Stuff! =]

So I had the most amazing crazy dream EVER last night.
It doesn't *quite* top turning into whales at the threat of Lord Voldemort, but it's still pretty sweet.
It started out with something involving me being around my high school and talking to music department peoples. They were talking about the literal music genius of the field show senior year (Altered State...=]) and how at this one part there was an F chord but the flutes went through the D major scale and it was the seventh scale degree and in the same key signature (which it's NOT at ALL...DM has two sharps and is the sixth scale degree...not to mention that never ever happened in the music) that made sense in my dream but makes *none* right now. Then I went out to eat at a "nearby cafe" (it kind of switched to a very Waverly-like street even though I was still in NL) with my family when we realized that Tim Burton was at the table next to us, talking to someone about this movie he was going to start doing...Sweeney Todd. I hadn't heard of it, but my parents had and they were telling me how Helena Bonham-Carter and Johnny Depp were going to be in it when they walk in the cafe, in costume/make up/character and EVERYTHING. So I spazzed. Then the went next door (with me following rather conspicuously) and the head of LW's music department (Mrs. Jackson) was there and she seemed to know them. Then it turned into some kind of high school type band camp that involved a bunch of people from college, including Melissa Hageman and Sonia (who I kept calling Melissa in my dream even though I knew that wasn't right) but Sweeney and everyone else was still there, including my parents. We had some time to chill and Mrs. Jackson realized that she was supposed to get food for her son at the grocery store next door before he showed up when he walked in the door, hungry and sad that his mom forgot about his food. So she ran off to the store with Sweeney when everything turned into a movie...the street was all dark and abandoned, and while Mrs. Jackson and Sweeney were at the store Mrs. Lovett got hold of some money and started making a run for it for some entirely unknown reason. She had to run around a couple of buildings and out one door and in another before she would get caught and be in some kind of trouble. She hurt her leg when she went in a door and was ALMOST at the other (as well as almost caught up with) and if/when she got there we would know the purpose of the money and I'm getting all antsy and-
THE PHONE RINGS!!! My lovely mother had to leave for something in the morning but we were having firewood delivered so I had to be up to sign the paper and the thought that *maybe* I had an alarm set and knew I had to get up eluded her. It was a wake up call (after being reminded to be up at that time three times the previous day) when I had my alarm set for FIVE MINUTES later which would have been MORE than enough time to finish the movie portion of my dream...
ARRRGH!!! And I'll never know what happened!!!!! =P
*frustration*
In other news, a most glorious package arrived today from Amazon. Which includes the Company CD with Raul Esparza and the movie Down Periscope (a huge personal fave...) and what may end up being a birthday present. I was very excited. In fact, I was so excited about the CD that I spent five minutes dancing in a circle while squeaking (it wasn't supposed to get here until Wednesday!). Oh happiness.
And in a little while I'm going to settle down with a nice bowl of cookie dough M&M ice cream and enjoy the movie. I've only ever seen it on TV, so I'm curious to see if there's a scene or two they cut out/short...
In other news, I'm kind of getting ready to be at school...it's nice to be home, but I miss the dorm/college people/independence in general. One week. But I'm not college-sick enough to do any hardcore counting down...just becoming slowly and steadily more ready for next week.
Oh and I got checked out at dinner tonight (we went to Chicago Dough, and I was intelligent enough to NOT get any mayonnaise at the salad bar...it's not pudding, contrary to Rachelly belief). By a guy who not only was wearing a buttload of Packer's stuff (=P) but also had a wife and kid who were there with him. That's all I ever get looked at by...either old lechy guys, or married with kid guys, or just old guys in general. =P Gee, thanks.
Annnywho...
That's about all I've got for now.
That and Seeing Redd rocks my face along with Ouran High School Host Club (anime...yes, I watch a teensy bit of anime now...kind of makes me wonder what my next new source of happiness will be...)

