NYU

I've hesitated to put this up here because I'm still not sure if I'm going to do it - but for now, it seems likely that I'll enroll in an MFA program in Music Technology at NYU. It's a two year program that would 1) keep me in this awesome city, 2) get me a masters, 3) allow me to do the things I love to do (music and recording) and call it school, and 4) hook me into NY networks for music producing that could eventually land me a job (I hope!).

Until then, I'm going to work as much as I can to save up for the impending rent/tuition/etc. (i.e. financial doom) and travel while I have the time - all of which is really exciting for me.

I'm still loving my gig over at Grand Central… the work is straight forward, and there is a lot of down time where I am able to play my guitar (I wrote a song at work the other day!), write emails, read, search for scholarships, and check my facebook account (!) etc… the best part is that all of this is totally condoned (even encouraged) by my boss, who knows how the work comes and goes in swells.

Last night, while taking a water break, I ran into a fellow teacher from my days over at PS 53. As I'm leaning down to get a drink, I hear, "Mr. Katagiri!" and froze, thinking , "Mr. Katagiri? I haven't been Mr. Katagiri for months! That was an ancient incarnation! I'm just plain old Zach now!" I looked up and it was Mrs. Kwame - who I was happy to see - and we spent almost half-an-hour catching up. She cheerfully gave me updates on all my old students, and, having no emotional memory for negative feelings, I began to really miss those days… =)

Maybe when classes start up for me in September I can give my profs a little hell as a tribute to my old class, 3-305. =)

Hope you all are doing well!

Calling Grand Central

I recently started working at Grand Central, helping coordinate a survey project for MetroNorth. The details of this job and also my near complete separation from CRC, are kind of convoluted, dramatic, and, in the end, not all that interesting. So I won't put it up here. BUT - I did want to throw up a cool moment for me.

But first, a childhood story.

Growing up, sometimes I remember that our phone used to ring, seemingly, off the hook. I remember seeing annoyed looks on Dad's face when he would offhandedly complain, "Geeze… what is this? Grand Central station!?"

I would chuckle and think about the idea of "Grand Central," a mysterious place in the center of New York where the hustle and bustle of the big city made for crazy times.

This past week, while at my new job, one of the other guys down here was on the phone pretty much non-stop for a couple hours. Every time he’d put down the phone, a new call would come in – different person, different issue. Towards the end of the calls, it just got ridiculous, and I found myself wanting to say, in the words of my father, “What is this? Grand Central station?”

…

And then realized that this WAS, in fact, GRAND CENTRAL STATION! And I was working here, full with keys and an ID badge, talking to station managers, in what was once a mysterious place, where the hustle and bustle of the big city made for crazy times.

And it totally made my day. =)

Grand Central - can you find me? jk. I'm not really in the picture…

Snowshoes and Hot Tubs

I spent this past weekend up at a lodge in Vermont with Benji, Arielle, and her uncle, dad, brother, and his wife. It was a nice little break from the city, and I spent a lot of time being cozy on a couch, reading and playing guitar.

We made pretty good use of a hot tub on the back deck, which, despite the snow and cold, kept us quite warm. And during the days, most people went skiing while I stayed back to relax (I'm not much of a skier… and right now have this thing (don't ask) on my foot that is quite painful, so I try to keep off of it when I can). I did make it out for a short while to go snowshoeing around the property though, which was a lot of fun. Here are some pictures:

Full Moon in Vermont.

Moose Crossing!

Snowshoeing.

As decked out in winter gear as I get.