Random Musings from the Downbeat

Anatomy of a Day in the Life of a Lady of Leisure

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 20:16:00 +0000

I'm currently entering my third week of non-day-employment, and am finally settling into a groove. I keep remarking to myself how uncanny it is the amount of things I can get accomplished when my mornings and afternoons aren't spent parked behind a desk. Slowly but surely, my body, house, personal relationships, and music career are getting the attention they deserve. My dry-cleaning lady and I are on a first-name basis and I can finally walk in my bedroom without stumping my toes on some sort of clutter. I have, by no means, gotten everything done, but I finally feel like items get crossed off my to-do list instead of staying parked there for weeks at a time finally to be addressed in haphazard fashion. I'm enjoying what others think may be mundane because I finally have the leisure to get those types of things done. I'm also getting a taste of what domestic life feels like. Rather than just taking care of myself, I'm practicing taking care of a household (which my darling mother keeps reminding me I'm not quite equipped to do right this second).

So what does a typical day look like in my life of leisure? It's not all track suits and soap operas, I assure you. I'm getting my condo ready to put on the market, planning the wedding of the century, and soliciting work so that I don't... you know... starve.

The biggest difference is my waking time. My internal body clock has still been waking me up at 7 am, but now I get to stay in bed and watch West Wing re-runs on Bravo. I get up when I feel prepared to get out of bed rather than over-sleeping and rushing to get into the office on time. I try to do something around the house whether it's purging junk from the loft or scrubbing down the balcony, cleaning out my closet or meeting with a contractor. I go to coffee with a girlfriend or drive down to Chevy Chase and take an aerobics class in the afternoon. I run errands like grocery shopping or picking up dry cleaning or getting my oil changed. When evening falls, it's time to go to work, and I make sure that I'm doing something music-related even if I'm not teaching or leading a rehearsal. If class or a lesson is cancelled or I don't have a scheduled rehearsal, I go to a quiet place and spend time preparing scores or planning a rehearsal. And once all of that is done and the Maestro is finished with his rehearsal, we spend some time with one another so that we don't forget what the other looks like.

My work may be evenings and weekends, but above all, I finally feel rested and un-rushed. I've become a priority in my life again, and the change of pace is a breath of fresh air. I surely don't expect it to last forever, or even for much longer, but for now, my life of leisure is a fantastic shift in pace.

How to be a (non-starving) artist

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 20:03:00 +0000

Part of my new full-time job is convincing my mother that I won't starve from being a professional musician before I become Mrs. Maestro next October. I admit the thought of it is a little daunting, but possible nonetheless. The most notable change will be in the way I get paid. About the only thing that I'll miss about former-hateful-day-job-that-shall-remain-nameless is the income direct-deposited into my checking account every other Friday. Instead, I'll get paid in large chunks by contract for each gig I complete. I'll get some mad money to supplement that income from teaching private voice, and hopefully that will amount to about half of the green that I use to... you know... not starve. I just have to practice pacing my spending so that I can make those large chunks of cash last until the next one appears. And to survive, I just have to close a show every 4-6 weeks and teach between 20 and 30 hours a month.

So how close am I to making that happen?

Well, I already had existing contracts for gigs ending in December and January, so I have no worries until then. I've booked contracts for gigs ending in March, May, June, and July, so I'm out of the woods for 6 out of the 11 months before the Maestro makes an honest woman out of me. I'm working on a contract for a gig I really want for February and haven't quite figured April out yet. I'm continuing to hustle, and am about halfway there to not allowing my mother's worst fears come to life.

I'll keep you updated on how it goes.

Until then, I'll leave you with a video that reflects my daily sentiments...

Hello? ::pats microphone:: Is this thing on?

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 17:20:00 +0000

I know, I know... it's been a long time. I'm not even sure if anyone's still subscribed to this bad boy of a blog I started eight thousand years ago. It wasn't my intent to drop off the face of the planet, but life ran away with me. I was working 70 hour weeks and had all sorts of other crazy things going on. And while my life isn't so much slowing down but taking a new direction, I feel myself having "unfrivolous" and interesting things to share and actually having the time to share them.

So without further ado, I'm going to give you the quickest update of my life since February 1st, 2009*:
-I started teaching children and liked it! It's the perfect balance of instructing the youth of America and not-being-in-a-classroom to suit my delicate proclivities. I've music directed The Wiz, Godspell, and now Fame with this awesome group of advanced teenagers and love it more than I ever thought possible.
-I also music directed The Full Monty with an awesome group of guys in Baltimore and the Maryland/DC non-union premiere of RENT.
-I worked my last day at hateful day job this past Friday and have never felt happier in my life. I'm slightly afraid that I might starve, but I'm trying to make a go of music directing theatre and teaching voice full time.

...and... finally, the cream of the crop of updates...

-I'm engaged! The Maestro asked me to marry him in August and we're in the process of planning our big Baltimore wedding for next fall.

So what do I have to say? Why'd I come back to this wild and crazy blogging world, you may ask?

Since I'm finally living the life that is in line with my creative objective for this corner of the 'net, I'm running with it. I want to document my time attempting to make a go of being a professional musician in Charm City and provide insight to anyone else who might be trying to do the same. Also, in the process of planning our upcoming nuptials, I've been stalking bridal blogs along with all of yours, so I want to have an opportunity to share pretty things with you guys. I don't think I'll be attempting to be a bridal blogger. I think that there are plenty of people who already have that job on lockdown, but I'd love to share pretty things that I come across never-the-less.

