Work in Progress

Pep Rally and BRRRRR.

2009-10-02T21:20:00.001-05:00

Tonight was the homecoming football game where I'm student teaching. This afternoon we had a pep rally, during which the football team captain spoke. It's been raining nonstop for the past two days, and he was trying to encourage everyone to come to the game regardless of the yucky weather. How did he do that, you ask?
(This is a direct quote)
"We all like it wet and sloppy!!"
...I cannot describe how much effort it took for me to bite my tongue and not retort "that's what she said" while surrounded by my students and cooperating teacher.
*sigh*
In other news, I am currently in my dorm. Wearing a sweater *and* a hoodie, a scarf, and socks and slippers. And I have goosebumps. Because the heat in my dorm has not been turned on yet. The current temperature outside is 47. Tomorrow, I am getting an indoor thermometer so I can see just how cold it is in here.
BRRR!!!!!

Dear person who stole my laundry:

2009-09-06T19:32:00.002-05:00

I strongly dislike you. What the hell were you thinking?!? Neither I nor my parents had the money to replace all that stuff right now! What on Earth could you gain by swapping someone else's clothes?!? Have fun with three weeks' worth of my old underwear! Seriously, what the freaking heck??????
Too much anger for words,
Rachel.
------------------------------------------
Yup. That's right. I had TWO FULL LOADS of laundry stolen yesterday right out of the dryer, along with my hamper. But they left the dryer sheets.
I cannot express how angry I am right now. I did not need to spend any more money as of late. That was SO FREAKING DUMB!!!! MORON!!!! GAH!
So far, all the RAs in my building know, as well as the RHD, I've filed reports with Wartburg Security and the Waverly Police, I wrote a facebook note and tagged 15 people, I've talked to three other people in person, I emailed the maintenance lady for this building, and I'm informing the local thrift store tomorrow (in case they donate stuff to get if off of their hands) as well as putting an ad in the Trumpet and making an announcement to both bands. Oh, and the RAs and I knocked on everyone's doors yesterday just to see if anyone noticed anything. And we searched the building and dumpsters.
I AM SO PISSED RIGHT NOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So, today I had to do some major shopping. Because all but two pairs of underwear are gone, as well as all of my jeans. I didn't do too bad, really, only about $230 for 3 pairs of jeans, 7 shirts, 2 washcloths, 3 weeks' worth of underwear, 2 pairs of pajama pants, a hoodie, and a new hamper. It hasn't replace every single last bit of clothing I lost, but it'll tide me over very well for the time being.
Happiest purchase: super super fuzzy AE hoodie for about $17 instead of $30-something. Seriously, fuzziest hoodie I've ever worn. (BTW, I fit in an xs...I haven't fit in an xs since before college. Strange. I think they run a little big...)
Next time I do laundry, I am not leaving the laundry room for any amount of time at all.
Freaking jerks.

MLIA?

2009-08-07T20:00:00.001-05:00

I'm at my Aunt's house right now, and I just realized that when you drag her kitchen chairs across the floor, they sound EXACTLY like a wookie. I now move them whenever I walk past because it's so awesome =D

15 Books

2009-08-01T00:14:00.002-05:00

Don’t take too long to think about it. List 15 books you’ve read that will always stick with you. First fifteen you can recall in no more than 15 minutes.

1. Ice Cream for Breakfast, Leslie Levine
2. Harry Potter, J.K. Rowling
3. His Dark Materials, Philip Pullman
4. Crime and Punishment, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
5. Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
6. Native Son, Richard Wright
7. Sailing Around the Room By Myself, Billy Collins
8. Brave New World, Aldous Huxley
9. To Kill A Mockingbird, Harper Lee
10. Fahrenheit 451, Ray Bradbury
11. In the Event of My Death, Carlene Thompson
12. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
13. Beauty: A Retelling of the Story of Beauty and the Beast, Robin McKinley
14. Angels and Demons, Dan Brown
15. The 5 People You Meet in Heaven, Mitch Albom

An update of sorts...

2009-07-16T18:34:00.002-05:00

First off, Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince was FREAKING AMAZING. It's my favorite out of the series by far...the acting was pretty good, the soundtrack was FANTASTIC, it was funny and kept sort-of to the book (at least a lot of lines were used from the book).
I only have three "things."
1. The song Fireworks was re-used for Weasley's Wizard Wheezes instead of the awesome big band jazz/swing song that was composed for this movie. I like Fireworks, but the new piece was far more fitting for the scene (and I highly doubt that the composer put in the time and effort to write and record the song just to change his mind, idk who made the decision to switch).
2. Death Eater attack on the Weasleys? And the Burrow burned down? Is it not going to exist in the 7th movie, and if not where are they going to go for the start of movie 7?
3. No battle at Hogwarts at the end.
But really, other than that I LOVED it and can't wait to see it again (possibly this weekend, matinees are $5.50!).
Sandy, Jenny, my mom and I all went to see it at midnight. The local theatre sold out 8 screens (there are 14 screens total in that theatre). I bought my tickets almost a month in advance and got in the first theatre with all the other diehard fans =] it was awesome. We got there at 945 and the theatre was already almost half-full (we got some of the last seats towards the back of the theatre, too, unlike last time when we were right in front of the screen). Our theatre alone held 292 people-there were over 2,000 people there total. Somehow, we got out of the parking lot in less than five minutes. EPIC WIN!!!
The one thing that I love about the midnight release is that it is so quiet once the movie starts-there aren't even rustling candy wrappers =]
Other than that, life is fairly normal. I've started getting stuff for the dorm (seeing as I hardly replaced anything last year after the flood, but will need it this year). My mom found an awesome floor rug on a great clearance-4.5 by 5 feet, $60 instead of $120 and free shipping =D
I'm getting excited/nervous about student teaching...it's going to be fun, but I am me, and I just wonder how good I'll be and such.
My cold cleared up and did not turn into bronchitis! WOOT!!!
And now...of to dinner =]

Dear Head Cold,

2009-07-08T00:23:00.002-05:00

I have my eye on you.
I know that you're slowly moving from my sinuses to my lungs.
I know that this deep hack is my bronchitis cough.
I do not like coughing fits. Or bronchitis. Or antibiotics. Or doctor visits.
And I do not want to deal with bronchitis. AGAIN. I just got over it 3 months ago.
Please leave. I have a finger that I would like to show you, and a colorful phrase.
No love whatsoever,
Rachel
PS. I hate cough syrup, too. So leave and stop making me take it! =P
---------------
I hate colds!!!! I'm feeling better, but I can tell this thing is settling in my chest just like the sinus infection I had in February settled in my chest and turned into a bad strain of bronchitis that took two rounds of antibiotics and almost three bottles of cough syrup to get through.
I do have a doctor's appointment next week to discuss allergy meds since they're not working so well, which seems to be really good timing.
But yeah. I hope this isn't what it seems...

Iowa! =]

2009-07-03T20:35:00.002-05:00

So this Wednesday was my LAST EVER PIANO TEST!!!!!!!! I passed! No more! I will be student teaching this fall, and graduating this May...and it is very, very awesome and exciting.
One happy part of the test was that I got to stay with Sarah for a few nights instead of getting a hotel room. Which was pretty much awesome =D
There was carnival going to, NCIS watching, Chinese eating, etc.
I was *supposed* to come home yesterday afternoon. Wednesday night, Sarah suggested that we bike around the lake Thursday morning. I wanted to, I thought it would be fun, which it was.
But.
It was 14 miles. And I haven't been on a bike since I was 16, and that was just around the block. =O Sarah thought I knew how long it would be, and I thought Sarah wouldn't suggest it if it was really long.
As a result, I have a bruised butt from the seat, very sore thigh muscles, and some pretty good sunburn on my back. But also a pretty awesome-fun memory =]
By the time bike-riding was done it was mid afternoon, by the time showering was done it was late afternoon, and by that time I realized I was too tired to drive home after that. Really, I was exhausted (I had an espresso from Cabin Coffee AND a cup of tea, and still felt like I could take a nap). So I stayed for an extra night, which happened to be $1 bowling night, so we met up with Jill and had a fantastic time =D
Let me just add that a bruised butt makes for a very painful 6.5 hour ride home, and I just had to pick up more aloe vera since we're out. *sigh*
But the extra night was lots and lots of fun and happy =]
The ride home was nothing special, unlike what my parents kept saying it would be (OMG traffic and crazy people...yeah, right). I did run over a large plastic (thankfully empty and not paint or yuck filled) bucket and exploded it to bits...it flew out of the back of a pickup and straight into the left lane (right in front of me, of course!), and there were cars in the right lane, and I couldn't slow down enough to swerve out of the way (I did hit the brakes really hard, but that's how close it was to me). The good thing is it hasn't done any noticeable damage to my car.
4th of July tomorrow, which means good foods! =D
I has some big sleepies...*yawn*

Blog of FAIL.

2009-06-28T19:50:00.004-05:00

My car=lame.
Last summer, the window on the passenger side in the back decided to stop working (the motor has officially conked). The last time my mom had a window motor fixed, over a decade ago, it was between $350-400, so I figured one window isn't that big of a deal for that much money, so I'd let it be.
Well, the OTHER window in the back (on the driver's side) has also stopped working as of today. So...I will be saving my pennies so I can pitch in as much as possible to get these windows fixed, which probably isn't going to happen until, like, next summer I'm guessing. One bum window is one thing, but two a little much.
Grrr.
And now, I leave you with the trailer for the LAMEST movie I have ever heard of.

That's right. FBI agent guinea pigs.
Massive fail, Disney!!!!

Frustrations and life in general.

2009-06-08T14:12:00.002-05:00

Today my dad decided that he was going to "fix" both toilets, because they both won't stop running (you need to jiggle the handle of the one upstairs to get it to stop, and mess with stuff in the tank of the one downstairs to get it to stop). Upstairs is better now (at least, I think it is), but he doesn't really know what he's doing downstairs, and has already snapped something-or-other in half and had to buy a replacement. My day has been punctuated with the sounds of frequently flushing toilets and plenty of mumbling unhappy things. Of course, he won't listen to my mom and just call the plumber. *sigh*
I had to call Wartburg today because they're taking their sweet time in sending information about what I owe next year, and it's kind of important to have exact numbers so that loans can be procured. The person I talked to in the controller's office said she'd email me a scan of a bill. Which was great.
Except it's freaking last year's bill, with charges for Knights Village and all.
Yeah. That helps. A lot. =P
Way-to-go Wartburg.
(I need this year's bill, because I have a completely different class load and live in a different dorm with a different parking lot and a different meal plan...had I wanted last year's bill I could have just found it with all my other college paperwork)
And, of course, there's extended family drama to top it all off. Like, completely out of the blue, I must live on a soap opera drama. Argh. Save the drama for your llama!
Yesterday the boys had drag races to go to, so it was a mommy and Rachel day, which was quite happy. =] We went to see Angels and Demons. I has a beef with that movie. I don't mind when some things are changed from the book to adapt to the screen better (anyone who knows my enjoyment of the Harry Potter movies knows this). However, I do mind when the events from the first hundred pages of the book are *completely* switched around, when a main character is entirely left out, and when a character that was supposed to die ends up living instead, altering the end of the movie.
*sigh*
I enjoyed the movie, I'm just not sure that it's something I'd want to own or watch a bajillion times. After that, we got some Chinese food and watched Juno. =D Then people came home.
And I watched the Tonys! =D That was super happy, too.
And now, it's off to other things...like piano practicing (BLAH)...and such. Joy.

Summer Jobs and Harry Potter!

2009-06-05T18:31:00.002-05:00

First off, after four consecutive summers of being unsuccessful, I have FINALLY managed to land summer employment!!!! =D=D=D
One of my aunts has a really, REALLY bad back, to the point where she's on disability and cannot work. She gets this deal where the state will provide about $1,000/month for her to find a person or people to come over and do a bunch of stuff (house cleaning, dishes, running errands, cooking, etc). She needs more people, and I'm one of them! I just filled out the paperwork today. I'm not sure how many other people she'll have, or how much she'll need me, but I'll be going out there several times a week to help out. Pay is close to $10/hour.
I'm really excited.
In other news, yesterday Sandy and I went to the Harry Potter Exhibit at the Museum of Science and Industry.
Holy cow. It was fantastic.
At the entrance, while waiting to go in, they "sorted" people with the sorting hat (there wasn't enough time for me to go, but Sandy did and was in Ravenclaw). The exhibit itself had everything imaginable...dozens of costumes, at least one for each professor and a lot of the students', the list of DA members, and area to throw quaffles and plant mandrakes, Dobby and Kreacher, the Great Hall (complete with stained glass and "floating" candles), the decrees that Umbridge wrote in OOTP, Voldy's robes, Azkaban prisoner robes, the Angel of Death Harry was tied to in movie 4 in the graveyard...I could go on for a really, really long time about all the stuff in there (that wasn't even 1/4 of it all). Tickets were about $18, and Sandy and I lucked out because we happened to find a free day (normally you'd have to pay the $13 for general admission *and* extra for the exhibit ($31 altogether), but we only had to pay for the exhibit because of the free day). There was, of course, a gift shop that I ended up spending an arm and a leg in. Some of the stuff in there was INSANE (like replicas of brooms for $400, and a Maurader's Map for $50), but there was some cool smaller stuff. There was a time turner necklace for only $70-ish, and Luna's radish earrings for about the same price...it was all really tempting, but most of it was out of my range, so I settled for things like magnets, book marks, etc. I still ended up paying about $52-ish for all of the small stuff...
Oh well. At least there's summer employment!!
Oh, and I forgot to mention that all of the museum employees that worked in the exhibit spoke with British accents. Pretty sweet. And while we were waiting in line to get in, there was a dude asking trivia questions...I answered about half of them, Sandy answered a lot too...it was pretty sweet. The only one that tripped both of us up was "What is Snape's mother's name?" Eileen Prince. I couldn't remember it yesterday.
Pictures of stuff outside of the exhibit later (no cameras allowed inside).

Some pretty awesome quotes!

2009-05-18T22:33:00.002-05:00

Actual answers from college-level music tests:
"The Right of Spring by Stravinsky...This piece was so revolutionary it caused people to riot whenever they heard it."
and
"Baroque opera includes three types of vocal styles: arioso, recitative, and castrato."
and
"There were three genres of music in the Baroque--cantata, opera and ontario. An ontario is defined as a musical without costumes."
=D

HUZZAH!!!

2009-04-28T00:05:00.001-05:00

Guess what?!?
I CAN PLAY LOW NOTES ON THE TUBA!
LIKE, THE Bb AND Ab BELOW THE STAFF!!!!
I'VE NEVER BEEN ABLE TO PLAY THOSE NOTES BEFORE!
Or even get close to them!
=D=D=D=D=D=D=D
!!!!!!!!!
Needless to say, I am very, very excited about this...

Back Again!

2009-04-26T22:02:00.002-05:00

So tour this year pretty much rocked in almost every way possible.
Sarah and I sat next to each other on the bus (...well, we were basically glued at the hip the whole week, as usual), and while en route we played a rousing game of cows and dead people. Basically, when you see cows or a cemetery, the first person to shout cows or dead people gets a point. Whoever collects the most points wins. Points are taken away for false alarms (I once thought some sheep were cows, Sarah confused some bushes for them). I won, 150 to 121. The game itself was a riot, and kept us both from getting very bored on some very very long bus rides (seven hours in one go? what?), even though it did annoy some of those around us. In fact, we got the motormouth award for the week. We do awards on tour every night at dinner. There's whiz kid for someone who says or does something "intelligent" (Nathan R. won for forgetting that he played bass drum on one of the marches until after we performed it one night), sparkling Bob for a happy person, motormouth for someone who doesn't shut up, golden doorknob for someone who breaks something (Doc started this one when he went to leave a home stay and the knob came off of the door when he went to open it-it was gold), klutz, obnoxious, and the grump (for unhappy people). Someone gets the award every night, and then at the end someone gets it as an overall award for the week. Motormouth belongs to Sarah and I until the next time awards are done next year because while playing we never technically shut up. =D
All of our homestays were fantastic. For real. There was only one slightly awkward one, all of the others rocked. Our first one had an indoor pool and hot tub, along with world's fattest/friendliest cat. And we stayed in their daughter's room (she's at school in NY), and she had signed pictures of a fairly good portion of the HARRY POTTER CAST. =O
One of our host moms snuck a $20 bill in each mine and Sarah's lunches in the middle of the week, which was really random (we didn't discover the money until after we had been dropped off at our meeting place with the rest of the band). That home stay was also particularly awesome...the family was really, really nice. After we made our sandwiches, Sarah asked if they had any popcorn to munch on and our host dad proceeded to *make* some on the *stove* with real butter and *everything.* It was quite amazing popcorn...we only meant to ask if they had the microwave variety! We almost polished off a huge bowlfull while watching random stuff on TV. Also, while we were watching TV, our host mom came downstairs and turned on the fireplace so that we wouldn't get chilly (we were sharing a la-z-boy, wrapped in a comforter).
Our last homestay was in a 120 year old farmhouse that doesn't have any doors inside, aside from the one on the bathroom (there are curtians strung across door frames, but no actual doors to allow for ventilation in the summer back when there wasn't air conditioning). The frames themselves are a really weird small size, so getting doors (according to our host family) was going to involve knocking out the original door frames because they don't make doors in that small of a size. That morning we got a full country breakfast-biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage, blueberry muffins, OJ, coffee or tea, the whole nine yards. It was quite amazing.
Our concerts went really, really well. Last year, I cried twice-the night before the last concert, because Melissa (my stand partner) was conducting the next night.
Backstory. At the end of each concert, we play Nearer My God to Thee and then sing The Lord Bless You and Keep You as a thank you to the audience. Over tour, seniors conduct it as a farewell.
Anyhoo. I cried the night before the last concert because that was my last time singing with Melissa H., and at the last concert because she was conducting.
This year I cried when Ashton conducted, completely lost it to the point where I couldn't sing or play when Sarah conducted, teared up with Jill, and could hardly sing/play on the last concert because it was the end. Holy emotional outbursts, batman.
The one downside of tour is the fact that it has irritated the living daylights out of my carpal tunnel from the constant playing and lifting things (suitcases, folder boxes). They're starting to calm down a little now, but boy were they bad on Friday. I hope they chill out more quickly, as I need to start practicing piano soon...blah. I can't wait to be done with that.
In other news, May term classes start tomorrow. Meh. It's only one class, so homework loads are really, really light. Band also starts, which marks the beginning of my tuba career, which will be...interesting. Seeing as I can't play low notes very well. Which is kind of the point of the tuba.
So we'll see how that tuba playing really goes tomorrow...
UNIDENTIFIED QUADRIPED!!!

