Apparently it's kind of a big deal

that I'm doing this:

Festival of the Nativity

Any suggestions for what I should play? I'm pretty sure they want mostly Christmas music.

(and P.S. what were they thinking when they invited me to do this? what was I thinking when I agreed? Christmas music... on the BASSOON??? who ever heard of such a thing!)

I am a feminist

by this definition

hold your breath

I wrote this back in July, but for some reason I didn't post it. Maybe I was embarrassed. Hmm... well, here ya go.

Today I made my first cd purchase in over two years. I hate buying cd's... I usually acquire my music electronically. I only buy the cd's of the artists I truly honestly love, who have left a deep impression on me in some way. This one was "For Emma, Forever Ago" by the band Bon Iver.

I have been listening to Bon Iver since the beginning of April, right before I took my comprehensive exams. It was one of the most stressful times of my life... I am still recovering. The band did a show in Iowa City the first weekend in April and even though I couldn't afford the time off from studying I went. It was amazing. There's something about this music that brings my innermost feelings and memories and convictions to the surface. It's like some sort of strange drug, I can't get enough of it. So far I have listened to it four complete times in a row without stopping. I would listen to it more but it is 2:25 in the morning and I have a lunch date at 11:30 with Himie Voxman.

But seriously, I can't stop listening to this. It's better than food, better than sleep, better than nice old people.

Here is a video of "Skinny Love" ... in case you wanted to listen a bit.

Dear Everyone,

I want you all to watch this YouTube video.

And discuss it with me.

I'm so proud of us.

There are two types of people in this world...

Those who love change, and those who don't.
I loooooooove it.

I know that when I left home I told you all that I would be back to visit soon. Well I've changed my mind. You're all coming HERE to visit ME.

Here is why I love Atlanta so far:

All my favorite places are literally around the corner and down the street from where I live!!
Whole Foods--It's HUGE!!! This store has every kind of food I like, including all the delicious foods I haven't even tasted yet!


World Peace Cafe: This is one of two vegetarian restaurants down the street from my house. I had a bowl of soup there the other night and it was de-licious!


Also there is Good Will, the Temple, the Church (yeah, that's right. I only have to drive 4 minutes to get to the temple) and the train station. I get to ride the train to work! I feel like a real commuter. It takes me about one hour from the time I leave my house to get to my office. Riding the train is better than driving because I don't have to deal with the stress of city traffic, don't get stuck in rush hour traffic, don't have to pay the toll, don't have to pay for parking AND I don't have to waste gas in my car! I just get to relax and read a book.

And oh yeah... I have an OFFICE!!! It's on the 10th floor of the music building. And that's not all guess what is in my office....


A baby grand piano! yes yes yes it is all mine (well, I do share with the saxophone professor. But I don't think she'll be around much because she only have a few students.) Check out my view:

This week I have been working on a recording project with the Atlanta Chamber Winds. Every day I walk through Woodruff park to get to the recital hall where we are recording. It is full of homeless people who sit or stand and do nothing all day! My colleagues complain about it but I like the homeless people. Everyone tells me its safe as long as I don't walk around down town after dark. So don't worry mom and dad!

The Georgia State campus is in a great location down town, with lots of cool eating places all around. So far my favorite is this place:


Those of you from Iowa City: this place kicks Oasis Falafel in the BUM!! It is sooo good, the best falafel pitas I've tasted thus far in my life.

One of my favorite things is the cute little house I live in. We live in the middle of a big city, but our house is surrounded by a JUNGLE! I can't even see through the trees in my back yard. My roommates are so cool! I will write more about them soon.

The ward is really great. I haven't met everyone yet, because there are 200 people in it!! Can you believe that? I'm so excited to have this many new friends. Oh and did I mention that church doesn't start until 1:30? For the first time in like six years I finally get to sleep in on Sundays!

