Tonight we went out to dinner at a nice Italian restaurant here in Scottsdale. Guess who was at a nearby table?? Joey DeFrancesco! Ez was going to send over dessert or a drink, but he was just getting ready to leave. He came over and talked with us for a little bit. Nice guy.


Who'd have thought that we'd see Joey D? I didn't!

My Wrestler Name Is...

Ivory Pandora

What's" Your Wrestler Name?

I Am Indigo

Of all the shades of blue, you are the most funky, unique, and independent.Expressing yourself and taking a leap of faith has always been easy for you.

What Color Blue Are You?

My Inner Retro Girl Is

1950s Domestic Diva

What Retro Girl Are You?

BULL SHIT!

Ez Belongs in Brooklyn

Down to earth and hard working, you're a true New Yorker.And although you may be turning into a yuppie, you never forget your roots.

Where Should Your Inner New Yorker Live?

Ez picked the same.

My Geek Profile:

Academic Geekiness: HighFashion Geekiness: LowGeekiness in Love: LowMusic Geekiness: LowGamer Geekiness: NoneGeneral Geekiness: NoneInternet Geekiness: NoneMovie Geekiness: NoneSciFi Geekiness: None

How Geeky Are You?

Ez's Geek Profile:

Fashion Geekiness: HighAcademic Geekiness: ModerateGeekiness in Love: LowMovie Geekiness: LowMusic Geekiness: LowSciFi Geekiness: LowGamer Geekiness: NoneGeneral Geekiness: NoneInternet Geekiness: None

How Geeky Are You?

This one was Ez's : )

Ez Passed 8th Grade Spanish

Congratulations, you got 6/8 correct!

Could You Pass 8th Grade Spanish?

So Ez is brilliant!

I Am Storm

Exotic and powerful, Storm descended from a line of African priestesses.Emotions can effect your powers, but you are generally serene. Powers: controlling weather, creating winds that lift you into flight, generating lightning

Which of the X-Men Are You?

Yeah, so Halle Berry and I are pretty much the same person. Take that!

I Am The Moon

You represent the unconscious side of life, what happens in dreams.You are capable of great genius - but also of great madness.Emotions tend to be primal for you, both your fears and your fantasies. Your intuition is always right, listening to it is the difficult part. Your fortune: You are about to embark on a very important journey - and a very difficult one.Some of your deepest dreams will be realized, as well as some of your deepest nightmares.Follow your creativity and visions; stay away from your weaknesses.You are taking a voyage to the center of yourself, and you may be pleasantly surprised by what you discover.

What Tarot Card Are You?

Ez is a Chihuahua Puppy

Small, high strung, and loyal.You do best in the city with a adults - young kids could crush you!

What Breed of Puppy Are You?

Ha! Ez!

Ez Shouldn't Wear an Orange Bikini

You're the kind of girl who usually likes to leave more to the imagination... a bikini isn't really your style.However, once in a whlie you find a bikini so unique and stylish that you just have to wear it!

What Color Bikini Should You Wear?

This one was Ez's. Let's hope he doesn't really get one!

Ez and I just quit our jobs. It will be a relief. We'll both be working next week, but we were already going to be gone the week of the 21st, so that will be a nice time to leave.

Relief.

You Belong in Brooklyn

Down to earth and hard working, you're a true New Yorker.And although you may be turning into a yuppie, you never forget your roots.

Where Should Your Inner New Yorker Live?

Children make me tired!

I'm in Scottsdale, AZ!

It's beautiful!!

I had a job interview today & I start tomorrow!!!

I got a brand new, nice flugelhorn!!!!

Ez's house is great & his parents are fantastic!!!!!

Yay!!!!!!

Call me!!!!!!!

My last post in Boise (probably)!!

My flight leaves in exactly16 hours. And two hours after that, I'm in Phoenix!

I had a nice day. I made 5 cds for my sister, packed a little, and had an amazing dinner at my favorite restaurant. After dinner, I gave my mom an early birthday present. She really loved it, and I felt like I gave a good present for like the first time in forever. I also just got a new laptop! My neighbor had a fairly new laptop & sold it to me for $120 with the wireless card! Yes! I'm pretty excited.

