Erienne Romaine | Blog

College!

2008-08-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

These posts are so few and far between, but it's kind of neat to see how things progress over these relatively wide expanses of time.
I graduated high school, yes. I got the arts-endorsed diploma, had a great Senior Recital, and had a reasonable GPA when all was said and done... Although I'm still in the process of letting go of all my attachments to DSA, I'm so happy about the couple classes I'm taking at Metro right now. I'm only taking two classes this semester because I had initially decided to take the year off, but I simply couldn't imagine going without school. Sometimes I have to laugh at how much I've changed over the years... I consider myself so studious now, very serious about all aspects of my education. It was probably just a matter of maturity before.
One of my classes is the Metro Chorale!! I am so excited about this choir, and will of course post performance dates and whatnot.
I don't have any gigs coming up, if and when I get one that's not a private event, everyone will hear about it. :-D

Here's to new song material...

2008-05-03T21:59:00.000-07:00

9 more school days left in high school... ever.

Sentimental feelings ensue...

as well as my new life! I'm excited, and yet I'm scared. Hmm... me and every other senior past and present. I can promise a far better and more coherent "post" later, although I know everyone must be waiting with bated breath... !
Hahaha, yeah, I said margarine.

Erienne '08!

Closing the Deal

2008-03-15T22:47:00.000-07:00

*Sigh*
Look at me, now. I'm seriously about 6 weeks away from closing the deal of my 12-year schooling voyage. No matter how much I think about it, it still amazes me. Lately I've been swept away by the undertoe of mid-terms and Pops Show (mostly Pops Show). It happens every year, and every year it gets *so* hard to "stay on top of your game" in every other arena besides pops show. Pops Show is really all I can handle right now. It has been a fantastic experience thus far, and I've just been enjoying every moment on stage, especially since I know it's my last time on that stage... weird.
This time around I'm totally featured as a soloist singing the theme from "Ice Castles" (everyone's favorite, I know). Ha, it's so unbelievably fun to be in the spotlight like that dancing with Jon Shockness. I feel like I'm actually cool or something, or like I belong in a show.
I'm having the time of my life, but it'll feel good to just focus on my jazz career once I graduate.
You guys should expect to see a frequently updated "Gigs" portion of my site, or at least I hope so. This next year (I'm taking a year off before college, by the way) is all about my health, and my happiness (which definitely includes a full music career). :-D

OH GEEZ!! I JUST REMEMBERED: COME TO MY SENIOR RECITAL, APRIL 11TH IN THE CONCERT HALL AT DENVER SCHOOL OF THE ARTS!!! It shall feature the CCJA big band as well, so be THERE!
ALSO, in the unlikely event that anybody actually reads this, come to POPS SHOW NEXT WEEK! IT'S SHOWING THE 18TH, 19TH, AND 20TH (next Tuesday, Weds., and Thurs.!) You can buy tickets at http://dsa.dpsk12.org !!

Love always,

Erienne Romaine

Get Happy

2008-01-14T21:47:00.000-08:00

"I just caught a whiff of the piano... and it was smelly."
-My father, 5 minutes ago

Today I went back to school after almost 3 weeks of chilling out and doing all the things that make me happy. It was rough. I was hit upside the head with a sort of plague that drains the very life out of you... quickly. I believe it's called "senioritis". I had only heard of such an ailment, but had not yet experienced it, and today as I dragged my corpse across the hallway, I felt it in my bones.
Sad story.
BUT, I won't let it win! Oh no, I can still be happy! Happiness has become a habit for me, and I've had to deal with far more difficult things, so I'm going to take it with a smile and a song in my heart.
You all should know that this sudden burst of inspiration is in-part due to an amazing book that I stumbled across and purchased this evening entitled "The Pig of Happiness". I highly recommend it.

On the subject of getting happy, I also highly recommend Tierney Sutton's new CD, which includes a tracklisting that is nothing but songs about happiness arranged in the coolest ways you could possibly imagine, and sung in the "hippest" way possible. I saw Tierney Sutton live at the convention a few nights ago and I was simply BLOWN away. Seriously, if you haven't checked her out already, you really need to.

Well, I'm gonna keep on truckin' just like I know how. Wish me luck!

