Ugly Duckling

Why is it whenever I'm in a pessimistic mood I go and update my blog? I wish I knew...

Well, I completed yet another semester of college. Four down, God knows however many to go. I'm sorry to say that my semester GPA will not be as high as I hoped because I ended up getting a C in World Literature. Thankfully because I had a 4.0 for the summer semester, my cumulative GPA won't suffer as much... I hope. I also had a lot of friends graduate, and I will miss them dearly....

I've also proven myself useless in the world of technical theatre. I assisted with the setting up and tearing down of the jazzed up Nutcracker this past weekend, or it was more like "I was more of a pain than an actual assistant." Not knowing really anything is kind of frustrating, and while I like to think I'm learning and that over time I'll get better, I probably won't. I really don't know why Eddie calls me his replacement when I'm obviously extremely inexperienced.

Writing about all of this is just making me feel worse. Hopefully being on break will put me in a better mood. I doubt it.

That is all.

Thank you and good day.

The Show Must Go On

My melancholy mood has returned yet again. But we can dig into that later.

I've managed to continue trudging through this semester, going to class like a good student, going to work like a good worker. Have I grown pessimistic? Yes. The Falcons had their final three games of the season this past month (yes, the final three, definitely no bowl game this year). The first November game, against Miami, was a bizarre one... an ominous fog swallowed up much of the stadium and the city itself. Thank goodness I chose to stay in town that night, I couldn't imagine trying to drive home in that stuff at one in the morning. I went to work on Veteran's Day even though I was told a week beforehand I wouldn't have to come in and work. Funny how things change... I spent the remainder of my day after work hanging out with my Big, which consisted of Mario Brothers, B-Dubbs and apple dumplings. Class resumed that Friday, and I prepared myself for a long weekend.

I spent all of that Saturday at the Winter Wheat Festival, an event specifically targeted at writers and writing majors such as me. I learned quite a bit at all of the workshops I attended. At the dinner that night I was the youngest at my table, which was conveniently close to the cash bar. I wanted a drink, but I had other plans that evening so I reluctantly turned down a generous offer from one of the older gentlemen sitting at my table with me. One more year, one more year..... I left the festival much later than I preferred to, but it didn't matter because the Saxover hadn't even started yet. Yep, the 2010 Saxover was the same Saturday. And it was a blast! Except for when we watched a dumb movie (Stepbrothers, ugh), and when it was bedtime and I was trying to sleep and people kept setting off their ringtones. Did I ever mention how much of a morning person I'm not? Saxover ended with our final Sax Breakfast of the season, and then it was off to the CMA to set up and rehearse for our Sounds of the Stadium concert.

The rehearsal went well overall, except for one peculiar event... after Dr. Moss conducted the National Anthem, he said, "A few editorial notes..." and he paused, and then covered his face for a few seconds. When he removed his hands, there were tears in his eyes. He was crying. At first I thought he was crying because we sounded that terrible. But Dr. Moss managed to find his voice again and went on to say that this year's Falcon Marching Band was the best Falcon Marching Band he had seen and heard in his seventeen years here. It meant a lot to hear that coming from him. Rehearsal went on, then we had a brief break to get ready for the actual concert. The actual concert, for the most part, ran smoothly, although there were some goofs and individual errors, but the crowd enjoyed it regardless. I got four lovely carnations from three of my favorite people and one person who had a dollar to get rid of. After the concert I went out to the lobby as quickly as I could to meet with my family, since I specifically asked them to see me this year since they didn't last year. I waited... and waited... and waited, and started searching for my family. I made my way outside and caught sight of the family car... pulling out of the parking lot. I was crushed.... I decided to go and help with tear down, where I ran into Keith, the man who basically ran everything backstage at the CMA. Eddie had asked me earlier in the semester if I'd be interested in working for Keith, and I said sure. That day I finally got the nerve to tell Keith that I was interested in working for him in the spring. He said I could stop by his office at some point that week, so I kept that in mind.

I spent the remainder of my evening hanging out with my Big Sister and then going to work till the wee hours of the day. And then I went on with another long week. After class I stopped by Keith's office and filled out the application he gave me. I answered "No" to almost all of the questions on the sheet asking me specifics about my skills. I felt the second Keith looked at my application he'd turn me down in an instant. Instead, Keith went on to discuss the horrors of his high school band and his nazi of a band director, and next thing I knew an hour had passed. Keith then informed me he'd email the work schedule to me.... just like that I got hired! This event definitely put me in a better mood for the day.

