Author: Stacy Horn

Today is my last day of spring cleaning, and all the major work is out of the way. In the meantime, I give you the last movement to a piece called “Aurora” by Nicholas Fairbank. It’s set to a video of the Northern Lights (which I would love to see) and the pictures were taken by Fairbank in Svalbard, Norway in October of 2012.

Speaking of what I would love to see: Norway, Sweden, Finland and Denmark. For some reason I’ve been oblivious to this part of the world and only just recently I’ve become aware of its stunning beauty. Why am I the last to know? It’s especially weird given how much I love winter and snow and ice.

Here is a review of the piece you’re about to hear. I wish you could hear the whole thing. It’s an incredible, incandescent piece. It’s music hovering in the heavens. Maybe there will be a recording soon.

[Video removed because the link no longer works.]

My yearly spring cleaning starts today. In a few days my apartment will be the cleanest apartment in the entire world. Then I will buy myself flowers, see the new Godzilla movie the minute it opens (aren’t the trailers exciting??) and … I must make a list of all the rewards I will give myself.

The line for tickets at our concert on Saturday. I’m so sad it’s over until the fall.

My spot in the concert line-up is all the way in the back, confirming, I’d thought, that I have a terrible voice and my director wants me as far away as possible. Except I have beautiful singers all around me. On my left, for instance, is an alto who was selected for the “voca me” section, and she has a gorgeous voice. On my right is one of the people I wrote about in Imperfect Harmony.

So, I must rethink my hates-me theory.

Here are a couple of shots from last night’s dress rehearsal.

I swear, it’s like I need a sedative or something. I’ve been yelling at my cats for being cats, knocking things over on my desk and tripping on wires and looking around for someone to yell at about that. But of course there’s only me, so I glared at the universe. (What that looks like: me whipping my head around and frowning in all directions.)

There’s no reason for it. The dress rehearsal for our performance is tonight and that is always nothing but fun. I also swam and mediated this morning, so I should be floating on a cloud of endorphins and Buddha-like equanimity.

Except … we got our positions for the concert and once again I’m in the second to last row in the back, proof that our director hates me. Not really. Last season, when I was also in this spot there was someone with a gorgeous voice behind me. Still, it does feel like he wants me as far away from him as possible. Ohmygod, I’ll bet that person with the beautiful voice behind me was there by mistake! We shall see who is around me tonight. (I’m kidding. I mean, I have no illusions about my voice, but who knows John’s reasoning behind where he puts us.)

Looking down an alley/driveway somewhere uptown.

I realize I live in a state that has its Affordable Care Act together, but the materials for my new insurance arrived in the mail, and all the instructions for what I had to do were very clear. I spent some time researching my choices for a primary care physician, found a really great one who was accepting patients, and registered online with my new provider. It was a breeze! It wasn’t clear how to assign my dentist however, so I called, got someone immediately who just did it for me, and I was able to make the NYU Dental School my dentist, which is what I wanted.

I also discovered that I have a prescription plan and my regular pharmacy is part of their program. From now on all my prescriptions are $3. Another thing I learned: with this plan I can walk into any ER if I need emergency care, but if it’s only urgent care (sprained ankle, etc.) I can walk into any one of a list of clinics for free. I got a list of those and bookmarked them.

I just feel so taken care of and covered for all medical contingencies.

Heading into choir practice. Tonight, for the very first time, I liked the Charles Ives piece we’re doing, Psalm 90. Took long enough.