So it's my fifty-first post...

I didn't even realize last time I had broken the big 5-0 mark! Well, it's been a good 50 posts. I'd like to thank all my adoring blog fans for keeping me going and not giving up on this deal after a month (which I've not once considered since I got this thing).

Well, it's Monday. Monday night, specifically. I had a bitch of a day with classes and the like, but that's the life at a conservatory, I suppose. I was really tired today for some reason. Perhaps it was because of my 7 hours of class straight. Yeah, that can do it for you. On a more positive note, though, I LOVE SOCIAL DANCE. It is easily the best class ever. We just learned how to foxtrot and now we're learning some swing dancing. It is great, and I have a damn good dance partner. Damn good in that neither of us are experienced dancers but we both catch on at about the same rate so neither of us is frustrated with the other. But yeah, social dance is awesome.

Today was the Fraternity Performance Forum. Most of them were dreadful. Really dreadful. Sigma Rho Delta was just totally unrehearsed, SAI was just stupid ("Girls Just Want to Have Fun" lip-synching and the like... Nick and I were about ready to thrust pencils into our eyes so we wouldn't have to watch any more), and Kappa Kappa Psi was just bad. Phi Mu Alpha was really funny and cool (except for the first song they sang, which I don't really care for), followed by Alpha Psi because even though I didn't really like the song, they can (for the most part) sing well. Actually, if I had more time on my hands, I'd really consider joining Phi Mu Alpha because they seem like cool guys. I mean, Chris Spalding, Mark, Micah are all in there and they are some cool guys. But I have so much on my plate this semester that I just don't have time to pledge a fraternity. Maybe next semester...

So the orchestra concert on Sunday was fantastic! We got major applause for each number, but at the end of Stravinsky's "Firebird Suite" we got a big old standing ovation. Like hardcore. I can't remember the last time we had that much applause. Definitely not since the "Shenandoah Performs" concert with the Brahms. Or maybe my "Shenandoah Performs" quartet. Damn we got a hell of a lot of applause after that one. A standing ovation and two rounds of bowing and as we walked out to listen to the next group people were still wowing and talking about us. Man that was a great time! I can't wait for this summer! But I digress. Next concert is, well, it's complicated. My next concert is with a small group on Halloween performing Handel's "Messiah" with the Conservatory Choir. But the next Symphony concert is in November (I think the 14th) performing two Beethoven Overtures, Tchaikovsky's "Romeo and Juliet," and featuring Sandor Ostlund playing variations on Paganini ON THE FREAKIN' DOUBLE BASS. Oh yes!

Not really much else to jab on about in this thing. Oh, if you're going to comment (which I suggest you do because all the comments on my last post made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside) anonymously, I'd suggest you leave your name (coughpersonwhomadethe8thcommentcough) so I know who's talking to me. So that's about all. Perhaps I can help Stef out with her homework since I don't really have any this evening. Until next time!

I'm tired of coming up with original titles...

So it's been a while since my last blog for those of you who actually read this thing, which I imagine amounts to, oh, 5 or less people.

So this semester is definitely the most hectic one yet. I'm busy as hell every day of the week. Monday and Tuesday are the worst, followed by Thursday, Friday, and Wednesday (in that order). Whomever said freshman year is always the hardest is a dumb bitch. That's definitely untrue. This semester is something to the effect of freshman year times a trillion. But that's ok. I needed the challenge anyway.

