Pirating from Katrin

I saw on my friend Katrin's blog that she compiled a list of 101 things about her life. I found it quite fascinating and decided to copy her idea.

101 [random/ridiculous] facts about my life...

1. I have curly hair that is normally out of control.
2. I have blue eyes.
3. I am almost 5' 5"
4. I am 20 years old...my birthday is September 8th.
5. I am currently working on my Bachelor of Music degree in Vocal Performance.
6. I am classically trained, and for the most part, that is what I sing.
7. I am a soprano...and believed to be a lyric coloratura at that.
8. One day, I hope to sing in operas all over the world.
9. I have the most incredible teacher.
10. My teacher calls me "her Anna" and says I'll be the next Anna Netrebko.
11. I have a brilliant accompanist. (Two, actually...Isaac is my brilliant fill-in!)
12. I am in love with the Bel canto era.
13. I have two sisters, Jessi, 23, and Becca, 12.
14. I have grown up in "the sticks" pretty much my whole life.
15. I am going to be an aunt soon.
16. I still don't have my driver's license.
17. Last summer, I worked as a day camp counselor in Florida.
18. This summer, I am working at a day care part-time.
19. I hope to someday find my prince charming.
20. I want to have two kids...but not for 10-15 years...career comes first right now.
21. I am the first person in my family to go to college.
22. I love doing yoga.
23. I am a control freak and perfectionist but am getting much better about not letting them control my life.
24. I am a hopeless romantic and dreamer.
25. I have worn eyeglasses since 1st grade.
26. I have both eyeglasses and contact lenses.
27. I enjoy photography, but I currently do not have a working camera.
28. I absolutely hated school growing up.
29. Now, I love school. (could have something to do with the fact that I am studying what I love.)
30. I enjoy the morning but do not like to be up before 8am.
31. I have acid reflux.
32. I love dresses and skirts.
33. I used to protest against wearing jeans...now I cannot find enough pairs.
34. I drink A LOT of water...more than 8 glasses a day normally.
35. I am not an overly big fan of sneakers.
36. I wear through at least 2-3 pairs of black flats every year.
37. I like to read but often do not have time.
38. I wish I was fluently multi-lingual.
39. I can only speak a little broken German.
40. At the end of August, I am going to Europe to study music in Hungary for a semester.
41. I am the only one from my school going.
42. I have only flown once by myself...and that was not over an ocean.
43. I can only say hello/good day, thanks, please, water, orange juice, wine, beer, tea, milk, lemonade, yes, no, good, not good, chocolate, hot chocolate in Hungarian thus far.
44. This will be my second time to Europe.
45. I have been to Canada, the Bahamas, Mexico, England, France, Belgium, the Netherlands, Switzerland, and Germany.
46. I have been to London and Paris but not New York City.
47. I believe in God.
48. I was raised Roman Catholic.
49. However, my university is Lutheran, and while there, I attend Lutheran services.
50. I should work out but don't like to very much.
51. I was in ballet for 11 years.
52. I tap danced for 6 years.
53. I was in jazz/modern dance for 7 years.
54. I have been an assistant dance teacher on Saturday mornings since I was twelve. (Until I moved for school, anyway.)
55. I have read all of the Harry Potter books.
56. I love tea...Tetley's is one of the best.
57. I just started drinking some coffee less than a year ago but only drink it occasionally.
58. I suck at piano.
59. I don't have rhythm, either.
60. I have to wear sunscreen if I am outside, otherwise I burn...I don't tan.
61. The Hallmark characters Hoops and Yoyo make me giggle.
62. I just got an ipod and love it.
63. I want to see the world.
64. I love accessories.
65. I don't really have any "real" jewelry but have a fake pearl necklace that was my great grandmother's.
66. My favorite colour is purple.
67. I am a music geek.
68. I have seen The Sound of Music probably a thousand times.
69. I played the role of Maria in a community theatre production my senior year of high school.
70. I don't remember what we did before internet and cell phones.
71. I am claustrophobic.
72. I am a member of the women's music fraternity Sigma Alpha Iota.
73. I like getting mail...except if it is a bill or bad news.
74. I have never climbed a tree.
75. I ate peanut butter and jelly for the first time about a month and a half ago...It was quite delicious.
76. I have expensive taste.
77. I love to watch Will and Grace and Gilmore Girls.
78. I think British comedy is hilarious.
79. La Traviata is my favorite opera.
80. Someday, I hope to sing the role of Violetta.
81. Even though I am a classical musician, I enjoy listening to lots of different music...including cheesy pop stuff.
82. I try to listen to something at least twice before I decide if I like it or not.
83. Patience is not a virtue that God gave me.
84. I think thank yous and counting your blessings are very important.
85. I love greeting cards and stickers.
86. I love clean laundry but don't necessarily enjoy doing laundry.
87. I am a very crafty person.
88. I have been knitting since I was eleven.
89. I love art.
90. I am left-handed. (That means I am on the right side of my brain! hehe!)
91. I have an overactive imagination and melodramatic tendencies.
92. I think people take life too seriously...you've gotta have fun with it!
93. I can waltz but want to learn how to really ballroom dance.
94. I have been described as "effervescent."
95. I love to laugh.
96. I love old movies. (Yes, even the black and white ones!)
97. I like reading quotes. (inspirational and whatnot)
98. I love star-gazing...that's the one thing I really miss when I'm in the city at school.
99. Haribo makes the best gummi bears.
100. I am addicted to fruit snacks.
101. I have a list of things that I want to do before I die.

