Give Me a Nickel

Autobiographical Essay for Intro to Music Ed.

2011-04-12T21:09:00.000-05:00

*****I HAVEN'T EVEN PROOF READ THIS YET. NO JUDGING******

I believe that most music educators can say that music has always been a part of their lives, and I am no exception among them. According to my parents, I was singing before I was talking, and I can’t recall a time even in childhood when I wasn’t in a choir or taking private lessons. If I did not want to practice, or go to a rehearsal, my mother gently reminded me that I had a special gift, and tough cookies if I didn’t want to go to church choir. To study something other than music in college seemed preposterous, and I finished a degree in Vocal Performance at DePaul. Even before I graduated, I knew that a life on the opera audition track or graduate school track was not for me. There was no use turning around and studying something else, and my other interests, such as Georgian Folk music, were even more obscure than classical singing. After graduation, I felt bitter and empty. The bitterness came from my seemingly worthless degree and not having a nice job after college. The gnawing feeling in my brain and stomach from constantly worrying what to do next created the emptiness. The cure for my worries and woes: go to China to teach English for seven months. I came back from that experience knowing that music needed to be an ever-present force in my life, and that I really enjoyed my short tenure as a teacher. A year after leaving for China, I’m enrolled in the teaching certification program at DePaul. All that is in between the events that I just summarized are the reasons I’m embarking on this journey as a music educator.

    As a child, I never imagined myself to be a teacher. Being the best at everything singing in a small suburban town outside of Chicago made me a little diva. I envisioned the glorious life of a famous opera singer for myself, and I thought I was way above the rest. Somewhere around my sophomore year of college I finally got some sense knocked into me. Enough teachers told me that I did not have a big enough voice to sing in the big leagues, and to repeat the DePaul opera theatre director Harry Silverstein’s sage-like words of wisdom: one is more likely to be eaten by a shark than to make it in the opera world. After that bomb of a statistic, I started to pursue other opportunities in the school of music. Those opportunities mainly came from Dr. Clayton Parr, director of choral activities at DePaul.

    Dr. Parr spent a year in the Republic of Georgia, and brought back with him a plethora of Georgian folk music. The songs he shared with me and other members of the DePaul A Cappella choir were unlike anything I had heard before, and I loved singing them. I began to realize that the music world is so much bigger than opera, and I wanted to explore the whole world through its music. In 2008, I met Patty Cuyler, founding member of Vermont-based Village Harmony, and went on a three week tour of Ukraine with her and other ethnomusically-curious people. It was soon after that trip that Dr. Parr asked me to lead a woman’s folk group and teach them the songs I learned that summer. It was a trial by fire, sink or swim experience for me. I had never led an ensemble before, but I never questioned whether or not I was capable. Our concert that fall went great, and in the spring quarter the next year I directed the women’s folk group again. December 2009, I directed a small caroling ensemble for the DePaul Presidential Christmas dinner by the graces of Dr. Parr. These concerts are Dr. Parr’s greatest lesson for me. He gave me the opportunity to try and to learn from myself and these experiences. By that December, I should have known that this was a new path worth following, but my head kept telling me to go somewhere and to disappear for a little while. And so, in mid February 2010, I left everything behind, including my music, to go to China.

    Of all places, why China? The seed probably first planted itself when I began dating my partner Daniel. He’s half Chinese, and my love second to music (and Daniel) is learning of new places and people. Senior year of college I managed to squeeze in a year of Chinese language, and a good friend from home had already lived in China for two years and loved it. So why not go to China during the pique of the U.S.’s economy slump and get myself a job that only requires the employee be a native English speaker? That was my reasoning anyway. Another reason was I simply wanted to get away from everything and not be a musician for a while. Really, I had been planning this experiment for over a year and I convinced myself that I had to go in order to find clarity to my life.

    Generally, I find my life spent in China hard to explain. First of all, it’s impossible to describe accurately because most people have no frame of reference to a place like it. Second, I look back on my life there more fondly than when I was living it. There are a lot of things about China that I didn’t like, but I’ll never regret my time spent in the classroom. I had a lot to learn about teaching on my own, and there were plenty of classes that did not go well or as planned. At first, I thought that I would be better teaching older kids in classes that were more conversation based. Actually, it was not until I left China that I realized my strengths were geared more for children, and the classes I would miss most were the beginning English classes with kids as young as three years old. Fun was the emphasis of all the classes taught at my school in China. The requirement to be a “fun” teacher upset me at first. I thought kids should be learning English, and it is my responsibility to be a teacher, not a babysitter. But in a school system where kids go to school for eight or nine hours a day and then go to a supplemental English class because their parents make them, games and fun activities are the only way to keep their attention. I quickly learned a variety of ways to make my lessons more enjoyable for my students. The more classes taught, the better I became at thinking of activities and implementing them. Activities and games that I created also needed to be quickly adaptable to accommodate the various number of children in a given class. One time, I was responsible for teaching almost 80 kindergarten aged kids! I had a lot of help in managing the group, but the sheer volume of my class was kept a surprise until the start of class. SURPRISE!!! That’s reason #49 why I didn’t like China, all those lovely little surprises.

    In my self-imposed exile from music, I didn’t anticipate how much time I would think about my future and how music would be a part of that. I found myself regularly telling people that back at home I was a musician, but having to use the past tense bothered me. It began to annoy me that my peers in China did not think of me as a musician, but as just another English teacher. Being a musician was an important identifier to me, and I couldn’t just erase that part out. In China, I was finally coming to terms with myself as a musician, and that was the main goal of the trip. There was still a large hurdle for me to cross, though. Spending countless nights alone, I questioned myself about why I did not pursue a performance career straight out of college. What kind of music did I want to perform? Should I focus on folk or classical music? Should I be a performer or a teacher? Should I stay in China longer to teach and try to make a music career here? I still haven’t answered all these questions, but I did come to one important conclusion. Music has always been the force that leads me on my path of life, and I’ve always liked where music has taken me. The real question was then, What do I need to do to make my life of music satisfying and sustaining?

    I left China after seven months of teaching English. There were many reasons why I left, and my explanation to my friends over there was that I needed to finish some things in Chicago, and then hopefully soon I will return. By that time, in the end of September 2010, I knew that returning to DePaul for my music education teaching certificate was most likely my next step. This now brings me to present day.

Being a music educator just seems to make sense now; combine what I love most with what I do well. In the time since returning home, I created a voice and piano studio out of my little apartment in the lower west side of Chicago, and in the suburbs. Most importantly, I love teaching these private lessons, and I wonder why I didn’t start them sooner. My level of musicianship and pedagogy hasn’t changed since graduating from DePaul, but I suppose earlier I did not have the confidence that I do now. A confirming moment for me came when discussing my new occupational status with one of my friends and fellow vocal performance graduate. She said, “I would have no idea where to begin with a student.” Her lack of confidence in her own abilities struck me as sad, but I also know that it has taken me a lot of work, patience, and faith to build what I have today. Every experience I have had leading to the present will make me a better teacher, and I look forward to the trials and tribulations ahead to make me a stronger, well-rounded teacher.

Before concluding, it is appropriate to reflect on what kind of music educator I would like to become. This metaphor or vision I have for myself as a teacher is not yet clear, but the more classes I take the more it will develop. Already, I know that my strengths are more suitable for teaching younger children. I do enjoy singing with and teaching adults, but only so far in the private setting. Also, I know that to be a high school music director requires working more hours than are in a day. Perhaps saying this is selfish, but I want variety in my day and time to myself. I want to be able to go home and not be consumed by all the other extracurricular activities at school. Another thing, as musically talented as I am, I have never been a musical perfectionist. While directing the women’s group, it was hard for me to hear the errors of my colleagues. This skill will develop over time, but so far the desire to conduct an older ensemble is not in me. Knowing this about myself, I can conclude, at the present, that a career in general music education may suit me best. With my strong background in folk music, I am particularly excited to learn about the Kodály method, and would love to someday teach a world music class. One vision I can clearly see is teaching a song much in the style of Ella Jenkins. I am calling and the students are responding with their voices and instruments to a song like Toom-Bah-Ee-Lero. I agree with other music education philosophers that exposure to different types of music helps children develop a larger world perspective. By studying songs from different cultures, we simultaneously create a community amongst the students and induct them into the global community. I find this is music’s greatest power because I can attest to it. Music has made me a citizen of the world.

All those years of practice and rehearsals have led me to this point. I thank my parents for their undying support and encouragement, and now those tough cookies (all those unwanted church choir practices) taste delicious because they are the fruits of my labor. My gift is music, and my music guides my life. Though I am treading on a new path, the path of a music educator, I know that my destination(s) will be satisfying.

Happy Birthday ya Bastard

2009-11-03T12:29:00.002-06:00

There was a FIBS celebration last night. It was part birthday party for Ike and his lady Nia, and unofficially post-FIBS-reunion-rehearsal-fuck-yea-we-did-it-let's-get-the-band-back-together party. Lucky for me, the party was held upstairs from my apartment, so Dan and I went in our comfy clothes. Oh yeah!
I'm writing about this small party because I actually enjoyed myself. Before I moved in with Dan, I had to clean up the result of five dudes and a messy cat living in one giant room. It took a long time and a lot of hard work from me, Dan, my mom, and everyone else who helped to get this loft apartment back into liveable conditions.