Shopping=joy

So today marked the start of the post Christmas sale euphoria. =D
My mom took me to Northfield mall (as part of my Christmas gift she was getting me some of the dressy stuff I need for field experience next term) and it was awesome!
I now own a suit. Which is kind of weird. But I do. It's not particularly exciting-just black. The jacket is cute, though. The bottom of it hits just above my hips and the opening in the front goes down to just below my ribcage and it has two big buttons with silver grommets where the thread goes through and the sleeves hit just below my elbows with a little cuff. I heart it. I also found a silk button down shirt to go with it that has a really bright yellow, gray and black pattern and a tie in the front (the ends of the tie stick out under the jacket). I also found another button down shirt that's a light blue with black polka dots and a small belt around the waist. Excitement!
Oh and did I mention that the pants I found to go with the suit are a size five? Yup. It's official. I can fit in a five. *grins heartily* I like pants that run small...
I also got some shoes!! Three inch tall black patent leather-like (not real leather) heels with a little strap that makes them look like Mary Janes and they're closed toed and they're not going to kill my feet! Huzzah!
It was a happy, happy day.
Though I still need to go to Orland mall, as American Eagle has jeans that fit me and they're not in Northfield. And I'm not playing the searching for several hours on end for pants that fit game this year. =P
In other news, I started reading Seeing Redd today and all three chapters I've gotten through rock my socks. =D=D Yay for fictional books!!! In fact, I need to rearrange my bookshelves...one of them is slowly becoming double-layered (and they're just decorative shelves that could very well display knick knacks) while the other is Harry Potter only. I like having too many books. It's happy.
And now I'm off to watch Charlie and the Chocolate Factory circa 2005. =D

Rawr.

My sinuses are no longer my friends...they decided to get all stuffed up and wake me up at about 630 this morning and then I couldn't breathe very well and it took a while for me to fall back asleep. Arrrgh. Well, at least the half cold I've been battling is *doing* something as opposed to lingering indefinitely...
So the other night while I was kind of half asleep I turned over and there was this odd noise, I had no idea where it came from, but it sounded like a very loud ticking clock. What did I do? I jumped about a mile and almost screamed because I thought one of those creepy clock robot-aliens that were out to get Madame D'Pompadour was under MY bed. Then I moved again and realized it was just my headboard freaking out a little. And I laughed a lot.
Also last night I dreamed that I was taking woodwind methods (which is supposed to be with Mougey) but instead Doc was teaching it since Mougey sucked at it with Dominique observing. There was also a fridge filled with various drinks in the band room that we kept attacking. Sarah was in that class with me even though she's already taken it. Towards the end of class one day, everyone working on the spring musical wanted to come in and give us a peek...so they did. And it was Hairspray and it was also made of awesome. And then it switched to my mom, Aunt Cindy and I going to see Sweeney Todd and afterwards my aunt wanted to go to McDonald's to get some green beans.
Strangeness.

Soap operas and such...