Fantastic Day!

2009-03-06T21:55:00.002-06:00

Today I went downtown with Sandy to see the CSO. It was rather exciting, because Pierre Boulez was conducting (we just discussed him in music history), and they were playing Stravinsky's Pulcinella (a ballet that's rarely played in orchestral form, from what I've read). We took a gamble and got student tickets, which are only $10 each. The only catch is they seat you wherever they have available, so you can get wonderful or wonderfully crappy seats.
We were on the main floor, about six rows in. Which was rather happy.
The performance was SPECTACULAR. =D
Afterwards, we ate at Bennigan's on Michigan Ave. Which was rather exciting, because we both remember last year when it was supposedly closing...as do my parents...I don't know why it was still open, but both of us were surprised. It was happy.
Before the concert we had some spare time, so we wandered around in Millenium Park. It was in the upper 60s, which was *glorious*! I got to wear a skirt and no jacket without freezing. =D
We caught our train with time to spare (which hasn't happened to me for a while, normally I'm running to catch it).
After coming home I decided to look up where we were sitting and how much those seats *actually* cost...
*drumroll please*
$84.
And we only paid $10!!!!!!!!!
=D=D=D
Oh happy, happy day...
Now I'm off to boring things, like laundry. =P

Odd dreams...

2009-03-04T10:55:00.001-06:00

So last night I dreamed that I had cervical cancer. And my doctors were Meredith Grey and Christina Yang (from Grey's Anatomy).
Then it switched to helping Sarah make wedding plans (this is the third time that I've dreamed about Sarah getting married so far).
Then it switched to me getting pictures taken in my wedding dress on my wedding day.
Then the phone rang and I woke up.
...wtf, mate?

Home again!

2009-02-28T20:49:00.002-06:00

Break=joy =]
I made it home late last night. Driving was rather uneventful. Larisa carpooled with me, and that was rather joyous. There was basically no traffic (aside from Cedar Rapids, which we drove through at about 5...rush hour), and the aggressive IL drivers were surprisingly unaggressive (it was really weird!).
On Thursday night I was making pizza for dinner in our electric stove. Well, I'm used to the gas stove we've always had at home, so I thought that the only heating element in the electric one was the highly visible one at the bottom...and when I went to get the pizza out, I reached a little too high. And touched part of the top of the oven. I thought I had just brushed against some sort of baking powder or something odd, because there was a very white painless spot on my knuckle, so I looked, and apparently there's a heating element on *top.* One that had been red-hot when I shut off the 400 degree oven a minute beforehand. There was no white powder...that was my skin. Yeah. It's a pretty good burn. The nerves in the top layers of my skin have died, so I really couldn't feel anything until those dead layers of skin started peeling a little today. Now it hurts a little. And it's a little red today, yesterday it was definitely white. From what I've read, first and third degree burns are the ones that don't blister (seconds do), and third degree burns can be white in color and just look like a patch of dry skin (which is what mine looked like). And third degree burns are usually painless thanks to nerve damage. So I'm thinking this was one of those. But it's a really small one that's showing signs of healing, so all is well...albeit a little painful now. And odd-looking.
Home has been pretty happy! =] Today there was much chilling, some soap opera watching, eating out, and amazing cookie baking. Seriously, best chocolate chip cookies ever. It's a recipe I got from a clarinet freshman my senior year of marching knights that involves putting pudding mix in the cookie dough (Sandy knows the pure joy of the cookies to which I am referring). The person who made them (I can't remember her name!) was nicknamed Mrs. Fields that season. =]
Tomorrow there is Kristen visiting, then there's some appointments on Tuesday and Wednesday...and homework and practicing somewhere in there. AND CSO SEEING!!! =D
I've been catching up on sleep, which has been quite amazing..I just sleep better when I'm at home. I was out for around 12 hours last night...oh happiness.
Also occurring this week is some shopping. I have two pairs of jeans that are now too small for wearing on any sort of a regular basis (they're both survivors from high school), and one newer pair with a hole in a really bad spot...so I need some pants. And I have two secret projects to work on, and two friends' birthdays that I'm late on gift-giving...particularly Kristen's. Hers was in January and I still haven't done anything, she sent me a gift in the mail the week after mine...so that will be rectified tomorrow. Oh, and I need things like thigh highs and such. I'm not gonna lie, I'm pretty excited about the secret projects. =D
Now I'm off to enjoy the results of the cookie making...=]=]

Holy cold...

2009-01-14T22:16:00.001-06:00

I just walked back to my dorm in a -37 degree wind chill.
The high of tomorrow, without taking wind chill into account, will be -6. With wind chill somewhere around -40.
I think it kind of goes without saying, but...
BRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Break!

2008-11-23T20:27:00.002-06:00

So I'm officially home on break.
It's been ok. Ish. Nothing exciting, really. There's homework and practicing that I need to do, along with band/flute choir librarian duties. I need to start my Christmas shopping (forewarning: it's going to be a very, very small one for I am dead broke and my priority is paying Sarah and my parents back, but it's the thought that counts =] ). But present shopping is a very, very happy distraction from life and I love doing it, so I'm going to do SOMETHING.
I went ahead and saw Twilight this afternoon. It was pretty good. (I needed to escape home and people for a little while) I like the books better, and I'm not sure if I'd buy the movie, but I'd at least see it again. The HP trailer in front of it was absolutely SPECTACULAR!
One thing I despised: WHY for the love of life was Bella bitten on the underside of the WRIST instead of the back of the hand?!?!? I could *barely* watch the fight scene, which was a bummer. But oh well. Did anyone else notice Stephenie Meyer's cameo appearance?
My parents keep asking me what my on campus living situation is going to be next year, and I'm getting a little annoyed. Particularly with one parent. Next year I think I'm just going to get a single room, because I don't really have anyone I really want to live with (well, I do, but they're graduating). Unless someone REALLY wants me to live with them, or needs one more person. It didn't work out with the people I lived with last year particularly well, and we all know what freshman year was. I'm fine with a single in Founder's or something. I'd miss Knight's Village, and having a kitchen, but I'm not a fan of random roomates, and really it's not that big of a deal. It'll be a precursor to when I graduate and have an apartment of my own without a roomie. Besides, I think not having a roommate would work best with student teaching and all (no one to wake me up at night, no one to wake up in the morning). I could come and go as I please without being quiet or keeping the lights down, and do whatever I want whenever without worrying about others. I mean, I'll miss having someone there all the time, but really, it's not THAT big of a deal. My mom understands my point of view, but my dad doesn't, to which my reply was "well, I'm closer with people that are older than me than with people my age, which is fine for now, but not for next year. And that doesn't bother me."
But it bothers him.
I don't understand what the concern is. I'll be perfectly fine. I'm going to visit and keep in touch with the people that are graduating, and there are people in my grade that I get along with and will probably do stuff with, I just don't have anyone that I really want to live with.
I'd rather be closer to the people that are older than me than have ok-ish friends in my grade for the sake of "next year." I like these people better. There's a reason I'm closer to them-several, actually, and I'd rather have some amazing friendships for 2 or 3 years than ok ones for 4. It's a quality vs quantity thing in my mind.
Next year will be a bit of an adjustment, but I'll be fine. I'm a bit of an introvert, anyway. That's how I've always been. It just frustrates me when I'm not listened to. When I say it doesn't bother me...it doesn't bother me.
Anyhoo.
I'm kind of looking forward to Tuesday afternoon when I get to see my doctor about my migraines. Hopefully it'll be fairly simple to fix.
Part of me wants to go back to school, because I miss some of my buddies quite a bit. But I don't want anything to do with classes and assignments, so part of me wants to stay here instead. It's also nice to have time at home. But I still miss school people. And my mattress pad. My mattress here isn't as squishy and comfy (it's actually rather noisy, thanks to the slightly loose plasticy mattress cover ma bob that's meant to keep dust out of the mattress and not make my allergies go nutso).
One good thing about being home is the home cooked food that doesn't come prepackaged or from the mensa. YAY!!!! I missed that a LOT.
Now I'm off to go get some cake, baked yesterday for my dad's birthday. Yay cake! =D Devil's food. 'Tis happiness. But 'tis not appropriate for Christmas, though (Devil's food...get it? lol).

Recital! And such.

2008-11-13T15:08:00.005-06:00

So it's been a while since my last actual update. Life has been crazy, especially these last couple of weeks. And I mean CRAZY. In fact, so crazy my body has reverted to what it did senior year. In the past two weeks, I've managed to lose five pounds while not altering my eating or exercising habits at all. Which makes me underweight (again) for the first time in a little over a year.
ARGH. ArghargharghARGH!!!
I have my mother's metabolism, and in times of stress that's what it does: kicks into high gear and burns everything off and then some. The fact that I tend to not get much sleep while being stressed doesn't help the fact that I'm burning off more than I'm eating, which is why I think I completely and entirely crashed last night (I could hardly keep my eyes open shortly after 9 and couldn't eat dinner).
But! Now that the recital is done, and my two hell weeks have concluded, life is very happy once more!!
The recital went SPECTACULARLY. Everything (even the tricky parts of the music) just came together and sounded pretty darn good (from what I was hearing at least, I haven't heard the recording yet). I wore my prom dress, and that got quite a few compliments, which was happy. I also love dressing up, so that added some excitement to the sheer terror I was experiencing while getting ready (I really don't handle performance stress at all). While I was waiting to perform during my partner's songs, I had to resist running up and down the hallway in circles while flailing about with all of my might-that's how nervous I was. I just sat there and tried to breathe while fidgeting a ton instead. I have decided that if I had a daemon (like in His Dark Materials-it's part of your soul that takes the form of an animal that is always near you, kind of like a pet but more attached) it would have been some form of a small bird that would have been zooming around and flying in loop-to-loops behind me kind of like Woodstock being fast fowarded.
Afterwards, Sarah took some pictures of me posing with my flute and flowers, which are at the end of the blog. I'm just SO relieved that it's OVER and I don't have to worry about at all! No more worrying about practicing or lessons or *anything*... *happy sigh*

Crazy hair after taking it out of my messy bun...lol...

Tragus!

2008-10-25T00:20:00.004-05:00

As mentioned on facebook, here is a picture of my week old tragus piercing. I know it's not the best quality picture ever, but it's the best I could get...the camera only wanted focus on everything *behind* me (and if I just zoomed in on my ear it focused on nothing).
The stud is a darkish silver with a pink rhinestone. I wanted the orange one, but they didn't have it in the right size, which was sad. But I do still enjoy pink =]
And no, it didn't hurt a lot. In fact, it hurt slightly less than my cartilage piercing *as* they were piercing it and has hurt as much as a lobe piercing since it's been done, even though it does look like it would hurt. I got it done last Saturday and it's been doing a fairly decent job healing.
I love it =D
An actual update to come later...sometime...

Guess what?

2008-10-06T08:44:00.000-05:00

OUTFLYYYY!!!!!!

It's been a while...

2008-09-19T15:42:00.002-05:00

So I'm still happily moved in! Life is very very good at the moment.
I am, indeed, 21 today. Which is awesomely happy. And I just made my first alcoholic purchase at Walmart not too long ago, which was really weird but really liberating at the same time. wOOt!!
I also have a small cold. Well, not really all that small. I kind of can't breathe through my nose at all. So I got some nose spray (as recommended by the doctor at the on-campus clinic) and now I can sort of breathe, but I still have to run for a kleenex every few minutes or so. =P Ah well. It could be a LOT worse...stuffy noses are livable-with. Sort of. =]
My recital is completely set for November 12 (a Wednesday) at 630, and I have a partner (Jessica McClellen, a voice major) so that's UBER exciting. YAY!! I also have all of my music so once I can breathe freely again I'll be practicing a LOT (there's a French piece that my applied prof said was going to be a killer, so I've got to stay on top of that one).
Not a whole lot else is going on, aside from classes and homework and such. Speaking of homework, I've got a bit of a lull this weekend, which I'm going to use to work ahead...so I won't be bogged down very easily once things pick up again.
And that's about all that's gone on in the world of the Rachel! =] Exciting day...

Moved in!

2008-09-03T22:00:00.002-05:00

I'm here!
I've been here for several days, actually, but I'm here =]
Mine and Sarah's room = amazingness. It's rather small, but that's ok-I really like the set up (and my roomie!) so life is uber happy! Posters were finally put up tonight, including a rather *beautiful* one of Captain Jack from Doctor Who *right* over my desk. =]=]=]=] Oh happy... =]
And the rest of the apartment is awesome, too! =D There's a kitchen and a living room and NO MORE community bathrooms! wOOt!!! I like it a lot. I don't really feel like I'm in a dorm...which is nice and happy.
Band audition results go up tomorrow.
*insert complete freak out here*
Oh my goodness. I'm NOT going to last. At all. AAAAHHHHHH!!!!! I don't think there is going to be a lot of sleeping tonight...
And I started my new job! I loves it! ...well, so far at least. I haven't done much other than number some measures and put something in score order. But I DO have a key to the music library, and no longer have to deal with the deli or dishline or salad bar any longer. EEE! It was a happy feeling when I went to eat in the Mensa tonight and I realized I would hardly be in there this year thanks to a small meal plan. =]
Band audition results are coming! AAAHH. Argh.
Um....yeah. I'm pretty jittery and unfocused right now. So I'm going to go distract myself until bedtime.
Which is actually going to be soon, since two of my suiteys and I are headed to the FAC at 7 to see the result list.
Because we're just a little freaked out like that...

Weird Dream!

2008-08-10T12:32:00.002-05:00

It started out with some sort of medical contest involving the characters of Grey's Anatomy, and it was either about a pregnant woman or a transplant. I wasn't in this part, it was more like I was watching.
Then it switched to a reenactment of HP 7, where a big group of people had a character each and would play out chapters in different places. I was Ginny, of course, and it involved a whole bunch of people I didn't know.
Then I was at home, and my teeth somehow looked exactly like my dad's do now (after 25 years of smoking...he has quit for a while now, but that's how long he smoked for). They were also more crooked than they are now. My parents were lecturing me about how I should take better care of my teeth before they all fall out. I ended up finding my retainers that I haven't worn in a few years, and decided to put them on to try and move my teeth back. One of the ones in the front of my lower jaw got really wobbly after being moved, and just fell out, which really freaked me out but I couldn't ask my parents for help (as in getting a fake tooth or something) since I was suddenly in Sarah's living room with her mom, explaining my tooth situation to her. (??)
Then Sarah was there out of nowhere and we were on a coach bus on the choir tour (even though we're not even in choir), along with Brittany Brugman (now More), the supermodel twins, Laura Blaire and Jessica Saunders. We were going to Chicago and we all had a hotel room together, and we were very concerned about how we were all going to fit in one room. When we got there, the room had a king size bed, two or three twin beds and the biggest couch I've ever seen with a hide-a-bed. But we were still worried. We had some free time and decided to explore downtown. The twins, Laura and Jessica were asking me where the good shopping was, and Sarah, Brittany and I were going to explore. As we were leaving the hotel we had to sign out on a sheet and say when we were going to be back so they knew that we'd be gone. After we got out and started exploring, the twins, Laura and Jessica suddenly appeared with us (even though we went in opposite directions). We were on the lower levels of one of the streets, and I thought we had walked past the very bottom of the Sears Tower, got excited, went back and looked and realized I was mistaken. We ended up walking past an apartment building that I made up in my dream that was actually from a different dream I had several months ago. In that dream Kristen lived in those apartments, and I got all excited because I thought I could ring the doorbell and have her join us, except I remembered that she had moved since the apartments were for rent. And I was very sad.
We continued exploring, and found some green very slippery stairs heading up somewhere (we couldn't see where), so we climbed them. Sarah and I were freaked out since they were rather high and we're both scared of heights, but we climbed anyway. While we were climbing I kept asking her if she would come back to Chicago with me when she visits because there was a lot of different things I wanted to show her. Eventually, we made it to the top, and it was literally a large piece of wood suspended in the middle of Lake Michigan (about 20 feet above the lake), with no way down besides the stairs (which we couldn't climb down for some odd reason). There was a guy that owned this random stick of wood, and it had an advertisement that said "get your picture taken here with your favorite stuffed whale!" We were supposed to have stuffed whales from the Aquarium, but that was on the other side of the lake and we had no way of getting there. After the picture you were just supposed to jump off the wood and into the lake. Sarah and I jumped off right away since we didn't want to be up there any longer. A couple people got their picture taken anyway, and someone was asking where she could find a stuffed squirrel like the ones that were used in the movie Hairspray. The guy took the pictures in his truck that was held by a large rope and would swing at the wood for a close-up. Eventually, Britt Beck (someone I went to grade school with)got her picture taken, and then jumped in and swam around with Sarah and I. We went underwater and when we were ready to resurface we discovered that we were underneath a building and had to swim for a while before we were out from under the building. I had been underwater longer than anyone else and couldn't hold my breath any longer and just decided to give up and exhaled (I was going to drown, pretty much) when I woke up because I had been holding my breath while dreaming and was finally exhaling.
...Wartburg Track and Field, mate?

Happy! And death.

2008-07-24T22:51:00.002-05:00

So. After a full day of thinking Sarah wouldn't be coming to Rachel V's with me tomorrow, I come to find out that what she heard last night was merely a rumor started by one of the managers as a joke.
She does not, in fact, have to work on Saturday.
She doesn't even have to work on Friday!!
Which is wonderful!
Frustrating, after last night and most of today, but wonderful!
Stupid rumors.

