Trying to live the goodlife
Wow, it has been a long time. I know I say that everytime I write a new entry, and due to that fact promised to update more frequently, but it appears I have actually been so busy I haven't had much time to update. I'll try not to make any more promises I can't keep. I noticed friends have been checking my journal and I started feeling bad that I haven't updated in 3 and half months (both in keeping everyone updated and putting all the stuff that has happened in ink for my benefit).
To recap everything that has happened in the last 3 months would take so much more time than I have tonight and would take up a good number of pages, so I am just going to mention and briefly discuss the highlights (both good and bad) from the last 3 months.
At the end of June, my family and I went on vacation to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. It was awesome! They have an amazing amusement park which was literally right next to the hotel, which was positioned right on the beach. I got to do a lot of stuff I have always wanted to do. When I was about 14 and Jesse was 12 or so, we all got together and went on vacation to Lake George and Jesse got to go parasailing but Mom and Dad wouldn't let me do it and I have been jealous ever since. I got to finally go parasailing in Cedar Point and it was so much fun. It's a little scary being up so high above the water, but it was pretty relaxing. I also did this ride called the Rip Cord with Carline, where you are harnessed in and hoisted up to about 50 feet or so in the air and then dropped, so you freefall and then swing for a bit. It was so crazy (and I said so as we were being hoisted up) and scary but it was also so much fun. The little daredevil in me finally got to come out a bit. We also checked out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, met some nice people along the way, and had some pretty funny situations (one in particular was where Mom and Dad locked themselves out on the balcony and, somehow, the latch on the front door to the room locked, locking Carline, Joey, and Me from getting inside the room to let them off the balcony.....not only did we all find it funny, but the concierge had a pretty good laugh as well). The trip had it's downs as well, but it was definitely an overall great trip.
Shortly after, Mom had a heart attack. It's possible she got it while in Cedar Point and just ignored it. She's doing fine now; just needs to take it easy and not worry and stress about every little thing. I feel so bad that Mom goes through all the pain that she does, but she's tough and doing about as well as she can be. Three weeks later, Aunt Pat had a stroke. She has seen both sides of good and bad with it, but she seems to be much better now. She's another strong one, I tell you. I have also been in the ER a little while back for my asthma and allergies, but I have been put on every medication for it, so I am doing much better as well. Things have been kinda busy and rough medically in the family, but we seem to be doing pretty good at the moment.
It sounds as though the family has been all on top of each other lately and getting in everybody's way, but for the most part, everything seems to be decent. I went to Sam's art show in Essex, CT this past weekend and we stopped by home for a little bit to briefly visit and everything seemed to be pretty cool.
My 22nd birthday was in August and Me, Mom, Dad, Carline, and Sophie went to see two of my favorite comediennes, Kathleen Madigan and Tammy Pescatelli, at Mohegan Sun's cabaret room. The room is so nice and intimate, perfect for a stand up comedy show, and we had seats right up front. We even got to say hi to Tammy Pescatelli after the show because she was standing right by the exit (on the phone with Kathleen, might I add). I wish we got to have our picture taken with them, but it was still pretty cool and a hilarious show!
Around the end of August/Beginning of September (I forget which day it was specifically), Mikey, Katie, Carline, and I took a trip to Six Flags for the day. It was raining and it looked pretty touch and go as to if we were going to get to go, but we did and it turned out to be a very enjoyable day. It was so much fun and great to hang out with those three. We had a blast, got a chance to chill out before classes started (and Carline had a chance to break away from the frustrations of finding a job for a day). We all want to go back so bad. Hopefully we can again sometime soon.