So I've had a fun couple of days.
Monday night was Golden Compass seeing/Secret Santa-ing/general hanging out with Rachel T and Sandy.
Tuesday night was gingerbread house making with a group of young children at Megan's (which was the messiest adventure ever and was a LOAD of fun).
And today was sledding with Megan and company. Along with a snowball fight. =D
My feet were a little chilled after sledding, mainly because I don't have boots (since it doesn't snow a whole lot here and normally only lasts for a couple of days) and I was definitely missing the warm fuzzy Aslan slippers...I left them in my dorm since Snoopy treats awesome slippers like they're toys and would have annihilated them entirely. So I layered some socks instead and life was good.
Not a whole lot else has been going on...I finally unpacked (it took less than a week this time!).
I've also been doing some catching up on the good old soap opera!!
AND IT'S BEEN FREAKING AMAZING!!!
Greenlee and Zach have been trapped in a bomb shelter in the middle of a forest for literally a month, with no food or water, a snake and a leak (and are still alive in true soap fashion).
It turns out that Spike's deafness wasn't caused by Greenlee when she tried to baby snatch him and wound up driving off a cliff, it was genetic so now Kendall's got some serious apologizing to do. Spike also just got the cochlear implants.
Ian (premature cute baby) is finally home...and has been since Thanksgiving, apparently.
Tad is trying to sue for sole custody of Jenny because Krystal still has a thing for Adam (who literally abandoned her when she went into labor and tried to sell off Jenny out of jealousy since she was supposed to be his daughter).
And.
The best part EVER.
There is a storyline that has been running for literally five years that is STARTING TO BE SOLVED!!!!!
AT LAST!!!!!
You see, Tad and Dixie were married. They each had a kid of their own, but not one together. They wanted a daughter named Kate, but Dixie being pregnant was not a good idea since she had one kidney and a heart problem. She ended up pregnant and fled to Switzerland to "find herself" (she was really waiting until it was too late to not go through with the pregnancy as she knew that's what Tad would advise her to do with her health). After a few months, she let Tad know she was pregnant and it was a girl and he should come out there. On the plane he got a phone call saying that Dixie's car had gone over a cliff and she was presumed dead (they never found a body). This was in 2002.
In 2005, Dixie was shown to be alive and just in hiding. She barely survived the crash and was talked into giving up the child in adoption by a rather butthole-like doctor (Greg Madden) since she was going to die anyway. So she did. And then she survived. She couldn't own up to her mistake so she spent three years searching for Kate on her own when she wound up in Pine Valley.
After several months of running around in the shadows she and Tad came face to face. There was fighting and such and after a while Tad joined forces with her to find Kate. It turns out that Madden was in PV, which was interesting.
So there's a lot of dead end searching for the better part of a year. Madden is eventually killed (buried alive, but there was an earthquake that made the coffin collapse on him...on Independence day. HAHAHA) Eventually, there is the dreaded Satin Slayer who went around killing women as a form of revenge (it was Zach's twisted father). Dixie was an unintended victim (those pancakes were meant for freaking Babe...) and that was that.
Just before her death, some friends of Julia's came into town and they had a daughter no one in PV had met. They were killed in a car crash, the daughter left as a sort of orphan (it was the mother's dying wish for Julia to adopt her). The kid's name was Kathryn and she was four years old (WHICH FIT BUT NOBODY NOTICED...Emma comes into town at the age of four and everyone flips but not Kathryn! Grr). So when Dixie is literally dying Tad is sitting with Kathryn in a park. Dixie has an out of body experience and watches them, realizes it's Kate and DIES. (this is November of LAST year)
Nothing happened with it until the other day. Adam found the adoption papers of Kathryn's. Nobody but him knows that Kathryn was adopted to begin with. The date of her birth was the same as Kate's and the doctor "in charge" of it all was Madden.
Adam is a kneiving butthead himself and won't just give up the info freely,
BUT SOMEONE WHO IS ALIVE KNOWS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
*celebration*
There is going to be some massive celebrating here when the reunion episode occurs... =D

Freaking out.

My final grade report is in.
And I'm...excited...really really really excited...
There was one B-, one B, two B+s and five As.
My GPA for the term is 3.7 and my cumulative is 3.2, officially pulling me out of danger zone with scholarships.
AAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!
That is SO much better than last year...by a really freaking long shot...
=D=D=D=D=D=D=D=D
OK. I'm done now.
... =] !!!

Rachel Squared and Sandy-ness...

"Which way do I turn? F---."
Throwing M&Ms during movie, one bounces off of Rachel's head.
Glance over during movie, Rachel fanning herself "It smells..."
"Hey! That's not a fishbowl. Well, technically it is, but for microscopic fish...not that kind of fish."
Hit Rachel on head, she farts. "It's because your esophagus is in your head!...wait. It's in your throat. Nevermind."
"It smells like cinnamon!" "Really? I just farted."
To pee or not to pee.
Converting Lyra song to toys r us song
"You hit me with my balls!" "Those are so NOT balls...they're peanut butter cups!" "Are too! They're round and they have a creamy center..."
"I just farted." "Is it going to smell like peppermint now?"
"FIRECROTCH! ...wait."
"Ron Weasley HAS to be a fire crotch with all that red hair..."
"Slut!" "Skank!" Whore!" "...hobo?"
"Drag queen! Wait! King..."
"You just keep talking yourself into walls..." "Well it makes sense in MY head, just not in anybody else's."
*I hit Sandy on head* me: "OW!!" others *laugh* me: "You have a skull...that's made of bones...so it's hard. And it hurts."
me: "OW! Even though that hurt the goldfish and not me. Sometimes I say ow for other things...like when I throw something, I say ow for it but it doesn't hurt me."
And I know I'm forgetting most. =]

Dreams...

