HAHAHAHA
-cries from laughing too much-

I couldn't resist this one. Too much time and not enough interesting things to do here in Longview...

Apparently, I'm torn between Aragorn and Frodo. Oh, whatever shall I do? ;)


Who is your Ideal Lord of the Rings (male) Mate?
brought to you by Quizilla


Who is your Ideal Lord of the Rings (male) Mate?
brought to you by Quizilla

What is it about those descriptions that makes me think they were written by a gushy, overwrought 16-year-old? I never did understand the whole 'teenagers pining after celebrities' gig... especially now that Kat's on her 'Orlando Bloom is soooo hot! Ooohhh, Legolas!' phase. -rolls eyes-

So I haven't been able to get an internet connection the past several days... that doesn't mean I haven't been writing. Besides, it's nice to get away from the 'net and spend time in the real world. Anyway, I'll be back at tech by the 31st.
----
12/20
It's shaping up to be a *very* musical Christmas...

Not only am I performing on flute, but I'll be playing in the bell choir and maybe even singing too. Not bad, eh? ;)

The last two are mom's fault - I went with her to hear the bell choir practice (she's in the bell choir), and was planning to leave when the choir began practicing. However, the director's wife was sick, so he approached me and asked if I'd ever done it before and if I'd like to cover her two bells (treble clef B and C in staff). Answers: nope, never and yes, I'd love to. Minutes later, I'm getting the hang of it. Bells are fun! Different, closer to piano than flute, since you have to multitask with hands occasionally, and you cut off the tone differently. Didn't think I could pick them up that fast, because some of the bell choir members are still having problems - mainly from not being familiar with sightreading ("Coda? D.S.? What's that? I don't understand..."). However, 11 years of flute helps tremendously, and I was really having fun by the end of rehearsal.

Anyway, I figured Christine would be back for Christmas Eve, but asked if he wanted me to cover more bells for him - there's another rehearsal tomorrow afternoon, so there'd be time to learn another set of bells before the performance. And amazingly, I got a call from him earlier today. Looks like I'll be performing on bells too on Christmas Eve. :)

The choir rehearsal wasn't quite so happy. My throat's been pretty raw recently (both mom and I aren't feeling so great), and I discovered that within the last 6 years, I've lost virtually all my higher range. When I sang with the choir in middle school, I could reach high A's and an occasional high C... now, I'm lucky to reach E, and even that's a real reach. But my lower range has deepened, and I can sing lower than Mom (she sings soprano, usually can hit A's). Looks like I'm pegged for alto now. -sigh- Ah well. There're too many sopranos in the world anyway. ;) (Just kidding, Andrea, Yussanne and Rebecca!)

Not only is half my range gone, but I discovered that I no longer remember how to sight-sing. My memory and ear are decent, but looking at a page and singing without a brief tune reminder practically guarantees laughable results. (At this point, I began considering backing out of the choir gig... one rogue singer can really muck up a lovely piece of music. The next realization really sealed its fate.)

And as if the previous two revelations weren't enough, there was the crowning blow: I then found that my style of singing isn't quite the church style anymore. I should've expected this, after singing along to the radio and jazz charts for the past 6 years. Believe it or not, I used to have a pure, clear soprano voice before I began devoting all my time to flute. It's become more... oh, I don't know, unstructured, variable. *I'd* say there's more character in it. But it's not the same as it was many years ago, which is kinda sad. Meh. I say the flute progress is a fair trade though. :) Besides, jazz, blues and pop-style singing is generally more fun.

In any case, I stuck it out through the choir rehearsal, attempting the soprano part and switching to alto lines to relieve the strain when I could. However, my throat now feels like raw meat. I somehow doubt I'll be singing in the choir this Sunday, if ever again.

Final lesson for today: Kirsten should stick to instrumental music and stay far far away from structured choirs. :)
Night all, and take care.


12/18
(After seeing the Two Towers)

Wow. That was awesome. And I can't wait to see it again...

