fiona apple

if there was a better way to go then it would find me
I can't help it, the road just rolls out behind me
be kind to me, or treat me mean
I'll make the most of it, I'm an extraordinary machine.

tolkien

I'm old... I know I don't look it, but I'm beginning to feel it in my heart. I feel... thin. Sort of stretched, like... butter scraped over too much bread. I need a holiday. A very long holiday. And I don't expect I shall return.

darjeeling limited

"Alright, let's make an agreement. 
A. we'll make an early start tomorrow morning and try to enjoy each other's company in this beautiful place; 
B. we'll stop feeling sorry for ourselves, it's not very attractive; 
C. we'll make our plans for the future." 

extras

I had planned for my next post to be about tiny houses and minimalist living, and don't worry, I'll get to that soon. I am currently in the midst of selling roughly 85% of what I own and trying to fit the rest into my car, and that's going swimmingly. I do have thoughts on it, but this morning I was thinking of other things. As I get closer to leaving Nashville, I get more aware of tiny things that I take for granted, that won't be the same after two weeks from now. For example, my favorite mug that I use every day to drink tea out of. In Maryland and on a ship for the rest of the year, I will still drink tea every day. But it won't be out of a violin mug.

More than mugs, though, there are some nameless regulars in my life that I see pretty frequently and converse with, that I might never see again once I leave. The extras in my life story that pop by for a conversation, that you won't even remember by the end of the movie. I don't know their names, but they are there, and they are important.

I go to Harris Teeter a lot. It's a few blocks away from work, so it's quick and easy to stop by for food on my way to work or in the middle of the day. There is a very friendly red-haired lady who works there, and she is always so cheerful even when she's not having a good day. We actually talk to each other a lot (because she's the type to really tell you exactly how she's doing, instead of just saying "fine" and letting you go) Despite being raised by an outgoing southern mother, I still have frozen northerner tendencies, usually not liking to go beyond two sentences about how fine our day is going, and maybe the weather. My grocery lady always cheers me up and jokes about how the self checkout never works properly, and when she tells me she hopes I have a good day, I know she means it. I'm going to miss seeing her.


Nashville has a street newspaper that the local homeless or recovering homeless sell on the corners. A new issue comes out every two weeks, and it's only a dollar. I always buy one from the same man who sets up on a corner on my way to work. We've talked a lot, because it's at a long stop light, and he is always optimistic and cheerful. He sometimes has a big white beard and always wears a Santa hat at christmastime. We've talked a lot over the last year or so since I've been buying his paper. We've agreed about how money can't buy happiness, but our perspectives are different. I made around thirty times the money that he made in 2012 - how can I complain about being poor? How can I joke with him about money not buying happiness as I sit at the stoplight in my Acura, wearing sunglasses that cost more than he might make on a rainy day? It's good to have people like this, and I'm going to miss seeing him.

I know I'll form new routines wherever I go, and that's all right. There will always be extras, but I just wanted to write about these two. It's interesting that I find myself so melancholy about leaving people whose names I don't even know, but I guess that just happens when there's a big scene change.

Atlanter?! I hardly know her!

I got back from Atlanta today. My next big adventure (catch up with my last post if you don't know the next big adventure) has to be preceded by a lot of mini-adventures. Since I'm moving away from this area for the time being, I get to make the rounds to see people that I won't see again for a while. This past weekend was Atlanta to see my Sarah and Josh! You may remember them from my roadtrip down to Alabama over Christmas break, to help them get married (I was the maid of honor)

I have been to Atlanta plenty of times, but never for very long at a time. My main Atlanta experiences have been eating delicious food, and not much else. Which is not to say that I don't enjoy delicious food very much! (I do), but for how many times I've been to Atlanta, I can't say that I know the city very well. But it does have delicious food.

We went to the dog park on Sunday, because the weather was ridiculously lovely, and that was pretty fun. And I got plenty of fuzz-therapy with the friendliest cat in the universe, Lila.

She's pretty much the best. I've been realizing lately that I am more of a cat person than a dog person, but I'm not anti-dog, of course. Going to the dog park was interesting, because I thought about the possibility of a cat park and how poorly the whole idea would go. 

Anywho. Next mini-adventures are Clarksville and Louisville! And you can expect a post one of these days about minimalist living. 

That's all for now! Thanks for stopping by. 

ch-ch-ch-ch-changes!

The rumors are true.

I'm quitting my life as a land lubber luthier, and running away to sea (like my father did before me - he was a first mate of a ship and had glorious adventures, and even though I'll only be a cabin boy, I aspire to be as cool as him even though he left me at a young age and I never saw him again. Some role model.) (I'm just kidding, I think that was Treasure Island.) (I digress.)

