Finally!

Well, it has been something like 10 months since I last updated this shit, so I guess I should start way back.

Umm, scratch that. I can only really remember back to this summer. Nothing really important happened last semester, anyway.

So this past summer I had two jobs. I played in SSMT for two shows: Guys & Dolls and Beauty & the Beast. It was pretty fun, actually, since I wasn't stuck playing fuckin' viola. I played for KK and Dr. Albert (and Dave). I realized some interesting things this summer:

1. I really do have a lot of respect for KK and for Dr. Albert. I used to think Dr. Albert was a composer who thought he could conduct, but I really have come to realize that he IS a good musician and if you show that you care about things and he knows that you're a good student/musician, he'll help you in any way that he can.
2. I could easily play in a pit for the rest of my life if I had a steady gig.
3. I would like, however, to see the shows I play for once in a while.

I also (job #2) worked full time in the SUBO (Shenandoah University Box Office). It was really hard once Guys & Dolls started, because I was working from 9am-11pm with basically no breaks. I was irritable and tired most of the time, but I made a ton of money, so that was good. I also didn't have a whole lot of time to practice, but I did learn to keep my technique up to par while playing in orchestra. That was a nice feeling to have. I also did a lot of mental practicing on things, as to keep them fresh in my mind for when I was able to revisit them after SSMT.

So then summer was over and this school year started.

I signed up for 19 credits for the fall semester, but since most of my classes only meet 2 days a week, my schedule feels surprisingly light. Especially now that pit is over. I am almost always able to practice as much as I can, usually 4-5 hours a day, and still keep up with classes. Actually, right now, I have all A's except for Music History (surprise, surprise). Hopefully I can get all A's and a B, though. That would be awesome.

I also signed up to do my half recital this semester, a semester early. I wanted to do this because I wanted to get it out of the way so I could focus on working on things for my senior recital/grad school auditions. So, on Nov. 16, I will be playing the full Mozart Concerto No. 5 in A Major. Mozart is generally regarded as the most difficult composer for a violinist, and the A Major is usually considered his most difficult concerto. Not to toot my own horn, but it's fuckin' hard. And it doesn't SOUND that hard, which is the funny thing.

So I entered a competition in September (??) at school. It was an all Bach/Handel competition, so I played the first movement of the Bach G minor solo sonata for violin (obviously). And I won a runner-up spot! So this Wednesday, I get to play in a Performance Forum for the whole Conservatory. That's pretty sweet. I'm also playing in another Forum on the 14th, and then my recital on the 16th! That's three solo concerts in two weeks! Awesome!

And on the social front. This year has been really weird. It's something about my junior year that sparks, well, something. My junior year is always when I start getting more social and meet a lot of new people, and this year is no exception. I have a bunch of new friends, but I still find time to practice and do work and stuff. It's pretty sweet. Seriously, though, I have so many new friends it isn't even funny. I don't want to name them all for fear that I'd leave someone out (which I'm sure I would). Let's just say that I really appreciate all my friends, both new and old.

Stef and I have also been together for over two years now. I guess at the two year mark, one looks on their relationship more intensely, more along the lines of "OK, I've been with this person a long time, and what do I want to happen?" I think we're still kind of in that phase. That's not at all to say that we want to break up (which we ABSOLUTELY don't) or get engaged (which we ABSOLUTELY aren't ready for), but it's an interesting time. Stef also has some new friends, who are incidentally all freshmen. Not that there is a problem with that or anything, becuase there definitely isn't. I mean, shit, I was a freshman when we started dating, so wouldn't that be hypocritial of me! It's interesting because I don't dislike them, and I don't think they dislike me, but we are quite different. I mean, I can't see myself getting really close to them. At least, not anytime in the near future. Well, except Joe. I like him a lot (crazy Republican composer. HAH!) I don't know, I guess it's probably a good thing that we have different groups of friends that we can hang out with, but at the same time I can't help think that it kind of exacerbates the "two year" thing. Like it makes us think of us differently. If that makes any sense. Ah, well. I'm done being philosophical. Especially on the public realm of the internet.

Anyway, it's been a good year so far. Music-wise, I've made huge strides, and socially, I have a bunch of new friends who I think are cool.

....sometimes I just can't help think something is missing.


......I think I've just been in Winchester too long.