I apologize for the long-time no-see. And, honestly, I have a bazillion things to be done, but I wanted to take a few minutes to post at least a little blurb.
Gratitude 120
Last weekend, I went home to sing at a wedding. The wedding part was interesting. It was fine...just crazy! It was nice to get away for a weekend, though...esp. after all the craziness that has been going on in my life the past few weeks. (I have been a bit of a hot mess. Not cool.) Anyway, my dad baked me a CAKE!! From SCRATCH!!! :D Yum! And this wasn't just any ordinary cake...it was double layer! It was a definite surprise, too. I mean, my dad joked last year about doing it for my birthday, but he didn't. Then, I just liked to tease him about it. But he out of the blue decided to make a list of things he needed and make a mess of my mom's kitchen. haha! I want to see pictures of the mixing process...I arrived home while it was in the oven.
It was a lovely weekend at home, though. Friday night, the sky was so incredibly clear. I cannot remember the last time it was so clear and so many stars could be seen. Quinton and I were staying at my gram and pops' house (Q came home with me to play piano for the wedding.), and I took a blanket outside and plopped myself in the middle of the yard...at midnight. It was gorgeous! I even saw a shooting star!! :)
Saturday night after the wedding, we ate the yummy cake, and I whipped Q and Becca's butts at Scrabble. hehe! Xander was hilarious with the cake...he had it all over himself. He's such a big boy now!
Other than all that excitement, life's been eh. Lots of work to do, little sleep, revising my Fulbright proposal, working on the whole application, opera and musical auditions (which I am not feeling so keen about the imminent outcome), working through a block in my voice lessons, etc. Everything will work out just how it is supposed to be, though, right?
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Thursday, September 17, 2009
The Adventures (and Mis-adventures) of Life
It has been quite the week!
Battled with the university because they insisted I could take a class next year, however, begin a senior, that won't exactly work for me. It ended with me in tears in my advisor's office trying to sort this out, and finally the concluding decision by the "big boys" on campus was that I could complete the course as it had been first arranged...meaning the whole spiel never had to happen in the first place! (A whole lot of stress for nothing!)
In about the span of 24 hours, I started and quit a job on campus AND woke up with practically no voice...I sounded like a contralto. Ugh! And I have a million things I need to be singing. :(
My roommate's computer died; the Apple store is not open till Saturday for some reason. We drove a half-hour to another place to get it fixed only to have them tell us they wouldn't do it. Then, her hamster died.
I had THE WORST voice lesson of my life and was on the verge of losing it the whole time. Lynn was concerned the most about the fact that I walked in unprepared, which I practically never do.
Almost had a very tragic fall down a flight of stairs...never text and walk down steps at the same time...probably won't end well!
And to top it all, I found out I had to pay $50 for access to an online workbook for German, which is simply outrageous. (My roommate and I had a whole discussion on how textbooks are some sort of elaborate scam...they charge you hundreds of dollars on a little book that had to have cost them five bucks to produce, so it is practically all profit. We've decided we should either invest stock in McGraw-Hill or write our own book.)
Oy! On the bright side of life (Samantha needs to get out of this negative funk because it is no fun!), I FINALLY wrote my Fulbright proposal!! Yay! My Fulbright advisor has reviewed it, likes it, and now it is time for revisions. :) I wrote it on Saturday...after about four hours of just staring at my computer with no ideas anymore, I just started typing and bam! It was finished.
Gratitude 119
Saturday was an absolutely lovely day. I stayed in my pjs until 7:30PM! :) Lounging in the flat with my roommate, drinking tea, making mac 'n cheese, watching tv, and cranking out a proposal. Then, I went to see Julie and Julia at the little theatre around the corner from my flat with my dear friend Haley. It was hysterical! And the two of us together just made it even better...it's a good thing there were only like 5 or 6 other people in the theatre with us! haha! And there was also Graeter's ice cream and stargazing on the lawn in front of the university in the mix. A brilliant day!
Friday was even more brilliant...I had THE MOST AMAZING lesson EVER!!!! It was awesome! Lynn just moved to a bigger, more resonantly acoustic studio, so now, we can learn how to really use the big voices that have been held inside us. (Hence, the bigger dismay when I had a horrid lesson on the following Monday.)
Just to make this post a century long, I have been thinking about this past week's events and how life always throws loops at you...good and bad. Then, I started thinking (yes, another one of my mind's ridiculous tangents!) about all the silly little things you learn when you start adventures on your own, mine starting mainly when I went off to college and then abroad...and now as I wonder what will be next for me...