Officialness. And sadness.

2008-07-24T10:07:00.002-05:00

First off, I am officially living in Knight's Village!! I got the phone call this morning, and am very very very excited that everything worked out!!!! =D
Secondly, the people who run a nearby factory basically suck and deserve several not-so-pleasant things for certain actions they have taken regarding this weekend (making Sarah work when we had plans to visit Rachel V.). Seriously! This weekend?! Why not last? Or next? Why now? Stupid people. Stupid stupid people.
That's all I have to say for now.
Grr.

Amazingly fun and happy times!

2008-07-21T22:39:00.002-05:00

So I am pretty much having a fantabulous time right now.
Recap! =]
Friday afternoon Sarah and I got the supplies needed to make our glorious Potter for president shirts that we're wearing on election day =] Then we met up with Jessica for lunch. After that Sarah had to go to work for a few hours, so I chilled. When she got back we ordered pizza and watched Doctor Who (!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!), then Jessica came over and we watched America's Got Talent, which was actually pretty good. =]After that we started designing and planning out the shirts. And by we, I mean Sarah went at it in Paint while asking me about my preferences, with me being very much tired and bordering incoherent...it was rather amusing.
Saturday! We got an early start to the day by going out to Cabin Coffee. I got a Twister, which is espresso, dark chocolate, white chocolate, vanilla and caramel blended up like a frappuccino. It was really good and I was wide a awake for quite a while afterwards. =D Then I got an official tour of Clear Lake, where apparently a lot of buildings that "used to be there" met the same fate-they burned down. And by a lot, I mean all but maybe one. Then we did a small amount of car shopping (test driving-woot), and on the way back stopped at a farm stand and got some sweet corn. We continued with shirt designs after getting back, along with corn cooking and eating. Funny thing: when Sarah had a rather nice mouthful of corn, I said something funny. She started laughing but was trying to stop, then said something about "laughing corn" and actually laughed corn out on the table. It was pretty much hilarious. I think my funny comment had something to do with my inadvertent over salting of my corn, which caused me to make a very funny face. =]Later on we went to the Barrel for dinner, which was really good! There was a rather hilarious misunderstanding there, too. Sarah kept mentioning their homemade cheeseballs. Cheeseballs to me are like Cheetos, in ball form, so that's what I thought she meant. When we ordered, I ordered my own thing of them...then she informed me that she was planning on getting one and we'd split it. I said the extras could be used as snacks later on, and she informed me they were best when warm. It was then she told me that they are literally fried balls of cheese, not cheese puffs. My shock led to me laughing to the point of crying and squeaking...it was a pretty good misunderstanding. =] Lol. After that small fiasco, we tried to go to the outdoor band concert, but it got rained out, so we chilled at home instead [I mean Sarah's home, I didn't realize I typed that until my proof read...].
Sunday! We went swimming! And it was loads of fun! We got floaty rafts and had to blow them up ourselves without the aide of a pump, so that took a while. Then we were in the water for a couple of hours, and the whole time was pretty much knocking each other off of the rafts. It occurred quite frequently for me, since I weigh about as much as the raft and flip easily, but it was hard for me to get Sarah back since she had a harder time getting on hers easily and wasn't on it very much. I succeeded a couple of times. =D Then we headed back, had some ice cream, continued work on the shirts and made a rather *amazing* avocado feta salsa with Jessica, which was really really good! And we saw Dark Knight!!
THAT WAS AMAZING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D The plot was great, the music was Hans Zimmer (he speaks for himself there), and Chicago looked glorious. In fact, there was a huge scene that occurred on the street right in front of the LaSalle train station I use to get there. And they used actual road names (Randolf, Cicero). =D=D I was excited in a slightly dorky way. =]
And today we mostly chilled. Daniel was in a short play put on by the library drama group, and we saw that. It was very good. =] And there was more test driving. And my first Perkin's run ever! They don't have those in IL. So now, after living in Iowa for about 18 months total, I have gone to one. It's just a little breakfasty restaurant place, a lot like Denny's, except it's called Perkin's.
I'm not sure about what else is going on over the rest of the week, aside from shirt making, but seeing as how the past four days have been pretty much amazing I'm sure the rest of the week will continue at this happy pace. =D

Iowa at last!

2008-07-17T23:15:00.002-05:00

Here I am! I made it! In one piece and everything! All 376 miles to the house of the Sarah. Aka 6.5 hours. =]
The ride went very smoothly, especially considering it was my first time on the highway without anyone else in the car. The only eventful things were two torrential downpours, but once I got used to driving in that much rain while going 70 or so mph, it was all good. =]
The gas here. Holy cow is it cheap! 3.92 in Waverly! =O They haven't even hit the four dollar mark yet! (it was 4.29 at the 7-11 near my house when I left)
Upon arriving in Waverly, I checked out storage. Survivors: loft ladder, HARRY POTTER SIGN!!!! =D=D=D=D, printer and garbage can. That was *it*. It's better than nothing, and the printer would have been the most expensive required replacement next year (I'm borrowing the text books of upperclassmen so I don't have to buy them again). But still. Argh. I have to go back on our way to Rachel V's since there is a bunch that needs tossing (the office wasn't open for me to ask for the dump thinger/help lifting stuff while I was there).
A moment of silence for the dearly departed, including my measuring cups of awesome, penguin shaped mug of happy, floor and desk lamps, shelves, favorite alarm clock ever, light up mirror, books, and (most sadly of all) band prophecy written for me by my lovely (graduated) stand partner.
*sigh*
That's about all I've got for now. All I've done today is drive up here, and other than the rain and gas prices that really wasn't eventful at all. Which is fine by me. =]

Excitement!!

2008-07-14T12:40:00.003-05:00

So in three days I officially leave for a most wonderful 10 day excursion to Iowa. I'M SO EXCITED I COULD BURST!!!
=D=D=D=D=D=D=D=D=D=D
Included in this trip are things like jet skiing and coffee place visiting and shirt making and bbq place visiting and Sarah visiting and Rachel V visiting...
And I think I'm going to explode!
And/or kill my brother. I'm pretty sure this is the most annoying he's ever managed to be. Ever. =P
Anyhoo.
I've started my list of things to pack, and later on today will start laundry/the digging out of my suitcase. I'll probably start actually packing stuff tomorrow, and leave most of it for Wednesday since I'll need something to occupy myself with.
I'm also really excited because there's this book I've been eyeballing at Border's recently called "A Mango Shaped Space," about this girl with a condition that causes her to apply colors to different things (numbers, letters, sounds), including her cat that she names Mango. Mango becomes her "best friend" of sorts, and it's about her attachment with the cat and how Mango helps her cope with being so different from everyone else. So. I've been eyeballing it at the bookstore, but have been very reluctant in buying it since I'm next to broke and don't need to spend the money. And it turns out that the library has it!! =D Yay!
Did I mention my excitement for Thursday?
In other news. My summer class is one class away from being over with forever. HUZZAH!!!! Two and a half more hours of off topic discussions and boredom and then never again!! =D
...and one 6 page paper I still need to type. But that's a different story. =P
And I found a replacement floor lamp that's identical to the one I lost in storage earlier this summer, and it arrived today! Yay! =]
What else has been going on.
I got a second piercing in my left earlobe. Which is healing quite nicely so far. And I did something I haven't done in five years (almost exactly five years)...changed the earring in my cartilage piercing. =] So far it's accepted the new earring quite nicely...a far cry from the last time I attempted a different earring there and it decided to be infected for a good two weeks. I think the fact that it's now *completely* healed has something to do with it...
This past weekend was mommy/Rachel weekend, since the boys were at the races for three nights in a row. And it was a lot of fun. There was Chinese and Italian food, movie watching and some shopping =D We watched Magorium's Wonder Emporium, which was amazing, and The Number 23, and that was spectacular! Though a little too wristy for my liking. =P (do they *really* need to show slit wrists? have people write things on their wrists? show scars on wrists? =[ )
Have I mentioned how annoying my brother is? I think one of the happier parts of the vacation is a ten day break from Nathan-y annoyance. =P Eleven counting traveling days.
I think that's about all I've got.
Exciting past twelve days, no? =]

Argh!

2008-07-01T13:18:00.002-05:00

Could someone *please* tell me HOW on Earth the topic of picking a candidate from a college for a business, along with the various ways to judge motivation, has *anything* to do with the development of teenagers?
I don't see it! I don't understand what motivated our teacher to even START this half hour long discussion! It has nothing to do with anything!
We also went over being successful in business.
I'M AN EDUCATION MAJOR!!!!! I'm not involved in business, I'm involved in teaching people about MUSIC! No one in that room is involved with business! All that was talked about was "well I know so-and-so and they said..." or "I thought they would do this."
I'm supposed to be learning about human actions and interactions and DEVELOPMENT so I can have an understanding of what point my students are at in their lives, and we completely glossed over everything that has to do with the age range I could possibly teach and I learned *nothing.*
But business? Seriously? Discussions on business??? Discussions on ADD/ADHD medication and the care of exceptional children at least was *somewhat* related to what we were talking about (the point in a child's life when most exceptional things are diagnosed), though I had already gone over that in a different class.
BTW-I just noticed three James Taylor songs in my iTunes that I have never listened to, never heard of and didn't put in there myself...my compy says they've been in there since 10/2006. I got iTunes in April of '07.
Wartburg track and field??
Well, I'm going to see Wall-e soon. So I shall move on to happier things.

Still alive!

2008-06-23T19:07:00.002-05:00

Exciting things are afoot!
First off, Larisa's most wonderful parents went out to our storage and cleaned some things out. And apparently there are survivors! My printer definitely survived, but there's also a chance that my HP sign and all my dishes did, too =D Yay!
Secondly I have officially planned a venture out to IA to visit a couple of peoples in late July and I pretty much can't wait. The 6.5 hour drive to Sarah's is going to be a long day, but it'll be worth it. Then I'll stop by Rachel V's on my way home. And it will be wonderful!!! Gas will cost a pretty penny. But that's ok. It's been anticipated. Did I mention that I can't wait? *commence victory jig* The bonus of the drive will be the fact that I get to blast any CD I want and sing along at the top of my lungs the *whole* way, both times. That's 13 hours of head-splitting, glass breaking horrible singing there. *evil cackling*
Not much else has happened. Sandy and Rachel T and I had a much anticipated sleepover Friday night that was an awesome good time. We got some Starbuck's, and things got hyperly interesting *more evil cackling* And we went swimming! wOOt!
Yesterday I got to visit my grandma. She's doing pretty good. Her memory is iffy, she knows who people are but sometimes forgets where she is or what's going on. She was carrying around a spoon, and no one knew why (including her) so that was amusing. She's a lot happier and more easy going than I've ever seen her, so that's a good thing. She also asked all the nurses if they thought my dad was handsome. Lol. =]One of them said "Yes, but shouldn't you be asking his wife that?" Haha.
Class is ok. Very very easy. The only snag is our teacher is forcing discussion down our throats. I mean, discussion over topics that warrant it is good, but developmental psychology? "This type of parenting is good. Discuss as a class." That doesn't work so well, and the past couple of times it happened the discussions were all personal story sharing and got way off the topic of psychology. *eye roll* oh well.
Doctor Who is amazing, as is my soap opera =D
Annd that's about it from this popsicle stand!

Stolen.

2008-06-12T22:43:00.004-05:00

From the blog of the Sarah. (Just the picture...)
'Tis Waverly right now.
'Tis a flood.
The bridge closest to the bottom is along the bike trail, the bridge further up is Bremer Rd. which is the main street in town (equivalent to NL's Route 30 with all the businesses and traffic and such, just smaller).
Wartburg is off to the left and not in the picture.
As far as storage...I'm screwed. It's flooded.
Things I have definitely lost (there's no way they made it) include a $200+ fridge and my floor lamp.
Things I have the potential to lose include my printer (stored in a cardboard box), desk lamp, ladder for ease of climbing to top bunk beds, theory books (about $210 total), history books ($185), amazing Hogwarts 9 3/4 sign (I think I would cry if that died) and anything else that went in there that I'm forgetting about. Along with some small things, like desk supplies and a water heater.
I feel really bad for my suitey Melissa, who only takes home her summer wardrobe and whatever fits in here carry on...she's got more than Larisa and I combined in there right now. Stuff like winter clothes, jackets, bedding, a printer, computer speakers, DVDs, a chair...two chairs...the list could go on for a while.
But. It could be a hell of a lot worse, and the little I could lose is very easily replaced. It would have been...interesting to say the very least if this happened at the end of May when everyone was trying to get home.
Cresting is supposed to happen Saturday at about sixteen feet. Flood stage is 11.
Right now I am very glad I'm in IL...as well as really hoping (crossing my fingers, a couple of prayers) that everything works out for IA. It's weird to be out here and completely unscathed but know a ton of people out there that are going through that...and to look at the pictures of Waverly...
Blasted rain.
In other news, traffic was a picnic. It took me an hour and ten minutes to get home from class today when it normally takes me less than forty. All because some potholes were being fixed on Route 30. =P
Ah well. It could always be worse.
And now I'm off to turn in a little early...

Dream...

2008-06-02T10:56:00.003-05:00

So last night I had this dream.
It was May term again, and Sarah was in England again. I was bumming around campus, and I kept going to the Den to get stuff to eat, but they were frustrating me because someone decided that the Den shouldn't carry ice cream anymore. So they weren't.
Then Sarah got back and there was a full week left until move-out/graduation. She was telling me about all of her marvelous adventures and everything she saw, which made me really want to go. Then I ranted about this science class I was taking with Larisa (apparently I was still a science major) when Sarah got the genius idea of us leaving for a week in England that day-so we did! She had enough frequent flier miles racked up for the whole flight, I have no idea where my money for the trip came from. I just had to talk to my professor (who happened to be McGonagal)about taking the final on Sunday instead of Friday.
When we got there we rented a car and drove to Stratford right away. The driving experience was REALLY scary-Sarah was driving, but she kept forgetting about the whole stay on the left side of the road deal. But we finally got there and got out of the car with all of our bags and were trying to decide on a place to stay (I suggested bed and baths, but Sarah didn't want to because there were too many stairs, so I suggested hotels but Sarah said those were too expensive so we really didn't know where we were going to stay) when we ran into some people Sarah met while she was there. Then Dr. Scholtz showed up, along with the rest of the class and it was like the original trip all over again except with me, too!
We spent the day wandering around Stratford. I took about a million pictures. There was this ice cream place Sarah went to when she was there, so we went to it...they had a bunch of weird flavors, and their current special was caramel ice cream with apple ice cream and vanilla ice cream and it was really good! According to the rest of the class, the special when they were there was caramel saxophone ("Because what kid doesn't get frustrated enough with their instrument to want to eat it?"). I was also set up on a date with this British dude and a couple people from class waited with me for him in a pub, but I had too much cider by the time he got there and just wanted to sleep (wtf?). Then we met by a river for a class, and got creeped out by snakes floating by. Roger Pollock was there, and somehow (with his assistance) the conversation we were having turned into size and weight and I started joking about how much I "needed" to lose weight but everyone else took me seriously and then I took them seriously so it was kind of weird.
Also, Sarah kept having me hold her hand while we were walking around because she was making up characters in her head and they started "stalking" us and creeping her out (I couldn't see them...).
Then it was the end of our trip in England, so for our last couple of days overseas we went to Australia. Which was actually exactly like England, except with kangaroos. We were staying in some kind of hostel owned by Mr. Weasley that was inside some kind of mall. So Sarah and I bought some sunglasses and wandered around town. By the time we got back the mall was closing, including all of these gates inside, so we couldn't get to the hostel easily, except we had our sunglasses! So all we had to do was wave them near the gates and the gates knew we were customers and they opened back up for us. So we went back in and went to bed and something happened during the night (I have no idea what) where Mr. Weasley was killed and turned into a zombie. But we were leaving the next day, so we just kind of hurried out of there and headed back home after some arguing about going back to get more souvenirs.
Then we were back in Lohe and Sarah was going to bed and I was going to wash up and in the bathroom there was this girl with this creepy old guy and they were using the condom machine, which weirded me out, but I tried to ignore them as I had to take care of my wisdom teeth.
And then I woke up.
...Wartburg track and field, mate?

Home again...

2008-05-26T22:23:00.002-05:00

The past two weeks have been pretty good.
Sarah got back from England last Wednesday at about 130 AM (it was supposed to be 930 PM, but the flight from London got a flat and it took three hours to fix it). I was counting down like a crazy person and basically drove Melissa beyond insane (it was rather funny, I must admit).
Thursday night we saw Caspian, Friday night Indiana Jones (which was really good!) and just did a bunch of hanging around in between. And some Doctor Who watching!! =D =D *amazing* season!!
And I'm done with Marching Band/Instrument Repair!! Yay! The marching final went fairly well, Doc complimented me on my leading of the group (I thought I did OK but I know I tend to be really hard on myself) but it took four hours which left me very much sore (I haven't marched that much in about three years).
Saturday was move out day and my parents came up, which was fun. It only took a couple of hours this year compared to a *full* day last year which was very much happy! =D
I had my May Term band concert Saturday night, and that went well. Alto sax is a fun instrument to play =]
Sunday was commencement. That was very long and very boring and very filled with speeches. But it was and it's done and I'll only have to sit through it twice more! The highlights were when the president mispronounced "Arizona" as "Arizoni" and called the band the Wind Ensemble (it was just Meistersinger scholarship people, aka from both bands).
After commencement was time to leave, which was really really weird and a little sad. I've hardly been home this year (unlike last year) so this dorm was more of a home than my freshman dorm, and it was really strange to move all my things out and turn in my keys and leave knowing that I wouldn't be coming back to it. I do have a bit of a tendency to get sentimental about things like that.
Then it was leaving time, followed by a long and thankfully uneventful ride back. There was an amazingly huge storm that formed while we were leaving and spawned a tornado that completely wiped out a town and killed five people twenty minutes after we left, and the storm was following the route we were taking, including a large funnel that formed over the roads we were taking (thankfully after we had driven through them). It was insane.
Then I got home.
And discovered that I officially have a car!
It's my mom's old one, she got a used Jeep to replace it. But the car is mine! I spent today cleaning it out and personalizing it with a few things. =] I'm so excited!! Freedom is mine! No more asking for rides! =D And this means that the trip to Iowa to see a certain Sarah is going to be a heck of a lot easier to plan out since the biggest hurdle was going to be securing a car for the week.
Also I found out on Sunday that I got the band librarian job I've been chasing since last semester! No more Mensa ever again!! HUZZAH!! No more uniforms, dishline, deli, refilling mayonnaise, smelling like food, being covered in other people's food, working weekends...YAY!! I'm very much excited about it.
Since being home I've started unpacking. That's a huge record, if anyone recalls my pictures that I posted at the end of last June of the huge mess in my room. I'm already halfway done and pretty excited, though it looks like I'm going to have to clean everything out by the end of the summer since all my drawers are starting to overflow with junk.
That's about all I've got...
It's summer! wOOt!

