Oooh Christmas

please christmas don't delay!!

http://www.uncommongoods.com/product/tabletop-shuffleboard

this would support my new fascination.

Hey... its a sport, right?

Wedding Registries

One day while I was working at the SD County Fair, I stormed into Holly's office and said:

"If I had a blog where I wrote about how I see the world, today's topic would be all about wedding registries."

Today's post is about wedding registries. When I said the above statement, I was getting ready for 2 weddings that summer. It was my first experience with a wedding registry and gift buying and it drove me bonkers. Some close friends are tying the knot early next year and its time to start perusing their registry in prep for the big day.

Nevermind that many of my friends my own age are engaged, getting married, and/or already married. Nevermind that topic. :)

Wedding registries make me absolutely crazy. I understand its for the couple as they start their life together. They need a set of plates and serving dishes, a meat tenderizer, a stainless steel garlic press and muffin tins. What really gets me is how much you have to pay.

You mean I could pay $60 for a cheese board? $15 for an ice cream scoop? $40 for a pan (for a couple that doesn't cook)? All the way up to... $299 for camping gear (how often do they go camping)? how much for luggage?

Holy Toledo. Side note: I never understood the saying Holy Toledo. I've driven through the heart of Toledo (an accident but it happened). It isn't very glamorous.

In the meantime, I've decided to go with something a little more original, useful and not on the registry. :) That's how I roll.

A Little Philosophy

We had a nice Thanksgiving and wonderfully delicious dinner and time with family. In the meantime, I've picked up my music therapy books again. I'm getting materials ready just in case I get that interview and in addition to playing and practicing, I'm trying to keep my mind sharp. So I picked up this book.

"The Inner Nature of Music and the Experience of Tone." It's a collection of lectures by Rudolf Steiner - a philsopher who greatly influenced Paul Nordoff's idea of tone and (as I'm finding out) music therapy, use of the voice in therapy and composition.

its a fabulous book. some of its a little out there in terms of what he thinks about existence and consciousness. But the stuff on tone is amazing. Anyhow, I read this lecture today where he talks on and on about vowels vs. consonants.

Vowels, he says, is the connection to the spirit, to the experience of the more primitive stuff- raw emotions

Consonants are like the body, the instruments.

The vowels (or breath) pushes against the consonants in everything- they go side by side but they also dissolve into one another. He also says that when you go from earthly being to something greater, the consonants disappear and you are left with vowels, with one song, one universal song. It reminded me of a sort of Music of Spheres kind of idea. He says that speech is like the consonant and it derived from singing (the vowel)-- so that our original form of communication happened in song. So when we sing we go back to communicating on the level of vowels, of spirit, of beauty, of the aesthetic, of the raw emotions. Its a longing of wanting that spiritual connection back. Similarly, Nordoff emphasized the importance of creating melodies that mimic speech- in intonation, pitches and rhythm! pretty cool.

"When man speaks, he makes use of his body: the consonant element in him becomes the sculptural form of the body; and the stream of breath, which does not pass into solid, sculptural form, is used by the soul to play on this bodily instrument."

Anyhow. He brings it all together at the end (at which point I got really excited) and says, "if on extracts from the human being the breath, which the should makes use of in order to play on the instrument in song, ... the art of music, of song, arises." This made me think. The consonant or the body is like the container for the spirit (much like the therapeutic relationship is a container). The breath, the song is that direct connection to something greater. So I'm pondering on this and keep reading and he says this:

"Two types of spiritual beings fuse their activities. One brings forth and shapes the instrument, the other plays on the instrument." FUSE! FUSION! a bringing to together of the instrument (body) and player (soul/person). Sort of like INTEGRATION --- like what Nordoff and Robbins say (in their first book!) that in music the person becomes organized and integrated in their musical activity and it becomes the doorway to something more, to a peak experience, to a new awareness of themselves, a sense of accomplishment, a new connection.

I got really excited about that. That breathe and spirit connection to the body (the here and now) in someone that is wanting that (for whatever reason or goal) that's the beauty at the core and at the center of being! Thats when we see a client come alive in the music. He/She is connected to what/who they are on that deeper "more primitive" essential level.

Whoa.

Then I got more excited because as I was thinking of that quote: "Two types of spiritual beings fuse their activities. One brings forth and shapes the instrument, the other plays on the instrument." FUSION. Two Types of beings fuse their activities. Maybe it exists on a more "literal" level in music therapy. Maybe the role of the therapist is the being who brings forth and shapes the instrument (the person, the experiences) and the other who plays is the client.

