Autumn in New York...

When I moved here back in August, I knew this time of the year was what I was looking forward to, but also dreading.

Let me start with why I've been looking forward to it: I love fall. It is my absolute favorite season by far for so many reasons. At the top of that list is the fact that I don't sweat as much (even in winter...). Along with that comes the slight chill in the air that serves as a foreshadowing for the winter ahead. Kind of like Mother Nature is saying, "Hey, get ready..." Aside from that, there's just the things that accompany the temperature: sweaters, hot chocolate, fires (bon and otherwise), college football, an unexpected kick-off to Oscar Season (don't laugh, it's serious!), and of course the changing colors of the leaves. After my adventure in Central Park in September, I'm anxious to go back and walk through the Mall and see how the foliage has changed and admire the small things that make life awesome and comforting. Comforting, because seasons are something I come to rely on when everything else around you isn't. True, I was born and raised in Ohio where the weather changes more often than your underwear, but you could always count on a few days being picturesque every season and I've learned to cling to those. No, I'm not saying I had an unreliable childhood, adolescence, or even young adult life; I'm just saying life, in general, is pretty unpredictable. Knowing that the leaves are going to change colors and fall off the trees, which is followed by snowfall, then rain, and the eventual return of the leaves in spring is comforting. And knowing right now that all of you are experiencing the same thing in all different places far from where I am makes me feel less far from you all. Which brings me to why I have been dreading this time of year...

Over the last few weeks at Miami, there have been a number of concerts that I have missed. This coming weekend is Homecoming and I will also miss that. The Holiday concerts will be in early to mid-December and I will also be missing those. I'm hoping that a good number of the people reading this are the ones for which I hate missing those events. It's been almost exactly 10 months since I graduated and the time has not made it any easier to get over the fact that I'm not there any more; Oxford is not where I call home anymore.

As I write this, I'm listening to the recording of the Centennial Concerts for Glee Club which took place over the last weekend of February 2008. It's so wonderful to hear something that means so much to me again and again. One song in particular defines some of the most meaningful moments I've ever had with Glee Club. That song is Morten Lauridsen's "O Magnum Mysterium". The first time I sang this song in concert was at the Holiday Concert in 2004. This particular day's weather consisted of a huge snow storm that had accompanying sleet and ice. My parents were driving down from Columbus to hear the concert. They got caught in some weather-related traffic and called to let me know they may be late but would call when they got there just to let me know they had arrived safely. So I waited and got no call, the concert started and no call. Then we started sing "O Magnum". For those that don't know the song, there is a section I refer to as the "beata" section that depicts the pain Mary goes through giving birth to Jesus. This has always been a part of the song that I relate to my mother and all mothers. Low and behold, when we reached this particular section, I looked off to the right of the seated audience and saw my parents standing by a corner in Kumler Chapel: my mom in tears, my dad with a look on his face I'll never forget and will never be able to accurately describe. It's almost as if they were delivered there especially for me. One other time this song has particular significance was on Winter Tour my fifth year when we stopped in Columbus. Once again, the weather had decided to put down about a foot and a half of snow that made the two hour drive from Oxford to Columbus a four and a half hour drive. After we had lunch, I got a call from my sister and she only said one thing, but I had to have her repeat it three times because I couldn't understand what she was saying. Through tears she was saying, "Grandma's not doing well." (This was my mom's mom.) We were getting on the bus, so after she said she didn't know too much of what was going on, I told her I would call her back once we got to our venue for the that evening's concert. I had already decided I wanted to conduct for this concert since my family was going to be there. Naturally, I chose "O Magnum Mysterium". While rehearsing it with the group, I stopped them and asked to just sing through the "beata" section. I told them the situation at hand, which was that it looked as though my grandma may not make it through the night. I asked them to think about their mothers and to imagine the pain they would be feeling if they were watching their mother die; I asked them to imagine the pain they would feel themselves watching their own mothers die knowing this woman went through great pains to bring you into the world. They sang it again, and it was beautiful, just everything I had wanted. Before the concert, my dad had called to let me know things weren't looking all that good and my mom would not be making it to the concert that night. "O Magnum" went so well during the concert and I will never forget the feeling of conducting that piece with my best friends singing it. After the concert, my dad pulled me aside and broke the news that my grandma had indeed passed away around 6:15 that evening. In my mind, Glee Club helped me sing my grandma to heaven that night.

I will always associate "O Magnum" with Glee Club. I will always associate Glee Club with family. I will always associate family with home. So, I guess in some way, even though I'm not living in Oxford and I can't call it home, it will always feel like home. What this all boils down to is that I'm starting to feel homesick--in every sense of the word.

Since moving to New York, I've set myself up with gainful employment, made my living conditions very comfortable and manageable, and made some fantastic friends. In some ways, maybe New York is starting to feel like home. "Home is where your heart is", right? Well, right now, my heart is being pulled all over the place: I desperately want to sit in Hall Auditorium and listen to my brothers sing under the direction of my best friends; I desperately want to sit on the couch in my parents house with the dog up on my lap; I desperately want to drive from Columbus to Oxford to Lebanon to Cincinnati and everywhere in between. Maybe soon. Maybe while I'm home over Christmas. Definitely sometime.

In the meantime, I've begun some new routines. One of my friends from work has started teaching a tap class over the last few weeks and I've been an avid participant. For those of you that didn't know this: I learned to tap in high school and picked it up pretty well. But it's been about six and a half years since I was last in a dance studio taking any formal classes. Everything feels weird. Maybe I need new shoes? Maybe I just need to work on my technique a little more? Maybe I need to review some of the basic ballet I've learned that may allow me to stay better balanced? Maybe a million things. All I do know is that I'm loving knowing that I have this to look forward to each week.

Furthermore, I joined a GYM! That's right, kids! Nick is working out! I've only gone once since I joined, but I have plans to go with my friend Sean from work two more times this week. Right now, I'm just trying to get in some good cardio and make it a habit. So look out when I'm home over Christmas, I'm gonna need some smaller pants! In fact, all my pants are getting pretty baggy on me that I've resorted to using the hot water cycle in the wash and higher heat in the dryer.

I guess that's all the news fit to print right now. I'll see ya next time.

Happy Adventures!