Also, I never stopped trying out new libations, so I'll also be resuming Wino Wednesdays

So there you go, folks. What has everyone been up to since I've been on blogger sabbatical?

*The deplorably long-ago last time that I stopped past this little corner of the Internet.

GOOOOOBAMA!

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 23:13:00 +0000

I'm starting to sound like a broken record, I'm aware. I really wanted to give you all a thorough recap of the inaugural ball, but it just seems almost like a moot point at this juncture. It was almost two weeks ago, and I don't want to say "I'm over it," because it's certainly an experience that I will keep with me forever, but the thought of going into detail just exhausts me. So, forgive me, but you guys are getting a pictorial summary.

If you want more detail, I live-blogged the entire day for B, the site. You can read more posts than you ever wanted about my inauguration day festivities in the following series of posts:
-Live Inauguration Journey Blogging
-[Downbeat]'s Inauguration Journey Blog
-More here
-In-the-office Inauguration Watching
-[Downbeat]'s Inauguration musical inspiration/speech reaction
-[Downbeats] plans her D.C. departure
-Maybe meeting the President? [Downbeats] gets her nails done
-Watching the parade, ready to hit the road
-[Downbeats] arrives in D.C. in record time
-From [Downbeats], Mom's tips for going to an inaugural ball
-Standing in the cold before the ball
-Manolos, Frisking, and Stevie Wonder
-Annie Liebowitz, stranded in D.C.? and more
-And the best post title ever. Wait for it. Liquid Pleasure, too many balls

As I mentioned in my postings for B, the Maestro was deathly ill. He made a noble attempt to put a smile on my face and get to the ball. He wore his tails, made it all the way to the Metro platform, and it was clear that he just couldn't make it, so he stayed back at O's place in Chevy Chase and watched the festivities on CNN.

I do think that him not being there actually made me a better blogger/reporter. It gave me purpose for being there even though I didn't have a date. I was more intentional about meeting people and finding out their stories so that I could relay them to the people at home reading.

I met two ladies who had been best friends for 35 years. One of them was a TV reporter from Seattle and was doing a little bit of coverage for her station back at home while there. The other was a PR specialist here in Maryland. They were kind and let me tag along with them for the night. Liquid Pleasure opened up the evening. There was plenty of room to dance, and so that's what we did.

I really wasn't expecting much from them when they marched out on stage in those red sequined tuxedos, but these guys were showmen. They played Motown covers, funk, and R&B. They kept us quite entertained for a good hour or so.

James Taylor came on finally a little after 11 and was all we thought he was going to be and more.

People were so high on Obama positive vibes that night. A man seriously stopped me in my tracks to tell me that I was beautiful and that he wanted me to take my picture for me so that I could "see what [he] saw." He wasn't trying to mack on me. His wife was was within an arm's length. I don't think he was drunk either. He was just so happy that Obama was President. Here was the result:

I tried to stay until My President got there, but word was that he and Michelle weren't showing up until 2 or 2:30. By midnight, I felt like I was going to die, so I headed home after I got separated from my newfound friends for the second time that evening. Once sitting on the Metro, it was clear that lots of business and organizations in D.C. were happy that the Obamas had come to town, too. Check out the ads that were immediately around me:

The Maestro was there at the Bethesda Metro station to pick me up when I got off the train. We went back to O's and holed up on the couch. He looked like this

I couldn't even think of being upset for him not going. Look at that punim.

Anyway, two weeks late, I hope you all had a happy inauguration, too.

Jazz...

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Sun, 01 Feb 2009 22:37:00 +0000

...was not my first love.

...took me awhile to "get."

...has followed my personal taste and musical proclivities through more than half of my life.

...is something my mother and I share other than DNA.

...made me a better musician.

...makes me prouder to be an American than I would be otherwise.

...has seen me through breakups, make-ups, and the deaths of my father and great-grandmother.

...took me to France and Switzerland as a performer.

Jazz might not be my first love, but it definitely has proven to be one of my most profound. I consider myself beyond lucky to be able to spend a weekend surrounded by some of the best jazz artists in this country-- watching my heart grow larger by the minute for an art form I haven't yet lived enough life to fully grasp.

These people allowed me into their lives this past weekend:

--Bonnie Brammlett

--Kevin Mahogany

--Cyrus Chestnut

--Al Jarreau

Already checked out

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Thu, 29 Jan 2009 18:42:00 +0000

In about 24 hours, I'll be pulling up to a little patch of heaven on Earth that looks like this:

I will be serenaded by this man:

Perhaps I will indulge in one of these:

I will more than certainly indulge in a lot of this, however:

Forgive me if despite the fact that I have yet to check into our resort, I'm already checked out of Charm City.

Wino Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Wed, 28 Jan 2009 17:08:00 +0000

Wherein I pretend to know something about wine to justify my affinity for all things alcoholic

I have a confession to make: the Maestro, Troy and I have developed an addiction Port wine. I know it's supposed to be served in small portions as a dessert wine, but we like imbibe Port in larger portions before, during, and after dinner. In fact, we don't even need to have a meal to have a big glass of the stuff. I guess you could say we're not as refined as I we like to pretend we are. In fact, we love Port so much that it was a no-brainer that Troy's Christmas present was going to include a bottle.

