Greetings from sunny Virginia!
I arrived this past Monday at the VCCA, and have been settling into a creative groove and meeting some great people. Shortly before I left NYC, I plunked out a few introductory notes for a new violin and piano duo, so I’ve been expanding on that. My daily output has been a little inconsistent thus far, but I largely attribute that to having just arrived and the various minor distractions involved in settling in for a month’s residency.
Monday was a complete creative wash since I spent the day on the train from NYC to Lynchburg – a surprisingly pleasant 8-hour trip. I find myself increasingly anxious when I’ve traveled lately, which I suspect is due in large part to the draconian rules and restrictions surrounding air travel, and which easily associates itself with train travel, as well. But I arrived in one piece and with only minor aggravations from having slightly overpacked. Since my train didn’t get in until after dark, I forewent a trip to the studio, and dove into the social scene instead, which was a great time, although I should have gone to bed a little earlier and had slightly less wine than I did. But: when in Rome!
I’ve managed a reasonable amount of writing each day so far except for yesterday, which was fraught with a number of distractions, some of which were self-imposed. Most aggravating was an issue with Sibelius, which has been giving me problems lately. There has been some glitch with the Kontakt player that causes the program to crash. As a result of this glitch, whatever score I happen to be working on becomes unusable unless I use only General MIDI for playback, which is a complete nightmare. It refuses to open, and crashes Sibelius instantly if I have the Kontakt player enabled.
I spent some time on the phone with technical support, and was given instructions for a potential solution. First, though, I need my Sibelius installation disc, which I left at home. Fortunately, I have a friend apartment-sitting for me, and he’s already put it in the mail to me. Wish me luck!
The weather has been absolutely gorgeous – in the mid-80s today! – and I’ve been doing my best to get out and about to enjoy the beautiful scenery and to get some exercise to lose these 10 pounds that I’d like to shed before summer.
The food has been slightly problematic so far, though I expect it to improve soon. The issue boils down to my Celiac Disease, which has never been an issue before at colonies. I understand that the menu for this week was made before the kitchen was informed of my gluten thing, so I hope that the situation turns around soon.
I typically don’t write on the weekends, though I may this weekend since it’s been a slowish week. I intend to spend the majority of my time hiking and enjoying the beautiful weather!
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