Life Discoveries (Part 1)
Battled with the university because they insisted I could take a class next year, however, begin a senior, that won't exactly work for me. It ended with me in tears in my advisor's office trying to sort this out, and finally the concluding decision by the "big boys" on campus was that I could complete the course as it had been first arranged...meaning the whole spiel never had to happen in the first place! (A whole lot of stress for nothing!)
In about the span of 24 hours, I started and quit a job on campus AND woke up with practically no voice...I sounded like a contralto. Ugh! And I have a million things I need to be singing. :(
My roommate's computer died; the Apple store is not open till Saturday for some reason. We drove a half-hour to another place to get it fixed only to have them tell us they wouldn't do it. Then, her hamster died.
I had THE WORST voice lesson of my life and was on the verge of losing it the whole time. Lynn was concerned the most about the fact that I walked in unprepared, which I practically never do.
Almost had a very tragic fall down a flight of stairs...never text and walk down steps at the same time...probably won't end well!
And to top it all, I found out I had to pay $50 for access to an online workbook for German, which is simply outrageous. (My roommate and I had a whole discussion on how textbooks are some sort of elaborate scam...they charge you hundreds of dollars on a little book that had to have cost them five bucks to produce, so it is practically all profit. We've decided we should either invest stock in McGraw-Hill or write our own book.)
Oy! On the bright side of life (Samantha needs to get out of this negative funk because it is no fun!), I FINALLY wrote my Fulbright proposal!! Yay! My Fulbright advisor has reviewed it, likes it, and now it is time for revisions. :) I wrote it on Saturday...after about four hours of just staring at my computer with no ideas anymore, I just started typing and bam! It was finished.
Gratitude 119
Saturday was an absolutely lovely day. I stayed in my pjs until 7:30PM! :) Lounging in the flat with my roommate, drinking tea, making mac 'n cheese, watching tv, and cranking out a proposal. Then, I went to see Julie and Julia at the little theatre around the corner from my flat with my dear friend Haley. It was hysterical! And the two of us together just made it even better...it's a good thing there were only like 5 or 6 other people in the theatre with us! haha! And there was also Graeter's ice cream and stargazing on the lawn in front of the university in the mix. A brilliant day!
Friday was even more brilliant...I had THE MOST AMAZING lesson EVER!!!! It was awesome! Lynn just moved to a bigger, more resonantly acoustic studio, so now, we can learn how to really use the big voices that have been held inside us. (Hence, the bigger dismay when I had a horrid lesson on the following Monday.)
Just to make this post a century long, I have been thinking about this past week's events and how life always throws loops at you...good and bad. Then, I started thinking (yes, another one of my mind's ridiculous tangents!) about all the silly little things you learn when you start adventures on your own, mine starting mainly when I went off to college and then abroad...and now as I wonder what will be next for me...
Life Discoveries (Part 1)
- Being the first in your family to go to college automatically thrusts you into vast, uncharted territory.
- Toilet paper just seems to disappear.
- One bottle of shampoo lasts so much longer when only one person is using it, but the grocery bill is always astounding when you actually have to start buying your own things.
- Life is very expensive.
- You go to college, and the thing you learn most $30,000 later is that you are stupid about life, and the only way to change that is to go through it.
- When you stop worrying about time, there is time enough and also to spare.
- If walls could talk, I'd be in trouble A LOT.
- Money doesn't mean someone has it all.
- It's not only how you sing...it's who you are.
- Library fines are relentless.
- Play-doh and coloring books are not just for 5-year-olds.
- It has to be Crayola!
- As soon as the warranty is up, the computer will start doing funny things.
- Cell phones are a pest but essential.
- Without technology, no one in today's society would know how to function.
- People change...but, sadly, some will never learn.
- Every time you turn around, it's time to do laundry AGAIN!
- Whether it is "pop" or "soda" is a constant topic of debate.
- Packing and moving places every year, although annoying, makes you realize just how much stuff you have...and how much you probably never even used!
- What is good for you is not always fun.
- It's okay to make mistakes. No one really cares that much if you admit them, fix them, and move on.
- Knowing when it is time to work and when it's okay to play is very important.
- Ask the question...no matter how ridiculous or repetitive it may be.
- Time is precious. Make the most of every moment.
- Sometimes, you just have to fall flat on your face because it is the only way you'll figure out how to get back up.
- You can't accomplish anything without persistance.
- Although difficult to do, pack light whenever you travel!
- Music books weigh a ton.
- Staying in your comfort zone might be "safe" but will never push you to grow.
- I'm very stubborn...and am far more like my father than I ever realized.
- It takes living 6000 miles from home to learn just how important it is.
- I make a pretty delicious tuna casserole.
- Facebook sucks you in! It is a terrible distraction!
