Fare Thee Well, Syracuse, Fare Thee Well
Well, it's been quite the trip. The fever-and-aches part of this virus I've got finally finished running its course Saturday night. An entire box of fake Dayquil and countless Kleenexes got me through the weekend all right. I confess Daniel was no help, as he was clingier, whinier, and needier than usual. I know that's just a fact of life when you're traveling with a little kid and putting him in an unfamiliar environment sans his Daddy, but the hourly wakings throughout every night were really working my last feverish nerve.
All that aside, however, our performances went well. We did the same program twice, last night in Oswego (about an hour's drive north of here), and this afternoon at a Unitarian church here in Syracuse. The Oswego gig was the real reason for this whole program: Pam was invited to sing in a recital series put on by the Oswego Opera Company, she asked me and a violinist friend to perform with her, and we tacked on today's recital to make all the work more worthwhile. Today's performance was definitely better from my standpoint. Better hall, better piano, and I finally wasn't depending on those magic little gel cap pills to keep me upright. Plus, Pam's last name was spelled right on all the programs for today; this was quite the achievement considering the Oswego folks managed to spell it not one, not two, but three different ways in the literature accompanying last night's performance.
I know I sound really negative about this whole experience, but that's just the sore throat and congestion talking. Apart from all the excess mucus (and Daniel's sudden need to nurse every friggin' thirty minutes day and night), it's been a lovely trip. Pam's mom made me feel at home immediately. Pam's dad, when he saw how desperately I was trying to get Daniel to sleep this afternoon, offered to take the two of us on a driving tour of Syracuse (he fell asleep before we reached the end of the block and stayed asleep for almost an hour). And Pam...what can I say? Performing with Pam is always a wonderful experience. We just think alike; it's like I barely have to pay attention to what she's doing because I just know we'll be in sync. And dudes, you should listen to her rendition of "Depuis le jour." It will make you weep.
And now, off to bed. I brought a skein of sock yarn along with me, apparently under the delusion that I might have some time to knit a bit in the evenings. Ha! I didn't even look at it once.
All that aside, however, our performances went well. We did the same program twice, last night in Oswego (about an hour's drive north of here), and this afternoon at a Unitarian church here in Syracuse. The Oswego gig was the real reason for this whole program: Pam was invited to sing in a recital series put on by the Oswego Opera Company, she asked me and a violinist friend to perform with her, and we tacked on today's recital to make all the work more worthwhile. Today's performance was definitely better from my standpoint. Better hall, better piano, and I finally wasn't depending on those magic little gel cap pills to keep me upright. Plus, Pam's last name was spelled right on all the programs for today; this was quite the achievement considering the Oswego folks managed to spell it not one, not two, but three different ways in the literature accompanying last night's performance.
I know I sound really negative about this whole experience, but that's just the sore throat and congestion talking. Apart from all the excess mucus (and Daniel's sudden need to nurse every friggin' thirty minutes day and night), it's been a lovely trip. Pam's mom made me feel at home immediately. Pam's dad, when he saw how desperately I was trying to get Daniel to sleep this afternoon, offered to take the two of us on a driving tour of Syracuse (he fell asleep before we reached the end of the block and stayed asleep for almost an hour). And Pam...what can I say? Performing with Pam is always a wonderful experience. We just think alike; it's like I barely have to pay attention to what she's doing because I just know we'll be in sync. And dudes, you should listen to her rendition of "Depuis le jour." It will make you weep.
And now, off to bed. I brought a skein of sock yarn along with me, apparently under the delusion that I might have some time to knit a bit in the evenings. Ha! I didn't even look at it once.
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