The week went on, where the second game of the month happened. We traveled north to our rival school, Toledo, and played the Rockets. At least the band was awesome, unlike the football team.... after the game I crashed at my Big Sister's where I got up early to go to work and go to class. Then, that night, I had a dinner at Mickey D's with my Little and then went on to attend the midnight premiere of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows: Part I! With the exception of the audio having problems and the need to rewind and re-watch a half hour of the movie, it was pretty fun... until I didn't go to bed till almost four and had to get up and be in class by 8:30.

My week didn't stop there! The next morning, the Falcon Marching Band marched in Bowling Green's annual Holiday Parade. It was cold, and painful, but the community loves us so that's all that matters. After the parade I went to campus to work on a group presentation project, only to discover that we're basically doing our project on love and sex.... my partner is a guy, by the way, and a cute guy at that... After the meeting I went to the CMA to sort out clothes with some Brothers, then went back to my Big Sister's apartment where I sewed her uniform and watched some House reruns. I then went to my Big Brother's apartment and sewed his uniform as well. Funny thing, I have no desire to be the Uniform Chair next year.

Then, this past week, something happened to me that had never happened to me before... I got pulled over and issued a speeding ticket. I'm going to court tomorrow to pay for my ticket, hopefully I won't get arrested. I also started my second job last week, decorating Kobacker Hall and screwing stands and checking seats. As dirty as that sounds, that's exactly what I did. And I loved it! I owe Eddie big time for getting me my second job. However, when I texted my mass message of "Happy Thanksgiving" to all my friends, my best friend Kayla informed me from her boyfriend that my paperwork for my new job didn't transfer. This frustrates me immensely, so I must call the Student Employment Office tomorrow as well. Thanksgiving went well, I took Ives with me as my special guest since he couldn't be home for the holidays. The Friday after Turkey Day was the final game of the season, as well as Senior Day. It was Tony's last game... and Eddie's............

And now here we are, where I'm in my melancholy mood. I'm depressed because Tony and Eddie are both graduating at the end of the semester. And band is pretty much done until summer. But mostly I'm not ready to let go... I never am. I hate saying goodbye to people I've grown so attached to, especially Tony and Eddie. Before pregame on Friday Tony and I hugged and he said I was amazing and he was so proud of me, and he wants me to keep doing band because I'm so amazing... I felt like I was back in high school, when I was with Tony for his last Otsego game. It's going to be really hard to let go of Tony all over again. And then there's Eddie, who is not only my Big Brother, but he's pretty much become my best friend too. I know he'll be around every now and then, and I know that he was supposed to graduate a long time ago, but.... I don't know. I was incredibly blessed to meet him last year and to have gotten to know him so well over the past year. I hate sounding so sappy but I am seriously upset that I have to say goodbye...

We'll see how these final weeks in the semester play out. As Freddie Mercury once said, "Inside my heart is breaking, my makeup may be flaking but my smile still says on."

That is all.

Thank you and good day.

Giving Thanks

It's another Sunday. I'm lounging on my ass in my pajamas, dividing my time between my laptop and the television. My level of motivation today is extremely overwhelming; I called off my afternoon shift and found somebody to cover my evening shift. I got my paper done, I have no other homework assignments that I'm aware of being immediately due. I don't have to be anywhere till 3 at the earliest. What a wonderful feeling.

These past few weeks have been a wild ride in terms of my health. I was told by my doctor I have iron deficiency anemia and must take 2 iron pills a day in order to keep my hemoglobin up. While my hemoglobin has improved, I am still to take iron for the next 3 months. Joy. I've also been battling some other kind of illness, be it a cold or something. One minute I'll be fine, next minute I'll feel like crap. Damn this Ohio weather for always getting the best of me. Hopefully I'll start to feel on the up side sooner rather than later.

Halloween weekend could have been more exciting, but I enjoyed my Friday night. I began my evening by attending the outreach at my high school. It was great to play with my high school and college friends, and to see Otsego win! I celebrated my high school's victory by attending a Halloween party at the Q, which was a grand time. I was a male police officer this year, and got hit on by one of my gay friends, haha. I spent the remainder of the weekend doing homework and going to work.