And though I'm somewhat less than thrilled with the departure from the book's plot, as well as the portrayal of Faramir, I'm very impressed with Peter Jackson's interpretation of Eowyn. I'm sure every Tolkien fan out there identifies with someone in this trilogy, and after seeing this movie and reading the books at least 3 times, I'm certain I'd be her. Yaay for Miranda Otto. :) I also liked the depiction of the Rohirrim - strong Saxon and Celtic ties evident there, with the dress, fortifications and knotwork/animal embellishments. Very cool... especially all those horse scenes, eh Yussanne? ;)

Hmm... I wonder if that new riding stable would be willing to offer a course on fighting from horseback... probably not.

Oh yeah, I guess that never made it up here, thanks to several instances of computer and/or internet failure erasing some previous (long) post attempts. Starting in the new year, I'll be riding at a new place called 3D Farms. Long story, but Davee (best instructor ever at TES) decided to quit TES due to negative changes in management and rules/regulations. Two more instructors quit at the same time, and they're now setting up a new riding stable roughly 20 minutes away from tech. Though I'll miss the horses at TES, Davee was honestly the best instructor at TES - I took lessons from several of 'em at different times, and none could hold a candle to her (except for Julia, who left at the end of the summer :( ). She pushes you to perform at your best during every lesson, and challenges you to push yourself, yet makes it seem easy - and it's not till after the class is over and you move on to another teacher that you realize how much you learned. Hence, I'm following her to her new eventing barn - for those of you horse-illiterate people, eventing includes dressage, jumping, and cross-country. I certainly won't be starting off in any of those disciplines for some time, but I hope to begin jumping within the year. -crosses fingers- Think that'll be one of my resolutions for this year. I still can't believe this year went by so fast. But hey, at least I feel I've learned a lot since last January in many different areas, so I guess the intervening year wasn't wasted. ;)

Anyway, we've got thunderstorms tonight here in east texas, so I'd better sign off and post this one tomorrow morning. Take care, and good night all - and I miss you techers.

-happy sigh-

Yup, I'm home. Red's thrilled that I'm back (I'd forgotten how much those dogs shed... my black sweatshirt looks like it's sprouted an extra coat of red fur), and so's my family. I'll be getting together with friends over the next few days, and generally enjoying myself.

As far as holiday cheer goes, no, the Welge family still doesn't have a Christmas tree. Or lights up in the yard. Ah, to be in a family of procrastinators. And you guys wonder where I get it... ;)

Other stuff:
The choir director/organist at Trinity Episcopal church (my family's church) was ecstatic to learn that I was in town, and immediately asked if I could play at the next two Sunday and Christmas Eve services. Of course, with a welcome like that, how could I refuse? ;) I'll be playing a Bach cantata and sonata, plus an arrangement of Ave Maria (with a background of the well-tempered clavier) and (my favorite) an arrangement of Greensleeves, Es ist ein Rose, and the Sussex Carol. No matter where I go, I can't seem to get away from music... not that I'd want to, of course. :)

Also, I'll be going to see the Two Towers tomorrow at 7 PM CST. :) :) Hope all you guys at tech have fun watching it, and I expect to go in costume sometime with all you people who made cloaks... I'll be going in costume tomorrow for sure (with mom and kat also in cloaks). I can only wonder what Longview will think, but I'm sure the reaction will be amusing. ;) I'll have to get dad to take pictures... he's the only one not going in costume (never was big on the whole fantasty/costume kick). But I'm sure we'll all have fun. Can't believe I'm actually going to the opening of the Two Towers with family instead of techers.

Anyway, gotta go walk my Red now - night all, have fun at LOTR tomorrow, and catch you later!

Done with my H 142 paper!!! :) Yaay!

So the only thing between me and going home is the H 161 paper due tomorrow at 5 PM. I think that means I get to sleep now.

So... didn't finish that H 142 paper last night, so I'm working on it now, and then it'll be on to the H 161 paper. But I did want to say that I'll never have to take another biology class that I don't want to ever again! Hooray! :)

Same goes for history. Never again will I sit through another 8 weeks of dull lectures for the sake of units...

