Monday, October 25, 2010
It comes and goes in spurts, the vast chasm of unknown bringing me down. I know that I am not supposed to let the future worry me, but it's so difficult to accept that I just do not know right now which direction my life is headed. For the first time ever, I have absolutely no idea what my life will look like a year from now.
What can I do? Try to dig more into life here? I am mostly happy here. My studio is continually growing. There are great opportunities for a career in music. The ultimate and its community is wonderful. The weather is great, Tempe is beautiful, there's always something new and exciting to do. But can I just leave everything at home behind, forever? There will always be a part of me that thinks I belong back in Florida, traveling the shores and walking on the sand. On the other hand, if I move back home next year, I will have to start all over again if I ever want to come back. I won't even have my teaching job anymore. I will start from scratch...
I shouldn't be worrying about this right now. I know that. I have practicing to do, papers to write, student to teach, concerts to play, games to win, emails to write, rehearsals to attend, subjects to study, recordings to listen to, calls to make....the list never ends. The present brings enough troubles for the day. There's some proverb about that which I don't feel like looking up.
But how can I be at peace with such an uncertain future?
Don't tell me. I already know the answer. I need to trust that in the end, everything will be as it should be. I need to remember what I once believed without question: God will provide.
P.S. Updates on facebook about how successful my flute colleages are is not raising my spirits. You guys are jerks. (Not really. I just wanted to call someone a jerk.)
What can I do? Try to dig more into life here? I am mostly happy here. My studio is continually growing. There are great opportunities for a career in music. The ultimate and its community is wonderful. The weather is great, Tempe is beautiful, there's always something new and exciting to do. But can I just leave everything at home behind, forever? There will always be a part of me that thinks I belong back in Florida, traveling the shores and walking on the sand. On the other hand, if I move back home next year, I will have to start all over again if I ever want to come back. I won't even have my teaching job anymore. I will start from scratch...
I shouldn't be worrying about this right now. I know that. I have practicing to do, papers to write, student to teach, concerts to play, games to win, emails to write, rehearsals to attend, subjects to study, recordings to listen to, calls to make....the list never ends. The present brings enough troubles for the day. There's some proverb about that which I don't feel like looking up.
But how can I be at peace with such an uncertain future?
Don't tell me. I already know the answer. I need to trust that in the end, everything will be as it should be. I need to remember what I once believed without question: God will provide.
P.S. Updates on facebook about how successful my flute colleages are is not raising my spirits. You guys are jerks. (Not really. I just wanted to call someone a jerk.)
Monday is usually my busiest day, but I've had three classes cancel on me, so I'm free the rest of the day! What a good feeling.
And by free, I mean free to do work and practice. Wah wah. At least this Monday isn't going to kill me like last Monday did.
Also, I heard some voice students in the library talking about Schools of Music. They were recommending FSU to each other, talking about how good it was. It made me happy :)
And by free, I mean free to do work and practice. Wah wah. At least this Monday isn't going to kill me like last Monday did.
Also, I heard some voice students in the library talking about Schools of Music. They were recommending FSU to each other, talking about how good it was. It made me happy :)
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Wellp, I somehow made it to the next round of the concerto competition, so that's good (I think). I really need to step it up for semifinals, because not only is this statistically the hardest round to advance through, but I know for sure that if I play the way I did in prelims that I will not move on.
Charity hat tournament for breast cancer awareness today. It was a blast! Gotta love just being outside in perfect weather, playing a game you love with your friends. Stress relief has never been more effective.
Sunday secrets are up already.
?
Charity hat tournament for breast cancer awareness today. It was a blast! Gotta love just being outside in perfect weather, playing a game you love with your friends. Stress relief has never been more effective.
Sunday secrets are up already.
?
Friday, October 22, 2010
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Sunday, October 17, 2010
I went hiking today! Did Brown's Peak (no. 1 of Four Peaks) with Paul, our friend/teammate Ben, and a friend of Ben's. It was really fun...until I got lost and scared and had to be rescued...uh, yeah....but we took some pretty sweet photos at the top of the mountain. Take a look!
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| Our aerial battle a la "Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon" |
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| This was my favorite one. Ben floating in the air. How can you not love this? Also, I took this photo. |
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| I'm flying! |
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| Paul bustin' out the moves. |
Allright guys. I'm not one to crazy talk and say things like "I think there's a ghost in my room," but I'm pretty sure there's a ghost in my room. I don't even know if I believe in ghosts, but that doesn't stop me from knowing that one is here. That doesn't even make sense when I say it that way. It's like...I don't know if I believe in chairs. But there is obviously one right here. I'm sitting in it. You don't have to know if you believe in chairs to know that one is here.
Instance 1
The first (and most exciting) piece of evidence that there is a ghost here are two phone conversations, both with my mom. We use AT&T as our provider, and apparently AT&T hates Arizona, because my calls get dropped on a regular basis (like once every 15 minutes) no matter where I am in AZ. HOWEVER, last year, I was talking to my mom and meandering around my room. I pick a destination and sit in my desk chair. (I'm pretty sure that the ghost is based somewhere around my desk and/or sink, which are close to each other). All of a sudden, tt sounds like the call got dropped. Nothing odd here. I stay on the line just in case it is just cutting out and will cut back in.
The line cuts back in, but all I hear is this static and heavy breathing. This kind of freaks me out a little bit, cause I'm pretty sure that my mom doesn't sound like that. Although it's scary, it's also mesmerizing and I stay on the line. Suddenly I hear a voice on the other end--a very throaty, whispery voice, like someone who has laryngitis--cut through the static. "Hello?" the ghostly voice says. "Hello?"
This freaks me out to no end. I am so scared that I almost drop my phone. I immediately hang up. I put my phone down on my desk and just looked at it for a second, trying to think of a logical reason why that could have happened. Heavy breathing? A whispery voice saying "hello?" Did that really just happen?
My immediate reaction (I have no idea why this was my first thought) was that it was a murderer who was after me. I called my mom back. She had heard the same thing on her end of the phone. Her first reaction was that it was a ghost or an alien. That got me thinking...
Instance 2
I have a soap dispenser in my bathroom that's really cute. It's shaped like a duck. It is electronic and is supposed to quack whenever you dispense soap. It has never really worked correctly. It very rarely quacks when I dispense soap; rather, it quacks in the middle of the day when I am checking my email, in the morning before my alarm goes off--in other words, anytime I'm not anywhere near the soap dispenser. Mostly it quacks at annoying times, for example when I am laying in bed on a weekend morning, ready to snooze for an hour longer. (This was all last year. After a few cleanings and exposure to water, I think I have broken it completely. It never quacks anymore).
I think the ghost was annoyingly making the duck quack.
Instance 3
A few months after that creepy phone conversation with my mom, I was talking to her once again in my room. I once again move to my desk chair, just like before, and once again, the call is dropped and I hear heavy breathing on the other line. This time I didn't wait for a ghostly voice to say hello--I immediately hung up. This crap is scary, guys! And my mom heard all that I did this time too.
Instance 4
Not many strange things happened at the close of last year, which is good because I spent most of the summer here by myself. However, when I moved back in after my stay at Florida, the strange things started happening once again. A few weeks after school started, there was a night thunderstorm. I very rarely fall asleep to rain here in AZ, so it was odd enough to begin with. I have trouble falling asleep when there is any noise at all, and the rain was no exception. The steady rain was beating on the roof, keeping me up.
After a while, another noise emerged out of the sound of of rain. What was that noise? The best I can describe it is that it sounded like there was a tap dancer on the roof, tapping a regular beat with one foot and an irregular beat with the other. It was the oddest thing, and even though I had all but forgotten about the "ghost," this couldn't help but bring it back into my mind. Dang ghost, I thought, keeping me up at night....