This photo is actually towards the end of the cleaning process.
Admittedly, it's taken me a long time to warm up to Dan's friends, and I would normally feel like a huge awkward classical-music-nerd among them. But last night, I finally felt assimilated. I didn't need Dan by my side all night because I know these people. They know me. And that brings me a profound comfort. It helps that more of the posse have girlfriends now. Brandon brought his lady-friend Heather, who's from out of town, and that was really sweet. I should have taken pictures. Oh well, next time.
To sum up the party, I list my favorite keywords/phrases in chronological order:

Old Fashions
Night Riding to 7/11
Broker's 7 hour chicken pot pie
Gorilla Dick
"Michael Jackson is perfect!"
"Fuck yes" Whole Foods chocolate ganash cake (beautiful!)
Sloppy Mess
Dan's Flash Dance sweatshirt

Hats are an unappreciated accessory

2009-10-30T01:09:00.001-05:00

As a young female, I'm obsessed with fashion and vintage. I'm super cheap when it comes to buying clothes, but if it's the right piece, if it I think it compliments my identity, it's gotta be mine.

I just stumbled upon Oh!Nena via PSFK all thanks to the new Google Reader explore tab. AND I WANT ONE OF THOSE HATS NOW!!! (not necessarily the one pictured though) Hats/hair pieces are sort of a forgotten lady's accessory. You'll never grow out of them, and they typically keep in your closet forever. Hats are bold and fun. I loooove wearing conversation pieces, which is one of the reasons I adore Lady Gaga, but that's another discussion...

Admittedly, I subscribe to the American Apparell wearing hipster club, and I've faithfully read this one's blog for a couple years now, so I think I know what cool is. But I can't help myself. I am an impressionable young women, and I'll wear whatever for as long as I can get away with it. I've made some progress. I've retired this for this. (Haven't taken a look at the old Buzznet in a looooong time!)

In short, if you're reading this, get me a Venezuelan Oh!Nena hat.

A welcome back?

2009-10-27T19:27:00.001-05:00

I haven't written on my silly little blog in ages. When I go back to read old posts, I blush a little and think how juvenile. But now, I don't have much to do. So why not write some silly little posts while I'm on my couch with my cat Mikey sitting next to me and licking himself?
Just recently, I've done some interesting traveling, graduated college, and moved in with my boyfriend and our cat. It's been a big year for me. But like every post-graduate of this era, I have a lot left to figure out.

I think I'll start this new age of posts with a meditation on the neighborhood I now live in.

In September, I made the big move to my boyfriend's apartment in a rapidly gentrifying neighborhood of Chicago. I love it here. I like the apartment, the community, the art, the FOOD!

My dad won't step foot in my apartment because he thinks the neighborhood is too dangerous. There are gangs here unfortunately. My block has the Party People and all their emblems. But recently, the cops have cracked down and raided some places. I'm oblivious to these raids because I always end up hearing about them from my boyfriend or neighbors. I'm glad security is getting tight, but what I really want is someone to clean up the broken Modelo bottles on our front stoop. And as tough as these Party People try to be, they're just kids. Kids with guns. But kids nonetheless. They are scary, for sure. Especially the dude I see with the gang emblem below his right eye, but they stay out of our business, and I sure as hell don't go messing with theirs.

I make my neighborhood sound like the hood. But it's not. Honestly. I love that on every corner there is a small grocer, or an eloteria. My neighborhood super market is two blocks away. Chinatown, Little Italy, and Bridgeport are the next neighborhoods over. I ride my bike everywhere, but there are buses that can take me anywhere when it gets too cold. Little art galleries are marked with circular black signs, or the orange and blue PodMajersky rectangles. But there are signs of white invasion everywhere. Everyday I see fresh businesses pop up and more young white people walking down the sidewalk. Everyone knows that my neighborhood is the new hipster hotspot, and in the next 5-10 years have unaffordable housing for poor artists like me and the Mexican families I live around. The gangs will be pushed further south or west, and that is just how Chicago does things. At least we won't have the Olympics to deal with!

Seriously?

2008-01-22T20:35:00.000-06:00

I'm having a really hard time believing that Heath Ledger is dead. Seriously. Dead? Crap. I really liked him. Not only was he nice to look at, but I really liked his movies too. Fuck. Dead?

The sad thing is that when I go and try to rent my number 1 guilty pleasure movie, 10 Things I Hate About You it will be out of stock for weeks because millions of girls, worldwide will have the same desire. Part of me really hopes that it was a suicide because that will just make him more appealing. People will say, "We had no idea he was suffering so much," and a new layer of depth will be added to the already interesting actor. Do you realize that Brokeback Mountain will reach astronomical popularity because Heath is now dead? It will become monumental. It's sad, but death really is an artist's greatest achievement, especially when they go young.

Dammit Heath, WHY?!?!? I could accept that you had a fiance and a two-year-old kid, but why death? I hope you're happy, you son of a bitch. You had YEARS of movie-making left. I was excited to see you grow older and develop as an actor. Now you're dead and I'm supposed to watch Jake Gyllenhaal? Is that what you wanted? I really thought the movie Candy sucked, but that didn't keep me from watching it, or watching your subsequent films. Oh, wait, there won't be an subsequent films! (I realize the Batman film will come out this summer and there's another film in production, whatevs!) I thought you were the best actor of my generation, and now you're gone. Ass!

My date with The FIBs

2008-01-13T18:06:00.000-06:00

Last night, I went to my boyfriend's band's concert. They are known as the FIBs. I've been avoiding this for a long time now. The FIBs are all about punk, irresponsibility, under-age drinking, pot smoking, yelling, moshing, bleeding, and making their own T-shirts... In other words, things I'm not really fond of. And yet, I found myself at their concert last night.

Most things associated with punk concerts: dancing, beer-spilling, and deafening music, I expected. I did not expect fearing for my safety, although perhaps I should have. The FIBs started playing, and the mosh pit began. Really, there was just this one guy (who had the craziest look in his eye and the WORST dance moves I have ever seen!!!) that started smashing into people and getting violent. Honestly, he was trying to start fights with people because he was ready to cause some serious damage, but he masked most of his sadistic desires by violently gyrating.

Then the cops showed up. I wasn't worried because I was 21 and wasn't even drinking, but all the underage kids (and there were many) slipped out the back or hid in a bedroom. Surprisingly enough, crazy dancing guy was no where to be seen either. I would have liked to see him get clubbed. Anyway... One of my boyfriend's buddies got handcuffed because he was mouthing off to the cops, but they didn't arrest him, or anyone else. Cops just like to put on a show, like the FIBs.

The boys did put on a good show, though. They're energetic and like having a good time playing music. But I just don't like punk. In fact, I can't stand it, and it's all that my boyfriend listens to. But for one night, and one night only, I pretended to... care. I didn't grimace, and I tried to not plug my ears. Perhaps I should have done some last minute cramming and learned a song or two to sing along with, but I just couldn't bring myself to do it. Punk rockers can always spot out a phony anyway. Now, I've done my time, and I don't ever have to go to one of their shows again.

Breaking up with your (gay) boyfriend is hard to do

2008-01-09T23:11:00.000-06:00

You know your relationship status has changed when your gay boyfriend, husband, whatever moves out, and you can't help but feel cheap and used.

Alex, my long time gay lover and companion is moving out. I'm mad at him for doing this, even though his reasons are completely reasonable and he has no intention to hurt me. It's not really my place to say what's going on in Alex's life, but I just wish things could have happened differently. I wish things didn't have to happen so soon. I wish I weren't mad at him and could enjoy the time we still have together. I think Alex knows I'm mad at him because he hardly comes out of his room (a new phenomenon that's been happening since last summer).

Not only am I mad, but resentful too. A few days ago I was cursing about him for not getting his shit packed up so the new guy can move in. Part of me can't wait until he's gone to spare me from the awkwardness. Part of me doesn't want the 14th of this month to come so I don't have to say goodbye to him, and say, "See you around," and not really know when I'll see him again, or if I'll even to see him.

A new guy moves in on the 15th. He's nice, responsible, and makes a lot of money. But he won't be my Alex. He won't stay up with me until 4 a.m. watching Queer as Folk and then decide to go jogging on the Lake Shore path just because we can. We won't burn shit in the fire place or play Boggle, and he certainly can't make grape leaves.

I know it's not really breaking up, but it is. We're going our separate ways. Other friends who I've told this story to tell me to not take it personally, but I am. Even though I knew Alex would move out someday, part of me really did want our arrangement to last forever. But like a lot of relationships, we've grown apart the last year or so, and now he's moving on to something else. Eventually, I'll be happy for him and see his new place and hang out more than we did while living together...Eventually.

We'll see what happens on the 14th.

Lllangollen

2007-08-03T15:29:00.000-05:00

If you guys still read this, and if you are interested in the DePaul Acappella choir.
We're the shit.

DePaul A Cappella on Llangollen TV

Last wish

2007-06-27T11:46:00.001-05:00

I know the Make a Wish Foundation is for kids, but if I'm ever terminally ill and have one last wish, I seriously want to see SRK.

I will put this in my living will.

PS. I need someone to be a witness to sign my living will. Any volunteers?

schizo

2007-06-05T22:20:00.000-05:00

I have the voice of a small Irish man yelling in my head, and I am terrified.

No, I'm not schizophrenic. The small Irish man is the Maestro for Grant Park Chorus. He uses terms like "crotchets" (quarter notes) "minims" (eighth notes) and "semidemihemiquavers." (actually, I'm not sure if that's a correct term) The tip of his index finger on his right hand is missing, and I have never met a man more intimidating than he. I literally have anxiety attacks before going to rehearsals. It doesn't help that I have finals and juries on top of everything else. Poor Dan. I barked at him for doing nothing, only because I was so stressed out, and I will feel like this until Monday.

Deep breath. Take a bath. (Advice from my voice teacher.) I can't wait 'til Mikey, the new kitty, gets here. We purposefully put off his arrival until this craziness settles down.

