wow.
Geez, it's been almost a year since I've posted anything on here. Don't quite know why.
This week sucked. From last saturday at our concert at Cicero's, to hanging out with my bro that night, to driving back to kc, and then 30 minutes after I get unpacked, I have a three hour rehearsal. Oh, and my friend ad old roommate from MSA calls me up and lets me know that he's now going out with the girl I was talking to for the past two months.
And then I get to go to class. 12 hours on monday. 12 fucking hours. every monday.
Tuesday just kinda sucked in general, nothing really stood out that day.
Then Wednesday, had 12 hours of class again, only this time I also had to rehearse with the orchestra and have a dress rehearsal with the wind ensemble.
Thursday, it snowed so much that I thought we had a snow day. But, once again, we were the only school in the kc metro area to have school through snow. So I walk in 25 minutes late to my 50 minute ear-training class. Then, I find out that my jazz combo is being cancelled because there aren't enough jazz majors in it. And I can't get into see my advisor until sometime this week. And then right as I'm leaving my piano class, hordes of middle and high schoolers start showing up for this giant band festival we put on. I get the lovely task of babysitting the 7/8 grade band all weekend, starting with dividing up parts that I received 15 minutes before the first rehearsal. Then I have to go around picking up their trash from the pizza party. So when the last of them finally get on the bus back to the hotel at 11ish, my day ends.
Then Friday, I literally spent the entire day with that band. I was up organizing folders and instruments at 8, and then when the rehearsal started, I had to hover around the percussionists explaining how to play half of their shit. And then I actually had to play half of their shit because we didn't have enough people. Then a shitty lunch from the cafe, and then back for another 3-4 hour rehearsal. Finally at likke 6:30, we're eating dinner. But I don't have time to relax, because I have to run back to my room and get into my tux for the concert we're putting on for the kids. So I go play my stuff, which is pretty physically taxing, and then I have to stay around and help the next band move equipment on and off stage during their concert. So after putting away all the equipment, and a little more babysitting, I get to make it back to my room to pass out after 15 hours of work.
Then it's up and at 'em brigt and early saturday, because my band's rehearsal starts at 8, and I have to move a bunch of percussion between buildings before they get there. Then as the bands start showing up, I spend the next hour literally running around making sure everything is where it needs to be. Somewhere in here, I pulled a muscle in my chest. Honestly, if it was on the left side of my chest, I would have thought I was having a heart attack. So I'm having problems breathing, coughing hurts like a bitch, and I have to help them play their music. By now, most of the kids are so tired of being their after rehearsing so long, so I also have to be a little ball of energy to help them pay attention, play their music, and, god forbid, enjoy themselves a little. I also helped run the rehearsal basically, because this great guest conductor/clinician couldn't understand how to get accross to the kids on this piece. But I didn't know how she would react to it, like maybe "who the fuck does this kid think he is?" or what, so I had bit my tongue earlier, but it was getting pretty ridiculous. Finally we just had to cut the piece. So then after another crappy meal, their concerts start to roll around. My band is first, and I'm playing on two of the 3 pieces. Then, I'm just chilling backstage basically as a stage manager, making sure everyone gets on and off stage, collecting their music, getting percussion on, and so forth. So finally the last band gets done, the kids are no longer our responsibility. So we take another hour or so to clear the stage and get everything put away. And then we're free.
So Saturday night I just want to go out and have fun with my roommate, get a bit drunk, and just relax. So we end up going to this party, and we got there at like 10:40ish. Half of the people there were already completely trashed when we got there. Some girl puked all over herself and the floor right in the middle of a room, before midnight no less. Then the power goes off and on at random times throughout the night. By now, I'm just sorta sitting there thinking this shit is ridiculous. I only had a few beers, so I was barely tipsy, and some of the people were kinda crazy. Then, my roommate's frat (lambda chi) got pissed off at this guy who was a beta. There's been beef between those two frats for a while, and shit goes down when they party together. Like this night. So one of the lambda chi's is an mma fighter, like ufc and whatnot, and he comes up and punches this kid so hard that he flips over the porch railing and falls like 5-6 feet straight onto his back. By this time, it's like 3 in the morning, and I just wanna go pass out. So me, the sober driver, and someone else were waiting by the car for my roommate to comeout with the keys. Then, some cops show up, and come up talking to us. They asked if we had heard of any problems or anything, and we told them that there had been a little bit of a scuffle, but that they had pretty much all left. Then we ended up accidentally pointing to the wrong house, and then the cops walked up to it looked in, and basically just left. So then because we're driving some extra people home, I get told to go in this other car with one of my friends. Guess who I get to sit next to? The kid who got punched off the porch. We don't know each other, but he just starts getting really pissed off at me because he thought I was making fun of him or something. So we finally get him back to his dorm and I get to pass out at like 4, after being up at 7am that morning.
