Menopause Survey at Boston NATS

Saturday, July 12, 2014

shapeimage_2-13The other big project that has been going on this winter is the Singing Through Menopause Survey. On Sataloff’s recommendation, I got the survey approved by the Princeton Institutional Review Board and enlisted the help of the Princeton Survey Research Center. Everyone I worked with in both offices was wonderful. After getting feedback from a number of my voice teacher colleagues, I launched the online survey in early March – hard to believe with everything else that was going on then!!! Continue reading

Philly ENT – try again

Tuesday, June 3, 2014

shapeimage_2-10I finally decided to make an appointment to see Peggy Baroody again, the singing voice specialist in Sataloff’s office. School is over, the estate work has settled down, I have some more time and energy to devote to this. I have been pretty faithful to the low acid diet since January, and I have been doing the few exercises I got from Peggy and the speech pathologist on that first visit. Continue reading

U Tejaniya at IMS

Saturday, May 10, 2014

shapeimage_2-8This year I got offered a spot in the highly prized retreat with visiting Burmese master Sayadaw U Tejaniya. Some of the 100 folks at this years retreat had been at his last retreat two years ago. Others had been on the long waiting list for that one and were thrilled to be here now. The list of yogis was also filled with well known teachers and celebrities, Continue reading

Rincon, Puerto Rico

Sunday, March 23, 2014

shapeimage_2-12Thankfully, this trip was already planned long ago. Boy did we need to be on a beach in Puerto Rico for Spring Break! I had learned about the small cottage in the low key west coast town of Rincon from my ISPP buddy Jane. It was sort of a project to get there – renting a car and driving almost 4 hours in Saturday afternoon traffic from San Juan to Rincon. Continue reading

Alvin W. Pansey: March 9, 1922-February 14, 2014

Saturday, March 8, 2014

shapeimage_2-11My Dad’s passing was actually very peaceful and mercifully quick. At age 91, he had been having various non-life threatening issues over the past years and months, some related to his post polio syndrome – mobility problems, weakness in his limbs, swallowing problems, a little pneumonia, a little blood infection in his leg, a little bladder infection. Nevertheless he seemed to be enjoying his life at Stonebridge and could often be heard whistling merrily as he drove his scooter along the hallways. Continue reading

A miserable winter

Sunday, March 1, 2014

shapeimage_2-10I’m writing this much later, luckily with the perspective of some distance, but for whatever reason, I thought I should document this part of the journey. January 29, I finally had my long awaited appointment in Philadelphia with Dr. Sataloff, famous ENT and healer of many singers. I figured I might as well get scoped by the best and see what was going on with my chords. Continue reading

A bird in the bush – Forest Refuge retreat

Sunday, November 3, 2013

shapeimage_2-9It was wonderful to return to Forest Refuge for ten days just as the peak of fall colors were blowing away in the wintery winds. My yogi job was sweeping the decks and entrance ways, and I learned a tremendous amount about letting go and letting be from the ever blowing leaves. By the afternoon, there were always more leaves on the decks no matter how many I swept away in the morning. Continue reading

Katzenjammer 40th Reunion

Sunday, October 6, 2013

shapeimage_2-7This is the first time that a major Katzenjammer reunion has been held outside of the regular Princeton Reunions festivities. Since graduating in 1982, I have made appearances at most of my major reunions every five years on the ’2’s and ‘7s. The Katz events (SATB a cappella singing group for those who don’t know) are held the next year on the ‘3’s and ‘8’s resulting in two years in a row of too much P’ton Hooplah. Continue reading

High Holy Days in Wichita

Sunday, September 15, 2013

shapeimage_2-4The Holidays were very early this year, for my 19th year going to Wichita as the “rent-a-cantor” at Congregation Emanu-El. Has it really been 19 years!!!??? The weather was beautiful for Rosh Hashanah as I flew out of a deserted Newark airport on Labor Day. Because of various scheduling issues involving Tony the pianist and the local High School musical, we rehearsed, if you can call it rehearsing, a day early. Continue reading

30th Anniversary Trip in Australia

Wednesday, July 24, 2013

Australia: "Uluru" Ayers Rock 2009

Australia: “Uluru” Ayers Rock 2009

So there we are standing in front of Ayers Rock, or Uluru, as the indigenous Australian people call it. It was winter down under, but we enjoyed beautiful October-like weather in the red center of the country. After a week in Brisbane at the voice teacher conference, Michael and I set out on a whirlwind 10 day tour of the top sights in Australia. Continue reading