My Xmas Letter

Some of you might have gotten the email version of this, so I apologize. I really do hate Christmas Letters, but its just so darn efficient.... Anyway, here it goes.

Dear Everyone,

Oh Dear, I hate Christmas Letters. I always swore I would never write one. And this is what, the third year in a row I've sent one? Heck, this isn't even a letter. Its a Christmas Mass Email. The worst kind. *sigh* I think I have to resign myself to the fact that this is it. I've become "That Girl."

But I have, in fact, become "That Girl With A Job." As many of you know, the orchestral job market is hardly big enough to be considered a "market." Its more of a "lemonade stand" than a "market." I have, however, found an orchestra that want me at least for a year. Naturally, as is par for the course for me, I managed to find one in CANADA in THE COLD PART. (I don't think there are any NOT COLD PARTS of Canada, but some have assured me that its"not as bad" on the coasts. I think they are talking about the east and west coasts, not the north coast. Just a hunch.) At any rate, I have been learning quickly what it means to live in a pretty cold climate. Here are the highlights:

1) I had my heat on in September.
2) I spent a large sum of money on "winterizing" my car. Poor Nemo the Neon, he just didn't know what'd hit him when it was -30.
3) I now plug my car in at night to keep the fluids from FREEZING.
4) I know how to drive in all sorts of conditions thanks to the fact that Alberta refuses to plow.
5) Plows. I remember snowplows. I think I saw one. Once.
6) At first I wondered why they don't even salt the roads. Turns out, salt is fairly ineffective when its -25 degrees. Fahrenheit.
7) After its been -30 for a week or so, once it warms up to +3, it feels downright balmy outside.

I guess I live "abroad" now, though Canada is in many ways "America-Lite." I like Canadians, though. They generally have a great sense of humor (please note the spelling of humor) and they're friendly. I've been trying to decide what it is to be Canadian, rather than American, and here's the best list I can come up with.

To Be Canadian Is:
1) To have the need to wear a maple leaf or a Canadian flag on your person at all times in order to distinguish yourself from being American.
2) To have health care.
3) To be allowed to marry whomever you want, regardless of their gender.
4) To misspell "honor," "color," "favorite," "center," and "check."
5) To watch curling on TV and understand what's going on.
6) To learn to ice skate at roughly the same time you learn to walk.
7) To go to a store called "Future Shop" and know that no one is going to try to read your palm when you walk through the door.
8) To have an infinitely more singable national anthem than the Star Spangled Banner.
9) To have the Queen on all the monopoly-esque money.
10) To not have a hole in your life where WaWa, Dunkin' Donuts, Qdoba, and Chipotle should be.
11) To put "eh" at the end of sentences. Don't try this at home, Americans! It can get addictive!


***

It really has been a busy year, though. I spent my summer in Ocean City, NJ playing principal horn with the Ocean City Pops. Playing pops music all summer certainly took its toll on my chops, but more importantly, I never want to play another show tune again. At least until next summer, when I find myself repeating my mantra "I have a summer job, I have a summer job, I have a summer job..." Working at the beach has its upside though. Most notably, I get to see the Atlantic Ocean at least three times a week, and the people are great. I got to solo with the orchestra, too, which was fun.

Notable musical experiences include second horn on Mahler 2 in Allentown. I know, I know, "Allentown?" you're thinking. "Like, that mid-80s Billy Joel song?" Yeah, that very same Allentown. They have a decent per-service orchestra, though, and in this case, the first four horns of the section were really good, and I think there were some really great musical moments. I wouldn't mind playing in that particular section every day. **Geeky horn moment** Three Geyers and a Lawson is a great combo for a section. Really.

And as most of you know, I had two weeks of pure bliss subbing with the Philadelphia Orchestra in February. Simon Rattle and Christoph Eschenbach conducted... It culminated with a "run-out" to Carnegie Hall. I don't think I'll ever recover from that experience. Just to sit onstage with those musicians is a privilege. Here, I'll relive one of my most professional moments ever for you:

"Hi this is TN and I'm the personnel manager of The Philadelphia Orchestra. I'm just calling to find out if you are available to sub with the orchestra over the course of the next two weeks."

Long silence.

"I'm sorry, lemme get this straight-- did you just say you're from The Philadelphia Orchestra?"

"Yes."

"Ok. *gulp* Just checking."

***

I spent a week at the Banff Centre in early December this year, which was incredibly fulfilling. I found out that I had a week off from my job due to the lack of horn parts in the Messiah, and decided that rather than staying in Calgary, I would spend some time in the Canadian Rockies playing music. It was a really fun experience, and I got more out of it than I expected. I made some great friends and found that if you need to refresh your soul, some alone time in the mountains is the way to go.

***

I have managed to carve out a nice little life for myself here. I joined a gym, which is something I've always wanted to do. After a few months with a trainer, I actually have a muscle or two! I've also managed to make a really great group of friends in the orchestra. I love my job, in case you hadn't guessed, and the rest of the horn section is great. But the "Under 30 Committee" (as we've come to be named) is a really fun group of people. I'm staying in Calgary for the holidays this year and though I'm bummed that I won't get to see my "real" family on Christmas, I'm excited to spend time with my "family" here. I hosted a Christmas Eve party last night, complete with a Secret Santa gift exchange and a rousing game of Cranium. I did almost burn the house down trying to make a fire in the fireplace, but despite the slightly rustic smell of my house, it's none the worse for wear. A good portion of the evening was spent sitting on the kitchen floor while the smoke cleared from the rest of the house, but if nothing else, it made for a hilarious story. One that I will probably not live down for a VERY long time.

Tomorrow I'm off to BC to spend a few relaxing days in the mountains with those same friends who witnessed "That Christmas Eve When LR Almost Burned Her House Down." Its going to be a great time of movies, food, outdoor activities, and inevitable laughter. I can't wait.

If you've made it this far, you are blatantly aware that this is already way too long and simply must end soon. So I can only hope that all of you had as great a 2006 as I did. It definitely had its ups and downs, but this was a really exceptional year for me, and I feel very very fortunate for all that I have seen, all I have accomplished, and all of the incredible people who have included me in their lives. I don't much believe in God anymore, but I still feel truly blessed.

With Much Love,

LR