The regular beat grew slower and slower until it finally subsided altogether. This did not coincide with the continually falling rain...
Instance 5
A few weeks ago I had to write a fairly long paper for one of my classes. I wrote prose in two days, one long and boring weekend. Throughout all this time writing, the dardest thing kept happening: I would type a letter on the keyboard, and about 4 or 5 of that letter would appear on the document. I know my keys aren't sticking, and this has never happened before, so I was pretty sure that it wasn't my typing that was causing it. It was just a strange little thing that was happening every once in a while, until...
About halfway through my paper, I was in the middle of writing a sentence, and suddenly without any notice, the letter that I pressed typed not only 5 letters, but it acted as if I was holding the key down. It typed about 100 O's before stopping, scrolling up to the top of my document (about 5 pages of scrolling at that point), and freezing, causing me to lose some of my work. I had to totally reboot word to unfreeze it. I didn't press any keys in the process of all of this happening. The scrolling to the top of the page was the weirdest thing. I didn't press ANYTHING that would have made the page scroll!
As if this wasn't bad enough, it happened TWO more times in the span of writing my paper. "Stupid ghost!" I kept thinking, "stop it and let me write my dang paper! What is WRONG with you?"
Yup, after this, I started TALKING to the ghost.
Instance 6
The sink drain in my bathroom has had some trouble draining for a while. I bought some Drain-O today in an attempt to unclog it myself. I have used Drain-O before, it's a wonderful product that does the job! The directions instructed me to flush the drain out with hot water after using Drain-O. I was in the process of doing this when again, suddenly and without notice, I hear a "boom" sound from my sink--the sound you sometimes hear if you turn your shower on very quickly. The water coming from the sink suddenly turns into nasty black dirty water. It was pretty gross, but I was too shocked to react quickly. It keeps sputtering out for about a second and then after that, nothing will come out. GHOST!
You may say that the phone call is only a weird dropped call that got wireless airwaves mixed up, or that the duckie is malfunctioning, or that microsoft word is whack, or that the tap dancing on the roof was something reacting to the rain, or that my pipes are busted. But I know the truth. These are too many strange things to happen in two years. There is something else going on here. Call it a ghost, poltergeist, just an aura of strangeness in the room. I can't feel it. (I figure that if I can't feel people by stepping on their names, I'm not going to be able to feel a ghost). None of these things make me feel scared (except the phone calls); they actually make me feel more annoyed that anything. But I know it's not just a coincidence anymore. Something is going on here.
...stupid ghost...
Instance 1
The first (and most exciting) piece of evidence that there is a ghost here are two phone conversations, both with my mom. We use AT&T as our provider, and apparently AT&T hates Arizona, because my calls get dropped on a regular basis (like once every 15 minutes) no matter where I am in AZ. HOWEVER, last year, I was talking to my mom and meandering around my room. I pick a destination and sit in my desk chair. (I'm pretty sure that the ghost is based somewhere around my desk and/or sink, which are close to each other). All of a sudden, tt sounds like the call got dropped. Nothing odd here. I stay on the line just in case it is just cutting out and will cut back in.
The line cuts back in, but all I hear is this static and heavy breathing. This kind of freaks me out a little bit, cause I'm pretty sure that my mom doesn't sound like that. Although it's scary, it's also mesmerizing and I stay on the line. Suddenly I hear a voice on the other end--a very throaty, whispery voice, like someone who has laryngitis--cut through the static. "Hello?" the ghostly voice says. "Hello?"
This freaks me out to no end. I am so scared that I almost drop my phone. I immediately hang up. I put my phone down on my desk and just looked at it for a second, trying to think of a logical reason why that could have happened. Heavy breathing? A whispery voice saying "hello?" Did that really just happen?
My immediate reaction (I have no idea why this was my first thought) was that it was a murderer who was after me. I called my mom back. She had heard the same thing on her end of the phone. Her first reaction was that it was a ghost or an alien. That got me thinking...
Instance 2
I have a soap dispenser in my bathroom that's really cute. It's shaped like a duck. It is electronic and is supposed to quack whenever you dispense soap. It has never really worked correctly. It very rarely quacks when I dispense soap; rather, it quacks in the middle of the day when I am checking my email, in the morning before my alarm goes off--in other words, anytime I'm not anywhere near the soap dispenser. Mostly it quacks at annoying times, for example when I am laying in bed on a weekend morning, ready to snooze for an hour longer. (This was all last year. After a few cleanings and exposure to water, I think I have broken it completely. It never quacks anymore).
I think the ghost was annoyingly making the duck quack.
Instance 3
A few months after that creepy phone conversation with my mom, I was talking to her once again in my room. I once again move to my desk chair, just like before, and once again, the call is dropped and I hear heavy breathing on the other line. This time I didn't wait for a ghostly voice to say hello--I immediately hung up. This crap is scary, guys! And my mom heard all that I did this time too.
Instance 4
Not many strange things happened at the close of last year, which is good because I spent most of the summer here by myself. However, when I moved back in after my stay at Florida, the strange things started happening once again. A few weeks after school started, there was a night thunderstorm. I very rarely fall asleep to rain here in AZ, so it was odd enough to begin with. I have trouble falling asleep when there is any noise at all, and the rain was no exception. The steady rain was beating on the roof, keeping me up.
After a while, another noise emerged out of the sound of of rain. What was that noise? The best I can describe it is that it sounded like there was a tap dancer on the roof, tapping a regular beat with one foot and an irregular beat with the other. It was the oddest thing, and even though I had all but forgotten about the "ghost," this couldn't help but bring it back into my mind. Dang ghost, I thought, keeping me up at night....
The regular beat grew slower and slower until it finally subsided altogether. This did not coincide with the continually falling rain...
Instance 5
A few weeks ago I had to write a fairly long paper for one of my classes. I wrote prose in two days, one long and boring weekend. Throughout all this time writing, the dardest thing kept happening: I would type a letter on the keyboard, and about 4 or 5 of that letter would appear on the document. I know my keys aren't sticking, and this has never happened before, so I was pretty sure that it wasn't my typing that was causing it. It was just a strange little thing that was happening every once in a while, until...
About halfway through my paper, I was in the middle of writing a sentence, and suddenly without any notice, the letter that I pressed typed not only 5 letters, but it acted as if I was holding the key down. It typed about 100 O's before stopping, scrolling up to the top of my document (about 5 pages of scrolling at that point), and freezing, causing me to lose some of my work. I had to totally reboot word to unfreeze it. I didn't press any keys in the process of all of this happening. The scrolling to the top of the page was the weirdest thing. I didn't press ANYTHING that would have made the page scroll!
As if this wasn't bad enough, it happened TWO more times in the span of writing my paper. "Stupid ghost!" I kept thinking, "stop it and let me write my dang paper! What is WRONG with you?"
Yup, after this, I started TALKING to the ghost.
Instance 6
The sink drain in my bathroom has had some trouble draining for a while. I bought some Drain-O today in an attempt to unclog it myself. I have used Drain-O before, it's a wonderful product that does the job! The directions instructed me to flush the drain out with hot water after using Drain-O. I was in the process of doing this when again, suddenly and without notice, I hear a "boom" sound from my sink--the sound you sometimes hear if you turn your shower on very quickly. The water coming from the sink suddenly turns into nasty black dirty water. It was pretty gross, but I was too shocked to react quickly. It keeps sputtering out for about a second and then after that, nothing will come out. GHOST!