This past week started okay and then gradually went downhill. While I can't go into too many details as to what happened, let's just say that nothing went right on Thursday... including the HAIL during marching band practice. Marching in hail was a first for me, and I don't know if I'd like to experience that again. It's rather painful... Anyway I had my second breakdown of the semester later that day, crying for an extended period of time in the chilly comfort of my car parked in the last row of the outskirts of a commuter lot. I hate when I want to cry all the time, I hate crying. Every time I cry I feel stupid and that I shouldn't be crying because "I'm a grown up" and should deal with things in a "grown up way." I don't know, I really don't...

Anyway, now that it's November, my goal is to make my Facebook statuses about something I'm thankful for. While some days will be difficult, other days will be easy. Here's to a potentially positive November, we'll see how this goes...

That is all.

Thank you and good day.

Counting Your Blessings

So, in my last post I said I'd write later in the week to get some issues off my chest. Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately for you who read this) I don't remember what I was going to say. Mostly because I now have new things to write about, both bad and good. Here we go.

Last Tuesday I had my yearly physical. For the most part, I'm healthy, except my hemoglobin is rather low and I've been having some girl problems, to put it subtly. After getting some blood work done, I have discovered I have iron-deficiency anemia, which means in medical terms that I am exhausted and need to take iron pills to bring my hemoglobin back up. I need to schedule an appointment to go back and get my hemoglobin and thyroid rechecked, since that too was also looking low. I will also need more blood work done in 2 or 3 months. This is gonna be fun.

While that did put a damper on my Tuesday, Tuesday night I received a very surprising email - I received a Little Brother! Wednesday night was First Degree, and I got to pin my Little, Chelsea. She was very surprised to see me - she told me later she was worried it was somebody she wouldn't like for a Big. I used to think getting a Big Brother was the best thing ever, but now I realize becoming a Big Brother is the best thing ever. I took my Little to Pollyeye's after Degree where we met up with Eddie, my Big, and we introduced her to stuffed breadsticks. Needless to say, she enjoyed her first visit at Pollyeye's. She left a little early to go home with one of the commuter MC's who got ready in her room, so then I got to spend time with my Big. I looked at Eddie and I said, "I didn't know how much love my heart could hold till I was called Big." And it's true. :-)

It wasn't until Thursday that I realized that my Little is a very busy person. Being a pre-law major I should have expected that. But we WILL find a way to set weekly dinner dates together, dammit! I'm still giddy over the fact that I'm now a Big Brother; every time I'm called Big my heart just melts with happiness. It's a feeling I can't truly describe to somebody unless they experience it firsthand. Too bad I'm already failing at being a Big Brother since I haven't seen Chelsea very much since First Degree. I did get a chance to meet her boyfriend and her mother before the game yesterday though. Oh yeah, yesterday was another Game Day against Kent State. We lost, 30-6, but at least our halftime show was amazing. Then again, when isn't Journey amazing?

On a sad note, it is with sorrow I report that Theresa Cousino, a mother of one of my brothers' friends and a friend of my mother's, has lost her battle with cancer on Thursday. After battling it for five years, God told her it was time to rest. This hit home really hard, especially for my mother, who had just got done battling cancer herself and became very close to Theresa over this past year. She will be missed greatly by all who knew her, but we must remember she is in a better place.

That is all.

Thank you and good day.

Just a Small Town Girl, Livin' in a Lonely World...

My funky "I'm feeling useless" mood has somewhat returned. But we can discuss that later.

Fall break arrived in the nick of time. I spent my Friday evening at home (weird, I know) watching one of my personal favorite movies of all time, "Some Like It Hot." It was a movie long overdue watching in honor of Tony Curtis, who passed away this past month. The first time I saw that movie was shortly after Jack Lemmon died, back in 2001. I fell in love with the film the minute I finished watching it. Even all these years later I still marvel at how incredibly amazing this movie is, from the excellent dialogue to the way the film was shot, nothing was wasted in this movie. If you haven't seen "Some Like It Hot" yet, I highly recommend you do. I haven't even yet mentioned that Marilyn Monroe is a star in it as well. Three Hollywood legends, one outstanding film, what could be better?

