What I am wearing today, how much it retails for, and how much I paid for it.

Calvin Klein Coat, $230, paid $90
Pearl necklace, $200, paid $160
Cashmere sweater, $119, paid $50
Tank top, $30, paid $19
Jeans, $50, paid $25
Anne Klein Black Shoes, $79, paid $23

I don't remember how much my underwear cost, I got it from Aerie though. They were on sale too though.

So retail value? $708
How much did I pay? $367

MUAHAHAHHAHAHA.
I'm so proud of myself.

I am very excited and a little nervous for next semester, performance-wise.

The string quartet I just joined seems to be going well. I'm really enjoying it! We will definitely be ready to gig next semester. The other girls are really nice and it feels great to be in a low-pressure, fun, productive ensemble with some females my age!

My concerto is next semester! The one Colin is writing.... that he hasn't given any of me to practice yet! That's a little nerve-wracking, I have to admit. Rehearsals begin in early January which means I might have to learn this thing in a month. Ah!!

Percussion Ensemble at UB is putting on an all Steve Reich concert. That's exciting! Freshman year when I played in Pieces of Wood, I couldn't stand the piece. I am interested in hearing it from the audience now, and hope I have grown to appreciate it more. I enjoy Steve Reich to begin with so this whole concert sounds great. I will be playing in a group piece and working on Nagoya Marimbas with another grad student. He actually told me that Steve Reich will be coming to UB next semester!! It would be cool to have him at the concert, but terribly nerve-wracking as well since I'll be playing in a piece with one other person (especially considering what happened at my senior recital... Shane messing up and us having to start all over again). Although Shane was a great player, I think this guy may be a little more responsible learning his part; he seems like a reliable guy. Two other guys in the studio are playing Marimba Phase (Piano Phase on marimba). I love that piece! It's such a great piece to close your eyes and zone out to. Sometimes I think Reich likes to trip on drugs. That would amuse me a little if I met him and he was a total hippie.

I am considering doing something with Contemporary Players (Ensemble, whatever they call it here) but not sure I can handle it with this schedule. My guess is I probably won't go through with it.

And my studio is growing! I have 4 students and may have a 5th signing on soon. 3 violins and 1 cello (possibly another violin).

I worked on a project I've had since the beginning of the year for 7 hours today. It's due tomorrow. I probably have another 4 hours of work left to do. Good thing all my classes are at night. :)

Not music... but I love having a personal trainer. It's so motivating and totally keeping me accountable for myself, even in my eating. (lost one pound this past week... will lose more this week!)

I just bought this necklace

http://www.lordandtaylor.com/eng/HandbagsAccessories-veteransdayspecials-Pearl_Drop_Necklace-lordandtaylor/43245

I think it's so cute! And pretty classy. :)
I want a real pearl necklace. Thinking about getting one at some point while I'm working at Lord and Taylor.

Writing a lesson plan for poetry for a class. Wrote two haikus, figured I'd post them.


Snow lightly drips down
Coating windows, frosty ice
Kaleidoscopic


Park biking, joyful
Hot summer days, autumn breeze
Laughter surrounds me

SO much work to do this week.
Busy busy busy.

St. John's is chuggin along. I got a $10 a week raise. So now I make $70/week. Yeah, I know, I'm totally making it big here. I just ordered Feierabend's giant curriculum bundle to help me teach the little kiddos, which I'm excited about, as well as some sight singing books for the older kids. School paid for those, but I'm going to go out and buy a whole bunch of stuff as well (poster board, index cards, stickers, crayons, etc) because the principal told me I can't ask him for anything else until like January. I asked him if I could do a fundraiser for the music department if I organized it because I really wanted to get some drums (because I have NO instruments) and he said NO! What the hell?! I couldn't believe it. He just doesn't want to deal with another fundraiser unless we NEED it and I guess he thinks drums are "just for fun" and kids don't actually need to be doing musical things like playing instruments in music class. Ugh. That burned me up so bad. It's the first thing the principal has done that truly upset me. Saying no to a fundraiser? Not fair.

Grad school has a lot of projects and whatnot going on. Lots and lots of homework to be doing. Group meeting on Monday and I need to read a whole chapter before that. Two big assignments due Monday for one class that I have to do on my own (other people as a group, only because I can't make it to class at night). Teaching my first lesson at Akron Studios (on cello) and first day of actual work at Lord and Taylor on Saturday, meeting up with a string quartet I may potentially join and dress rehearsal/concert on Sunday. Plus I have to make up a whole bunch of stuff for lessons at St. John's, in addition to the regular lesson plans.

