Wednesday, the 4th of July. Off work and free to enjoy. This is odd to me. Considering it's one of two full days I will have off from my full time job at NY1. Odd but good. No more overnights means my days off are truly my days off. And I can say that I actually have two of them. I had no idea how much I missed having a real weekend. Plus, not having to take a nap every Sunday of my life is quite nice. Being able to wake and sleep and normal hours.
So, it's been slowly setting in over the past few weeks. And I like it. Especially since I have more time to do the things I want to do. And the things I need to do. Since getting this new film job writing the score for the Samurai film, I'm basically juggling, four projects: the two scenes from the Life, which are coming to a close (Sundance version of scene 1 is in the bag and the Ballerina scene is also in the bag), the tail end of Ben's sci fi short (the last revisions of which I just punched out tonight before starting to type this blog) and the Samurai picture itself.
Thursday, in fact, I have a recording session with a Shakuhachi player that I found through a friend of a friend of a friend. I love how you can throw a rock in New York City and hit a musician...sometimes you don't even have to throw it, you could just drop it and still hit one. This'll be the first time I've worked another musician for a recording session of my music since recording Murat for the score to Sides of the Track about a year ago. I love collaborating and hearing someone realize my scores. So, needless to say I'm excited. Especially since the acoustics in this apartment are far better than the last one. No exposed brick, no tiny room. I'm considering using the foyer as a spot to record. The reflections in there are amazing...at least according to my memory of the time I wandered in there playing my acoustic guitar. Meanwhile, I have a few minor revisions to deal with first, involving placement of the cues and, thankfully, not with actual structure of the melodies (save for a few note extensions and added rests, things we can iron out during the session). So that's going to eat up most of tomorrow morning/afternoon (well the part I don't spend in yoga class and doing laundry).
In the late afternoon though, I'm going to a rooftop cook out at Mohammad's place in Prospect Heights for the birth of our nation, complete with a sixer of gluten free beer that rests quietly in my fridge at the moment. I think I could stand to cut loose after all the hard work I've been doing.
I feel like a lot of it is slowly but surely paying off. Case in point, remember how almost three years ago I got a short-lived freelance gig at CNN? Well, I finally got a chance to interview with them again for a media operations coordinator position, and while it's only a part time job, I decided I'd express interest during the initial phone interview and see what it's about. They contacted me about a second in person interview a week later and I scheduled it for this past Monday. I won't know anything for a month, but I felt good about the interview. The job schedule is two days a week and no benefits and I'd have to make a major decision about what to do about my full time job at NY1. It's a scary thought to think of going back freelance and potentially losing my health insurance. But, oh the extra time I'd have to focus on voice over and music.
I've been feeling lately like I'm getting closer and closer to breaking through on that front as well, the voice over. I got my first repeat customer the other day. This marks the first one who's said there was more work coming and who actually delivered. Nice feeling.
Anyway, the whole thing, considering changing my job situation, is definitely a little scary but, whether or not I get this job at CNN and I make such a decision, subsequently, it has certainly opened my eyes a little to some different options I might try. Because ultimately, I want to feel more comfortable having my music and voice over career as my Plan A and not my Plan B. I thank one of my old managers at WFMY News 2 in Greensboro for that insight. It's about really believing in and betting on myself. Not letting the thought even enter my mind, "oh, I don't know if I could manage a living with just music jobs." Plan B is staying in television full time, I must tell myself. Plan A is doing what I came here for.
More on this as it develops (no one who hasn't worked in television as long as I have would end a blog like that...see, I think it's time for a bit of a change). I'll be blogging in a few days to talk about how the recording session with the Shakuhachi player went. Meanwhile, I want you all to check out my great friend Tania Stavreva's kick starter page for her upcoming classical album. Please contribute and help this extremely talented pianist realize her dream of releasing a studio album. She only has a few days left to reach her goal.
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