Toddlers and Tiaras and Therapy.

I hate myself for eating a little too much thus lowering my ability/desire to move. I am as a result sitting here on the couch unable to leave the room from the horrible episode of Toddlers and Tiaras. This is just an awful awful show.

I really don't understand why people make their children prostitute themselves on a stage like that... I realize that a lot of these mothers were former pageant people themselves and its really sad that they are trying to live out their failed dreams through their children. There is one mother who is putting her 7 year old twins against each other - one of which absolutely hates pageants and competing against her sister, and there is another mom who is putting her 2 WEEK old baby in some freak baby category.

Maybe, I'm not from the south and don't understand the pageant mystique. Maybe, I just think that kids should actually have a childhood, playing with others and having fun rather than being whored out by their parents. I really don't know. I guess my yankee sensibilities don't jive with all this stuff... Ugh. Whatever. I guess I'm not meant to understand.

On the upside to this evening, the gazpacho I had from Flour was really tasty. If you're in Boston, you should come in and get some.

Jason is in Boston, and might be able to afford it!

Hello to the -4 people that might have ever read this! Fresh from re-reading the hit Julie & Julia, I've decided to write again. I do say this every so often, but this time I've put reminders in my ical to 'force' me to write.

I have moved to Boston after dropping the Masters program at Oberlin, and deciding to take some time off. After a somewhat frustrating start-up period I have finally secured two jobs here in town, 1- at the Flour Bakery as a barista/sandwich cook/general bitch and 2 - at Burdick Chocolates as their Pastry Cook. It seems rather curious that post music school, BOTH of my new jobs are in a food related fields. I'd like to believe that this is a divine signal telling me that I should stick with cooking/baking as a career path... but I'll hold off on drawing conclusions just now.

I'm rereading a wonderful book right now, Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides. Its about a bunch of things (most of which I'm not smart enough to talk about or understand...haha) but its sort of a coming of age story, intertwined with the story of the protagonists grandparents coming to America. I know this might not be the best description, but trust me on this one... this is one of the most poetic, rhapsodic and just wonderfully grand stories that I have ever read. Sort of like a large Steinbeck work, it weaves in and out through the two stories with cultural and scientific musings of the time (the main character is an intersexed person that at age 14 transforms from Callie, a girl - to Cal a boy - and subject to many tests and articles). I'm not very good with words, but I'm very excited to finish it again. You all should read it too. It might be a long book, but its quite rewarding.

Now I think I need to do laundry.

Also, I think I like cats now. I never thought this day would come, but George the cat that I'm living with is just too cute. Ugh.

Ciao!

Hey there friends, I am in ITALY!!!

We have spent the last few days in Rome going to various things around town such as the Spanish Steps, the Vatican and a seedy disco that I never want to go back to ever again.

Tomorrow we take our bus to Arezzo and there we will spend the next 5 weeks learning the wonderful oprea The Marriage of Figaro! Its going to be a summer full of vino and singing and FUN!

Until then, CIAO!

Jason

The Italian Connection

So... as many of you may know, I am going to be in Italy this summer singing Figaro with Oberlin In Italy! I have decided to try and keep this updated with everything that my friends and I are doing while in Italia.

I know I might be having delusions of grandeur here, but I think that I can update fairly regularly. My family will be getting crazy if I dont some how let them know what I'm doing.

I shall try. I shall also try to get pictures on here too. We'll see how that goes...

Addio!

An update during class... I'm soooooo cool.

Right now... I'm in the basement of our library sitting through a lecture about Polanski's film Knife in the Water. Its a pretty badass movie, but I'm slowly finding it hard to take these long lectures... Blah. The movies are awesome but I just dont like talking about them... haha. I guess though that is my own fault for taking a class about movies...

During Spring Break Jake's best friend from home, Ellis, came and we cooked an extravagant feast for some friends. We made: Sweet Potato Gnocchi, Chicken Saltimbocca, Veggies, and two wonderful cakes: Chocolate Stout Cake!! and upside-down Banana Walnut Cake. It was wonderfullllllll.
I'm still trying to figure out how to work this blog business... I'll try and be more graceful later...

LARGE UPDATE ON MY LIFE!

So. I've been away from this thing for quite some time now, and I thought that I might write something.


Right now I'm on Spring Break!!!! Wooo hooooooooo! Trouble is I'm spending it in freaking Oberlin againnnnn. I guess its not too bad. I'm staying here and working and making some money before I go to...

ITALY!!! This summer I'm doing my schools program in Italy! We're doing the opera The Marriage of Figaro and I'm playing Figarooooooooooo! My best friend here Shelly is playing my counterpart Susanna and we are going to be the cutest pair the world has ever seen. For real. The program is 5 weeks long during June and July this summer based in Arezzo which is in the Tuscany region of Italy. I'm so excited. I've never been outside of the country and I'm way excited that Italy is my first venture. A ton of my friends are going and we're going to be a drunken mess all summer. Its going to be great.

So... as far as school is concerned I'm super checked out. My senior recital is over (!!!) and was very awesome, and the only thing I really have to do is Opera Scenes at the end of the semester (also, to learn Figaro...). I'm just coasting at this point.

Grad School... well. I'm still waiting to hear from Curtis and that will determine where I end up next year. I'll keep you updated when I know more.

I think I'm gonna go watch a movie or something. Ciao friends -

TRANSFORMATIONS!

Everyone should come see TRANSFORMATIONS at the Cat and the Cream at Oberlin College this Thursday and Sunday!

Now that thats out of the way, grad school is looming in the distance. I've already had my audition at Rice University and that went really well. I think Rice would be a really cool place to go to grad school, even if it is in Texas. My Juilliard and Curtis auditions are coming up and I'm pretty excited about them. I really have no idea where I'll end up next year - I just have to make sure these auditions go really well!!

I just started a Seamless Hybrid Sweater this month!!!!!!! I'm so freaking excited about it. Its not toooooo intricate, but the way you add the sleeves and the construction itself is amazing. Hopefully, I'll be able to get that done in time to still wear it out this season!

Also...

MY RECITAL IS ON FEB 23rd!!!!! Ahhhhh! I'm singing Schubert, Ibert, Rachmaninoff and Cumming. I'm so so so excited/freaking out about it. It'll be great, I know it will... hopefully... haha.

I have to go to a dress rehearsal... lala.