Signed up for my classes for next semester. I'm taking six. 16 credits. I'm a graduate student taking 16 credits. On top of subbing and other musical things I do (like in February is my concerto that Mr Colin Britt is writing for me). It's 4 core classes, percussion ensemble and contemporary ensemble (because I was begged to join). I'm going to have to push myself even harder next semester, which I'm kind of failing at pushing myself this one.

Alright I actually need to go do homework now. I need to read 4 articles and write two response papers before 7PM. 4.5 hours? I think that will be enough.... as long as I don't get too distracted!

I really can't sleep. I've been up till at least 3am the past couple nights (with a record two nights ago of 6am). I got up at 2 today and I'm kind of mad because I feel like my day is shot every time I do that (because essentially it is). I'm considering just staying up 36 hours one of these days with the assistance of an energy drink until my schedule is fixed. Maybe I'll do it tonight?

I know there are people around here that care about me but OH MY GOD DO I FEEL ALONE.
I have no one here that cares about me enough for me to call them at midnight.
And I have no one that cares about me enough to ever call me in general.

My chest hurts.

I've talked to David a couple times about an idea of mine that he absolutely loves. The first time I was mostly kidding (although it sounded like fun) but last time I brought it up he said he wasn't kidding and that he really wanted to do it someday.

The idea is - us moving to Boston and opening a music shop. However - for us this isn't just any music shop. We would sell the normal things that a music store does - supplies, music, etc, and give lessons out of the studio (ideally hiring as little people as possible at first). However, David would like some room to do music therapy since he plans on pursuing his masters in that and I want a big room like the Lego room at Hartt. I want to do some sort of Feierabend program for little kids and their parents, and during the summer, kids in general. Also, David and I can use it as an outlet to publish our music, which we've also been talking about for years.

It would be a good idea to take some instrument repair classes at some point in my life too to add that to the store.

This is all pending available funds of course. But it's a dream, and I really want to make it happen at this point. We'll see how things go.

As far as moving, I was actually convincing David to maybe move to Niagara Falls next year (around June/July) and be my roommate here for a year. Then after that (providing I'm done with my masters) I/we could move to Boston. The second week of grad school one of my teachers told us we'd probably have to move to get our first job anyways, since this area is SO education-rich (and it really is... besides the city of Buffalo). Also I'd be in a big city - more performance opportunities! And easier access to NYC to possibly play in pits like I've always wanted??? I need to get back to practicing though if I really want to do that...

I am writing an educational autobiography for one of my classes, which is due tomorrow. It's a history of my educational experiences before college. I am starting off with elementary school, obviously, and remembering how much I loved to write when I was younger. Reading and writing were such important hobbies to me before middle school. I wrote so many stories, went through a number of notebooks, and was always happy when my dad brought us to the library (which he did a lot).

What happened to me?? I wish I had kept it up. I almost feel like it's a little too late to catch up from where I left off. In middle school I was above grade level by about two years in my reading - vocabulary/word recognition and speed. Then everything tapered off and I fell way behind. So crappy. Maybe it's because a lot of bad things happened at home during middle school and that started to concern me more. Then freshman year of high school I got mono, and then after that I just stopped caring about everything but music. It's a shame.

Although grad school is making me do a LOT of reading and writing right now (since I am no longer a music major, boo hoo), I'm making it a goal to do some real PERSONAL reading when school is not in session! Because I'll be honest, I'm so overwhelmed with school readings right now I have no time for personal reading. Or writing.

Also need to work on increasing my vocabulary. I notice it more the more often I'm playing Scrabble on my phone and need to cheat and have the computer find a word for me haha. It's really sad. I'm trying to collect a list of words I don't know from when I'm reading things online. I'll copy the word and post it into a word doc with the definition. When I get enough I'll print them out and probably type them in the flash card app on my phone. Yeah iPhone! It does everything... for realz.

This entry is way longer than I intended it to be. Back to the essay!

What do you write on a card to someone who is dying?

My mom's best friend has pancreatic cancer.
They say he probably won't make it to see Christmas.

Sigh.

I'd probably end up eating a whole week's worth of food, honestly.
Who wouldn't eat more if calories didn't count?

Ever have one of those days where you just can't seem to wake up? Sure you have. Well today is one of those days. My body has been up since 6:45 but my brain is still snoozin.

Zzzzzzzzzz.
Work till 3:30
Class 7-9:40

Your dating personality profile: Liberal - Politics matters to you, and you aren't afraid to share your left-leaning views. You would never be caught voting for a conservative candidate. Big-Hearted - You are a kind and caring person. Your warmth is inviting, and your heart is a wellspring of love. Stylish - You do not lack for fashion sense. Style matters. You wouldn't want to be seen with someone who doesn't care about his appearance.