So this dream probably lasted for about an hour (as opposed to the whole night like most of them) but I remember a ton of details so it's rather long ish.
It started out with something to do with performing CWW. I think it was a practice. In the actual performance, the guys sang Ave Maria and in my dream Dominique wanted the flute choir to accompany them. We were frustrated and didn't want to but we were forced and it was sad. Afterwards, I had to talk with my adviser about something but according to something (I think my wartburg?) my adviser had been switched to Bryan Houts who I felt didn't know enough about my major to help me so I had to hunt for another adviser who did, who also happened to have their office in the same building Rachel V and Sarah lived in. Their office was also right next to this really old lady (older then Wade) who was a nurse for theatre students (in fact, as I walked past her office I remembered Rachel V complaining that she had to see that old lady because of a cold she had and she really didn't want to but Dr Earl was forcing her to). On my way out I walked past their dorm and they were all laying in the hallway on sleeping bags and told me that they were getting ready for a game of role playing and that I had to join, so I did (there really wasn't much role playing involved...I was sitting by Sarah and we watched a movie while eating copious amounts of junk food). After that we decided to go to dinner except during dinner a group of people from my high school were putting on a play about the last three field shows they've performed. For some odd reason I watched them do *everything* (even the stuff back in the kitchen while I didn't leave where I was eating) and at the end they wanted Simon Estes to perform something but he refused to and they had to do a lot of coaxing.
After that it switched to us performing CWW except Simon couldn't make it so we were all happy. During Ave Maria the flutes had to stand up (instead of staying seated) and everyone decided to stop playing one beat early (except me) so I got a mini duet at the end while Roger sang the last note (and only Roger, no one else was singing) and when I went to sit down Dominique let me know that she was upset with me for being a "show off." There was an intermission and I decided to use the bathroom except instead of going to one near Nuemann I decided to walk back to Sarah and Rachel V's dorm on the off chance that one of them would be there with their door unlocked. And Rachel was. (also in my dream, they didn't share one bathroom; each room was connected to its own bathroom that looked like a normal community bathroom) A bunch of other people followed me without my knowing and Rachel wasn't particularly happy about all of them coming. So we went back to Nuemann and finished the show and afterwards there was a group of people selling hand knitted scarves for three dollars so we all bought one. Then someone was selling some old Wartburg instruments and I bought a piccolo (even though I already have one...) Then I was walking back, to Sarah and Rachel's dorm AGAIN, when I passed an outdoor jazz band competition and there was a table where they were selling magnets so I bought one of each. Then I was back at not *my* dorm and Sarah was the only one there and she had written this blog about just giving up and it concerned me even though I didn't know what she was ready to give up on when I woke up.
...

Home Again!!

I made it back home today. And life is happy.
It was a very very very long day...we (Larisa, her mom and I) headed out around 1130 and I walked in my door a little after 730. Traffic was interesting, and my dad had to get me from Larisa's house as she lives about an hour away. But I made it! The ride to Larisa's was a lot of fun. We were rather chatty and we sang to the entirety of Wicked and Phantom of the Opera =] which was happy.
Then after I got back and watched Snoopy run around in a beagle colored blur for a few minutes (he missed me...) we went out to Chicago Dough for dinner (best pizza place EVER!) and it was amazing. Except for the salad bar. The veggies were really really good and happy. But there was this stuff that looked like some kind of pudding near the dressings, so I grabbed a spoonful and went to eat a spoonful when I sat down. And it most definitely was NOT pudding...it was mayonnaise. WHICH I DETEST AND LOATHE WITH A FIREY BURNING PASSION, even in small amounts on sandwiches where it belongs. It was SO GROSS!!!!!!!!! Blech. Let's just say I don't think I'll ever make that mistake again...
Yuck.
Now I'm just chilling with my mom, watching random shows on the food network. While feeling very much ready for bed...my own not top bunk bed... =]
And tomorrow is a lovely trip to Target (maybe Starbuck's too!!) for some Christmas shopping. And some cookie baking. And then Sunday is a cookie exchange with some family I haven't seen since July or early August and I can't wait! =D
Annd I think it's bedtime. Goodnight!