Well, I have a ton to do before I leave tomorrow, so I'm gonna jet. Don't be too surprised if there is another post at 4 in the morning in which I'm totally stressing out!

Well, it's 3 in the morning and guess who's wide awake??? I'll give you one guess. . . me!
I suppose it's a perfect opportunity to update. I've been thinking about the daunting task of recounting my week in Port Townsend & I've decided mearly to highlight.
Here goes:

-Tuesday: ~Workshop with Nancy King in the morning and afternoon. She's awesome!
~Great bass line clinic with Christoph Luty. Good ideas about transcribing & so forth
~Amazing faculty presents concert. Group #1 was Bruce Forman, Dan Balmer, Chuck Easton, Dave Captein, Dawn Clement, & Gary Hobbs. Group #2 was Nancy King with Steve Christofferson duo, then with Dave Bjur and Pete Swan. Group #3 was Gary Gibson, Randy Porter duo with Steve Wilson, Ingrid Jensen, Dave Captein, & Gary Hobbs. Let me tell you a little about Gary Gibson if you don't already know about him. The man is an awesome percussionist/vibraphonist/steel drum player. I thought the steel drum was going to be some kind of gimmick, but let me tell you, the guy is awesome. He played one of the best versions of "Georgia on my Mind" that I have ever heard!
~Now for one of the BEST parts of the workshop. . .the "Ray Brown Remembered: The Art of the Piano Trio" clinic hosted by Jeff Hamilton, Benny Green, and John Clayton. They shared stories about their own experiences with Ray & also played 4 tunes. It was absolutely beautiful! One of the most touching musical moments at the camp was when they played "Li'l Darlin'" with the intro that Ray wrote. Breathtaking. I was so emotional after the clinic, that Dave had to hold me up. Benny hung on to me for a while while I recovered. It was crazy how everything I was feeling manifested itself into me physically. Wow!
~I observed a piano lesson given by Benny, Tamir Hendelman, & Randy Porter. Benny and Tamir played musical chairs on the piano bench. Nobody ever gets to see something like that. Amazing.

-Wednesday: ~Ingrid Jensen's clinic in the morning was great! She played us tracks from her new album "At Sea" while showing us pictures from her honeymoon in Alaska. The photos and the music were gorgeous! I was able to tell Ingrid how much I love her music. I later found out from Benny that she really liked me! Yes! This was the beginning of my awesome time with Ingrid (my new favorite person).
~Faculty presents concert: Group #1 was Pete Christlieb, Bill Ramsay, Jay Thomas, Tamir Hendelman, Chuck Deardorf, & Gary Hobbs. Group #2 was Bob Florence (solo), then with Jiggs Whigham, then with Kim Richmond, then with Terell Stafford. Beautiful. Bob Florence just radiates love. I spoke to him afterwards and he was more than sweet; his wife was too. Group #3 was Kurt Elling, Bill Mays, Christoph Luty, and Jon Wikan. The band was killing. I don't know. Kurt just doesn't do it for me.
~Ingrid held a rehearsal that night in which I helped out making copies. God, she's an amazing musician.

-Thursday: ~Still trying to figure out what song to sing. So far I've tried: How Insensitive, Since I Fell For You, Beautiful Friendship. . . by Friday I settle on In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning. It turned out to be a good choice.
~Faculty presents concert: Group #1 Dee Daniels, Marc Seales, Christoph Luty, and Clarence Acox. If you ever get a chance to see Dee perform, DO IT! Besides being an amazing singer and musician, she grabs your heart everytime. I've yet to see her be anything less than incredible. What a beautiful person too. She is pure joy and light. I feel so fortunate to have been able to spend the week working with her. Group #2 was Buddy DeFranco, Bill Mays, Dan Balmer, Chuck Deardorf, and Jon Wikan.
~Ingrid's band at the Public House that night = INCREDIBLE. Her band was: Randy Porter (piano), Chuck Deardorf (bass), Jon Wikan (drums/cajon), Bruce Forman (guitar), Steve Wilson (alto sax), and of course, Ingrid Jensen (trumpet/flugel). They killed!