You may say that the phone call is only a weird dropped call that got wireless airwaves mixed up, or that the duckie is malfunctioning, or that microsoft word is whack, or that the tap dancing on the roof was something reacting to the rain, or that my pipes are busted. But I know the truth. These are too many strange things to happen in two years. There is something else going on here. Call it a ghost, poltergeist, just an aura of strangeness in the room. I can't feel it. (I figure that if I can't feel people by stepping on their names, I'm not going to be able to feel a ghost). None of these things make me feel scared (except the phone calls); they actually make me feel more annoyed that anything. But I know it's not just a coincidence anymore. Something is going on here.
...stupid ghost...
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Two of my friends are getting married today! I go waaay back with this couple--I've known Alyssa since 4th grade. She is probably my oldest friend who is still my friend. I met Albert in high school, and that's still a long time ago. Anywho, they've been dating for a reeeeeeeeaaaaaallly long time (meaning like...8 years, 9 years, something like that) and I am so happy to see them finally take the leap and tie the knot! Unfortunately I am stuck in Arizona during the wedding, but I can still say from 2,000 miles away: way to go guys, and I wish you all the happiness in the world!
Friday, October 15, 2010
I've put my graduate committee together! Everyone who I wanted agreed to serve on my committee. Yay!
(Really the only reason that I am posting this is because it makes me sound smarter than I usually sound when I tell people that I am in graduate school...for music. I do research, and I don't just write about "my feelings," I promise.)
The Simpsons makes fun of grad students too.
(Really the only reason that I am posting this is because it makes me sound smarter than I usually sound when I tell people that I am in graduate school...for music. I do research, and I don't just write about "my feelings," I promise.)
The Simpsons makes fun of grad students too.
Wednesday, October 13, 2010
Monday, October 11, 2010
Wow, it's weird...walking into my apartment after this tournament was like walking back into the real world. Back from the world of frisbee.
I'M TIRED.
Q: Ashley, if you are so tired, why are you posting on blogger instead of sleeping?
A: I don't know.
We had an 11 1/2 man squad at regionals, so I played a lot. My ballpark estimate is that I played about 55 points in the weekend. AND that was with missing an entire game and part of a second game. I can't remember the last time I've been so completely exhausted.
I'M TIRED.
Q: Ashley, if you are so tired, why are you posting on blogger instead of sleeping?
A: I don't know.
We had an 11 1/2 man squad at regionals, so I played a lot. My ballpark estimate is that I played about 55 points in the weekend. AND that was with missing an entire game and part of a second game. I can't remember the last time I've been so completely exhausted.
Friday, October 08, 2010
I have been so busy lately that I haven't even found time to make stupid little comments in my blog. Siiiiiigh.
Between teaching, practicing, homework, frisbee, rehearsals, and lessons, life has been a little hectic lately. This weekend won't be any better. I just played in a TOTALLY RAD concert with Jeff Nevin and a mariachi ensemble (okay...the mariachi ensemble was the only good part of the performance. Whatev.). If I wasn't playing in that concert, I would have been flying or driving out to California with the rest of Spitfire. But the cards fell where they did, and I had to figure out a way to get there without missing the concert.
I leave in about 9 hours for Burbank, California. When I get there one of my awesome teammates (who is injured and unable to play) is going to pick me up and drive me to the fields an hour away in Oxnard. Even with all that, I will miss at least one game, even if all goes according to plan. And let's face it...when does everything go according to plan?
So what is this tournament that is so important that I had to go, even though I had a concert the night before?...Regionals!
I'm pretty excited about seeing some of the best women in the nation play. Even though they will probably school me like I have never been schooled before, it'll be cool to see such a high level of play; it'll make me better. AND we get our rematch with Mucho Gusto. That is our second game on Sat, so hopefully I won't miss it.
Anyway, I should probably head to bed. Got an early start tomorrow, and I gotta rest up for the big day (or...two days). Catch ya on the flip side!
Between teaching, practicing, homework, frisbee, rehearsals, and lessons, life has been a little hectic lately. This weekend won't be any better. I just played in a TOTALLY RAD concert with Jeff Nevin and a mariachi ensemble (okay...the mariachi ensemble was the only good part of the performance. Whatev.). If I wasn't playing in that concert, I would have been flying or driving out to California with the rest of Spitfire. But the cards fell where they did, and I had to figure out a way to get there without missing the concert.
I leave in about 9 hours for Burbank, California. When I get there one of my awesome teammates (who is injured and unable to play) is going to pick me up and drive me to the fields an hour away in Oxnard. Even with all that, I will miss at least one game, even if all goes according to plan. And let's face it...when does everything go according to plan?
So what is this tournament that is so important that I had to go, even though I had a concert the night before?...Regionals!
I'm pretty excited about seeing some of the best women in the nation play. Even though they will probably school me like I have never been schooled before, it'll be cool to see such a high level of play; it'll make me better. AND we get our rematch with Mucho Gusto. That is our second game on Sat, so hopefully I won't miss it.
Anyway, I should probably head to bed. Got an early start tomorrow, and I gotta rest up for the big day (or...two days). Catch ya on the flip side!
Wednesday, October 06, 2010
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Crazy, crazy, crazy weather today. Thunder. Lightning. Floods. Wind. Gigantic rainbows. Power outages.
I have never seen Phoenix like this before!
A lot of the people who have lived here a while (or for their whole lives) absolutely love rain and lower temperatures. But I don't see any reason why anyone should like rain. It gets everything wet, it makes it humid, and it makes ultimate be canceled. What's to love about that?
I have never seen Phoenix like this before!
A lot of the people who have lived here a while (or for their whole lives) absolutely love rain and lower temperatures. But I don't see any reason why anyone should like rain. It gets everything wet, it makes it humid, and it makes ultimate be canceled. What's to love about that?
Monday, October 04, 2010
Totally finished my Stravinsky paper. I stapled it together at exactly midnight. The prose is only 8 pages long (with musical examples), but the entire packet that I am turning in (including the cover page, catalog of themes and motives, form chart, graph of movement, bibliography, and annotated score) is 18 pages long. 18 pages! No wonder it took me so long to finish this.
This paper stole my entire weekend away. I didn't even have time to practice! But I bet that finishing at midnight tonight is much sooner than most of the rest of my class. I will get 8 hours of sleep. I don't know if everyone else can say that...
This paper stole my entire weekend away. I didn't even have time to practice! But I bet that finishing at midnight tonight is much sooner than most of the rest of my class. I will get 8 hours of sleep. I don't know if everyone else can say that...
Saturday, October 02, 2010
All of the COOL KIDS tonight are writing papers on Stravinsky pieces instead of playing Lego Star Wars with their boyfriends...or watching sweet videos on Sigur Ros...
Tomorrow, all of the COOL KIDS could have gone hiking, but chose instead to write more about Stravinsky pieces. Because they love music so much...they love music so much...
(fade into gloomy silence)
Tomorrow, all of the COOL KIDS could have gone hiking, but chose instead to write more about Stravinsky pieces. Because they love music so much...they love music so much...
(fade into gloomy silence)
Friday, October 01, 2010
I keep trying to write my paper, but all I really want to do right now is sing along with "I'm Gonna Be." Oh Proclaimers...so nerdy and yet so catchy...
This is shaping up to be a very confusion-filled year. I still have no idea what I am doing next year. I wonder if it being confused will ever get any easier.
On a different note...why am I not asleep right now?
Also, it's 1 AM and 91 degrees right now. AND the first day of October. Rabbit rabbit...
On a different note...why am I not asleep right now?
Also, it's 1 AM and 91 degrees right now. AND the first day of October. Rabbit rabbit...