Singing for cheerios?!

The other night while I couldn't sleep I was playing around on YouTube (and waiting five years for videos to load because of the ridiculous internet at home!), and I found this.

It just made me giggle. Then I thought, "Gee, if my family had done that, maybe I'd not have such a hard time singing in front of them!" (Yes, I can sing in front of thousands but not in front of just my family.) Then I thought, "No, I'd probably just have gotten irritated with them!" haha! Certainly puts a new spin on "singing for your supper!" haha! My family uses money to bribe me moreso...the sad thing is I still don't do it!

Josh Groban, PBS, lame internet, and boredom...

Well, it's been quite awhile since I've written. There really hasn't been a lot to say lately. My life is pretty lame right now. (Plus, the internet is being dumb and has not been working...stupid dial-up and old rural phone lines!) It isn't really lame...just...slow...for lack of a better word. Jobs around here are skint. (I have applied to many...nothing. No one's hiring. Money's tight. The economy sucks. What more is there to say?) Since coming home from school, I have taken to watching sitcom reruns, reality tv, and random movies (most of which I have seen numerous times before). Will and Grace, Frasier, What I Like About You, Yes, Dear, Gilmore Girls, 7th Heaven...yup...I've watched them all. And most recently, I have discovered Bathroom Divas: So You Want to be an Opera Star? on OvationTV. Yes, ridiculous but highly entertaining for me. Actually, some of the voices are quite good. Oh! and we finally got PBS somehow randomly...except now, the Met operas are not in any of the upcoming listings. Brilliant! Ha! Argh! Anyway, don't get me wrong...I enjoy a bit of laziness and loafing, and I deserve it. However, it is time for me to get back in gear. And vocally/musically, I am a little rusty. I have not practiced since my jury. Motivation...not so much...which is awful. I LOVE my music and singing. Just right now, I think I had to step away. Taking some time off will have been best in the end. I started to question if I was falling into a hole, come to a cliff in my passion. I thought, "Is this really what I want? Where's my motivation if it is what I want?" Of course and without a doubt, I was being ridiculous. We all fall into those holes throughout our careers, and it is one of the scariest things to happen because at the time you wonder if you will ever "see the light" again. I have encountered some before and will inevitably encounter more throughout my life and career. But I am not in one now. Thursday night, I saw a live recording of Josh Groban's most recent concert, and it was probably the best thing I could have decided to do. I was not sure if I was in the mood to sit through a concert. (I LOVE Josh Groban...I have decided I must marry him! hehe!...but more on that later!...I was not having a good day...disagreements/misunderstandings with my mom, frustration with life and my lack thereof for the summer, the fact that I am going off to a foreign country four four months and currently only have $100 to my name, etc.) At the beginning of the concert is when those questions arose in my mind, but as I watched and listened to the beautiful music entering my ears, my heart, and my soul, something happened, something sparked. I don't know if it was the beauty of the music or the beautiful man living the dreams or the sincerity of emotion, humility, and musicianship, but I realized how silly I was being. I knew my passion had not gone away. Rather, I thought it had slowed to a flicker. Again, I was wrong. Yes, I