Oh and one more thing--I am a minority here! Everywhere I go there are nothing but black people. Pretty cool huh? Our ward is actually mostly white, and most of the faculty at GSU are white but other than that everywhere I go I feel like a minority. It is great.

I payed $7.05 to make this post

So....... I am in big, beautiful, hot Atlanta! I know you have all been waiting anxiously for an update but my house will not have internet until tomorrow at the earliest... so I have to make this a quick one. I am at a little cafe right now and can only stay a few more minutes (I have been trying to find a place with WiFi since yesterday and finally by word of mouth made it here. You would think in a big city it would be easier!!!)

Anywho... I live in a little house about 20 minutes north of the city. So far I have two cute roommates (I hope they don't mind I stole these pics from Facebook):

Racheland Lina

We will be getting two more roommates in the next few weeks and I'm sure they too will be just as awesome and cute.

Our house is shaded by some huge TALL trees and our backyard is a jungle. When I post the pictures you won't even believe that it's in the middle of a big city!!

Music of the Ages

A year ago I completed a small ethnographic study of local amateur music in eastern Iowa. My research and involvement in the project led me to ask the question, “What inspires amateur musicians to love their music so much?” My status as an amateur folk musician and professionally trained Euro-classical musician placed me in a situation where I was able to study and pay careful attention to what made amateur music different from professionally performed music, and to what role it plays in society and in the life of the individual. At the end of my project, I concluded that the motivation of professional musicians and amateur musicians was different. Amateur musicians create music for the pure love and enjoyment of the experience. This realization was in stark contrast to my own experience as a musician professionally trained in the Euro-classical tradition, where music is made to be performed and in cases to earn money, status, and/or recognition.

Today I ask, what is the role of local amateur music in a society that champions professionalism?

Almost one year after the completion of my project I found myself again involved with the community orchestra that I had participated with in the study. At the start of the first rehearsal, without realizing it, I found myself a bit frustrated--the music sounded terrible and the musicians were bad. I quickly recognized the pessimistic attitude building up inside me and started looking into the faces of the people playing the music. They weren’t faces of people concentrating on playing perfectly who were afraid of making mistakes. They showed something entirely different. I saw the faces of children playing together and having fun. They weren’t worried about anything. They were enjoying themselves--something that I was never fully able to do, especially not in a more professional orchestral setting. I was reminded of the story told by Charles Ives, about a young man whose musical sense had been “limited” by intensive study at the Boston Conservatory. The young man commented on the bad singing of one of his father’s friends. To this his father replied, “Look into his face and hear the music of the ages. Don’t pay too much attention to the sounds—for if you do, you may miss the music.” It wasn’t until that moment when I understood the meaning of this quote. The music doesn’t come from notes played beautifully and in tune; it is rooted in something much deeper.

Throughout the past year I have participated in other settings of amateur music making. In September I was put in contact with a small group of woodwind players at the Iowa City Senior Center who were looking for a bassoonist to play in their woodwind quartet. I agreed to “help them out”. I attended the first rehearsal expecting to provide practice and performance suggestions along with the addition of my bassoon playing. My actual experience (which continues to this day) has been quite the contrary. As I meekly add my contribution to the music I sit, listen, and watch these seniors as they enjoy chatting with one another about their lives and their families in between songs. I hear exclamations like “that’s such a fun piece to play!” and “I’m going to need a rest after that chop-buster.” I have yet to hear complaining (or even recognition of) their missed and out-of-tune notes. they are not expecting me to give them any councel or advice for improvement. They only want me to enjoy playing music with them.