I'm so happy right now, which is an odd feeling for finals week. Sure, I've got two papers to write, but I'm going home in less than two days. In under 48 hours, I'll be in Longview, hugging my dog, parents, sister, the other dogs, and feeling like I'm honest-to-goodness home. I'll probably also be freezing my fingers off, but who cares? ;)

Not that tech doesn't feel like home - the friends I have here are virtually family as well, because I've gone through so much with them. But being in East Texas, with a nippy wind ('cause we have real seasons back home) and the scent and sight of pine trees all around, the heavy weight and soft reddish fur of my dog collapsed in my lap in the front yard - for me, that's home, and maybe always will be. That's where I feel completely at ease - though being around some of my friends here is a very close second. I think I've finally come back to center, and though it's not where it was two years ago by a long shot, I'm comfortable with who I am, who I've become. For the first time since I've been here, I know who I am, and for the most part, I'm happy with who I've become.

In case I don't have time or forget to post tomorrow - I love you guys. Have a Merry Yuletide/Christmas/Hanukkah/etc, and a Happy New Year, and I'll be back with my family sometime around the first to see the Rose Parade.

The H 142 paper's coming along pretty well - I'll almost certainly finish before I take off for riding tonight - so I'll take a brief span of time to write here.

A week ago, I decided to take the Myers-Briggs evaluation through the Career Development Center (a really sweet deal, as it's free through them - I strongly recommend it) and examine my strengths and weaknesses before making any more momentous decisions about my future (like whether or not to go on to grad school). Fred suggested it sometime last spring, I think, when I was beginning to question what I should do in the future - he'd taken it in order to figure out what he should concentrate on in the future, and said that the results really helped him. Test results indicate I'm definitely an ISFJ, with some mixed areas. I discussed the findings with one of the counselors there, Angela Wood, and after looking at the profile, she agreed that I'd made the right decision in switching to history. Why? I prefer doing something obviously useful and practical for the future, and though I'm curious and interested in details, I'm just not inquisitive enough to pursue scientific research. Also, I'm more focused on feelings and helping things run smoothly than finding new and different ways to accomplish something that already has a traditional working method... ie, it's better that I work with people. I'll need to really make an effort to establish connections wherever I end up, and I'll work best when in a warm, friendly environment where my efforts are recognized. Looking back, it's awfully good to know that my decision was correct (as if my improved mood wasn't evidence enough), and I can now focus on playing to my strengths, as well as shoring up weaknesses.

Looking at this report clarifies things - some of the assessments I'd expected, but others I hadn't given much thought to, and it's good to be able to see both your strengths and weaknesses at once. It's interesting, and you'll probably learn something useful. If you're interested in exactly what information you'll get out of it, you can come by and take a look at my report - it only takes about 2-3 hours of your time tops (30 min to 1 hour discussing background with a counselor, 1 hour for the test, and 1 hour minimum for discussion of results with counselor. The counselors are friendly and willing to talk with you later about results if you come up with more questions - just make an appointment).

The career development center's on the third floor of the student center on holliston - go ahead and check it out. They won't bite, I promise. ;)

And an interesting quiz.

My sphere is Guardian (Person of great Love and Altruism), and my class is Defender (Peaceful, yet Potent). I am a Warden. To be a Warden is to be the ultimate Guardian. Whether a physical Guardian or an essential Guardian, is up to you. You may be both. To be a physical Guardian is to be a living, breathing testament to the love you carry for a person, or people, whose lives you will always defend if you possibly can. To be an essential Guardian is to be a living, breathing testament to the security that your wards seek, and will look to you for your always kind, always nurturing support. What kind of Warrior are you?

Ok, back to that h 142 essay now...

ARGH! Why couldn't I have played the mozart that well on saturday?? I didn't make any obvious blunders, technical passages were pretty clean overall, emotion was there, and I wasn't shaking from nerves. Gah.

And Allen, sharp-tongued and often irascible orchestra director, even complimented me on how well I'd performed! -beams- It's pretty rare to hear praise from him, even for difficult orchestral solos.

The solace here is that I now know that I *can* perform this well - assuming I can master my nerves. Not such a bad thing, really.. I just need to remember how. And practice. I remember in high school, the band would have 'masterclasses' for each section on all region music once a week - that was *great* for getting over nerves, since you HAD to perform the pieces in front of your section and everyone else in the band hall. Wish they had something like that here..