Love,

Erienne Romaine
x

Jik Suk Bolgocki (More Toronto Fun)

2008-01-11T20:04:00.000-08:00

Oh man, I'm still having SO much fun!! If you're wondering about the title of this post, it's the name of a delicious korean barbeque dish that we all ordered tonight at dinner. They brought out a whole platter of raw meat and vegetables and a couple burners, and you cook it yourself right at the table! This particular restaurant, though, had quite possible the most rhythmically interesting menu of all time:
-Jit Suk Bolgocki
(and, and, and 4 and)
-Hwae Bidimbop
(One,two, three, four-ee-and)
-Ju Soup Bidimbop
(One, Two, four-ee-and)

We grooved on that for a while, then I went to the NEA Jazz Masters Ceremony where I got to see performances by Kurt Elling and the 'Smithsonian Jazz Orchestra', as well as appearances by people like Nancy Wilson, Candido Camero, and Quincy Jones. QUINCY JONES!! I chased him for over an HOUR this morning after I saw him speak on a panel. He is heavily guarded, though, it's crazy. I also saw him do a live radio interview which was awesome, but all I wanted to do was meet him and give him my CD! :-( Oh well, I tried as hard as a person could.

But yeah, I just wanted to establish once more that I am having the time of my LIFE here! I mean, IAJE is always like being in a wonderland. Amazing times.

Well, I'm off to see Tierney Sutton now. Adios!

Hangin' with the heavy cats

2008-01-10T15:09:00.001-08:00

Good question... actually, excellent question (you certainly deserve an answer since I haven't updated this thing in nearly 9 months):

Well, I've been trying to graduate high school?

Valid excuse, right?

Whether it's valid or not, you should know that it will definitely be completely invalid once I GRADUATE IN MAY!!! Oh man, I am SOO close! '08!!
Enough of that, let's move on...
I'M IN TORONTO RIGHT NOW AT THE ANNUAL IAJE (International Association for Jazz Education) CONVENTION!!
And guess what??

I just got back from talking to KURT ELLING and JON HENDRICKS!!! Yeah, I gave them both a copy of my "Victory Concert" CD after I listened to an hour-long panel with both of them. Jon told the most AMAZING stories!! My favorite had to be the story about him meeting and playing with Charlie Parker. Just let that sink in for a bit and think about it.

Thank You!

2007-04-06T19:15:00.000-07:00

Hello, everybody!
Happy Friday! About a week ago I had my CD release party, and I had such an *awesome* time!! I think I definitely learned a few things on the way, lol, but I just had a blast! It was actually really successful, and I'm so grateful to all the people who came that night!
Now I'm on to my next musical undertaking. It's very different, it's the DSA vocal department's pops show, but there's no doubt that it'll be taking up a lot of my time, and I won't be able to gig for the next month, because school will just be too intense. No fear, though, I'll be back on the scene this summer! ;-)
I would *love* to see you at Pops show, however...
The dates are May 10, 11, and 12, and will be located in the Schomp Theater at Denver School of the Arts (7111 Montview Blvd. Denver, CO 80220 ). Contact me, or the school's box office for ticket information which will be available soon!
The theme this year is "Singular Sensations: #1 Chart-Topping Hits"
It may or may not be your cup of tea, but just know it'll be done very well.

Love!

Erienne

Busy Bee and PARTAY!

2007-03-04T18:26:00.000-08:00

Hey you guys!
I have been SOOOOO busy lately! School has been keeping me on my toes, that's for sure. I had a run of 14 nights in a row of performing. Things are calming down slightly, but not really. I have my CD release party at DAZZLE on Staurday, March 31st, and I would LOVE to see you there! I turned 16 last Thursday and had a couple fabulous birthday celebrations. I almost have enough money to buy a car now, and I get my lisence on April 28th. I am so excited!
But, yeah, I just basically wanted to let you all know what's going on, and that I'm still alive. (woo!)

Love you all to bits!