Updates in general.

2008-05-11T14:00:00.002-05:00

So yesterday I got a little adventurous in the instrument repair end of class. I have my beginner flute here at school and this thing was dirtier than all heck. So I took it apart and gave the body a chemical bath and wiped down all of the keys and screws and posts with a cloth.
And it was awesome!!
I want to do it again.
The only mishap was when I was putting the screws back in...I hit one of the very very tiny ones at the wrong angle with the screwdriver and it flew across the room and I couldn't find it for 10 minutes. That really freaked me out. But then I found it and all was well. =D
When I started unscrewing it, I wasn't sure if I'd be able to clean it since only two of seven screws would even budge (only one would come out). But it just so happened that Dominique was around and she randomly wandered into the instrument repair room (how she knew I was in there I'm not sure) and told me that nail polish remover helps unstick screws sometimes. And it worked! =D I was excited.
Not a whole lot else has been going on.
I'm through Voyage of the Dawn Treader in the Chronicles of Narnia (I'm reading them in published and not numbered order, so that's book three for me) and that was my favorite so far. There's still four left. But it was amazing.
Also...recent news...Obama is kicking some Clinton behind. Some of Clinton's main supporters have advised her to admit defeat and quit, but she won't listen. It's pretty much next to impossible for her to win number wise. HUZZAH!!!!
The mensa is strange once again. On the salad bar, they've gotten rid of applesauce (which makes me really sad) and added a section of freshly cut oranges and sometimes grapefruits (whole oranges aren't in the middle with the apples anymore). Also, the thingy where one can set their backpack/coat while eating on the far wall, near the really tall tables/chairs, has disappeared. I think it's right when you enter the mensa now instead of being in that hallway. But it looks really strange. And the baked spaghetti was definitely labeled "vegetarian spaghetti ala putanesca" last night. =P The mowing brigade has taken a break for the past couple of days. And band is band...nothing exciting with that for the moment.
I've had some spectacularly strange dreams as of late. Last night's involved being on tour, except Wellman and Nedzel were Wartburg's directors instead of Doc, and for one of my home stays my host mom was my manager from maintenance, but she didn't recognize me. A couple of nights ago it was about my brother being put in juvy by my parents because he had some rather poor grades. In this dream I was really upset and called Sarah, but I don't remember what she had to say. I was also denied use of my mom's car even though she was hosting a Tupperware party for four old ladies at home and didn't need it.
There is suitey drama afoot. *rolls eyes* Nothing major, nor does it really include me, but it's there. Only two more weeks...
Time has been going by rather fast. It's kind of scary. I'm going to be a third year this fall...and next year...I'll be a senior. And then I'll be teaching.
I'm only a week and a half away from being halfway done with college, but it feels like I was JUST starting out my first year...
Strange.
That's about I'll I've got. Nothing too exciting today. Just...chilling.
Prince Caspian is in theatres this Friday! wOOt!! =D

Strange Dream...

2008-05-07T14:52:00.002-05:00

So I had this dream last night.
It started out with the marriage of Greenlee from my soap opera and Kristina from Grey's Anatomy. Neither one is a lesbian on the shows, nor were they in my dream, but they decided to get married nonetheless.
Right after the wedding they got into a huge fight but then agreed that they were very happy to be married later on.
Then I was on campus and it was next year. I was Sarah's (not illegal) roomy. We were out at a sort of party (more like dinner at a restaurant) and it was still the start of the schoolyear, so I wasn't 21 quite yet. A couple of people we were with started having shots, and Rachel V started freaking out because I was there and underage (even if only by a week). So she acted like I was 10 and she was my mother and started telling everyone off for drinking around me while covering my eyes so I couldn't see what was going on (dream me was very much annoyed while real me thinks that was hysterical...). Afterwards, we headed back to our dorm, but I stopped to talk to Laura Blair along the way (even though she would have been graduated by that point...). When I got back we were washing up to go to bed, but Sarah wanted to try and watch a movie with us Rachels, and I was very very excited since we hadn't done that in a very long time (it already feels like forever), except I went to take a cat nap while they were finishing getting their pajamas on and ended up sleeping through it.
Then there was something about me going home with Sarah for the entirety of Christmas break. I don't remember all of it, but it involved being at some kind of barn (Sarah doesn't live on a farm, fyi, but that's what my dream was...) and her mom had a bunch of questions to ask me about a choir concert. Then there was something about driving back and forth to Wartburg and it involved driving along this really creepy, abandoned/uncared for street that I'm pretty sure has appeared in other dreams of mine before since it looked kind of familiar. There was also something about an actual choir concert and me driving back to Wartburg with Tork.
Then my brother was really little again and my mom had to buy him some shoes, so we went to the Disney store (even though I kept telling her they would be really expensive there). I wandered up to the girl's section where I was trying to find a really cute/cheap shirt. I ended up running into a long lost aunt and uncle who I've never met before up there.
And then my alarm went up.
Weird...

Small updates.

2008-05-02T18:57:00.002-05:00

Mowing: Not today, oddly enough. Though that could be due to the monsoon that moved in this afternoon...that was some noisy rain.
Mensa: New discovery...no trays means freakishly large messes on the tables. Grossness. Also, there was what appeared to be sweet and sour chicken at lunch, though I can't be sure since it was labeled "chicken" and had an oddly spicy sauce (and wasn't mentioned on the online menu). So far no heartburn on my part, so I'm thinking maybe it was something different (last time I had the sweet and sour chicken Mensa style I got the worst heartburn I've ever had).
Band: There was none, but in class today Doc decided to start calling me by my last name only. I have no idea why. Not Miss Daum, not my first name at all, just "Daum." Most of the class was confused as to who he was talking to since it kind of sounded like he said Dawn.
And the Den has started selling sunflower seeds! Perfect, perfect timing. [end sarcasm] I was rather amused.
I have more to post on some of my thoughts about certain things in class, but that'll happen after Doctor Who, possibly tomorrow...yeah. Real update pending.

So much time...

2008-05-01T14:34:00.002-05:00

And so little to do.
'Tis May term.
I like not having a half a million things scheduled every single day and having lots of happy free time.
...except there's *really* not much to do...
So I'm coming up with things.
I'm making a list of books to grab at the library, probably tomorrow afternoon. Plus I have four sitting on my bookshelf (Twilight series and HP 7).
Next Friday class is canceled, meaning I have absolutely nothing scheduled from Thursday evening through Monday morning (no band on Fridays, no working that weekend). Friday afternoon, when I have the whole suite to myself pretty much all day, I'm thinking I'll organize my room. Because thanks to the stress and lack of time last term, as well as my inability to keep things tidy when stressed, my drawers and closet have all successfully exploded. And if I'm going to pack everything up over the span of a Friday evening/Saturday, things need to be at least a little organized to begin with...They're kind of nowhere near it...
I'm also thinking about getting an account at one of the movie rental places in town and renting a couple of random movies on the weekend. I've got three of those to myself.
And I want to exercise. Maybe I'll actually stick with a running routine, since I'll have the time.
This is really, really weird...having time and not knowing what to do with it...it's the first time that's happened since Christmas break. Which was five months ago.
Sarah has requested updates while she is gone on the mensa, May term band and frequency of mowing. So there will be nearly continual postings on those things. Even though she literally left 45 minutes ago, there is already a massive amount of mowing going on. There were also lawn mower tracks in the grass near the FAC about a day ago. Oh Wartburg. We do not have grass here...there is a mysterious green fuzz covering the dirt, about two inches long...maybe if it actually got to grow on occasion it would resemble this mysterious plant known as grass. Grass is said to exist in places outside the Wartburg bubble...

Happy, happy day!!

2008-04-28T20:13:00.004-05:00

I started my marching band/instrument repair class today, and it is going to be lots of fun. I'm pretty excited. Particularly about the marching. The instrument part will be happy, too. =]
And I started playing alto sax in band today. Which I absolutely STINK at, but it will be fun to practice and get better over the course of May term. I look forward most to being able to play in tune. Actually knowing the fingerings tends to help, too.
And I asked Doc about the band librarian position. He said that he still hasn't decided, but told me (with a grin and pat on the shoulder) that he likes my persitance. So it's still a hopeful. wOOt!!!
AND work doesn't start until 530 for me every night so I have enough time for dinner.
AND I'm working on deli, not dishline!!!!! =D
And my mallet came in the mail today. I got to watch pretty much all of AMC. I got a package at the info desk that consisted of a LOT of junk food.
I also had a chocolate muffin for breakfast and had a couple of extra minutes to chill before I headed off to class. I also got to sleep in later than Melissa. *tee hee* =]
...I think that's about all I've got.
Life is glorious here! =D

I'm back...

2008-04-27T15:33:00.002-05:00

Tour is done and I am back in my room at last. Huzzah!
And it was a lot better than I thought it would be. I mean, it had its stinky parts. Like getting up at 630 in the morning, having a day of three concerts, playing 10 concerts in the span of a week, wearing concert dress all day for two or three days (it freaking reeks and needs to be cleaned...), and not really having free time.
But my home stays were pretty much awesome. I ended up rooming with Ashley F. since the group I signed up with was a threesome and they needed more twosomes. It ended up being a lot of fun, we got to know each other pretty well and we have a bit in common. Three of the houses we stayed at had cats, which made me very happy. Two of the three houses had cats that really liked me. One had a cat that tried to crawl in bed with me and scared the crap out of me-I ended up screaming and scaring it off. Poor kitty. The people were all very nice. One of my host sisters at one point was a sixth grader who JUST started band and was *so* excited to have band people at her house-she was a sweetheart!
One of the more exciting parts of the trip was when we performed in Rice Lake and my aunt, uncle (aka godfather) and two cousins got to come and see me-the last time they heard me play I was in jr. high and they'd never seen me perform in a group before, and I hadn't seen them since the summer after graduation. One of my cousins, Julian, is 13 and plays the flute, piccolo, bass guitar and piano and even composes his own songs for all four of them. Holy cow.
Chicago was amazing as well. I felt very much at home. We (Megan O., Kat, Mallory, Connie, Kayla A. and Jen N.) spent the day wandering around together, and we went to Navy Pier and wandered around Michigan Ave where all the shopping is. I found the cutest sundress ever at H&M for $5 (normal price-not sale price) and a mother's day gift for my mom at Borders that I'm very very excited about. =] Sandy met up with us halfway through the day. We ended up just chilling in the hotel that night, which was a lot of fun. For dinner we decided to order a pizza since we were tired of walking at it was raining, and nobody but Sandy and I had had Chicago style deep dish before. And Gino's East delivered. HUZZAH! It was happy.
The last concert (last night) was interesting, since I nearly passed out in the middle of it and had to leave the stage for two songs. It was a combination of being overheated, having a headache and being completely exhausted (I'll be catching up on sleep for a while). Once I had some water and time not playing life was happy.
I also bawled my eyes out along with Melissa H. The end of band this year reminded me SO much of the end of a season of MK. I'm going to miss Melissa more than I can tell next year. It was a sob fest. And I forgot the waterproof mascara, so I was interesting looking. =]
There are also a lot of traditions in WE that aren't in symphonic band. One of them is the writing of prophecies by each senior for each band member. Melissa H wrote mine, and it's absolutely hilarious. If you ever want to read it, just ask-if it wasn't written on both sides of the paper, I would probably frame it. Another tradition is the willing off of different things by the seniors, and Melissa willed to me the continuation of the tattoo tradition for the flutes. And I felt very warm and fuzzied. Because that's what I do.
I've also walked away with a completely different view of the band itself than the impression I got at band bonding last year. There is a bit of a family aspect, particularly in WE, that I really enjoy. Kind of a bond between the members of the band. I love the different traditions that we have. But one thing that has completely changed is my view of the director and his involvement in my love of the band. It's lessening a lot. Mainly because of band banquet. But also because of different things that are done and said in his pep speeches and interactions with the audience, as well as views on the women in the band. He's very very old fashioned, and I don't agree with that. That's his view, and that's fine, but when it's impressed upon me then I have a problem. The dress code and the fact that whenever *anything* needs to be lifted the lifting is asked to be done by a guy and the way women presidents are treated differently than man presidents bothers me. I'm also a very firm believer in the separation of church and state, so when we did a little clinic at a public high school during a school day and sang Praise God from whom all Blessings Flow in front of the students and did our usual concert ending, along with a 5+ minute long discussion on the fact that Wartburg is a Lutheran school and there are a lot of very Christian traditions in the band, rubbed me the wrong way. A lot. If we were going to do that no matter what, a brief statement that Wartburg is a Lutheran school and we have Christian traditions and this is one of them would have been way more than enough-not the speech. There are a few other things. Just seeing this side of him as opposed to the side of him that's shown in symphonic band has really changed my view on him overall. He's a good director and a good teacher, and that's about how far it's going to go for me.
Speaking of Christianity, I think I've finished figuring out my views on religion. I really don't consider myself Catholic any longer. It was the introduction of 7 new sins by the pope that kind of did it for me-yes, littering is bad, but does it really need to be labeled a sin? I don't think so. And all forms of cloning-including all forms of genetic research-are sins, too. I could see the cloning being considered that by the church (I'm not for cloning anything just to clone it. I agree with stem cell research, and that's the only case where cloning is ok in my world). But genetic research? That can, will and is doing so much good. What on Earth is the problem with that? I don't get it and I don't agree with it. Others probably do, and that's fine, but I don't. I kind of sealed my decision by taking communion at the Lutheran church we performed in last Sunday (since Catholics aren't supposed to take communion from any other religion). I'm not sure which protestant religion I'm going to go with, if any-I'm not a huge fan of established religions with set views on everything. I like making my own decisions on what I believe. I know exactly what those beliefs are, so I'm going to see which form of Christianity-if any-matches them, at least somewhat closely.
Quick update on my grandma: she recognizes everyone again, but still has difficulty with conversations (and that's pretty much not going to change). Life in a nursing home is going well for her so far. Things are OK at the moment, which is a very good thing.
That's about all I have right now...
The new season of Doctor Who is pretty much the most amazing thing ever, and it's only one episode in.
And life is happy once more! =]

Surviving!

2008-04-17T15:34:00.000-05:00

It's official.
Finals week is over. The crazy semester of insaneness and all things frustrating is done and over with, and I have survived!!! =D
The fact that I have absolutely nothing to do still weirds me out. I have laundry and packing to do for tour week, and I have to order some of the tools needed for marching band/instrument repair over May term, but that's it. Nothing is due. My classes are completely and entirely done...everything has been turned in...
I have no homework!!! This is amazing.
In fact, I really don't know what to do with myself...
My suiteys are still around, and I think we're watching a movie tonight. Megan O. is going to be around tomorrow (since she's in wind ensemble, too) and we're going to chill together pretty much all day...I think some Sweeney Todd viewing may be in order...
And then on Saturday we leave.
The past few days have been a lot of fun, aside from the random two hour blocks I've spent taking tests. I passed my sophomore barrier, which means I can "officially" start preparing for my junior recital. I also passed one of my piano basic skills things (only three more to go!).
Monday night Sarah and I were chilling and finishing up some of our homework when we decided we were hungry (this was at 945 ish at night) and made a spur of the moment McDonald's run with Rachel V and Leah. When we came back we watched The Princess and the Pea, and then goofed off (while listening to 90s music) for a very very long time before we finally departed and went to bed. It was randomly fun and happy. =]
And Tuesday night we ditched the Mensa and got Chinese for dinner, which is always happy.
Yesterday was the day of being done with everything. So Sarah and I went on a walk to celebrate the weather, getting slurpees along the way and being chased by bees later, and we watched Down Periscope, and Ghost Hunters for laughs, and then the Court Jester and it was a happy happy time.
It's been a rather good past couple of days.
I also finished Harry Potter 7 for the second time. I want to read it four more times (because I have to have read the books the same number of times each, otherwise it bothers me) and then this summer I'm going to go through all of them in a row. I think it will be very very odd to finish reading 7's epilogue, and then open book one when they're leaving baby Harry on the doorstep... =] *happy sigh*
In fact, Melissa is watching the Sorcerer's Stone right now and it was really odd to watch Harry open up the invisibility cloak at Christmas and not realize its importance...
Also, the fourth book in the Twilight series (Breaking Dawn) comes out in August!! wOOt! So I'll be rereading those books as well.
Tour week is coming. I'm still not sure how much I'm looking forward to it. I'm excited to see my aunt, uncle and two cousins at our Monday night concert, and excited for the day in Chicago. But concerts every day (one day with three), being places between 6 and 8 in the morning every day and wearing dress twos every day...not so much.
Ah well.
Then it will be May term, and I'll be marching...and I'll only have one class and not five...and there will be May term band. And many blog updates, as it has been requested that I keep tabs on the yuckiness of Mensa food, how often the grass is mowed and what goes on in band every day. There shall be much posting and it will be exciting. =D
And then it will be summer! I don't really know what I'll be doing, as I'm not sure whether or not I'll have a job, but we shall see. My wisdom teeth come out pretty much right away. And I'm taking a class to lighten my workload for next fall (at least a little bit).
But one large potential that I'm looking forward to is maybe trying to visit Sarah! It would be for a week to justify the six hour long drive and it will be awesome. It all depends on how my getting a car goes as well as having some gas money. But I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it works out, because it would be amazingly fun and happy. =]
AND DOCTOR WHO PREMIERS TOMORROW NIGHT ON SCI FI!!!!!! =]=]=]=]=]=]
I can't wait to be able to watch new episodes on tv instead of online, since sci fi is showing them two weeks later than the BBC instead of their normal several months. =] EEE!!!
Also, there is a movie on Sunday night at 8 on PBS based off of a Jane Austen novel that stars Daniel Radcliffe. My mom is tivoing it so I can see it when I come home at the end of May, since I'll be on tour and probably giving a concert that time on Sunday, but it looks good. And Daniel Radcliffe with a mustache? Haha! =]
I think that's about all I've got...
Nothing else that's too exciting is going on. Aside from laundry. THAT'S always a party. =P

Cheeseball.