Ah well. I can't believe this term has gone by so quickly. Heck, I can't believe this year went by so quickly. And I can't believe how much better I feel about everything - myself, life, the future - compared to this time last year. I'm still under stress, but it's of my choosing, and I can deal with it easily. I think it was a year and two weeks ago that I broke down under pressure for the first time. It's odd to think that just a year ago, I was horribly depressed, feeling worthless in my classes, not to mention used and ignored by someone I loved and trusted completely. I look back now thinking "Why was I so stupid?" It all seems so obvious from here - I should've known that the relationship was failing and gotten out while I had time to recup over the break before second term; I should've just transferred to another college to pursue a history degree (or at least liberal arts). -shrugs- Such is life. I can't say I'm happy with the decisions I made back then, but they forced me to come to grips with a lot of issues, and I'm a stronger person today for it. I'm not as passive and accepting of abuse as I was - I don't allow people to take advantage of me anymore. I've gained a lot of experience (the best teacher) in dealing with people, problems, and the real world, and I've changed some of my beliefs and opinions. I know my limits in intelligence and stress; I know what I'm not suited for, what I don't want to pursue. And I have a much better idea of who I am and where I'm going in life.

For all this, perhaps going through hell was worth it. Not that I'd willingly do it again, but knowing now what waited on the other side, I think the self-confidence and conviction I've gained during the past year working up from rock bottom has more than compensated for the loss and isolation I felt.

Ok, enough reminiscing - I need to write that h 142 essay so I can be done with that class. It's amusing that I write more in this journal when I have papers to write... ;)

Hooray! Secret Santa brought me a Lord of the Rings Risk game!!!

Looks like I'll be fighting the urge to flick over the next 6 days... must.. write.. papers...
I'll probably play it around 5 tomorrow - if any of you guys are interested, by all means, come and find me then. Up to 4 players allowed... first come first played. This'll be fun. :)

Oh, and looking over yesterday's synopsis, I forgot to mention a rather creepy encounter during the glee club concert. Remember that email that security sent out last year, about the 40-ish fellow who was forbidden from coming onto campus because he kept approaching girls and asking for their personal information? Well... I was on the stairs, listening to the women's glee club perform, when this guy with greyish-white hair approached me. I had no idea who he was, but he struck up a conversation with me, asked me if I was a student here and what instrument I played, said he was about to begin flute lessons next week, and before he'd spoken four full sentences to me, asked for my email address. Something didn't quite seem right, so I refused to give it. Upon this, he immediately asked for my last name... I improvised (of course), and excused myself to go warm up. During intermission, he was wandering around and talking to a few of the glee club women downstairs. He'd passed by a bunch of us a second time when Yussanne came over and urged us not to talk to him, informing us of who he was. He'd been warned to not come oncampus again sometime last year. Disturbing... she'd called Security, but he'd left by the time they got to Dabney. Grrrr. A damn shame they couldn't get there any faster. Aren't they supposed to make sure this campus is safe? -sigh- I'm beginning to understand why more and more women at tech are asking to have their numbers and adresses unlisted on the directory and house pages. There's so much information out there on the web in full view - it's extremely useful for friends, but at the same time, it's frightening to think of what could happen if the wrong person found it. To realize that someone can simply look up where I live on the caltech site, then track down where that is on a blacker map (conveniently provided on www.gdbg.org), and figure out a route to blacker through google... And if you want to continue this scenario, my name is fairly easy to get, as it's listed in the concert programs when I perform.

But as, with all things, you have to question how likely this is, and how it affects quality of life. Just because someone could possibly track me down from a concert program doesn't mean I'm immediately dropping out of orchestra - that's ridiculous, and needlessly paranoid. I live in a well-traveled hallway, I keep my eyes open when wandering around campus after dark, and I refuse to let paranoia dictate my actions. Though it's a damn shame that I'll have to think twice about giving my real name out from now on.

Today's been a long and odd day.

Competition: didn't go as well as I'd hoped. I ended up with the worst case of nerves I've had since I was a sophomore or freshman in high school, and I didn't have the concerto down cold like I did the all region music. Ergo, I made several mistakes (per movement) and didn't win. -shrugs- Such is life. And there's always next year for me... 10 weeks just doesn't allow enough time to really get ALL of the technical and phrasing details into your fingers and mind. Was it a decent job for ten weeks? Maybe (Woodward seems to think so). But I imagine it'll be much, much better after another year's worth of study. Someone once said that you can play Mozart fairly quickly, but you could spend your whole life trying to play Mozart *well*. Here's to that crazy musical genius Amadeus.