PS. I've been thinking about turning this blog around a little bit and limiting my posts to music based topics. That's pretty much what I do already because I'm living, breathing, and pissing music. Though, not as much as I could be. Any thoughts? Someday, when I'm rich maybe I'll get my own domain and have beautiful pictures of my masterful performances at the Met. HA!!!

a good one

2007-06-02T20:37:00.000-05:00

my mom picked up for me this really old hymnal copyright 1917. originally, i asked her to look for something with shape notes in it. this hymnal has no shape notes, unfortunately, but it does have some treasures.

No. 312 "The Walls of Jericho" The chorus speaks for itself.

"Old whiskey's walls have got to go/Just like the walls of Jericho!/The rummies won't know where they're at;/Their walls must tumble down, down flat."

Or the next hymn, "A Thousand Years of Prohibition": "A thousand years of prohibition,/Lift up your eyes, behold the dawn!/The nations hope shall find fruition,/When from our land the curse has gone."

I find that this really puts a perspective to everything, especially after watching Jesus Camp. These Evangelicals have a real history of fucking shit up in this country, at least prohibition was repealed. They are gaining strength again, and I'm half considering dropping this music business and work to protect this nation's right to drink, have abortions, not go to church, think freely, be gay, and believe in EVOLUTION!!!

What pissed me off most about Jesus Camp was the lack of scriptures from the Evangelical party. They may as well have been making half that shit up. And the brainwash on those poor, poor kids. THEY'RE GOING DOWN!!!

silent night

2007-06-02T17:53:00.000-05:00

all is quiet in the chicago residence. i think my roommates know that they inadvertently spoiled a very big evening for me.

my old voice teacher is in town, visiting from albuquerque. tonight, we were supposed to see a show of one of her old students in palatine, il. you may snicker at the fact that i was to see a community theatre production of pirates of penzance in palatine, but it was important to me. i haven't seen this very important woman in a year. now that she lives in new mexico, chances of me seeing her again soon are unlikey.

so how did this all come about? i won't name names, because it doesn't really matter. when the planning of going to palatine all came about, i had to do some creative thinking because i have church in the morning, and could not go back to the suburbs where the rest of the party was headed after the performance. so, at the beginning of this week, i asked roommate A to borrow their car for the night to get myself there and back, and i got the ok-go. last night, roommate B borrowed the car to go to a party, came back all in one piece. this morning, i was told that the car was dead because roommate B failed to turn off the headlights last night. roommate A jumped the car, but deemed it too unreliable for me to drive tonight.

"sorry di."

so, while they go out tonight and have fun. i am at home, sulking, wondering what i should do to my roommates for pay-back.

Myspace...

2007-05-16T02:24:00.000-05:00

I had to! I created a MySpace page for DePaul A Cappella. But you can listen to selected tracks from our concert last March.

If you're into the whole MySpace craze, friend us, but most importantly, listen to the music and tell me what you think.

DePaul A Cappella

iGoogle?

2007-05-14T10:12:00.000-05:00

My personalized google page is now iGoogle.

I'm not a fan. Everything has to have an "i" in front of it. And when it relates to non-iPod products, it's unnecessary.

What's wrong with Personalized Google Homepage?

GASP!!! Am I missing some giant merger between Mac and Google? Tell me no such thing has happened!

Address

2007-05-09T22:31:00.000-05:00

To those who think Alex and I are coming home this weekend:

You are sadly mistaken. We are never coming home. It's not that we don't love you. But it's a lot more fun up here, and this is where we live now. Chicago is our home. Besides, you are all ending school now, and we still have four weeks to go. Whatever.

We're still not coming home.

And check out these pictures of me from The Beggar's Opera.

Check out those gams!!!

Notorious

2007-05-07T00:14:00.000-05:00

Yet another one of those things that I find incredibly funny, but only because my boyfriend Dan is Chinese. I wouldn't have just heard about these guys if it weren't for him, and now, I can't stop listening to the catchy tune "Dim Sum Girl."

Their website is pretty cool. Check it out if you want to waste away your free time.

PS. For those of you who care, Dan and I celebrated our two-year about a month ago. Woo!

Beggar's Opera

2007-05-03T12:26:00.000-05:00

Come see the show.

Friday, May 4 at 7:30 and Sunday, May 6 at 2:00 pm.

Pretty Polly say...

Singer...

2007-04-26T17:47:00.000-05:00

I made my entire German class turn around and look at me today because I nearly did the Banshee screech. Actually, it was a loud GASP!!!

The nature of the conversation went as such:

Me: Shaun, do you have a pen? I only have a pencil and I don't like to write in pencil.

Shaun: Well, I only have this pen, and I normally only write in pencil because I'm a musician, and all musicians write in pencil.

Me: I don't.

Shaun: Like I said. All musicians write in pencil.

Me: Explosion!!! [Which was really just a very large gasp.] WHAT DID YOU JUST SAY? I hate you. Shove your splintery clarinet up your ASS! FICH DICH, du Sheissekopf!!!

The most offensive thing you can call a singer is a singer, and strip them of their musician status. I can understand that we come off as really dumb sometimes, but we have so many other thoughts in our head than measure 31 there's an accent on the and of 3 plus a diminuendo. Ok...well, how about you memorize the text in French and remember that you have to pucker your lips on "vaincouer" and make it look like you really know what you're singing. Do you speak fluent German, French, Italian, Spanish, Russian, Greek, Latin, Klingon, Tagalog, Swahili, and English?

Yeah, ok. That's what I thought. And don't be hatin' on us because we don't have to spend 6 hours in a practice room. That's your problem. Not. Mine. Thank. You!

MILF

2007-04-24T18:41:00.000-05:00

I'll admit, I wore a relatively provocative dress today. I haven't worn it in ages. Fortunately, it still fit, too. That made me feel better about myself. I guess I haven't gotten that fat over the years. Anyway...I figured that I would catch some glances, but to my dismay, only older men seemed to notice. One man even said "Nice Legs" as I passed him. Granted, I have always caught the elders' eyes, it really should have been no surprise to me. But then I thought, do they think I'm a MILF? That's when I became disturbed. I know I look a little older than 20, but I don't look like I'm almost 30, do I? Do I look like I've had children? What is it that turns older men's heads rather than the younger ones? Junk in the trunk? Thick thighs? Child-birthing hips? It's my hair cut, isn't it? I have Posh Spice's (Mrs. Beckham) hair style these days. She's a MILF, technically...

Crap. What should I do?
PS. I love this picture of the Beckhams. They are totally sloshed, and I think there's nothing better in this shallow world than pictures of drunk celebrities. I even bought US weekly the other day because I just needed a fix. I blame Jessa for this problem of mine. She'll occasionally buy the trash mag, but she hasn't done it in a while, so I had to take matters into my own hands. Oh yeah, yesterday was Jessa's last day at Saks Fifth Ave. I never took advantage of her sweet discounts. Oh well. Even with her discounts I still probably wouldn't be able to afford those clothes. It's a thrift store life for me.

ANNOUNCEMENT!!!

2007-04-21T22:23:00.000-05:00

Something VERY bad happened in our apartment last night. Jessa's money was stolen. STOLEN!!! And to make matters worse, whoever took the money, didn't take it all. No, they had to rip a $100 bill in TWO!!! Who does that? I pray to god that it was the jack-ass kids that one of my friends brought over, and was not indeed one of my friends. But I guess I'll never really know, because the money was not returned, even though people were offering up their own money left and right. Clearly, they were too fucked up to realize that Jessa did not want their money, but just wanted her own back, and whoever took it would just be asked to just get the fuck out of our place.

Apparently, nobody is to be trusted in this world, so I am not having people over for a while.

Hidden Agenda

2007-04-18T03:30:00.000-05:00

Remember when I said that I was going to lose weight because I wasn't in the Spring opera this year? Like in this post. Yeah, well, that changed as of Monday.

Basically, the lead female soprano dropped out (for relatively legitimate reasons) the director bumped up a deserving senior in the ensemble, and now I am filling in for her. The show is May 4 and 6. They've been working on this for a whole month now, and I get three weeks.

This is when I regret being known as a fast learner.

On another note, I dropped $60 on designer chocolate today, because I had the cash, and felt like doing something nice for my roommates and of course the beloved honorary fourth roommate, Evan. Vosges chocolate is truly orgasmic. Do not scold me until you yourself have tried the Exotic Caramel sampler box.

I highly recommend the top row right caramels and the middle row left caramels. Each of their names is far too long and senseless, and in no way describe how DELICIOUS!!! they are. Alex can vouch for me. I would say that Jessa can too, but we don't know where she is right now. Her new employers, the people who live DIRECTLY across the street from us, have offered her the ridiculously wonderful opportunity to become a full-time nanny for their two young children. She will be making more money working for them (I'm guessing on average 5 days a week) than a second or third year teacher's salary. PLUS!!!! Family vacations with them to places like... oh, I don't know. PARIS! I'm disgustingly jealous, but at the same time, very happy for her. She really deserves this.

Just weep on the inside, Di.

This is the killing time...

2007-04-16T23:10:00.000-05:00

What a terrible, terrible tragedy in just a never-ending string of tragedies.
But there was another tragedy that I was just informed of on Saturday by a great documentary on PBS, Jonestown: The Life and Death of Peoples Temple. Also see Wikipedia about it if you are unfamiliar with the tragedy, like I was.

Anyway, when I saw the film, I just thought, why was I never told about this? Why is it not taught in school or talked about on television more?

What scared me most about the documentary was that people of all races and ages, intelligent people, people who only wanted to make the world a better place, were manipulated and killed. I could easily have been one of those people then. Basically, I have no hope left, because no matter what, someone's always going to fuck it up. And I really believe we won't see the Chicago Olympics because the world may as well end on December 21, 2012. My choir director gave me shit for saying that because he's all about making the world better through music blah blah blah. (An ironic non-sequitur that I discovered in my research about the Jonestown Massacre: The leader to the cult Heavens Gate was a music major.)And I wish I could do that too, save the world with music, that is, but the Jonestown Massacre just ruined everything for me.