One of my favorites when I'm out and about is W. & J. Graham's Six Grapes. It's full of flavor, sweet and smooth, but not as thick and syrupy as lots of other Ports can be. It's the kind of wine you can drink in jeans and a t-shirt and feel at home. Out and about at dinner, a glass of the stuff is also way more affordable than other Ports as well. A healthy pour of Graham's Six Grapes at some of my favorite haunts will only set you back between $6 and $8 a glass which is nothing for an after-dinner drink. Seeing that it's won so many awards, that's a down-right bargain!

I would also be remiss without mentioning that because it's so potent (20% alcohol by volume), one shouldn't consume more than a glass when out and about if you're planning on driving home. This is a great wine to curl up by the fireplace with your lady or gentleman of choice and a blanket to wash the aches and pains of the day away.

For more information about all of W. & J. Graham's ports, visit their corner of cyberspace here.

What brings sunshine to my snowy mornings

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Tue, 27 Jan 2009 15:29:00 +0000

I know, I know, I know. It's been a week since the inaugural festivities and I owe everyone some inaugural ball updates. It is my sincere hope that that gets done before I bust this joint and leave on a jet plane this weekend.

In the meantime, however, I wanted to share a little ex parte communication I received this morning in my Facebook inbox that I brought a smile to my tired and worn face. (Ex parte, for those of you who don't watch as much Law & Order as I do, occurs when a lawyer takes a motion to the judge without the presence of the other party.)

The electronic audition notice for Full Monty went out a few days ago to the e-mail listserv to everyone and their mom in Baltimore theatre belongs. Since my name was listed as part of the production staff, I wouldn't have been surprised to get a note or two giving me a heads up that certain people would be coming to the audition. I certainly was not expecting something to light up my life like this did, however.

By the by, all names have been changed to protect the innocent.

Subject: hello my favorite sexagenarian!

OK, so I'm going to audition for THE FULL MONTY, and saw your name as vocal director. That doubles the reasons I want to do it (Three main reasons, in no particular order: 1. to work with you again, 2. to work with [insert name of cool director here] again, 3. My lifelong dream to wear tearaway pants). Will you be at auditions? I gotta figure out what to sing....I always do terribly at... auditions.

Speaking of the audition....will we have to show the goods at the audition? I just want to know how much fluffing I will have to do in preparation. HAHAHAHAHA

I laughed so hard I cried. Just when I think I'm sick of theatre (and theatre people more especially), someone reaches out to me and reminds me that there's this group of people in the world with my exact same constitution and sense of humor.

Wino Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Wed, 21 Jan 2009 22:10:00 +0000

I feel like the title of this blog post is a little bit of a ~~blatant lie~~ tease, because I'm not going to recommend a delicious beverage for you in this edition. No... I'm still too high off of the inauguration to do that, so I'm going to spend the rest of the week providing you all with anecdotes from my inauguration day. Don't worry: this one is booze-related. I send you apologies in advance for hearing tidbits of my story out of sequence, but chronologically this falls closer towards the end of my evening.

I was trying so hard to stay at the ball until ~~Prince Charming~~ Barack and Michelle got there, but word spread pretty early on in the evening that the Eastern Ball would be the last one of the evening they would intend, and they weren't expected to arrive until 2:30 am. Then the Maestro texted me from O's house where he was watching CNN (long story that you'll get parts of later) to inform me that Barack and Michelle were actually expected to arrive at 2 am. Either way, by midnight my stilettos had me feeling like I'd just run a marathon without feet on my ankles and I could barely hold my head up. I had gotten separated for the second time from new inauguration ball friends and decided to just head home around 1:00. One of the many lovely things about being in Union Station was that after I picked up my coat from the check closet, I could walk right out of the ball and onto the Metro. I caught the next (half empty) train towards Bethesda and found myself a nice seat in the corner of the car.

As the train got to Metro Center however, it filled up with attendants from other balls and a couple wound up sitting in the row behind mine. At first, I thought that they were having a domestic dispute in dulcet tones until I started listening closer and realizing that they were both completely plastered on champagne (I would recommend that for this week's installment of Wino Wednesday, but it was $7 a glass and not the Korbel that the Obamas were served for their inaugural luncheon). They were plastered on the cheap inaugural ball champagne and they were arguing over whether she was going to wait until she got off the train to purge the contents of her stomach by way of her esophagus or go ahead and do it right there. Against her date's wishes, she opted to wait as far as she could get her head into the bottom of her handbag. And instead of my inauguration night ending on the high note of Barack Obama sweeping me off my feet and asking me to dance with him at the ball, it ended listening to a woman ralph into her lap two feet away from my head. And then smelling the putrid odor of cheap champagne and stomach acid.

Hey... at least this guy went back to where he came from.

Happy Barack-Obama-is-President-today Day!

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 17:48:00 +0000

I just blog for fun, and I really don't feel that I'm particularly good at it (and that wasn't a neurotic self-deprecating ploy to get you say otherwise, I assure you). Today, however, I feel the need to be serious and articulate, because they're actually publishing what I say in a place where lots of people go to get their Baltimore news.

That's right, ladies and gents... mosey on over to B the site and read about my day. And hope that I don't say something stupid.

Guess who's gonna be belle of the ball.