That means that its our job to create opportunities for the player to play and get the most out of their instrument. Its our job to create opportunities for the player to discover all of the sounds and manners in which to play. Its our job to create opportunities for the player to find delight and joy in fusing together with another person, and additionally, fusing together with the music. It says nothing about the two beings making each other do a certain thing. Its simply a fusion, an opportunity, a moment. You can't make a client choose to fuse or choose to change or choose to try something. its ultimately their choice. BUT we can constantly bring forth opportunities and shape moments that are conducive to developing the instrument, song, client, moment.

Man. this is cool stuff.

Ravioli Fest 2010 pt. 2

Okay.

Spread filling on one half of the dough. You fold the other half over.

The small rolling pin is the form. That makes all the little squares.

That's about 160 ravioli (give or take a few).

The special cutters seal the edges and voila.

We then place them on cookie sheets lined with parchment and pop them in the freezer.

We rolled 6 batches and made about 1,050 ravioli. It is exhausting and a ton of work, but it is completely worth it!

Ravioli Fest 2010 pt. 1

The set up:

The cuisinart, tons of flour and some other stuff. We made 6 batches.

Usually my sissy makes the dough. It's her job and she always makes perfect dough. It took us a couple of batches to get the balance just right.

The other part of the set up includes the ravioli board and pins.

The board was my grandmother's and it came across the isthmus on the back of a donkey a really long time ago.

I got the full story from Dad--- its a seasonal favorite. Just ask.

the dough has to rest a while before you can roll it out.

Rolling it out is more of a stretching process. you have to get the dough big enough to put stuffing on half of it. You stretch it out around the long rolling pin and roll the pin (haha rolling pin) to make the flour fly. I'm not sure the exact reason, but its pretty awesome.

Check out this beauty. I did this one.

My Day at the VA

Hey y'all. (That was in my best Paula Deen voice)

Today I observed a music therapist at the VA in Menlo Park. My Aunt's friend currently volunteers for the music therapy group there. And boy, is it a hoot! The vets were fabulous and there are some characters in the group. It was nice to see music therapy in that form and it was nice to see the vets enjoying themselves, singing and participating in the conversation. I had a lot of fun interacting with them.

I had a chance to have lunch with the music therapist and talk with her about how she got her job, where she started, school and difference in thought. We do things very differently. She was really nice and actually has a connection to another music therapist that I plan on meeting with next week! Small World around here apparently. It made us both laugh.

Speaking of laughs... there are some funny music therapy comics out there. Placebo Domingo... hardy har har.

The big ravioli day pictures will be coming up soon. We've been busy here in our house.

Coming soon!

New Motivation

Okay. So.

Its been a busy few days.

I met with a family friend and from that got a ton of ideas, a few more contacts, and a brand new degree of motivation. I really need to start building my network around here, starting with music therapists in the area. They have been hard to find and there has to be a few more that are hiding. I've been working on that. I've emailed a few people to see if they would be available to meet and/or talk. So far, I've gotten 2 yeses. That's a good thing.

My sister is building me a website for all of my therapy stuff--- and eventually my piano stuff. I want people to search for music therapy and have my name come up. Its going to look really nice. Yesterday (while I was listening to the Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Audio Book) I did a ton of copy to send to her. I've been looking at websites I like and websites I don't like. I have to admit, that has been fun.

I am however, looking for a great domain name for my website. Something with "music therapy" in it- like a business name kind of thing. So far the best idea I have had is "laurenisawesome.com" Apparently that isn't appropriate. A lot of people use their name like Lauren Bevilacqua Music Therapy Services... BUT how easy is it to misspell bevilacqua? KB was thinking maybe: laurenmtbc.com But we were also concerned about random letters....

So I am officially opening it up to you all at this time. Calling all of you creative people out there!

One other thing- I am very close to getting a meeting at a private organization that provides education for kids with disabilities. I got connected through my friend's mom who is currently a teacher there. She took one of my cards last weekend to bring into work and yesterday (!) I got an email back asking for my resume. I guess this place is interviewing a few candidates in the next few weeks. I am hoping to just score a meeting with the organization to show them my stuff and trying to remain optimistic, but realistic about the whole thing. So happy thoughts that I might get this meeting/interview.

I accomplished a lot yesterday- my room is clean and laundry is just about done. Its made a difference in my productivity (case in point- yesterday) and I feel like I am better able to take care of business. After all of my work yesterday, I am celebrating this morning by taking my dad to go see Harry Potter. Hmm... maybe its more for me. :)

Have a wonderful Friday and relaxing weekend!