-Friday ~I checked out some combo performances. Ingrid's combo was fantastic. I also got to hang with Nancy for awhile.
~Benny's Art Blakey combo performed that night. I got to know some of the guys in the band (including my good friend Dave Speranza). They were soooo good & such a blast to listen to. The whole room was on their feet and dancing. The band was shaking it & even Benny was moving! Our friend Belinda came up from Portland; it was so nice to see her.
~Went down to the Public House to catch Ingrid's band again. She let me introduce the group for the second set. After they were done, Jon said they'd give me a ride back to camp, so we hung out at the bar. After a couple of beers, Jon and I did tequila shots! What a fun guy! I also got to hang out with Ingrid's step-father, Al. He's a bundle of laughs & just an all around joyful guy.
~Oh yeah! My friend Javier Vergara (from Poncho Sanchez's band) came down and hung out. It was great to see him.

-Saturday: ~Had an amazing morning hanging out at Nancy's pad with Belinda, Benny, Nancy, and Leroy Vinegar's widow Carol. We sad around and chatted for a few hours & Nancy showed me gorgeous pictures of her granddaughter. Fun!
~Caught some great music. Then came the great-great music! Benny played two tunes (Lush Life and Love You Madly) solo before Dee Daniels came out and broke my heart with "Can't Help Lovin' Dat Man." Belinda and I were sitting together holding hands and crying. Dee is just so passionate & Benny so sensitive. A perfect pair. Kurt Elling then came out to do a tune with Benny and shat all over it. I don't know. I'd rather hear one note full of soul, than a million "impressive" notes splattered all over the place. Nancy sang "We'll be Together Again" as a personal request by me. She was fabulous. The trio of singers came out to sing "Bye Bye Blackbird." Nice show.
~Said goodbye to Belinda and Benny, then hung out with Nancy until show time. My group began performing at 10 that night. Everybody did so well! I was so proud of everyone!!
~Went to hear Ingrid's band again. Introduced the band again. Drank more with Al and Jon. Ingrid drove me home. I decided to become a trumpet player. Let me say that again I AM SWITCHING TO TRUMPET and I couldn't be more excited about it. Ingrid is going to teach me everything she knows. I'm so lucky to have her as a friend.

As I'm writing, I keep remembering awesome things that happened throughout the week. I don't feel like writing about them, so call me.

I was laying in bed about an hour ago thinking about some of my favorite musicians & it occurred to me that most of them are women. I'm aware that most of the giants are all men, but for some reason, I am attracted to the music made by women. It's not that I'm a man basher; I'm far from it. Maybe I just identify to their experiences. Who knows! I don't think anyone would dispute that Maria Schneider, Joni Mitchell, Ingrid Jensen, Shirley Horn, and Nancy King are awesome.

I think it's time for me to try sleeping again. Boy, I'll be impressed if anyone actually reads this book of mine!

Love

I'm a little hesitant to begin writing about my experience in Port Townsend, because I'm afraid that once I start, I may never stop. The following will be completely free wrting; whatever pops into my head at the time is what is written.

I'll begin by saying that I have never had such a wonderful week. I was constantly surrounded by beautiful, loving people, who also happened to be AMAZING musicians. Even the first night was beyond special. There was a faculty concert which included (in alphabetical order): Clarence Acox, Geroge Cables, Steve Christofferson, Jeff Clayton, John Clayton, Pete Christlieb, Dan Balmer, Dee Daniels, Chuck Deardorf, Chuck Easton, Dawn Clement, Kurt Elling, Bob Florence, Bruce Forman, Gary Gibson, Benny Green, Jeff Hamilton, Tamir Hendelman, Gary Hobbs, Ingrid Jensen, Nancy King, Christoph Luty, Bill Mays, Randy Porter, Bill Ramsay, Kim Richmond, Marc Seales, Gary Smulyan, Terell Stafford, Jay Thomas, Jiggs Whigham, and Steve Wilson! That first concert was worth the price of the camp. WOW!
Afterwards I went backstage to find Benny & say hello. It was wonderful to see him & get one of his great hugs. We found some other people who were wanting to jam & we played pretty late. I even sang! Boy, was I nervous to sing in front of him, but I got over it. People began to trickle out, until it was just Benny and I at the piano singing Stevie Wonder tunes. How beautiful. He walked me back to my room at 2 in the morning. Needless to say, returning home in the middle of the night became the norm.

