Lights, Camera, Dance

That's what the folks at LSB announced on Friday. The local production of the Nutcracker is undergoing a $1.3 Million upgrade. As you can imagine, an overhaul of a production on that scale attracts some attention. This year's production has attracted the attention of a television producer that hopes to document the production process for a television documentary. Local media have pegged the production as a reality television show.

If the project is carried through to completion (and there are a lot of ifs along the way) the symphony will be involved in the project. This could be just one more unique aspect of the renovated show. (and possibly worthy of a few bottles of tylenol along the way)

How much storage does one really need for an email account?

This morning when I checked my hotmail account I was surprised to see that the storage limit had been increased from 2G to 5G. Seeing as I was using less than 1% of the storage space when the limit was 2G, I seriously doubt that I will ever come close to using the full 5G of email storage that I now have access to.

The increase in storage was paired with a few other nifty updates to the Hotmail platform including a way to merge contacts and the ability to turn-off the "Today" Page. It's about time, Microsoft!

August is for Auditions

The month of August has been filled with Auditions. Whoever said the summer is the off season was completely wrong. Last week included a string camp for young strings and 15 hours of auditions for wind and brass players on Saturday. This week includes the first rehearsal for our youngest training ensembles, 8 hours of youth symphony auditions, and another 15 hours of string auditions. I'll be wiped by the end of the month; but we will have a full roster. Details from our recent auditions have even found their way to the internet forums. For the most recent auditions I fielded inquiries from China, Germany, and even Brazil. There are far too many unemployed musicians in this world.

Dillas Baseball

Last night, I attended my first Amarillo Dillas baseball game. The outing was part of the annual orchestra party. (The event had previously been scheduled for June during Kimbo week but was cancelled due to a near monsoon.) In the end, the Dillas won the game. Our principal trumpet, Bill T. was called upon to participate in the on field promotion at the top of the 5th inning. The video of his antics is found below. (Bill is wearing the purple undies)

Symphony Staff

I was reading through my blog and realized there was a gap in my photo collections from this summer. The day that we painted the cadillac at the ranch we did pause to take a rare all staff photo.

Jenny, Chip, Nathan, Kimbo, Sue, Kelly, Darryl

Another photo opportunity occurred that same week at the Lazy L3 ranch, the photographer captured an image of the staff and significant others.

Kevin, Kelly, Sue, Marie, Jenny, Chip, Nathan, Kimbo

Aww, aren't we a photographic bunch?

A follow-up

Yes, the day I posted my rant was an extreme day. I am posting this particular entry to let my faithful readers know that I have recovered and re-entered a place of balance. Trips to volcanoes will do that for a girl. If you feel so inclined to seek my opinion on some life altering topic, go for it. Although, walking in Lucy's footseps I may feel so inclined to charge for my services.

Just kidding.

In all seriousness, I am flattered that so many folks value my opinion in this way and that they seek my opinion. That's pretty darn cool. Yes, I have some fairly awe-inspiring friends. Thanks for your patience with my mini-tirade.

Capulin Volcano, New Mexico

Rim of the Volcano

On Saturday afternoon I took a road trip to nearby Capulin, New Mexico and visited Capulin Volcano. Yes, there are volcanoes in New Mexico. Capulin is part of the Raton-Clayton volcanic field and is a typical cone style volcano. (You know, like the ones that you built models of in elementary school. I built one with Chris Leonard in 2nd grade. We used a glass soda bottle and newspaper. The baking soda, vinegar and red food dye were mixed in the bottle. The plan was a good one until the liquid destroyed our paper mache.)

This is an image of the rim of the volcano. While at Capulin I hiked the rim of the volcano and ventured to the crater vent down below.

The drive to Capulin was a calm and relaxing one. It was time for me to escape Amarillo for a little while and a road trip like the one to Capulin fit the bill.

Where in the world?

Any idea as to the source of this image and where it might be located? (Hint: It's one destination on my weekend road trip!)