"A Little Bit Everyday"

I came up with this (not) new little motto while I was eating my eggos this morning. I have to be doing something- even just a little bit- every day to prepare for meetings, creating materials, assembling marketing packets. If I do that I will feel like I am moving forward or at least contributing to my job search/creation. Yesterday I worked on my marketing packet which changes, depending on who the recipient is. I have drafted a few cover letters and am hoping to get to the post office today to send at least one out.

I also anticipate straightening up my room today and laundry- two things that I absolutely need to do that will help with the productivity monster. And if there is time and it isn't 80 degrees, I sort of feel like baking. We'll see what happens with that.

An official item now:

I have officially sent my formal response to the Las Vegas opportunity. And I have officially turned down the position.

It seemed silly to turn down a job, especially now, but it is not the right time for me to move out of state. Although I loved being in the facility and loved working with the clients, it just isn't the right time. I am glad I have the experience of interviewing somewhere. That has been extremely valuable.

So I will be home for a while.

You probably knew that because I bought a car.

I do have a brainstorming type meeting set up for this week AND I am hoping to hear back from a private school in Santa Clara. One of my HS friend's mom works at this private school and she offered to set up a meeting for me. I feel like things are indeed happening. Some are directly within my control and some are not. That's okay. I'm just trying to keep my eyes opened for all sorts of opportunities.

My vision is sort of changing for my future. I always thought that I'd go into academia after getting advanced degrees. But now I'm sort of thinking about creating an internship, like the one I experienced. Also, I can really see myself being a sort of consultant type of person, creating jobs in the area and finding MTs to come fill them (while maintaining my own caseloads). That's quite a ways in the future- I still have to find a job for myself, but I could see myself doing that sort of thing. For some reason, I have not heard much about MT in the bay area and that should change. I think I can contribute to change that. Obviously I have a ton of ideas, but I am taking my time and trying to do things the "right" way. And one thing at a time... like find a job.

In other news, I received word yesterday that a former teacher of mine passed away. She'd been battling cancer for some time now and passed away Friday afternoon. I am definitely saddened by this news. She was an influential teacher in my life and we remained close even after I finished school. I am more upset because I was suppose to go see her last week and we never connected. I'm feeling like I definitely missed out. I was asked to read at her service in December and I am happy that I will be able to do that.

Well got to get moving so I can do my "little bit" for the day!

new new new

I am in love.

Unexpected things...

Today began in an unexpected way.

Dad and I decided to hit the Ford dealership to start looking at possible cars for me. I need a car with an actual roof (all of our cars are convertibles) and four doors. There needs to be space enough for my keyboard and accessories for gigs and things.

I walked out of the dealership with a new car.

I made my first adult purchase of a car. I spent more than I had anticipated, but the money has been worth it. Its a used 2010 Ford Flex Limited (with little mileage). Its got tons of bells and whistles... so I got pretty much one of the top models for the basic model price. It has voice activated navigation, bluetooth for my phone (which can also be controlled by the voice activated system), usb plug in for my ipod, 911 assist, and a way to control LED lights in the cup holders and below all of the seats (even in the back seat). It seats seven and has PLENTY of room for all of my stuff. It's actually quite long and wagony- but I love it. It's slate blue. You can also watch a DVD on the navigation screen when the car is in park. Oh it also has a AC plug in case you need to charge your computer. And when you put the car in reverse, there's a camera in the back that shows you where you're going. And of course, seat warmers.

I am very excited. Now I just need a job in order to pay myself back.

On the job front, there are a few more opportunities presenting themselves, so we'll see which ones materialize. I am working on it. It feels like more things are coming together.

Pictures tomorrow

Alright, let's get this thing going

After my "hangover"esque weekend I have decided that its now time that I get up off my butt here and start working my angles and connections. I've had a nice vacation, but it is time. It is amazing what opportunities come up when you start looking for them, making them happen.

I'm going to talk to a few people in the area and see what happens.

But yesterday! Wow. Yesterday was incredibly productive. I worked all day. I wrote a couple of cover letters, drafted my letter in response to the Las Vegas opportunity, created another document for a little marketing folder, read some information on third-party reimbursement (which is perhaps one of those most important things a MT could learn about--- you know, how to get paid and bill insurance and codes and what forms to use--- its very confusing) and did quite a bit of research on some other agencies.

Today I am finishing up those letters (its good for me to take a step back), watching morning TV and having dinner with two of my friends from high school. We're doing these "girls nights" often--- its turning out to be almost once a month. Its been nice.