Monday was the first day of classes. I was placed into Vocal Group 1, which was comprised of beginning singers, more or less. I'm so glad I was in group 1; everyone was so sweet & genuinely happy for everyone else. After staff introductions and whatnot, we all went up to the front of the room & sang a chorus of F blues. It was cool to see how unique everyone was & to get a taste of their personality. Of course, when I stepped up, I said "I'm Heather Sessler. I play trombone." It's been hard for me to shake the trombone part of me. Now I can say "I'm Heather Sessler. I sing and play trombone." Well, anyway, I got to give Nancy King a hug after that. Nancy has become such a loving support for me. I now think of her as a surrogate mother of sorts. Now onto the best part of Monday. . .the Faculty Presents concert. The first group to play was: Ingrid Jensen, Gary Smylyan, Kim Richmond, Bruce Forman, Tamir Hendelman, John Clayton, and Jon Wikan. AMAZING!! I don't even have to go into it more than that. Absolutely amazing! Next was George Cables solo. Wow! If you haven't seen George Cables play solo before, do it. He's incredible. For his last number, he invited John Clayton up to play a duet. It was a tune he had written and was beautiful. My good friend Dave Speranza and I had to keep our chins from hitting the floor. Gorgeous! The last group was Steve Wilson, Jeff Clayton, Terell Stafford, Jiggs Whigham, Dan Balmer, Benny Green, Christoph Luty, and Jeff Hamilton. Talk about a killer band!! They played a free, kind of etheral arrangement of "Someday my Prince Will Come." It was beautiful & the whole building was wanting more, so Benny just played the opening to "Moanin'." Holy shit! The band kicked in and swung their asses off! Each solo just got better than the last & I was wondering how they were going to keep the energy going through 7 soloist. I didn't have to worry though, 'cause when Jiggs Whigham came in on his trombone solo, the band nearly dropped out, only to crescendo & blow the roof of of the place. After hearing that, there was no doubt in my mind why Benny played with the Messengers. The music moved me so much, that I actually felt my stomach cramp up. This continued to be a trend & I spent most of the week "sick" from all of the music. It was all positive though.

I'm going to take a break. Just looking at everything that happened on Tuesday and Wednesday, I'm going to have to pace myself.

More later

You Are Best Described By...

Petite FleursBy Pablo Picasso

What Famous Work of Art Are You?

You Are a Chimera

You are very outgoing and well connected to many people.Incredibly devoted to your family and friends, you find purpose in nurturing others.You are rarely alone, and you do best in the company of others.You are incredibly expressive, and people are sometimes overwhelmed by your strong emotions.

What Mythological Creature Are You?

Best. Week. Ever.

Ever.

More to follow.

As you are all aware, I have been blessed with a larger than average derriere. It hasn't always been easy to find jeans with enough room in the seat. Last night I bought "Curvy" jeans. They fit!! I'm quite excited. Ahhh, finally, pants that fit my big ass. But in the words of a good friend of mine, "it's not big, it's nice." Thanks.

You are a Social Liberal (78% permissive) and an... Economic Liberal (10% permissive) You are best described as a: Socialist Link: The Politics Test on Ok Cupid Also: The OkCupid Dating Persona Test

Interesting.

You Are An ENFJ

The Giver You strive to maintain harmony in relationships, and usually succeed.Articulate and enthusiastic, you are good at making personal connections.Sometimes you idealize relationships too much - and end up being let down.You find the most energy and comfort in social situations ... where you shine. You would make a good writer, human resources director, or psychologist.

What's" Your Personality Type?

You Are a Kinetic Learner

You learn best by doing, and you have a talent for complicated, physical tasks.You excel at athletics, drama, and fixing things.You would be an excellent Olympic athlete - or a Broadway star!

What's" Your Learning Style?

Yesterday was an absolutely beautiful day. It brings me such joy to see giant trees, wildflowers, raging rivers, and Mt. Hood in the distance. There is nothing better than a sunny day in Portland! Besides being home, I got to see some of my most favorite people on the planet.