- You study singing and end up learning more about anatomy than you ever thought you cared to know...e.g. There is thyroid cartillage and a thyroid gland, but they don't mean the same thing or function the same way. Or...(one of the faves in vocal pedagogy class)...The lungs are an organ that do not move on their own. Rather, a partial vacuum is created when the diaphragm contracts, allowing air to flow in.
- COTA buses are scary.
- Bells that ring on the hour are charming in Europe...and irritating in Ohio...perhaps it's because they don't ring at the right time!
- You always find everything you need...but rarely when you actually need it.
More to come, I'm sure... ;)
Thursday, September 10, 2009
A Package from China!
Gratitude 118
Today, I received a package from Sun Xing, my Chinese friend who just went back to Hungary to study another year there. :D How exciting! She sent me a rabbit because I was born in the year of the Rabbit, some absolutely beautiful earrings, postcards from her home town, and (Becca will be jealous of this...) a key charm from the Beijing olympics. Sweet! :)
Also, the Kyushu students baked me cupcakes for my birthday, and I got them yesterday. They are too kind! They wrote "Happy Birthday" in Japanese on them.
It's been a terrible past two days. Perhaps, I'll explain sometime this weekend. I am singing on recital hour in the morning and must get some sleep. Already worried enough about not being ready for it...pretty sure a lack of sleep won't help matters.
Today, I received a package from Sun Xing, my Chinese friend who just went back to Hungary to study another year there. :D How exciting! She sent me a rabbit because I was born in the year of the Rabbit, some absolutely beautiful earrings, postcards from her home town, and (Becca will be jealous of this...) a key charm from the Beijing olympics. Sweet! :)
Also, the Kyushu students baked me cupcakes for my birthday, and I got them yesterday. They are too kind! They wrote "Happy Birthday" in Japanese on them.
It's been a terrible past two days. Perhaps, I'll explain sometime this weekend. I am singing on recital hour in the morning and must get some sleep. Already worried enough about not being ready for it...pretty sure a lack of sleep won't help matters.
P.S. Candy corn has returned!!! :) I was super excited to see it at the store yesterday.
Oh! And I wanted to share this video I just stumbled upon...I liked it.
Oh! And I wanted to share this video I just stumbled upon...I liked it.
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Happy Birthday to Me!
It is officially year 22 of Samantha's life. Went to Starbucks for a pumpkin spice latte with Q and Tracy, pestered Chad and took him hot chocolate, scheduled my senior rectial (March 23rd @ 6:30pm), rescheduled a lesson with Lynn, a few classes, Mom and Dad came to visit to take me to dinner...at the Cheesecake Factory...which included a ridiculous "Happy Birthday" routine by the waiters and a delicious piece of ornamented lemoncello creme torte...yum!, adventures at Trader Joe's with Mom and Dad, and a quiet glass of wine under the stars on the terrace. (I make that last part seem far more extravagant that it truly is...city lights kind of block the stars somewhat...and it is never actually quiet out there...nonetheless, I love it!)
I'd say it was a fine day. No day is ever perfect, but that doesn't make it any less "good." And...I got Gilligan's Island Season 1! Sweet! Now, I can start from the beginning. hehe! (I got Season 2 this summer and watched some of it with Becca.)
Gratitude 117
I am thankful that my parents came from PA just to take me out to dinner on my birthday. :)
P.S. I figured a make-shift way to get my video of pics from the zoo up. Check it out! ;)
I'd say it was a fine day. No day is ever perfect, but that doesn't make it any less "good." And...I got Gilligan's Island Season 1! Sweet! Now, I can start from the beginning. hehe! (I got Season 2 this summer and watched some of it with Becca.)
Gratitude 117
I am thankful that my parents came from PA just to take me out to dinner on my birthday. :)
P.S. I figured a make-shift way to get my video of pics from the zoo up. Check it out! ;)
Monday, September 7, 2009
Last Day of Year 21
In about a half hour, it'll be a whole new year in the life of Samantha. :) After a little bit of thinking, "22?!" I have decided that it is perfect. The best years of my life have only just begun. And you know what? They are going to be wonderful memories. I have decided.
Yesterday, I was searching the web doing my whole "what to do next" search for the hundredth time when I fell upon a website about a called Delaying the Real World. I have decided that is me. This is the time in my life when I can do whatever...and if I pass up brilliant opportunities (like the possibility to live abroad for awhile), they may never come again. Grad school can wait a couple years. I have ordered it and am going to read it. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new year of more crazy adventures. :)
Today was my roommate's birthday. (I think it is funny how our birthdays happen to be a day apart.) She went home for the weekend - which is only about 20 minutes from campus/our apartment - so a few of us went to her place for birthday/Labor Day celebrations.