I ended co-op at the end of June, right before vacation, but I have been working for Sonicbids from home, continuing my job as an Artist Relations Rep. It's pretty cool because I can set my own hours (so long as I work 2 hours a day Tuesday-Friday and 6 hours each on Saturday and Sunday, with Monday off). It pays pretty decently, but I have yet to see my bank account increase like I wish it would. I think now that I have dining dollars and won't be spending as much money on food will help my bank account increase a bit more than it has. And it would be an amazing thing to considering I need to buy a new iPod. My iPod crashed (shortly after my computer had crashed and was restored, with nothing saved). My warranty ran out and I can't retrieve any information that was on it (2000+ songs and 595 or so photos (nearly, if not definitely, five years worth)). My friend Reid tried really hard to fix it for me (he works for Apple), but told me tonight that it's officially dead. I hate the fact that I have lost all those photos of the past 5 years (basically a majority of photos of college memories) and all that music (it may be hard to retrieve all of what I originally had). I planned on upgrading to a better iPod shortly anyway, once the warranty ran out and I had some money, but to start from scratch like this hurts.
Jen and Dan had twins! Sam and Evan, and they are absolutely adorable! We saw them one time earlier this summer and saw them again at the Czaja Family Reunion/Labor Day party. I got to hold Sam and got a picture taken with him. I am working on Dan and Jen to get him some drums (and Carline is working on getting them to get Evan a guitar). It is so cool to have new baby cousins!
Classes started shortly after Labor Day and I moved back on campus, which I am overall happy about. I am finishing up my business minor with Management Information Systems. The class kinda sucks and I feel like I don't understand exactly what is going on, but I have gotten full credit on all of my homeworks so far, so I may know more than I think I do. I am finishing up my music electives by taking HT 4: Music and Politics. It's pretty cool. I'm taking Music Products strictly because Leon is teaching it. I don't really have much interest in Music Products (I have a lot of interest in music and film/tv, and attending what promises to be an awesome seminar from a tv/film composer and the Senior VP of ASCAP...it would be amazing if they had business cards because the Senior VP of ASCAP would be an amazing contact). I am also taking Rock Music with Junauro. I should have guessed that he would be hardcore about work and stuff, but I didn't really think about it and have been blind-sided by the fact that I thought it would be a class I could skate right through with little work. Turns out, a majority of the time consuming work I have (papers and the like) seem to be for this class. It's also the only class with a final exam (unless Leon throws a curve ball take-home final, which I hope he doesn't). Joanna just joined the class, which is pretty cool. I haven't seen or really had a chance to talk to her for the past 6 months, until today, so it's cool that we have a class together. I was kinda mad, not so much that I thought a friend was avoiding me, but I just hate when you are close friends with someone and they just disappear. You feel like you had someone you could talk to about stuff and hang out with and when someone like that disappears, it sucks, cause you feel like you have no one you can talk to anymore and have to go through things alone. I tend to feel that way about some of my other friends as well, and I don't mean to feel that way, I just think that friends tend to drift and I am just not okay with that. I am really big about staying in touch with people I really care about, so I guess when I feel myself drifting from someone, I get mad or whatever because I think it's my fault that we're not still in touch. I think, "what could I be doing better that will make sure I do not lose this friend?" What sucks is I may find myself doing this with friends I never really lost, and then I feel bad that I even let myself get to that point, it's just an awful cycle.
One of the most exciting news I have to report is that I am going to be playing percussion with Mike Maven and the Goodlife and 6th Sense!!!!!!! I have noticed that I have let myself get so busy that I haven't been drumming as much as I would like, so this opportunity comes at a spectacular time. I am very excited about because I know it is going to be SO much fun. It's 21+ but I hope all of my friends (that are 21+) can come out and see the show. Carline and Sophie are even coming up for it, Dawn may be able to go, Talia and Kyle said they would really try, and a couple others have said they would try as well. I know it is going to be an amazing show and it is going to be so great to be playing on stage again. I'm also glad to be able to finally explore the auxiliary percussion world a little more. I haven't really had a chance to play auxiliary percussion since high school, but I always loved it (getting to play multiple instruments in a song) and I am excited to try my hand at playing my congas/bongos in a rock/hip-hop/rap setting.
That's pretty much the meat and potatoes of what has been going on lately; the last 3 and half months in a nutshell. I feel lately that I am not entirely happy as I should be (and wish I was). I think I am just excited and nervous and scared about graduating and going separate ways from some of my friends and looking for a job in the music industry. I feel like my time hanging out with my friends is limited. I plan to be friends forever with my friends that I feel I am close too, but I hope they feel the same way about me.
