Just take away the words I say.
a lot of things have happened recently. Mary, from French class, Etzer's wife, passed away on April 1st. cause of death was a complication of cancer.. or a complication from surgery- likely a secondary, post-operative infection that went undetected. it was sad.. and Madame was crying- I didn't get one, though.. I just wasn't huggable that day. there was a viewing, on Lundi that week, and the funeral was on Mardi. I wish I could have gone, but I had an exam review in Philosophy, and I couldn't miss it. I had so many questions for Professor Roggli, I honestly think I wuld have failed if I hadn't been able to make it.. although, I could have left early. maybe I'll visit her tombstone.
Spring Break is here, and I'm getting a few things done this week.
1. Finish the Vivarium: now that I actually have time, I can continue working on it. all I need is the glass, and I'm hoping that tomorrow- between the Mind Institute and an orthodontic appointment- I will have time to stop by Dixon Glass and ask them how much it would cost to have my 3 pieces of glass cut (an insert for the pond, and the two tops). oh yeah, the tops are going to be glass now. it's just going to be easier that way. the cardboard is sagging under it's own weight. after that, I can start setting things up in there, and putting the plants in. then, in about 2 weeks (the plants take time to anchor themselves), I can move animals in!
2. Passport: yup, I'm getting my passport. I have most of it done, and my mom said she would transfer money over to cover the cost. it's going to be $115 to get it all done. I just need to go in tomorrow. this actually supersedes the Vivarium, cause time is an important factor: it can take up to 8 weeks to get the documents in the mail from the Department Of State. but it only needs to be done once every 10 years, luckily.
3. MUSIC! I've decided to get back into music. I've been contemplating it for a while, since January, but playing with Sean and Joey on Friday and really wanting to be able to keep pace with them is both disappointing, unacceptable, and frustrating. As much as I like the Bass Guitar, it's never been an instrument of focus for me. I like it, but the Tenor Saxophone is the instrument for me. but I also decided to learn the Piano, since it's wide octave range allows it to be used as a backbone instrument and is also good for learning Music Theory (more on that later). I also decided to learn how to play the Violin. I've always liked the sound, and thought they were cool, but the Saxophone was easier and didn't require as much dedication (I remember Rodney- anothe kid in band with me- had a lot of trouble with it, but it was very easy for me, even the more difficult things). but I'm going to buy a Used Violin. I've been reading up on it, and all that, and I think it seems pretty enjoyable.
As for Music Theory, it turns out that "Music Theory" is very little about composing music, musical comprehension, and musical linguistics. a lot of it has to do with the definition of music, how music is made, what notes\chords can be played together for harmonious and elegant sounds versus dischordant melodies, and also the relationship between sound-waves and the human perception of sound (also known as Psychoacoustics). while that's all fine and interesting, I'm much more interested in learning how to read music for the instruments I'm planning on learning or know, which, for all intents and purposes are: Electric Bass Guitar, Piano, Saxophone, and Violin.
my brother dropped off the Keyboard today, and it works, and I've been learning, mostly basic stuff about the Piano. being able to relate the Theory to music played would help greatly, in much the same way I learned Saxophone. I may go to some music stores and play their violins and such some time. but you know, I'm still going to take a Music Theory Class somewhere, probably Solano since I'm still in Math.
and you know, speaking of Music, I really wish I had stuck with it, and kept learning all of this, and I would be way ahead of where I am now, musically. Middle School really took a toll and I was barely able to keep up, though. Public Schools just don't work like they should. but such is life... who knows, if I had stuck with Saxophone or an orchestral instrument, maybe I could have been on my way to becoming a professional musician... ah! what could have been!