2008-04-14T15:11:00.003-05:00

Indeed.
I was thinking while I was at work today about how much has changed since last year.
Pretty much everything has.
If someone told me when I was graduating high school that at the end of my second year I'd be a music eduation major with blue hair and a tattoo I would have called them crazy.
Even the things I've done over the past two semesters are things I wouldn't have thought I would do. The whole trayless week thing, for instance.
There's still May term left in this school year, but the "normal" part of the year is quickly ending, whether or not I want it to. The only reason I wouldn't want it to is because it's really been a great semester, considering things other than my workload. There are a lot of happy memories there. And I know that the people I've spent almost all of my free time with aren't going to be here for a vast majority of May term.
Some things I have to remember this year by...
*the great tray heist.
*blue hair dye.
*Doctor Who, Friday nights
*making fun of Most Haunted and Moonlight (vampire genocide...)
*crowding way too many people onto that futon on a very regular basis.
*being extremely cuddly on said futon.
*not caring who may think we're lesbians, holding hands really does make life more bearable when crap happens. As does walking down hallways arm in arm.
*hell weeks this term and camping out in the library in the company of an amazing friend.
*diet Pepsi and late night snacks from the ditty.
*watching movies just to make fun of them (the Cinderella musical/Cinderella with Matthew Broderick...)
*walking across campus to or from the manors late at night.
*20th and 21st birthday(s).
*flicking contests in band.
*bruises from said flicking contests.
*crappy jobs.
*homecoming weekend.
*crashing on futons when it's too late to wander home.
There's also a lot that I've learned over this past school year.
Like there's no such thing as forever. Everything is going to change at some point in time. Lives start and end, people move out or in, some graduate...everything should be appreciated while it's there, because while it may be there for a very long time, it's never absolutely permanent. (that was rather pessimistic, but it's true..)
I've also learned the difference between fair weather friends, good friends, and amazingly close friends. I've become increasingly greatful for the latter, but sadly some have made their way into the first category. In a couple of cases it wasn't what I expected at all, but it is.
I also think it's time for a break. I've become somewhat frustrated by certain people, and I really just need separation. Not every single conversation has to be a contest. Yes, there are points in conversation where someone has the funniest or most unusual story, or even the strangest, or a right to boast. But it doesn't have to be the same person every single time. Yeah, it's interesting for a while, but I've realized that it's just repeating stories, over and over again. A constant need to trump everyone. If it's not a repeated story, it's someone's amazing reaction to a repeated story. After a while it just starts to get old. I try very hard not to be like that. And I know I'm not perfect. But when it's every other statement in every conversation, it just starts to get really old.
I've also realized that good and/or amazingly close friends have the tendency of telling their equally good friends what's going on, good *and* bad. There have been a few instances where I'm completely in the dark when it comes to the bad, and it frustrates me. Maybe they didn't need to talk. That's fine. I'm not particularly open about everything, I know that for a fact. But there comes a point where it's really prudent to actually tell others what's going on.
I know I've changed as a person. At least a little bit.
One very good part about this year is that I have a person. A friendship that got its start last year, but really changed and developed throughout the course of this year, particularly these past couple of weeks. To quote Grey's Anatomy,
"She's my person. If I killed someone, she's who I would call to drag the corpse across the floor."
Am I their person? Maybe I'm one of them, or at least a particularly good friend. But I know there's someone who I consider to be my person, someone who's first on my list of people to call when things start going wrong.
And it's not to say that anyone else who falls under the category of very good friends means any less, or that I wouldn't call them. I've always had an order in my head of my friends. That's just how I am. It tends to alter fairly consistently, but over the course of this year it's changed a bit.
There are four people from high school I still keep in touch with, two groups of two each. These are four people I will always keep in touch with forever. They include Megan, Kristina, Sandy and Rachel T. I'm a little closer to Sandy and Rachel T along the lines of personality and numerous shared interests. Yet I'm still close to Megan and Kristina in different ways. I've known all four since the eighth grade, which is the longest amount of time I've managed to maintain close friendships. That fact alone tends to add something to the friendships.
There are three people from college who I consider good friends. People that I have things in common with, and will (in one case do) keep in touch with. Melissa, Larisa and Chelsea. We've each got a few things in common and have some particularly amusing memories, especially from last year when all three were on campus. We spent pretty much all of last year together, which will always mean something, and I've lived with Melissa and Larisa this year (and will again senior year).
But as of this year there are two people at this school who fall under the same category as my highschool friends. Sarah and Rachel V. I relate to them in very similar ways, and our little trio is almost identical to my friendships with Rachel T and Sandy (the similarity in the names amuses me a lot). Sometimes there just aren't words. I've spent almost all of my free time with them this year, and a majority of my very happy memories come from the things we've done together. It's become something that's always going to be there for me to look back on, those are my happy memories for days that maybe aren't so glorious. They are my people on this campus. [is one of them my person? Perhaps...]
I'm already excited for next year. It's going to be a happy year. Stressful, yes, but I know there are going to be several good parts to it. Particularly after the way this year has gone.
Those are just some things that have been bouncing around in my mind for a while, particularly throughout this afternoon.
I remember this time last year, when I found out that I was failing chem and life exploded in all of the wrong ways at once. I once read a quote, I don't remember where, that said things fall apart so better things can fall together. And that is completely true right now. This year would not have fallen together the way it did if last year didn't fall apart the way it did, when it did. It kind of amazes me how well everything fell together over this school year. It's an amazing thing to know that there is nowhere else I could be right now that would fit me better than here, there is no one else that I could have met who would have meant this much to me and there is nothing else I could be doing that would fit me any better than this does now.
I'm beginning to think that college is going to be the best four years of my life. Highschool was ok. This is becoming much better very quickly.

Post 500!

2008-04-13T18:29:00.002-05:00

wOOt!
Anyhoo.
It's still technically the weekend. And I am still alive. I'm amazed that I'm still alive.
And I can't believe that I got everything done.
Because there was a lot.
And by a lot, I mean this:
8 page term paper for music history along with a take home written test, listening final on Friday, and 20 listening logs to finish. Two worksheets for theory along with 6 weeks' worth of Horvit and a dictation final. Final project for general music methods, which included five detailed lessons that went along with a "unit" as well as a bulletin board mock-up and a legitimate field trip and a resource person/guest speaker and a culminating activity that involved that parents, every aspect being something that actually could be done in a classroom setting. As well as organizing a term's worth of handouts and lesson plans into a binder. For cello bass methods there was an arrangement of Farmer in the Dell for a string quartet along with journals of the lessons we have given to students so far and three programs, one each for an elementary, junior and senior high school string concert. There were specifications as to how much of the music could be arranged and what grade it had to be, along with a time length for each one. Also, I had to give lessons to my student and have them play for the professor. In ED 100 there was a half hour long group presentation and a paper. Also, for general music methods, I had to team teach an actual fifth grade class for a half hour (which took a TON of planning). There was also the finishing up of field experience. Along with a playing final for cello. Plus flute lessons, practicing for those lessons, flute choir practice every freaking day along with a performance on Friday night and a recital today, plus required recital attendance for that and recital attendance to finish up my recital attending. And a band concert. And band practice. And piano lessons, as well as practicing for those piano lessons. All while going to classes and work and just dealing with everything I deal with on a daily basis.
Ack.
But it's done!
Now I just have to polish off the listening logs, survive juries tomorrow, take an ED 100 and theory final, and survive piano basic skills.
And work tomorrow. That's always a party.
Not a whole lot has been going on other than homework.
Tour week is coming, which is going to be ok. It's band tour and I'm not particularly thrilled about playing a concert every single day while leaving places around 8 in the morning every day while not being in the same spot for more than one night at a time...yeah. It'll be ok. I'm just not particularly excited about it.
Then it's May term and I'll be taking marching band/instrument repair and that'll be fun. Along with working and some piano lessons and playing the alto sax in May term band. =D
I'm excited about the alto sax part. It'll be fun to be on a not-flute and I heart the other people who will be joining me. =D Melissa H and Kelsey A and Jen C. =]=]
Annnd now...I'm going to chill for a while. Because I can. Because hell week is over. !!!!

Quick

2008-04-08T14:29:00.002-05:00

I don't have enough time (nor do I want) to go into complete and total detail on a recent event.
But I needed to vent just a little. Because I'm frustrated.
How on earth can someone stand in front of a group of people for years and tell us that we are a great group, that we give so much and do so much for each other as well as the group itself, that the integrity of this group has remained unchanged for thirteen years, and then stand in front of us and tell us (in front of several guests, all of some importance to the group) that our integrity is the exact opposite of the group he started out with and that we don't give enough and don't do enough for the group as well as each other?
How can someone send *seniors* off with that being the last big speech that they'll ever hear from him?
And how can today's bulletin tell us that we're doing a great job after all of that?
The contradictiveness is frustrating.
Which is it? Are we really doing a great job? What am I supposed to really listen to and what am I supposed to take with a grain of salt?
What the crap.
I need to finish my music history paper.
But I'm still frustrated. And sort of looking forward to rehearsal in a what's-going-to-happen kind of way (if anything at all). I'm also very very glad that I don't have a devo coming up.

Happy news!

2008-04-05T23:40:00.002-05:00

...for once! =]

So my mom called me back this evening. And they've worked it out.

And they're coming up to see me tomorrow.

And we're going to breakfast. And they're going to see my concert.

=D=D=D

I'm a much happier camper now.

Life is good for the moment.

...and I have some awesome friends. *HUGS* You know who you are...

EXCITEMENT!!

2008-03-29T11:56:00.002-05:00

So there's this really awesome thing. Where several colleges are participating in intercollegiate Quidditch. All the normal rules of Quidditch still apply, people just run around instead of flying. And the Snitch is someone who runs all over the field all crazy like. And it looks really cool and exciting and amazing and such.
And guess what?
THERE'S A QUIDDITCH TEAM AT WARTBURG!!!!
It just started a couple of weeks ago.
And today is our first scrimmage.
I'M GOING TO BE PLAYING QUIDDITCH THIS AFTERNOON!!! HOW COOL IS THAT?!?
=D
I'm so excited.

Something to look forward to...

2008-03-28T00:13:00.000-05:00

So next year I'll be rooming with a certain Sarah S.
We've started the whole who's-bringing-what deal a little.
And I am very very much excited.
That's gonna be happy.
In other news, heartburn is no fun. It needs to go away completely and stop lingering.
And homework is not a good time.
Is it bedtime yet?

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!

2008-03-25T23:30:00.001-05:00

http://abc.go.com/daytime/allmychildren/Dixiereturns.html
DIXIE IS FREAKING COMING BACK!
ON ALL MY CHILDREN!
SHE'S GONNA BE BACK ON!
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER *EVER* WHO THE *NEVER* SHOULD HAVE KILLED IS GONNA BE BACK! AS A GHOST...BUT STILL...
AND SHE'S GONNA LEAD TAD TO KATE!
AFTER FIVE YEARS! FIVE LONG YEARS! THE STORYLINE IS FINALLY COMING TO A CLOSE IN MAY!
WORDS CANNOT EXPRESS MY JOY!
MY FAVORITE CHARACTER IS COMING BACK AND THE STORYLINE HAS AN ENDPOINT!
HOLY COW!
=D=D=D=D=D=D=D
(I literally jumped up, squealed and ran in circles when I first read this...!!!!!!!)

It's a holiday...

2008-03-23T13:00:00.002-05:00

Happy Easter to everyone!
May your chocolate bunnies not be hollow and your peeps extra fluffy and sugary!
Hopefully church was a happy experience this morning!
...'cause...well...I sent out a mass text message to people I hadn't already wished a happy Easter to, and was wondering why *no one* had texted me back after an hour had gone by...
Then my mom reminded me that people of the non-heathen Christian variety usually, ahem, go to church.
Wow.
I = intelligent...
Yeah.
That's my story.
An actual update shall appear later! First I must shower and partake in the manicotti making festivities! Huzzah!

Party?

2008-03-16T15:36:00.002-05:00

Run out was a lot of fun this weekend.
We went to Edgewood IA and played in the Catholic church there Saturday evening and then stayed over night with various peoples.
The concert went pretty well as a group. For me, it sucked...I could not get in tune to save my life (especially in the very quiet songs) and there were a few things I messed up...I actually think that it's rather funny. During CWW we played in a Lutheran church and that was one of the best concerts I've ever given...we go to a Catholic one, and I sucked...it's either a sign or a really odd coincidence, but I am rather amused either way. Haha. =]
Out home stay was a lot of fun. Mallory, Kat and I stayed with Jess's grandmother...who was a very sweet lady. Who was also incredibly concerned with how much we'd had to eat. We got there and were offered pop, then snacks but we weren't particularly hungry. So she kept asking us if we were sure we didn't want any chips or anything, then laid them out before she went to sleep "just in case." A little while later, she came back out and asked if we liked candy and set a bowl of that out as well. And in the morning we didn't have enough time for breakfast before church, which greatly distressed her...seriously...she was concerned. It was cute. =]
And the S word is no longer what you might think it is...it's "snow." *tee hee*
Not a whole lot else has happened. I get to talk to my maintenance manager tomorrow morning, which will be interesting. My mom has warned me a few times now to keep a level head and stay really calm, but we'll see...if I'm snapped at, I'm not going to stay quiet. It all depends on her reaction.
I was really hungry when I got back (there wasn't a vegetarian option for either meal) so I got a shake at the Den and my stomach did not like it very much. It's not like it's upset, it's just not happy nor is it going to be for a little while...milk has been bothering me for some odd reason lately, and I'm not sure why. I noticed it over break...I can't really have a huge glass of it anymore, particularly when I'm stressed and my stomach is being ridiculous to begin with...is it possible to develop an intolerance later on in life? 'Cause I'm not sure why it's bothering me, it never has before...I kind of hope not...Idk.
I should travel off to the wonderful world of homeworkness. It's a party. Hopefully my partner in homework crime will be in this here library soonish...
Listening logs= =P
Crap!
...I have ED 100 homework. A huge take home test due tomorrow. I forgot about that...
Well, I should probalby get started on that one as it's due sooner...fun times...

Moment to breathe...

2008-03-14T15:38:00.002-05:00

Life is a little better. The music history test is out of the way. HUZZAH! That's a HUGE load off of my mind.
Now it's just time to catch up on everything that's due next week that I haven't had time for.
...After I clean my room, of course.
Today was pay day. And I definitely was NOT paid for the week and a half that I was in maintenance during February. So on Monday I'm going in to see what the crap is going on. First to my manager, and if that doesn't do anything I'll figure out who else to go to (because I have absolutely no idea who the supervisors are and such). I'll ask around if I have to, there's gotta be a way to figure it out.
Argh. Stupidness.
I've been listening to the season 3 Doctor Who soundtrack and found 2-3 songs that would work PERFECTLY for a field show...then Sarah pointed one out that would add some interest to the drum solo...oh goodness. I'm a nerd. I've figured out, or at least been picturing, different parts of the drill and ways to arrange the music and guard uniforms and stuff like that...I think I would die of happiness if I got to march this show. I'm pretty excited, and I may use it in the far distant future if/when I end up directing a high school marching band. Because it would be *amazing*. The music is awesome and I like the concept. It just really needs a name...something more creative than just "Doctor Who." Something that's darker, that sounds cool when the announcer dude announces it at competitions...like how Altered State sounded senior year...
I saw a cheestastic version of Beauty and the Beast last night that was...the most amusing thing ever. Ever ever. I laughed so freaking hard. It wasn't the Disney version, and their special effects consisted of a fog machine. It was just all around strange and hilarious. I think the most hilarious part was the Beast. They obviously got the costume from somewhere that makes high school mascot costumes, because he looked like a very happy lion. Yeah. Lol.
And tonight...board games for a couple hours, possibly one other thing...timing shall tell. I'm excited. Chill time at the end of an impossibly long week filled with much stress and freaking out.
I survived!!! HUZZAH!!

Eee!!

2008-03-11T12:12:00.002-05:00

So I went to field experience today...and instead of my normal observing/doing paperwork-ness I got to teach!
Three lessons, 20 minutes each!
And it was awesome!
They were flutes. I had a blast. =D
It's a really happy feeling to know that I'm doing the right thing...
In other news, it is WARM today!!! It feels like 26 and is 33!!!!!!!!!!!!! *EXCITEMENT!* Things are starting to melt...and life is happy. =D

Back at School...