For the most part, things have been pretty decent. Hopefully this turns out to be a pretty good year all around. I'll try to keep you posted. :)
To recap everything that has happened in the last 3 months would take so much more time than I have tonight and would take up a good number of pages, so I am just going to mention and briefly discuss the highlights (both good and bad) from the last 3 months.
At the end of June, my family and I went on vacation to Cedar Point in Sandusky, OH. It was awesome! They have an amazing amusement park which was literally right next to the hotel, which was positioned right on the beach. I got to do a lot of stuff I have always wanted to do. When I was about 14 and Jesse was 12 or so, we all got together and went on vacation to Lake George and Jesse got to go parasailing but Mom and Dad wouldn't let me do it and I have been jealous ever since. I got to finally go parasailing in Cedar Point and it was so much fun. It's a little scary being up so high above the water, but it was pretty relaxing. I also did this ride called the Rip Cord with Carline, where you are harnessed in and hoisted up to about 50 feet or so in the air and then dropped, so you freefall and then swing for a bit. It was so crazy (and I said so as we were being hoisted up) and scary but it was also so much fun. The little daredevil in me finally got to come out a bit. We also checked out the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, met some nice people along the way, and had some pretty funny situations (one in particular was where Mom and Dad locked themselves out on the balcony and, somehow, the latch on the front door to the room locked, locking Carline, Joey, and Me from getting inside the room to let them off the balcony.....not only did we all find it funny, but the concierge had a pretty good laugh as well). The trip had it's downs as well, but it was definitely an overall great trip.
Shortly after, Mom had a heart attack. It's possible she got it while in Cedar Point and just ignored it. She's doing fine now; just needs to take it easy and not worry and stress about every little thing. I feel so bad that Mom goes through all the pain that she does, but she's tough and doing about as well as she can be. Three weeks later, Aunt Pat had a stroke. She has seen both sides of good and bad with it, but she seems to be much better now. She's another strong one, I tell you. I have also been in the ER a little while back for my asthma and allergies, but I have been put on every medication for it, so I am doing much better as well. Things have been kinda busy and rough medically in the family, but we seem to be doing pretty good at the moment.
It sounds as though the family has been all on top of each other lately and getting in everybody's way, but for the most part, everything seems to be decent. I went to Sam's art show in Essex, CT this past weekend and we stopped by home for a little bit to briefly visit and everything seemed to be pretty cool.
My 22nd birthday was in August and Me, Mom, Dad, Carline, and Sophie went to see two of my favorite comediennes, Kathleen Madigan and Tammy Pescatelli, at Mohegan Sun's cabaret room. The room is so nice and intimate, perfect for a stand up comedy show, and we had seats right up front. We even got to say hi to Tammy Pescatelli after the show because she was standing right by the exit (on the phone with Kathleen, might I add). I wish we got to have our picture taken with them, but it was still pretty cool and a hilarious show!
Around the end of August/Beginning of September (I forget which day it was specifically), Mikey, Katie, Carline, and I took a trip to Six Flags for the day. It was raining and it looked pretty touch and go as to if we were going to get to go, but we did and it turned out to be a very enjoyable day. It was so much fun and great to hang out with those three. We had a blast, got a chance to chill out before classes started (and Carline had a chance to break away from the frustrations of finding a job for a day). We all want to go back so bad. Hopefully we can again sometime soon.
I ended co-op at the end of June, right before vacation, but I have been working for Sonicbids from home, continuing my job as an Artist Relations Rep. It's pretty cool because I can set my own hours (so long as I work 2 hours a day Tuesday-Friday and 6 hours each on Saturday and Sunday, with Monday off). It pays pretty decently, but I have yet to see my bank account increase like I wish it would. I think now that I have dining dollars and won't be spending as much money on food will help my bank account increase a bit more than it has. And it would be an amazing thing to considering I need to buy a new iPod. My iPod crashed (shortly after my computer had crashed and was restored, with nothing saved). My warranty ran out and I can't retrieve any information that was on it (2000+ songs and 595 or so photos (nearly, if not definitely, five years worth)). My friend Reid tried really hard to fix it for me (he works for Apple), but told me tonight that it's officially dead. I hate the fact that I have lost all those photos of the past 5 years (basically a majority of photos of college memories) and all that music (it may be hard to retrieve all of what I originally had). I planned on upgrading to a better iPod shortly anyway, once the warranty ran out and I had some money, but to start from scratch like this hurts.