At the beginning of April, I will be signing onto Celebrity Solstice with my string trio! Most of you know that I hold a Bachelor's degree in violin performance, so like most people who went to school for music, my goal in life was to play for a living. I detoured into a more practical career, to my day job fixing violins and bows, but I'm back on track to play the violin full time.

The goal in life is to make a living playing the violin. The huge perk is that I'm getting paid to go places that I would never be able to afford to go to otherwise. I will be starting in Sydney, Australia, only to immediately cross back over the Pacific (by way of French Polynesia) to Hawaii. The summer will be spent going back and forth between Seattle and Alaska (my long time readers will recall I spent the summer of 2010 doing those same Alaska runs - I'm looking forward to going back!) and then back to Hawaii in the fall, before signing off in October.

FAQ:
How much will you be working?
A few sets each evening, which is a couple hours a day.

Oh wow, that's the ship your boyfriend is on! Is that why you're doing this?
No. Yes, I'm very excited that I get to spend so much time with him working together in the same place, but I've been wanting to get a job on a ship since I got off my last ship job in 2010, and I only met Boyfriend in 2012.

Do you get to actually get off the ship when you're in those cool places?
Yes. My job is to entertain guests, and when the ship is in port, the guests are out in port too. There is no point in having live music when the audience is out snorkeling, so most of the time I'll be able to go to the cool places!

Can I fit myself into your luggage and come along? 
Unfortunately, we're not allowed to have pets on board. Also, my luggage space is pretty limited, as I have to pack 6 months worth of stuff into two suitcases, including my sheet music.

How can I follow where you go and what you're up to?
Well, I'll be writing some adventures into this blog, AND/OR you can go like my group on facebook (by clicking HERE) . We will keep that updated with blurbs and pictures in case you don't want to read my pompous ramblings interesting stories on here.

2012 in retrospect

This is the 4th year in a row that I have filled out this same end of the year survey. Next year I will combine all the answers to the questions and see how things have progressed from age 2009-2013! Life is definitely on an uphill right now. 2012 was full of happy planning and waiting, and I have great expectations of 2013! 

Enjoy, my 2012. Happier, fatter, richer. 

What did you do in 2012 that you'd never done before?
I made a violin bow! I successfully formed my own string trio and got hired on another cruise ship. I flew to England and went to Stonehenge by myself before meeting up with people I knew for the most interesting and awesome vacation of my life so far.

Did you keep your new years' resolutions, and will you make more for next year?
I did not... I had a few musical goals last year that proved to be not the right thing for me, or at least not the right timing for it. This year I have pretty well planned out, doing exactly what I want to do instead of something that I think will replace it, but I guess we’ll see how it turns out! Who knows where I’ll be this time next year. 

What countries did you visit?
England, France, Portugal, St. Kitts, St. Maarten, St. Thomas!

What states did you visit?

Maryland. Tennessee to Minnesota (and all the ones in between). Tennessee to New Hampshire (and all the ones in between.) Illinois, Indiana, Massachusetts, Georgia,  Florida. Arizona (with layovers in Colorado and Nevada – do airports count?) And does Puerto Rico count as a state yet?  I think that’s all.

What would you like to have in 2012 that you lacked in 2012?
money in savings.

What dates from 2012 will remain etched upon your memory?
May 30, June 17, October 27, Nov 1.

What was your biggest achievement of the year?
Probably making a violin bow.

Did you suffer illness or injury?
Hmm, nothing too bad. The usual! Also I jammed my thumb pretty badly last week.

What was the best thing you bought?
My new violin, back in April, of course. Probably the biggest purchase of my life so far.

Where did most of your money go?
Traveling, food, and sheet music.

What did you get really, really, really excited about?
The Transatlantic and Caribbean cruises!

What song will always remind you of 2012?2012 went through so many phases.. I'll have to give this question some more thought (and possibly it's own blog post) but a couple that come to mind first are: Debussy Piano Trio, Tonight We Are Young, Gangam Style (of course), ohh how could I forget Call Me Maybe? Ok, what a lame list. I'm sure I listened to things other than the radio, so let me just promise you a comprehensive guide to Becka's 2012 playlist, blog post, in the near future. 

Compared to this time last year, are you:
happier or sadder? Happier!
thinner or fatter? Fatter!
richer or poorer? Richer!

(funny, I answered these the same last year. Apparently life is steadily improving!)

What do you wish you'd done more of?
Traveling! If I could have afforded to go on Eclipse earlier to see more places, I definitely would have.

What do you wish you'd done less of?

Waiting around. They say life happens while you're busy making plans, and I feel like 2012 was just a year full of countdowns. So, here's to 2013 having less planning and more actual doing. 

How did you spend Christmas?
In Maryland with my family, like always.