Erienne Romaine

This New CD, and some good times

2007-01-26T06:40:00.000-08:00

Hey everyone!
My new CD, "Trusting the Path", is something I'm actually really proud of. Sometimes as an artist, it's hard to really enjoy something you've done (especially a recording) simply because we are our own worst critics. However, for the first time in a very long time I feel quite happy with this thing that I've done. I mean, it wasn't just me who did it, it was EVERYBODY- it was my dad and the AMAZING musicians, it was the magnificent sound engineers, it was everyone who attended my victory concert, it was my family who couldn't be more loving, it's everyone, seriously. I have a date nailed down for the release party (March 31st at Dazzle!!), and we're all trying to get it "out there", if you enjoyed the concert, or if you have my first CD, then I really think you'll enjoy this one too (if you haven't already listened to it). There's a link to order it on the home page as well as on the "store" link. Check it out.
Soooo, my life: it is wonderful, and I love it so. I've been having such a good time at school, and have really been working hard to organize myself in general, because I've spent a large portion of my life not cleaning up after myself (in multiple repects). I have not been gigging too much, but I think it's been a good break for me. That being said, I am ready to take on the world again!! So, yeah, world, let's do this! :-D Give me a call/e-mail if you have a gig in mind or you want to say hello: erienneromaine@yahoo.com
Well, I actually have to go to a meeting about my future (in terms of college) right now, as I am at school. Have a great day! I love you!

Erienne Romaine

Happy New Year!! (along with spiritual ramblings)

2006-12-30T23:26:00.000-08:00

Woah! Is it really the end of another year?! They always seem to sneak up on you, don't they? But... when I really think about it, it's been a pretty robust year for me, and it seems kind of ready to be put to rest. Brain surgery, victory concert, new CD, a couple relationships (meaning some new songs, heh)... sounds like a full 2006 to me. It's been a great year, really, and I should take this opportunity to thank you all once more for your amazing support throughout everything. You all are so dear to me, and I'm so grateful to know you, and be a part of your life. And while I'm having a little moment, I'd like to mention one last thing about the "new year". The new year isn't really new at all, you see; us humans have a terrible tendancy to label EVERYTHING, including numbering what is infinite. I personally think that time is but an infinite now. Why quantify the infinite? I feel as though, sadly, we do the same thing with something else infinite: love. There is an infinite amount of love in this world/universe, so why is it even an "amount"? Like love needs to be categorized for "sister", "boyfriend", "just friend", or anybody. You see, I feel that of course we need to categorize our ways of expressing love, of course we need to keep those in line or we get into some legal issues. But really, love is all the same. Love is love... and not even that, for love is only a word, L.O.V.E., that's just us labeling again. The essense of love is actually the essense of everything. All weird associations and connotations set aside, love is why we're here on this earth. To express love, striving to be as loving people we can. For this new year, let's all stop the intellectual quantifying of numbers, and "3, 2, 1!!" enough to go back to what is deep within us, which I believe to be the nature of peace and Love. So now, when I say "I love you" to all of you beautiful souls, know that I am honoring the love potential in you, and inviting itself into actuality.

I love you all!

Erienne Romaine

PS: THE CD IS GOING TO BE HERE IN A COUPLE DAYS, SERIOUSLY! STAY TUNED FOR FURTHER INFORMATION ON THE RELEASE PARTIES AND SUCH. :-D

We're Workin' Hard!

2006-11-25T15:41:00.000-08:00

Hey guys!! I'm just letting you all know that I have been working on CD #2!! It should be released sometime in the next two months at most. It's a live CD comprised of mostly recordings of the victory concert. It sounds pretty good in my opinion :). I'm so excited for it!!! Ahh! Thanksgiving was the day before yesterday, and I had a wonderful time! I felt so thankful that the medical hurdle is officially behind me, and thankful for all of you who are continuously supporting me in all that I do.
I love you all so much, look out for my CD, and welcome to the holiday season of 2006!