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:04:00 +0000

I had to go down to the District yesterday to pick up our Inaugural Ball tickets in person. We're going to the Eastern Ball at Union Station, which initially gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, I wanted to go to the Mid-Atlantic Ball so that we had the chance of bumping into someone... anyone from Maryland. Someone who might have some distant connection to someone else that we knew in a previous life. On the other hand, I was excited about the venue. While I have no doubt that they'll make the Convention Center as snazzy as they possibly can, Union Station just seems like such a cooler space in which to have a ball. Then Mama Downbeats texted me to inform me that the main act at said ball we're attending is none other than James Taylor, the Maestro's favorite. That sealed the deal. I'm officially electrified to be a part of the inaugural festivities tomorrow.

I picked up Metro tickets for tomorrow as well while I was down there in the event that we decided that the Metro was the easiest way to get from point A to point be once entering the DC metropolitan area. Even the non-commemorative version have Obama's face on them. Instant souvenir!

So at any rate, the time is nigh! 24 hours and I'll be on my way to being a part of history. I'll be documenting my day tomorrow with B, Baltimore's free daily. Hop on over to B the site tomorrow to check out their inauguration coverage. And, of course, I'll be doing a wrap up here over the next few days.

Easing on down another road

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Sat, 17 Jan 2009 13:09:00 +0000

'Cause there maybe times
When you think you lost your mind
And the steps you're takin'
Leave you three, four steps behind
But the road you're walking
Might be long sometimes
You just keep on steppin'
And youll just be fine

For the past couple of months, I've been doing some soul searching and serious thinking as to what direction I should be heading professionally in the creative realm. I've been playing with some folks down on the other beltway... learning how to teach music that literally just finished being written and laughing my butt off.

Today, I start teaching children how to sing The Wiz. Generally, a day doesn't go by where I don't find myself at least once saying some variant of, "I hate children." The Maestro says I do it for shock value. Sometimes I'm not so sure.

But, I truly am excited to have been given the opportunity to try something new, and to work with a completely unfamiliar group of people. I think that I'll need this concentration of youth and innocence before I start working with naked men in April.

Don't you carry nothin' that might be a load. Come on, ease on down the road...

I bit the bullet!

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 18:47:00 +0000

When I started this blog, my intention to be semi-anonymous was never rooted in an attempt to hide it from people in real life. Nor was I trying to keep my face off the web so that I could bear my deepest darkest secrets. While there are some blogs that I love to read because over-share and impassioned commentary are their specialties, it's never quite been my style. My sole objective when keeping my legal name off of this site and instead going by my musical theatre nickname was to keep this from being the first thing potential employers saw when they Googled my name. Not that I have anything to hide, it's just that it's none of their business. I am also convinced that one day, the Maestro will be elected Mayor of Baltimore, and I don't want the press to use any of this against him. That being said, my mother reads this blog. The Maestro reads as well, and I have it posted somewhere on my Facebook profile. Not only do I not mind when people I know in real life check out Random Musings-- I get a warm, fuzzy feeling inside.

This should not be seen in anyway as discounting the friends I've made and lives I've been welcomed into on the internet solely by networking with other people from all over who, like me, are addicted to the blogosphere. I do, however, wish that I had more of an interface on the internet side of the world with people I've known in real life first. I can count on my fingers the number of real life friends with whom I'm connected on Twitter. The same goes for blogs in my reader. I don't by any means expect everyone on the planet to keep a blog-- I barely can. But I definitely wish that more real people were on Twitter. For jeeps' sake, I found out about yesterday's Hudson River crash before anyone else I know.

So yesterday I got inspired when I saw the Twitter handle and blog URL in the signature of an e-mail I received from a member of the cast on my current project. Why shouldn't I put myself out there? If I want to interact with people I know in real life online, I should advertise my existence, no? So I just changed my e-mail signature on my personal account to reflect my online persona. I'm betting I'll be surprised at how many people I know are out there lurking on the internets in varying states of anonymity, too. At least that's my hope. I'll let you all know how it goes.

AND! Don't think I don't check my stats on Feedburner. I know there are some Baltimore lurkers out there. Let me know that you've stopped by every now and then. It'll make me straight up giddy, I promise you.

...a little pre-occupied

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:47:00 +0000

That's the only way to describe my state over the past few days. You see, Mama Downbeats loves her only child so very much that she called me on Monday and offered me and the Maestro tickets to the hottest party in town. That's right... the Maestro and I will be painting the District red, white, and blue with the Obamas and the Bidens and everyone else who's partying like it's January 20, 2009.

I wasn't planning on going anywhere close to D.C. at all next week. I told the production team I'm working with on my current project not to look for me at all next week because, well, Kensington was just too close to the inaugural festivities for me to even think about venturing there. Heck, Baltimore might be too close to the inaugural festivities, so I'm not even sure if I planned on leaving my house next week.

But then Mama Downbeats called me at work on Monday afternoon with the gift that keeps on giving: the opportunity to get fancy and possibly breathe the same air as our new President. So immediately all of those acrid thoughts I was thinking about D.C. next week flew out of my mind and I screamed YES, WE CAN [go down to Washington for an Inaugural Ball as long as we don't have to pay for it]. (Sorry, I couldn't resist)

At any rate, I have chosen a gown. I've asked the Maestro to wear tails. I've been Tweeting my progress and researching all of the possible methods to get down to that side of the world when they've closed all humankind off from any sort of ground transportation. I'll keep you all updated on how it goes.

And if anyone has any sort of insight as to how to get to the Convention Center on Tuesday night, please throw it my way.

Happy Festivus!