My mom, sister, and I traveled out to St. Vincent's Hospital to see my grandma. She is actually doing better than I anticipated. She's still in pretty bad shape, but I think she's going to be able to hold on a little longer now. When I heard she had pneumonia, I thought she was going to leave us, but she's recovering & looks great. While we were at the hospital, the paramedics showed up to move her to a rehabilitation center. My sister rode with them in the ambulance while my mom and I packed up her stuff. As we were arriving at the care facility, my aunt, cousin, and grandpa pulled up. It was so nice to see everybody. My cousin Jessie currently lives in Pennsylvania, so we don't see her that often. What a treat to see my family. Somebody may argue with me, but I really do think that I have the best family ever!

After spending some time with the family, we headed back to Troutdale to get ready for Alex's wedding. Benny and I spoke, but it just wasn't going to work out to hang out that evening. : (
The wedding was beautiful. Alex looked stunning & Tyler looked great too. At the reception Alex's mom Lori recruited me to cut the cake. Apparently they didn't have someone to cut it, so they asked me. I am a professional! It was nice to be able to help out, and I even got plenty of compliments on my mad cake cutting skills. Seven years of working at a wedding place trained me well.

It was 10:30 before we got out of there & we went over to the Aladdin to see if I could catch Benny. Luckily, they were still playing & the lady out front gave me a comp ticket. I was able to see the band play a few more songs & they were incredible!! Benny was on piano, Essiet Essiet on bass, Ingrid Jensen on trumpet, Jon Wikan on drums, and Kevin Mahogany & Nancy King on vocals. They were fabulous! Steve Christoperson sat in on piano too, which was awesome. After the show, I saw my good friend John Nastos & Mary Kadderly. I caught up with Benny & was able to spend some time with him. What a great friend! I was re-introduced to Kevin Mahogany, who actually remembered me from the concert I played with him a few years ago. He was super sweet & invited me to come back and hang out after his performance at the Cathedral Park Jazz Festival tomorrow. It's too bad that I have to leave before he plays. I told him that I wasn't playing trombone anymore, but I had started singing. He said that the singers won since I came over to their side. Nice guy.

Benny was great. He spent some time talking with my mom and Katie. He didn't even recognize Katie at first (it's been over 2 years since he'd seen her), but really complimented he on how much she has grown up & how pretty she looked. As we were leaving the theatre, we bumped into Mary again. If you ever need a self esteem boost, talk to Mary Kadderly! She is an amazingly sweet woman. She always makes me feel good about my singing, even when I'm not sure I should be doing it. I have a feeling she and I will be a little better about keeping in touch.

Today I get to hang out with my dad & my best friend Alicia. Later, I'll be going back to my old work, East Fork Country Estate, to sit in and help out. I'm really looking forward to seeing all of my old friends & my old boss (who is a great friend herself). So far, this trip back has been wonderful. Each time I come back, I realize how much this place and these people mean to me. There really is "no place like home."

I first want to send out my condolences to Josef's family and friends. I barely knew him, just having met him before I left town, but I will remember his kindness. I am saddened to hear of his passing and I wish I would have taken the time to get to know him. I am sorry that all of my dear friends in Eau Claire have to experience another loss this year; it just doesn't seem fair. My heart is heavy for you all.

***



The rundown. . .

The day sorta started out badly. I didn't feel good, my phone was freaking out (I accidentally called Alicia at 7 am. . .twice!), there were annoying people on the bus, and there wasn't much to do in the repair shop. Things began to get better when I took a coffee break & the coffee dude across the street hooked me up with 2 extra shots in my drink. Yes! The headache subsided & the fun began. I was able to get a lot of chem cleans (or Globo-chems as I like to call them) done on all of the University of Idaho horns & still had time to goof around. Yes!

Probably the best part of my day was the great talk I had with Benny. He called me out of the blue just to tell me some things that he had been working on & how it might help me. We talked for quite some time & I felt really good about myself afterwards. He is one of the few people who REALLY sees me & can articulate how he feels. I'm glad he's my friend.

Also, Ez said that his school didn't get my resume that I sent a couple of weeks ago, so I'm going to resend it tomorrow. I'm kind of glad they didn't get it, 'cause I thought they were ignoring me. Apparently the school is short staffed & is looking for some people. I really hope I get the job. It would be great to work at the same place as Ez.