The following Saturday my sister and I celebrated my 20th birthday (almost two months late) and went and saw a movie together, "Easy A." It was a very enjoyable film, especially those of us who are/were recently in high school and have seen at least one classic 80s teen movie. Think John Hughes (director of such films as "The Breakfast Club" "Sixteen Candles") meets Nathaniel Hawthorne (infamous author of "The Scarlet Letter") and that's the movie: a modernized retelling of social ostracism set in high school, the headquarters of rumor-spreading and stereotyping. Good movie, overall.

Saturday evening I rekindled my love with two of my favorite things: playing in the athletic band, and watching hockey while doing so. For a while I was the only saxophone present, so I played as best I could until the only other saxophone arrived. Hopefully I made my fellow saxes proud. After watching the Falcons lose to the Wolverines 4-2, a group of us decided to head to B-Dubbs and have a few drinks together... or more like the "big kids" shared a few drinks and the "little kids" drank water from a straw. After dropping off Eddie's souvenir which he had left at the restaurant, I made a mad dash to Henry County where I crashed at Kayla's place for the night, just in time for the annual Applebutter Festival.

I rode into town with Kayla's family very early in the morning, around 7:45, long before the masses of attendees arrived. Kayla had a 4-hour physics class in the afternoon, so the morning was her only choice in getting a chance to go to the festival this year. We walked around quite a bit, making small purchases every now and then until we met up with Erica and her fiancé Josh. The four of us continued to walk around town, looking at knick-knacks and buying food. At some point Kayla left and the three of us journeyed back to Erica's grandmother's house, a small condo on the outskirts of town. It was getting ridiculously hot and we wanted to rest up before going back to town. Just as we were all falling asleep, Tony and his girlfriend (at the time) walked into the house, carrying food with them. The five of us headed back into town together, where we commenced with walking and buying food. Eventually I went and stood in the ATM line for a half hour, then stood in the applebutter line for over an hour and a half. The wait was worth it. I powerwalked back to base camp where Tony took me back to Kayla's so I could drive home. Home took forty minutes to get to after driving around Grand Rapids and being stuck in Waterville traffic. After relaxing at home and making toast and applebutter for my mother, I headed back to Bowling Green to deliver the other pint of applebutter to my Big Brother, who seemed to like it, maybe. After being in BG for a brief time I went back to GR to pick up my dad and brothers, and by 9 o'clock at night, the whole family was back at home.

Monday, I wrote (and finished!) my second short story for my workshop class. I was in a funky mood when I wrote it, but hopefully it won't be ripped apart too much come this Wednesday.

Tuesday I picked up a shift at work to make up for the lack of money I didn't earn over fall break. It was slow but manageable, a happy change from the usual chaos that stampedes through the Nest on a normal school day. After work was done I was about to head home when I saw the Greek store was open. I immediately went inside and made a special paddle for Tony. Is he my Big? No, but he is a great friend and has always been a great friend to me, ever since I met him, which was an unbelievably long time ago. He was one of my seniors in high school, and I was one of his freshman, a bond similar to that of a Big and Little. I gave Tony his paddle as an early birthday present before our chapter meeting Wednesday night. He couldn't have been happier.

School reconvened, much to my displeasure, and now I'm back into the swing of the fall semester. My days are filled with stress and fun, my nights are filled with stress and fun. Finding the balance between work and play has been a challenge on and off, but I think I've finally found my happy medium. If I continue getting my homework done in the day and keep my nights free for fun activities, then I should survive this semester no problem. Only drawback: procrastination. I've had a lifelong battle with procrastinating, but this semester it hasn't really been too bad. Maybe having stupid Sunday night shifts has helped me stay ahead a little bit... maybe. If I can avoid Sunday night shifts next semester, that'd be a blessing you can't even imagine.

I was going to write more, but I realized I've already ranted quite a lot, and even though nobody reads this, I'll save your weary eyes from staring at your computer screen a second longer and call it a post. I'll probably write a new one later this week, just so I can get some things off my chest.

That is all.

Thank you and good day.

Final Push of Effort

Only three (hopefully quick) days stand between me and a four day vacation from college. Within these next three days I have three exams I must pass. I really wish I knew how I was doing in my classes, but midterm grades aren't expected to come out for a week or two. I also wish I knew what to minor in, since Telecommunications isn't looking as glamorous as I thought it would.