Going into my Boston trip I felt miles and miles away from anything. I wasn't quite living in the past (but I was certainly revisiting high school memories and people), I wasn't quite in the present, and I wasn't really living in the future (with no certain plans). It was good to get away and take a vacation, see my friend, get grounded and get the sort of motivation I needed to get going with my life. I don't feel so aloof and detached and I have more direction. That part feels good- much MUCH better.

I've finished my coffee and watched Kathie Lee and Hoda try and do an obstacle course-- that means its time to get cleaned up and on with my day.

Happy Veterans Day everyone.

Jet Lagged

Oh man. I am actually (perhaps for the first time ever) jet lagged. I was in bed at 7:30pm last night, after dozing off about 7p and woke up this morning at 5:30 and ready to go.

After a big breakfast and Big cup of coffee, Dad and I ventured to the DMV to see about a replacement license.

I am happy to report that I only had to wait 20 minutes and I am equipped with a temporary license until my new one arrives in the mail. thank goodness.

I can drive places now, as long as I don't need to buy gas. :)

Awesome.

Boston Weekend 2010, Pt. 2

Saturday. Julie and I woke up at 5a to catch the 7a Chinatown Bus for NYC. We ordered tickets online and ended up with a four seater towards the back of the bus. Perfect for putting our feet up.We rolled into Chinatown around 11 and made it to Times Square for tickets. We got great seats to La Cage Aux Folles starring Kelsey Grammer (Frasier!) and some other people. We sat in Times Square and had a snack while we waited for the show. It was brisk there, but sunny. The perfect day. We even navigated the subway from Chinatown to Times Square. We were excited and very proud of ourselves for A. planning a fun day and B. getting there in one piece.

The show was fabulous. The dancers were amazing. It felt great to be in a theater. After the show and the never ending search for a usable restroom, we connected with Julie's ex. We all went to high school together and they remain good friends. I've never really spent much time with him and I think Julie was a little nervous to see what would happen. It ended up being so much fun. He works right in the city so it was nice to walk with someone who knew where they were really going. We had a fabulous dinner at this little place near Rockefeller Plaza and we all ended up being great company together.

Now we should have (get that? should.) gone back to China town to see about maybe catching an earlier bus. Instead we decided to see the apartment where this guy lives.

He's got an incredible view of the crystler building. Before we knew it, it was 9:30 and we had to hustle to make our 10p bus back to Boston.

Look mom! We're gonna make the bus!!! -->

.....Well. We didn't end up making the bus.

Oops.

Look mom! We didn't make the bus.---->

No problem. Julie's ex came with us to China town to make

sure we were safe. Thank goodness he did. We probably would have called him for help if we had missed our bus. The fact that he was there made it easy and it was very nice of him to accompany us to make sure we made it safely. He was really the hero of the evening, even offering up his futon for the two of us that night. We were lucky that he was there. So what do we do?

We celebrate. We went to this tiny bar with a pool table and a bar shuffleboard. Julie and I dominated! We beat these two really competitive tall guys. They said our height (especially my lack there of) was an advantage. Apparently tall people do not have a good view of the board. This random guy was really into it.

We dominated. That was fun. We had a great time at the bar. We did drink a bit much, but everyone made it out okay and home safely. Except for one thing. :)

Now before I go on with the story, I have to add a small disclaimer. I think in the past few years I have really learned to laugh at the little hiccups in the road. Sometimes you have to laugh while these things happen. Getting extremely upset is going to be completely useless, especially when there is very little in my control. I've learned to just kind of go with it. Thank goodness.

By the time I was ready to get back to the apartment for the evening and fairly intoxicated, my purse was no where to be found. All of our jackets and bags where stashed in one place. Everyone else came out with all of their stuff. My purse was just gone. They searched high and low in the bar. Nothing. The next morning when we all called, nothing.

So I'm in NYC with no purse, no money, no credit/debit cards and no Drivers License. Oh wait, I would have to fly home the next day? Without identification. This sounds fun.

To tell you the truth, we had to laugh. The whole trip was ridiculous enough that only this would happen with me, with all three of us at that moment in time. I was more worried about flying home. I canceled the cards. I didn't have much else in there aside from traveling cash. I spent most of the morning on the phone with banks and my parents (they got a lovely 4:15a phone call--- to be fair it was already 7:15 in NYC) to let them know. I was feeling pretty inconvenienced but this kind of thing has had to happen before. We did research.