Your Top Ten Traits 1. Liberal 2. Big-Hearted 3. Stylish 4. Funny 5. Shy 6. Adventurous 7. Practical 8. Romantic 9. Wealthy/Ambitious 10. Sensual

Your date match profile: Practical - You are drawn to people who are sensible and smart. Flashy, materialistic people turn you off. You appreciate the simpler side of living. Funny - You consider a good sense of humor a major necessity in a date. If his jokes make you laugh, he has won your heart. Conservative - Forget liberals, you need a conservative match. Political discussions interest you, and a conservative will offer the viewpoint you need.

Your Top Ten Match Traits 1. Practical 2. Funny 3. Conservative 4. Big-Hearted 5. Adventurous 6. Athletic 7. Stylish 8. Shy 9. Traditional 10. Intellectual

Take the Dating Profile Quiz at Would I Date You


Number 3 on both of these lists are so wrong...

4 Cities
5 Houses
2 Apartments
4 Dorm Rooms
1 Hotel room

My favorites of each
City - Amherst (NY)
House - Tough to decide between Babal's and the house in Manchester with Ned, Shane and Dane
Apartment - Clemen's Place with David (aka the zoo)
Dorm Room - 1205 with Amanda, Margaret and Lauren (ugh)

And the hotel room thing was shitty. Obviously my least favorite.

Overall favorite? As stressful as it was at times, living with David was the best.



(Not related - today is my half birthday. 6 months until I'm 23!)

I just wanted to announce:
Yesterday was Dani Heller's birthday.

And incidently, it was also Dan Hanisko's birthday.

Happy birthday people with similar names.

Agree or disagree

It is rude to constantly text someone while you are with someone else.
I mean constantly text. Not a couple texts an hour, but like 3 texts for every 5 minutes.

Probably who my other friends are. When I talk about other people I don't always reference who they are, I just give a name. I also reference previous bad situations by someone's name (ie "the whole Joey thing") and in cases like that, unless you've been reading for 3 years or I've decided to fill you in on "that whole thing," you have no idea. In some ways my journal is like a soap opera - assumed knowledge based on the fact that you should have read previous entries. But in some ways it's not - definitely not as dramatic or interesting as soap operas. Haha. Although they can be trivial, and so can I.

The auto title for this works well too. "Previously on Days of Our Lives Mel's life..."

If someone went through your text messages and found something you didn't want them to know would you be more mad about:

A) the principle that they went through your texts without asking
or
B) the fact they found something you didn't want them to know (ie, you wouldn't have gotten mad if they would have just read boring texts)

I'm not sure I've posted about this, but I am in the process of renovating our (my grandma's) basement. It was a furnished basement before and my grandparents used to use it, but for a while it's just been collecting dust and been generally unused. And after my grandpa died, no one used it because my grandma cannot do stairs. So essentially, the basement is the space I can feel free to do whatever with, and I'm doing it.

I threw a LOT out. There is still a ton of garbage down here because we don't have enough garbage cans to bring it all out in one week, and as I clean more out it looks like nothing ever leaves. I'm thinking I might need to just take it all down to the dump at some point.

There is a workshop that I spent forever cleaning today. I vacuumed with the shop vac, mopped, swept, mopped, and mopped again. There was a LOT of dust and dirt stuck to the floor. The amount of dust I inhaled today really started to effect my breathing. *wheeze* However, the floor looks much better now. I am turning that into my art room. I am realizing I own much more art supplies than I thought.

The room next to that was kind of storage. It's a bit smaller. That's going to be my music room. It's pretty much just a square with a table in it, and for now has everything in it that I'm going to be setting up in the rooms.

The main room has a record player with a ton of old records and I'm pretty sure it's still functional but I haven't tested it yet. I have my tiny TV next to that and it's not hooked up to the cable, but I have a DVD player and today I bought a PS2 with 7 games, a DDR pad and 2 guitars for guitar hero for $110. Pretty sweet deal. The guy I bought it from (off craigslist) also told me to apply for a job where he works since I said I don't have one, and gave me a bunch of information about it.

There's a coffee table and a couch, a fake fireplace (it's a light behind plastic logs and a space heater) and a bunch of tables with pictures and various other little decorations on them. I've hung some of my paintings up around. There's a kitchen table down here and across from that there's a bar with all of my shot/wine/margarita/martini glasses. Just no alcohol in it yet. :)

There are also a bunch of fun tropical lights hanging up around the edges of the ceiling. They were there before. I like them.

One thing I really need to fix is part of the ceiling. There are styrofoam tiles that are missing and it looks really bad. It's right as you enter the basement too. Though I suppose in relation to most basements it really isn't bad at all.

I'm really excited about this project. Dean told me not to make it look too good because then I will never move out and this may be true because I plan on making it amazing, but I really want my own really fun space for once. Then maybe some of my friends will actually want to come visit ME for once!!

I will post pictures when it is done. I hope it comes out as freakin sweet as I want it to!