Erienne

"A Highlight of my Life"

2006-10-06T11:09:00.000-07:00

Good afternoon, everyone:
I'mm writing to you all now post-concert. It was about a week ago, and yet I'm still on a "music high" as though it were yesterday. The concert turned out to be exactly what all my concert propoganda promised: amazing. I "trusted the path" all the way until it led to the eve of my concert, and everything came into place perfectly. I must admit, standing backstage I was overcome by butterflies and heavy, nervous breathing, but as soon as I heard Susan announce my name, and as soon as I set foot in the spotlight I felt like "Wow, this is home... I'm finally home!". The audience was filled with loving and excited faces, and I knew I wanted to give them a show to remember, so I just took the advice that has been given to me for years, "Just be yourself". I *was* myself, and "myself" was never worked so wonderfully! As soon as I started singing I was filled with the most profound sense of JOY! It's true, I made a lot of mistakes here and there, but I kept going, and it came across so well! Not only was it an amazing experience as far as performing, but the sheer amount of LOVE was overwhelming! I got such great feedback, and there is one thing in particular I feel I must mention:
Right after I got offstage Susan told me that there were some people from Dallas who wanted to see me. I go out to the lobby, and I meet a man who had a stroke and is now in a wheelchair who followed my story from DALLAS, and flew into Denver with his family just to see my concert! Is that not INCREDIBLE?! I met his wife and son, and they were so nice, and I just can't believe they came all the way from Dallas just to see me! Unfortunately, I was swarmed by a lot people so I didn't get their contact information :( So now I'm trying to find them. I would like to keep in contact with any fans who read my blog or who attended the concert, please please e-mail me at erienneromaine@yahoo.com. I love you guys!

So... take that.

Erienne Romaine

Mit Konsert

2006-09-26T19:30:00.000-07:00

HEY-O guys,
It's Erienne here, counting down the days until the biggest concert of my life (thus far), and we are 4 days away. Last night was the dress rehearsal, all the musicians got together, we ran a whole bunch of stuff, mostly arrangements, and it went really well!! I was actually really worried before the rehearsal, didn't really know what to expect, but it ended up going really well, and now I'm just super excited rather than super worried, which is a nice contrast. I must say, however, that it is pretty difficult to keep up with school while I'm doing all of this crazay preparation. I've got a radio interview today around 3:30 pm, and the first news 4 special about the concert will be airing Wednesday night (tomorrow) on the 10:00 news. So keep a look out for these things, people. Also, get everyone you know to come to this concert for it shall kicketh all ass. Okay, I'm actually in class right now so I should stop blogging and get working! I love you all so much!

Erienne Romaine

Unearthed Review

2006-08-20T21:01:00.000-07:00

It's fun to find stuff about yourself you've never seen before, lol. Here's a review I never knew I got :-S, I'm pleased with it, what do you think?:

Erienne Romaine is an accomplished jazz singer for someone of her extreme youth: the Colorado-based singer was 14 when The Scenic Route was recorded. Unfortunately, the album has a sad and slightly exploitative back story that keeps it from being entirely enjoyed on its own merits: Romaine, the daughter of jazz drummer Paul Romaine, has undergone repeated surgeries for a rare and potentially fatal blockage of veins in her brain, and with the help of her father and several other local jazz musicians, she recorded this set of standards and originals, which was released in part to help defray her medical costs. It's a shame that the promotion for The Scenic Route has to focus so much on Romaine's tender years and frightening medical woes, because on its own merits, it's really a very good slice of small-combo vocal jazz. Romaine, whose rich voice is that of a woman at least twice her age, has a knack for subtle phrasing that she puts to particularly good use on standards like "Lush Life" and the Antonio Carlos Jobim chestnut "Agua de Beber," the familiar scat refrain of which she tackles with brassy verve far removed from Astrud Gilberto's more reserved rendition. The Scenic Route is a low-key effort that won't set the jazz world on its ear, but Erienne Romaine deserves to be more than an object of pity. ~ Stewart Mason, All Music Guide

(http://www.answers.com/topic/the-scenic-route-jazz-album-1)

Jazz Camp and Back-to-schoolage

2006-08-15T22:03:00.000-07:00

Hi Everyone!
I just returned from Westcliffe a couple days ago, and holy crap, it was SO FUN!! It was the annual "Jazz in the Sangres" festival youth camp that CCJA (my parents) puts on. This year the kids were so phenomenal: talent wise, humor wise, personality wise, everything wise, I seriously enjoyed hanging out with these crazy kids for 5 days. I was also granted the amazing opportuity to sing with the jazz camp Big Band, they sounded sooo good! We did "I Only Have Eyes for You", a really awesome big band chart that my dad arranged for me actually, and let me tell you, singing with a [good] big band has to be one of the best highs in the world. Yeah, man.
I also had registration for school today, and it is way strange to be back in that building after no school for a year. I have a great schedule though, and I'm getting pretty excited. Everyone has to cheer me on though, because homework can hurt my soul sometimes. I have Physics X to get throught this year, so if anyone out there is a brilliant physisist gimme a call. But can you believe this?? I AM TOTALLY FIXED! I'm singing and going back to school, and chillin' and wow. It's good to be alive. Arent *YOU* glad to be alive? I mean, just think about it...