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
Hey guess what...I don't have class tomorrow! You know what that means! (You probably don't.) It means that I get to practice, do applications, and work on writing a paper all day! Woohoo!
(Well okay, so it's not that exciting right now. But trust me, it will be when I have the whole weekend free .)
:)
(Well okay, so it's not that exciting right now. But trust me, it will be when I have the whole weekend free .)
:)
Monday, September 27, 2010
Sick day. Woke up at 5 am with that feeling that I was going to throw up. Tried to lay in bed and fight it for about half an hour and then finally meandered over to the toilet to do the deed. Went back to sleep feeling nauseated. Woke up around 8 not feeling any better. Got up just long enough to send my professors some emails that I would be missing class today and send a text to a duet partner that we wouldn't be able to rehearse today. Went back to sleep and didn't wake up till 12:15, feeling a little better.
I had 15 minutes to get ready to leave for orchestra rehearsal (I can't really miss...there are only 4 rehearsals before the concert and I don't know any of these pieces). Made it through the two-hour rehearsal, laid down on a couch in the lounge studying a textbook for an hour and a half, and then went to flute rep (I only have it once a week so I couldn't really miss that either). Finally I am home and glad I made it through the worst of the day. I think I may be feeling bad now just because I've eaten basically nothing today.
Being sick to your stomach is the worst. Just the worst.
I had 15 minutes to get ready to leave for orchestra rehearsal (I can't really miss...there are only 4 rehearsals before the concert and I don't know any of these pieces). Made it through the two-hour rehearsal, laid down on a couch in the lounge studying a textbook for an hour and a half, and then went to flute rep (I only have it once a week so I couldn't really miss that either). Finally I am home and glad I made it through the worst of the day. I think I may be feeling bad now just because I've eaten basically nothing today.
Being sick to your stomach is the worst. Just the worst.
Sunday, September 26, 2010
A few of you may know that I have a livejournal account. I have never used livejournal as a blog; I only had one to check my friends' posts. Nevertheless, back in the day when I created my account, I took a long time to think about what I could list under "interests." I added some more today (and surprisingly, I only deleted one thing), and this is the list that I came up with:
acting girly, awkward elevator rides, back massages, being independent, being nerdy, being sarcastic, being short, bubba gump, cats, charles dickens novels, checking my mail, chocolate, cleats, clicking pens, colors, cute purses, danny glover, deceptive cadences, discs, disney world, doing the moonwalk, doing the robot dance, egyptian cotton sheets, emmanuel pahud, enjoying life, epic storylines, extreme contabass flute, fighting with technology, florida state university, flossing, flute and/or piccolo, flute duets, fondue, fresh laundry, fresh-baked cookies, funny pictures, game nights, god, going to symphonies, gymnastics, hanging out, happiness, happy, hiking, hula hooping, interlochen arts camp, irish music, jesus, late-night talk shows, laughing, long and deep conversations, looking at the sky, making my boss mad, making stupid comics, mountain climbing, movies, music, my brother's video games, nature documentaries, nerdy boys, nice people, norah jones, not wearing makeup, npr, orange juice, owigami!, pacifism, parks, parrots, pennywhistle, people with cool names, picking my nose, picnics, plagal cadences, pokemon, practicing, praying, pretty dresses, reading, reflections in the water, riding my bike, ross perot (not really), rubber duckies, saying stupid things, screaming contests, seinfeld, sleeping, slinkies, snl, speling wurds incorectly, stupid comments, succeeding, swimming, teaching, the beach, the fantasy genre, the good ol' days, the grand canyon, the new york yankees, the tourist face, the water bottle game, thumb wars, toucans, ultimate frisbee, vampire weekend, wide open spaces, woodwind quintets, writing letters
acting girly, awkward elevator rides, back massages, being independent, being nerdy, being sarcastic, being short, bubba gump, cats, charles dickens novels, checking my mail, chocolate, cleats, clicking pens, colors, cute purses, danny glover, deceptive cadences, discs, disney world, doing the moonwalk, doing the robot dance, egyptian cotton sheets, emmanuel pahud, enjoying life, epic storylines, extreme contabass flute, fighting with technology, florida state university, flossing, flute and/or piccolo, flute duets, fondue, fresh laundry, fresh-baked cookies, funny pictures, game nights, god, going to symphonies, gymnastics, hanging out, happiness, happy, hiking, hula hooping, interlochen arts camp, irish music, jesus, late-night talk shows, laughing, long and deep conversations, looking at the sky, making my boss mad, making stupid comics, mountain climbing, movies, music, my brother's video games, nature documentaries, nerdy boys, nice people, norah jones, not wearing makeup, npr, orange juice, owigami!, pacifism, parks, parrots, pennywhistle, people with cool names, picking my nose, picnics, plagal cadences, pokemon, practicing, praying, pretty dresses, reading, reflections in the water, riding my bike, ross perot (not really), rubber duckies, saying stupid things, screaming contests, seinfeld, sleeping, slinkies, snl, speling wurds incorectly, stupid comments, succeeding, swimming, teaching, the beach, the fantasy genre, the good ol' days, the grand canyon, the new york yankees, the tourist face, the water bottle game, thumb wars, toucans, ultimate frisbee, vampire weekend, wide open spaces, woodwind quintets, writing letters
Friday, September 24, 2010
Fall Chickens were at the top of their game last night! After doing a fairly helpful marking drill, we won big, 15-7. I played well myself, catching two hucks for scores, making another good catch in the endzone, and throwing an assist. (I really enjoy playing on mixed teams. They really play to my strengths. I don't get to just bust deep as much on Spitfire because only a few players have true full-field hucks.) And NO turnovers! Everybody actually played much better this week, staying chilly, coordinating cuts well, leaving the major handling to the handlers. Our D was pretty intense too. Our new players looked so good this week! I am really excited about what this team might be able to do.
At the end of the game the other team was getting really frustrated and were taking their frustration out by counting how many times we threw to new players. I understand that games like that can be very frustrating for the other team. I've been there before. But let me tell you something--the reason we were winning was NOT because we were looking off our new players. I wanted to calmly explain, new players generally do not make as good of cuts as veteran players. They do not get open as much. And you are certainly not going to call a new player to be a handler. And that is the reason they do not get the disc as much. NOT because "we don't throw to them." I know that I personally threw to our new players plenty of times throughout the game--one was my assist. It was funny, because as soon as they started counting, we threw to one of our new players (one), made a few more completions, and then threw to a different new player for a score (two). That just proves it!
I don't want to make a big deal of this, but I take offense to the accusation that we are a good team because we don't throw to new players. It is totally and completely untrue.
At the end of the game the other team was getting really frustrated and were taking their frustration out by counting how many times we threw to new players. I understand that games like that can be very frustrating for the other team. I've been there before. But let me tell you something--the reason we were winning was NOT because we were looking off our new players. I wanted to calmly explain, new players generally do not make as good of cuts as veteran players. They do not get open as much. And you are certainly not going to call a new player to be a handler. And that is the reason they do not get the disc as much. NOT because "we don't throw to them." I know that I personally threw to our new players plenty of times throughout the game--one was my assist. It was funny, because as soon as they started counting, we threw to one of our new players (one), made a few more completions, and then threw to a different new player for a score (two). That just proves it!
I don't want to make a big deal of this, but I take offense to the accusation that we are a good team because we don't throw to new players. It is totally and completely untrue.
Thursday, September 23, 2010
Wellp, my life has gotten less stressful, but not less busy! I had a great lesson today (she called my playing "incredible"! It really is the small things.), and I still have homework to do, practicing to do, and a coaching. And oh yeah....a game to win! Today is Fall Chicken game no. 3 and I have high hopes! However the game ends, I think I am going to have a little bit of fun after this one. After being stressed and busy for so long, I deserve it.
