Yay J!

I'm sorry I've been such a slacker. I hate when the people I read online do this, and I'm sure it has been annoying to a large percentage of my vast readership.

I did not win the audition last week in Podunk, Oregon, but I think my Mendelssohn was the sparkliest yet and I felt really solid in all of my excerpts. The Bartok was kind of surreal, but not bad- it was just one of those moments where I felt like I was listening to somebody else play it a little wilder than I usually would.

It was really demoralizing for about 12 hours, since I was feeling all prepared and overqualified and really actually wanted the job and such. I know that may sound like a prissy snob thing to say, but it's what I was thinking. With the schooling I did and the things I was able to win before coming to Oregon I can honestly say my expectations were different than the way reality has unfolded over the last year and a half. I haven't won crap since moving here (and I've taken auditions for a lot of crap), except the sub auditions for the Symphony, which is arguably the most difficult one. Also the least lucrative and the most fleeting. Ironic? I think so.

So at least I personally feel my audition game is improving, despite the apparent disagreement from every committee for the last 12 months.

Enough about me!

J won the job! (Insert many exclamations here!)

It looks like it could be a great move for him; more interesting work, better hours, and career advance-ability. Isn't he a stone cold stud? We think so.

This means we'll likely be moving 30-45 minutes south of Portland where the housing prices are almost funny (cheaper!) and the Aumsville Toddler Spa is a mere hop away.

More than any of the time, upward mobility, or other considerations, the prospect of J having work he might actually be challenged and engaged by is the best part of the whole thing. Whether this becomes his career job or a door-opener for the future, things are looking up for him and that makes me really happy.