This spring I completed a three-year assistantship with the University of Iowa Arts Share program. A couple of years ago I started Service Learning, a program that allows faculty and students from the School of Music perform at underserved facilities in Iowa City such as hospitals, retirement communities, and other assisted living centers. These performances are completely volunteer. I have advertised the program to students and faculty as being an opportunity to do a practice-performance of one’s recital before the actual recital. But my real motivation behind creating the program was to bring musical enrichment to people who are unable to leave their residences to experience it. It has been interesting for me to witness professionally trained musicians (including myself) have the experience of performing for no monetary or scholastic reward. In almost every case, the musicians have thanked me whole-heartedly for the opportunity to perform for such “wonderful” “kind” and “loving” people and everyone who has participated in the program has expressed interest in continuing their involvement. While these professionally trained musicians are not quite receiving an amateur experience, I believe the fact that they are performing for no monetary or scholastic reward requires them reach out of themselves and draw their motivation from something they may not have experienced since they first started learning their instrument.

In my experience most amateur musicians salute the ensembles and individuals who are their professional equivalents. They pay money and make considerable efforts to see and hear these musicians perform. I have rarely encountered amateur musicians who feel their music is demeaned by the Euro-classical tradition of professionalism. In some cases there do arise feelings of inferiority, but usually the amateurs are quite content with their status as being non-professional, even though some may be quite as skilled as those who perform for money. These musicians know that they are doing it for fun and they would like to keep it that way. It is not much different from someone who does math for a living and someone who does it for fun. This is usually the case unless and until a musician of amateur stature decides that he or she would like to make the transition to becoming a professional musician. In this respect the worlds of professional and amateur musicians in the Euro-classical tradition are separate and distinct.

My friends in the community orchestra gathered together to play music with one another and even though some were quite skilled and others were only beginners, these and other small communities of amateur musicians are usually warm and inviting to their members (with out respect to ability level) and enjoy coming together to build relationships and share with one another. The community orchestra musicians challenge themselves intellectually and artistically and enjoy having a break from their daily struggles. They enjoy socializing and sharing musical experiences with one another, and in doing this, build and strengthen their micro-community and relationships with one another. The musicians at the Iowa City Senior Center enjoy these same joys and challenges but on a much more intimate level. They have in a sense created a small familial unit—each person having his or her individual place and contributing to the group in a unique way. The musicians who participate in my Service Learning program share their beautiful music with good-hearted audience members and learn that even they can participate in music purely for the love and experience of making it.

A year ago my argument was that the amateur musicians I learned from participated in music for the love of doing it. I reemphasize that statement and add to it that these musicians and ensembles are essential to the upholding of social and family-like constructs in a society. By enjoying the experience of music rather than the end product, they succeed in building and strengthening family and community relationships in an intense, subjective, human practice.

My study and experience with amateur Euro-classical music has helped me come closer to a realization and understanding of the true essence of music. I have found immense pleasure in experiencing music with amateur musicians and hope to someday be able attain the love of an amateur in my own professional setting.

Does this mean I have to be grown up now?

One of my friends just told me he saw me on the GSU faculty directory and what do you know, he was right. Aaah! I'm kind of a little nervous... I have to be a professor in a few weeks...!!

I heart Relief Society

This Sunday I was released from being the Relief Society President in our singles branch. I love my sisters!!



Woman
Strength
Beauty
Righteousness
Safety
Warmth
Nurturing
Laughter
Intelligence
Love
Charity

The Family Reunion

Want to see my pictures from the family reunion? They're here.

look what I found!

Most of the flood waters have receded now, so I trudged through the mud to see if my bike was still at the music building--lucky for me it was!

I don't know how it got like that, but at least it was still locked up.


The back door to Clapp was open so I snuck in. Looks like it really took a beating, how sad!!


The swampy road to the Arts Campus

Never NEVER buy water-front property! Never!!

Before I moved to Iowa I thought natural disasters were things that happened to other people. Growing up in Wyoming nothing like this ever happened! Heavy blizzards came every winter but we were used to them and new how to deal. Since I've been in Iowa there have been tornadoes, ice storms and blizzards that shut down the whole town, and now a big HUGE flood.

Anyhoo, here are my pics

This was Sunday June 8. They canceled church half-way through and we all changed clothes and helped with the sandbagging effort. This picture was taken at the beginning before we were all exhausted, sweaty, and dehydrated. (I stole this from Tim's blog, hope he doesn't mind.)














