Haunted

Taylor Swift takes on a chamber orchestra! And tries to play the cello. And goes a little goth for a country girl. Love the new album.

Brown and Blue New York

Back from a lovely jaunt to New York City with the Stanford women (namely, Nana, Mom and Anne)!

Throughout the trip we were constantly bombarded by street merchants eager to sell us anything from a bus tour to a scarf or hot dog.  It's pretty easy to see how these aggressive salespeople recognize tourists. I imagine their "Tourist Checklist" would look something like this:

Walks in a zig-zag pattern with head turned up to the sky

Camera and posed photo ops

Nose stuck in a map

Stands at a corner looking about in confusion

Ambles into the crosswalk just as the taxis rev their engines

Bumbles against New York walking traffic

Fails several attempts to slide Subway card and pass the gate

 Being the sleek city women we are, we NEVER gave these sneaky marketers any reason to utilize their smooth sales techniques. However, when one impetuous young peddler tried to draw us into his bike carriage for a ride through Central Park, I thought I'd play it street smart.

"Do I LOOK like a tourist to you??"  I retorted with a smile.

"Oh, no, not at all," he quickly assured.  "Even natives can enjoy a ride in the park!"

News Flash

Some country-wide news in the life of one Paige Montgomery.

Provo, Utah

Got my acceptance--not letter--email earlier this month!  I rolled out of bed around 5:30 in a very grumpy state after a short night's sleep only to notice a text from my dear friend Julie.  "Did you get your acceptance???"  That could only mean one thing. . . I rushed to my laptop and sure enough, crowning my list of new emails was a message from BYU Admissions. Suspense built as the page loaded  (somehow I don't think my dad told his acceptance story quite like this) and sure enough!  I qualified to carry on as a third generation Cougar.  I'm still waiting on three other schools in the Boston and Washington, D.C. areas, but for now my mind is full of happy dreams of dorm parties with the lovely Julianne Linton in Heritage Halls.

New York City, New York

                                                http://amazingnewyorkcity.blogspot.com/
New York Citaaaay! ( Yes, I just got Empire State of Mind stuck in my head.)  I am very, very, excited to head up to The Big Apple this coming weekend with Mom, Nana, and little sister Anne. We plan to check out some of the city's offerings and hit up Broadway!  I haven't seen my camera in months but I hope to get some good shots and capture this fun little trip. Any good sightseeing suggestions?

Washington, D.C.

http://www.forbes.com/2009/02/17/most-expensive-colleges-business_0217_colleges_slide_2.html

I think it's apt that the picture I chose to describe my adventure at The George Washington University in D.C. a couple weekends ago happened to come from the Forbes #1 Most Expensive College article.  Yep, that's GW.  Hoping to soften the wildly out of reach price tag and to find an excuse to really dig into my Wieniawski violin concerto, I auditioned for the the Presidential Scholars in the Arts program. Throughout the day I enjoyed great food and an invigorating atmosphere.  I interviewed with several professors, took a music theory test, made an audition recording in a stuffy office, conversed with some current students, and had a private lesson!   I got a really great feel for their music program and would love to spend four years in the heart of D.C. as a political communications major and a music minor.

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania

http://www.mvdaily.com/articles/2006/11/pittsburgh2.htm

Heinz Hall, Pittsburgh.  Look for me here this Spring! I am very excited to play in this stunning hall alongside members of the incredible Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra.  No word yet on what our pieces will be, but I can't wait to add my sound to the acoustics of the hall. 

A Scenario

Sometimes I day dream about getting a pair of Paige brand jeans simply to play out this scenario:

Innocent Bystander: "Wow, those are really cute jeans!"
Paige: "Thanks! They're Paige Jeans."
IB:  "Aaaahhh."
Paige: "Yep. Like spelled with an 'I' and everything."
IB: "....."
Paige: "Cause it's my name."

If I ever get my hands on a pair, I will be sure to (subtly) let you know.