apples and oranges

So after much thought and consideration, I decided to postpone my visit back to NYC. Though I was all ready to go, something felt "off" and when it came time to buy my plane ticket, I couldn't do it. Yesterday night at Vanessa's Christmas party, NYC came up in conversation and as I recounted stories about living in the Big Apple, I felt like I was there all over again. Then today when Rob e-mailed me about recommendations for his X'mas trip to Boston/New York, it was like re-living the past 6 years of my life. From my favorite brunch places - Zaftigs (BOS) and Good Enough to Eat (NYC) to Harvard Square and Central Park...the memories came flooding back. It's not that I don't like Toronto or being back. It's just different now. There is no comparison. I guess I just never thought I would or could miss NYC so much or be reminded of it everywhere I turn (from TV to movies and songs- the references are everywhere). The truth is that Toronto can never replace NYC just as NYC could never replace Boston, or Boston - Toronto. It's funny how when you have an orange all you can think about are apples.

chug and plug away

How is it that I always underestimate the amount of time I need to complete projects and end up scrambling in the end like a crazed insomniac? It's one thing to do it when you're still in school, but now that I'm not, you would have thought I would have learned by now...I've got 6 more pages of the Christmas medley to go before I reach the double bar. I had forgotten how tiresome/time-consuming sequencing/arranging/orchestrating could be...

prison break

This will be the first Monday night in a long time that I will not have my eyes glued to Fox at 9PM because Prison Break has been taken off the air until March 2006. Though I am grateful that they have pushed it up from the original return date in May, 4 months still seem like a long time and it really makes me wonder - whose bright idea was it to suggest the hiatus in the first place? Logical - no. Frustrating - yes.

For those of you that don't watch the show, you are certainly missing out. I had my doubts when I first heard about the show but after some prompting from a certain sibling of mine, I saw an episode and was immediately hooked. So many unexpected twists and turns...the show has you sitting at the edge of your seat while you watch the prison break plan unfold, piece by piece. From Michael's intricate tattoo - a blueprint of Fox River Prison itself, to all the careful planning/research Michael did before he staged a robbery to get himself thrown into the same jail to save his brother from his execution for a crime he didn't commit, it is definitely a must see.

And who am I kidding, Wentworth Miller (aka. Michael Scofield) is a good enough reason to watch the show. I'm usually not one to crush on tv actors, but what's not to like about the guy - a Princeton grad who sings and likes to play scrabble...brains/voice/good taste in games/looks...works for me :P

Highlights of the show so far include Michael saving Dr. Tancredi from the maniac cons in the infirmary when the lock-down plan fail, the feds tracking LJ's cell phone only to discover he had outsmarted them (in your face!), LJ pushing Quinn into the well, Abruzzi and Michael setting up the mafia, Sucre's face when drilling into the devil superimposed on the concrete wall with the egg beater, and Lincoln finding the hidden black pill.

Characters I love = Michael Scofield (the brains behind the entire escape operation), Dr. Sara Tancredi (you gotta have some serious guts to continue to work/help cons that have tried to kill/rape you), Sucre (his expressions and reactions are hilarious), LJ (bravest teen I know), and Lincoln (living with the knowledge that he's scheduled to die for a crime he never committed).


Characters that give me the creeps = T-Bag (raped and killed plenty of children in his day and has absolutely no shame or regret- no wonder people start running away from him when they see him on the street - guess that just means he's an excellent actor, though I don't even think I could share the same subway car as him without freaking out.), Haywire (what a cuckoo), Agent Kellerman (the guy has no morals whatsoever), and Captain Belleck (Mr. Slime ball who kinda reminds me of the cop from The Simpsons).

Wow, this may be my longest blog entry ever which is just a testament to how much I really do love the show. Can't wait to find out what happens next!!!

winds of change

I don't know about anybody else, but to me it feels like out of nowhere winter appeared bringing with it snow, ice, and wind chill cold enough to freeze your bones (and the sad part is that this is just the beginning of what to me always seems like much too long of a season). I also find it hard to believe that Christmas is just round the corner. Though I may physically be living in the present, often I find that my mind is still caught up in the past and I think my brain is still filled with thoughts from the summer/fall. It scares me to think that come December I will have already been back for 6 months. It seems like so much has changed and sometimes I feel overwhelmed by it all. I miss Italy...the culture, history, sights and sounds...I miss New York City...what was "home" now seems so far away...I miss Boston...life seemed so simple back then and inspiration was always just a practice room/concert/recital away...

On a brighter note, I was recently introduced to "Possibilities", Herbie Hancock's latest release (thanks Alan!), and there are a lot of great collaberations feat. some of my favorite artists including John Mayer, Damien Rice & Lisa Hannigan, and Sting among many other talented singers. There is also a beautiful cover of Paula Cole's "Hush, Hush, Hush" that Herbie does with Annie Lennox. Can't imagine what it would be like to be able to work with a musical genius like Herbie Hancock. Solid album.

I also discovered the book "Burning the map" (by Laura Caldwell) while I was in the library the other day and had such a hard time putting it down (I read to the point where I was so tired I felt like throwing up - probably not a good sign, but there was something about the book that made me not want to put it down, even at 2:30AM and a splitting headache). Without giving it away, it's about a girl who goes on a summer vacation to Italy and Greece (I thought it was very ironic as that is exactly where I want to go on my next vacation) with her 2 best friends and while on the trip discovers a lot about herself and how sometimes things are not always as they seem. Though it may appear that everything is going well on the surface and her life is "on course" with her recent graduation from law school, her boyfriend, and her job offer, she has a feeling of growing discontentment and fear with every day that passes without change until it all catches up with her and she has to deal with everything head on. I usually don't react much while reading, but this book had me laughing, gasping, and skipping ahead just to see what would happen next. I also got to re-live a lot of my time in Rome through the vivid descriptions in the book and I felt like I was right there.

Yesterday I also had the pleasure of seeing the U of T gospel choir perform for the first time. It brought back a lot of good memories of being in the Berklee Reverence Gospel Choir. There's just something about gospel music that just stirs your soul...the power behind the words, the beautiful harmonies, and a killer band backing up an army of strong voices...one of the highlights of the night was an a cappella version of "O come, O come Emmanuel" that 5 women from the choir sang. Their pitch was impeccable, the harmonies complex, and the blend of their voices perfectly balanced. It completely blew me away!