And a big congratulations to freshman Tyson Mao, who'll be performing the Khachaturian Violin Concerto with us next term (I think). :) I'm pretty darn impressed with him, after listening to part of his audition... he deserved to win (well, to place above me, anyway. I didn't hear Rebecca's audition, so I guess I can't judge there).

I'm rather proud of myself for deciding to go for this 9 weeks ago and carry through with it. I've wanted to in previous years, but didn't have the time - it's nice to realize that I achieved at least one of my non-academic goals here. Next (of course) is to win next year ;) or at least perform the Mozart better. And master my nerves. And get those cadenzas solid. As long as I keep after myself during this year, I think I've got a reasonable shot at next year's competition. We'll see.

It's also nice that I managed to not cry after the Mozart. Some parts were better than I'd expected them to be - coming out beautifully, just the way I'd imagined. Unfortunately, these areas were not as common as I'd expected, and a few mistakes crept in here and there. But 30 minutes of near-solid playing is a real feat, especially when you're really pouring your soul into it - I don't think I've ever felt more emotionally drained after perfoming a piece of music than I did today. I walked out of that room thinking that I was about to collapse, and that kinda translated itself into "I should go somewhere quiet and have a good cry, or go sleep this off". Guess both methods are cathartic responses. Instead, I pulled the "make myself scarce" hermit act ("act? what act?" said Sam LL earlier. Thanks a lot.) and got nearly all my Christmas shopping done for the family, as well as reading a good deal of Tortilla Curtain, which I'll be writing on tomorrow in my h 142 paper. Performing at the glee club concert was really what put me back into a good mood though - I love the Charpentier. The flute harmonies are rich and warm, soothing; I couldn't help but be happy after that. Went to Shau May with Yussanne, Andrea, and Mike after the concert for a celebratory "competition's over! and glee club concert was great!" supper... at times, I still can't believe I'm lucky enough to have friends like you guys.

So now, I sit here at 2:30 AM, having gone through practically the entire list of emotions, all thanks to flute, and I've just finished Tortilla Curtain. I think that means it's time for sleep. Night all, and take care.

I seem to have led a charmed life today. Not only did the flute lesson go decently well - with Woodward fixing the first movement cadenza so it really sounds good, and promising to bring the two rampal cadenzas tonight - I also managed to come up with something good for my paper notes for the presentation today. I was originally going to focus on trying to find diagnosis, immediate and ultimate causes in incantations from Mesopotamia and India, but my information's much stronger on the Indian side... and I tended to stray a little too much into literatary analysis of the chants. But hey! No problem, as Kate Eaton did her Master's thesis in how the Egyptians viewed the chants as being medicinal... so she suggested that I concentrate on Indian incantations and aim for understading what the methods of religious treatment they used, and how they expected it to help. Yaay! I've also got Egyptian chants to read over, since they used a similar approach - often the sound of the chant was more important than the meaning, so with foreign chants, they'd just copy it over phonetically without copying down the meaning. Amusing. :) But the Indians were fond of onomatopoeia - there's an incantation for constipation and urine retention (I kid you not), and there's a repeated line that ends with the word 'bal', which supposedly sounds like rushing water... the general thought is that the repetition, sound and rhythm relaxed the patient enough to allow nature to run its course. But one question asked by another person in my presentation group interested me. This guy chose to focus on acupuncture - he ended with the note that the procedure hasn't been explained scientifically, though it makes philosophical sense... and it seems to work. He wondered whether the incantations actually served some purpose other than the modern view of 'placebo' medicine (ie convince the patient it'll work, though it does nothing). Curious... and once again, I wonder if everything can truly be explained by science. Maybe. I guess we'll see someday in the future. I personally think life's more interesting with a bit of mystery. I still haven't figured out whether or not there's a God or supreme being around, though I'd planned on giving it some thought while I was here. Perhaps I'm closer to believing in the existence of something supernatural. -shrugs- Guess that's yet another 'we'll see...'.