Did you fall in love in 2012?
I did :)

What was your favorite TV program?
Hmm. I’d have to say, Doctor Who is still pretty much my favorite. New shows I watched and enjoyed this year include Sherlock, Louie, and Game of Thrones.

What was the best book you read?

Hmm.. I really can't think of any new ones. I read a lot this year, but re-read things mostly. Mary Anne, by Daphne du Maurier. Bossypants, Tina Fey's autobiography. Comfort novels and easy reads. Maybe my 2013 New Years resolution should be to read more new things?

What was your greatest musical discovery?

Piano trios! I got a chance to play a few over the summer with a fabulous pianist and cellist, and it was a branch of chamber music I had not gotten into before! I enjoyed it very much.

What did you do on your birthday?

I had a bunch of friends out for drinks and pizza at Mafioza’s, gave my number to the cute waiter, and had one of the worst dates ever a few days later.

What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?
Winning the lottery :)

How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2012?
ah, the usual. Sundresses when it’s warm, sweaters when it’s cold.

What kept you sane?
countdowns, planning.

Who was the best new person you met?
My Matthew, of course. And John Winters and Sam! And all the fun folks on Eclipse!

Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2012:
It is always said that people have more regrets about things that they didn't do, instead of what they did. I try to do everything that I can, and I have ended up meeting some very interesting and wonderful people, and into some pretty cool places and situations. From the things that I didn't want to do, the gigs I didn't want to take, to the trips that I scraped to afford and the random people I decided to get coffee with. This has been a fabulous year.

Quote a song lyric that sums up your year:

I'm sorry this song is so overdone. It will always be 2012. 

tonight we are young

so let's set the world on fire

we can burn brighter than the sun. 

december happenings

So. I like to go to new places, and I am in a lot of weddings this year.

These patterns will continue over the next couple weeks, but first I'm traveling to one of my favorite places to go back to, good old Maryland. I'm driving up there this Monday for Christmas! Hooray, I love Christmas! What I love about Christmas is that my family has done exactly the same thing every Christmas morning my entire life. I know that will change, possibly drastically, in the next year or two, so I've got to hold on to it while it lasts.

Right after Christmas, though, I'm roadtripping down to the furthest South that I've ever been in the U.S. (Apart from Florida, which is more south, but less southern). My second of four big weddings that I'm a part of this year, this one I will be honored to be the maid of honor! What fun. Fortunately, a super cute bridesmaid dress that I get to wear (that I've already shortened so that I can wear it later!)

Right after the wedding, though, I'm roadtripping straight back up to Maryland. That's right, I'm a yo-yo. Why wouldn't I be going back to Nashville at that point? It seems like it would be on the way from the bottomest part of Alabama to Maryland. Nope. I've got a super  awesome  nerdy string quartet gig with the Triforce Quartet, for MAGFest (Music and Gaming Festival) in DC, at the beginning of January.

Right after MAGFest, though, I'm coming back to Nashville. For a bit. I suppose. Stay tuned! I'll take some pictures.

updates.travels.newblogtheme

Hey everyone! Guess I haven't written in a while. Don't worry, I have a good excuse. In the last six weeks, I've been to London, Stonehenge, Southhampton, Paris, Cherbourg, Ponta Delgada, across the Atlantic Ocean, Ft. Lauderdale, Puerto Rico, St. Thomas, St. Maarten, St. Kitts, Ft. Lauderdale again, back to Nashville for Thanksgiving, Annapolis, DC, Nashville again, Atlanta, Nashville again, Tucson (by way of Denver), back to Nashville again (by way of Las Vegas). Not bad for a land lubber, eh?

I'm back now!

The last post I wrote was a countdown to a bunch of things.. let me get you up to date on those things, and then start a new countdown for the only thing that I am counting down to right now.

In September, Nicole got married! It was the most beautiful and fun wedding ever, with a great reception afterwards! So much love and merriment and great Beatles arrangements played by a few of my favorite string players. 

At the end of October, I flew to England by myself. I couldn't sleep on the plane, but when I arrived I successfully navigated a bus to a hotel to another bus to Stonehenge on my way to the cruise ship terminal. It ran late (my sweet Matthew was waiting over an hour past when I said I'd be there), but everything went as smoothly as it could have. 

I hopped aboard the Celebrity Eclipse, where I got to hang out with my four favorite ship buddies, Full Tilt, the Acappella Sensation! It was absolutely loads of fun. I very much enjoyed being on a ship again, dressing fancy, eating everything, hearing good music. I met the string trio that was on board, and found out that they were the group that replaced my group on Infinity in 2010! Ship world is a small world. 

