Ticking Clocks and Rising Locks

Two weeks from today, I'll wake up in my bedroom at home for the first time with Barrage in my past. (There it is, that looming sense of irreversible change!) Granted, there will be some corporate gigs and one-off events randomly in the summer and fall, but for all intents and purposes, I'll no longer be with my dream job.

I'm still a little bit scared/sad/anxious, but am mostly feeling excited about what the future holds. It's been an incredible four years.

But, I'll save the reflection for later. There are better things to share right now!

These past ten days on the road have been pretty unexpectedly awesome.

We've had some mind-blowingly beautiful drives. So beautiful that it hurts. I've sincerely felt this aching sensation to freeze time and attempt to memorize every last detail of the landscape in front of me. Perhaps that's melodramatic -- okay, objectively, I'll give you that -- but I do feel like it's a fairly accurate description. These photos of drives through Wyoming, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho do no justice:

This one is definitely from Wyoming.

Snoqualmie Pass, Washington

And then, as an added plus, I've had run-ins and day-long excursions with friends all over the state of Washington!

With Jenny in Spokane!

With JJ and Jenna, who drove up to spend the day in Yakima, WA!

Taqueria Los Primos in Yakima. Just as good as the best Mexican food I've found in Arizona!

Now this is what tacos should look like.

After talking with Audra and Whitney, two ASU friends who drove from Seattle to the show in Puyallup (pronounced pew-AL-up, with "AL" sounding like the man's name), we realized that my day off yesterday lined up with their day off. 

Perfect timing!

Touch pools at the Seattle Aquarium.

Octopus.

The diver fed the fish...

...and I high-fived him through the glass!

The octopus gives a really great hug.

If a jellyfish had a face, I think it'd look like this.

With Audra and Whitney outside the aquarium on a beautiful day in Seattle!

Latte art: a skull with crazy hair (?).

At the locks.

Starting with this photo, how a lock works in pictures.
(In real time, this probably took 15 minutes.)

Success!

Weirdly, life on the road is getting better than ever. With the end in sight, we're even more relaxed and it feels like we've all subconsciously committed to having a great time all the time.

Funny how a little tweak in perspective can change so much.

Two more weeks. Ten more shows. Good times ahead.

On Growth

So, it's finally here: Barrage begins an extended hiatus on May 7th and all the players are moving onto new things.

Today is the first day of my last tour with this band, the beginning of the end.

It feels like both the first and last day of senior year. There's still excitement ahead, but it's all informed by looming, significant change. That moment when you wake up on the last day of your senior year and realize, whether you like it or not, that the chapter is nearly over and your life is about to become very different. Everything seems to become a distant memory, which you will refer to -- at first uncomfortably -- in the past tense. What were already weak memories dissolve into faint stories, reminiscent of things which may or may not have happened to you. (Or maybe they happened to your brother?) And suddenly, starting or finishing a story with "when I was a kid" or "when I was younger" seems to take on a whole new meaning.

And yet, this transition into what you'll view as "adulthood" weirdly overlaps with a burgeoning fervor to actually start your life. Time graciously pardons whatever teenage angst remains, and everything is new, fresh, and exciting. Talking about the future is no longer as theoretical as it once was -- you have begun to live it.

I'm eager to start this next chapter in my life and I'm reluctant for the current one to end. There are many things I will miss (and other things which I certainly won't), but I'm ready for the change.

After four years at Barrage University, I'm ready for graduation.

Nineteen shows left.

Here we go!

7 Weeks in 33 Pictures

Seven weeks have passed since I last posted on the blog.

When I first stopped to consider how this occurred, I didn't quite understand.

Then, when I began to think about all that has happened, it became exceedingly obvious to me why I haven't had time to post.

In the past seven weeks, I:

Took a day trip into Amsterdam and ate breakfast at our favorite pannenkoeken place, the unbelievably tiny Upstairs Pannenkoekenhuis. (Photo stolen from Charlie.)

Sat at one of four tables.

Heard violinist Frank Peter Zimmermann perform with the New York Philharmonic in the Concertgebouw. Zimmermann is a genius. Don't ever miss a chance to see him.

Saw these tic tacs in a Dutch gas station and felt ASU pride. Go Devils!

Said goodbye to Rabbit Hill and the Netherlands.

Found the dressing room at Fort Myers High School decorated for my birthday...

...and the bathroom, too! (Per usual, my mom had been hard at work.)

Received hilarious gifts from the orchestra, including a Pilates book and The Idiot's Guide to Great Buns & Thighs.

Took a quick weekend trip over four days off to visit my friends in Washington, D.C. We stopped by the White House...

...and then lucked into second row seats for a live taping of Jim Gaffigan. (It's possible my face may be on Comedy Central when his "Mr. Universe" special starts airing.)

Caught up with my old roommate from Killington, Phil, who has since stopped playing viola and is now at Georgetown Law.

Got a behind-the-scenes tour of 918 F Street, a new endeavor by LivingSocial, which was being run by one of my best friends from college!

Crashed at Matt's place and threw an Oscars dinner party for our surprisingly large group of ASU friends who now live in D.C.

Visited Emma at the Newseum...

...and took this panoramic photo from the balcony. (Click to see it larger. The Capitol is on the left.)

Celebrated my 25th birthday at my 4th Annual Birthday Breakfast with the band in Clearwater, FL...

...and then they buried me in the sand on the beach.

Heard a live salsa band in Tampa and had a hilarious time dancing with Kristina. (Note: don't ever not dance with Kristina -- she's the most fun partner you could ever have.)

Saw this frog outside of our hotel...and then watched as it hopped into a hotel room with a cracked-open door.

Finished a three month tour and flew to NYC to visit my friends Matt and Lies'l.

Heard Lies'l sing a solo in Carnegie Hall with Northern Arizona University's Shrine of the Ages Choir.

Went on a post-concert cruise around the New York Harbor and saw the Statue of Liberty for the first time.

Ate at Mandoo Bar, tried to memorialize it with a picture, and only ended up laughing.

Relaxed in Central Park.

Stumbled upon the Carl Fischer building.

Saw these awesome signs on the stairs and walls of some random, hipster-y hotel.

Squeezed into a bookstore to see and hear The Moth, which I listen to on podcast frequently.

Had breakfast with Annette...

...and strolled along The High Line on Manhattan's West Side, a public park built on an historic, elevated rail line.

Spent three days at home and was delighted to find that Ben tucked himself into my suitcase while I packed.

Stayed on the 38th floor of the Marriott in Atlanta for the American String Teachers Association 2012 National Conference, where Barrage gave the closing performance last Saturday night.

Spent my days working with students, attending sessions, jamming, meeting all sorts of interesting people, hearing some incredible performances, catching up with friends, and having an absolute blast!

And, I didn't even manage to take pictures of my second visit to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in Orlando with Kristina and Tim!

Seven weeks. Thirty-three pictures. Done.