As I write this, I am sitting outside Kelly Hall, killing time until Marching Band begins at 4. Eddie is attempting to nap, hoodie pulled over his head and everything as he sits in a chair and sprawls his upper half across the table. I went to bed rather early last night (9:30, such an "old person" time to go to bed), and got up around 6 for work. I like to think I "caught up" on the sleep I missed out on Sunday night after working for seven hours straight, but I doubt it. I am feeling a little bit more refreshed, though.

These last few weeks have been the most stressful three weeks I've had so far this semester. The FMB traveled to the Big House with the football team to play against the Michigan Wolverines; the Falcons were raped thoroughly with a 40-something point margin between our score and theirs. Being a diehard Ohio State fan, I felt incredibly unholy standing in that evil stadium, though I must admit, it was HUGE. I'm not sure if I'll ever play in front of 110,000 people again, so I'm thankful for that opportunity. I'd so much rather travel to the Shoe next season, though. We shall see.

Bid Night was also last week. It did not go as I expected; of the 35 names of individuals who were hoping to receive a bid, only 12 of them did. Compared to how many of us were Membership Candidates last year (and the year before), that number is extremely low to me. I was incredibly upset that we turned away so many wonderful people, but what's done is done. Unfortunately, I had my first breakdown of the semester after Bid Night was done. Thankfully my Big Brother was generous enough to let me talk with him at his apartment, where I ended up crying. I cried more on the way home, and while trying to fall asleep, and the feelings of Sunday night still hungover well into Wednesday. I'm just glad I wasn't the only one who was having a terrible week, as bad as that sounds. But we all pulled through.

Saturday was BG's Homecoming Game. It was great to see some beloved alumni return to their alma mater and join in the fun. Our halftime show was "The Firebird" and after ripping our hair out all week to put it together, "The Firebird" flew beautifully at halftime, much to my relief and surprise. The crowd also seemed to love it, which also caught me by surprise. Despite how wonderful the FMB did, the football team still lost to Buffalo by two freaking points, 26-28.

In an unrelated note, my high school football team broke their two year losing streak last Friday and defeated Elmwood, a high school we never managed to beat while I was a student. Yay Knights, keep up the great work! Otsego's homecoming is approaching soon, so that'll be something else to look forward to for this month. And First Degree is in two weeks... I really hope I get a Little... fingers crossed.

That is all.

Thank you and good day.

Is This the Real Life?

I've been sick for almost two weeks now. What originally began as a stuffy nose has now progressed to a congested cough and an occasional stuffy nose. On the plus side, I can now sing bass...

College lag is officially consuming my soul again. Even though I'm only taking 12 academic credit hours (I don't really include marching band as an academic class), I have to put an incredible amount of effort into 2 of my 4 classes. On average I write about 6 papers a week for my Creative Writing workshop class, and for my god-awful World Literature class I need to pay attention or else fail miserably. Have I mentioned how much I hate my professor for that class? If not, let me say it: I hate my World Literature professor.

Last week was more or less our "Rush Week" for Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma. In total we have about 30 or so potential membership candidates interested in joining our organization. Next week is our Bid Night, so we'll determine from there who will be extended an invite. Depending on who receives a bid next week, I think I know whom I may want for a Little Brother and a Little Sister. We'll see how it all plays out.

Yesterday was our first home football game against Marshall. The Falcons won 44-28. Our first halftime show "Bohemian Rhapsody" went exceptionally well also. Last night reminded me yet again how thankful I am I chose to continue music in college and be a part of such an amazing group of musicians, music and non-music majors alike. Though I thought it was a little bit of a low blow when, during Tuba Cheers, the Sax cheer was "You still owe Eddie a new phone!" Ironically enough, I was with Eddie when he went to purchase a new phone since he broke his old one, thus the saxophones do not owe him one.

I have to be at work in a few hours. Yuck. So hopefully by napping earlier today I'll be ready for the chaos of what lies ahead.

That is all.

Thank you and good night.

A Clinger

For reasons unknown, I have been feeling incredibly useless lately.

I go to work, I go to school, I hang out with friends, but I still feel like I'm a wasted space sometimes, or that I'm too needy and need to rely on others to feel a thrive of happiness.

This past week I've had some very quality sax bonding time. I finally had dinner with most of the Nugeyes and they liked that I was there with them. I enjoyed being in their company as well, but I still felt.... useless. A small group of us went to rock climbing, and while I did not partake in this frightening activity, I did sit on the bench and converse and observe those who did. I had my picture taken a couple times, and we all smiled and laughed, but... I don't know, it just felt out-of-place for me. On Saturday I went to B-Dubbs for the third time that week (I must be a regular by now) to watch the BG vs. Troy game with the saxes who didn't go home this weekend, and while I did have a few conversations with some of them, a part of me still felt a little dumb for being there. It also didn't help that the B-Dubbs we were at couldn't get the game on, but oh well.