And don't you even think about giving me shit for the band Brian Jonestown Massacre. Chops, I mean YOU!

So, watch the film. Get educated. Get scared. And just pretend that everything will be ok, like I have decided to do.

Bye Matt...

2007-04-13T20:58:00.000-05:00

Tuesday morning. Matt killed himself. Matt was 17. The exact age of my younger brother. I'm sorry Ashely. I can't fathom your loss and pain. I can only imagine the death of my own brother. Your brother is my brother, just like how the kids in the car accident were my brothers and sisters. I cried today for Matt. I sang these lyrics and burst into tears while my choir was recording the piece. "Stretched out. Stretched out underground. A boy..." Your brother. His funeral is tomorrow. Will he still wear a suit? I'm sorry. I remember your brother because you said he looked like Harry Potter. And he did. I'm sorry that's all I knew about him.

Someone asked me a question today, which is why I write about Matt.

"Is high school really that hard?"

I couldn't really answer. I kinda liked high school. I found good friends. And I thought, is that all that got me through school? I did graduate early, but I don't think my motives were because I hated school or my life. I did things like music and drama inside and outside school. I was tired of getting up so goddamn early in the morning. But I did go through some very dark hours. My friends, love 'em or hate 'em, were always there. They would at least listen to every stupid thing I ever told them. They're still that way. With out them, I would have been a very different person. I suppose I'm still here because of them. But doesn't everyone feel that way? "What would I ever do without you guys?" Does everyone find their belonging through friendship? I don't know. Without my friends and my activities, school would have been very hard. So, in a sense, I was very privileged. I had it easy, and I can't answer for any other.

As much as I would like answers from Matt, I won't try to pretend to understand him. But he's gone forever. I understand that, and that's why I cry. I hate the infinite. I cry because Ashley and family will no longer physically have Matt in their lives. Forever.

missing carl...

2007-04-02T23:52:00.000-05:00

the georgian concert cd is in! now i just have to figure out how to put the thing online. any suggestions?
dr. p and carl
[and me in the very corner]

Neko. Case.

2007-03-30T20:45:00.000-05:00

Although she is playing tonight, she also played last night, and i was there, right in front of the stage, snapping pictures of my #1 girl crush. yes...
here are just a few. more to come.

weight-loss

2007-03-28T22:43:00.000-05:00

i'm gonna lose weight. i'm not in the spring opera, so every time those thugs are in rehearsal and i'm not, i'm gonna work out/run.
bathing suit season, here i come!!!

teacher

2007-03-25T15:58:00.000-05:00

is it OK to "friend" my german teacher on facebook?
circle: YES or NO

animals

2007-03-25T13:20:00.000-05:00

my girlfriends are all animals.

we're all on spring break, and i had them all over on friday for a fun night of booze, food, and other things.

before they all came over, i went to Devon Ave. and got us some indian yummies, including an old Shah Rukh Khan movie. one of the food items i purchased was a skate-board sized piece of kabul bread. i remember looking at it in the store thinking, wow, this is big. we will probably finish this thing by the end of the night. but at a quarter til 10 pm, all the juice and pop were gone, as was the GIANT loaf of kabul bread. and i know for a FACT!!! that one girl did the MAJORITY of the devouring of the giant kabul bread. i won't name any names...

then we started the bollywood film. mostly all the plots to a bollywood film are familiar, but this one, Diwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, reminded me ALOT of Rob Reiner's 1985 classic, The Sure Thing. And when I yelled this strange parallelism to my girlfriends (we were shouting at the film all night long, because that's how long it lasted, all night) they all gave me blank stares.

[swoon]
i should probably mention that at this part of the movie, there are no similarities to The Sure Thing. Only the first hour and a half is a rip-off. From then on, it's like any other Bollywood film. she's gonna get married to a man she doesn't know, and SRK is going to save her.
i would also suggest watching this clip. awesome towel maneuvering skills.

so then I wrote to Raymi about it, and how we all love her and she would kick some serious ass if there was a clay-mation battle between her and tony pierce and bunny combined.

even though the girls ate all my food, they were pretty tidy, even if they didn't think so. and, no one took home the left-over liquor, so it's all for me, baby!!!

MoPo

2007-03-22T13:43:00.000-05:00

So far spring break has consisted of going back to the burbs for various reasons, praying not to get the stomach flu, and watching the Maury Show.
Spring Break Rawks!!!

emetophobia

2007-03-21T09:31:00.000-05:00

my boyfriend has the stomach flu maybe and i am FREAKING OUT!!! becacuse i am emetophobic.
they make it sound really extreme, but is it really? do i really need to confront my fear of vomiting? would anyone disagree with me that if i don't want to puke and have the ability to stop it, that it's a good thing? kinda?
i hope you get better, sweets!

Fuck St. Patrick's Day

2007-03-17T16:35:00.000-05:00

Anyone who is wearing green today is either a suburbanite, frat boy, or ridiculously drunk girl.
It all started this morning...

I had to go home last night for an optometrist appointment this morning. I had to sign some form, and I asked what the date was. The receptionist replied after a pause:
"It's the seventeenth. St. Patrick's Day."
The way she said it, she may as well have added "Dumb-ass" at the end.

In Chicago, it's been St. Paddy's day for well over a week, and I had my fair share of all things Irish and this stupid gig the A Cappella choir had to do last Sunday. Ireland On Parade. It was going to be its own blog entry, but I didn't really have the time or energy to rant about it. It was a joke, to say the least.

Anyway, I took the train back up to Chicago this afternoon, and everyone who got on, even the cute little Indian lady with the video camera was wearing green or a shamrock. Ass-hole losers who I remember seeing in the halls of my high school were there, getting ready for their night on the town. There was a man sitting across from me, and even with my headphones on, I could not help but listen to his inane stories of getting drunk with buddies and getting kicked out of bars. I wanted to hand him an AA card.

The El ride back was worse. People were crammed on the Brown Line, and fumbling around trying to keep their balance because they aren't used to the El's jolting pick-up. Again, they were all wearing GREEN!

I almost lost it though when this creep guy (strangely not wearing any green, but did have some clear plastic shamrock Guinness thing) started inching closer to my seat and struck up a conversation about cameras to the people standing next to me. What he said made no sense, and then he tried to hand out some sheet of paper that promoted relations counseling. After living in the city for almost two years, I've learned now NOT to take flyers from strangers. I can't really describe why I was freaked out about him that made me want to scream. Maybe it was his glazed eyes and slack-jawed smile.
I know!!! He looked like a real life Stuart Smalley!
Yes. That's him alright...

I just don't get the holiday, that's all. I don't mean to shit on anyone's parade day. I don't think there's any Irish heritage in my family, and if there is, it's minuscule. I don't like to get wasted. I don't like March. I don't like mass crowds of people (except if it's Chinese New Year). I like green, but not if frat boys wear it. And there's just one more thing I want to say about St. Patrick's Day: White people look stupid in bright green anything. It's like St. Paddy's day is the day when you can not only get as drunk as you want, but also look as stupid.

Next year, I think I'll take a mini-vaca out of the city to avoid all this madness.

God

2007-03-16T11:29:00.000-05:00

Last night I saw God, and this name was

Sparta!!!

I thought it was an excellent film.
I think ever since the LOTR trilogy came out, I've been a big fan of epic movies. Give me guts and glory. And 300 delivered.

Dan thought it was better than Sin City, but I would have to slightly disagree. I will always have a soft spot in my heart for that movie. Maybe because I read the comic book beforehand, but failed to do so with 3 Hundo, as Dan and I like to say.

After the movie, we got buffalo wings from Dominics, two kinds of cheese, crackers, ranch dressing (to go with the wings, of course), chocolate, wine, tofu 2 go, carrots, tomatoes, and had ourselves a FEAST!!! to celebrate our accomplishments. Dan got rave reviews on some of his photos, and I passed my petition to major and got a spot in the Grant Park Apprentice Choral.

Who's the Shit?
Di's the Shit!!!

AND it's Spring Break, minus three days because of the opera, but it's going to be a blast!!!

The Merry Widow

2007-03-14T22:32:00.000-05:00

COME SEE THE SHOW!!!

@ THE MERLE RESKIN THEATRE IN DOWNTOWN CHICAGO
THIS FRIDAY, SATURDAY AND SUNDAY MATINEE!
READ THE REVIEW!!!

AND OF COURSE,

ME!!!
...in the chorus...

correction

2007-03-10T17:19:00.000-06:00

correction:
I want this week to be over.

and i think the hooligans are hiding a meth lab in their apartment. they have sheets and coats covering up their windows.

maybe they're just trying to save on heat, or want some privacy, but having a meth lab, or a gigantic pot plant would be more likely, i think.

[explode]

2007-03-07T23:43:00.000-06:00

i can't take it anymore!!!
i'm supposed to be writing a paper for musicianship, but i can't concentrate to save my life! it's supposed to be a paper on the german lied. it's totally pointless because my prof is just going to look at it, give a few head nods, correct my vocab (because i can't remember proper musical terms to save my life), and give me an A- because our final is next week, and like all of us, i'm sure he's more concerned about that than these stupid papers that have been assigned to us for weeks now, and i have successfully put it off for this long and it's due tomorrow morning. ugh!

i've decided that if i ever become famous enough to have a stage name, i will call myself diana schmetterling.
what's wrong with schmetterling?
that's the punch line to a really nerdy linguist joke.

i just want this week to be over!!!