do not think it is burning its brightest right now, but that is to be expected. I am slightly burnt out. I am halfway through intensive study for my Bachelor of Music in Performance. Of course, I am going to be a bit burnt out. I don't know if I am yet ready to practice again. Maybe subconsciously, I am relishing in this laziness and the idea that I do not have anything to do. I knew from the very beginning what I was getting myself into and not for a moment regret my decision. But it scares me. I don't know if I will be "really something" in the opera world. And sometimes, I wish I didn't have to constantly be careful of what I do and be so responsible. However, I chose and love it and would not change it for the world. I just need to find something exciting and new to work on. (I just ordered some new music!! I know it is just the thing to fuel my fire!) Okay, to explain more about why I must marry Josh Groban. It's perfect. I've compiled a list. For one, he's beautiful! His voice is gorgeous! and possesses that melt-your-soul quality. He's only about 6 years older than me...not too bad. He's already made his fortune, so we'd be set for life and could both have our careers happily in music. We could make beautiful music together! (I've also been told we'd make beautiful babies too...lots of dark brown curls! hehe!) And last but certainly not least, he's already got the connections. It's brilliant. Only problem...we don't know each other yet alone be in love with each other...and I am pretty sure he doesn't know I even exist. However, in theory, it is a fabulous idea. hehe! I am really just ridiculous. Okay, quick overview of the highlights of my life the past two weeks: went to Cleveland to see my darling Crystal's first Master of Music recital. Yay, Crystal! I'm so proud of her! :) I also went to Pittsburgh with my quite pregnant sister and brother-in-law. He had to work, so she and I did some shopping. We found this really cool 1/2 price book store where we got a bunch of really good deals...they even had some old sheet music! :) I'm in the process of trying to get some voice and beginning piano students for the summer but so far none. I think it would be really good for me to try out some teaching, though...learn a lot about my own technique and maybe teach myself a thing or two. Been helping out my dance teacher with her recitals this week. One more show tomorrow afternoon. I don't dance anymore...not since going off to school...but I miss it dearly. It was such a huge part of who I was growing up. The kids are so great, though. It's lots of fun. And tonight, I discovered just how great being a camp counselor last summer was for me. I grew so much as a person and learned so much...I just didn't know it until long after the fact! I have become even better with the young kids. Well. That's about it. Besides laundry, dishes, and miscellaneous cleaning around the house to help my mom out and getting my room back in order. I kind of feel like a housewife, which isn't anything awful...it's what my mom does...it's just not the life for me. I want more...

Brian's Commentary

So, I forgot to mention that Thursday when I saw Lynn, I got to read my jury sheets. A's across the board. :) Elise did, in fact, write in French, and even though I am pretty clueless on French, I was able to decipher a good part of it and got the gist of what she was saying. Brian's sheet was my absolute favorite, though. It gave me such a laugh! At the end of his comments, it said, "#$%&-ing good singing!" Hahaha! Only he would write something like that on a jury sheet! Gotta love it!

Drama of Flying a Kite...

