Everything's Up-to-Date in Kansas City!

Well, I don't know if everything is up-to-date, but Kansas City is a cute little city! It kind of reminds me of a combination of the nice parts of Rochester and Albany haha. I took the bus this morning to the Sprint Center (which is mainly used for basketball haha) and took a look around. The place is huge! I'm really excited to see it filled with people! (Also there was a sign saying that Reba McIntyre is going to perform there in October, cool! Haha :P)

Our first show is Wednesday, but not until 7:30pm, so I'll get a bunch of time to explore the city. The one thing that is not as convenient as being in Moline is that it would take about an hour to walk back and forth between the train and the Sprint Center, so I have to rely on the bus.

I have though found a Starbucks which I will be frequently visiting since using a mobile hotspot in the train is not nearly as effective as wifi haha. So I'm going to try and update as much as possible when I'm in the city.

Here are some recent pictures of the journey to Kansas City and the city itself!

View from the train

The Sprint Center!

Inside the Center

The Kansas City Star! (Newspaper)

Kind of like Rochester right?

The front of the Sprint Center

Enjoy the pics! I'll try to take more on my phone as I walk around more. I should probably get a camera...haha

P.S. Congrats to all the MTC new kids! So weird and excited that I'm a grandparent with Lisa! :)

A Whole New World...

Now, I'm pretty sure that what I'm about to write has all been written before, and what I'm thinking has all been thought before, and I'm pretty confident that most people will agree, J.K. Rowling and the Harry Potter series are genius.

After spending the morning getting breakfast in the pie car and playing the card game Zombie Fluxx (an awesome game btw, I highly recommend it), I spent almost the rest of the train ride to Kansas City reading the seventh Harry Potter book. After I saw the last movie, I wanted to go back and re-read it, since I had only read it once and I wanted to refresh myself with all the details. And as I was reading it I realized that not only is the story amazing, but the writing is pure gold.

J.K. Rowling's narrative is so captivating, that literally within minutes of reading I am completely taken in the world she has created, and everything around me seems to disappear. If anyone is ever looking for a brief escape from their real life, I would tell them to read any of the Harry Potter books, and feel their worries vanish.

I realized what's so smart about her writing is that it allows the reader to create this highly-detailed world in their mind, without the reader realizing he or she is doing so. The details are woven so well and discreetly into the narrative, the you can't help but get swooped into the world, without feeling like you are reading a laundry list of descriptive narrative. And she also utilizes all five senses. Not only can you see Bill and Fleur's cottage by the sea, but you can almost smell the sea air, hear the waves, feel the linen tablecloth, and taste the refreshing pumpkin juice.

Of course the story itself is incredible, and I think it really branches out to all kinds of people. There are so many different personalities in the book, both likable and undesirable, that I think it would be hard for a reader not to relate to at least one character in the series. And of course the series touches on so many issues that we as humans can relate to and make it relevant to our own lives: issues of morality, equality, government power, mass media, right and wrong, good vs. evil, revenge, pride, jealousy, fear, hate, greed, loyalty, friendship, and of course, love. Not saying that other novels and stories don't cover these subjects, or that anything said is shockingly new or enlightening, but the way that she is able to convey all these topics and issues and real-world problems into a fantasy novel that is comprehendible and exciting for all ages is truly masterful and unique.

The Harry Potter series truly is a new classic that will be passed down for generations and is probably one of the greatest series of our time. And I think that anyone who disagrees hasn't been able to really look at the work as a piece of literature and still needs to discover how it feels to be riding that train off to their first day at Hogwarts.

P.S. there is something about reading Harry Potter on a moving train that makes it extra special, and I recommend trying it at some point :)

Clang Clang Clang went the Trolley

I played my first full show yesterday! Woohoo! Well, besides the clown gag in Act II, I still need to learn that. It was pretty awesome and nothing went to terribly which was nice. Now it's just a matter of repeating it until it is perfect, and continuing to clean up a few areas. Whew! Now I feel like I can relax and have more fun on my journey :)

After the 5pm show got out I went back to the train to drop my stuff off, then me and a couple of the band guys walked over to Rock Island and went to a place called Cabana's for a bite to eat. The deal there was that with the purchase of a drink, all the food was either $2.99 or $0.99 ...WHAT?? WHO DOES THAT?? So thinking that the food must be pretty tragic, I was pleasantly surprised that it was not! So after spending a couple hours there, we realized we needed to get back to the train since we weren't sure when it was leaving haha. Luckily I knew a shortcut back, having walked this path earlier when I went to gardens, and after hopping several trains and avoiding someone walking with a flashlight, we found a door that hadn't been locked yet and made it back on haha.