BGSU

2007-03-03T21:31:00.000-06:00

So, we came, saw, and left BGSU today. Dare I say the trip was actually kind of fun. Definitely a good precursor when all of us go to Wales together.

All the pictures I took were on the bus ride back home, but really, before that we didn't do anything except watch The Fifth Element and Mulan on the bus.

Dr. P did some of his schooling in Miami, OH and really wanted to go to this restaurant Tony Pacos in Toledo. I would like to draw your attention the "plaques" on the walls.

These are hotdog buns (yes, they are real) signed by various celebrities.
This is Brent's M.O.A.D. wiener. On the menu, it said that this would be the biggest hot dog we've ever seen. I think they were right.

Yes! The crown jewel of signed hot dog buns! Billy's!!! I think Reagan and Carter were there too, but I didn't get the chance to look.
Dr. P with Carl behind him saying goodbye to us. Dr. P was trekking up to Ann Arbor with his family as we took the party bus back to Chicago.

It really was quite a fun trip. We sang songs on the bus ride back, and I truly enjoyed myself. Am I a choir nerd? Yeah, but at least I'm a cool choir nerd.

Dr. P told us that someone suggested we sing our Georgian music at the Cultural Center after our concert on Thursday. I hope we do. That would be so much fun, and it would probably get us a little bit of press, which would be awesome!

On one last note:

This drink was made for me. It's DELICIOUS!!! Yeah, they claim that it helps you lose weight and that's a load of shit. But it's fizzy green tea and it is entirely refreshing. And it only has 5 calories. As I said. It was made for me. Thank you Coke and Nestle. Never thought I would be saying that in my life time.

and we're back

2007-03-02T12:49:00.000-06:00

i'm going to bowling green this weekend... i don't think i've ever been to Ohio. i've driven through it to go to Falls, PE...Strange, I'll probably never have to go to that place ever again...That's where the now dead great-grandma used to live.
Anyway... i'm going to BG because my a cappella group is going there for another choir convention. we get to sing more georgian songs.

our internet is back up and running. the people on the second floor know we're leeching off of them, but they don't care. so we still have free internet. YES!!!
the semester is starting to end, and everyone/everything is going crazy trying to wrap everything up in these last two weeks of school. shit. i'm screwed for finals, basically. so yeah, if you had plans to visit me because you're on spring break and i am not, the chances of actually seeing me are very slim.
yeah...

we had our all-things-georgian-choir-concert last night. it was so much fun. university singers sounded alright, but us DePaul A Cappella members rocked the house. i nearly started crying at the end of the night because this was our last time (sorta) singing this music. and carl (our resident "i-know-everything-about-georgain-folk-music") would be leaving us soon, and i just wanted to keep singing these beautiful songs and let the whole world know how great these tunes really are.
i can honestly say that it was an amazing concert. i will get the cd in the next few weeks and try to fashion a way so that you fellow readers can listen to what you missed out on.

This is my adorable (yes, adorable like a doll because she is soooo frickin tiny) friend Elly posing with Carl. Carl is wearing tradition Georgian folk singer apparel. I also happen to think he looks like Frankenstein...but that's another story.

p.s. if you have no idea what i'm talking about, then you clearly didn't read this post!!!

man down

2007-02-26T16:03:00.000-06:00

this weekend the choir went to peoria and i saw miss jessi! whoot! it was fun. i felt bad that i couldn't stay any longer, and the majority of our conversation was written on the back of some of my sheet music. but it was still really fun.
updating this week may be non-existent. the people downstairs this time forgot to pay their Comcast bill, so we have no internet (because we steal their wireless).
so...yeah. i have a shit-load of work to get done this week, and i'm not helping myself by wasting my time looking at other people's blogs.
i also watched the Oscars last night when i should have been doing homework. do we see a pattern here? so tonight, i'm forbidding/punishing myself and not watching Heroes. this makes me sad...but it will be a super treat to watch after my MANIC day tomorrow. Get this: 10 am to 11 pm straight, if i go to all my classes. ugh! gross. i'm wondering if it's humanly possible for me to go this long. i'm not sure how i'll eat lunch/dinner. hrmmmm....

crap day

2007-02-20T16:18:00.000-06:00

yesterday sucked because throughout all of the opera rehearsal, i just felt like the director was shoveling giant loads of horse shit into my mouth.

because of this, i did my normal anti-stress routine: walk to the lake.

if any of you have not seen lake michigan at this time of year, it's absolutely gorgeous. giant disks of ice float on the surface in the more shallow water. they look like crystal lily pads that breath with the waves. i was amazed, but it didn't make me feel much better.

this on the other hand does.

Alex and I have been singing the song forever, but now that we know there's a video... well that just makes things SUPER!!!

2007-02-16T01:04:00.000-06:00

The apartment has a mutual friend Evan. He has come over practically every evening this week to hang out and do stuff that we shouldn't do on week nights. Normally, when he comes over I am incapable of getting my work done. But this week, I was somewhat able to escape his powers of gay hilarity and get most of my stuff done.
You should be proud of me because I am proud of myself.

Evan is great though. I love him. I felt like I went to high school with him, but we certainly did not. He's from hoighty-toighty Park Ridge (all you speechers should be quite familiar with his high school Maine-South!) Tonight he read my Tarot cards. I love getting readings. I've only done it twice, but it's such fun, serious bull-shit. I have learned, though, to only ask questions that I already know the answer to, or ask something that's not of real importance. That way, you don't totes froke. Totally Freaking Out.

Totes Froke. I don't really like that term, but for some reason, I'm trying to incorporate it into my lexicon. My friend, Libet from Cincinnati whose sister is on "You're the One that I Want" American Idol-esque talent search television programming on NBC Sunday nights, says it often. Although I do not want to associate myself with anything that is distinctly Cinci, the expression intrigues me.

And to all you teenagers in the world who are angst-y at this moment, settle down. It gets much better, I promise. I think junior high and high school were created for the sole purpose to drive us crazy. When you get out of that mess, things get better. The world is still crazy, and maybe life makes you Totes Froke, but at least you can pick and choose the people you want to talk to and associate with. Maybe it doesn't make sense right now, but it will. E-mail me if you need hope. I'll give it willingly.

Remember: In order to be loved, one must be loving.

WAAAAR!!!!

2007-02-08T21:36:00.000-06:00

I don't think I can adequately express my disgust for the three hooligans living on the first floor of my apartment.

They are three boys, all around my age, I believe. They smoke like chimneys, especially when they have their nasty-ass friends over. These said nasty-ass friends puked all over our front steps Sunday night. I didn't see the mess until Monday night, and by that time, it was frozen puke. Delicious! They also left a rickety ladder on our back porch. Yeah, OUR back porch. 20 feet above their own porch. But some people just have to go up on to the roof in the middle of the night, piss drunk, on the coldest night of the year and see the stars, then leave the ladder on our porch for FOUR days. I left them a little note expressing my feelings. They wrote back. It didn't say much. It didn't make me feel better about them. And the people on the second floor still called the cops on them last night after starting a party at 11:30 on a Wednesday.

I swear to God, these kids don't go to school anymore. A month ago, they had a party, starting at 1 in the a.m. on a MONDAY night. I must have been asleep or not in the apartment when this happened. That time, my own roommate called the cops.

Needless to say, the hooligans have got to go. And next time one of their friends pukes on our steps, I'll do what my dad suggested. "Clean up the vomit quietly with a rag and a bucket of warm water, and then when you're finished, throw the dirty water on their front window."

Will do, Pops!

P.S. LOST was not that satisfying last night. I swear to God, if I see one more Kate, Sawyer, Jack episode, I will flip out. How many times must I say it? This story line is not that interesting! There needs to be more Sayid, Locke, and ass-kicking. Everyone who watches the show agrees with me on this.

2007-02-07T21:01:00.000-06:00

This is the maestro for the opera...except not. I happen to think the maestro looks and sounds like David Sedaris.

That's all I can say about him.

Now I'm watching LOST, and all I can say about that is it better kick ass, or I will be one dissatisfied customer. I'll start singing the praises of Heroes.

The one bad thing I can say about Heroes is that there's this black guy on the show, and he's a Haitian. Everyone on the show calls him "the Haitian." This would be totally cool with me, except that most people on the show who've seen him, only see him. He doesn't talk. That's his "thing." So, in the real world, they would just be calling him the creepy black dude that never says anything, but of course, that's politically incorrect.

Second time around

2007-02-02T19:45:00.000-06:00

Crap! I am sick again! This time it's just a head cold, but I swear to God, if this cold bug were a real person I would kill it. Probably bludgeon it with a hammer. That sounds adequate.

In other news, my parents bought a Mac computer. Quite frankly, I'm slightly disappointed in their decision making. I'm a PC user, even though my computer is a piece of crap. Every time I download an episode of Heroes (yeah, I'm super hooked) off of iTunes, my computer freaks out when it's time to finalize the download.

Oh yeah, and it's really cold outside. Anyone notice?

And the Super Bowl...or Ueber Schuesell...Yeah, I don't care about that really. I was going to watch it with the kids on the second floor, but they're jack-asses and didn't pay their gas bill for 6 months, so the gas company finally turned their heat off, and they can't get it turned back on until Wednesday. There's no way I'm going to freeze my ass off there for a few hours, even if they do have cable and a bigger TV than we do. To me, heat is more important, which is the very reason why we never got cable.

XXX

2007-01-24T21:10:00.000-06:00

Oh my god. Probably the most funny thing happened!

Picture this:

Me, Jessa, and three teenage gays on our furry couch. We're watching the first season of Queer as Folk on DVD, and some lesbians at a party come on screen. One lesbian is married with baby, the other is single, wild, and saying that she is "PC." That of course means "Performs Cunnilingus."