I've also had quite a bit of Big/Little bonding time this past week. I'm pretty sure I've spent at least a half hour or more with Eddie every day since Monday. And it's been great, at least for me. I feel like I'm actually wanted when I hang out with my Big Brother, something I don't always feel when I'm with my other friends. I also saw Alex a few times this past week, which was weird but wonderful nonetheless. Anyway, I think last night I went past the line for excessively hanging out. I made a Meijer run and got some food essentials and baked cookies at Eddie's place, and we watched FOX Sunday TV shows, something I haven't done for quite a while. Usually I work Sunday nights, but because it's a special holiday weekend, my schedule was rearranged this one time only. ANYWAY, as we were sitting and watching TV, Eddie looked at me and asked, "So, why don't you wanna go home, Little?"

I took the hint. But why don't I ever wanna go home? I told Eddie it was because I still felt like I was in high school when I went home, and there was really nothing to do, which is partially true. Okay, maybe it's entirely true. I hate having to drive twenty-some minutes to and from BG every day, and every time I am home that odd, dark feeling of not really living at home anymore starts to consume me. I'm just a handful of college students in the FMB who still lives at home with her parents. Some people relish in the fact I can see my family every day, but they don't understand. I really wish I didn't live at home with my parents, I wish I could afford to live on my own. I feel like I'm still a high school student, except that my parents don't know my professors and they don't ask me who I hang out with as much. I loathe that feeling of being so dependent on my parents, even though I know they don't have the money. Now I feel like I'm becoming too dependent on my friends....

I wish I knew where to draw the line on my personal boundaries and stop trespassing on my friends' boundaries.

That is all.

Thank you and good day.

Staying Afloat

Just like that, my summer is gone.

I survived another Fundies Week and made it into the Falcon Marching Band for a second time, making me an official Veteran. Fundies Week went all right, even though I likely spent more time in the CMA basement fitting shakos, raincoats, gauntlets and garment bags on everyone that passed through than actually learning drill outside in the ungodly August heat. The last day ended on a rather sour note when Amy (the alto squad leader) and I decided to dump two buckets of water on Eddie. Eddie's reaction did not go as I thought it would... long story short after arguing some and a thorough chew-out, his phone was fine and I went home upset that I'd never be forgiven. I think he's forgiven me to an extent, but I wouldn't be surprised if he got his revenge and returned the favor to me sometime in the future.

Oh, and I turned 20 at some point. Out of my teens and into my roaring twenties, but still too young to drink. Damn.

I also went back to work this past week. Most people who remember me from last year were happy to see me return to Hell with them. I guess that means I did something right my first year. The supervisors said I was one of their hardest workers, so I'll take that as a sign that I won't lose my job anytime soon.... hopefully.

I also began year 2 of college. With the exception of my World Literature class, I'm content with my other classes, despite how early some of them are. I get up at 6:45AM 3 days a week and 6:00AM on my work days. I feel incredibly exhausted before marching band, so I'm going to try and fit in some naps beforehand. If I can get somebody to give me a wake-up call, I should be fine. One benefit to this fall compared to last fall is that I only have evening class one night a week instead of 3 nights a week, therefore I can go home after band, eat with my family, do my homework and be to bed at a decent hour. With Kappa Kappa Psi starting up again, that may change depending on when we hold our degrees and whatnot. On the other hand, I HATE packing microwavable meals to eat on campus, and the meal plan money I thought I was going to receive has not been put on my BG1 Card yet, and at this rate I'm not sure if it ever will. Oh well, if I'm nice enough to people maybe I can mooch off them.

Other than that, I'm back into the swing of college, trying to stay afloat like everyone else in this world.

That is all.

Thank you and good night.

Accomplishment

I wrote a short story today.

I know that doesn't sound too impressive, but believe me, it is.

Especially when one counts in all of the following situations.