Independence, yo

2006-07-04T18:53:00.000-07:00

Happy 4th of July everybody!!
I'm excited for fireworks and pizza tonight! I'm going atop a roof that overlooks all of downtown Denver and surrounding areas. When you're up there you can see every big fireworks show in the city, it's so amazing. It's actually the roof of Mike Fitt's office. Mike Fitts is the executive head honcho dude of Synergy Music which is the label I am on (Oh that feels cool to say). What is everybody else doing? Well, whatever you're doing, I hope you have an awesome time. I know a lot of people who don't feel particularly patriotic that often, and I really do understand this, so the 4th can seem stupid to you or whatever... if that's the case, then take a moment to think about some of the great things that our country's birthday celebrates without putting it in the context of our current political situation. We stand for independence, freedom, liberty, justice, unity, innovation, and a lot more, but just take those qualities for now, and think about how you can celebrate those things in your life. This 4th of July I'm particularly keen on celebrating Freedom. Yup, freedom is pretty cool, whether it's freedom from a medical condition, or freedom from your job for the holiday, or freedom from yourself meaning freedom from your own negativity or judgment. Those are my two cents for the day. OH! And you all will know the date of my big concert on Wednesday, because Wednesday I'm meeting with the wonderful woman who is volunteering promotions, and we shall figure out the date, time, and place. So keep staying tuned, beautiful people!

Campy Goodness

2006-06-26T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hey guys! My parents have been getting complaints about my non-blogness of the past month or so. Sorry... again. I've just been having too wonderful of a time lately to blog. First week of June I did "Rainbow Day Camp" at church, teaching songwriting and drama to kids ages 8-11. I was working with Barry and Gabe Ebert, names you should all know because Barry Ebert is the Youth Director and an associate minister at Mile Hi church, and his son Gabe went to Denver School of the Arts too as a drama major, and is now at JULIARD, yeah, Juliard.... and these are the people I got to work with, coool, no? The kids wrote some amazing songs... wanna hear my favourite one?:
The World is a cool place,
we are one as the human race
from Canada to Japan
every woman and every man
We'll sing together here and now
every fox and every cow
whether or not they know how...
kapow.

So good. And right after that, I went off to California for a week for national camp!!! I go every year, and it is the most amazing experience anyone will ever have, hands down. I am spiritually renewed and ready to take on anything! I thank the universe for all the amazing opportunities I've been given, and I thank you all for being so loving and caring, never stop.

You'll get more soon, don't worry.

Media Coolness and... such

2006-05-19T22:13:00.000-07:00

Good evening Lady and gents, thank you for joining me in this blog...
CBS Channel 4 just aired their final installment on the "Erienne Story" tonight at 10:00, and I'm just incredibly pleased and grateful. They have always done such a fantastic job capturing this time of my life, and it is something I will forever cherish. Having these stories around shall be even cooler than all of my diaries combined! I think there's going to be a link to the stories on this site very, very soon if they're not already up. So, on another front, I've made a couple public singing appearances lately, pretty cool, eh? Last Monday there was a benefit for me at the Robusto Room in Park Meadows which was really, really nice, the club owner (Peter) was very kind to facilitate that, and I sat in with Pat Bianchi and my dad, which was a blast! I sang "Do You Know What it Means (To Miss New Orleans)" and "Witchcraft". I fudged some lyrics on both of them, which made me re-realize, "Hey, I really did have brain surgery, didn't I?". Honestly, I'm still trying to process all of it. Oh! I'm sorry this post is jumping all over the place, but there's something else I'd like to mention: I wrote a song today! Yes! I actually completed one and all, I'm proud o' myself. (^_^) When I have my concert this summer You all shall hear what I've been workikng on as of late. Okay, I think I'm done here for the most part... I just wanted to express my excitement. Oh yeah, ONE last thing, Molly Hughes is super-cool. :-D
See y'all soon!