So there have been lots of goings-on lately. I've finally gotten acquainted with a lot of the new freshmen, and I like them pretty well. Well, besides that one girl that calls me "white boy" all the time whenever I try to be hardcore.... actually, scratch that. She's all right in my book (hey, we violinists have to stick together, no?). Pit orchestra, well, rehearsal is probably best described as that feeling where you really really have to pee, but you're in a car and you can't be late so you have to whiz in an empty bottle or something and you just come out of the whole experience feeling degraded and dirty because it's so disgusting. Plus you have a bottle of piss in your hand. Yeah, I think that about describes it accurately. The music is terrible, the woodwind players are beyond awful.... yeah it's pretty shitty. Man, I have such a shitty attitude lately. Well, I've just become really bitter and sarcastic. And not lately. Just in pit. In fact, Erin (a fellow violinist/friend) said last rehearsal "Tommy, I think you're the most sarcastic person I know." Which I absolutely take as a compliment. I mean, shit, if you're gonna do something, do it right! And those of you who know me (who I would imagine is everyone who reads this, rendering that past phrase useless.... actually I ought to go delete it now that I think about it, but I won't. That involves entirely too much deleting. I'd rather just continue... Damn, I lost my train of thought. Oh right, being sarcastic. Right? Hang on, let me reread the last sentence. I mean real sentence. Not inside the parentheses. OK. Right. Erin said I was sarcastic. OK.), I... shit. I forgot what I was talking about again. Oh well, let's just move on...

In other (good) news, violin and viola lessons are going very well. I absofuckinglutely love the Khachaturian concerto, and Olivia thinks I should enter the concerto competition next year with it (after I've learned all 3 mvts and it has a bit of time to settle). That's real exciting.

hmm.... what else.... yeah that's about it. Perhaps I'll go to sleep seeing as I have an 8am work at the Bullshit Center. I mean Media Crap. I mean Media buttasscock Center. I mean Media Center filled with hate. I mean Media Center tomorrow morning.

OH DAMN! I almost forgot! I've reenabled anonymous comments on this here thing, so just write something on here. It could be something like "Tommy, you are awesome" or "Tommy I want your body" or "Tommy, I want to give you 5 bucks!" or "Tommy, if I were gay, I'd totally want you to do me in the butt" or "Tommy, since I'm not gay, I want you to be my hetero life partner." So just write something to let me know writing here isn't a total waste of my time.

Updatings...

So this week is William, David, and Mayo's senior show. I'm sure as hell not going to see it! "Why?" you are all asking, I'm sure. Because I'm playing it!

Yes, that's right. I'm the violinist in the band for their show. It's pretty good music and the other people in the band (me, Kelly, Nick, Dave, Jamayal, and Kazuma) have a good rapport and like to make jokes and stuff. Rehearsal is pretty fun.

In other news, I'm going to NYC with Stef again for fall break. We're staying at one of two places, we're not quite sure yet. Either with Matt or with Paul and Clark. I really want to accomplish two things while I'm there. See the NY Philharmonic (they have an evening of Prokofiev with a young Japanese violinist playing the first concerto) and see Avenue Q. I'll probably enter the Wicked lottery a couple times but I don't really expect that to pan out (since there are usually a hundred or so people there for a lottery for, oh 15 people).

Basically nothing else. Media center isn't fun, but at least I'm getting paid. Orchestra is fun. Social dance is glorious. And all that stuff.

OK bye.

Annnnnnd Saturday.

I've just completed my first week of school. It's going to be a good semester, I think. I'm done by 3pm most days of the week, which is nice as it gives me extra time to practice at night. I like just about every single one of my classes this semester (yes, even Aural Skills and Sightsinging! I can't believe it either!). The only class I think I'll not like so much is Intro to Philosophy. See, it's a really interesting area of study, but the people in the class are pretty dumb, so the professor has to adjust (i.e. "dumb down") the class accordingly.

On a side note, why is there nothing going on this weekend?! No parties, no nothing. It's so weird... I guess that means that I ought to have a party. I mean, honestly, people. I was practicing tonight. On a Saturday night. This is college for Christ's sake! I'm not going to sit here and do my homework or practice on Saturday night! I should be going out and thrusting myself into a plethora of dangerous situations. I should be getting wasted on the weekends, not cleaning my room! It's my privelige, nay, my duty to party hardcore! That's it. Next weekend is going to be crazy go nuts fun.