Wednesday, September 22, 2010
Tuesday, September 21, 2010
I have been so productive lately, working hard from the waking up in the morning till the moment my head touches the pillow at night. It'll be worth it in the end, and for now, I can revel in the fact that I am doing the right thing.
Also, I just discovered a new feature of blogger called "stats" which is pretty interesting. It tells me how many pageviews I have per day (or per week or per month) and some interesting facts about "my audience." For instance, my blog is viewed my mac users 46% of the time. I've had 6 pageviews today, 21 yesterday, and 830 in the last month! Cool!
Also, I just discovered a new feature of blogger called "stats" which is pretty interesting. It tells me how many pageviews I have per day (or per week or per month) and some interesting facts about "my audience." For instance, my blog is viewed my mac users 46% of the time. I've had 6 pageviews today, 21 yesterday, and 830 in the last month! Cool!
Monday, September 20, 2010
Sunday, September 19, 2010
So today was sectionals, the first big tournament in the club series. Most teams from sectionals qualify for regionals, which are in a few weeks and in California.
I'm on a Phoenix women's team called "Spitfire" and we played three games today. I had a blast! Not only did we look hot hot hot! (literally...the high today was 107), but I just really like these girls. They are nice, cool, mature people, supportive and encouraging, never backstabbing or rude. We act like a team should act. We probably take that for granted...some of the guys on our brother team, Sprawl, came by for part of our last game and immediately started putting us down..."what the heck is she throwing??" "why would she do something like that???" "that was just awful." I think that my team inherently realizes that comments like this are less than productive, and so we never hear them--never.
Like I said, the tournament was really fun. I played about half of the time, and it was the perfect amount. We almost shut out our first opponent, the ASU team Caliente. The second game against University of Arizona (Tucson) was a little harder, but we still won 14-7. Out last game was against the Tucson club team, Mucho Gusto, and everyone expected us to lose. This is a team that has long been known to be much better than Spitfire (or PHX-ation, the old team name). I feel like I alone believed we could win that game. We have been training quite hard and every single girl across the line is a solid player. Just solid.
It was a close game the whole time. They would score, we would score, they would score, we would score. We were up 7-6 before halftime; then they scored two to take half. Our battle continued. Eventually in the end, we lost. They ran away with three straight points to end the game 8-11. But I compared it to Rocky. ::ROCKY SPOILER ALERT:: Nobody thought we could beat these guys. And no, we couldn't...they were better than us. But you know what happened in Rocky II? Rocky trained even harder...and won. Regionals are coming up in about three weeks. Look for Spitfire to BRING IT.
I'm on a Phoenix women's team called "Spitfire" and we played three games today. I had a blast! Not only did we look hot hot hot! (literally...the high today was 107), but I just really like these girls. They are nice, cool, mature people, supportive and encouraging, never backstabbing or rude. We act like a team should act. We probably take that for granted...some of the guys on our brother team, Sprawl, came by for part of our last game and immediately started putting us down..."what the heck is she throwing??" "why would she do something like that???" "that was just awful." I think that my team inherently realizes that comments like this are less than productive, and so we never hear them--never.
Like I said, the tournament was really fun. I played about half of the time, and it was the perfect amount. We almost shut out our first opponent, the ASU team Caliente. The second game against University of Arizona (Tucson) was a little harder, but we still won 14-7. Out last game was against the Tucson club team, Mucho Gusto, and everyone expected us to lose. This is a team that has long been known to be much better than Spitfire (or PHX-ation, the old team name). I feel like I alone believed we could win that game. We have been training quite hard and every single girl across the line is a solid player. Just solid.
It was a close game the whole time. They would score, we would score, they would score, we would score. We were up 7-6 before halftime; then they scored two to take half. Our battle continued. Eventually in the end, we lost. They ran away with three straight points to end the game 8-11. But I compared it to Rocky. ::ROCKY SPOILER ALERT:: Nobody thought we could beat these guys. And no, we couldn't...they were better than us. But you know what happened in Rocky II? Rocky trained even harder...and won. Regionals are coming up in about three weeks. Look for Spitfire to BRING IT.
Saturday, September 18, 2010
Spitfire sectionals tomorrow. I am excited. It's gonna be fun!
I think Spitfire needs to get a little more respect in the ultimate community. No, we are not by any means one of the best women's teams in the nation, but yes, we have been working quite hard (I know, because I am on the team and I have been working hard) and getting better, and it's not fair (or NICE, for that matter) to just toss us off with "Spitfire is bad and going to lose." We may lose to Mucho Gusto, we may not, but either way, you should respect the work we have done this season. Yes, I am talking to the Sprawl guys out there. We practice right next to you two days a week. The least you can do is wish us luck for this tournament.
Anyway, getting off of my soapbox...tomorrow should be a blast. Go SPITFIRE!
I think Spitfire needs to get a little more respect in the ultimate community. No, we are not by any means one of the best women's teams in the nation, but yes, we have been working quite hard (I know, because I am on the team and I have been working hard) and getting better, and it's not fair (or NICE, for that matter) to just toss us off with "Spitfire is bad and going to lose." We may lose to Mucho Gusto, we may not, but either way, you should respect the work we have done this season. Yes, I am talking to the Sprawl guys out there. We practice right next to you two days a week. The least you can do is wish us luck for this tournament.
Anyway, getting off of my soapbox...tomorrow should be a blast. Go SPITFIRE!
Friday, September 17, 2010
Thursday, September 16, 2010
I really need to figure out my life. (Or do I?).
I have a really big decision to make at the close of this school year. I have created two main options for myself. I can stay here, get my doctorate, and live life much as I have lived the past two years. This sounds wonderful, but trust me--there are catches. Or I can go home, get a different degree, try to make it for a couple of years as a flute teacher in a place where families cannot afford lessons.
There is more to this choice that I am letting on, but some things are too personal to post online (WHAT?). I have a very strong hunch that this is going to be a cut and dry choice. One or the other. I cannot pick and choose the aspects that I want from each place. I will miss my friends wherever I end up. Both career choices come with baggage. Living in Florida makes me miss Arizona, living in Arizona makes me miss Florida. Where do I belong? What should I be doing with my life? What is the right choice for me? I wish I could just look into the future--then I could be spared all of this confusion and indecision. But as it is, I have to keep thinking about it.
And thinking about it never makes it better. I always end with, "I can't do that because I couldn't bear stay away from _____!" or "There's no way I can live my life without _____!" There are times when I feel like I know for sure which choice I should make, and two days later I will feel just as strongly for the other choice. It's terrible. And it's something that gets me down (at times, VERY down) sometimes. I just don't know, readers. I just don't know.
I don't need to be reminded that change is gonna come,
I can feel it on the tip of my tongue.
And I...
feel alive.
UNRELATED
I made a grilled cheese today with mozzarella and provolone, and it was delicious! Highly recommended.
I have a really big decision to make at the close of this school year. I have created two main options for myself. I can stay here, get my doctorate, and live life much as I have lived the past two years. This sounds wonderful, but trust me--there are catches. Or I can go home, get a different degree, try to make it for a couple of years as a flute teacher in a place where families cannot afford lessons.
There is more to this choice that I am letting on, but some things are too personal to post online (WHAT?). I have a very strong hunch that this is going to be a cut and dry choice. One or the other. I cannot pick and choose the aspects that I want from each place. I will miss my friends wherever I end up. Both career choices come with baggage. Living in Florida makes me miss Arizona, living in Arizona makes me miss Florida. Where do I belong? What should I be doing with my life? What is the right choice for me? I wish I could just look into the future--then I could be spared all of this confusion and indecision. But as it is, I have to keep thinking about it.