Seeing as how it seemed we just barely made the train, I was expecting it to leave pretty soon. Turns out when I woke up in the night because my light went on since my car apparently lost power for a little bit, we were still in Moline. We ended up not leaving until the morning, and believe me, I knew EXACTLY when we started moving.

You know the Trolley Song from Meet Me in St. Louis? And Judy Garland is singing about the clanging trolley and the dinging bell? WELL SHE WAS NOT KIDDING AROUND. You might as well add bumping, squeaking, rattling, jolting, ringing, squealing, and a complete vareity of unpleasant adjectives. Apparently, trains have a tough time getting started. Well since then we've been going at a pretty steady pace, and there's basically just a smooth rocking, which is fine. There is still a lot of squeaking that happens, someone needs to get some WD40 stat.

Anywho we are on our way to Kansas City, MO, and thanks to my musical theatre knowledge I have plenty of Missouri-themed songs that will play in my head the whole time we are there. For now, I get to enjoy a couple days off until we have our first show there on Wednesday!

P.S. I'm not really sure where the sunny beaches were...oh and if you don't know the Trolley Song...

Guten Tag Hop Clop

Today was a three-show day. Meaning that we had performances at 11, 3, and 7. Normally, this would be fine, because I've done summerstock and used to this type of crazy schedule. But with putting practice time before and between shows, it's been, needless to say, a very long day. Two good things came of it though: I got to play all of Act I twice, and I got to meet some more people and talk more with them.

After the last show (each show went fine, and I feel pretty confident with Act I), we went to a place called Bier Stube for food and drinks. I got a reuben with a potato pancake, apple strudel, and a spaten optimator, and all were very good. I talked a lot with Ryan, the other keyboard player, and met a couple other people as well. After a long walk home to the train, I am sufficiently tired, and I'm getting up early again tomorrow to practice Act II. My goal is to be able to play most of Act II tomorrow night, we'll see what happens.

I Guess This Is Goodbye, Old Pal...

So I went back to Cafe Fresh to take a break from practicing and get some lunch, and they are closing and not re-opening until they move down the street! So as I sit here, relishing my last visit and the taste of the delicious fruity chicken salad sandwich with red pepper hummus and pita bread, I wonder where I'm gonna eat lunch tomorrow...and also where I'm gonna get free wi-fi! Ah well, back to the arena to practice more.

On an unrelated note, how cool are these?!?

See how to grow your own here: http://www.pickchur.com/2010/05/how-to-grow-a-rainbow-rose-naturally/

Or you can just order them here haha: http://rainbowrosecompany.com

P.S. Anyone know how I can make those hyperlinks? The link function doesn't seem to be working...

All Aboard!

Yesterday was such an exciting day! Why? Because I got to watch the show! And it was awesome!

So I started the day by going to get lunch at a place called Lagomarcino's, which is like an old-time candy and soda shop. It was so cute inside, and there was so much candy! I got an egg salad sandwich which was delicious and a sundae with caramel and pecans. All the ice cream is homemade and it was the best chocolate ice cream I've ever had! The hot fudge is the best too, also homemade.

After lunch we went to the arena, where I got to fiddle around with the keyboards and take some pictures:

Barnum and Bailey!

The iWireless Arena

The band area

My two keyboards!

I met with the current keyboard one player, Matt, and he showed me the music and the system he uses for patch changes and such. We started going through the show, and then I got to play during sound check and some of the rehearsal, which was exciting. One of the hardest things is just getting used to the conducting. It's a very different style of conducting, and there really isn't the same kind of prep time as there would be with a full live band, since we also use click track. Also most of these guys have been doing it for a while so they don't need to know the upcoming tempo since they already know it.

After rehearsal I walked around and found the Moline info center, so I got some maps and brochures and bought a magnet. I decided that I'm gonna get a magnet for each state I go to, since magnets are cheap, easily portable, I have a fridge, and you can't have too many magnets haha. For dinner I was recommended to go to Cafe Fresh, where I got a chicken chipotle pizza with avocado and sour cream and it was delicious. It came with TWO mini pizzas so I took one home.

The show started at 7pm, and then I got to play the en'tracte and the Exotics section! I'm really glad I got to play because it showed me how fast the show really moves and how quick the changes are. I definitely need to keep practicing haha. I'm going in at 11 today to meet with Matt and practice more. I can't wait!

P.S. If you haven't checked out the promo video yet, here it is!

Jolene, Jolene

Here are the pictures of the Quad City Botanical Gardens I took! Also a little something else :)