I just wrote a paragraph, but then erased it. I think I'll send an email.

Okay, time for bed. Sorry the entry is all over the place; that's just how I'm feeling.

Love.

You Are Most Like Bill Clinton

No doubt, your legacy may be a little seedier than you'd like.But even though you've done some questionable things, you're still loved by almost all.

What Modern US President Are You Most Like?

At least I'm more like him than "W!"

Grandma update.

My grandma is doing a bit better. The doctors are not going to diagnose anything further, instead, they are going to find a way for her to manage her pain. She'll be in the hospital for the next couple of days before she is moved to a care facility. She'll be there for a few weeks or so before going home, if possible. I'm feeling better about things; I was really worried about her. We've always been close, but even more so the past couple of years. I'm glad I'll get to see her next Friday when I'm in p-town.

Love.

For post 100 I decided to spruce up the ol' page. What do you think?


I found out this evening that my grandma is in the hospital and isn't doing too well. She's in a ton of pain and I'm really worried about her. It's hard for me not to be there. If you're a praying person, please send one up for her; she could really use it right now.

Thanks.

Earlier today I was thinking of things that I should write about, but now, as I sit to do it, I can't remember a damn thing! I suppose I'll compile some sort of list.

- Well, Ben is coming through tomorrow to visit. He'll crash here, then head back to Eau Claire. I'm glad I'll have a friend around for the 4th. It will be great to have a drinking buddy!

- My neighbor is going to be out of town for a month & has decided to let me use her piano in her absence. I'm quite excited! She has a nice Boston baby grand & I'll be able to use it whenever I like. I'm looking forward to practicing before I head up to Port Townsend.

- I got some pretty great pants today. They're soft.

- I'm so enjoying having an mp3 player. The past couple of days were "Etta James Days." I listened to shit tons of Etta; it was fun. I think I'll listen to some Betty Carter tomorrow. I picked up a biography on her from the library today. I hope it's interesting. I don't know much about her.

- I went with my mom and her whatever-he-is, Chris, to see "Cars" tonight. I thought it was cute. It was fun watching it in a theatre with a bunch of kids; they get so excited.

- All of the important things I was going to share have slipped through the cracks in my brain. Maybe I'll post tomorrow. Probably not.

Happy 4th.

What Your Soul Really Looks Like

You are quite expressive and thoughtful. You see the world in a way that others are blind to. You are a grounded person, but you also leave room for imagination and dreams. You feet may be on the ground, but you're head is in the clouds. You see yourself with pretty objective eyes. How you view yourself is almost exactly how other people view you. Your near future is all about change, but in very small steps. The end of the journey looks far, but it's much closer than you realize. For you, falling in love is all about the adventure and uncertainty. You can only fall in love with someone who keeps you guessing.

Inside the Room of Your Soul

Dear God! I hope my soul doesn't look like that!!

Your Boobies' Names Are...

Bert and Ernie

Boobie Name Generator

You Should Visit Argentina

Cowboys, European food, beaches, and skiing. This country is like no other!Learn to tango, hike across Patagonia, eat at fine restaurants... you'll never be bored.

What Latin American Country Should You Visit?

You are 73% Sagittarius

How Sagittarius Are You?

You Are 44% Lady

You're part lady, part modern woman.Etiquette is important to you, but you brush aside rules that are outdated or silly.

Are You A Lady?

Your Inner European is Dutch!

Open minded and tolerant.You're up for just about anything.

Who's" Your Inner European?

Exotic Dancer Name Is...

Ginger

Exotic Dancer Name Generator

I'm sure you've all been glued to your computer screen waiting impatiently to find out how my try at Jeopardy! went. I'm sure. Well, I didn't pass the first round, but I did pretty well I think. I was one of about 80 people in the room, in which I was the youngest by far! There were only about 5 people that passed onto the next round & they were all at least in their 50s. I did have fun & got a sweet pen. I'll try out again next year, maybe for College Jeopardy where I would be competing with people from my own generation.

I'll write more later. I'll call you back too. Sorry friends!!