Sometimes, life can have a very strange symmetry to it (UPDATE)

"ttyymmnn" (ttyymmnn) 05/04/2018 at 19:55 • Filed to: None

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Twenty-five years ago, I drove from Austin to Abilene to audition for the principal trumpet job with the Abilene Philharmonic. It was an early morning drive through the Texas countryside, and I was tooling along the highway when a male cardinal darted out from beside the road, right into the path of my car. With no time to react, I hit it. Fortunately, it was not an ill omen. I won the job, and have held it for 24 seasons.

This year, I resigned from the orchestra because I have since won positions with both the Austin Symphony and Austin Opera. So this is my last weekend in Abilene, and I made the drive for about the 170th time today. And, in some strange circle of life, I hit a cardinal again today. Or at least I think I did. I saw it come out from the side of the road in front of my van, but I also saw it flash up over the top. I may have missed it. I hope so.

But then, no more than 3 seconds later, a road runner dashed out from the other side of the road. A f**cking road runner. At least I know I didn’t hit that stupid bird.

What a road runner might look like. Although this one isn’t running in the road.

Update: I hit it.

HammerheadFistpunch > ttyymmnn 05/04/2018 at 19:04

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I don’t miss that drive to Abilene even a little. Well, the one from Midland to Abilene. Though the hill country from Austin it would probably be really nice.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > ttyymmnn 05/04/2018 at 19:05

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Great story, I read it waiting for Chorus call for:

ttyymmnn > HammerheadFistpunch 05/04/2018 at 19:07

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It’s actually a pleasant drive. No interstate, all US or TX highways. It was really nice when they bumped the speed limit to 75 for much of it (after Lampasas going north). When I started coming up here, it was 70, and 65 at night. We had an ocean of rain this morning, and everything up this way is lush and green for a change. I’ve also taken just about every alternate route I could think of over the last 24 years. But I’ll be glad not to have to drive it any more, at least not regularly. The bitch is that I have to leave early enough on Sunday morning to make a 2:30 opera matinee. Another reason that I retired.

ttyymmnn > MiniGTI - now with XJ6 05/04/2018 at 19:09

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In 24 years, we’ve played Bach once. Well, one all-Bach concert. It’s mostly been an unending stream of classical Top 40 in an effort to sell tickets.

RacinBob > ttyymmnn 05/04/2018 at 19:15

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Congrats on the new gig, they are tough to get!

ttyymmnn > RacinBob 05/04/2018 at 19:16

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Thanks! I’ve been subbing on and off with those two groups for years, and finally got a contracted position. Lots more work, much better money, and NO travel.

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 05/04/2018 at 19:23

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That’s a pretty long drive isn’t it? I’m sure that both you and the local cardinal population are happy about that, congratulations!

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW 05/04/2018 at 19:27

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Thanks. Once the speed limit went up to 75 for most of the drive, the time went down to about 3.5 hours. All US or TX highway, so it’s actually a pretty nice drive.

Svend > MiniGTI - now with XJ6 05/04/2018 at 19:27

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I’ve been playing Bach’s Cello Suite No.1 over and over for seems like weeks. Mostly the prelude played by Yo-Yo Ma but I can’t get it out of my head.

Though give me Elgar’s, Nimrod - The Mighty Hunter or Rachmaninov’s, Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini any day.

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 05/04/2018 at 19:44

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That’s not bad, but you get more family time now-

ITA97, now with more Jag @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 05/04/2018 at 19:50

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I’m glad you didn’t hit the roadrunner. We wouldn’t be able to let you into New Mexico if that had happened.

facw > ttyymmnn 05/04/2018 at 19:52

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Austin could really use more interstate-type to be honest. The fact that neither 290 nor 71 is a limited access highway between Austin and Houston is a bit nuts. All that rapid growth in both cities, and the highway system hasn’t kept up. 75 mph limits are nice, but I prefer them where I don’t have to worry that some pickup is going to pull out in front of me and decide to drive 35 for some reason.

DipodomysDeserti > ttyymmnn 05/04/2018 at 19:57

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TIL that Abilene has an orchestra. I didn’t even know they allowed music in that town. Congrats on not having to hang out in Abilene any longer!

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW 05/04/2018 at 20:01

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Except that I have teenagers now....

ttyymmnn > DipodomysDeserti 05/04/2018 at 20:06

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It’s actually a very good orchestra. It’s been here for 50 years.

ttyymmnn > facw 05/04/2018 at 20:09

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Don’t worry. They’ll make toll roads out of all of it soon enough.

