So, everything's all set. I'm going to Salzburg, Austria to study opera with Ann Murray. OMGOSH I CAN HARDLY BREATHE RIGHT NOW. And I'm not even there yet. When I land in Salzburg and walk into town, I think I'm going to have a heart-attack. You have no idea. Mozart was born and raised (mostly) in Salzburg. Sure, they've destroyed the house he was born in by making it into a flashy museum, but I can walk the streets that he did and see the things he saw. Time has changed things, but a place is a place.

After the classes, I'm taking short trips to Vienna (another I'M GOING TO DIE OR FAINT place) and Stuttgart (Germany). I should try to get to Zurich (Switzerland); we'll see.

Honestly, though, I cannot wait. That plane ride is going to be the longest plane ride of my life -- well, actually literally -- because I'm going to be waiting to get there. I'm super-psyched. I can't even explain what this means to me.

Why is it that we find so much importance in place?

I could go on about this forever. It goes both ways: good and bad. There's a rumor that Tammy is going to move her studio into Beck's old room. So I'll be taking voice lessons with my new teacher in the room that I'd taken lessons in with my old teacher who passed away last Christmas. Is it going to bother me? I don't think so, but I'm not sure. It's going to be weird, I know that.

When Tammy told me that she might be moving, she asked if it would bother me. (I'm the only one it would affect.) I told her "no" and I believed it. But I guess you don't know until it happens. It's so much easier to move on when you're in a totally new setting. Places hold things: memories, smells, feelings. Can a person fight that?

I didn't mean to end this on such a sad note. I'm really excited and happy for my trip. I can't believe that I'm able to do this. It's a huge step. I'm ready. :)