| Book meme, stolen from Lexie |
[Jun. 28th, 2008|01:25 am] |
C
The Big Read says that the average adult has only read 6 of the top 100 books they've printed (I have to say, this list is a lil arbitrary. Da Vinci Code cracking the Top 100? C'mon...). Anyhoodle:
1) Look at the list and bold those you have read.
2) Italicize those you intend to read.
3) Underline the books you LOVE.
4) Put a line through the books you HATE.
5) Reprint this list in your own LJ so we can try and track down these people who've read 6 and force books upon them
( I cut because I care. )
Take THAT, Big Read. And really, most of those were read in middle/high school... |
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| Nothing better than a beer in the afternoon |
[Jun. 18th, 2008|08:42 pm] |
C
Today was the best day evar.
My summer schedule thus far has consisted of daily sleep-ins, rolling out of bed around 11AM, taking my time getting ready, and heading over to school around 3ish to practice. It doesn't leave a lot of time for doing anything else, but it seemed to be a pattern that worked for me, mainly because I luvs mah sleeps.
Anyhoodle, this morning, spurred to greatness, I got up at 7:30. I headed over to Furman at 9:00 to enjoy a walk around campus in the GORGEOUS weather with Michael. Srsly, today was retardedly beautiful--no hotter than high 80s, wonderful breeze, no humidity. Simply transplendent. After our constitutional, I spent some quality time practicing (not to mention a couple impromptu, ahem, duets), and headed home around 2:00 for lunch. Afterward, I realized that I had the ENTIRE day left to do what I pleased. All my practicing done, no errands to run, so what to do?
The answer was to grab my ipod and a book, and head downtown. I strolled up and down Main Street the rest of the day, enjoying the people watching and basking in the sun. I was slightly dismayed to discover that three of my downtown favorites--Ivy, the used bookstore, and Venti--had all closed down. Wreh. I consoled myself with a mid-afternoon beer and book reading at Mellow Mushroom. After that, I headed over to the Reedy River Park, found myself a grassy patch in the shade, and people watched some more. Now I'm back, relaxing on the sofa and watching Tivo'd episodes of Frasier. I'm curled up, content and happy as my cats.
Today is a pretty decent representation of how I feel about this summer. :) |
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| Sometimes I make Bad Life Decisions |
[May. 17th, 2008|11:53 am] |
C
Even though I'm constantly warning my students about Bad Life Decisions, sometimes even I fall victim to them. Case in point: today, I have no papers to grade, so what am I doing? Sitting on my duff, watching The Wedding Planner on TBS. Even though I hate Jennifer Lopez. Even though Matthew McCounaghgehghgehey is a knuckle-dragging neanderthal. Even though it is so effing bad. And yet, here I sit.
Year One is drawing to a close, and the closer the end nears, the further away it seems. Ugh, there's just so much to do before it's finally over. I don't even want to think about calculating final grades, because I may cry. Lots of testing, grading, and trumpet music (gaaaaaaaaaaaah) are on the docket, not to mention Clusterfuck '08 (i.e. commencement) with my favorite lame duck President evar.
Went to the Greek Festival last night with Emily, and holy crap, is that thing a lot of fun. Anne always went when we were at Furman, and for whatever reason, I never had time to go, so I vowed I'd go this year. On the con side, due to my non-existent knowledge of downtown Greenville's geography, I ended up parking near the Bi-Lo Center and hauling ass to the Greek Orthodox Church. Bygones, but I did not = happy camper. On the pro side, the weather was GORGEOUS. Just unbelievably crisp and cool with a wonderful breeze. And overall, it was just a really cool vibe--lots of vendors, lots of performances, and lots of people (which I normally hate) in a really good mood. We took in some Byzantine chanting, got a crash course in iconography, and had a bangin' gyro and Greek beer. Definitely something I'll check out again next year.
In Wii news, I've added Rayman's Raving Rabbids and Resident Evil 4 to my collection. RRR is such a bizarre little game, a collection of mini-games against the "Rabbids," which just look like effed-up versions of rabbits. Anyway, it's quirky and addictive. RE4 is AWESOME, though I can only play it in about 30-minute intervals before it starts to really freak me out, heh. Next on the purchase list are Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. Brawl.
In school news, last Tuesday was Spring Honors Recital, and it really and truly was wonderful. Not a weak moment on the program (though some pieces were better suited to the acoustic than others)--I'm so impressed with how the standard for this recital has continued to rise since I was a student here. Anyway, the unexpectedness of the evening was that I was given the Orpheus Award from Phi Mu Alpha--it's for the advancement of music in America. Needless to say, it took me completely by surprise (I literally jumped out of my seat), and I was truly touched. I have always loved the boys of PMA. The fact that they think highly enough of me to give me this award, well...it's just nice. :) I got a lovely plaque (expertly designed by the fabulous Michael McClimon), which I now proudly display in my office. One of the true highlights of my first year as a professional.