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Fri, 09 Jan 2009 14:13:00 +0000

No, no, no... not the holiday coined on Seinfeld. In Baltimore, Festivus is the term we use when our beloved Ravens go to the playoffs. Back in 2000, the former-coach-who-shall-not-be-named forbade the team from using the term "playoffs," and instead required them to call the whole she-bang "festivus." When we went to the Super Bowl and won that year, it was "festivus maximus."

We haven't had much to be excited about by way of sports in Baltimore for years. The Orioles are the worst team in baseball, and the Ravens have had a few rough seasons. But now, we have a rookie head coach and quarterback, and we're making strides. We're taking on the Tennessee Titans tomorrow for the AFC Division Championships. So you know what I just had to get to celebrate?

That's right, I decided to show off my Flacco pride. For those Ravens fans interested in a "Joe the Quarterback" t-shirt, they're available at Baltimore Sports & Novelty in Owings Mills off of Reisterstown Rd.

And you never knew that Downbeats was a football fan, did you? Happy Festivus to one and all.

Better late than never, right?

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:28:00 +0000

Remember that time when I finally wrote my 100th post and then took an unscheduled blog hiatus? Well, I promised you all something special and I never delivered. Well, I'm a fan of the old "better late than never" adage. I'm also a firm believer in being able to judge someone's character by what they read. So instead of doing another meme or telling you 100 things about myself (I'm not even sure if I can think of 25 things about myself at this point in the week), I'm going to give you some insight into who I am by way of what I read with an annotated blog roll. Once it removes itself from the front page, I'll link to it on the side bar for easy reference.

In addition, even when posting here is light, I'm always reading and tweeting. Please feel free to add my Shared Items to your feed reader of choice, and add me as a Twitter friend. And if you share items in Google Reader also, shoot me an e-mail at downbeatblog AT gmail DOT com and we can hook up through Google to swap interesting blog posts. So without further ado, I invite you to...

Slow your [Blog]Roll

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 22:27:00 +0000

Daily Blogs I Couldn't Live Without
-Jezebel One of the first blogs to solidify my love for this medium, this Gawker publication is geared towards smart, professional women with equal parts snark and intellect. Updated constantly.
-The Real Estalker Literally written by Your Mama, this blog is self-professed "good real estate pornography." Complete with pictures, listing prices, neighborhoods, and smarmy commentary of celebrity houses on the market. Updated multiple times a week.
-Apartment Therapy With contributing writers in New York, LA, San Fran, Chicago, DC, and Boston to help with all of your regionally specific home design questions, this blog is a fount of inspiration for my continuing endeavor to make my loft condo into a cozy place to call home. You can feed just one of the regions at a time, or the whole big shebang. Also updated constantly.
-Mrs. O I want to be Michelle Obama when I grow up. This blog follows her fashion choices and helps all women out there on their own personal quests to be Michelle Obama at least in the wardrobe department. Instructions on snagging the soon-to-be-leader-of-the-free-world are not included. Updated multiple times a week.
-Stinque Politics. Snark. Two of my favorite things in the world. Updated daily.
-StyleList AOL's solution to style that's actually interesting and useful most of the time. Updated constantly.
-Preppy Princess When I need my fix of pink, green, and argyle, I hit this site up. Updated daily
-Fit Bottomed Girls Even when I'm not hitting the gym and pumping iron, these ladies inspire me to stay active. And sometimes they wear me out just reading them. Updated daily.

Bloggers I Want to Be When I Grow Up
-Dooce I love Heather Armstrong's voice and spunk. I like that she writes about her family without sounding all "mommy-bloggy." I LOVE that she's made a living writing about her life and sharing it with the world. She's definitely worth the price of addiction. Updated mostly daily.
-May December Melissa C. Morris is a low-key New York socialite who married a man substantially older than her (hence the title of the blog). She's nice. She's preppy. She has a whippet. She travels extensively. Always a good read. Updated multiple times a week.
-fourfour Rich Juzwiak is BFFs with one of the writers at Jezebel and he contributes to one of their weekly features that is a total guilty pleasure for me and my co-workers. He writes for VH1, and his personal site is random, but well-written and fun. He has an enviable devotion to his cat Winston. That happens to be enough for me to love him. Updated weekly-ish.
-Lovely Little Things J.J. Heller is a crafter and musician. I downloaded her most recent album when she was giving it away for free. Her blog is full of things she makes and finds on etsy, and adorable pictures of her precious baby girl, Lucy Love. Updated weekly-ish.
-Mighty Girl Maggie Mason is another professional blogger who has managed to be a mommy and a blogger without being a mommy blogger. She has a mini-web-empire with her shopping blogs Mighty Goods, Mighty Junior, and Mighty Haus. The original Mighty Girl is more personal in nature, though, with a good dose of kitsch. Updated daily.
-Postsecret Frank Warren has made the whole Postsecret thing a phenomenon. He's compiled quite a few books and updates the blog weekly with new secrets. If you haven't heard of this Germantown, MD native, get on the bandwagon like yesterday. Seriously. Updated weekly.

For the pre-fessionals out there
-Employee Evolution This corner of the interwebs provides tons of practical advice for working in the white collar world when you're in your 20s and have not the faintest idea what you're doing. Updated weekly.
-Newly Corporate This one accomplishes much of the same as the above. Updated multiple times a week.
-Overheard in the Office Be that fly on the wall of the cubicle across the country when someone decides to put both feet in their mouth. I've been known to sit in my office and laugh out loud. Uncontrollably. Forever. Updated constantly.

