...

I think it's time to not be a student employee anymore. It's a bit unfortunate, since I still have this semester. Maybe it's just time to be treated better at work.

Christmas!

Today was the first big snow of the season! It was so pretty. It was a little difficult to get out of our parking lot this morning, but I made it. I spent a good part of the morning taking all the Christmas music that I have, putting into iTunes, and putting it on my iPod. It was fun, and a little surprising to see how much I have. I have a feeling that this Christmas will be nice.

I got to spend some nice time with my friend at the mall today, which was nice. I didn't buy anything except business cards, but that's ok. :) Afterward I went by myself to a Christmas shop. It was kind of fun and unusual. My mom and I are not the most decorating-inclined women you've ever met. I wandered around for a while, thinking about everything, and was realizing that I don't really know what Christmas is to me. I saw lots of collections of snowmen, Santas, candy canes, ornaments, dishes, woodland creatures, Christmas trees, trains, angels, elves, wreaths, garlands, and any other thing you can think of associated with Christmas.

It definitely got me thinking about what Christmas means to me. I'm not sure yet. Maybe I've worked in retail too long, but I know that I'm not a fan of the highly commercialized-ness of it. I liked the Santa figures that are more Father Christmas than Santa. Do you know what I mean? I like Christmas cheer, and I like red and green together, especially in nature. In my neighborhood, there are trees with red berries on them, and they're so pretty!! So maybe something nature-related?

There are reasons...

...why the BYU student population can sometimes drive me crazy.


Go here.

Nooooooooooooooo!

FM100 and KOSY 106.5 are already playing Christmas music! What is up with that?! Christmas music should not be played until Thanksgiving Day at the earliest. I'll confess: I'm a little disgusted.

A List

Things I'd like to do after I graduate:

Have a full-time, 40-hour a week job.
Read Shakespeare
Read whatever I want
Learn to cook
Learn to garden
Learn to knit or crochet or both

Not have to do homework!!!

Dear The Franchise,

Thank you.

Love,

Me

Happy October!

So after catching up on the blogs of my friends, I decided it had been far too long since I updated mine.

Life is good right now. I just had some fun concerts. I'm interested in hearing the recordings from the two nights. I even got to dress up. For those of you who know what school I used to attend and what school I now attend (which shall not be named in this post), I was a "really hard-core fan" of Former school (including the football t-shirt for this year, socks, hair ribbons and brightly colored hairspray to match) since I know things like that at Current school really make people upset. I got quite the reaction from my fellow orchestra members.

I like Fall a lot better this year than I have in years past. I'm really enjoying the leaves crunching under my feet. I'm enjoying watching the sun light things up as it rises and sets. I think the trees are beautiful. I'm glad the weather has continued to be warm-ish. Life's good right now.

Tomorrow I'll be speaking in church. I'm planning on speaking on President Packer's talk. I really like that no-one is better than anyone else in the Church. It's been a while since I've spoken in Church, and we've only made it two full times to our new ward, so it should be an adventure. I know next to nothing about the people I'm speaking to. Luckily, we'll be speaking with another couple, which lessens the time I have to stand at the pulpit. I shouldn't be surprised that this is my fate. We managed to weasel our way out of speaking before leaving our singles' ward, since a new bishopric was called a week or two before we left. Ah, well. Sometimes life is more fair than we'd like it to be.

I'm still sick of music and politics and stuff. Thankfully I have orchestra, which has been keeping me sane. Somewhere I'll have to find the motivation to continue on and do my senior recital. I'll have to pass my classes. All that good stuff....which reminds me! I need to complete my application for graduation, which is due Thursday!! Woo-hoo!!! Anyway. When people ask me what I'm planning to do after graduation, my response is something along the lines of, "Something NOT related to music!" I like music. Don't worry about that. I just find it somewhat sickening that people are willing to obsess over it and let it completely take over their lives. They can't comprehend me, either, so I guess it evens out okay. I'm actually looking forward to returning to the world of imperfect musicians, where not everything has to have exactly the right pitch and the right dynamic and has to have just the right amount of crescendo, or it's RUINED! FOREVER! and that sort of thing.

The Elders quorum presidency came by last week and mentioned that the ward choir director position is currently open. Since I'm somewhat terrified of child-related anything, choir director sounds just fine. I've done it before, I can do it again. I just need a good pianist. However, since it's pretty close to Christmas, I may have made the mistake in telling them that I'd be interested in the position. Hmmm.

Oh, and will someone please let The Franchise know that just because we saw one very cute 1-year old child posing as Yoda and his very cute 4-year-old sister posing as Leia (complete with her real hair as the buns on the side of her head), we do not need to have children right this very moment? Thanks. I appreciate it.

And good luck to Ambrosia and Bawb on their Great Move this weekend.

Music

I think I'm getting sick of music.

To those of you who've known me for a long time, this may come as a big shock. Especially since I started playing piano at age 5. I started flute in seventh grade, and haven't stopped since. In high school, I *loved* band and orchestra. Most of the time. But I also loved choir, Spanish and ballroom dance.

That may be some of my problem. I've finally figured out that music majors and true "musicians" are really supposed to love music. They're supposed to know who the famous people are related to their instrument, whether living or dead. They're supposed to know and love the famous repertoire of their instrument and have a life long goal to play everything perfectly and memorized with an orchestra in Carnegie Hall.

I don't! I think I've frustrated my teacher since I arrived at School because I don't really know the flute repertoire (though I'm getting better), and I only recognize the names of those who are old or dead. Whenever famous flute players come to town, it feels like I'm the only one in the studio that doesn't buzz with excitement and anticipation. I don't *need* to be there. I 'm now only doing flute choir because I need the credit to graduate. I only went to the flute convention this year to play politics (and, apparently, to spend a lot of money). I'm sick of hearing the same things from the conductors rehearsal after rehearsal after rehearsal, and I'm tired of knowing that I'll never be "the best."

I'm just glad that my apathy is showing signs of allowing me (at least...) to finish the school year (I hope!) without going completely crazy. It's not like it's no fun -- it still is -- I just don't derive as much fun as I have. Maybe as the ensembles get better I'll have more fun. Maybe it's just beginning of the semester blues. I'm also fairly certain that my lack of sleep over the last couple of months isn't helping, either. Right now, I'd love to sleep for about a week straight.

Oddly, I'm kind of looking forward to a job that I work for 40 hours a week with a lunch hour and the ability to just go home at night. Then maybe I can read books and learn how to do fun things that are in no way related to music.

Thoughts

I'm getting married in a day and a half. For the most part, it just feels like the next step and like it just needs to happen. I have the occasional moment of !FREAK OUT!, but those moments are becoming fewer and further between. It's just time.

I really cannot endorse getting married during school. Even though this was just the 'right time' for us, doing so during a semester of school is pretty tough. Thankfully, my mom and I are of the minimalist sort, and she's been a huge help. I've just been able to toss things at her that need to be taken care of that I can't do because I have to be in class/rehearsal. She and "Anne" (who's helping with the reception and general wedding things) have been so much more detail-oriented than I could ever have been.

I'm learning that weddings, like life, have give-and-take. I put my foot down about things that really matter to me. With other things that I don't really care about, I let those who do care do something that makes them happy and that helps them to feel like they can contribute.

I'm really looking forward to getting to spend some time with my extended family and The Franchise's family, and I'm looking forward to being married. Despite my inability to stay completely afloat with school and practicing and all, life is pretty dang good.

Sorcerer's Apprentice

I love Sorcerer's Apprentice. It's killer hard to play, but it's awesome. :)

It's too bad the girl I sit next to really doesn't like me.