Aight, I've got to sleep, as the concerto competition's tomorrow morning. I'm playing at 10:25,and it'll all be over by 11-ish. Only three (?!?!) of us are competing this year - two violinists (Rebecca Maret, Tyson Mao) and me. Here's to hoping I perform up to my and mozart's expectations... wish me luck.

I can't believe how unfocused I've been over the past couple days... it's like being in middle school again without meds, this kind of forgetfulness and incredibly short attention span, but it matters a whole lot more now. I don't know why, but I'm at the point where I feel like I've lost my edge for work - I need a break now, but I've still got work to finish. I've got to get this core paper done in the next 1.5 hours - I've taken a ridiculous amount of time on it, it shouldn't have taken this long, and I refuse to spend more time on it - and I've got to get cracking on that H 161 presentation that I'm giving at 3 PM tomorrow. AND I need to practice mozart and the cadenzas (~1.2 hours), AND go to that ASCIT excomm meeting tonight (~1.5 hours). AND get enough sleep so I'm ok at my lesson tomorrow at 11 AM with woodward, make it through my presentation, and get through the rehearsal with the accompanist. My stomach's already beginning to tie into knots at the thought of the competition... I think this is a usual thing. It's been so long since my last real competition that I don't really remember. Well, perhaps part of it's the slightly off burger I had last night at the coffeehouse. -shrugs- As long as I can shake the nerves by 10:25 AM on Saturday, I'll be fine... I think. All the same, I'm staying far away from tech food for the next several days.

Finals update: So the bi/ch 110 final's due thursday, and the h 142 exam is (surprise surprise) a paper. So that's THREE papers and an exam next week. I'm gonna be a paper *machine* by the time I leave this place as a history major...

for my sanity:
NOW: core paper, presentation
friday: lesson, presentation work, presentation at 3-5 session, rehearsal 6-7, performing with glee club ~9, more time with mozart.
weekend: competition (10:25 AM sat), glee club performance (9 PM sat), h 142 paper
mon/tues: h 142 final (movie?)
wed: 110 final, final riding lesson of term
thurs/fri: 161 final (movie?)
saturday: going home!! :) Can't wait to see my friends, family and dogs again, sew my cloak, and see the Two Towers... it's gonna be a great Christmas. Especially since I'm almost done with finding presents already. hooray! I'm early!

Well, crap. I completely forgot about having to rehearse with the accompanist before saturday... called her today and the only time she has left is 5-7 on Friday (for both me and tyson mao, the other techer who's trying out). Looks like I'll be missing yet another blacker dinner...

Mozart's pretty good right now. Still working on parts of the third movement, and a couple parts of mvt 1 that're a little shaky. Cadenzas aren't terrible - the Tillmetz ones are a LOT easier than Gallway's, and they sound more 'normal', more in the style of the piece. Learn three cadenzas by 10 AM on Saturday... piece o' cake, right? ;)

As for orchestra - ok, I was overreacting the other night. And I didn't notice that Allen was switching other people out too... thanks for the IM, Joe, I feel a lot better now. Though it's funny to think of the timpanist as the most secure chair in the orchestra, especially when you're the one who always takes the brunt of Allen's wrath on bad days. :)

Aside from music, I'm having real problems with motivation for this core paper. I don't know how I'll hit 3000 words - 2000 will be a stretch in itself. And I'm not feeling so well, thanks to a coffeehouse burger... should've known better, but I missed dinner earlier and figured I should eat something. Chalk up another casualty to the food here. Food poisoning twice in a term is twice too many.

Aight, I'm sleeping now. H 161 research on incantations is on the schedule for tomorrow - I may or may not go to the ME 72 contest. I've never seen it before, so it might be cool... but so, so much to do. :(

Quick update for fun, as the last couple have just been me trying to get my schedule for the next couple weeks straight. I ran across this animal personality test (http://www.animalinyou.com) earlier today - I remember that a bunch of my friends took this waaaay back in first term s'more year, and I figured I'd take it again and see if I'd changed. I came up with this: "You are either a Penguin or a Otter personality.
But you may also be a Fox personality."