For the Charm City residents amongst you
-Baltimore Crime A little morbid, but this blog documents every murder committed within the city limits. Lots of other themed writing on criminal justice and local politics can be found here. Updated constantly.
-Adventures in Baltimore Restaurants My mouth waters just thinking about this blog. Tons of reviews on local restaurants and eateries, food and restaurant trivia, and updates on restaurant closings and openings all around Baltimore. Updated multiple times daily.
-John Waire Photography A local Baltimore photography with a palpable love for his family and daily pictures of his darling baby girl, Mady. He also photographs lots of weddings and posts a lot of those pictures on that blog... and I'm a glutton for punishment. Updated daily.
-drive-by shootings John Waire's other bloggy endeavor brings to the forefront the ever-present problems of poverty and homelessness in our city. His photos are beyond poignant. Updated daily-ish.
-Inside Charm City This blog just mostly aggregates news from other sources on the web. But they do it in one place and they're not the Sun, so I read it a lot. Updated constantly.
-The Baltimore Snacker More restaurant reviews. Recipes. Kitchen products. FOOD. Do you need anything else? Updated multiple times a week.

People I Knew In Real Life Before I Knew on the Blog Front
-Oh, Property! Troy. My best friend in the whole entire world. When he feels like it, he blogs. Only on full moons.
-HOBO CAMP A world class tenor that I had the pleasure of being acquainted with for a few years during my undergrad studies. He's always all over the place being an opera star, and sometimes, he shares with the people on the great rollercoaster of internet. Updated sporadically.
-It's An Amazing Afro-Rican World Jason acts and plays the bass. He was a cast member in my very first non-academic Baltimore show, and we've had the opportunity to work with each other many times since then. Updated multiple times a week.
-The Europicurean Experience I sang in high school with Tres Jolie Julie. She and her husband lived and studied across the pond for a year. They don't update here anymore, but the archives are fantastic. Updates suspended.
-...Blogging then Clogging I was in a show way back when with Katie. She's just started this space on the interwebs, but it's already a fun read. Updated weekly-ish.
-Lily of the Palms I knew Jess freshman year of college. She and her husband moved down south a couple of years ago. She writes about her husband and pets, the Bible, life, and other stuch things. Updated sporadically.
-Pressed Into My Book Kati and I never even did a show together. We just did shows in the same season of Maryland Arts Festival together. And now I read her blog. Updated daily.

Blogosphere Citizens I Read Regularly and Respect Even More Than That
-Oh! How Lovely! Jamie is a blogging fiend. She finds tons of cute stuff and shares it with the world. She also has a shopping blog that dissects etsy so you don't have to. She was one of my first connections on 20-Something Bloggers. Updated multiple times a week.
-Working Girl These two anonymous young professionals share all sorts of office-releated dish. Updated multiple times a week.
-Rocket Wife I randomly started reading Amy when she put a text ad up on Dooce last year. She wrote a post that introduced me to the 20SB community, and I've been reading her ever since. She recently got married to a rocket scientist (no joke) and shares all sorts of exploits about married life with dogs. Updated weekly-ish.
-Speak On It Deutlich is another blogging fiend. She has great taste in music and lives in the DC metro area. And I love reading her shared items on Google. Updated multiple times a week.
-Crazy Brit Heaven LCT is a music-loving Brit that's always fun to read. Updated multiple times a week.
-DC is My Manhattan Another DC area blogger. Pithy manages to keep me coming back for more. Updated multiple times a week.
-ExSchutz Heather just recently moved to the Carolinas with her husband Adam. She writes about being young and married. Updated multiple times daily.
-Give me a minute, I'll come up with something Kristin is the epitome of class. And she started the bloggy box. Updated multiple times a week.
-i hate so much Maxie manages to make the game of overshare charming and witty. If nothing else, you have to read her Would You Rather Wednesday and TMI Thursday weekly features. Updated multiple times a week.
-Kyla Bea She's crafty. She's Canadian. She has adorable dogs and lives in a hundread-year-old house. One of the most fun reads out there. Updated multiple times a week.
-Live It, Love It LiLu is another 20-something DC area blogger with a penchant for the overshare. Her adventures are stand out. Updated daily.
-Michelle Woo Michelle's a West Coast blogger with insight and adventure to provide you all. Updated multiple times a week.
-Mrs. Priss Morgan just gave birth to a beautiful baby girl, but she usually still writes about all things girly. Updated weekly-ish.
-Mrs. Bliss Another recent newlywed who writes about being domestic, young, and in love. Updated daily.
-What Liz Said One more DC area blogger for your Readers. What makes her different? She lets her Scottish Terrier, Horatio, contribute on occasion. Updated multiple times a week.
-Angelaboration A fellow performer who shares her grad school musical theatre exploits. Updated multiple times weekly.
-Actress in the City Miss Musical shares her experiences living in the NYC and auditioning for musicals. A must read for theatre junkies like myself. Updated multiple times weekly.

So there you have it, folks. This is what I spend my time reading. Check these folks out. I'll update this list every now and then since I'm always finding new, fun blogs to read. Don't forget to subscribe to my Shared Items feed, and you'll never think I've abandoned you again.

It's Official!