RacinBob > ttyymmnn 05/04/2018 at 20:09

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You might enjoy this, if you ever are in Chicago and have time to see the Symphony, do a matinee and you might be able to sit in a front row terrace seat above and behind the orchestra. I was parked above the trombone section. It’s like playing with them. Best seats in the house.

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 05/04/2018 at 20:26

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You might have gotten that one backwards

ttyymmnn > WilliamsSW 05/04/2018 at 20:36

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You’ll learn soon enough.

facw > ttyymmnn 05/04/2018 at 20:39

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Not a huge fan of toll roads, but if tolls are the only way to fund infrastructure, I’ll still take them over noting. Given the losses on 130, I’m not sure how eager people will be though (I expect someone will make a lot of money on 130 at some point, just seems like the initial investors are in trouble because they can’t wait until development catches up).

vondon302 > ttyymmnn 05/04/2018 at 20:56

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Congrats to you.

Apparently Wile E. only needed what you drive.

ttyymmnn > Svend 05/04/2018 at 21:08

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Have you listened to Janos Starker?

WilliamsSW > ttyymmnn 05/05/2018 at 00:25

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I can’t wait. Yay.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > ttyymmnn 05/05/2018 at 00:46

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I’m back in violin mode for Brahms 1 next weekend. Don’t get to play much Bach unfortunately, but this is a chorus for a small Bach festival in Evanston/ Chicago.

MiniGTI - now with XJ6 > Svend 05/05/2018 at 00:48

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The violin partita in D-minor with the famous Chaconne was on this concert also, Intense stuff!

ttyymmnn > RacinBob 05/05/2018 at 01:09

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I auditioned for the CSO about 20 years ago, and got to play on that stage. They had an opening for 4th trumpet, so I figured, what the hell? With absolutely nothing to lose, it was probably one of my best auditions. After it was over, all the players from the first round were sitting around waiting to be sent home. I struck up a conversation with a guy from Oklahoma City, and he asked me what I was doing that day. I told him I was going to hit the Art Institute, but he said that the Rockies were in town so we decided to go to the game. (I lived in Chicago for a few years as a kid, we’re talking 1970s here, and my first-ever trumpet teacher was Tim Kent, a member of the CSO, but I had never been to Wrigley). I was staying with a family who lived in Evanston and worked downtown. So my host bought us lunch at Berghoff’s then gave us El tokens. It was April, and the day started out cloudy and cold as hell. By the first pitch, the wind shifted, the sun came out, and it got up to about 70 degrees. We said out in right field with Sammy Sosa and drank Old Style beer, and got hammered. And the Cubs lost, which made it a complete experience. Then dinner at Greek Islands and lots of wine. I didn’t get the gig, but it was one of the greatest days ever.

Svend > ttyymmnn 05/05/2018 at 06:27

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Never heard of him/her.

Svend > MiniGTI - now with XJ6 05/05/2018 at 06:45

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Just listened to it, it’s a rather nice piece I don’t recall hearing before.

It took me back to my school days when I briefly took up the violin.

My teacher was the mother of a quite famous musician that went to America and was something to a couple of orchestras but for the life of me I can’t remember her name (that’s going to bug me all day now).

ttyymmnn > Svend 05/05/2018 at 09:22

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Svend > ttyymmnn 05/05/2018 at 09:44

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Very nice.

There is certainly a difference in how he plays compared to Yo-Yo Ma.

ttyymmnn > Svend 05/05/2018 at 10:57

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Definitely. You should check out Pablo Casals, too.

Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/05/2018 at 11:08

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Rusty Vandura - www.tinyurl.com/keepoppo > ttyymmnn 05/05/2018 at 11:09

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TheRealBicycleBuck > facw 05/06/2018 at 19:29

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The tollway in Houston saw ove r $1 billion in profit in 2016 .You can bet that other cities/counties are looking at adding more toll roads.

“ The total net position of the Authority exceeded liabilities and deferred inflows of resources at February 29, 2016 by $1,091,360,261 and $825,774,494 for fiscal year ended 2015.” - Harris County Toll Road Authority Enterprise Fund Basic Financial Statements, FY 2016

facw > TheRealBicycleBuck 05/06/2018 at 19:30

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That reminds me, I really should cancel my EZ Tag now that I’m 2000 miles away...

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 05/07/2018 at 11:03

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Ha!

davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com > ttyymmnn 05/07/2018 at 11:03

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Congrats!

ttyymmnn > davesaddiction @ opposite-lock.com 05/07/2018 at 11:55

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What, on retiring, or killing another cardinal?

jk. Thanks.