Life Update:

2020-2021

At the start of 2020, my focus completely shifted.

I’ve been a bit clumsy up to this point, cobbling together a working narrative for myself to have some sort of grasp of my life’s trajectory. As you can see from my site pages, I have particular areas that I’ve identified as capitalist ventures of interest as well as areas of personal growth. Small successes here and there with a bit of missteps at other times. I’m not a theatric, bearded, fitted-suit-wearing opera singer. While I am confident in my craft of singing professionally, it simply isn’t honest of me to operate as an actor in that domain. I am gradually finding a working comfort in my own ability. At the end of the day, I’ve decided that music succeeds when as many aspects of musicality are expressed in a single event as possible. So enjoy those events, no matter how long or how brief.

The home remodel is coming along a bit slower than anticipated. But, it’s been way more than simply swinging a hammer. I’m being as present and understanding as I can possibly be in order to precisely understand my unique situation. It hasn’t been easy. I’m having to assess the legal side and finances of property ownership, being thrust into homesteading. Which without the help of my cousin, I could not have succeeded. But being thrown into a massive remodel was the last thing on my mind at the time. I didn’t want to hurt anyones’ feelings in the process. I’m actually doing my best to make sure everyone is heard, hoping we can all share the burden so that we can make the right moves. I don’t think anyone involved was really prepared. To be honest, I wish we were way more communicative about the whole thing. I’ve put any earnings I’ve made directly into paying for materials and tools. I am completely broke all of the time. It’s entirely scary and I’m not exactly certain how it seems to be going well so far. At least the tools I’ve acquired can help me secure higher paying jobs in the future as I expand the services I can offer!

Lyft, is as stressful as it’s always been. I feel entirely alienated by the people in the offices. It’s extremely difficult to feel grounded. I still don’t know if I’ll ever find a way to find the time needed to form those relationships and invest in things that make life fulfilling. It’s easy to find a bunch of negative things about many things. But from what I can tell by driving for Lyft, getting these home repairs completed, securing more labor jobs, and running these newly acquired karaoke gigs, I should be able to keep moving forward.

I’ve made some new friends.

Karaoke is my therapy. Any time I’m not working, you’ll find me at karaoke. I was starting to think it was a problem until I met my friend Steven(a.k.a. Steven Cosmos). I began to become a regular at karaoke spots around town and eventually he mentioned that he was actually a host and I started seeing him lead more of the shows I was going to as well as inviting me to other spots in the Dallas metroplex. One day he asked if I’d like to try being a DJ. He has a vision of expanding the business. I thought about it for a while because I was already so busy. But I figured I could fit it into my weird schedule. So as of now, I’m hosting karaoke shows with Cosmic Karaoke in several locations and hope to continue. I couldn’t ask for a better side hustle.

We are always redefining ourselves. So show love and support to yourself and others in this arena! I’m starting to make my own kombucha and can’t wait to show you all pictures and videos of my fermenting projects.

Austin Opera Audition!

57EC89E0-F9AA-4704-9570-D2CB9785F55A6C45C413-7B0F-44E5-AC33-C8825A2705BC96F1A3A0-D338-45B1-8FD2-40E51001B9A1Behind those black doorsjudges are seated at a table. There’s openings for a paid position in the opera chorus and for lead roles in the upcoming season. This year is Verdi’s Rigoletto. 

I’m waiting for my turn with a notebook of music for Nessun Dorma, La Donna e Mobile, and O Mio Babbino. I have to sing to piano accompaniment. It was a challenge to scale back the full orchestral karaoke track I’m used to singing along with. To be fair, I’ve been classically trained but I tailored my training to my own artistic desires. Opera is unapologetically, everything-ya-got, utilizing every available part of the voice type of vocal music. There’s a noticeable distinction from the opera genre compared to the pop, modern, electronic genres of vocal music. I’ve only just started investigating opera. Come to find out, I was competing with the performers from the New York Metropolitan Opera!

Needless to say, the pressure was on. My music charts were very thin arrangements and I couldn’t feel the groove with my pianist. I was sweating bullets in my audition, but gave it my best shot.

 

Fall 2019

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Welcome to my site! Visit any of the pages to follow my journey. If you want to be featured on a podcast or music collaboration, just contact me here and I’ll get back to you as soon as possible. If you need help with remodels, repairs, or installations, see The Workshop page for details.