I am now back in PA...for the next four months! Not sure what to think. I kind of wish I could have stayed in C-bus for the summer, but I know that I need to be home this summer. I'm sure it won't be too awful, right? I guess we shall see only be going thru it! The last few days at school were nice. Thursday, a few of us went out to lunch, and then Karly, this kid Josh, and I flew a kite. What laughs! Josh had never flown a kite, but he was an Indian Guide when he was little. Needless to say, he didn't really get to fly it. We struggled a bit trying to put the kite together...there were no directions. Then, Karly and I tried for about ten minutes just to get it into the air. (The kite was a frog...a poison dart frog to be exact! hehe!...it looked funny flying around with its legs going all over the place!) Finally, we succeeded. However, it resulted in me looking like an absolute idiot running around because the kite decided to go wild and controlling it by just the string was out of the question. Plus, we had to play dodge-the-trees. Once it went down...like two minutes later...Karly gave it a shot. She got it stuck in the tree. After some tugging, though, she got it free...only to moments later get it tangled in the tree. The two of us tried relentlessly to free it while Indian boy sat watching and laughing. We finally made him try...then the string broke, and that was the end of our kite-flying career. The whole feat was quite ridiculous!...and there were laughing professor spectators to top it off! We decided that this tree decoration (we named the frog Stanley) was our contribution to the university (besides the thousands upon thousands of dollars we shall eternally owe them!) and our marker of our halfway point. Earlier, Josh brought up the fact that we are halfway thru our Bachelor degrees, and two years from now, it'll be time to be a real adult and get a real job...except Karly and I will never have a real job because we're performance majors...and we're off to graduate school from here. He asked, "Doesn't that scare the shit out of you? (Pardon the "French") I am scared out of mind!" I have to agree with him. It is pretty scary. A real job? Yeah. Right. haha! After the kite fiasco, I met with Dr. Mathias one last time and then with Lynn to go over some repertoire stuff. The parting was sad, but not too awful because I'll be back before I leave for Europe. (118 days!...well, 117 in about 30 minutes.) Thursday night, we had a choir recording session for four hours. Fun times! ha! It was long and grueling but overall went really well. Except it didn't end then. We had another three hours on Friday morning. Oh, joy! Whatever. It is done. We listened to one of the songs, A Boy and a Girl by the Eric Whitacre, at our choir picnic Friday night, and all I had to say was, "Damn!" (Pardon the language again) Not to sound pompous or anything, but we sounded amazing! I knew we were a good choir, but I never realized how good! And I know I say how much I don't care for choir, but it is cool. The aesthetic is cool. My voice just doesn't fit into that little box they want it to...makes me feel restrained. Friday afternoon was spent packing up my room and shoving it into the car to leave this afternoon. (The choir has to sing at Baccalaureate and Commencement services, so even though the academic year finished Thursday, we had extended stay.) It starting raining like crazy in the middle of our trips to the car, and typical of the electric there, the power blinked out for a few seconds. Unfortunatley, I happened to have been in the elevator with a few boxes. I was stuck between floors two and three and spazzing out. The lights flickered off but came right back on. However, the elevator didn't go anythere...though there was a little jolt...I thought it was going to plummet! I was only stuck for maybe two minutes, but that was enough for a slight panic attack. I think I have a complex with elevators now. I refused to go in it again. After the choir picnic, I hung out with some friends. We ended up at the "Jennies" house. (We have two piano major friends both named Jennie/Jenny, and they live together.) Their house is really cool. We danced and listened to music and such. Then it was off to bed at a semi-decent hour because we had to be up early for choir stuff. Today was choir stuff and then getting the last few things packed into the car. It was a tight squeeze, but my mom and I did it. Now, I'm back home and not so sure. It'll be odd to be home for so long. But Karly, Courtney, and I sign our lease for our house August 15th!, so I'll go back a week earlier than planned, and one of them will take me to the airport on the 29th. It'll be crazy being at school and having nothing to do but move in, practice...maybe grab a couple lessons with Lynn!, and goof off. Then, I'll go to Europe and goof off in Austria for a week. THEN I'll go to the Kodály Institute...but the first week there is orientation stuff and placement testing. Craziness! There's going to be almost a month before I actually start classes and such!