2008-03-09T12:32:00.002-05:00

So I got back last night.
Larisa has a car this term, so we've been going together, and she had to go to driving school yesterday to be cleared of a speeding ticket. Driving school happened to be the halfway point between home and school, so it was pointless for her to go on Saturday, go back home and then drive all the way to the Burg with me on Sunday, so I went with yesterday. Driving school is rather boring. I got to sit in the back of the class since there was nowhere else for me to go (we were in a town with a population of 700, the size of my graduating class...). It's pretty much all of driver's ed crammed into four hours. I read HP7 and in the 3.5 hours we were there got through 226 pages. =D For dinner we went to an A&W in Dubuque and it was amazing. My hot dog, for whatever reason, was spicy (like the ones from the NY street vendors), the cheese fries were stellar (and artery clogging) and our root beer was in freezing cold mugs. In fact, they were so cold, the root beer started to freeze a little and turned into slush. We sat in seats facing the window and got to watch the sun set over a large hill with some pretty trees...it was awesome. =]
I've still been having some crazy crazy dreams...
Three nights ago it revolved around me having this summer job that was three hours away from home (but I drove back and forth every day) and being married to the son of a really rich guy (it was arranged) and we were discussing when we should "seal the deal" (apparently, we hadn't yet). Also, there was a trailer for Harry Potter movie 7 from England that Rachel V found and was showing Sarah and I and everyone was kind of excited but I started literally jumping up and down and screaming and scared everyone. There was also something about going to one of those Japanese worship thingers whatever the heck they are (like in Mulan when they wanted to talk to their ancestors) to talk to my husband's father.
Then the night before last I dreamed that Wartburg had a marching band and Doc decided to announce that he was canceling it because he was tired of directing it and nobody cared besides Mallory and I, and we were ticked because we were supposed to be in the inaugural parade next year.
And last night I dreamed that I was at band practice and we were getting new music and there was an alto flute part for everything we were playing and Doc asked me to play it except the music was really confusing (rests weren't written in and the notes made no sense) so he had someone else conduct and sat by me to help me figure it out for the entirety of rehearsal. Sarah was also in band with me again (a sign for next year? 'Cause that'll happen with my dreams a lot...). But I don't know if I was in symphonic or wind ensemble in my dream...there weren't many flutes, so it might have been w.e.
Yup. That's my excitement for the past few nights.

Potentially strangest dream ever.

2008-03-06T22:24:00.002-06:00

So.
Last night.
...
I don't remember exactly how my dream started out, but it centered around a thing similar to I heart music day except lead by faculty instead of students. The main leaders were Wachmann and Survilla, and their station thing was about music theory (go figure). The day was open to both kids and adults, and Sarah's entire family was there. My duty was to pack the lunches for the day and I just had to randomly put juice boxes and such in paper bags. Somehow, Sarah's sister Philomena knew that I packed her lunch and was very excited that she got a blue juice box (apparently it was her favorite) so in between class things she wrote a huge thank you sign for me on the dry erase board. In blue. Then Sarah's brother Matthew decided to leave me a note on the dry erase board, too, though I don't remember what it said. Then everyone left the classroom for lunch and only the profs and myself were left (there were a couple more people in addition to Wachmann/Survilla, but I don't remember who...I think they're people I made up in my dream) and Wachmann was very excited because for lunch he was...
.
Going to go hunt something on the campus lawn.
And he had a bow and arrow and was playing around with it in the classroom. And was very, very excited about this.
...yeah.
Survilla kept asking him (while being VERY uncharacteristically giggly) to put it away because she was afraid it was going to go off and hurt someone.
Then everyone left the classroom and scattered for lunch. I wandered down to the basement to practice, but then I realized that I no longer had my music history folder with me. So I searched for it. And searched. And it had gone poof, gotten lost, was gone forever, so I freaked out (that part scared me because I don't know where it is, it's not here but I clearly remember packing it, so if it's not in my dorm...). So I went to Survilla's office (which was in the basement of the FAC and very very undecorated/bland) to tell her that I no longer had any of the notes/handouts for that class at all. But I had to wait because she was giving Tim Holub a voice lesson (she's not a voice teacher...). Then I finally got to go in there and when I said that my folder had disappeared she got really upset with me, snapped that I should be more responsible and told me to leave (which is also unbelievably uncharacteristic of her...serioulsy...exact opposite).
Then there was something about Wachmann showing the music majors a movie at the end of I heart music day and the one we were watching starred my fifth grade band director (who was charged with child pornography in real life) and Goldie Hawn.
What the crap?

Fun!

2008-03-03T15:06:00.003-06:00

Tentative schedule for next year...

Fall term:
Monday-Wednesday-Friday
9 Theory 3
1045 Conducting 1
7 pm W only 2nd 7 weeks Percussion Methods

Tuesday-Thursday
935 Music History 2
1 Instrumental Methods 5-12

Winter Term:
Monday-Wednesday-Friday
745 Educational Psychology
9 Conducting 2
115 Music History 3
230 1st 7 weeks Violin/Viola Methods

TBD: Vocal Ped stuff and flute/piano lessons. And field experience.
I know the workload is going to get interesting, but the class schedule (compared to this term) isn't too shabby...

Home again!

2008-03-02T22:14:00.002-06:00

I made it home late Friday night.
Friday was a freakishly long day...Larisa and I left at 245 and I walked in my front door at 9...traffic and such. =P
But I'm back!
It's really nice to have a break. Time to catch up on sleep, get ahead on homework and not be stressed out within an inch of my life. Not to mention the whole seeing my home peoples thing.
Being able to sleep and not get up at 645 and have a marathon day tomorrow is making me one happy camper.
Nothing too exciting has happened yet.
Tomorrow is a dentist appointment and Sandy seeing. And I have to start figuring out summer school/filling out a job app.
I guess I don't have much to say, except I'm at home and enjoying the much needed break...
Though I am being rather lame tonight and really miss my Wartburg people, even though I'll see them literally within a week and saw them last on Friday afternoon.
Watching movies and incredibly cheesey early 90s TV shows isn't the same without the rather amusing commentary...Rachel V and Sarah, I misses yoou!!!!
And my roomy. Kind of. Maybe. I guueess...jk. =]
OK now I'm off to idly flip through the pages of a new Cosmo...and be amused...yeah. Good times.

Roomy hilarity...

2008-02-25T21:31:00.002-06:00

Milestone!
This is my first blog related entirely to my roomy that is completely positive and not a rant or creative list of ways to be rid of her...
We've had some quotes piling up from when we're extra loopy tired and getting ready for bed, and I wanted to share some. You'll either be amused or just confused, but either way, it's all good. =]
*I was trying to convince Melissa that it wasn't night, it was morning, and it was time to wake up. She said the sun went down. I said it didn't and it was on the other side of the world. We argued, and I blurted out (really quickly): IT'S GIVING LIGHT TO CHINA!!!
her: WHAT??
me: ...it's giving light to China?
her: OK. 'Cause that's definitely not what I heard.
(think about it...it kind of rhymes with some female things...)
*Me: There's my gum!
Melissa: ...what about a motorcycle?
*Melissa: At least you're don't not think that I look like a dead sheep.
*Melissa: That was like pain in a bucket!
*Melissa: You know what the down side of covering your eyes is?
Me: ...you can't see?
Melissa: ...yeah.
*Melissa: Did you know that chicken pot pies are not made from stegosaurus?
*Me: Nettie pot pies are not made from styranasaurus. (BTW, Melissa made up the term nettie pot pie...and neither one of us knows what that is...)
*Me: *marks Melissa's arm with a green marker*
Melissa: I have a skin deformity! It's like the Hulk! Hey...I match my headphones now...
Me: Hey! You match my marker, too! *holds up marker Melissa was marked with* Wait...
*Melisa: *pokes head through bunk bed rungs* I feel like the Brady Bunch.
*Me: bed bunk rings. AKA bed bunk rungs. AKA bunk bed rungs. =P
*Melissa: Long days, short pants...
Me: That sounds like a porno...
Melissa: With penguins!
*Melissa drew a mustache on my mirror that was too short for me, and I was goofing around and stood on my tiptoes/bent down.
Me: My eyebrows have a mustache...my boobs have a mustache!!!
*Melissa: Conveniently, college and knowledge rhyme!
*Melissa: He's like a pecan, but without the helmet...*pause* That was weird even by my standards. I didn't even know that pecans wore helmets!

My new life goal.

2008-02-21T23:14:00.001-06:00

So in the credits of Anastasia there's a guy with the last name of Tweedle.
If I were to marry a guy with the last name of Tweedle and I hyphenated my name, my last name would be...
Tweedle-Daum.
(I know you're supposed to hyphen the other way, but you'd lose that effect)
How awesome would that be?!
Then all I'd have to do is convince my brother to name one of his sons Tom and all would be perfect.
Criteria for my future husband #1:
Last name must be Tweedle.

Ho Hum.

2008-02-21T16:18:00.003-06:00

I am so ready for break right now. Really ready.

This week and next, my workload shouldn't be *too* bad...meaning nothing like last week...it's just the having to get to everywhere I need to be every single day.

I'm getting rather burnt out.

One more week of crazy runningness.

One more Monday!!

Then a week of maybe one or two things a day...and that's it.

Other than that, life isn't too shabby.

Sight singing test tomorrow. =P But I'm not worried...really...I'm not. Which is a good thing, considering my reaction to it last term.

Also tomorrow is a job interview for pathways so I'm hoping that goes well.

Then I heart Music Day on Saturday. =P Working with kids from 930-2 on music related stuff. It'll be entertaining, I suppose, but I'll miss my Saturday afternoon.

This weekend will be pretty calm seeing as it's symphonic band's runout...and a majority of the people I do stuff with on Saturday nights will be gone...and the people that will be left are in opera workshop, so I'm not sure how much they'll be around...but it's all good. There are two or three movies owned by my suitemates that I really want to see, so I'm not bothered by a possibility of a Rachel only movie night. It'll be calm and relaxing. And I do have a copy of Twilight that I can read...

What else.

Not much, really.

8 days 'til break!!! =D

Oh. Company was really amazingly happy last night. Really. It's also being put on DVD...I am so buying that once I have the money. =]=]=]

My soap opera has also gotten interesting.

Angie and ...shoot. Reggie? No. Darn. Rats. What's his face. JESSIE! That's it. Are reunited...which only took a couple of weeks. That's a record in soap land.

And the best part...

Erica has been arrested. For insider trading.

...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!!!!

I think that's pretty much the most hilarious thing ever, even better then Ryan having a cliche case of amnesia.

And there's still 8 days until break. Yay!

Crap.

2008-02-20T09:48:00.002-06:00

Upside to this morning: I'm rather well rested.
Downside: I just woke up.
Apparently, my phone was on silent and I forgot to put it off of silent. It's difficult to hear a silent alarm.
Yeah.
Brilliance.
At least I didn't sleep in later/through history...that would have sucked a lot....
Other than that little mishap, life is good.
Tonight the version of Company that I saw in NY is being shown on Iowa's version of PBS.
HUZZAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
=D
I'm excited.
Also, there hasn't been band for the past couple of days. So Monday afternoon/band time/evening I worked my butt off to get stuff done because I wasn't supposed to have much time to do everything...same on Tuesday...and since band time was suddenly free time for two days in a row, I got everything I needed to finish finished. So I actually had a couple hours of *gasp* free time last night.
It was pretty strange, especially during this term.
But it was pretty stinking happy.
9 days until break!!

Dreams. Again.

2008-02-16T14:27:00.002-06:00

So I had one crazy CRAZY dream last night.
This is rather long, fragmented and choppy, so bear with me.
I was going home to visit one of my parents, except they were divorced and I was visiting my remarried mom even though she didn't look or act anything like my mom and my stepdad wasn't anywhere in my dream. Sarah came with me for some odd reason, or was there for just a small portion of it, I don't really remember. But the house I went to-while it was still in NL-was really an English mansion resembling the one that was in the version of Pride and Prejudice I saw part of last week. It was also sometime around the 1800s, so the roads were all gravelly and we had candlelight, even though we managed to order pizza for dinner. And we ate at our dining room table...on the front lawn...which is apparently where it's kept. I also owned Harry Potter 6 on DVD, but lost my movie 5 so was trying to find a replacement and Sarah was massively confused because movie six wasn't even out yet so there was no way that I could have owned it. There was also some talk as to how I was going to come back, which involved a train, but my actual dad (who appeared out of nowhere) was bound and determined to drive me home.
Then it kind of switched to me in my dorm room on the phone telling my mom about my dream. But there's this weird thing I do in dreams where I know that I'm in a particular place, but if that place actually exists it never looks exactly like it. Normally if I'm in my house or dorm it's unusually dark and *nobody* else is there at all...one time my dorm was this white plain with my desk-no walls, ceiling or floor. Just whiteness.
Anyhoo.
My dream switched again to me being at home at kind of my actual house, except my bedroom was my dorm room. I had to get my hair cut so I went to Alyssa's house because her dad cuts hair (he really doesn't) with Alyssa (who I haven't seen since my junior year of highschool). For some odd reason, my hair was bleach blonde even though I hadn't dyed it at all. While I was getting my hair cut my mom brought in Snoopy for some odd reason. After the hair cut I decided to walk to Kristina's (even though she lives on the opposite side of town and there was no reason for me not to drive). When I got there, it turned out that Kristina wasn't home and that she couldn't drive me back to school (for some odd reason I was expecting her to...) but Leah and Sarah were there, too, so they could give me a ride back to my house (even though Leah doesn't know Kristina at all and Sarah met her once for all of five minutes). She also lived in a mansion in my dream when she doesn't in real life. Then I got back home and was trying to explain to my dad that I could just take the train back to school because there was a Metra station in Waverly (there isn't) except the ticket cost seventy bucks, but he wouldn't let me and insisted on driving. Then I was walking through town and kept running into someone wearing a rugby shirt from a school in Texas and her shirt freaked me out for some odd reason. Then I was driving through town and Cedar Rd had been turned into a highway and I was confused as to which exit to take.
There was also something about visiting my Noni, and I was going back to Alyssa's house for something at the very end.
...
Strange.

Cleanliness!

2008-02-04T22:04:00.000-06:00

So life has taken a strange turn in dorm land.
Larisa discovered what looked like down blanket barf on the carpet (ie a rather large pool of feathers concentrated to one and only one spot) and upon further investigation, we discovered that the carpet was very much disgusting.
So we asked ourselves: when was the last time we vacuumed?
...Early October.
*shock*
So we borrowed Larisa's boyfriend's suitemate's vacuum cleaner and attacked the carpets.
And we don't even recognize them.
Seriously.
It's a little weird.
And then I dusted.
And now it's really weird.
This does not look right. It is far too clean to be my room...
Maybe cleaning should become more of a regular thing instead of a once every four months thing.
And I'm slightly curious as to how much hair the vacuum picked up...

Confused?

2008-01-29T22:12:00.000-06:00

Second post! Wow. Anyhoo.
So in grade school the Dark Ages was taught as a period of darkness where nothing particularly good happened (at least nothing that led to anything else).
In history of science last term, we were told that the Dark Ages were wrongly named and that they were a period of at least some prosperity and that grade school was wrong.
In music history we were taught that the Dark Ages weren't dark and were somewhat prosperous.
And in Foundations of American Ed, we were taught that the Dark Ages was a period of great stagnation in which nothing of any importance happened.
So which is it?!
Make up your minds!
It's confusing!
One period of time can't be overall both prosperous and stagnant. That's an oxymoron (just like how I found this powder at work called dumpster fresh...it's supposed to make dumpsters not smell bad, but that's impossible! They will always stink!).
And that's my mental conundrum for the day.
Have a happy night!

Weekend!

2008-01-27T23:23:00.000-06:00

This weekend has effectively rocked my face off.
Watching The Importance of Being Earnest was a great time and I really like that movie/play. The parts of ...A Slipper and a Rose? Something along those lines...that I actually saw were really good (I was very much sleepy and the futon was very magically comfy).
And on Saturday there was Rob Pavaronian hosting the battle of the bands and that was absolutely freaking amazing. He's a music nerd comedian that did a rant on Pachelbel that's the most ingenious thing EVER...so Sarah had some shirts made and we completely decked ourselves out in punk-ness and had an amazing time. And we GOT TO MEET HIM! And take a picture with him! And it was just amazing.
Today...
Started off somewhat =P-ey. I started doing homework at 1130 and my first true break was dinner at 5. Then I did more homework. And there's still stuff I haven't finished quite yet. I got a lot done...but I neglected a LOT last weekend and now it's biting me in the behind. But it's ok. Because if I was a chem major it would be calc 2, o chem, physics AND bio that would be kicking my rumpus right now. Theory and history and practicing I can handle. I'm almost caught up with history and that makes me very much joyous.
But then!
There was some Jane Austen movie watching in the land of Sarah and Rachel V's dorm that made everything very much happy. There was some Bridget Jones, too, which is awesome. So even though I don't want it to be tomorrow (it's a Monday...I'm not fond of those...) I'm glad I had a happy end to the night.
Sometimes a good movie and a half with some close friends makes life very much happy.
And now I'm going to do one last listening log, prepare my backpack for my first few classes and head off to dreamland. Which is a glorious place.

Freaking weather...

2008-01-24T07:18:00.001-06:00

Thank you wind chill!
School is delayed today meaning no field experience for me. ...again...for the third time this term...
=P
I'm not exactly the happiest camper ever.
BUT.
Then I looked at the temp...
Currently -17, -25 with wind chill...
And realized maybe it's a good thing I'm not walking to school today.
Yesterday's -15 was more than cold enough...
COLD.
Cold cold cold.
So...
Instead of more sleep today, I'll take advantage of my extra two hours and forty minutes and do something.
Namely ear training, music history and ED 100 stuff.
So it'll shave some of my weekend homework duties off...
And that'll be happy.

More Dreams.