This picture was posted by one of the local newspapers online. The girl is my roommate Gloria who sandbagged ALL day Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday! By the end of the week her hands were swollen and cut up really bad. Now she is off being an EFY counselor for the summer. I hope her hands are better!













Here is the only other pic of me sandbagging (also stolen from Tim). We were at the water treatment plant in Iowa City on Thursday June 12.














This is my favorite restaurant on the Coralville strip. I probably won't get to go back there before I move, how sad!













This is the road that leads to the Iowa Arts Campus where the music building is.










Here is a shot of the music building. The night before the levy broke I spent a few hours helping professors move everything out of their offices up to the second floor. I don't think they were expecting to get as much water as they did. It is sad to think about all the damage to the pianos and organs in there.










This is the Coralville strip, just down the road from where I live.


















Another view of the music building:










And here is something that made my dad upset. I didn't have time to go get my bike before the flood! I found this picture at the Des Moines Register with the caption that said something like "an abandoned bike sits in front of the Voxman Music Building" ha ha ha. I tried to drive over there yesterday but the road was still closed.













The flood has been sad and tragic. I don't know how long it will take them to clean up all of the university buildings that were flooded. Where will they hold classes? Where am I going to practice and teach lessons for the next few weeks? In my apartment, I guess.

Anyway, I wish I had more photos of the sandbagging but we soon realized there wasn't enough time or energy to take any more. It was really neat to see the community come together to help. I met a lot of people whom I never would have spoken to otherwise. Suddenly a rich man wasn't rich anymore and a poor man wasn't poor. if someone was a doctor or a waitress or a student it didn't matter. Everyone looked the same in their sopping wet shoes and sweaty filthy clothes. We were all getting blisters and making our hands and backs sore together.

I am now three weeks into my 27th year. I can't say that my birthday was the funnest day of the year for me--in fact, this was the first of my birthdays I was not looking forward to. I kind of felt more like going to a funeral rather then celebrating! But (thankfully) I have a lot of friends here and they all made it worth it.

This year I decided to start a tradition of celebrating the day before my birthday. I wanted to celebrate a year full of learning and experience and give it a good "going away" party before it was gone forever. Maybe it's because I'm sentimental. Maybe it's because I don't like thinking about the future.

So on May 31 I spent my last day with 25. We laughed, played, ate, relaxed and had a great time together. The highlights include: Waffles, Ultimate Frisbee, lunch at the Atlas, ice cream at the mall, an amazing performance of Handel's "Israel in Egypt" (featuring Jeremy Starr and myself), and National Treasure II on a big cool projector screen. It was a fun day.

The next day I woke up with two questions in my mind: "How is it possible that I am already 26 years old and I don't have any children?" followed by, "how is it possible that I am only 26 years old and nearly finished with my doctorate degree?"

I was never one of those girls who had long-term education and career plans for myself. When I was a freshman at BYU I remember saying very matter-of-factly, "I'm not getting married until I'm 26!" But deep down I knew that what I really wanted was to get married and have a family. My education and career were second to that wish, and I was ready to give both away if I had to chose between them and a family. Well, where did that thinking land me? Eight years later, single, three degrees, and a teaching job at a university.

So what happened? Did I miss the marriage boat while I was locked up in the practice room? Did I spend too much time studying and not enough time flirting? My parents might think so. But I've been doing my fair share of socializing over the past eight or so years. Off hand I can count at least a dozen and a half guys who I've dated. Anyone who's been a roommate of mine knows that although I may not be completely boy crazy, I don't sit around and let the other girls get all the attention. So is there something wrong with the guys? Is there something wrong with me? Neither, I hope.

I have completely no idea why my life has turned out the way it has. But I am pretty sure about a few things I've learned along the way.