FREAKING CRAZY

It's a dream!
...and a boy!...
So according to my sleepy world last night, I was like a modern day version of the virgin Mary. Seriously.
I was just going about my normal life when I realized that I hadn't had a period in quite a while (which, seeing as things were identical in my dream as they are in real life that's not...really possible). I just kind of shrugged.
Then I had a baby and it was a boy.
I didn't even *look* pregnant! Nothing changed at all! Not even the labor/birthing process was normal...and I was still single, so becoming pregnant the normal way was kind of not possible.
Dream me was rather excited.
Then, later in the dream, I was pregnant *again* (but this time I noticed when I started missing periods). I even measured my stomach during the pregnancy and it didn't change an inch. Then I had the baby, except it was stillborn. And I was sad.
And that's all I remember.
STRANGE.

Relaxation! =D

So I'm pretty much done right now and it is very nice to be able to chill without worrying about homework to be done and things to prepare for and long days of running around like a chicken with my head cut off. At least not until January.
I passed my freshman jury with flying colors and am very very excited about that. Aside from the very start of my solo I felt I did pretty well.
I also finished some scheduling figurings for next term/this summer/next year...and next term's schedule scares me...kind of a lot. I'll survive, but it's gonna be a freakishly long haul. Here's an overview:
MWF-ED 100 745-850, Theory 2 9-1005, Music History 1 1045-1150, 1st 7 weeks woodwind methods 230-3 2nd 7 weeks cello/bass methods 230-3 1st 7 weeks mallets W 630 (or 730 or something like that at night).
T/H-K-8 music methods 1-230
ED 100 requires 25 hours of field experience, music methods requires 15 hours of field experience for a total of 40. Music history is writing intensive plus I am not good with history so that's going to take a lot of time studying (I can remember events and such but I SUCK with names and dates...) I also have piano lessons (which require 6 hours of practice/week) and hour long flute lessons (12 hours of practice/week) along with practicing for the three other methods classes I'll be taking. And I'm in wind ensemble, which meets every weekday for 1 hour and 20 minutes. K-8 methods is also very project oriented and music theory just tends to take up a lot of time, with memorizing rules and eartraining and all.
At least it's not o-chem...
And I've gotta do some textbook searching over break. I headed down to the bookstore to have *some* idea of how expensive it all would be, and for the books I need for music history and methods it will be $360. That's not counting ED 100, 2 methods classes, piano lessons or flute (I have to buy *some* new music pretty much every term). This is after this semester's books cost way the heck over $500. I am SO online hunting for as much as I can. (the bonus is that the music theory/history books are good for three terms, which is part of why this year is so expensive book wise...it will be a lot cheaper next year, at least I hope...maybe?)
Not a whole lot else has been going on. Just studying and test taking and practicing.
I need to pack, but I'm waiting until tomorrow since I will have nothing (aside from lunch with the suitemates) planned after 830 in the morning. I'll be headed home Friday morning and should be there sometime in the afternoon depending on when we leave. HUZZAH!!!!!!!
I'm excited to be home for longer than two or three days for the first time since the end of August. I'm also looking forward to my room and my bed that isn't on the top bunk and everything else that's happy about home...particularly Christmas!! =]
I think I'm going to find something to do...what, I'm not entirely sure, but I think I'll read some of Golden Compass perhaps...or New Moon...or something...maybe I'll put in a movie and knit. Oooh! I have one that I haven't seen yet...I think I might do that.
It's so weird to have nothing to do on a weeknight...

Intelligence!

