Dubstep

So I've really been into dubstep lately. Don't like it, you can deal.

It's chill and nasty rolled into one package, AND it pisses off my new neighbors. What more could I ask for?

BTW...by order of the Department of Residence, I was ordered to move to the skank hallway before I left for spring break. One could imagine I was pretty severely PO'ed about this, due mostly to my intense aversion to the people living in said hallway. Plus, it smells like beer and teen spirit over here...not a fan.

However, my new roommate Ali is a different story.

We went to middle school and high school together, graduated in the same class, in fact. Never talked to her in my life until we found out we had to move in together, and to be completely honest I didn't know what to expect. But after getting to know her a bit, I've come to a conclusion that she's actually cool! Here are some fun facts..

~We're both Bieber haters. I doodled profanities on some Bieber "trading cards" and stuck them on our door sign...home sweet home.

~We like similar music (DUBSTEPPPPP)

~We like to party.

~Zero skank tolerance. DEF a plus.

So yeah. Gonna work out? I think so.

On a totally different note, guess who's playing the woodwind book for UNI's production of the musical Urinetown?

Yahhhhhhhhhhh.

I've actually known about this for a while, and pretty much everyone up here knows it too...but I'm just really excited about it. I mean, today it hit me - this is my first show playing the entire woodwind book by myself, AND the first time I've been the first call player, not a sub. I mean I've subbed in the CR Municipal band several times before, and in the pit at TCR (Theatre Cedar Rapids), and other various paying jobs fit for an aspiring studio musician in her senior year of high school...but this is different. It's like a rite of passage, a whole new chapter in my musical life...I'm on my way. My career has begun, and I am shit-your-pants excited =D

Over spring break, I went to South Dakota with my fam. It was legit.

Let me start off by saying how lucky we are to have things as cool as the Black Hills in this country. I mean, what the hell. They're gorgeous!! I know they're famous for Black Hills gold, but that's not even the half of it...you go there, and the rocks are all infused with a mineral called Mica, which is shiny and peels apart in sheets. My mom is obsessed with it, she nearly peed from excitement when she realized it was everywhere. Of course, I'm not blaming her - it's sooooooo pretty. It makes the cliffs glisten, when they would otherwise be dull and ordinary...

Then there are the Badlands. Imagine being perched on a steppe in the middle of a seemingly endless landscape, not unlike the one pictured in The Lion King. Tan, as far as the eye can see. Gohhohohohohhhh. I bet there are dead people somewhere in those valleys...but lets not go thur.

Also, you'll never realize just how cool Mt. Rushmore is until you've stood in its shadow.

I think one of my favorite parts of the whole trip was the National Music Museum, though. It's like a music historian's Mecca; I definitely felt as though I was making some kind of pilgrimage in going there.

Hell, I've always been inexplicably fascinated by the evolution of musical instruments. I think I saw examples of every different key system that had ever been invented on the clarinet, and every ancestor and/or variety of the clarinet in history. They had an extensive collection of saxes, which included several oddities such as the straight alto, the saxello, curved sopranos, and an incredibly ornately engraved tenor made entirely out of silver. Perhaps the most awe-inspiring was the group of 5 saxes, soprano - bass, that were among the first manufactured by Adolphe Sax himself. The bass in that group was part of Sax's personal collection.

Mom was particularly infatuated with the Theremin, an early electronic instrument that uses electromagnetic fields to create sound. She played the audio clip over and over again...how many times can someone listen to Saint-Saëns' "The Swan" played on the Theremin?!! Guess that's Dawny for ya. Such a loveable kook.

Needless to say, the trip was neato.

BUT, I'm super glad to be back at UNI. As much as I love my family, I missed my friends more than I realized. So with a new room, a new roomie, and a renewed sense of community, Imma finish out the semester with a bang :)

HEALTH UPDATE:

I ate so much at home that I pretty much have to start all over again on my weight loss. Whoops.

XOXO <3

Rise Above The Universe

Everyone, I have had a revelation.

After a very intense lesson with Dr. McCandless today, and after quite a bit of thought about my inner self and my future, I've realized some very important things. Most importantly, I've never been more sure of what my calling is. I know now what I was born to do...I've decided to dedicate my life to the clarinet.

I want to be the best I can be, and I want to do whatever it takes to be at my best. Up until now, I've relied entirely too much on natural ability and practicing until it's "good enough". Dr. M enlightened me today on how that won't work. During my lesson, I began to notice more than ever how right she was about my tone being held back by reeds that are too soft, about my fingers moving too far away from the horn, about how my interpretation of etudes sounded unplanned, like I was going off instinct. And I thought, holy crap.

I'm lucky to have a teacher as supportive and patient as she is...the moment I was struck with reality, she could tell. Instead of getting frustrated with me, for even a moment, she gave me a most encouraging talk. She assured me that the frustration I was feeling was a natural part of my growth as a musician, and that she had true confidence in me.

Needless to say, I'm not going to let her down. My path is clear now, and there's no turning back. I am a clarinetist, and I will strive to unleash my passion through my art.

Dr. M...thank you :)

On another note, you may have noticed I've been in a bit of a funk for a few days. That's for a couple reasons, one of which I can't really mention because it's someone else's secret that they shared with me. It caused me to become intensely concerned, and from the moment I found out the situation, I constantly worried about that person until the problem was solved today. I'm just glad that person is gonna be alright...it pains me to imagine what my life would be like if they suddenly had to walk out of it because of an emergency like that :)

Ahhhh I'm pathetic. Haha.

The other reason for my mood was because I was off my anxiety medication for a little while, which is never a good thing. Chemical imbalances and I aren't really good friends. I get all...emo. And it really sucks, not only because I can't control my emotions and it's embarrassing, but I tend to do stupid irrational things. Also, I feel bad for my family - they worry about me when they see depressing blog posts and FB statuses, they're an hour away, and I don't always answer my phone. Sorry, guys...

And if I caused anyone else alarm recently, I'm sorry to you too. I have re-stocked my supply of chill pills (AKA got my prescription filled), so things are peachy once again!

Also, this video helped...warning you though, don't watch it in a public place, and if you're in polite company, turn the volume down plz&thx.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzd8IuESLi8

Word.

Highlights...

:]]]]]]]

~SNOW IS MELTING. Don't get me wrong, I love snow and all...just now when it's brown and gross and stays around forever. Srsly.

~I quit TBΣ and pledged ΣAI. Nothing against Tau Beta, they're still cool! I just feel like I've bonded a whooooole lot better with the ΣAI girls (even before pledging), and this way, I'll be able to dedicate myself more to one service group rather than less to both.

~I'm not sick anymore. TITS!!

~2 words. Harlem Congo. Most fun I've had with jazz clarinet evarrrr

~ <=ooo|ooo=0 (that's a clarinet)

:[[[[[[[

~Soooooooo many people are sick.

~The Legend is with another woman. (I'll explain later. It's a good story, I promise.)

~I hate being flat ass broke, and I need a job badly.

It's all good in the hood :)