And thinking about it never makes it better. I always end with, "I can't do that because I couldn't bear stay away from _____!" or "There's no way I can live my life without _____!" There are times when I feel like I know for sure which choice I should make, and two days later I will feel just as strongly for the other choice. It's terrible. And it's something that gets me down (at times, VERY down) sometimes. I just don't know, readers. I just don't know.
I don't need to be reminded that change is gonna come,
I can feel it on the tip of my tongue.
And I...
feel alive.
UNRELATED
I made a grilled cheese today with mozzarella and provolone, and it was delicious! Highly recommended.
Tuesday, September 14, 2010
I was a little better at wakeboarding this time. Apparently Roland was giving me bad directions the first time (wah wah). I watched this video he downloaded that taught the right way to stand up, and voila! I was able to stand. I was legit wakeboarding for about 5 seconds a couple of times, which doesn't really sound like a lot, but last time I wasn't able to stand at all, so it's definitely a victory. Next time I will do even better!
(Ha! Wakeboarding in the middle of Arizona. Imagine that!)
(Ha! Wakeboarding in the middle of Arizona. Imagine that!)
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Saturday, September 11, 2010
Friday, September 10, 2010
Thursday, September 09, 2010
We won our first game! 15-11 was the final score. I was a little disappointed that it was such a close game, but a win is a win! Paul didn't play because he is still sick :( The differential would have for sure been better with him out there.
We sure looked nice out there for a first game. It was pretty disorganized for a while, but we had great D, good catches all around, and amazing women (as expected). I am really happy with the team spirit, although I somehow found myself in the middle of a few squabbles on the field (?). I don't know. All I know is that so far, I'm happy with the team we picked!
My teammates seemed to think I played well, but I feel like I totally lost the matchup between myself and the female captain of the other team. One point she got bookends on me with a handblock and then an endzone cut to the open side...grr. No drops, though, and I had a few assists and scores, so all in all I guess I did okay :)
We sure looked nice out there for a first game. It was pretty disorganized for a while, but we had great D, good catches all around, and amazing women (as expected). I am really happy with the team spirit, although I somehow found myself in the middle of a few squabbles on the field (?). I don't know. All I know is that so far, I'm happy with the team we picked!
My teammates seemed to think I played well, but I feel like I totally lost the matchup between myself and the female captain of the other team. One point she got bookends on me with a handblock and then an endzone cut to the open side...grr. No drops, though, and I had a few assists and scores, so all in all I guess I did okay :)
Wednesday, September 08, 2010
My wishes for cooler weather are finally being granted (I think). The highest high in the next 10 days is 105--nothing over 105 is an improvement. I am also VERY excited that the high for our first game tomorrow is only 97! It's going to be great!
These "you know you're from Phoenix when..." lines run through my head from time to time. You know you're from Phoenix when nice weather is anything under 105. You know you're from Phoenix when REALLY nice weather is anything under 100.
These "you know you're from Phoenix when..." lines run through my head from time to time. You know you're from Phoenix when nice weather is anything under 105. You know you're from Phoenix when REALLY nice weather is anything under 100.
Tuesday, September 07, 2010
I was just looking through some pictures of my cousin on facebook. She is still in high school and I can tell by her pictures that she's in the popular clique. Even in her pictures of freshman year, I can tell that she was popular. She's tall, stylish, sighs endlessly at family gatherings, and cares more about her appearance than I ever did or ever will. I feel like there is a world of division between her and me. I see her only about once a year--if even--and I really wish I had a chance to get to know her better, to understand her and to be a good influence. High school is such a molding time of your life.
Today has been a rough day. The tears still in my eyes are proof. The listlessness of not knowing quite what I want out of life, trying to walk the thin line between two options, the stress of school and practice breathing down my neck every awesome trip I take. How do I deal with this?
It's sometimes very, very difficult to admit that for the most part, the things that happen in our lives are results of what we do. You reap what you sow. A careless, misplaced word is all it takes. Everything has a consequence, though sometimes the consequences are out of proportion with the crime. It feels unfair, but in the end, the sum is the same.
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God
It's sometimes very, very difficult to admit that for the most part, the things that happen in our lives are results of what we do. You reap what you sow. A careless, misplaced word is all it takes. Everything has a consequence, though sometimes the consequences are out of proportion with the crime. It feels unfair, but in the end, the sum is the same.
We know that all things work together for good for those who love God
Monday, September 06, 2010
Friday, September 03, 2010
Wellp, you win some, you lose some. I gained a student, lost a student, found a gig, discovered that my flight to a wedding is $400. I think it all evens out in the end.
This weekend's adventure (doesn't it seem like I have an adventure every week?): Durango ultimate hat tournament Sat-Sun in Durango, Colorado. Then on Monday, take a leisurely drive back and see Monument Valley and some other cool landmarks. My oh my! My life is so cool.
This weekend's adventure (doesn't it seem like I have an adventure every week?): Durango ultimate hat tournament Sat-Sun in Durango, Colorado. Then on Monday, take a leisurely drive back and see Monument Valley and some other cool landmarks. My oh my! My life is so cool.
Thursday, September 02, 2010
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Remember all those posts about Phoenix/Tempe being a hazardous place for bicyclers? Well, today I got in a bike accident, colliding with a car. I am absolutely fine, it was a very mild collision, but the front wheel of my bike was pretty bent up and has to be replaced. And it happened because she DIDN'T SEE ME. I wasn't kidding. PSA: be very careful both as a driver and as a cyclist.
Monday, August 30, 2010
I had a dream last night that I was transferring from ASU to Juilliard. I was really excited and all I could say the whole time was, "I CAN'T BELIEVE I'm going to be going to Juilliard!"
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I've had such a great time here, out west in Arizona. I've gotten to see and experience so many things that are just alien to the old me. Scalding hot days cooled by the pool, hiking the Grand Canyon, biking along the only lake water in town, sitting in the box in chase field, playing frisbee hundreds of feet above sea level, chilling at the bar with friends, coyotes, cacti with beautiful blooming flowers, full moons in the desert...traveling to new and exciting places with my boyfriend...even everyday discoveries like cooking an awesome new meal, watching a movie I wouldn't have watched before, getting introduced to a new band. All of this has been just amazing.
But new is always just a little bit scary, especially to me, the traditionalist. I find it very difficult to let go of the past. Often to move forward you must leave something behind.
The path of life is a funny one. I was so sure that I was meant to be here, to move here, and I have had all of these adventures along the way, in only one year. It must all have a meaning, it cannot just fade away to memory, no, there must be more to it...
And yet, I really do miss home much of the time. My friends, my family, the beach, feeling safe and loved, that I really cannot fall because there are plenty of those who will catch me. A simpler life. How could I leave all of that behind?
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I've had such a great time here, out west in Arizona. I've gotten to see and experience so many things that are just alien to the old me. Scalding hot days cooled by the pool, hiking the Grand Canyon, biking along the only lake water in town, sitting in the box in chase field, playing frisbee hundreds of feet above sea level, chilling at the bar with friends, coyotes, cacti with beautiful blooming flowers, full moons in the desert...traveling to new and exciting places with my boyfriend...even everyday discoveries like cooking an awesome new meal, watching a movie I wouldn't have watched before, getting introduced to a new band. All of this has been just amazing.
But new is always just a little bit scary, especially to me, the traditionalist. I find it very difficult to let go of the past. Often to move forward you must leave something behind.