So when I wake up yesterday around 1, I just sorta chill out a bit, eat some lunch, organize my locker. And then I get ready to head off to another long rehearsal with that brass band that might also be taking up my entire spring break. But as we're getting ready to drive over there, I find out that we're actually playing a concert. With music I have never seen or heard before. And I'm just sorta like...Oh shit. So we get through most of the concert, and right as we're about to play the last song, the power goes out, and then comes back on a little bit later. We're kinda confused, but then all of a sudden, the fire curtains on the stage fall down. We can't play the concert like this, so we just start packing up. Then we get told to move into the lobby. Then we get told to evacuate the premises as fast as possible. Apparently, there was a fire in the electrical building on campus. So we got out of there super fast.
Then we went and got some wine because one of the percussion ensemble pieces we're working on requires us to make our own mallets out of stuff like wine corks. So we pop in "what about bob?" with bill murray and richard dreyfuss, and just chill out a bit. I ended up taking down most of a bottle of red wine, so I've got just a little bit of a headache this morning. And I also still have the joy of feeling that pulled muscle in my chest. But I'm just glad I have absolutely nothing to do today.
What can I say about this week. It's probably been about the longest, shittiest week of my life. But I can tell that this whole semester is probably gonna be like this. And you know what? I don't care. Not as in not caring about life, but I am going to enjoy myself and have a good time no matter what shit I have to go through. I'm going to work hard when I should be relaxing, I'm going to smile when I should be going off on someone, I'm going to laugh when I should be crying. Because I've realized that I can find at least some nugget of happiness in every situation, whether it's the memory of a good time with old friends, or just learning in a new experience, I know my life is going to work out eventually. So now I'm just gonna sit back and enjoy the ride.
This week sucked. From last saturday at our concert at Cicero's, to hanging out with my bro that night, to driving back to kc, and then 30 minutes after I get unpacked, I have a three hour rehearsal. Oh, and my friend ad old roommate from MSA calls me up and lets me know that he's now going out with the girl I was talking to for the past two months.
And then I get to go to class. 12 hours on monday. 12 fucking hours. every monday.
Tuesday just kinda sucked in general, nothing really stood out that day.
Then Wednesday, had 12 hours of class again, only this time I also had to rehearse with the orchestra and have a dress rehearsal with the wind ensemble.
Thursday, it snowed so much that I thought we had a snow day. But, once again, we were the only school in the kc metro area to have school through snow. So I walk in 25 minutes late to my 50 minute ear-training class. Then, I find out that my jazz combo is being cancelled because there aren't enough jazz majors in it. And I can't get into see my advisor until sometime this week. And then right as I'm leaving my piano class, hordes of middle and high schoolers start showing up for this giant band festival we put on. I get the lovely task of babysitting the 7/8 grade band all weekend, starting with dividing up parts that I received 15 minutes before the first rehearsal. Then I have to go around picking up their trash from the pizza party. So when the last of them finally get on the bus back to the hotel at 11ish, my day ends.
Then Friday, I literally spent the entire day with that band. I was up organizing folders and instruments at 8, and then when the rehearsal started, I had to hover around the percussionists explaining how to play half of their shit. And then I actually had to play half of their shit because we didn't have enough people. Then a shitty lunch from the cafe, and then back for another 3-4 hour rehearsal. Finally at likke 6:30, we're eating dinner. But I don't have time to relax, because I have to run back to my room and get into my tux for the concert we're putting on for the kids. So I go play my stuff, which is pretty physically taxing, and then I have to stay around and help the next band move equipment on and off stage during their concert. So after putting away all the equipment, and a little more babysitting, I get to make it back to my room to pass out after 15 hours of work.