----> By the time we left NYC, all I had left was a bag of chocolate chip pancakes, a camera, 50 cents, and my cell phone

So Julie ended up paying for everything else, including my checked bag this morning. She was definitely my hero in all those moments. I don't know what I would have done without her. Of course it was a Sunday and it would have been completely useless to try and over night anything, like my passport or other ID for my plane ride.

We finally made it back to Boston around 3p and attended a recital at 5. That gave us enough time to shower and put on clean clothes, thank goodness. I was getting pretty grimy. A couple of Julie's friends were performing in the recital. It was fun to see them sing and to be back in a sort of conservatory environment. The recital hall had great acoustics and the accompanist was brilliant. It was like listening to an entire orchestra come out of the piano. I'm pretty sure I probably stared with my mouth wide open and maybe even drooled a little. We went to dinner with one of Julie's friends who performed and relived our crazy day in NYC and debriefed on all the recital stuff. I hit the futon and was out probably by 10 or 10:30.

This morning we were up early and headed ot the airport. I was worried a little bit about making my flight and dealing with TSA with my serious lack of identification. Mom emailed me a scanned copy of my passport. Including that, I had a check book, a business card and the ticket that got me to Boston in the first place. All I had to do was mention that my purse was gone in NYC and all these Boston people understood. Pretty funny. They sort of shuffled me through the security line, patted me down and swabbed my bags. I was on my way and literally walked onto the plane.

For future experiences: if you have a police report/police documentation, TSA will accept that. Its sort of like bringing a doctor's note when you miss school.

The flight was fine, except that it was 30 minutes delayed due to high winds at Logan and when we did get to SFO, we circled the airport 3 times before landing. Julie gave me some spending money for a bottle of water and some snacks. I sat down, opened my water, took 2 sips and lost the bottle cap. Go figure. I did get some sleep on the flight.

--------------

Hands down, this was the best trip I have ever taken. At least the top two. Although all this crazy stuff happened and I came home without a wallet, it was the best time. I loved all the talking and catching up that happened. I learned a lot. We laughed. Even the crazy stuff. It was worth laughing at as it happened. We would be sitting on the bus in silence and then just start laughing. Oh dear. As Julie and I discussed, we don't get to spend that kind of time together, so I guess we felt like we had to make it count.

And boy did we.

Boston Weekend 2010, Pt. 1

It all started with a water bottle.

This weekend, I flew out to Boston to see my best friend Julie. When I say "it all started with a water bottle," it did. I got to the airport with plenty of time to grab a bite to eat for the plane ride. I intended to stop for food at this cafe, grabbed a water bottle and then decided that I didn't want anything on the menu. So I kept looking. Unfortunately, as I ordered from a restaurant closer to my gate, I realized that I was still in fact holding said water bottle. Oops.

*first "oops" to appear in this post.

Contraband. Bad. I was mortified. I made it to Boston without any run-ins with the air marshals. So this whole trip was kind of like that meaning, I (we) had good intentions but sometimes things sort of become a hilarious disaster (foreshadow, maybe).

I hopped a cab over to Julie's after arriving. We were up pretty late just catching up and sort of talking about plans for the weekend. We watched some old videos from High School and just laughed.

Friday we were up early for class. I sat at the Starbucks with a coffee and newspaper until my co-intern Kari came into the city. I was so excited to spend the day with her. She ended up with some obstacles of her own which left me with some extra time. Once the rain let up, I decided

to just start walking. I walked almost 3 miles around Boston. It was wonderful to be in the city, kind of lost, just walking. The weather was okay. Overcast and definitely brisk. But it was perfect that way. I loved being in colder weather.

Kari and I met up and spent the day exploring. We went to the North Side and checked out the historic site of the Boston Molassacre and a couple of parts of the Freedom Trail, stopped for afternoon dessert at this wonderful little hole-in-the-wall place.

----> the plaque for the Boston Molassacre. It's sort of hard to find and easily missed if you aren't really looking for it.

We then high tailed it on the T over to Cambridge because we felt like it. We had the time before we were meeting Julie and Kari's husband for dinner back near Fenway.

<----I took a picture in front of the Harvard Band room for my sissy.

Anyhow, Dinner was great. And it was wonderful to go around the city with Kari. We had great adventures and I am so thankful that we got to see each other. It felt a little weird when I finished internship. She was such a big part of my internship experience. HopeAfter returning to Julie's apartment we decided that it would be great to head to Manhattan Saturday via the Chinatown bus and rush some broadway tickets.

What's the worst that could happen?

to be continued.....