The path of life is a funny one. I was so sure that I was meant to be here, to move here, and I have had all of these adventures along the way, in only one year. It must all have a meaning, it cannot just fade away to memory, no, there must be more to it...
And yet, I really do miss home much of the time. My friends, my family, the beach, feeling safe and loved, that I really cannot fall because there are plenty of those who will catch me. A simpler life. How could I leave all of that behind?
Thursday, August 26, 2010
I slept in today (no, I didn't just wake up, don't be like that), and I think I needed it. Last night's practice totally kicked my butt--I felt like I was falling asleep on the field! But now I feel great! It's one of those days when I dance around in my room to Vampire Weekend. I think that draft stressed me out more than I let on. But now it's over and I have 11 weeks of ULTIMATE ULTIMATE to look forward to!
AND...we're giving the grand canyon another try this weekend. The forecast is rain again, but we are going to try anyway. Maybe our luck will swing the right way this time.
AND...I get to start playing flute with OTHER PEOPLE soon. Man, I miss that.
AND...we're giving the grand canyon another try this weekend. The forecast is rain again, but we are going to try anyway. Maybe our luck will swing the right way this time.
AND...I get to start playing flute with OTHER PEOPLE soon. Man, I miss that.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
The TEAM!!! (we haven't finalized a name yet, but we know we are orange):
Guys:
1. Josh Kohl (we were really excited about getting this guy)
2. Paul Otto
3. Wade Ackerman
4. Ben Clark
5. Justin Katz
6. Roland Fisher
7. Justin Wexler
8. Andy Greenberg
9. Westin Sherlock
10. Matt Case
11. Thom McClhany
Girls:
1. Andrea Torvinen
2. Ashley Stahl
3. Jill Mayer
4. Liz Harmat
I can't tell you how excited I am about this team!!! With the way things worked out (there were a few kinks in the system), we have BY FAR the best woman squad in the league. We basically have a first round girl and three second round girls. Definitely lucked out there. We also have a good mix of old and young, vet and new players. AND our team is going to be AWESOMELY fun to play with--Katz and Roland I know are the spirit squad themselves.
One...two...three...CLUCK!
Guys:
1. Josh Kohl (we were really excited about getting this guy)
2. Paul Otto
3. Wade Ackerman
4. Ben Clark
5. Justin Katz
6. Roland Fisher
7. Justin Wexler
8. Andy Greenberg
9. Westin Sherlock
10. Matt Case
11. Thom McClhany
Girls:
1. Andrea Torvinen
2. Ashley Stahl
3. Jill Mayer
4. Liz Harmat
I can't tell you how excited I am about this team!!! With the way things worked out (there were a few kinks in the system), we have BY FAR the best woman squad in the league. We basically have a first round girl and three second round girls. Definitely lucked out there. We also have a good mix of old and young, vet and new players. AND our team is going to be AWESOMELY fun to play with--Katz and Roland I know are the spirit squad themselves.
One...two...three...CLUCK!
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Friday, August 20, 2010
Man, this draft is going to be tough--and exciting! There are too many variables to make any definite choices yet, but I cannot stop thinking about my future team.
Audition for ensembles tomorrow. I have a feeling that I'm going to derp it up, even with the wisdom from my lesson today. Oh well. They don't mean much anyway.
Audition for ensembles tomorrow. I have a feeling that I'm going to derp it up, even with the wisdom from my lesson today. Oh well. They don't mean much anyway.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Wellp, school starts tomorrow, but I don't have any class until Friday. One of the good things about being a music major is that you ease into each semester (however, this does comes with a downside...AUDITIONS. Bleh.).
Anyway, with my day off tomorrow, I am going SHOPPING! WOO! My love of malls has grown a lot over the years, and I have to say that I have become quite the girl in that respect. I recently purged my closet of all shirts that are too stretched out, too short, too worn, or ones that I inexplicably just don't ever wear. I feel like I am getting rid of a quarter of my wardrobe! With the addition of my recently-disimbursed student loan money burning a hole in my wallet, I feel a strong urge to SHOP! (It might be irresponsible, yeah yeah, I'll regret it later, I don't need to hear all that. I'm shopping and that's the end of it.)
My friend Lisa scored some sweet tickets to tomorrow's D'backs game and generously offered two of them to Paul and me, so that'll be my night activity. Shopping, baseball, practicing flute somewhere in the middle--it'll be a good day. :)
Anyway, with my day off tomorrow, I am going SHOPPING! WOO! My love of malls has grown a lot over the years, and I have to say that I have become quite the girl in that respect. I recently purged my closet of all shirts that are too stretched out, too short, too worn, or ones that I inexplicably just don't ever wear. I feel like I am getting rid of a quarter of my wardrobe! With the addition of my recently-disimbursed student loan money burning a hole in my wallet, I feel a strong urge to SHOP! (It might be irresponsible, yeah yeah, I'll regret it later, I don't need to hear all that. I'm shopping and that's the end of it.)
My friend Lisa scored some sweet tickets to tomorrow's D'backs game and generously offered two of them to Paul and me, so that'll be my night activity. Shopping, baseball, practicing flute somewhere in the middle--it'll be a good day. :)
I read an interesting article today (okay...I read MOST of it...okay I might have skimmed most of it...okay, you got me, I jumped to words that looked interesting. so sue me.) about people in their 20's. I can identify with this at least:
Ask them if they agree with the statement “I am very sure that someday I will get to where I want to be in life,” and 96 percent of them will say yes. But despite elements that are exciting, even exhilarating, about being this age, there is a downside, too: dread, frustration, uncertainty, a sense of not quite understanding the rules of the game. More than positive or negative feelings, what Arnett heard most often was ambivalence — beginning with his finding that 60 percent of his subjects told him they felt like both grown-ups and not-quite-grown-ups.
Ask them if they agree with the statement “I am very sure that someday I will get to where I want to be in life,” and 96 percent of them will say yes. But despite elements that are exciting, even exhilarating, about being this age, there is a downside, too: dread, frustration, uncertainty, a sense of not quite understanding the rules of the game. More than positive or negative feelings, what Arnett heard most often was ambivalence — beginning with his finding that 60 percent of his subjects told him they felt like both grown-ups and not-quite-grown-ups.
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
So, like I said, I have been in Anaheim for the annual National Flute Convention for the past couple of days. It's been fun--I roomed with 3 other girls (one being my current real-life roommate, Brittney), and it was pretty fun to chat with other people who are doing what I am doing. I had the privilege to see some of the best flute players in the world, including Marianne Gedigian, who just seems to get better every time I see her. What an incredible musician. And I got to see some of the best up-and-coming young musicians in the competitions. I also had a chance to witness quite a few premiers in concerto night. Man, music can be beautiful sometimes. Concerto night FTW!
All in all, it was a great time, and it was a great way to start out the school year, as I'm now officially inspired to do everything I can to be the best flute player I can be.
I took this picture, which is just silly:
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Aside from the flute convention, I've been getting ready for school, which starts up again in two days. Oh brother! I think it's going to be a good year, as I'm going to have an awesome quartet for an ensemble, I'll hopefully get to play in a lot of large ensembles, and my repertoire class is going to be a total of THREE PEOPLE! And of course, lessons will be great as always.
Paul and I decided yesterday to captain a team for fall league. It's my third league here and the first time I'll have captained, and I'm really excited! However, I think we are both pretty scared of the draft. I guess we'll just have to do the best we can! Here's to hoping!
All in all, it was a great time, and it was a great way to start out the school year, as I'm now officially inspired to do everything I can to be the best flute player I can be.