1. The last time I wrote and finished something was February 2009.

2. I've never written out an entire story in one day.

3. My short story is going to be ripped apart by ravenous beasts in my Creative Writing Workshop in less than a month.

I received an email this morning from one of my professors that starting the second week of the semester we're going to be "workshopping" each other's completed short stories or poems. I'm not too big on poetry, so I decided I'd write a short story instead. I've had the general outline of the story in my head for several months now, but hadn't put it to words until today. I began writing it around ten and, after working on and off all day, finished it by 7:15 or so. I had my sister and my mother, two of my personal critics, read it. I received their approval. I then emailed my professor and told her that I'd like to have my work read through on September 3 if it wasn't already filled. We'll see if I'm lucky #3 or not. I figured the sooner I get it over with the better, so that way the animals in my class can devour on other work as the semester drags on.

In other news, marching band starts in 8 days for me. I'm officially on the Uniform Committee so that'll hopefully enhance my chances of making it in and not getting cut. I practiced my music for an hour yesterday, but the feeling that I'm going to be beaten out by better players still lingers in the back of my mind, a dark feeling I can't shake no matter how much I practice. Still, I will put forth all my effort and hope for the best.

I feel a sense of accomplishment, and I have a little bit of optimism that I can keep up this trend for the impending semester... and most likely the remaining years of my college life.

That is all.

Thank you and good night.

Another Attempt at a Revival

Okay, take three.

After being trapped in college land for three fairly successful semesters and forgetting my own password to my blog, I will once again try and bring alive my flat-lined blog. Allow me to recap the last 11 months of my life.

Marching band continued on through the rest of the fall semester. The halftime shows became more challenging but also brought pride after each performance. I love my family of saxophones and the memories I've made with them all will last for a lifetime. As King Leonidas sort of once said, "Saxophones! What is your profession?" Haha we are a quirky section, but we're lovable nonetheless.

I also made friends that I cannot imagine my life without. One of my newer friends is named Eddie, whom I somehow befriended on that day I went to work in the band office the first time - I believe that's the last time I posted a blog. Eddie encouraged me to attend the informational meetings of Kappa Kappa Psi and Tau Beta Sigma, the honorary band fraternities and sororities at BGSU. Eventually, I received a bid from Kappa Kappa Psi, the Fraternity, and eventually eventually, Eddie became my Big Brother. A few short months later, through several more hours in the band office, a short but sweet girl named Beth became my Big Sister. Then, in January, I became an active Brother in Kappa Kappa Psi. Now I work in the band office every chance I get... but I wouldn't trade it for anything.

I grew to despise my job more and more in the spring semester. Tuesdays through Thursdays I got up at 5AM, left my house no later than 6AM to arrive on campus by 6:30AM and begin work at 7AM. On Tuesday nights I had class till 9:30 at night, on Wednesday nights I had my meetings till 10 or 11, and Thursdays I had class till 8:30. My hours of sleep were few. This fall semester isn't looking too promising either, with a Sunday night shift from 8PM-2:30AM every week, and an 8:30AM class on Mondays. Oh well, such is life until I find a better job I actually enjoy.

Life also threw a personal curve ball; in mid-December my mother was diagnosed with Stage II Breast Cancer. Through several rounds of chemo therapy and several days of radiation treatment, my mom is finally nearing the light to this tunnel. She's a strong woman, I hope I aspire to be half as strong as she is.

The same day I found out my mom had cancer was the same day the marching band found out they weren't going to the bowl game at the end of the year. Over the next few days the university managed to find money to take the leadership and the seniors to the bowl game as well as 10 lucky people whose names were drawn from a small plastic bin. To my greatest luck, I was the second to last name drawn. A few days later 10 more lucky band kids were chosen, and together we represented The Falcon Express at the 2009 Humanitarian Bowl in Boise, Idaho. The four hour flight there and back was rather unpleasant, and the Idaho Vandals are incredibly immature, but with those exceptions the trip was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that made me so much more grateful that I chose to join the Falcon Marching Band.

I also did the annual summer musical, this year's was Oklahoma! and was probably one of the best times I've had doing a summer show. Maybe it was the outstanding cast or the lack of children in the show, either way I had a great time and made some new friends and strengthened my current friendships.

Now, here I am, sitting in the living room, typing on my laptop while half-watching a Wipeout rerun when I should be studying for a Spanish final. Now that I know my password to this blog, maybe it'll be easier to put down my daily ramblings. We'll see as my summer winds down and the school year starts up.

That is all.

Thank you and good night.