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Tue, 06 Jan 2009 14:59:00 +0000

I always feel like my plans for time off are up in the air until my travel arrangements fall into place and my time off gets approved. Well, my friends, both of those just happened for my next exodus from Charm City. In a few weeks, I will be here watching this man serenade me with songs like this:

It's been awhile since Mama Downbeats and I have gone away, so we're taking a long weekend in beautiful Asheville, North Carolina. One of my favorite things about blogging is being able to share my travels with people from all over. If you're new to Downbeats' little space on the interwebs, you may not know that I get around a lot. See here, here, here, here, here, here... to read just a few posts in my archives about my travels. I'm looking forward to sharing that time with you all in a few weeks.

A New Years Confession

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 18:06:00 +0000

I have a deep, dark secret to share with you all. I almost put it on a postcard and sent it to Frank Warren, but I decided I'd feel better if I just came clean.

I'm sure that you're familiar with this video (unless you've been living under a rock for the past two months):

Well I have a sick, obsessive, love-hate relationship with it.

I became acquainted with this little ditty at a friend's party pretty soon after it was released. I smiled and nodded and told said friend that it was as magical as he thought it was. Then I found myself a few days later re-enacting most of the choreography in the middle of the night in the middle of a Cheesecake Factory parking garage for a group of un-hip friends who hadn't been so fortunate as to see it yet. We chortled. "How awful is that video?!" "What is she doing, the funky chicken?" "I could've written that song when I was five!"

But months later, I find myself somehow still hypnotized with the drum machine and mindless repetition. Or maybe it's the way she gets her hips to rotate like that. There are some who have even attributed my fascination to the jealousy I harbor against Beyoncé's alleged million-dollar weave collection closet. And then there are others (cough cough maestro cough cough) who consider my frightening ability to recall the choreography as a parlor trick to start conversations at parties.

Either way, I've got a fever that even more cowbell can't solve, and it's called "Single Ladies."

PHEW! Now that I got that off my chest, I feel better. Please don't judge me too harshly.

Same old stuff, whole new year

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Fri, 02 Jan 2009 14:21:00 +0000

Do you remember how every year when you were a kid, grownups would ask you if you felt any different on your birthday? And you never did, did you? I know I didn't. I would strain, trying to force a feeling of something that distinguished this day-- this age-- as somehow different than the last. I never did feel different, though. That was until one day I woke up in a cold sweat in the middle of the night at 24 and had the epiphany that "HOLY CRAP! I'M A GROWN UP!" I have this strange prophetic feeling that 2009 is going to be that way. I don't feel any different on this day, the second of January in 2009. But somehow I know that I'll wake up one night in July in a cold sweat in the middle of the night with the realization that "HOLY CRAP! IT'S HALFWAY THROUGH 2009 AND YOU'VE BEEN SLEEPWALKING FOR SEVEN MONTHS!"

Let's hope for everyone's sake that none of us phone it in for 2009. I don't believe in resolutions, but I am going to try to be a better friend, blogger, and build up a savings account that doesn't look like it belongs to a four-year-old. Come to think of it, I think that my savings account was probably more impressive when I was four because my parents controlled it.

What do you feel is on the horizon for 2009?

Hey Christmas... where did you go?

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Tue, 30 Dec 2008 22:32:00 +0000

Hi there blogosphere. I've been silent because I've been on the run. There have been so many fun things that we've done, and they've gone by so fast that I've been remiss in sharing all of our fun-ness with the internet. Please accept my sincerest apologies. I do hope that everyone had a lovely Christmas. I still can't quite believe it's over. The Maestro and I did a lot of singing (he did a lot of playing the organ, too), a lot of laying around in our pajamas, followed by a lot of driving and spending time with family. It was so beautiful. So incredibly beautiful that I wish I could have a week more. Then, I feel like I'd be ready to face 2009 with open arms. Since it doesn't seem that I'll have my way, though, I'll have to get the most I can out of the Christmas season in the next 24 hours, I suppose.

With that, I'll leave you all (until tomorrow) with the real meaning of Christmas.

Spectacular, Spectacular!

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 14:24:00 +0000

A few years back, I got the express honor to perform in Baltimore Symphony's first Holiday Spectacular alongside Robert Goulet and Shirley Jones-- you know, that guy Will Ferrell so hilariously parodied on SNL and Mrs. Partridge. I have stories that I will keep with me for the rest of my life.... especially about Goulet. I don't mean to talk about the dead, but the man was a character.

See for yourself: Will Ferrell's completely accurate portrayal.

At any rate, the show, while memorable was nothing short of a disaster for many reasons. For the past four years, however, the BSO has drastically changed the format of their Holiday Spectacular. It has become a tradition for us to go every year, and it never fails to disappoint. This year's celebration was headlined by Sandi Patty which was a repeat from 2006. She was a fantastic choice. She has a powerhouse voice and a sincere-but-commanding stage presence. Sandi was joined by the Baltimore Symphony, dancers from the Baltimore School for the Arts, and some of Baltimore's best theatrical performers (with many a familiar face in the bunch).

In a divergence from years past, however, the BSO also invited the African Children's Choir to join them in the festivities. The African Children's Choir auditions children from Ghana, Nigeria, Rwanda, Uganda, Sudan, Kenya, and South Africa. The children stay in the choir for a year, touring all over the world spreading their mission and cheer, and then return to their homes with the money they've raised from their touring year to fund their education. Many of them are orphaned and all of them are underprivileged. You would never know, though. They were fantastic-- upbeat, smiling, and the cutest things ever. In fact, I leaned over many a time during the concert and whispered ignorantly to the Maestro that I wanted an African choir child for Christmas.