Jessa and I look at each other, and there's a silence from the couch crowd. Then one of the gays say, "Wait. What? What does PC mean?"

Me and Jessa:"Performs...You know..."

Gays: "No. What? Performs what?"

Me and J:"...Cunnilingus..."

Gays: "What's that?"

Me and J: "Oh my god. You don't know what that is!?!?!?"

Gay 1: "Something about vagina?"

Me and J: "Oh god. This is weird."

Jessa: "Well you know what Fellatio is, right?"

Gay 2: "Yeah..."

[silence]

Gay 3: "Oh! So it's, eating out? Right?"

This only proves that gay boys, no matter how old, are still just boys, and don't know EVERYTHING yet. Not that they need to know about that kind of thing, exactly... Well, it's still funny to me...

Poll time!!!

2007-01-23T18:39:00.000-06:00

Some of you may shake your head, thinking how bad you want to be in my position. But I have a serious dilemma on my hands.

Here's the deal. So, you all know I'm going to Wales. Really really exciting. But now, I'm also seriously considering not going home right away. Maybe heading to Germany for a week...Just like Sarah, I'm having some huge wanderlust issues. And since I'm taking German this year, I thought about trying it out.

I think I have the money to go, but I'm afraid that if I do this, I'll kill all my savings (unless my grandparents suddenly die and leave all their money to ME!!!) probably. But I'm really trying to save the majority of my church money.

Bah!!! I want to travel so bad right now. The bug has hit me HARD!!! So I need some rational people to either tell me to wait on Germany, or totally go for it while I still can.

Oh yeah, and it's a little scary, and I will probably never take advantage of this site, but it's pretty cool. Couchsurfing.com

Pissy

2007-01-21T13:04:00.000-06:00

My internet is being super slow, I'm hungry, I have a quick recording session with my A Cappella choir that I don't want to go to, I have homework to do, and to top it all off, the sermon at mass this morning was PRO-Life.

Ugh...

So I would just like to say in my most pissiest voice possible:
I hate frequent YouTube vloggers because all they do is make fun of the stupid shit on the internet like "Dick in a Box" and when I want to watch or show someone "Dick in a Box" all I can find is your shitty-ass remake of it.

IT WAS FUNNY THE FIRST TIME! I DON'T NEED TO SEE YOU DO IT TOO. THANK-YOU!!!

For all you wondering

2007-01-18T19:47:00.000-06:00

For all you wondering if Middlesex is a good read: Yes it is! I highly recommend it, although I'm not finished with it yet.

I only read it because Dan kept reading bits and pieces out loud. The part about the crocus got me hooked. Jeffrey Eugenides first book, The Virgin Suicides, didn't impress me all that much. It was good, but it wasn't THAT good. You know what I mean? Mainly, it just pissed me off that it's never explained why any of the girls killed themselves. Maybe that was the point, but whatever. I like things spelled out for me. Plain and simple.

But Middlesex is much different. This has history to it. Fascinating history. And it seems like he's done his research well. The book's history spans for three generations, and a lot historically happens. It's so cool. Even if Jeff does look like a stuck up ass in his pictures.

So read it. Love it. Get back to me.

P.S. I would like to address the mysterious person who wrote "prunes" on our apartment grocery list. I want to know who you are so that I can thank you for the hysterical joke, and also ask you if you were the person who left a tiny, glittery pumpkin on our table for Thanksgiving.

P.P.S. My dear readers, none of this is a joke. Some unknown person really did write prunes our grocery list and left a glittery pumpkin. Weird shit always happens to us!

Last night

2007-01-14T17:50:00.000-06:00

Last night I had these plans of cleaning up the apartment and then leisurely reading my new book, Middlesex, and going to sleep early.

I did everything except go to bed early. Turns out I couldn't fall asleep till 4 am, and then at 8 woke up to get ready and go sing at church. Bitch! I hate not being able to sleep.

Anyway, while I was cleaning, I came up with this list of questions to ask my apartment if it could talk. Here's the list, and the answers.

Apartment, why does Martin (the landlord) hate us?
Because you're good tenants. If you were bad ones, he'd have leverage to raise the rent on you at the end of your lease.

Doesn't he have that leverage already simply because of where we live?
...Yes. Ok, Martin is just a douche bag because he has to be one. Didn't you listen to This American Life this week?

Oh yeah. Ok, well why is our apartment perpetually messy?
In buildings this old, dirt grows.

Do we have ghosts?
Probably. But I'm really not an expert on the manner. If you're talking about the footsteps that you here while you're taking a shower, that's the previous tenant who never gave his keys back. He likes to visit his old haunts.

Is that supposed to be funny?
Yeah, it was. Guess it didn't work.

You are so retarded, apartment. Will you just please stop shifting around? I'm so tired of the slanted walls and ceiling and floors. Nothing about you is level. That's so not cool. I'll live in you for as long as I can, but once I'm gone, I'm gone forever. Aufwiedersen Baby!
That's what they all say.

God, apartment, you're just as douchey as Martin. I don't think I want to talk to you anymore.

Dr. P

2007-01-10T03:01:00.000-06:00

As some of you may know, my choir director last year went to Georgia last year, on a Fulbright.

This quarter, we are singing mostly Georgian folk music, which is super great because we get to sing as loud as we want.
But mainly my point of the story is that Dr. P normally gives us bites of wisdom about Georgian culture, and how cool and quirky the people are.
Today, we learned about Georgian dance. Dr. P tried very hard to demonstrate both traditional male and female dance. Personally, I thought he did a fine job, especially after spending 5 seconds on YouTube and saw this video!!!

Dr. P described these dances to the T!!! Including the creepy ladies with long dresses and wavy arms. Oh yeah, and men, don't forget to chuck your daggers by your side.

Goddamn Dr. P is so cool!!!

Resolutions...

2007-01-10T00:59:00.000-06:00

Dan and I made a New Year's resolution that we weren't going to eat out this month...I haven't been doing so well at it. So far, I've been to two restaurants, and the student center a couple of times...At first I wasn't counting student center food as "going out," but considering I've only eaten shit when I was there, I think it does now.

I haven't done much work this week, which is bad, because I have a lot of practicing to do. This whole singing thing is becoming a drag. Since I didn't practice tonight or Monday, I'll at least clean up my room right after I'm done typing this blog entry, and then practice in the morning, like I should do every day. Yeah.

As a side note, I would just like to add that I love it when people reference NPR. It is the one, true radio station. Anyone who listens to NPR is smart. I am one of these people. I am smart because I listen to NPR.

Not that you care

2007-01-05T19:42:00.000-06:00

I did some tidying with my template. Thought about changing it, but as much as I wish I was, I'm just not talented in that area. Besides, all the templates on blogskins.com are far too...original for me to pass off as my own.

I took away some band sites, and I added a few. I also added some of the websites that I've been frequenting. I'm in a German groove, if you can't tell.

PS. I have a new German teacher this quarter and he is a CUTIE!!! This could be a difficult class to get through with him around all the time. But who knows, maybe he'll be a complete jack-ass and I'll hate his guts. He did do the typical DePaul professor line, "I got my PH.d at Northwestern University...blah blah blah." But he lived and studied in Berlin for five years, and his voice just sounds so warm and friendly. He could definitely be a day-time TV star.

Wish I had this weekend off, but I don't. DePaul Acappella Choir has me working my but off tomorrow, and Sunday is church day. [General Grumbling]

Speaking of DAC...did I mention that we're going to Wales this summer? I am so excited! We're competing in some international chorus competition/festival. It's going to eat a big portion of my savings, but oh will it be fun. I seriously think I'm going to have a hard time coming back to the States.

There will be much more posting about Wales. I have a feeling that from now on, the choir is just going to sleep, eat, and breath for the competition. Wales. Wales. Wales. We will win at Wales...

Just Kiddin...

2007-01-03T22:35:00.000-06:00

Hahahahahahahahahaha.

I went to the hospital today. Took an ambulance and everything.

This morning, I thought I was having an asthma attack because my throat got all tight and I felt like I couldn't breath. The paramedics thought I was having an allergic reaction or a panic attack, but I wasn't. Although, I suppose I could have been since I didn't really want to go back to school...But that's not why I couldn't breath, I swear! Anyway, my lungs were fine and so was my blood-oxygen level saturation...thing.

I learned a new term today. When someone is "tacky," it doesn't just mean that they're wearing a bad shirt, it means their heart is beating fast. So when they took my pulse, I was tacky. Cool huh?

Anyway, it wasn't an asthma attack. I just have a throat infection. Got my antibiotics plus steroids. And I am A-OK. So stop worrying about me, please.

Oh yeah, and my doctors name was Dr. Frederic Fishman. I thought it was funny.

So, now I really have to go back to school. Yuck!

Liebe auf den ersten Blick

2007-01-02T12:48:00.000-06:00

I have a new love in my life. His name is Ubel Knubel.

Watch him, and you'll love him too.

Update

2007-01-02T11:34:00.000-06:00

Christmas was fun.

New Year's was hilarious.

I gave my boyfriend whatever viral infection I had that left me with no voice for five days, and now I have it back again.

Watch out for this stuff. It is killer!

Oh yeah, I start school tomorrow, too. BOO!!!!

Clean.

2006-12-19T23:12:00.000-06:00

I used to hate my dad because about once every two months, he'd go ballistic and clean the entire house, including our bedrooms. Dad cleaning your bedroom is not a good thing because it means you're stuck with him in your room for 45 minutes while he's vacuuming and you're dusting and he's usually mad about some stupid shit, but won't speak to you, or anyone for that matter, and then when he leaves, the room smells like windex and you can finally breathe again.

But now that I have my own place, I find myself doing the EXACT SAME THING!!!