Jen and Dan had twins! Sam and Evan, and they are absolutely adorable! We saw them one time earlier this summer and saw them again at the Czaja Family Reunion/Labor Day party. I got to hold Sam and got a picture taken with him. I am working on Dan and Jen to get him some drums (and Carline is working on getting them to get Evan a guitar). It is so cool to have new baby cousins!
Classes started shortly after Labor Day and I moved back on campus, which I am overall happy about. I am finishing up my business minor with Management Information Systems. The class kinda sucks and I feel like I don't understand exactly what is going on, but I have gotten full credit on all of my homeworks so far, so I may know more than I think I do. I am finishing up my music electives by taking HT 4: Music and Politics. It's pretty cool. I'm taking Music Products strictly because Leon is teaching it. I don't really have much interest in Music Products (I have a lot of interest in music and film/tv, and attending what promises to be an awesome seminar from a tv/film composer and the Senior VP of ASCAP...it would be amazing if they had business cards because the Senior VP of ASCAP would be an amazing contact). I am also taking Rock Music with Junauro. I should have guessed that he would be hardcore about work and stuff, but I didn't really think about it and have been blind-sided by the fact that I thought it would be a class I could skate right through with little work. Turns out, a majority of the time consuming work I have (papers and the like) seem to be for this class. It's also the only class with a final exam (unless Leon throws a curve ball take-home final, which I hope he doesn't). Joanna just joined the class, which is pretty cool. I haven't seen or really had a chance to talk to her for the past 6 months, until today, so it's cool that we have a class together. I was kinda mad, not so much that I thought a friend was avoiding me, but I just hate when you are close friends with someone and they just disappear. You feel like you had someone you could talk to about stuff and hang out with and when someone like that disappears, it sucks, cause you feel like you have no one you can talk to anymore and have to go through things alone. I tend to feel that way about some of my other friends as well, and I don't mean to feel that way, I just think that friends tend to drift and I am just not okay with that. I am really big about staying in touch with people I really care about, so I guess when I feel myself drifting from someone, I get mad or whatever because I think it's my fault that we're not still in touch. I think, "what could I be doing better that will make sure I do not lose this friend?" What sucks is I may find myself doing this with friends I never really lost, and then I feel bad that I even let myself get to that point, it's just an awful cycle.
One of the most exciting news I have to report is that I am going to be playing percussion with Mike Maven and the Goodlife and 6th Sense!!!!!!! I have noticed that I have let myself get so busy that I haven't been drumming as much as I would like, so this opportunity comes at a spectacular time. I am very excited about because I know it is going to be SO much fun. It's 21+ but I hope all of my friends (that are 21+) can come out and see the show. Carline and Sophie are even coming up for it, Dawn may be able to go, Talia and Kyle said they would really try, and a couple others have said they would try as well. I know it is going to be an amazing show and it is going to be so great to be playing on stage again. I'm also glad to be able to finally explore the auxiliary percussion world a little more. I haven't really had a chance to play auxiliary percussion since high school, but I always loved it (getting to play multiple instruments in a song) and I am excited to try my hand at playing my congas/bongos in a rock/hip-hop/rap setting.
That's pretty much the meat and potatoes of what has been going on lately; the last 3 and half months in a nutshell. I feel lately that I am not entirely happy as I should be (and wish I was). I think I am just excited and nervous and scared about graduating and going separate ways from some of my friends and looking for a job in the music industry. I feel like my time hanging out with my friends is limited. I plan to be friends forever with my friends that I feel I am close too, but I hope they feel the same way about me.
For the most part, things have been pretty decent. Hopefully this turns out to be a pretty good year all around. I'll try to keep you posted. :)