They definitely added to the spectacle that was this year's BSO Holiday Spectacular. This show remains one of my favorite Baltimore Christmas mainstays year after year. If you're looking for a cause to support in your holiday giving, allow me to suggest supporting the African Children's Choir-- especially if you feel remotely convicted about children, Africa, or music. It seems like a wonderful program, and it definitely added a little light to my Christmas.

Check out these darling little artists from Africa, and consider supporting them by donating or sponsoring a child.

It's Christmas Chez Downbeats!

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Thu, 18 Dec 2008 13:00:00 +0000

Like I said yesterday, Mama Downbeats cracked open a bottle of Black Wing Cabernet Sauvignon and took to painting my modest little abode while she was here over an extended Thanksgiving holiday. The colors on my walls have already started to warm the place up. I took some pictures with Tydasia iPhone, so the quality isn't perfect, but they're enough that you can get the idea.

Here's my lovely living room. We went with a sage green as an accent wall. I'll probably paint the rest of the living room khaki. We also taken down those awful vertical blinds and put up microfiber drapes.

We went for a terra cotta on the walls in the dining room. They don't go with the hideous green carpet the previous owner put in there, but hopefully that will be gone in a few months, too.

She also painted the foyer the same shade of green that's in the family room. I can't wait to put some stuff on the walls to make the entryway more inviting.

On Saturday, I decided to break open the Christmas decorations. I haven't decorated for Christmas for three years, and even though I wasn't planning on having any gatherings Chez Downbeats at the time, I still felt like making the condo reflect the Christmas spirit.

While I live alone, I still put three stockings up. The other ones can be for Mama and Grandmama Downbeats. I got the reindeer stocking holders from Target three years ago. I couldn't find my stockings, so I bought some new ones from Target this past week. I finished the mantle with some silver garland.

On the hearth, I framed the hurricane and large pillar with the Christmas wreath the lived on my front door last year.

A co-worker of mine gave me her old Christmas tree. It's only 4.5 feet, but it was big enough to do the trick. I topped it with my red tin star and my red, blue and silver glass ornaments. It reminds me of Charlie Brown's Christmas tree... only not as sad.

Wino Wednesday [the "prodigal daughter returns" edition]

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Wed, 17 Dec 2008 14:43:00 +0000

I know it's been a long time and it seems as if I've abandoned my loyal readership. It was nice getting e-mails from lots of you making sure everything was okay. I knew it had been too long however when my MOTHER of all people said,

"You don't blog anymore. I know I start projects and don't finish them a lot, but I expected you to have more sticktoitiveness."

Wow. Mama Downbeats but Little Downbeats in her bloggy place, didn't she?

The short explanation is that I had a historically awful November. I would start to write things, and everything I would write would permeate with strong undertones of I have no life. I have no friends. I'm a horrible musician. I'm a horrible employee. I'm going to die alone. I didn't want to subject anyone else to my deep dark place of self deprecation, so I'd delete the posts and fade back into obscurity.

But I've missed bloggy life. I've missed the interfacing with all of the wonderful people I've met by opening a small window to my life. I've missed having the time to read about what's going on with all of you. But maybe being a better blogger can be my New Years resolution (even though I don't believe in New Years resolutions). How about I make it a Week-Before-Christmas resolution? Are you all still with me?

And in response to any questions that might be raised from my statements two paragraphs ago: I'm fine. I'm happy. The Maestro and I are doing well. Troy is still the best BFF a girl could ask for. In fact, most of my friendships remain intact to this day. I actually happen to be a good musician, and that sentiment was affirmed this past weekend. I have theatrical work lined up for months. The day job is fine. It has slowed down a little bit, but I still love all of the people that I work with. Maybe it's because we didn't see much sunshine in November, but I'm back to my little upbeat Downbeat self.

Good.

So now on to the libation of the week.

Wherein I pretend to know something about wine to justify my affinity for all things alcoholic

A dear friend of mine works at this awesome wine bar and restaurant called Ironbridge in Columbia. A few weeks back, they had a holiday wine tasting and I had a Saturday free. I bought a lovely bottle of ice wine for my madre and the most deeeeeeeeeeeeelicious bottle of Cabernet.

Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you Step Road's Black Wing Cabernet Sauvignon. The wine tastes like the Australian outback from which it comes. It's bold and heavy on the minerals. You can taste hints of plum and dark chocolate (and might I add that it would go well with both). Visit their website and read all about their conservation efforts. It will make the wine taste that much better knowing that you're drinking wine made by people who care about the Earth that's giving them such a yummy gift.

I took a bottle over to O's as a hostess gift a couple of weeks ago when she had my mother and I over for dinner. It was a perfect compliment to honey-encrusted chicken breast and roasted sweet potatos.

Mama Downbeats loved it so much that she went back to Ironbridge and bought them out of the rest of their supply. Apparently, this Cabernet also goes well with painting my dining room and listening to Christmas carols. More on that later. I promise.

Wino Wednesday

noreply@blogger.com (Downbeat) — Wed, 29 Oct 2008 12:30:00 +0000

Beer's here! I finally got to pick up the beer that was brewed for me over the summer. I took all of your suggestions into account and named it Stone Ridge Stout. The tasting notes describe this brew as such: "Chocolate malt and roasted barley provide deep rich flavors, combined with cocoa and raspberry."

We're cracking it open tonight after work. I'll let you know how amazing it is!