For my fourth Vegan Thanksgiving, Carlos and I cooked Thanksgiving dinner all by ourselves.
We bought a Tofurkey and Tofurkey Gravy from Whole Foods, we made a butternut squash casserole, corn muffins, and sweet potato fries. We didn’t have cranberry sauce, but we drank cranberry juice! And for dessert we had pumpkin pie in a chocolate cookie crust!
Yes, I was a choir girl growing up. I always loved music. But I was very shy and was scarred for life by the negative experiences I had in school.
But as I matured, I realized that I let my insecurities distract me from reaching my potential as a singer. I never once abandoned music; I have pursued music in various capacities. But I didn’t pursue it with the fervor that my heart really felt. Now it is time to acknowledge the gift I have, and train myself as a singer again!
I am taking voice lessons with the ultra talented soprano, and totally compassionate teacher, Alise Richel. I love her! I feel stronger as a singer already, and with her support, I am facing a lot of demons I was too afraid to face when I was younger. Already I am reaching heights I never thought I could.
I may never become a diva in an opera house (though at the moment I feel like I could do anything), but I am finding my truest and most pure voice in this exciting new endeavor, and it has been an emotional, physical, and spiritual process so far.
If I were to give any advice on the subject of taking voice lessons, it would be to say that it is extremely important to find, not just a great teacher, but a great teacher who is a right fit for you personally!
Well, we moved to the Los Angeles area – Marina del Rey, CA to be precise – so that Carlos could work on an assignment for his company. We’re here temporarily, so I was limited in my job search that way.
Even though I would have liked a full-time job as a teacher, I looked for freelance writing jobs instead. I applied for a lot of writing and editing positions online, using Monster and Careerbuilder. I also used my local Classifieds and Craigslist and applied to a variety of jobs. None seemed to turn out.
Finally, my dad suggested I apply to be a substitute, so I did a search for local schools, called one up, and sent the principal my résumé. The principal, who is just the best person to work with, loved my résumé and soon after I applied, I was called in for a two-week job looking after a Language Arts class! Being a poet with a Master’s in creative writing, it was perfect for me.
And now I can afford to pay all my bills next month!
What’s wonderful about being a substitute teacher is that it gives me some down time to work on my music and writing. And I will continue to look out for freelance writing opportunities.
