People try to put us down, just because we get around...
Hello, friends. It has been quite a while since I wrote it here, but I guess I really should chronicle things. It's been six weeks since we heard the sad news about Shannon, and I think about that, or just about her pretty much every day, even if just for a moment. Most recently, I was looking at photos that had been put on my computer pre-having facebook, and noticed the ones from sophomore year when we all went to la Tazza (now Funkin' Waffles) to hear William play the Penguin Song (and the Cupcake Song, and How Great it is to be French!), and saw a short series of the ridiculous Shannon faces we know so well.
Since then, I was informed by the University of Maryland that they have no money to give a trumpet grad student (and I didn't get in; I have no idea if someone had a better audition than I did or if it's the money situation, since I had a great audition), I didn't get into UCLA (which wasn't too unexpected, since I had a good but not great audition), I had my trumpets stolen, I had a bad audition at Georgia State, and then after that audition, got all my trumpets back. Maybe it's a sign I'm supposed to play and not go to grad school. If my horns get stolen before my backup school audition, but then returned to me after said audition, what does that mean? Anyway, I was also just offered a job as a cocktail waitress at a comedy club. I think maybe I'll do it. Random as shit, right?
Another weird thing -- I realized yesterday that there are only six weeks or so left in the lease to my current apartment. I don't know for sure what I'm doing after that, but this has been a pretty kickin' place of living, even when all the water pressure goes away, or our roof leaks, or our landlord doesn't fix anything.
I've been thinking of keeping playing and moving to a big city, and getting an associates degree or something in instrument repair and/or acoustic technology. My hopes are that it would segue into a career of designing, building, and testing instruments. I just can't imagine playing not being a big part of my life or way of living, so why would I give it up just because of some fucking grad schools that only get to know me for fifteen minutes? Those schools will be sorry when SU gets all of my big money donations someday. Ha! I just have to decide if I want to do that now, or spend a year living with my parents to save up some cash money (it's probably a smart thing to do, but I've never had the intention of moving back in with my parents. I figure it would probably cramp their style a little bit -- they seem to be aging so happily).
I guess lastly the big news is that I've been planning a very long bike trip. All of you in Sullivan's honors 11th grade english class -- you remember that stuff about testing one's mettle. I think I need to do that. For, like, two months. On my fixie. Planning this trip has acted as an odd kind of coping mechanism for the last six weeks. The plan right now is to bike from Toronto to Minneapolis, take the train from Minneapolis to Seattle, and then go down the Pacific Coast all the way to San Diego, where I will decide what to do from there. I've kind of looked at the funds, and I think if I spend the majority of my time either couchsurfing, 'stealth camping' (camping in woodsy areas that are not designated campsites, but don't have 'No Trespassing' signs -- apparently it's legal in most states if you leave no trace), or just regular camping, since it would be free in, say, the Redwood Forest and some other National or State Parks, it's something I'll be able to afford, due to the fact that I plan to get my security deposit back in full from this apartment, have $500 in a savings account that hasn't been touched for years, and will get two paychecks from work during the trip (because we are paid every two weeks and the paychecks are always dated from three weeks of work back). My biggest concern is getting a shower enough. Still, other people can do it, so why not me?
So that's my life. How about the rest of you? It's time for me to get my day going. I love you all!
Since then, I was informed by the University of Maryland that they have no money to give a trumpet grad student (and I didn't get in; I have no idea if someone had a better audition than I did or if it's the money situation, since I had a great audition), I didn't get into UCLA (which wasn't too unexpected, since I had a good but not great audition), I had my trumpets stolen, I had a bad audition at Georgia State, and then after that audition, got all my trumpets back. Maybe it's a sign I'm supposed to play and not go to grad school. If my horns get stolen before my backup school audition, but then returned to me after said audition, what does that mean? Anyway, I was also just offered a job as a cocktail waitress at a comedy club. I think maybe I'll do it. Random as shit, right?
Another weird thing -- I realized yesterday that there are only six weeks or so left in the lease to my current apartment. I don't know for sure what I'm doing after that, but this has been a pretty kickin' place of living, even when all the water pressure goes away, or our roof leaks, or our landlord doesn't fix anything.
I've been thinking of keeping playing and moving to a big city, and getting an associates degree or something in instrument repair and/or acoustic technology. My hopes are that it would segue into a career of designing, building, and testing instruments. I just can't imagine playing not being a big part of my life or way of living, so why would I give it up just because of some fucking grad schools that only get to know me for fifteen minutes? Those schools will be sorry when SU gets all of my big money donations someday. Ha! I just have to decide if I want to do that now, or spend a year living with my parents to save up some cash money (it's probably a smart thing to do, but I've never had the intention of moving back in with my parents. I figure it would probably cramp their style a little bit -- they seem to be aging so happily).
I guess lastly the big news is that I've been planning a very long bike trip. All of you in Sullivan's honors 11th grade english class -- you remember that stuff about testing one's mettle. I think I need to do that. For, like, two months. On my fixie. Planning this trip has acted as an odd kind of coping mechanism for the last six weeks. The plan right now is to bike from Toronto to Minneapolis, take the train from Minneapolis to Seattle, and then go down the Pacific Coast all the way to San Diego, where I will decide what to do from there. I've kind of looked at the funds, and I think if I spend the majority of my time either couchsurfing, 'stealth camping' (camping in woodsy areas that are not designated campsites, but don't have 'No Trespassing' signs -- apparently it's legal in most states if you leave no trace), or just regular camping, since it would be free in, say, the Redwood Forest and some other National or State Parks, it's something I'll be able to afford, due to the fact that I plan to get my security deposit back in full from this apartment, have $500 in a savings account that hasn't been touched for years, and will get two paychecks from work during the trip (because we are paid every two weeks and the paychecks are always dated from three weeks of work back). My biggest concern is getting a shower enough. Still, other people can do it, so why not me?
So that's my life. How about the rest of you? It's time for me to get my day going. I love you all!