Welcome to 2007!
Written December 31, 2006
Hi Everyone!
Haaaaappy New Yeeeeear!!!
Here we are at the passing of another year. What a great time of year! I have one more day of gluttonous eating and drinking before I get back to the gym…Mmmmmm… yeah, ok…back to the gym after over a year away from it, but who’s countin’. Chocolate-Covered Gummi Bears are my favorite! Ok, and maybe Mochi Ice Cream! Not the best breakfast one can have, but next year I promise to cut out…well…how aboot the gummi bears? No more gummi bears! Done! I will not have any more gummi bears…until noon.
Wow, what a difference a year makes. At this time last year, I was half way through the last performance of Chitty Chitty Bang Bang on Broadway. I was about to be unemployed…for the umpteenth time in my life. A few hours later, I took a package to the post office and sent it to Indiana University for a teaching position for which they had invited me to apply.
There are always unending wonderful retrospectives of the year, and I was just about to do the same thing…aaaand then I got to thinking. Why does the completely arbitrary date of January 1 mean to North Americans and Europeans that a new year has begun? (A long time ago, the new year began every spring.) Why do we make the most resolutions to make our lives better on January 1? Why is the passing of time most noticed on our birthdays and New Year’s?
There are tons of very good reasons for doing so, but the simple fact I want to point out is this: Moments are moments in our lives only because we decide they are moments. Things only matter to us because we decide they matter. The thought of “another year has come and gone” can actually be thought any time of any day…not just on our birthday, anniversary, or New Year’s Day.
Sooooo…some of you will read this on New Year’s Day, but most will be reading this on another day. Whatever day you read this, embrace the freedom you have to make resolutions today. My wife and I have made a few resolutions for the year. We also set some goals; goals for the end of January, for the end of the semester, and for the end of the year If you haven’t done this already, go grab a pen and paper, and just jot down a few things you want to have done in a month. Most of these things, for us, are things we want to have become habits in our lives. It is said that if you do something 21 days in a row, it becomes a habit. Sounds simple enough, eh?
Next, write a few things down to that you want to have accomplished at the end of your semester. Whenever that day is, write the date down. Then write, “I will have finished this and that on this day!” It could be a project or two, and maybe a few things you want to improve on to a certain level. These things could be anything in your life. Remember to dream huuuuuuge!!! Set a few crazy goals for yourself, if you dare! All it takes is committing to them, and the ‘dare’ part disappears! Write: “How much do you want it?” at the top and bottom of your sheet…
Aaaaand finally, write a few things down that you want to have accomplished by this time next year! What are a few things you’ve been putting off doing because they’re really big projects? Write a few of these things down, and then just make sure you do a bit of them each day, or each week. When you look back at your list on January 1, 2008, imagine the smile you’ll wear if what you write down now is something you’ve been dreaming about finishing for far too long.
Having spoken about how interesting it is that we look back on January 1st, I still remain one of those people that do look back at this time of year. Here is a quick pictorial look back at some things from my life in 2006.
December 2006
Chitty Chitty Bang Bang
Broadway, NYC, USA
January 2006
Brother-in-law and niece
David Ohanian and Veronica Grace
Boston, MA, USA
Fearless Masterclass
Schenectady Day of Horn
Commack, NY, USA
February 2006
Fearlessness Masterclass and…
…James Beckel’s “The Glass Bead Game” performance
University of Montana
Missoula, MT, USA
March 2006
Marty Hackleman (National Symphony), J.D. Shaw (Boston Brass), and me
Boston Brass Concert
Fairfax, VA, USA
April 2006
Nina and Jeff Nelsen with the Magic Valley Symphony
Twin Falls, ID, USA
“Breathing Gym-ing”
McGill University, Montreal, PQ, Canada
View from Carnegie Hall stage (w/National Symphony)
New York City, NY, USA
May 2006
Magic with my nephew Jacob
Boston, MA, USA
June 2006
Daffy and me!!
Six Flags over Georgia
Near Atlanta, GA, USA
Nina Nelsen and Michael Thompson
TransAtlantic Horn Quartet Summer Seminar
Cullowhee, NC, USA
Nina and TAHQ
TAHQ Summer Seminar
Cullowhee, NC, USA
Introducing my sister Lisa’s new Nelsen, Mathilda Rose!
Yipeeee!!
Leicester, England
July 2006
Rafting down the Bow River
Banff, Alberta, Canadahhhh!
August 2006
Lake sitting…
Yosemite National Park, CA, USA
September 2006
Me…very happy!
Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, Room MA311
IU Horn Faculty
Bloomington, IN, USA
October 2006
British Horn Society Symposium
Manchester, England
Richard Seraphinoff and me…very scary!
Bloomington, Indiana, USA
November 2006
Boston Brass and the Brass All Stars Big Band
A Stan Kenton Christmas concert
Interlochen, MI, USA
December 2006
Nina and me in Chicago
Merry Christmas to everyone!
Welcome to 2007!
Let’s get to making this year an incredible year!
See you along your paths to your dreams!
All the best,
Jeff
Jeeeeeeeeeffffffffff!!!!
w he re ha ve U Beeeeeeeee(a)nnnn?????
NO WHERE no how NO Find U ~~
google sent me hier
….Ich Bin HIER!
yer friends on planet Zero(Ckckaaack) have been wondering where yer at????
Love u Brother
~~>marc
I thank you for taking time and care to make these inspirations available to all. When my cat wakes me at 5am and I need to get up and maybe practice before work,I remember your saying “ask yourself how bad do I want it” Sometimes I wish I hadn’t heard those words.
so thanks
Jeff, buddy, you didn’t link any pictures to your text, where are they at?
Jeff,
I got your flyer in the mail and posted your info about the Get Fearless Seminar on our blogs page. I hope you and Nina are well, and that we can get together sooooon.
Keep smilin’
Scott & Andrea Bacon