Gratitude 116
I am thankful for umbrellas...even when you still get drenched despite having it. ;)
Yesterday, I was searching the web doing my whole "what to do next" search for the hundredth time when I fell upon a website about a called Delaying the Real World. I have decided that is me. This is the time in my life when I can do whatever...and if I pass up brilliant opportunities (like the possibility to live abroad for awhile), they may never come again. Grad school can wait a couple years. I have ordered it and am going to read it. Tomorrow is the beginning of a new year of more crazy adventures. :)
(Certainly, nothing can really top the month-long celebrations of last year...including vineyard excursions with Katrin, Martin, and their friend Brandon, a day in Budapest, a visit to the Budapest State Opera, and dinner in the Castle District. However, it'll be a brilliant day!)
Today was my roommate's birthday. (I think it is funny how our birthdays happen to be a day apart.) She went home for the weekend - which is only about 20 minutes from campus/our apartment - so a few of us went to her place for birthday/Labor Day celebrations.
Gratitude 116
I am thankful for umbrellas...even when you still get drenched despite having it. ;)
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Baby Monkey!!! :)
Yesterday, I went to the zoo with the Kyushu students. I had never been to the one here, so it was an adventure for me as well. However, there weren't any giraffes, so I couldn't get any awesome pictures for my nephew. (They are his favorite animal.) However, I got some other really great shots. I didn't photoshop any of them, but I threw them into a little video anyway.
There was an absolutely adorable baby monkey! He was so little! I was right beside the glass trying to get some pictures without the reflection of the glass, and one of the monkeys ran over and slammed against the glass where I was standing. It made me jump backwards of the rock I was standing on!
The Japanese students are lots of fun, too. They are quite the characters.
It has been a weekend full of somewhat "epic" adventures. It is my last year here (that I know of for now, anyway!), and I want to do all the things I have not done yet. Friday, I went to Shakespeare in the Park with my friend Miriam. We saw As You Like It. It was fun, however, I found it super odd that half the characters were puppets. Nonetheless, it was fun. Yesterday afternoon was the zoo, and then last night was gallery hop (all the galleries downtown stay open late on the first Saturday of the month, and there's tons of live music along the street) and dancing. And now I am exhausted. (I am sure it does not help that we were up till the wee small hours of the morning dancing and shooting the breeze!)
Today, I must do my pile of homework...and perhaps a nap! No classes tomorrow because of Labor Day. I think I need to do some vegging before Tuesday...the first week of class wiped me out for some reason.
(...és kedden van születésnapom! 22 éves!...and Tuesday is my birthday! 22 years old! eek!)
Gratitude 115
I am absolutely in LOVE with my balcony! (or my "terrace," as I like to refer to it! hehe!) It has officially become my favorite spot. :)
Thursday, September 3, 2009
Gratitude 114
This morning, I went out to coffee for chats with my little "sis" (SAI sisters), Rachel. It was so great to catch up with her. :) Her spirit and strong faith always inspire me.
For some reason, I am feeling really out of sync with life. I don't know what my deal is. It is like I'm in some parallel universe and not really here. It is really bizarre. Honestly, I think I am just tired and confused about singing right now, so my practicing just either doesn't happen or ends quickly with built up frustration. I'm sure it'll pass soon enough. Till then, I'll just have to muddle through.
It has been gloriously sunny and comfortable all week. I have been making lovely use of my balcony. I love sitting out there...esp. at night. It gets rather chilly at night, but I don't mind...it is rather peaceful...and the stars glitter the sky, despite the glow of all the city lights. (Stars never are quite the same in the city, but God has given me a little "boost" with the balcony, so I have a slightly better view with clear skies.)
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Happy Birthday, Xander!
Today, Baby Xander turned 1 year old. Such a big boy now! I wasn't there, but I here the cake was a mess. They went to the zoo to see his favorite animal, too...giraffes. :)
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Glitter Crazy!
I finished the SAI bulletin board. It is very sparkly! :) I think I may be officially glittered out for awhile. Currently, everywhere I go, there is a trail of glitter that follows. Pretty, but I think it needs to take a little rest.
Seeing it all together, it reminds me a bit of the photo layouts created in 13 Going on 30. I like it! And believe it or not...the pics I made were simply printed out black-and-white on a regular inkjet printer and emboldened with Crayola marker. It looks pretty sweet if I do say so myself. hehe! ;)
Gratitude 113
I love Crayola! No, it is not just for 6-year olds...I use them more in college than I think I did in elementary school. And yes...it must be Crayola. It is the best.
I am also thankful for this lovely wall decal that Alexa put up on the kitchen wall. Every time I see it, it makes me smile. :)
I am also thankful for this lovely wall decal that Alexa put up on the kitchen wall. Every time I see it, it makes me smile. :)
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