Friendship: I've made lots and lots of friends over the last eight years and a few really close ones. I've learned from all of them, grown from serving them, and grown from being served by them.

Education: When I graduated from BYU I realized that I didn't really know anything. When I started making my way through grad school I was mad at myself for not remembering all the things I had learned up to that point. I still regret it, but I have since realized that there are a lot of things I do remember from my college years. I remember my friends--experiences I had with them, how they inspired me to change, and helped me laugh a lot and be happy. I remember my teachers, the ones I disliked and the ones I adored. I learned from them not just the facts and how to think critically, but how to live and teach (and how not to live or teach) and explore and always look for new things to learn. I learned how to be passionate and dedicated to a subject that interests me. In the last few years I have learned that I can stretch myself farther than I ever thought possible. I can study for 10 hours with out a break or practice for 8 hours a day. I can get by on 5 (or less) hours of sleep a night if I have to. I can write papers and do presentations and give recitals.

Church: I'm not going to say much about this but I will say I've learned that being a member of my church and believing in the gospel it teaches has been the main source of intellectual, spiritual, emotional, and social growth in my life. In Iowa City I have a fun, loving, and supportive family away from home thanks to the the church. And that has made all the difference in my life during the past eight years.

Family: I've learned that my family is probably the most important thing to me. Not because I am told that it should be, but because I feel a strong natural inclination toward it. They support me in everything I do--yes I know, that's a normal role for families to play--but what really blows my mind is that no matter what I do they still love me! And no matter what they do I still love them. I haven't done any really foolish or hurtful things but I have done some pretty crazy things, and my family trusts me to know what I'm doing and they always go along with it.

So--would I have had all these great experiences if I had gotten married at the "normal" younger age? Maybe, but probably not. Of course I am not saying that had I been married I would not have had good experiences. But all the same I would not give them away for anything. I've learned some very important things about myself and had some intense growing experiences that I am convinced had to be done on my own.

And now for a confession. I have a secret fascination with blogs. I am not as interested in writing my own blog as I am in reading all of yours and anyone else's who I barely know. If you are secretly reading my blog and thinking that I will never know, that's ok because I am probably doing the same with yours. Just recently I realized that this was sort of becoming and addiction for me so I went through my Google Reader and unsubscribed to all but a few belonging to my close friends and family.

But that is beside the point. As I'm thinking about how to bring this long-winded post to an end, I realize that my reason in writing it was probably in response to a theme I commonly read among my friends' blogs. Over and over again I see pictures and read about how cute your kids are and all the fun things you do together as a family, and how you are "so blessed to have such a wonderful husband and children". It can be pretty annoying sometimes but to be perfectly honest I am a little jealous. But only a little. The rebel inside of me wanted this post to show off all of the cool things I've done and what a cool person I've become on my own, with out a husband! But I really know that I'm not any better or worse than anyone else, and I am going to make the best of my life whether it holds more years of being single or the arrival of many children.

I have no idea if I've done any real good in the world or if I've influenced anyone's life for the better. But I do know that a lot of good has been done in my life and a lot of people have influenced me for the better. For whatever reason my life has unexpectedly turned out the way it has, I am pretty sure that it was meant to be this way and I am happy.

And now for some birthday pics:

I found this link from another blog I subscribe to. Interesting....

so how rich are you? it says I am in the top 13.31% of the richest people in the world.

I finished comps!

so ben & laura came and celebrated with me.

for some reason larzipan left the above out of her facebook album... why? it's my favorite!

1,017 miles on my car
thai food
comic books
ben "folds" norman
e-andrew
church
hamburgers
belch-scream
hairy jell-o
the park
best tofu/veggie stir fry ever
circle of truth
waffles
more driving
chicago
piiiiiiizza
iron & wine
even more driving
cheese and chocolate
old times
brawndo
no sleep
lots of laughs
lets do it again.

Guess what everyone!!!

This August I will be moving to Atlanta, Georgia to be the new bassoon professor at Georgia State University.

