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Showing posts from October 8, 2010

Magical Moment 252, "A Husker and a Friend at People's Lounge"

Last night I performed a 30-minute set at People Kitchen and Lounge in New York City’s Lower East Side. I agreed to the performance very last minute and quickly invited all the people I knew who might be able to make it. I arrived at the intimate, trendy lounge to find absolutely no one I knew had come. Even Eddie was unable to make it on time. As I prepared to begin, I couldn’t help feeling a bit down about it. I looked around at the strangers' faces who were relatively uninterested, and only there to see the performer after me. Just as the manager gave me the nod to begin, I saw someone arrive out of the corner of my eye. It was a friend and fellow pianist I had met when we did a performance months ago. We remained in touch and go to open mic nights whenever possible. And as coincidence would have it, he is also from Nebraska!!! I ran to the door, hugged him in his bright red Husker jacket, and told him how glad I was that he came. And I really was. It gave me a boost of conf

Magical Moment 251, "Girl Traps Herself in Bedroom"

Since everyone seems to enjoy stories where I make a  fool out of myself , I thought of another one to share: This was years ago when I lived in an apartment in El Paso for my Army Air Defense Artillery Officer Basic Course. Back then, I lived, ate, and dreamt Army. It was my number one priority and I dedicated every fiber of my being to becoming the best officer possible, at any cost. I was never late or out of uniform, and I studied like a mad woman for the challenging written and practical tests. One night, asleep in my bedroom, I woke up to use the bathroom. I got out of bed and walked my closed bedroom door only to find that I could not open it. I thought maybe I had accidently locked it, but when I looked at the door knob, I discovered, there was no lock at all . Since it was a matter of being stuck, I jiggled the knob every which way possible, while pulling and yanking with all my might. Nothing. Now I actually started to panic a little. I lived alone and had just moved to the

Magical Moment 250, "A Backwards Writer"

I recently applied for a writing internship at a prestigious New York City magazine who caters to “affluent” clients. To prepare for the interview, I fixed up my resume, printed out writing samples, and spent a half hour deciding what to wear. After trying on a dozen outfits, I noticed the time. I had about 4 minutes to get to the corner bus stop in order to catch my ride and arrive on time. So in a blind frenzy, I threw on my faithful, easy to wear dress that always looks good no matter what, grabbed my purse, and made a dash for the bus stop. After the typical New York City adventure of subways, street signs, and traffic, I finally arrived at the upscale, streamlined office. I was asked to take a seat in the waiting area and breathed a sigh of relief at conquering the chaotic morning. As I waited to be called in, I felt something itch my collar bone. Absent mindedly, I rubbed it when I realized what it was. The tag. Yep, the dress was on backwards. Again, my old friends, panic and

Magical Moment 249, "When You Wish upon a Star"

In honor of yesterday's post , I thought I would keep the theme going with this video shot at Prospect Park in Brooklyn near the carousel. I thought it was an appropriate song to play with the children near by because I just love the message in it. I've noticed something in the little girls from ballet class who put their heart and soul into dancing because it's their dream . I love this lyric from the song: "If your heart is in your dream, no request is too extreme. When you wish upon a star as dreamers do." To see photos from the Play Me, I'm Yours project, click here . To see more videos, click here .

Magical Moment 248, "I Wish I May, I Wish I Might"

Days like this only come around once every 400 years. It’s 10/10/10 in case you haven’t noticed. I realized it this morning at about 9:43 when I said to Eddie, “Tell me when it’s 10:10 am exactly so I can make a wish.” Well, he told me at 10:13. My heart sank at the thought of losing my once in a lifetime shot, until it struck me. I get another chance tonight! This time I set my alarm. I’m not superstitious, but I’ve thrown my share of pennies into fountains. I bought Eddie a cute little glucken schwein (good luck pig), which he carries in his wallet. And ever since I was little, I’ve had a hang up with stepping only one foot inside each sidewalk square at a time – but I think that’s a little more OCD than superstition (I used to pretend each square was a button that lit up when I stepped on it). Well, that was a little more crazy than I intended on revealing. But anyway. I’ve spent the day pondering what to make my one wish in 400 hundred years, wanting to get it just right. I soo

Magical Moment 247, "Waffles and Cousins"

Me and Stacy It's not often that I have the chance to take my own advice almost immediately after I give it. Yesterday, I wrote about working at relationships though they may be weakened for whatever reason - distance, disagreement, anger, or just lost touch. And today, I was able to meet up with a cousin after more than probably a decade. There was only a small window of time she was available, and we both had to give a little to make it happen. I'm so glad it worked out. Driving out of the city after our impromptu breakfast at a mid-town diner, I felt like we had reinforced a dwindling piece of thread with a thick rope. The great significance of a small effort can last for years. I hope I take my advice more often.

Magical Moment 246, "The First Scuff is the Deepest"

I remember that new car feeling. It was the summer of 2005 and I had just purchased my dream car, a Hyundai Santé Fe. The color, mocha frost. I bought it brand new with my own money and conducted all the research, bargaining, and haggling by myself. I still remember the pride I felt driving it, in its immaculate condition and new car smell. But that exhilarating feeling was crushed on that fateful day of the very first door ding. I was reminded of that feeling the other day, vacuuming around my 11-month-old May Berlin piano. I regularly polish, tune , and baby it with great care. But I’ve discovered…scuffmarks. Just a few very light ones where my music binder brushes the ledge as I open and close it in a hurry. It’s hard to accept, but I knew that day would come eventually. So what do I do now that the “newness” has worn off? I can either let it fall further into disrepair, or just work that much harder to keep it safe. I suppose it’s like any relationship. Everything evolves and c