The very next day was our first port. Le Havre, France. Five of us rented and squeezed into a car and drove two hours inland to Paris! We didn't have too much time to spend there, since we had to allow enough time to drive back to port, but we got on a little one-hour lunch cruise up the river, which killed a few birds with one stone. We were hungry, and we got to see much more of Paris than we would have simply by walking around. We saw the back end of the Louvre, and also Notre Dame. After that, we walked around the Eiffel Tower and took pictures. 

Yes, I'm shamelessly posting my "kissing in front of the Eiffel Tower" picture. It was a beautiful day. 

The next day was Cherbourg, France, which didn't have a whole lot to offer, but we had the most wonderful lunch. It was a small seafood restaurant in the harbor, with fresh fish and organic wine and vegetables. In fact, the folks who grow the vegetables for the place were sitting two tables down from us! And then dessert was a small scoop of heavenly chocolate ice cream. I have never, and probably never will again, have chocolate ice cream as perfect as that was. 

Cherbourg, France

After a sea day (that allowed me to finally rest and recover from jetlag), our third port was Ponta Delgada, Portugal: a very small town on an island on our way west across the Atlantic. It was a good time! We ran into a couple from Tucson that I had briefly talked to on the ship - all were looking for a place that was open to eat, and ended up there together, talking for quite a while. We hung out with them several more times the rest of the cruise, and (spoiler alert) had dinner with them this past week when we were in Tucson! :) After lunch, we wandered around the town a bit and did some shopping.

Portugal. 

Halloween! I was granted permission to go to the crew Halloween party, which took place in one of the guest lounges, after hours. It was great and I felt totally comfortable being one of the crew. (easier to fit in there than it was with the guests on the ship whose average age that cruise was 64). The hard part about this Halloween was packing a costume for two people that wouldn't take up much room in my luggage. I think we did all right :)

Fast forward seven sea days. Days filled with good music, good food, good wine, and watching the weather get steadily nicer as we moved south.

We got to Florida and I had to get off the ship in order to get back on. It took a while, but I really can't complain. A few hours of hassle, just to stay on board for 8 more days, bopping around the Caribbean? Thanks, I'll take it.

Our first port was San Juan, Puerto Rico! It was humid and warm and gorgeous. So we went to the mall. Haha. There wasn't much time to do much of anything but get dinner, but it was a good time anyway.

The next day was St. Thomas. I have to say, of everywhere I've been in the Caribbean, St. Thomas is definitely a favorite. I still adore the Cayman Islands, but I had a beautiful time in St. Thomas.

St. Maarten was also pretty, and St. Kitts. Not a whole lot to say, it was different than the transatlantic cruise, we had more ports, it was sunny and warm and we went to beaches. We got to rent a jet ski in St. Kitts, so that was a blast.

Well, that was pretty much the short version. I'm running out of energy to write all these things, so let me just say that life from the end of the cruise until now has been really lovely, nothing too exciting, just seeing family and going places, hanging out and having a good time. 

I looked at my last post countdown list. I still have a few things to count down to! Aaron's getting married in March. And in April I go on the Celebrity Solstice to go more places! (119 days. look at that. More than 100 days since I last posted. And look how quickly that went by!)

So, since I'm traveling more, I'm going to write more about where I go. I'll write more often, I'll (hopefully) be more interesting. It's much more fun to do the things I'm counting down to, rather than just anticipate them. But would they be so great without the huge amount of anticipation? 

waiting: big picture

As most of you know by now, 2013 is going to be full of many exciting things for me. Lot's of traveling, adventures, playing good  music, being with good people.

2012 has been fine. A huge upgrade from 2011, for sure, but 2012 has been full of just waiting. Half killing time, half keeping as busy as possible, all while counting down to things that are not going to arrive for several months still. So here's what's on the horizon:

Official Countdowns:
25 days until my beautiful Nicole gets married! I'm a bridesmaid. (Nashville)
60 days (two months from today!!) until I fly to England and hop on a ship for a couple weeks!
(England, Paris, Cherbourg, Ponta Delgada, transatlantic, Ft. Lauderdale, San Juan, St. Thomas, Antilles, St. Kitts) Don't worry, I'll post pictures.
119 days until Christmas! (I'm throwing this one into the countdown list because when I was little I would start counting the days til christmas, sometimes as early as august - christmastime is my favorite!)
123 days until my Sarah gets married. I'm the maid of honor! (Fairhope, Alabama)
197 days until my 25th birthday. A quarter of a century is a pretty big deal, right? I'm not at all where I thought I'd be at 25, but I'm definitely not complaining. This is better than I expected.
203 days - this news isnt public yet, so I don't want to post it. But just know that it's big.
207 days until my baby brother gets married... and I'm a bridesmaid in that one, too. (Annapolis)
223 days - Life changes completely! New adventures.