Then it's up and at 'em brigt and early saturday, because my band's rehearsal starts at 8, and I have to move a bunch of percussion between buildings before they get there. Then as the bands start showing up, I spend the next hour literally running around making sure everything is where it needs to be. Somewhere in here, I pulled a muscle in my chest. Honestly, if it was on the left side of my chest, I would have thought I was having a heart attack. So I'm having problems breathing, coughing hurts like a bitch, and I have to help them play their music. By now, most of the kids are so tired of being their after rehearsing so long, so I also have to be a little ball of energy to help them pay attention, play their music, and, god forbid, enjoy themselves a little. I also helped run the rehearsal basically, because this great guest conductor/clinician couldn't understand how to get accross to the kids on this piece. But I didn't know how she would react to it, like maybe "who the fuck does this kid think he is?" or what, so I had bit my tongue earlier, but it was getting pretty ridiculous. Finally we just had to cut the piece. So then after another crappy meal, their concerts start to roll around. My band is first, and I'm playing on two of the 3 pieces. Then, I'm just chilling backstage basically as a stage manager, making sure everyone gets on and off stage, collecting their music, getting percussion on, and so forth. So finally the last band gets done, the kids are no longer our responsibility. So we take another hour or so to clear the stage and get everything put away. And then we're free.
So Saturday night I just want to go out and have fun with my roommate, get a bit drunk, and just relax. So we end up going to this party, and we got there at like 10:40ish. Half of the people there were already completely trashed when we got there. Some girl puked all over herself and the floor right in the middle of a room, before midnight no less. Then the power goes off and on at random times throughout the night. By now, I'm just sorta sitting there thinking this shit is ridiculous. I only had a few beers, so I was barely tipsy, and some of the people were kinda crazy. Then, my roommate's frat (lambda chi) got pissed off at this guy who was a beta. There's been beef between those two frats for a while, and shit goes down when they party together. Like this night. So one of the lambda chi's is an mma fighter, like ufc and whatnot, and he comes up and punches this kid so hard that he flips over the porch railing and falls like 5-6 feet straight onto his back. By this time, it's like 3 in the morning, and I just wanna go pass out. So me, the sober driver, and someone else were waiting by the car for my roommate to comeout with the keys. Then, some cops show up, and come up talking to us. They asked if we had heard of any problems or anything, and we told them that there had been a little bit of a scuffle, but that they had pretty much all left. Then we ended up accidentally pointing to the wrong house, and then the cops walked up to it looked in, and basically just left. So then because we're driving some extra people home, I get told to go in this other car with one of my friends. Guess who I get to sit next to? The kid who got punched off the porch. We don't know each other, but he just starts getting really pissed off at me because he thought I was making fun of him or something. So we finally get him back to his dorm and I get to pass out at like 4, after being up at 7am that morning.
So when I wake up yesterday around 1, I just sorta chill out a bit, eat some lunch, organize my locker. And then I get ready to head off to another long rehearsal with that brass band that might also be taking up my entire spring break. But as we're getting ready to drive over there, I find out that we're actually playing a concert. With music I have never seen or heard before. And I'm just sorta like...Oh shit. So we get through most of the concert, and right as we're about to play the last song, the power goes out, and then comes back on a little bit later. We're kinda confused, but then all of a sudden, the fire curtains on the stage fall down. We can't play the concert like this, so we just start packing up. Then we get told to move into the lobby. Then we get told to evacuate the premises as fast as possible. Apparently, there was a fire in the electrical building on campus. So we got out of there super fast.
Then we went and got some wine because one of the percussion ensemble pieces we're working on requires us to make our own mallets out of stuff like wine corks. So we pop in "what about bob?" with bill murray and richard dreyfuss, and just chill out a bit. I ended up taking down most of a bottle of red wine, so I've got just a little bit of a headache this morning. And I also still have the joy of feeling that pulled muscle in my chest. But I'm just glad I have absolutely nothing to do today.
What can I say about this week. It's probably been about the longest, shittiest week of my life. But I can tell that this whole semester is probably gonna be like this. And you know what? I don't care. Not as in not caring about life, but I am going to enjoy myself and have a good time no matter what shit I have to go through. I'm going to work hard when I should be relaxing, I'm going to smile when I should be going off on someone, I'm going to laugh when I should be crying. Because I've realized that I can find at least some nugget of happiness in every situation, whether it's the memory of a good time with old friends, or just learning in a new experience, I know my life is going to work out eventually. So now I'm just gonna sit back and enjoy the ride.