Summer should be good, as a handful of quality people are sticking around, and I'll certainly keep busy--jury duty, SKI, Theory Summit, etc. But with PLENTY of doing nothing, charging up for the next year.
And now, to do some much-needed Spring Cleaning. |
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| Never gonna give you up, never gonna let you down |
[Apr. 27th, 2008|04:04 pm] |
C
Why is it I never discovered the WYSIWYG aspect of the Semagic client before? This is so much more aesthetically pleasing.
So, here's my semi-annual update. This comes in the midst of errand-running, lesson plan-making, and movie-watching (30 Days of Night, in case you were wondering. Which, by the way, is um, TERRIFYING. As if vampires weren't scary enough, now they can sprint like effing gazelles). I'm taking a bit of a breather before I have to head to campus for a trumpet dress rehearsal. Yay for one more thing to check off the list!
It doesn't seem like school should be coming to a close, but I guess it is, and then when I talk to OTHER people, whose semesters are ending, oh, now, I get antsy about being finished. It's hard to believe this first year as a Professional Educator is almost over, but there you have it. It's been a fulfilling, nerve-wracking, patience-trying, ultimately rewarding year, and I'm really glad I'll be back next year.
That having been said, it will be insanely nice to have a break. Yes, there will be Furman activities (SKI and Theory Summit 2008, to name a few), and other things to tend to (jury duty, oy), but to be away from the daily grind, mmm. I foresee a lot of practicing, Tivo, and sweet, sweet Guitar Hero.
My two biggest bits of news these days are that: 1) I got a new cat! and 2) I'm going to visit Anne in NYC and see Equus on my birthday! The new kitty is named Matilda, and she's had a bit of a rough transition. For starters, she and Olivia aren't BFF yet, though they are making progress (Olivia's fine with the new edition, but Matilda's still a little leery), and for another, she got a bad upper respiratory infection a couple days after I got her. She's on the mend, not fond of taking medication, and in kitty quarantine until she's better. Olivia's been visiting, though, and peace talks seem to be making way.
And ahhhhhhhhh, Equus. It all happened so fast--from hearing the news that it was coming to New York, to deciding we were going, to a frantic race to get tickets, but it's all final! Row Q in the orchestra, 18 rows back from Potter Wang, mmm. The following conversation occured once tickets were secured:
Anne: So, do you think binoculars or opera glasses would look better?
Carolyn: At 18 rows back, I'm pretty sure either one is going to send the same message.
So, yay, Dan Radcliffe! Yay New York! Yay birthday! Yay ANNE! And also snagged The Daily Show tickets, so yay for that, too! |
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| Return of the Snark |
[Mar. 3rd, 2008|11:55 am] |
C
[insert requisite, "Gee, I haven't posted in a long time," comment here]
So, today is the first day of Spring term. GOD ALMIGHTY, am I happy to see the demise of Winter term. Granted, I still loved my job, the kids, yada yada, but the workload and the constant stress--it really took its toll. Overall, I feel like I handled everything gracefully, but it's not an experience I hope to repeat. Ever.
Spring Break was blissful. I felt so relaxed and well-rested. I woke up relatively early-ish every day, and basked in the nothingness of morning--sipping coffee, listening to whatever music I fancied (lots of Schumann and Brahms). I went shopping and spent more money than I should have, did all the errands I'd been putting off, got my hair cut (bangs!), did some leisurely practicing, went to see Josh in Columbia, and overall just enjoyed myself.
And then, this happened:
( I survived bank fraud and all I got was this overwhelming fear and paranoia and RAGE ) |
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| Where's the snark? |
[Feb. 19th, 2008|11:33 am] |
C
Okay, so usually, I know I post and it's sarcastic and cynical and all that jazz. BUT, I had a major break-through with a student recently, something that made me feel so good about who I am and what I do, that I just had to post it.
( Beware: Cock-eyed optimism inside! ) |
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| Question |
[Feb. 14th, 2008|07:54 pm] |
C
Has anyone seen the trailer for Penelope? What...is it, exactly? Is she a pig-girl? Just a girl with an unfortunate nose? And it's...really just a movie about that? Am I missing something? |
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| I love them both |
[Feb. 1st, 2008|11:25 pm] |
C
Sarah Silverman's present to Jimmy Kimmel on the fifth anniversary of his show:
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| This shit is brillz |
[Jan. 31st, 2008|08:16 am] |
C
Keep these guys on your radar--all their stuff is hilarious.
Kudos to Stuart for the heads up. |
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