I took this picture, which is just silly:
-------------------------------------------------
Aside from the flute convention, I've been getting ready for school, which starts up again in two days. Oh brother! I think it's going to be a good year, as I'm going to have an awesome quartet for an ensemble, I'll hopefully get to play in a lot of large ensembles, and my repertoire class is going to be a total of THREE PEOPLE! And of course, lessons will be great as always.
Paul and I decided yesterday to captain a team for fall league. It's my third league here and the first time I'll have captained, and I'm really excited! However, I think we are both pretty scared of the draft. I guess we'll just have to do the best we can! Here's to hoping!
Tuesday, August 10, 2010
Whoo! One mudslide can really pack a punch, can't it?
I leave for Anaheim and the 2010 National Flute Convention tomorrow. Horray! It's the first convention that I've gone to without ANY obligations. Can I hear an OH YEAH?
I'll be gone until Sunday, and though I plan on taking my computer, there is no guarantee that I'll have Internet access, so this may be my last post for a few days. Here's to good fluting!
(I like ladies night...this could be good!)
I leave for Anaheim and the 2010 National Flute Convention tomorrow. Horray! It's the first convention that I've gone to without ANY obligations. Can I hear an OH YEAH?
I'll be gone until Sunday, and though I plan on taking my computer, there is no guarantee that I'll have Internet access, so this may be my last post for a few days. Here's to good fluting!
(I like ladies night...this could be good!)
This may be old news, but I just recently found out about this incredibly funny web comic about music. Some of these comics are very intelligent and would only be understood by people who have studied classical music extensively (for some reason, they like to rip on Mussorgsky's orchestration skills...come on, he was innovative, not inept!). A lot of it is about the life of a band director, some is about drum corps, some is about pop music, and some is just funny jokes about instruments being alive--always a hoot!
(The cartoonist is a drill writer from Orlando to boot! I bet I've seen some of his shows.)
Here ya go:
Tone Deaf Comics
(The cartoonist is a drill writer from Orlando to boot! I bet I've seen some of his shows.)
Here ya go:
Tone Deaf Comics
Wellp, it seems I can't sleep tonight so I will give you lucky readers an account of my fail trip to the grand canyon. Paul and I drove to the canyon after he got out of work on Friday, and we kind of took our time, getting there just about 11:30. By the time we had set up the tent, it was around midnight, and we were ready for some sleep.
::fade to black::
::fade in again:: I woke up when Paul nudged me. "It's raining in the tent," he said. As if right on cue, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. I groaned. Reassuring me that it was going to be okay and telling me that he could do it himself, Paul went to get the rain cover for the tent from the car while I weakly hid inside my sleeping bag. The rain started pounding harder and harder on the tent--puddles started emerging and everything was getting wet.
With the rain cover in place, Paul came back in, muddied, and we managed to go back to sleep with claps of thunder, lighting in the sky, and rain pounding on the small tent.
::fade to black::
::fade in again:: Paul's alarm went off at 7:00. It was still pouring like no tomorrow. We both went back to sleep.
::fade to black::
::fade in again:: I woke up again around 9. It was still pouring but I had to pee very badly so I weathered the rain to make it to the restrooms. My feet got pretty muddy and that was the worst part. Ashley does not like mud.
Paul and I didn't know what to do. We indecisively hung out in the tent for a long time, waiting and hoping that the rain would stop so we could stick to our original plan. Unfortunately, the rain never did stop. I imagine that it's pretty dangerous to hike the grand canyon in the rain (not to mention it would be miserable and view would be totally not worth it). So, at about noon, we decided that it was about time to give it up. We packed up the tent (in the rain), threw everything wet and muddy in the trunk for future cleaning, and left the campsite, defeated.
We figured that if we couldn't hike the grand canyon, then at least we could SEE it (more so for me, as I have not seen it before), so the trip wouldn't be a waste. So we drove to our original first destination, a wonderful lookout point behind one of the gift shops. Unfortunately, our hopes there were dashed as well--there was so much fog and cloud that the entire canyon was enveloped. We couldn't see a dang thing. I still had fun walking through the gift shop...
We visited a few other locations to try to see the canyon, but with minimal success. It was just a bad day to be there. So eventually, around 2:00 we made the long trek back, driving home and talking about music, ultimate, homelessness, politicians, what we would buy if we were rich, our dream house locations, and whatever else we talk about when we're alone.
In the end, not much went according to plan on the trip. I was wet and muddy and cold most of the time, and Paul was very disappointed that he didn't get to show me such an awesome place. We bought food for the trip that we normally wouldn't buy, and we packed all of our belongings carefully for a long hiking and camping expedition, only to be unpacked again unused. However, it wasn't a waste. Listen--it wasn't a waste. We still made memories. I know that I'll never forget our time there. And in the end, isn't that what really matters?
::fade to black::
::fade in again:: I woke up when Paul nudged me. "It's raining in the tent," he said. As if right on cue, a bolt of lightning streaked across the sky. I groaned. Reassuring me that it was going to be okay and telling me that he could do it himself, Paul went to get the rain cover for the tent from the car while I weakly hid inside my sleeping bag. The rain started pounding harder and harder on the tent--puddles started emerging and everything was getting wet.
With the rain cover in place, Paul came back in, muddied, and we managed to go back to sleep with claps of thunder, lighting in the sky, and rain pounding on the small tent.
::fade to black::
::fade in again:: Paul's alarm went off at 7:00. It was still pouring like no tomorrow. We both went back to sleep.
::fade to black::
::fade in again:: I woke up again around 9. It was still pouring but I had to pee very badly so I weathered the rain to make it to the restrooms. My feet got pretty muddy and that was the worst part. Ashley does not like mud.
Paul and I didn't know what to do. We indecisively hung out in the tent for a long time, waiting and hoping that the rain would stop so we could stick to our original plan. Unfortunately, the rain never did stop. I imagine that it's pretty dangerous to hike the grand canyon in the rain (not to mention it would be miserable and view would be totally not worth it). So, at about noon, we decided that it was about time to give it up. We packed up the tent (in the rain), threw everything wet and muddy in the trunk for future cleaning, and left the campsite, defeated.
We figured that if we couldn't hike the grand canyon, then at least we could SEE it (more so for me, as I have not seen it before), so the trip wouldn't be a waste. So we drove to our original first destination, a wonderful lookout point behind one of the gift shops. Unfortunately, our hopes there were dashed as well--there was so much fog and cloud that the entire canyon was enveloped. We couldn't see a dang thing. I still had fun walking through the gift shop...
We visited a few other locations to try to see the canyon, but with minimal success. It was just a bad day to be there. So eventually, around 2:00 we made the long trek back, driving home and talking about music, ultimate, homelessness, politicians, what we would buy if we were rich, our dream house locations, and whatever else we talk about when we're alone.
In the end, not much went according to plan on the trip. I was wet and muddy and cold most of the time, and Paul was very disappointed that he didn't get to show me such an awesome place. We bought food for the trip that we normally wouldn't buy, and we packed all of our belongings carefully for a long hiking and camping expedition, only to be unpacked again unused. However, it wasn't a waste. Listen--it wasn't a waste. We still made memories. I know that I'll never forget our time there. And in the end, isn't that what really matters?
Friday, August 06, 2010
I am spending the weekend at the GRAND CANYON with Paul. Yes, it has to be in caps every time I write it. I am totally hiking to the bottom tomorrow, camping overnight, and then hiking back up on Sunday...a 7-mile hike and a vertical height of 1 mile. Can I do it? We'll find out.
Hopefully my next post will be full of beautiful pics and stories of happiness, and no rain!
Hopefully my next post will be full of beautiful pics and stories of happiness, and no rain!