2008-01-18T15:39:00.000-06:00

So I just took a nap...
I was in my dorm and it was this year and I was doing something right before I was going to leave to go to Rachel V and Sarah's dorm that involved the three reclining chairs we have (we really have none). When I got to the other dorm, Mary Kate was there and Rachel was trying to convince her to come to some Shakespeare watching thing she was going to with some guy named Tim. Kate didn't want to go because she didn't know Tim and thought it would be awkward. Then I realized that I had a Shakespeare related class to take with Dr. Earl and that I should REALLY catch up on that stuff because I didn't remember anything from it at all. Sarah was heating up something for herself, but I had already heated up a muffin for myself in her microwave and was sitting in Rachel's dorm eating it when Sarah angrily marches in and demands to know why there is an extra muffin still in the microwave. I'm all "...I guess I accidentally grabbed two?" and she (in all seriousness) says "Well, next time to need to be more careful. Look! You hurt it's feelings!" and she leaves and Rachel and I start laughing and making fun of her last statement.
Then I was back in my dorm and it was literally today, I was going to be leaving for Rachel's and everything, but I'm remembering that I have a break coming up for some odd reason (even though I don't) and I was recalling the last time I came back from a break, where I listened to a Lilo and Stitch CD and drove the whole way and then remembered the last time my dad drove me back home and we took a highway that doesn't exist, goes in the direction of Iron, IL (which I don't think exists, either) and has a bridge that is exactly like a roller coaster. So I decide to take a nap and throughout the nap I keep hearing my dad's voice but I assumed that it was because I was having a dream involving him but then I wake up and discover that it really WAS my dad's voice, and he was in the next room with my mom and Snoopy and Tink and for five whole minutes me and Nate as babies (it was a paradox!) and I wasn't supposed to exist in twenty year old form when the babies disappeared and it was just Nate and I as we are now and my parents are explaining to me how they came to visit and give me my mom's car, all I have to do is drive them back home/drive myself back on Sunday and I only pay for part of it (as my mom was trying to explain, it cost 99 grand but if i only thought it was worth 39 grand that was fine. Which it wasn't worth 99 grand) and we were eating crackers that had the top cracker states in the world stamped on the back and my mom brought a bunch of stuffed snowmen so I could choose one but Nate wasn't allowed to have one and I was sad that they picked this weekend to visit because I wasn't going to be at school.
And then I woke up.
...
Wartburg track and field?

IT'S FRIDAY!!!

2008-01-18T13:19:00.000-06:00

Huzzah!
I'm excited.
Not much is going on right this second...
I just have some time to kill.
So I'm killing it.
*stab*
Heheh...
Aaanyhoo.
Yesterday was pretty much amazing.
I woke up for work a little late (kept pressing the snooze, was dreading it, lost track of how many times I did press the snooze...). Being late isn't any big deal, just as long as we actually show up in the morning it's all good. So I got there later than normal and the guy that's been put on our floor decided to take over the bathrooms. So, for the first time since November, I GOT TO CLEAN THE CLASSROOMS!!! I LOVE cleaning the classrooms. Seriously. For whatever reason, wiping of desks and cleaning chalkboards is happy in my world.
And then I was supposed to do field experience.
But lo and behold, my school had a snow day. So I slept instead for a few hours and was very much happy.
Then my mini-presentation was happy in my K-8 methods class. Band was joyous. I went running again and that was, as always, wonderful. And slept very soundly.
Not much else has been going on in Rachel's land, so I shall leave you with the dreams I've had over the past couple of nights. Enjoy.
Wednesday night: My mom and I were out running errands and decided that we would pick up some food to bring home for lunch. EXCEPT. The guy handing my mom the food made her mad for some odd reason, I have no idea what it was, so she decided to kill him Sweeney style and stuff him in the trunk of the car. I was all "Mom...I totally understand why you killed him and everything, and that's fine, but he's still bleeding! It'll ruin the trunk!" to which she responded "Don't worry, I have it all planned out." Then it switched to me giving an aunt some things I thought would be very useful, including five hair dryers, a curling iron and the longest book I've ever read.
Last night: I went on a band trip somewhere and saw a bunch of Broadway shows (though I'm pretty sure we didn't go to NY). After coming home, I was sitting in the kitchen eating dinner with everyone when there's this ominously loud plane noise overhead and me along with everyone else at the table inferred it as a plane was about to crash and I had this sudden dread that it was going to land on the roof of the kitchen right above where I was sitting so I freaked out and screamed at my mom "I LOVE YOU!" when everyone looks at me like I'm nuts and my dad says "What are you talking about? That's only our backyard neighbor on his riding lawnmower..." And so it was. Then my mom found out that Sweeney Todd was being revived in Denmark and REALLY wanted to go see it, so we all packed up and went to leave except she didn't want to fly. She wanted to walk. So we set off with our overnight bags and pillows and managed to walk to Denmark. And it took less than a day. After we arrived, we were really hungry and my mom realized that she hadn't switched our money over to Francs so we start heading off towards a bank when she spots some random lady on the side of the road who claimed she would switch our money for us if we gave her twenty bucks and got lunch at McDonald's. I was trying to talk my mom out of it, but she thought it was a really good deal and went with it.
And I woke up.

Realization...

2008-01-14T22:53:00.000-06:00

To do list:
~Read two chapters in Music History book
~Complete related listening logs
~Finish bibliography for ED 100 article review
~Prepare for test on Friday
~Practice flute for hour long lesson on Wednesday
~Practice mallets for class Wednesday night and complete readings
~Do ear training assigned for this week (I don't have time to play catch up when it's actually due)
~Work on sight singing (again, no time for catch up...even if it's only a little bit, it's something)
~Five hours of field experience
~Figure out what's going on with piano lessons
~Finish theory worksheet that looks very much confusing (though that could be because we didn't finish everything today and it's not due until Friday...)
~Prepare five minute-ish "presentation" for methods K-8 on Thursday
~Start looking for a journal article to review, due next week
All must be completed by Friday afternoon, aside from the K-8 article review.
On top of normal work going and class attending and band attending and such.
Hello workload...how "nice" to see you...
Re-stating of mantra for this term:
It's not organic.
It might be Greek music theory, but it's not organic. Or calculus.
And I am not letting myself freak out. Freak out time is done now. No complaining, either...
And done.

Life!

2008-01-14T19:14:00.000-06:00

It's been a while since I've done a true update.
Well...
Things are off to a really good start.
My classes are going well. The true workload hasn't set in yet, but I know I'll be able to handle it when it does...theory (so far) is about the same as last term, and while there's a lot to remember for music history I've got a really good prof so it's just a matter of me setting up a regular study schedule and sticking to it no matter what (test or none...I don't have any open spaces in my schedule for cramming or sudden hard-core several hours a day studying). Methods k-8 is a lot of fun during class time, and (so far) the projects don't seem *too* daunting...except the one where we teach the class a song...I do not like singing in front of groups. Particularly ones who can tell I can't really sing. (I know, I know...music ed major, duh, there's going to be singing...but that doesn't mean I have to like that part of it) I'll be fine. Just very much nervous.
What else...
Last weekend was pretty much awesome. Off campus and amazing. Along with the WORST MOVIE EVER!!! (In the Name of the King...don't see it. Just say no) but it was a lot of fun making fun of the bad parts (which was the ENTIRE MOVIE!).
This weekend is road trip to Rachel V's house! HUZZAH! I've never been completely off campus overnight...aside from breaks...since I live so far away going home on weekends is rather pointless...so I'm really looking forward to it.
Work is work. But I'm only on dishline once a week so that's not too shabby.
I've also started running again and it's making me very very happy. I'm already back up to 3 miles! =D And no matter what the work load I am making time to run three times a week. It makes me happy. But no more than three times a week...I'm going to be stressed out and I'm not willing to make an accidental repeat of senior year. Besides, I just bought a bunch of very well fitting pants and they make me very happy. =]
And tomorrow I start field experience at the grade school! And I get to wear my pants and shoes of awesomeness! I'm excited for the field experiencing, too...it should be a good time. Fifth and sixth grade musicians are always a lot of fun (seriously...half of them are smaller than their instruments, unless they play the flute or something of that size, and they're just cute). The cuteness might wear off after teaching them three times a week, but hey, it'll be a happy time.
Annnd now I need to do some homework...the stuff that's due this week and stuff that's do early next week since I'm gonna be gone for most of the weekend. Good times!
...and I am very very happy that none of it is organic or equation-related. No x's to solve for this year! =]=]=]

Victory is mine.

2008-01-09T15:42:00.000-06:00

Dominique SO forgot that she gave me that 20 cent piece at the end of last term.
In fact, she started picking things out of a Baroque book and a French book that I already own.
BOOYA!
*is very happy*

Sandy and Rachel squared hilarity.

2008-01-05T01:44:00.000-06:00

Charlie and the Carnibal Factory!
Carnibals being a cross between carnivals and cannibals.
So they're very festive cannibals.
Enter as a human, exit as a patty.
...
BAHAHAHAHA! =D

Discovery of the day...

2008-01-04T14:18:00.000-06:00

Baking soda and baking powder are NOT synonyms.
They are opposites.
Which would explain why my muffins came out flat...
Also, be careful when holding a small glass container of just melted butter. It's kind of hot. And tends to dribble in places you weren't intending for it to go...like under the muffin liners. Or all over the pan you're baking them in.
And flour is still messy if you stir it too fast.
Yay adventures!

Stuff! =]

2007-12-29T19:57:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-26T20:30:00.000-06:00

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.

2007-12-22T09:53:00.000-06:00

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...

2007-12-20T20:56:00.001-06:00

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.

2007-12-18T13:34:00.001-06:00

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...

2007-12-18T02:28:00.000-06:00

"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...

2007-12-17T10:44:00.000-06:00

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!!

2007-12-14T23:47:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-13T10:57:00.000-06:00

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

2007-12-12T20:14:00.001-06:00

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!

2007-12-10T09:39:00.001-06:00

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!

2007-12-04T23:03:00.000-06:00

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...

2007-12-03T16:10:00.000-06:00

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

Crazy day.

2007-11-30T13:34:00.001-06:00

So I'm writing this in the five or so minutes I have to breathe before I high-tail it to the FAC to leave for tonight's performance.
CRAZINESS.
My day:
Maintenance job at 630 (am). Til 7.
Mensa from 7 til 850.
Theory from 9 til 1005.
Practice from 1005-1040.
Rehearsal with pianist for juries at 1045-1110 ish.
Back in my room at 1115 (putting the flute away and a three minute skywalk run).
In the shower at 1121.
Our of the shower at 1124.
Dressed in a dress for the concert, complete with tights, makeup (including eye shadow!) and hair done by 1145. This also included a dry shave in my room since I forgot my dress only goes to my knees and tights don't hide all...surprisingly without harming myself in the process (I didn't have a longer skirt/time to go back to the bathroom).
Check email for five minutes.
Literally run to history of science, while not getting lunch (I hadn't eaten anything at that point). Second three minute skywalk run of the day while wearing the evil black ballet flats of DOOM that I still have scars from from January of '06.
Speedwalk from hist of sci to the den to get some food. LONG LINE.
I got back to my dorm at 125, scarfed down the food and checked the email and now I need to get my knitting in case of time, concert dress and knee highs and jacket along with ipod, keys and cell phone. And water. And get over to the fac from the skywalks since the wind chill is in the single digits. It is COLD.
And I feel like falling over and having a good, long nap.
Ah well.
Time to run!...literally...

Oooh-kay.

2007-11-20T21:32:00.000-06:00

Quote from my IS 201 prof (which is a diversity class, BTW, where we're supposed to NOT be fed stereotypes...)
"Liberals are generally poor and live a wild lifestyle."
Heh. Heh.
Yes, folks. That's right. I am liberal. Therefore my life is pretty freakin' wild!! Watch out-those knitting parties with Disney movies are pretty intense!! And the study sessions! Woah, man. Music theory is WILD. And what about the practicing? ...more intense than the knitting.
He was being dead serious...he does not joke around in class at all...and his next sentence included how conservatives are more straight-laced and are very wealthy.
*shakes head*
I just find it very funny how I'm supposedly 'wild.' Okay, maybe if I have an espresso things can get pretty hairy (me+lots of caffeine=very very very bad idea). But as Melissa puts it, "you're still not going to go streaking down the road..."

CRAZY dreams...

2007-11-11T22:38:00.000-06:00

So I've had some nutty dreams over the past couple of nights.
I'm starting off with last night's...I only ran through it in my head right after I woke up, so some of the details are getting slightly blurred (when I tell people what happened or type it out, I won't forget; if I don't, I will).
So I was in NY on a class trip, except I have no idea what class it was for. My prof from oral com was there but there were a bunch of random people, only one of which I actually knew (Jessie from Alaska). While we were there, we visited a couple of museums. One of which was kind of at the top of a huge tower and the walls were solid glass and it was a toy museum but it was the tallest structure in NY so we spent the entire time looking out at the city. There was a McDonald's across the street from our hotel, and we ate there constantly since we all had very little money. In fact, we took turns working there to make some money even though we weren't officially hired or wearing a uniform and none of us had any idea as to what we were doing. After a couple of days, I really wanted to go to Trolley's (this AMAZING and cheap deli/diner...I miss it. While we were there, it got to the point where the employees knew us and would ask how we were doing and such...it was awesome) so I convinced Jessie and a random guy to go with me. I didn't really remember where it was except for the fact that it was around 48th street, so we just walked down 7th Ave. (times square area) until we hit 48th...except there was this high school in the middle of 7th that we had to walk through. It started around 45th street or so and went until 70th with no way of getting out, and it was freaking scary...there were metal detectors and students doing drugs/talking about their pregnancies right in the hallways...so when we finally got out we had to go to a different avenue to get to 48th street (avenues run N/S, streets E/W). We finally made it to Trolley's and went in and the entire layout of the place changed...the seating was in the middle and not the back and the cash register was in the back with the glass things with the food and such all the way around the walls and the drinks weren't bottles or cans anymore, there were fountain drinks and they had Chinese food in addition to everything else. They still recognized me, though. So we ate and it was good and then we went back and then we went to Greece (since it was right next to NY in my dream) to see a choir and my mom was there. Then my parents and I were on a flight home from England and I recorded our entire landing on my camera, from up in the sky to our front door (not the airport. We were never at an airport. We landed at my house.).
Freaking weird.
And Friday night's dream:
I was at school and Sarah, Leah, Christian and a couple of other people and myself wanted to get tattoos. So we were walking to the tattoo place (around 11pm) and when I was halfway there I realized I forgot something so I had to go back to Sarah's dorm to find it, which was in Knight's Village. In my dream, it was just a never ending maze of rooms and bathrooms in no order so it was really hard to find Sarah's room. Eventually I found her bathroom, and her tub was one of those free-standing ones and there was a plate with a bunch of cookies on it. I thought she would like it if I put the cookies on separate plates around her room/bathroom so she could have one whenever she walked past, so I started doing that but it took me a really long time to find her bedroom since it wasn't connected to her bathroom. She came back and asked me what took so long and I told her and then she informed me that it was 3am and the tattoo place closed so it was too late and I was really mad. Then it was the next day and I was at home with Sarah, Leah and Christian. Leah was going to take us to the tattoo place since she had a car, but the place wouldn't let Sarah and I come back so we had to go grocery shopping with Christian and get some food and a disguise so they wouldn't recognize us. While we were shopping, I had a dilemma over some $4 hot chocolate I wanted because it came in a pretty tin. We found this hair gel that changed your hair color while you were wearing it to use as our disguise, and I took the last bleach blonde one which made Sarah mad because the only one left was red and she has red hair (though in my dream it was more reddish with brown highlights). So we go back to my house and put on our "disguise" and we're ready to go when Leah decides that she doesn't want to take us (BTW, in my dream Leah and Christian were going out even though Leah's engaged and Christian is going out with Lourey in real life...). I was really ticked because we lost our ride, so Sarah and I go to talk to my mom who was in her room which was attached to a sun room which was where her bed was and when I asked if she would take us she got mad and was like "you're at home and I'm not going anywhere. Just take the car and drive yourself!" and then I remembered that I had access to a car and I was happy. Then it started to rain and since my mom's bed was in the sun room, it started to rain on it so she had to leave and I asked her why she keeps her bed out there when it gets rained on a lot and she just laughed. So Sarah and I went to the tattoo place (which will never ever happen because Sarah is absolutely terrified of needles...worse than I am of wrists and heights combined) and I got a heart with two eighth notes on the opposite ankle of my current tattoo.
And that's how it ended.
Now where all of that came from, I have absolutely no freaking clue...but I would really like to know...

I SURVIVED!!!!!

2007-11-09T13:41:00.000-06:00

So I had an evil sight singing test of doom *and* a melodic dictation test of IMINENT DOOM today. I was really freaked out. In fact, I've been unreasonably stressed about both all week. Sight singing (having the music and singing the intervals w/o anything in the background) was more of a concern...it wasn't at first, but when I went to practice Tuesday morning I realized that I seriously could NOT get interval distances with my voice. At all. My major seconds sounded like minor seconds and I don't even know what was going on with any of my thirds. It took me about two hours to kind of be able to plunk through the first four (out of nine two or three line, small songs), but I could only stay around the right pitch when I'd hit random notes on the piano while I was singing. It was bad. I've been practicing it for two or three hours every single freaking day. I was going to go for another hour this morning, but my throat is a little sore and I've done so much I realized that whatever was going to happen was just going to happen and that was it. If I started practicing and got it right I'd be over confident (which is not good), if I got it wrong I'd be a basket case. It was a good thing I didn't practice today as my voice really started cracking when I started the test. And guess what?
I GOT AN A!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! HALLELUJAH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! =D=D=D=D=D=D=D=D=D=D
I'm pretty much ecstatic. I was expecting *maybe* a B. Maybe.
And the dictation test...where the prof plays a little melody on the piano, we're given the time and key signatures with the starting note and we have to write out the rest of the notes and the rhythms. It went really really well. I've been practicing that like no other as well. I think I did 18 practice things on the Horvit CD over a span of a couple of days. Pretty much, I've been doing nothing outside of ear training this week. Yahoo.
To celebrate surviving I got some Ben and Jerry's from the Den and just had almost half. Ha. =]
LESS THAN TWO WEEKS UNTIL THANKSGIVING!!!
Outside of the world of ear training and all things evil, life's been good. I'm so freakishly happy that it's Friday. Seriously. I've been going on 4-5 hours of sleep every night this week. Yesterday Mountain Dew started losing its effect on me...which never happens. Normally I can randomly nap during the day or go back to bed after my maintenance job before my first class, but I've had so much to get through I only did that once-yesterday, and in the half hour I had to sleep I had a full-blown REM cycle crazy type dream that I still remember. Normally it takes me a half hour to lose consciousness. I've been exhausted. But it's OK...I survived the tests. And life is glorious.
Tonight is Spiderman 3 watching with my suite as Sarah's going home and Rachel V is in the play. Tomorrow is going to the play. And now officially begins the rush to accomplish as much as humanly possible before Christmas with Wartburg because I will have no life outside of concerts that week...which is really really exciting. =D In my world, at least. But I'm giving myself a day or two of no ear training. =D

L.O.L.