Erienne Romaine

Permitted

2006-04-28T22:41:00.001-07:00

Helloo, I've gotten a few complaints lately concerning my lack of bloggage, and for that I'm sorry folks. However, now you shall enjoy this brilliant masterpiece of a blog I'm about to create (psh). Today was a day. 'Twas pretty eventful compared to most of my recent days. So, everybody, you know that I'm fifteen, correct?? Well, in case you didn't know, I am indeed 15. Do you know what happens when you're fifteen?? You can get your driving permit. Originally I was going to get my permit on my birthday back in March, but I had not studied for the test enough and then all the sudden it was surgery time. So for the past couple weeks I've been studying a ton, and today I finally went to the DMV to try to attain it. Oh, the DMV... it was my first real DMV experience, and let me tell you, it was just splendid... I'm so kidding. Yeah, we were there for a nice two hours or so... I did pass my test though! I missed one question. I wanted 100 percent, but bleah, I should just get over it. The question I missed was concerning hand signals and when and how long to use them when turning. So, I have my permit now, tada. I'm going to be a very focused and responsible driver, I swear that. Today I not only went to the DMV, but I also had my first physical therapy appointment. The therapist (Heather) made me skip, jump, hop, stand on one leg, and play catch. She evaluated my strength and said that I don't need physical therapy at all and that I've made an "amazing recovery". Score!!!! That's so fantastical! So, today I was not only permitted to beging learning to drive, but also to participate in more physically demanding activities. Hellz yes. My life is all coming back. That's because life never goes away no matter what's up. Life never goes away because life is filled to the brim with qualities that can be experienced for infinite lengths, and in infinite amounts such as joy, love, excitement, gratitude, beauty, and trust. Life sure is cool, isn't it?? So what I wish for you today is for yourself to permit some of these qualities to enter your life and awareness.

Check it Out

2006-04-05T10:38:00.000-07:00

CHECK THIS OUT!: Last month my site/blog was featured/reviewed on a brain injury/trauma resource/rehab site for a center in New York, check it out! http://www.northeastcenter.com/website_of_the_month_march06.htm http://www.northeastcenter.com

Mesa Verde Oasis

2006-04-02T20:47:00.002-07:00

Hey guys! I'm writing to y'all from Cortez, Colorado this time! If you didn't know, it's the city right next to Mesa Verde. Tomorrow I'm actually going to Mesa Verde, and today the drive was nearly 9 hours... and YES, my doctors did approve of it, so there, I guess I really am doing all right. It's nice to be kind of "away from it all", I left all of the AVM drama back in Denver too. Hey, I don't know if I ever told you guys this but right after the surgery, I could only speak spanish! I have studied spanish in school for a little over 2 years, and I absolutely ADORE the language, and it is SOO much fun to speak it, and I suppose they did something after the surgery that "re-wired" me, and I didnt really speak english anymore, lol. I think that's hilarious! I've started tutoring again so I'm doing homework/schoolwork and everything again (there aren't that many downsides to recovering at all, but when homework is involved... bleah) I have an amazing tutor though, her name is Karen and she knows everything about everything and she's definitely helping me complete the school year. Otherwise I'd be so behind with all of these hospital visits and all. I swear I'm going to graduate high school in time!! '08 baby! So still do speak spanish a ton, but thankfully I do also have the ability to speak english again too. My mom had to translate for my dad and my nurses and stuff, she speaks spanish too. I would so love to someday tour the world, and I'll go to places like spain and mexico! I've also been thinking about maybe translating some jazz tunes into spanish, wouldn't that be cool? Well, stay tuned and come to my next gig and tell me how you like the spanish jazz. :-D Okay, I have to go now, but I've been trying to update my blog semi-fequently and it's so awesome to be able to have an outlet like this to express all of my thoughts and feelings that normallly go a million miles an hour and just pass me by. Thank you everyone for reading!!! Love and hugs,
Erienne Romaine
CHECK THIS OUT!:
Last month my site/blog was featured/reviewed on a brain injury/trauma resource/rehab site for a center in New York, check it out!
http://www.northeastcenter.com/website_of_the_month_march06.htm
http://www.northeastcenter.com

