesterday we had an American style BBQ to watch the Germany footie game.

And here is the clash of cultures once again.

If I do say so myself, I make a mean guacamole.
It's not THAT tough, I know..but still- people at parties and bbq's usually go through a quite LARGE bowl of it before the food is even ready to be put on the grill.

So we bought 6 avocados, 3 bags of chips- expecting 10 people to easily tear through the stuff.

And- NOTHING!
They don't snack here!
I mean, if you have some GERMAN snacks they'll eat it (LIKE- TZATIKI sauce and BAGUETTE!!! WHAT?!?!?!), but they barely touched the guac AND the tortilla chips and THEN some of them put it on the burgers!
Umm, it's not KETCHUP! It's guacamole!

Ok, the burger thing was acceptable, but still, I was shocked at the amount that we had leftover, and the 2.5 bags of uneaten chips.

ALSO- there is this sauce here called "hamburger sauce". Don't ask me what it is. It looks a little orange. I did not try it. But I am guessing it is a combination of mayo and something..which would render it... GROSS...for my tastes.

Well, we had it last night, along with AMERICAN YELLOW MUSTARD and ketchup..
and again... what was opened and used?
"Hamburger Soese"....
what is THAT about people?

So our American style bbq really turned into a cultural awakening and me sitting here with a bowl of guac hoping not to gain a kilo by "having" to finish it.

I'll be seeing you after the run, the bikeride, the bikram class, AND the swim later this evening.

thanks.

progress

Bikram was easier today than day one-- that's a good thing. Body was sore and not as flexible today BECAUSE of day one..not so good.
I love the weather here and the fact that since I've been back I haven't taken public transportation at all. I can just ride my bike wherever I'm going.

My allergies feel a BIT better...I just stopped taking everything and hoped that my body would get used to it, and it feels like it has just a bit.

Practicing? Oh..haven't done that yet. But hey I've only been back..oh shoot, a week now.
D'OH!

Ok, tomorrow I'll practice. For Serious.

I just got asked to sing yet ANOTHER Koenigin (now they're extending the run into the fall?)
Whatever they're deciding to do, I have no idea, but as long as it still fits into my schedule (which it does- just three days after my LAST Koenigin performance at upcoming-new-place-I-haven't-sung-before---) which is all good.

From one to the next. It's pretty much going to be a summer fall and early winter of Queen. And that's just peachy keen.

routine

One bikram class down, a bunch more to go for the next three months.
Rode my bike there and back, which makes my total exercise for the day somewhere around 1.5 hours for bikram and 1 hour for biking...NICE.
And at least so far (it's only 10pm here there is still time) I haven't eaten the entire fridge to make up for all of that working out.

I memorized (kinda?) One version of one of the arias that I need to learn.
Here's the kicker- one of them is Mein Herr Marquis. You would think that every soprano would know this from the age of 20 on! But no- I've never been asked to sing it (well, in GERMAN that is...English, yes)...
So- I have to memorize it now.

If I keep up the 1/2 a verse or so per day, I will have the pieces memorized hopefully by the end of the week, which gives me 2 more weeks after that to give them all more character, etc... and that should be fine. Musically they aren't too difficult to sing or to remember, so as I'm memorizing I'm working that out as well.

What's crappy here is that allergies have descended upon me once again.
First day back, felt fine. Second day back- that tickle in my throat and then the coughing for no reason.
Now- stuffed up.
Of course the first thing the Apotheke tried to sell me was COUGH DROPS made from PLANTS.
People, I know you don't believe in 'real' medicine made out of CHEMICALS here, but it sure would have helped to have BENADRYL for those two days.
Anyway, I have 200 pills of mucinex, but because I wasn't stuffy and congested and had only a dry cough, that wasn't the way to go this time.
Finally I convinced some guy that it wasn't just a sore throat and that I was a singer and needed something to DEAL with it, so he gave me the OTC version of Zyrtec- methinks.
At least that's what he said it was.

So far, it's not doing much of anything. I may start the mucinex if my cough gets nasty...otherwise, I'm not stopping my outdoor activities just because of a little tree pollen or hay fever or grass allergy or whatever it is..
And anyway I don't have to sing "for real" until the end of the month...by which time hopefully my body will be fully adjusted to whatever allergens come my way here in Deutschland.

the swing of things

Well I haven't quite finished unpacking yet, but it's Sunday evening which means a 'normal' work week commences tomorrow.
And what do I have to do?
A whole bunch of NOT THAT MUCH!

What ever to do with my upcoming time off? Which is.. a LONG time off?
I have a show in the middle of the summer (another Queen performance), I have three arias that I NEED to learn by the end of this month for a competition.
I have a new opera to learn- but oh yea, that's for April of 2011!

And so, what will I do with my time?
First of all, get right back into Bikram.
Buy a three month pass which means I HAVE to do it.
Second- maybe just maybe try and see if there is a German class that I can take.

It'so so close now! I really DO understand much of what is being said to me, under any circumstances...any subject matter...I still just don't really feel comfortable enough to speak back...assuming that most of my chatter will be with incorrect articles or tenses or something of the sort.

When we go out to meet friends or go to parties and other gatherings, I can handle myself just fine. Yes, it's a lot of nodding and smiling (although- I UNDERSTAND! I'm just not quick enough to speak up in the moment yet)..but it's not like I feel like I have to tune out completely because I don't understand anything. Not the case anymore at all.

So- that may be something that I could work on for the next three months.

Career things are looking good. I feel good about the amount of singing I'm going to be doing from the fall until next Spring. What I'm still a bit frustrated about is the inability to get auditions for houses that are HERE, close-by, that for all intents and purposes should know that I at least 'exist'... I mean, hey, I may not be an international superstar (YET), but at this point I've sung many of the major roles in my repertoire, have a bit of momentum in terms of the debuts I'm making in the next half a year, am 'local', and would really just like to know what is going on...

Language barrier? Email vs. Mail vs. Phone preference? German? American? WHY is this not happening? SOPRANO?
And of course, this is an issue that I absolutely cannot work for on my own behalf. It HAS to be through agents...

So far no responses.
If I knew that there was something I could do to be more marketable, I'd be ON it.
Different repertoire? Vocal things? Appearance? I'm there.
But just to NOT be answered when requesting an audition, especially with rep like Koenigin which EVERY.Theater.Does.Every.Season-- is a little surprising and disheartening.
Again, not saying I'm the cat's meow for everyone out there... but if you want F's, you got'em. If you want someone local that can jump in, HOLLA. If you could JUST give it a chance...yea, that would be nice.

3 suitcases and nothing to wear

yes, I just brought home 3 suitcases filled with clothes...still scrounging through them this morning looking for something, anything to wear.

What does this mean and why?
It means...that I have too many summer summer clothes (ie, clothes for the Motherland- when it's always 90 degrees or hotter), and I have no 'it's mild in Europe' summer clothes.
DANGIT!

HOME

I'm baaaack!
That is all for now :)