2007-11-08T00:04:00.001-06:00

Is this not the most hilarious thing ever?!?

Concert weekend! Woo!

2007-11-04T16:55:00.000-06:00

Band concerts, while they *do* take up a lot of time, make my life happy. Last night W.E. did really well as a group...today, not quite as much, but I did better personally. And today I got to see Symphonic Band, and they were pretty darn good! =]
Last night was the WCCB Halloween party and it rocked. Sarah loaned me her quidditch robes that she made a while back and I stole a broom from Vollmer ground (since they lock our supply closets...) and she went as a Hogwarts student in her normal robes with her conducting baton as a wand and people kept telling the both of us we looked like Hermione. So I became action figure Hermione (complete with a broom from Barbie's supply closet) and she was academic Hermione and Sarah discovered that she could pop balloons with her baton so towards the end of the party Lourey recorded us having contests where we took turns throwing and popping the balloons and it was pretty much hilarious! We were doing that for around a half hour I think...eventually we ended up in the lobby instead of the band room and we took turns throwing the balloons and each other from the balcony. Best Halloween party ever! =]
Today has been OK so far...the band concert was good. But I have been rather homesick. I'm better now than I was earlier, but still...I haven't been home since the end of August and I won't be until Thanksgiving...even calling home every day, it's hard to be so far away for this long. As long as I have a car next year, I'm probably going to go home over fall break (I was considering just hanging around here to save even a little gas money as it's going to cost so much next year).
Sometimes I feel like I'm a bit of a doormat...like I should stick up for myself more...which I know in the past I really have been one huge doormat, I'm at least a little better about it now. I just wish I'd think of things to say when they happened instead of a half hour later. By that point it's normally all water under the bridge and I'm not brooding over trivial things.
I'm not looking forward to tomorrow at ALL. For IS 201 (a diversity gen ed requirement...yahoo) we're going to an Islamic center in Waterloo for a field trip. (class has been mercifully canceled on Tuesday! Yay!!!) But. Our prof is requiring all the females to wear head coverings. Because apparently we can't be respectful of them with our heads uncovered. The guys aren't being asked to do anything different at all...just us girls and when we were making that point in class the prof just got flustered and went on a huge rant about the different roles men in that culture have. Which they have different roles. That's a given. He was completely ignoring our point that we're the only ones being singled out because of something beyond our control when the entire point of that class is to get us to stop singling others out for things like race or gender and such. Oh and because I don't have anything to cover my head with (other than a hat, which is unacceptable) he's supplying the head covering (for the rest of the class, too). THAT'S exciting....I'll just be glad when the trip is over and done with. And the class.
My tattoo has finally entirely healed! YAY! I am so excited! Up until now the hearts have been peely and not really the right color...but they've darked up from a pink and non existent orange to their original bright red and bright orange. =D Happiness.
I think that's about all that's been going on as of late...I should do some homework before Desperate Housewives is on. I need to do laundry sometime, too.

BOO!

2007-10-31T10:43:00.000-05:00

Caramel hot chocolate and Grey's music makes life better after getting a graded surprise dictation test back. Aye. I'll be practicing my butt off for sight singing next week...
My iTunes is semi-psychic...yesterday I put on a Wicked shirt, and in a span of a half hour (while on shuffle with over 700 songs on it) played three or four songs from Wicked. Today is Halloween. So far it's played "Spiders" from Chamber of Secrets and now it's sticking with Sweeney Todd. AWESOME! =D
Happy Halloween!
"Now this might be a bit stringy, but then of course it's a fiddle player.
No,no, this isn't fiddle player. It's piccolo player.
How can you tell?
It's piping hot!"

Rant.

2007-10-30T11:14:00.000-05:00

So I have an oboe playing test on Friday.
The week before break was intense, so I didn't get a chance to practice. I planned on doing so over break.
Then there was the sinus infection, so I couldn't. No worries, there was always after break.
So I went to practice today. And guess what?!
THE STUPID FREAKING REED BROKE!!!
There is a sizeable chunk missing.
It won't play. At all. Just a faint airy noise, I can't even discern one note from another.
Seriously now.
I haven't played since the freaking Thursday before break, and I have a test *this* Thursday. There is a good chance that I can get a new reed (for $6.50, BTW) from my prof, but he's only *here* on Thursdays. So I'll have one the day of the test at the earliest.
I've been working on the fingerings, but oboes are screwy. Fingering and actually playing the notes are two entirely different things.
AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!
*breathes*
In other news, tomorrow is Halloween! YAY!!! =D
...and the day after that I will be rid of the stupid oboe forever and ever amen. Thank goodness.

...stuff...

2007-10-25T21:54:00.001-05:00

Break's been pretty fun so far.
I got all my field experience done.
My sinus infection is getting better-I actually have really long periods of headache free time!! Yay!
I took a completely unplanned four hour long nap. And it rocked.
After enjoying a joyous lunchable, I decided to have some popcorn, which burned because the top part of the bag where you pull the corners and it opens was completely sealed shut so it couldn't vent. I had to cut it open. And it was sad.
But then Grey's was on after dinner!
THIS IS THE BEST SEASON EVER!!!!

Oh how you make me happy =]
It's really weird because it's been so abnormally quiet...there is no one here...which is expected, as it's break, but still. Living in Lohe is like being in your own little impenetrable bubble on a normal day...take away the little human contact you receive while on this floor on said normal day and it's freaking weird. But that's OK. It's quiet. If my head hurts, it's my cave. If it doesn't I'm rocking out to some music. I'm in my pajamas and will be tomorrow and Saturday since there is no one to see me at all. I'm also giving myself a pedicure because I can.
Also tomorrow I'm going to try and crank out my last psych of the exceptional child papers (which shouldn't be difficult as they're both non-researchy and entirely reflective) and if my head doesn't have its own pulse (hopefully it won't) I'm going to try and practice ear training and piano. Definitely not oboe, but at least the two that don't increase head pressure (because oboe does that enough without the sinus infection).
Annd I've run out of ramblings!
Goodnight everyone. =]
Addition:

BAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! =D

And of course...

2007-10-23T22:16:00.000-05:00

Story of the day in my world:
headache-inducing sinus infection!!!
=P
What fun.
Ah well.
I've got antibiotics. And tylenol. And break tomorrow evening, meaning time to *sleep*. And kleenex! And a good reason to escape the horrors of a graded flute playing test over seminar junk on Wednesday...since I can't breathe/hear right now (or move my head 'cause that makes it worse) I can't exactly practice. Not only that, but my flute is going to the repair shop, so I can't play it if it isn't here.
Despite the general un-comfy-ness I'm experiencing, it could be worse...it could have been during last hell week. Or during Christmas with Wartburg week (5 concerts in a week...oh fun). Or it could have been a stomach thing, which I'd take a horrid constant headache over any day.
And now I have to do ear training. =P=P. It's due tomorrow morning. That's probably about the last thing I want to expose my throbbing, pulsating head to at the moment, but alas. At least it's only a completion grade and not a correctness grade...and I'm not using headphones.
Then it's sleepy time, I do believe, even though I've taken one three hour long nap and one hour long nap already.
wOOt.

Potentially best weekend EVER.

2007-10-21T23:49:00.000-05:00

Yup. This weekend pretty much rocked my face off.
Friday night there was Chinese. And Rachel V's Luther friends Jacob and Jill. And Kastle Kapers. And Most Haunted Live.
Then Saturday was just all around spectacular. I worked at the band booth at the Renaissance Faire (it was homecoming, BTW) and Sarah was working at another booth for the same amount of time. We met up afterwards and walked around. Then we had a homework party in her room that was actually fairly productive and still a lot of fun. I managed to crank out a 2.5 page paper and read 20 or so pages of the most boring textbook known to mankind while we were goofing off and in between my falling asleep while reading. Then there was pizza. And the most awesome symphony concert EVER (there was a silent film playing on one of those old film reels and the symphony just played the soundtrack while we were encouraged to act like a 1920s audience and make a crapload of noise). Then there was more pizza and a first. Then we watched Brigadoon (four of us piled on one futon, pretty late while we were all really tired...at least I was...) and it was a really good movie. I want to see the beginning now. We flipped channels for a while after it finished and found a really old Doctor Who episode that was the crappiest and most hilarious thing EVER. Then it was 130 and officially bedtime. I was really abnormally tired, so I got to sleep on Sarah's futon. It was a sleepover! And it rocked. (walking across campus to your dorm when it's cold and you're dead isn't really all it's cracked up to be...)
Then today! There was a band concert.
OH MY GOODNESS.
Fellow MK members: remember the band feeling we got at ISU?
End of No Finer Calling. Definitely got it. At a concert. Not an MK performance. A sit down concert in Neumann.
It was just absolutely freaking amazing.
I mean...I know we weren't perfect, I'm not being all "oh we rock SO MUCH!!!" it's just the way the end of the song was written and the way that one part of the concert went...absolutely freaking amazing. Best concert experience ever, in my world at least
Then there was homework (I read all 70 pages of the uber boring textbook of death!) and practicing (which sucked, it was a really off night so I just quit while I was ahead...my first sign was when I was screwing up scales I've had memorized since 7th grade...yeah bad night. Ah well, there's always tomorrow). Dinner was pretty good for a Sunday, cheese lasagna and I found Margie to sit with as Melissa was working. =] And then I meandered over to Rachel V's room where we watched Moonlight and it was REALLY REALLY GOOD!!! =D The main actor is the sexiest man alive, hands down. *contented sigh...*
On a bit of a side note...I've started doing a lot (practically everything on weekends) with Sarah and Rachel V and sometimes Lourey's there and other random people...and particularly after this weekend, I've come to realize that that's probably my favorite group to be around on campus. It's just really nice to be able to run off with them and have a really happy amazing time no matter how stressed out we are and to crowd on the magic futon and essentially have our personal bubbles destroyed and to watch Moonlight and be all swoon-y and make fun of Most Haunted and then channel surf and find some random old movie to giggle at...Friday nights are very quickly becoming my happy thought when I'm having a not-so-happy day (or moment...full days are rare this year...). Heck, they're becoming my happiest moments of college.
Well, it's getting late ish and since this weekend was incredibly awesome, I didn't get very far in catching up on sleep so I need to get there soon. But right now, I'm perfectly content with being tired and having the happy memory. Homecoming rocked my socks off. =]

This week is finally almost over.

2007-10-17T20:43:00.000-05:00

The season 3 Grey's Anatomy soundtrack makes my life happy right now. I haven't stopped listening since yesterday afternoon, and it's the only reason I was in a happy mood through this morning.
I woke up sprinting at 615. Literally. I did not sit still (outside of class) for more than three minutes until lunch, which lasted for ten. There was work, then a shower, then printing something, then a record two minute breakfast (cereal and pears! woo!), then being a student for a trumpet lesson, then running to theory, then sitting a dictation test that I'm just not thinking about 'cause it's impossible to tell how you did on one of those, then tried to practice for my flute lesson but realized I left something in my room and literally had to run there and back so I could at least play my etude before the lesson, then shuffled off to lunch, then went to history of science, then ran off to be the teacher in a French horn lesson but realized that I forgot the thing I printed so I ran to the nearest computer lab to try and print it off but the computer was slooow and the printer broke so it didn't work then literally ran to the lesson where I wasn't completely sure of what I was doing because I didn't have enough time to look over my lesson plan so that was interesting. That was at 1. After that I finally got some nap time, then there was a methods class, flute masterclass, band and dinner. And now I'm here. Crazy day.
My history of science test was postponed until Monday! YAY!!!!!!!!!! That means one test tomorrow and only three tests on Friday instead of four! =D
And now I need to get at least some homework done. I'm kind of dead, so I don't know how far I'll get. But I'm aiming for my assessment paragraphs and polishing off a binder so tomorrow I only have to study and practice 'cause it's gonna be a bit of a long day (but not as long as today...) and maybe starting an IS paper/taking some notes for the open note test next Tuesday. Yahoo. =P Oh and the field experience I have to do over fall break is finally set up! Yay! One more cause of stress checked off the list...

Holy crap. Updated!

2007-10-15T08:03:00.000-05:00

Realization of today:
I'm going to explode this week.
Plan of events:
~Flute lesson on Wednesday I really need to practice for.
~Masterclass on Wednesday I need to get the assignment for, as I was sick last time.
~Teaching episode for french horn, also on Wednesday.
~Lesson plan to type for Wednesday.
~Being a student for a teaching episode on Wednesday.
~32 pages to read in my IS book for tomorrow night.
~Four pages of ear training for theory due on Friday.
~Daily worksheets for theory.
~Psych test on Thursday.
~Theory test on Friday.
~History of Science test on Friday.
~Playing test for French horn on Friday.
~Trumpet/French horn written test on Friday.
~Organizing binder for Trumpet/French horn, due on Friday.
~A 2-3 page paper due next Tuesday.
~Homecoming this weekend, meaning working at the Renaissance Faire and
~Band concert, plus
~I'm female so my already tired self will be a very tired and moody self and
~I still have two jobs, normal homework, normal class-going so everything will be very very interesting.
I know it could be worse. And I'm not going to get whiney and complainy. This just me looking at everything I have going on and saying crap. This week is going to be stressful.
I think I'll just OD on chocolate...and caffeine.
[EDIT]
And guess what?
I have a dictation test in theory on Wednesday morning!
YAHOO!...not really.

Coolest thing EVER....

2007-10-10T22:34:00.000-05:00

So apparently my last name means "thumb" in German.
HOW AWESOME IS THAT??!!
Here I've been *forever* not particularly fond of my last name because a) no one can ever ever pronounce it correctly (DAUM. Not hard. Like Dawm. I've had dome, dame, dowm...the list goes on.) and b) it's just not really that awesome sounding. There's some last names that are more than one syllable that are just fun to say. Or not difficult to pronounce.
And mine means THUMB!
If my brother has a son he should name him Tom 'cause that would be freaking awesome.
I was just a little excited. =]
And guess what?
The pea coat is officially out of my closet!!!
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
It's fall baby! Nice and cool outside...and happy. I had a hot chai today with cinnamon and it was pretty much made of awesome. And trees are changing and shedding...oh how I love the fall.
And to make things even happier I'm currently listening to a playlist created by Sarah which is pretty much amazing. It's making me happy! Yay! =]
What else...
My evil slitheen in disguise flute prof was actually in a good mood today, which was glorious. And today was a good quote day in history of science. It's been a while since that happened. =D
And there was tomato soup for lunch and chicken tenders for dinner and I'm having lunch in the ditty tomorrow! Yay!
And it was a really cute sweater outfit/good hair day.
Oh and my tattoo is healing! The hearts have been...kinda scabby and temperamental. But the orange one is definitely a lot better today. =D
Tomorrow's going to be a loooong day. But it's ok. Because while this is the busiest I've been thus far class and running around-wise (it's not abnormal for me to be out of my room for 7+ hours at a stretch pretty much every day) I definitely like this year a hell of a lot better than anything that went on last non-May term school year. I love the classes. And I love the busy. And Wind Ensemble is pretty much amazing. Seriously. It's like a daily reminder of why I'm going into music. Well, it's not really like a daily reminder. It IS a daily reminder. I love that soooo much. I have a feeling I'll end up going to Germany senior year mainly because I don't think I can give up the being in WE my senior year.
Melissa and I are considering being tubas in May term band. Which will be hilarious. I was thinking about oboe, but it's kind of identical to flute. Then I was thinking french horn and Melissa was all "no! tuba with meee!!!" and that would be fun! ...kind of exact opposite of flute! =D Yay adventures. Apparently tubas are bigger than me (or at least the cases, as I'm told) so it will be very very interesting. And I'm probably going to take cello/bass next term.
YAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
So the prof for that kind of sucks. BUT. Cellos kick butt. And basses are FREAKING AMAZING. So that makes up for it, at least in my world. I should find some part from the start of the Kraken...that would be so amazing to figure out how to play.... =D=D
I should get ready for bed. Tomorrow will be uber long. But that's OK!
...did I mention how much I like the music I'm currently listening to?
'Cause it rocks. My socks. Haha. =D

Ode to the metronome

2007-10-08T21:20:00.000-05:00

Oh poor little metronome.
I'm so sorry I'm a klutz.
I scotch taped you so carefully and lovingly last year when you fell and lost some plastic.
...then I scotch taped you so delicately again when you gracelessly flew from my locker.
And it was good, for you were worn and used and looked slightly battered from the nine years I practiced with you, but you still worked so well. You made me proud, how you never stopped giving me a beat no matter how much I detested it. You were with me every time I practiced for almost a decade, even when you were bruised and battered from my carelessness.
I was going to show you off in three years' time when I have sectionals to run. I was going to pull you out and watch my student's reactions as they saw such a old, taped metronome. I was even going to pull the whole "look! It's older than you!" as I happily flipped the on switch and watched them roll their eyes while I giggled.
But now...oh, dear metronome...as I pulled you from my locker, you jumped from my hands and found the floor one time too many. You flew apart and jiggled your inards and despite the fact that I spent five minutes trying to make you whole one last time, it was too much. You were broken beyond repair. The on switch no longer works, and it makes me very, very sad dear old friend. I miss you so, and while a replacement is on its way, I will never love it as much as I loved you.
The scotch tape gave you more character than any shiny new thing is near capable of producing. It made me look like a true music geek...because instead of being able to buy things that are shiny and new, we must make do with what we have for most true music geeks are music majors and, thus, are very much broke.
I miss you so much, dear metronome!
*memorial service dates to come*