Mesa Verde Oasis

2006-04-02T20:47:00.000-07:00

2006-03-31T23:56:00.000-08:00

After days of strenuous training walking up mountains each day with boulders strapped to his back, he felt more than relieved when he finally found that his daily route actually turned to smooth, flat ground . Once he reached this point, what was once painfully strenuous became a mere stroll, and not only were things easier for him, he was able to enjoy the beautiful, towering pines that lined the pathway and the gentle, colourful little flowers that grew beneath the fresh spring grass. Yes, these things were new to him. He also saw many landmarks that he was already familiar with from him past years of hard training, however, those landmarks such as the rotting bridge over the creek seemed equally as beautiful as any flower or tree... and without the boulders upon his back, he was able to stand tall and gaze upward to the sky and notice the ever-changing colours and shifting shapes of the clouds, and he nearly lost himself there.

Okay, everyone, I admit, that was a little strange, but sometimes I journal like that. Sometimes I journal in lyrics or poems.... and such as this case; stories. The symbolism should be pretty apparent though, so I hope you enjoyed that little journey through my mind. I'm still doing well. I'm anxious to meet with Dr. Day this upcoming friday for then I shall know when I can safely sing once more. I confess, I've done a little, and I can also say that I'm not really pleased with what comes out. Meh, oh well, I suppose I just need to give it time. I'm not always that patient of a person however, especially not with myself. I promise if you hear me sing, you won't hear it until I'm pleased with it. :-) I love you all very much. Please have a beautiful day.

Resurrection

2006-03-28T22:52:00.000-08:00

Hello everyone! Okay, so I've been home for a little while now and I'm still trying to acclimate to "real life" again, but I'm feeling much better. Today I sat down at the piano for the first time in weeks and was rather melancholy to discover that my left hand would not listen to me at all. Really it feels strange... :-/ I guess I'm going to make sure to practice a bit every day and slowly build up my left side again. Piano playing could be considered a physical therapy excersize in itself. Y'know what I feel like doing? I feel like writing, but really I need to sing first. I have a follow-up appointment with Dr. Day soon and he'll tell me when I will be allowed to sing again. Oh I can't wait. I'm just scared that I've lost too much. The first time I'll open my mouth again I'll probably think to myself, "what the hell?", but god knows I'll practice like crazy. I'll have to really work hard for this "victory concert" thing that will be happening it'll probably be the biggest gig I'll ever sing, and it'll be promoted way heavily so I won't want to do it until I;m confident in my voice again.

There's No Place Like Home

2006-03-23T23:31:00.000-08:00

Guess what everyone?! I'm home!!!!!! Can you believe it?! I cannot begin to describe how good it feels to be home and free! Man, I felt pretty rough a couple weeks ago and now everything is over and done and I still stay standing (and walking too!). There's still some recovery to be done, I know, but I can feel some good progress. News 4 was here today at the hospital and they filmed me going home and stuff, I think we provided them with a pretty happy ending. The dAILY SHOW is so much better than the Colbert report, just to let you know, that's what's on the TV right now. Oh, folks, wanna come over? I miss you guys! We can hang now, and I'll be fully coherent and hopefully festive, at least that's how I'd like to come across; coherent and festive. good combo in my opinion. A couple shoutouts: happy belated birthday to both my dear mother and my beloved guy (George), and just to let everyone know I have the best neurosurgeon in the world (Dr. J.D. Day) if you have any brain issues or know anybody who does I highly recommend Dr. Day. Not only does he do surgery around the clock, he's reliable, a genius, and can crack a joke every now and then which is something only few doctors can pull off. He also has kids so he's understanding when it comes to other parents particularly parents of patients. Another shoutout quickly to the Raaps who sent me a box of delicious chocolates while i was in the hospital. Chocolate always earns points, you can take note of that. Also, the Parks who sent me the most beautiful floral arrangement today with red roses and lilies. Red roses are my favourite, another thing you can take note of, lol. OH, and another quick shoutout to the cumings, I miss you! Really nice job on the new CCJA poster board too, Carla, looks good. I need music now. I'll go up to my room and lose myself in my headphones for a good while. People, know what I'm talkin' 'bout?