Yeah!!!!!!

Rendezvous at Old Nauvoo

This week was Spring Break. Here is what I did:

1. Flew to Atlanta, GA on Monday for a job interview at Georgia State.
2. After a grueling day of interviews, lessons and food, went on a late-night GOLF CART ride with the Associate Director of the School of Music around his neighborhood in Peachtree City.
3. Flew back to Chicago Wednesday afternoon. Spent one full hour finding my way out of the airport and to my car.
4. Payed $62 for parking.
5. Starting out on I-88 West to head home to Iowa City, realized I didn't have cash for the tolls. Exited the interstate to find an ATM. Finally found the entrance ramp to get back onto I-88 about 45 minutes later.
6. Talked to Andrew on google talk instead of going to bed.
7. Went to Nauvoo with friends Aaron and Dave from Omaha on Thursday.
8. Talked to dozens of loving and enthusiastic old people.
9. Watched the BEST musical ever --Rendezvous at Old Nauvoo (I have now seen it no less than 4 times). Left wishing that I could fast-forward my life to age 70, become a senior missionary in Nauvoo with my husband and have a leading role in the BEST musical ever.
6. Drove back to Iowa City (after leaving Dave and Aaron at the Budget Motel in Ft. Madison), and stayed up late emailing Laura about her trip to Iowa City next month (yeah!!!!!!!!)
10. Woke up at 10:30 this morning (Friday) and spent several hours catching up on emails and phone calls, after which
11. Aaron and Dave stopped by on their way home from Nauvoo, spent the rest of the afternoon/evening with me, eating Bob's Your Uncle pizza and talking about old times.
12. Listened to "Slaughterhouse 5" by Kurt Vonnegut while driving to and from Chicago and Nauvoo. A very very very very good book, except for some dirty language and the mentioning of a few "adult" subjects.
13. Wrote this blog entry, after which I will
14. Go to bed early. Upon waking up in the morning, I will
15. FINALLY start studying for my comprehensive exams, the only thing I really should have been doing this week. (How is it possible that it's Saturday already???)

Jill Bolte Taylor: My stroke of insight

andrew: hey

i came here to find you

i need you to watch this

http://www.ted.com/talks/view/id/229

when you have some time

how are you?

Michele: good

i'll watch it in a sec. tied up on the phone

andrew: oh, anytime

don't worry

Sent at 9:30 PM on Thursday

Michele: watching it now

andrew: ok

Michele: interesting

wow, that was really good.

I'm not sure if I understand all of it.

andrew: me neither

but i liked it

i identified really strongly with what she was saying

Michele: yeah, it was engaging

so, help me understand what she was talking about

andrew: what part

Michele: nirvana

andrew: i think it would be amazing

if my left-brain would turn off

i would kill to feel that

Michele: but she said that she imagined a world where people could be aware of it and know that they could go there

can we?

how?

andrew: yeah that i don't know

go where

Michele: to the place where she was... being one with everything, being one enormous blob of energy

leaving behind emotional baggage

andrew: yes

i wish i could

Michele: but what was her point in telling that story

andrew: not sure

maybe that the brain is amazing

and hard to understand

Michele: yeah

andrew: yeah

ok, here's what i think

some people live physical lives

Michele: when i get a migraine headach it's like the beginning of what she was talking about with the stroke

andrew: taking this woman's description as accurate, that's a right-brain thing

yeah?

you get headaches like that

Michele: yes, finish what you were saying

andrew: well the other side of it is that

other people live isolated, internal lives of reflection

life of the mind

i think that part of what she was talking about was the power of bridging the gap

when you are stuck on one side

or

of realizing what's lost when you get stuck on one side

but also that it's just freaking amazing

total awe

at everything

i experience tinges of that sometimes

like i'll be driving down the road sometimes or when i used to hike up the mountains

and everything is so beautiful that i don't exist anymore

where my consciousness is obliterated by what i see

Michele: yeah?