Yes...I are smart.
I woke up this morning early-ish (post toilet scrubbing) to take my trombone tuba methods final.
I got to the FAC and no one else was there besides jury people, so I was confused. So I found Doc. And the final is most definitely THURSDAY morning.
=P
Ah well. I've got ear training I need to finish, so at least I'm already up and showered.
I have iTunes on shuffle, and it seems to be fond of epic movie soundtrack songs, which makes me very much happy...and broadway stuff! =D
So last night I had this really creepy dream where there was a new Voldemort theme and I was playing it except the director/composer looked EXACTLY like Voldy and instead of conducting had a very sharp baton he would hit me with to give me the beat. Then I woke up with Backstreet Boys stuck in my head. ...Quoi?
This weekend was pretty much filled with awesomeness. Saturday was pretend to be a time traveler day, and I was someone from the future who was very much confused (complete with bar code, USB port and food port). Sarah and Rachel V dressed up, too, and we ran around outside the FAC/in the art gallery/in the library and took bunches of pictures and it was hilarious (Sarah put them on facebook so you should take a peek!). Then I chilled with Melissa for a while. We watched the end of George of the Jungle along with the second half of Forrest Gump and Night at the Museum and had pizza for dinner (Larisa's idea, since she was out of meals for the week and everything was already closed on campus). Then it was the annual Christmas party at Rachel V and Sarah's dorm...which was awesome! There was Polar Express watching and running around in the snow behind their dorm (there's somewhere around six inches now and everything back there was COMPLETELY untouched and it was still snowing a little). There was snow angel making and running around in circles and we found a line of pine trees that looked like the entrance to Narnia and took a bunch of pictures. Then I tried to throw some snowballs at people but they ran away so I chased them and then I completely face planted in the snow and it was hilarious . =] Then there was a worst case scenario survivor game which was awesome (question: how do you check a mole for cancer? my first thought: the animal? why would you need to do that?! ....oh. The freckle.).
Sunday was homework filled and such. Along with procrastination and laundry (huzzah for the latter!!!).
I also talked to my mom yesterday and found out that my brother has a band concert a week from today...AND I'LL BE HOME TO SEE IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D=D=D=D=D=D=D
So I should probably get around to that ear training...and studying for history of science...and eventually practicing or something along those lines.
..IT'S ALMOST THURSDAY... =D

Survival!

In the snow!
I had a presentation tonight. And to look at least a little more put together than jeans and a sweater, I wore the only pair of heels I brought here...my four inch Steve Maddens with the toe cleavage.
Pre presentation: no new snow, just a bunch of salt.
Post presentation: an inch of the fluffy, powdery slick stuff that had hardly been stepped on.
I walked back to my dorm in those heels...and LIVED!!! I didn't even start to slip once! It was AMAZING.
Heels also leave some sweet looking footprints in the snow.
In other news, it's hell week.
Exciting times.
But it's just that much closer to Christmas... =D

Technology hates me...

Aaaargh.
Stupid computer.
So my iTunes doesn't work. Again. No matter what I click or how many times I click it, it won't open at all...plugging in my iPod doesn't even work! It's like this: Me: *clicks on icon* Computer: *blink blink* iTunes? Quoi? *shrug...blink blink* Me: *clicks icon with more force* Computer: *raised eyebrow...shrug* Ah well. *blink*
I was going to unistall it and reinstall it at some point because it won't update (it hasn't since July), but there's some music I still need to make a back up copy of...one album and a dozen or so singles that I'm very much attached to...but since I can't open it I can't copy the music I haven't copied and then I can't check to see if there's anything I need to do so my iPod isn't screwed up. =P
And then there's the printer! I fixed that whole interesting spell...but still...all I was doing was printing something for trombone/tuba methods. It decided to print two copies (even though it's set to only ONE...) as though to prove the point that it is out of black ink. The little ink level indicator has disappeared...I'm wondering if Larisa x-ed out of it when she printed a bunch of stuff off, if so it's no big deal I just wasn't expecting it to be out of ink so suddenly (everything else up until today has printed just fine). So I replaced the ink, which took a little while since I haven't had to do that yet (I use the library printers a LOT) and then spent fifteen minutes trying to find a setting changing thinger so I can make the ink level indicator come back up, but alas. I don't think that exists, or I just haven't located it yet.
iTunes is frustrating me, though...I listen to it all the freaking time...
Annnnd it's back to homework! Yahoo. Which does not have an L at the end. =P