Hmm. Last year, I was convinced I was a penguin... -shrugs- So, I'm either a penguin (http://www.animalinyou.com/Penguin.htm) or an otter (http://www.animalinyou.com/Otter.htm) or a fox (http://www.animalinyou.com/Fox.htm)... I'm guessing the otter and fox come from the fact that I'm definitely more outgoing than I was first term s'more year, for sure. Not being under loads of academic and emotional stress will certainly do that... but I still think I'm closer to penguin than otter by a fair amount. Meh. Take it if you like, let me know what you ended up as, 'cause I'm curious (Andrea S, I know you're still an Otter ;). The site even suggests having friends fill out those blanks for you and decide who you are... you're welcome to do that too, if you've got the time and inclination, and let me know who I am. Anyway, have fun. :)
---
Orchestra reading rehearsal was fun - we read through Beethoven's Eroica Symphony and Dvorak's New World Symphony. Both are gorgeous... I played first flute on the Eroica, and second to Angela on the New World. -sigh- I may sound silly, but I wish I knew why Allen's switching me out to second flute. I figure it's to give the other two a chance to develop before I leave, but in that case, shouldn't Harlan be playing first? Angela is playing in the principal position in another community orchestra, and it seems like Harlan should have exposure time as well. I just wish Allen would explain this, and say something along those lines, because I keep thinking that maybe I'm not playing as well this year, that perhaps I'm slipping a little even though I'm taking from Woodward, and it scares me. I want to play as principal for the next two years; I think I'm a damn sight better than I was freshman year, and I can finally do justice to the pieces (god, I think back to the Brahms first term freshman year and wince... I had so, so many difficulties with that piece, but it was so gorgeous. Can't believe how much I learned on it).

Ah well. And hovering at the back of everything is my concern for that Mozart concerto and the cadenzas I haven't learned yet... argh. Competition's this Saturday, I'm playing at 10:30 over at Oxy. I've never done anything like this before... All-Region, All-Area, and All-State tryouts can't really compare. Hopefully the nerves won't kick in.

Anyway, gotta write that core paper, then go practice those cadenzas. Night all.

Aw, crap.

So I didn't realize h 142 had a final too... grr. But at least deverell's pushing back the due date of the paper -sigh of relief-
The new schedule (yeah, yeah, sorry, but I need a list somewhere that I won't lose on my desk):

Project_________Begin work__________ Due
core paper ____________now!__________um... yesterday...
h 161 presentation____wednesday_________friday
h 142 paper___________friday_________monday
bi/ch 110 final__________??____________next thursday
h 142 final_____________??_____________next friday
h 161 paper_________next tuesday_______next friday

Oh, and toss in the concerto competition, the glee club rehearsals and concerts I'm accompanying, and I'm up to my neck in stuff to do. It's been worse, but I'd better get cracking... but it's so difficult to force myself to work right now. Odd.

Yup, I'm back. And I sure did manage to get absolutely nothing done over the break. Hence, here's the checklist:
core 1a paper (due today)
bi/ch 110 set (due tues)
h 142 paper (due fri)
h 161 presentation (due fri)
bi/ch 110 final (due ??)
h 161 paper (due next fri)

And the schedule, so I don't lose my mind:
Today:
write core 1a paper (due today)
bi/ch 110 set (due tuesday)
accompany glee club rehearsal, 8-9

Tues:
finish 110 set, turn in at class.
read tortilla curtain and come up with some brilliant ideas for the paper comparing/contrasting it with the grapes of wrath (due friday)

Wed:
start writing that h 142 paper
begin collecting info on incantations and analyzing styles/forms for presentation (friday) and paper (due next friday)
accompany glee club rehearsal, 8-9

Thurs:
write h 142 paper, revise
plan out presentation

Fri:
h 142 paper due
presentation session 3-5
8 PM glee club concert

Sat:
8 PM glee club concert

Next week:
write 161 paper, study and take 110 final
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This has to be the easiest finals week EVER for me. All I have to say is, it's about time, considering the hellish ones the last two years (yeah, yeah, I know, I brought it on myself with the 50+ unit terms...). Anyway, if you're interested in doing something fun like renting a movie, please let me know. I'm tempted to rent Hamlet sometime, since I've finally got the time to do it.