andrew: or i wish that it would be; that i could be destroyed because of how nothing i am compared to everyting

anyway

that's just what i felt from her

thought i should share it with you

Michele: thanks :)

andrew: thanks for wanting to see it

thread of my (grateful) thoughts

Cafe Gratitude
Laura, friend, laughter
Gloria, kitchen table mate
Mark, patience
Valentine daisies still alive
Warm house
Warm car
Girl Scout cookies
Arts Share
The Bread Garden
Blogs
Beards
Camera
Love
God
Water
Walter, kind
Gloria's new boots
Sam Beam
Roommates, forgiving, messes
Home teachers
Relief Society, teach
Andrew, smile
Thursday is the new Friday
Melting ice
Weird people, yes
Shining sun, sometimes forgotten
Remember
Yawn
Crochet
Snowshoeing!
Melissa, Liz, Sarah, Gloria
Relief Society
Rachael, pumpkin pie, meeting
Adele, scarf
Lara, new job, Atlanta
Mary's Gone Crackers
Sister Hall
Jokes, Josh
Memories, Mel
Pure Maple Syrup
MOTAB
Distractions
Carrot Juice
Himie Voxman
No more plastic bags
Alex, remember
New locker shelves
Clem Snide, bassoon
New Mountain Goats
Words
Figurative figures
Family, pray
Warm, sleep
Home

Sam Beam, will you marry me?

Last night in a desperate act to relieve my boredom I decided to browse through the video archives of the L.A. based radio show Morning Becomes Eclectic (KCRW 89.9). Hosted by Nic Harcourt, the studio brings in a variety of non-mainstream independent bands and musicians to perform live and talk about their lives. I found and watched a lot of my favorite bands--Bright Eyes, Mojave 3, M. Ward, Polyphonic Spree, etc. And then I found the archive of a recent show with Sam Beam of Iron and Wine. I was completely taken. I couldn't take my eyes or ears away for the entire 38 minutes and 31 seconds of the show.

I was first introduced to Iron and Wine by my friend Andrew in 2004 and immediately put him at the top of my favorite bands list. If you know me really well, you know that my music listening habits usually follow a pattern--I find a band that I love, listen to them obsessively for a while, then get tired and take a break for a while and move on to another band. But throughout all of the comings and goings there have remained two musical constants in my life--the Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Iron & Wine. I don't know what it is that entraps me--the poetry, the melodies, his earthy beard and locks--maybe all of them wrapped up in one. No matter how much I listen to his music, it never gets old. I was talking with Andrew about this a while ago and he said it good when he pointed out that Sam Beam can somehow sing the same tune over and over again and it never gets boring.

A lot of the time I have no idea what he's singing about and I think that's part of what draws me in. Literalness is annoying and scary and I usually prefer to stick with the abstract. But there's something more to it than that. This music inspires me to think and feel something real and I just can't forget about it. It's like a Litmus Lozenge. It makes you feel all sad and happy at the same time. I've been sitting here for a while trying to think of a better way to describe it, but I think I'll just let you listen and then I won't have to.

If you don't have time to watch it at least check out my three favorite songs around 18:24, 26:42 and 7:48.

P.S.

the chocolate yogurt was disgusting.

Important Announcement!

i am having chocolate yogurt for lunch. just wanted everyone to know it.

that is all.

winter break adventures

My Christmas present to myself this year was a trip to San Francisco after the new year! I had an amazingly fun time hanging out with Laura and working on my self portrait skillz. The theme of the weekend was Cafe Grattitude. It is (maybe) the best restaurant I've ever dined at. They serve gourmet raw food AND we met some pretty cool hippies during our three visits there. After the fun weekend in SF I flew to Chicago and hung out with Gloria for a couple of days. Fun!!!

Here's a picture of the bassoon studio at the UI taken at our end-of-semester party. The man in the back row on the right is our professor.