I've been meaning to clean the apartment for a week now, but didn't get around to it until today. It pretty much looks immaculate around here...except for my bedroom. For some reason, cleaning up my 11 x 10 room is like pulling teeth. And all I really have to do is put my clothes away or in the laundry basket. Yet, I still wait for the very last minute to do anything about it. I have to make sure I have a movie to watch (tonight it will actually be the Sopranos 5th season, disc 3 and 4). Really, it should only take me 3o minutes tops to put everything away and straighten it up, but because I have to watch a movie while doing this, it will probably take me 2 hours.

Yeah. I know I'm weird.

And I still have no voice. I'm getting a little nervous.

Craaap...

2006-12-18T23:24:00.000-06:00

You know what the worst feeling in the world is for a singer? Losing her VOICE!

I get this about twice a year. First it starts in the nose and throat. Gotta love that post-nasal drip. Then it settles in the throat for a few days (which is its current state), after that, it turns into a lovely chest cough. At least then I can talk and sing. It's really funny to hear me squeak like a 6th grade clarinet player.

This...thing has its perks. I get the right to just chill out and watch the 5th season of the Sopranos.

It doesn't help that I have to sing everyday this week. But I'm raking in the dough!!! Yesterday I had to sing at 2 masses ($195 total), a rehearsal this evening ($30), practice with a church in the burbs (gratis) tomorrow, Wednesday another church rehearsal ($30), Thursday is a performance in the burbs, Friday and Saturday I have off, but Sunday is marathon singing day because it's Christmas Eve. Not sure how much I'll make off of that puppy, but it will at least be $140.

Everything I once said about Catholics I take back. They pay me well, and for that, I thank God.

BURRRP!!!!

2006-12-13T01:08:00.000-06:00

I'm not sober right now. It feels nice. Break has been nice. Very few responsibilities, lots of sitting around with Dan, Alex, or Jessa, eating whenever and whatever I want, catching up on a lot of Maury episodes.

And that's all I really wanted to say...

Underachievers please try harder

2006-12-11T22:10:00.000-06:00

Vote for Raymi. Wooo!

Raymi doesn't really know who I am. I'm very ok with that. She's a very busy lady, and doesn't need to be bothered by pathetic adoring fans like me. I think she's seen this site once because I stole her Scissor Sisters music video idea and she caught me.

But since she wants her readers to publicize her like no other, I thought I would step up and show my support which has been silent until now.

This is why I think Raymi is too cool for school and why you should vote for her for best diarist.

She shows her boobs, and I think that's really cool in a very non-lesbian way. If I had the balls to show off my tits on the internet, I totally would. And I don't think she shows them off to get more hits. She has it, so she shows it. It's fun for everyone.
Raymi posts several times a day. When I'm bored, I know that Raymi will be there for me with an update. And it will be funny. Even if there's not an update, her side bar has so much shit to click on, it will easily distract you for the hour that it will take for her to write another post.
I think she's way cooler than Bunny
She's Canadian.
I live vicariously through her. She's the bad ass that I'll never be, but oh so wish that I could.

So just click on the link and vote for her. It will make us all happy.

In closing, I would like to dedicate the first verse lyrics to a Camera Obscura song, "Suspended from Class."

You’re such a beautiful writer

that’s not all you are
I’m sorry about making a pass
It was subtle but I think that you grasped
The meaning intended
I can be a friend to you
I won’t pretend
I’m not interested in breaking a heart
It’s not love no it’s nothing like that
I’ll leave that to lookers like him
Oh he’s such a delicate thing
Now it’s such a fragile thing that we have

And the mealy worms in the pyre will burn

2006-12-09T16:13:00.000-06:00

I've been burning things lately. Not food. Objects. Nothing living. It's not like I throw Vish in there. (He's the turtle we're babysitting and will probably never return.) I watch these things go up in flames. Some things I that incinerated I thought would make me feel sad. But it didn't. I felt so detached from them. But now that I've started, I can't stop the burning. There are a few things left, but if I did burn, I'd probably burn in hell or some shit like that.

Went to Arizona last weekend with my sister. That was fun, but Sister Golden Hair missed the first snow day in five years. We were both a little sad. Weather in AZ is always nice, though. My cousin bought a Nintendo Wii system that he let us play for five minutes. Fortunately, neither of us threw the controller at the TV set. Saw all the relatives that I've managed to avoid for the past two years plus. But all of this was ok, because it was just me and my sister. We didn't have to share a bed or spend countless hours with relatives we don't particularly care for. It's all about moderation.

I'm on break now. YAY! But I have all these singing jobs here in Chicago. Woe is me! Actually, it's very nice to have these little jobs, not only for the holiday cash, but it's an awesome excuse not to go home to the suburbs, which my parents still expect me to do. I know Christmas isn't very far away, and I'll spend lots of time with them then, but it's the second week of December. I want to have a little fun. And it has been fun...For me and Dan...Haven't seen too much of my roommates though. That's my fault. The other night, I missed probably one of the funniest moments of this apartment. I wasn't there, so I really shouldn't tell the story, but I suggest you ask Alex about this guy named Dominic and his sleeping habits.

I kept telling myself I was going to go Christmas shopping today. That didn't work out so well. Maybe I'll join the shopping online phenomenon. It's just too cold to go outside today, and I was out and about all day yesterday buying shit for Dan. He is now the proud owner of a $100 pair of shoes. In our defense, they look bad-ass, or at least I think so. I told him that he has to wear the shoes every time he's around me, like the nasty sweater your grandma knits for you for Christmas and you have to wear at least once around her and probably immortalize the ugliness in some embarrassing family photo too.

I think that's all for now. It's dark in my apartment, and I'm all alone. Dan's at work and my roommates are MIA. I should take a shower and do something with my wasted day.

TODAY IS A GOOD DAY FOR DEMOCRATS!!!

2006-11-08T17:03:00.000-06:00

These are the words that I woke up to this morning. And I gotta tell you, it is a good day. I haven't been excited about politics in a long time. Nanci Pelosi is everywhere, and I cannot tell you who excited I am to have her as the new Speaker of the House. As my mom said this afternoon: From a selfish point of view, with Denny out of the job, we won't see the money to my home town like we used to. But with Nanci in the house, God, I hope she kicks some serious ass. Doesn't it look like she could beat you up with just the touch of her wagging finger.
Oh yeah, and it's just really cool to have a women third in line. Eat THAT Condi!!!
PLUS!!! Say goodbye to Rummy Rumsfeld. THANK GOD! Who knows if the next guy will be any better, but the times are finally changing. No more stagnant waters.
And I'm not just excited about the Dems taking the House. This is about the people making a change. We will not take this radical, partisan bullshit. We will not let old men who make laws for their own benefit and steal money that's not theirs, and keep creepy pedophiles around.
PS. Tammy Duckworth should have won.

In other news...

YOU SUCK CTA!!! YOU ARE ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS ON THE WEEKENDS!!! AND THE WORST PART IS, YOU DON'T EVEN CARE HOW MUCH YOU SUCK! I WANT TO GO TWO MILES NORTHWEST ON A SUNDAY MORNING SO THAT I CAN SING AT CHURCH, BUT NO! YOUR BROWN LINE HAS TO HAVE 1/2 HOUR SPAN IN BETWEEN TRAINS. OR WHAT ABOUT THE TIME I WAS TRYING TO GO TO DAN'S PLACE AT AROUND MIDNIGHT, AND I WAITED FOR AN HOUR!!!! FOR A REDLINE HEADING SOUTH TO THE LOOP. BOB SAGGOT!!!
Get your act together, CTA. It's pathetic. You're worthless than the dirt on a drunk bum on a red line heading south at one in the morning.

Last Week

2006-11-05T22:10:00.000-06:00

It's a little late to be talking about Halloween, I know, but it's worth writing about, I guess.
Dan and I decided the night before that we were going to go as Geishas. The original plan was to dress in each other's clothing, but Dan didn't fit into any of my dresses. Fatty...
So we actually bought kimonos, the belts, plus geisha wigs at a thrift store called Ragstock (it's a pretty bitchin place, I must say). I bought the makeup at Wags, and we were in business.

If the party we went to had a best costume award, we would have won.
We brought our own G&G's and had a good time listening to the host's outdated, gay music. The highlight of the night was definitely dancing to the Bee Gee's "Stayin' Alive."

This is what we looked like after the party at Taco Burrito Palace. I was a little burned out... Thanks for the picture, Alex.

This is another favorite photo of mine. They dubbed themselves "The Tan Clan." The Reno 911 cops are Chelsea and Jeremy, an awesome couple who helped host the party. The guy in the middle is Joey. Joey is Hitler, if you can't tell.

It was a great night. The party was a floor below us, so we didn't have to travel in the cold with our costumes on. YAY! And apparently it's tradition for that specific unit to have a party on Halloween. If they move out next year, I suppose Alex and I will have to host it.

I went to another party this weekend as well. It was Nathalie's Bon Anniversaire Party. There were pastries all over her apartment, because that's how Nathalie wanted it, just like in Marie Antoinette. "All they did was drink champaign and eat pastries. I love it!"
PS. Nathalie is from Paris.

I haven't posted pictures from that event, but I will soon. The champaign fountain was quite impressive.

Hopefully posting will be a little more frequent. The student production is over with, and I just have a small A Cappella concert on Wednesday. But finals are just around the corner. Ugh!

Stole it!

2006-10-25T01:27:00.000-05:00

I stole this one from Raymi, but I kinda think all good things are stolen from her.

Watch Alex and me dance like fools!

Mamma's got a brand-new job

2006-10-24T20:39:00.000-05:00

I heart my new job. Tonight was my first night. What I do is call perspective voice students that are considering DePaul. I have a little script (one for each possible scenario ex: answering machine) that gets me started. It wears my voice out a little and I have a TON of singers to call, but I know that I'll never get tired of the job.

Already, I had two interesting phone calls. The first was a mom with a British accent, and when I asked for her daughter, she proclaims loudly, "She's already in college! We keep getting calls and letters from schools. She's 17 but she goes to blah blah blah college. See, she went to school in England and then when we got here, we bumped her up some grades..."
Even when I was 17, I don't think I was prepared to study voice at the college level...
Well, good for her, I guess.

The most bizarre call of the night goes to some girl in New Jersey. Her father answered answered the phone with the TV blaring in the background. It takes him at least a minute to get his daughter to pick up the phone, long enough for me to hear what was on the television.
"Get on the Ground....Cuff yourself....Get the DRUGS!!!....You killed my brother!"
Man, what ever he was watching sounded intense...No wonder why his daughter sounded clueless. She was the only one less than enthused to talk to me. I hope she goes to community college.

Psst...Listen! The Heavens are telling!

2006-10-23T20:24:00.000-05:00

They sure don't write 'em like they used to...

LISTEN!!!

Although, this comes close...

LISTEN!!!

Click on "A Boy and a Girl," on the left-hand-side marquee and turn off that STUPID rain effect underneath it. It doesn't play the song in its entirity, but check out his MySpace (I CANNOT believe Eric Whitacre has a MySpace!!!) page and you can. Eric Whitacre...
Both sites are pretty cool. And may I add that the gentleman is quite a handsome fellow...

Weekend Update

2006-10-22T23:23:00.000-05:00

Holy CRAP!!!
Senator Obama said he MAY run for el presidente!!! in 2008!!! That makes my day! I would much rather have him in office than Hillary or Kerry.

Quick Weekend Update:

Friday- Went back to the suburbs for a total of 2 hours because SOMEONE just had to get yet another bladder infection and go to the doctor to get an antibiotic perscription. I hadn't had one in a couple months, and I got excited thinking that they would be a thing of the past. But I was very wrong. Boo!

Saturday- Latino Concert at St. James Cathedral. Got there at two, waited around till three to do a quick acoustic check, waited around another two hours, sang our set, then premiered "Cantico" by Gustavo Leone from Columbia college.
After the concert, our choir director treated us to Emilio's Tapas to continue the Hispanic theme of the evening. I probably ate the equivalent of a small child and racked up a tab well into the smaller 100's. Granted, there were about 14 of us.

Sunday- Went to Chinese church with Dan to make sure his Nai Nai and Yei yei (grandma and grandpa) were ok. He had two disturbing dreams about their well-being the previous night, and I agreed to come with him to the suburbs to go to church and check up on them. They made me sing (fortunately NOT in Cantonese) a hymn, which was fine. In return, I scored major points with the relatives AND Nai Nai made us a boat-load of pork and leek dumplings. HEAVEN....

Upcoming Events:

I have a choir concert this week. It's Thursday evening. If you're interested let me know and I'll tell you when and where. No worries, it's free. They're always free. And no, I do not have a solo. Good music though.

And for something completely different:

Dan's band, The FIBS, has a Myspace website. If you're into that kind of thing (MySpace, I mean), then check them out at www.myspace.com/fibsmusic. I know I'm the girlfriend and shouldn't be saying things like this, but don't listen to "Sid."

AND...

I know that some of my readers have some pretty shitty home-lives right now, and I want you to know that if you ever want to talk or need a place to go to, I'm sincerely here for you. I can't give much advice, but I'll listen. And in extreme circumstances, I'll loan out my couch.

Something to write about

2006-10-19T17:28:00.000-05:00

Finally, I have something to write about.

But before I write anything, I will not tolerate any comments that try to boost my self esteem. Such as: Oh, but Di, don't get down on yourself. You're the greatest singer in the world.

The past two weeks...well, really this entire summer, I've been disappointed in my singing performances. My technique was sloppy, I knew I was doing something wrong because it hurt, and singing at the catholic church (which was only temporary btw. Once the girl came back, I got the boot, which was kinda contrary to what the music director was saying...) only hurt my ego more. My sight reading is OK despite what everyone thinks, and my first voice lesson back at school was more like a kick in the stomach than a new start to the school year.

Midterms have passed and I'm feeling better about things. My lessons are going more smoothly, and I'm singing literature I actually like (no more of this Renaissance, early Baroque crap!), but none of that got me a role in the Winter production of the Merry Widow. I will never get used to rejection, don't let people tell you otherwise. It hurts every time. The worst part is that the two other girls my age who study with the same teacher as I do got parts. One even got a major role and she's not even a performance major!

Yeah, I'm jealous of them, but they're my best girlfriends at DePaul, so I hold no silly grudges against them. They're going to be great.

But where does that leave me?

Stuck. Stuck singing my precious Bach and Handel arias with some smatterings of cutesy Schubert and Wolf lieder. And this is my voice. My voice can sing those arias with ease. But the great dramatic coloratura literature which I'm convinced that I can sing and impress people with and have done many times before, is apparently beyond my grasp. And because of this, I feel betrayed.

I cannot change my voice. It's a part of me. It's my personality and my body. My brain thinks/wants to do all the famous arias that people like, but my voice isn't ready for that. Maybe someday, I can. But someday is too far away, especially when I want to be on stage now. Waiting sucks, especially when your peers fly past you. It really hurts the ego.

Someone once said...

2006-08-14T12:30:00.000-05:00

Someone once said that this blog was good-and-all, but it lacked commentary on my real life. That is very true. This blog was created during an interesting point in my life; I was in my first year of college, busy with school, and severely struggling with my wits after a "fall-out"/disaster with a close friend.

I didn't really have any blogging material. My mind was on school, this "disastrous" relationship, and my new relationship, none of which I could deem as appropriate or entertaining blogging material.

But I would have to say that right now I'm comfortable with my position in life. My first year at school went well, and I'm looking forward to next year. I have a new apartment, and despite a recent spat with my roommate, things are well there. My boyfriend is getting an apartment in the city soon, as well as going to a real college, so he won't have to take METRA all the time.

I do not feel as though I have shed my old life only to find a brighter, shiner, new one. My past will always be with me, for good or for bad. My hometown will always be home, and I always look forward to seeing old friends.

Pedestrian Rage?

2006-08-09T16:18:00.000-05:00

It is a well known fact that I do not own a vehicle because of a car accident I had almost a year ago. Yeah, the family got a new Saturn, but I hardly drive it. Besides, it doesn't have a name. My car did have a name. Jonsi. I miss you buddy.

Anyway, since that time, I went to school. Blah blah blah. Even now that it's summer, I still don't drive much because I live in the city. But my point is, that certain antsy-ness and swearing and hexing when I'm driving when a car is going too slow or doing something stupid didn't go away. The same anger is now focused on pedestrians (usually suburbanites or tourists, but not always) doing stupid things.

Por ejemplo: A few days ago, I was walking home and heading towards one of those plywood walls/scaffolding that the city of Chicago likes to put EVERYWHERE!!! when building something new. Well, it's very hard to pass people when walking underneath such a thing, especially when a particular person with a particularly annoying child, big stroller, and wide ass stop in the middle of it to do God knows what.

"Excuse me, ma'am. Not only is your child being a douche, but your wide truck load of a body is in my way. Whatever you are doing at this moment cannot be more important than me getting home to my apartment. Thank-you."

Of course, only when I patted the child on the head to move it out of my way did I think of what to say to the woman. In other words, I didn't say anything at all.

Here's an update for you biznatches!

2006-07-14T17:32:00.000-05:00

As most of my readers (who are mostly my friends) know, I moved into my new, city apartment, and that has kept me very busy ever since I got out of school. It's a nice place. You should definitely check Alex's photos and check the place out. Or, better yet, you can always stop by. I can't guarantee that one of us will be there, since we continually find ourselves going back to the suburbs, but it's always worth a try, right? We definitely don't have internet set up yet, it's on my list of things to do. So...If you want to reach me, call me.

Other than that, I've been watching the Limelight productions this year. Kudos to all involved. You did a great job! And I've also been singing quite a bit for the Catholic parish who pays me. YAY!!! The regular pay blows, especially when they take $20 bucks out for taxes, but the weddings and funerals are grand. $100 a pop. Can't go wrong, but I need more of those easy gigs.

I just want you guys to know that if I ever start updating regularly again, be prepared for something big. I want to be as cool and as popular as Raymi, but in my own way.

Hope everyone has a great summer. I love you all!

Mission Accomplished

2006-06-09T22:31:00.000-05:00

I completed my first year of college.

I can't decide if the year went by quickly, or dreadfully slow.

No. I know what it was. The year went by in an instant, but once people started coming home from their first year of college, I wanted to see them, but couldn't because I was busy or didn't have time to come home and see friends. No one came to visit me either...

But now...Now that it's all said and done with for good until September and all my stuff is out of my dorm and in my family's mini-van, I still can't come home because I was foolish and decided to do a singing gig tomorrow and Sunday. Actually, the Sunday gig is my job now. I sing at St. Josaphat's parish in Lincoln Park. It's kinda weird because it's Catholic and I clearly am NOT, and I just read the Da Vinci code and all I can think when the padre talks is LIAR LIAR Robes on fire!

My room reminds me of a padded cell, it's so empty.

All my college friends are gone. Husband is working. Computer gone (I'm typing this at the Student Center), music gone, books gone, dvds gone, camera gone. I had to pack light because they're kicking everyone out of the dorms tomorrow at noon, and I'll be stuck living on the streets with only a duffel bag...Ok, clearly you all know I do have a place to stay, but I definitely feel like a vagrant, especially with only a squish pillow and bedsheet to sleep with tonight.

And yet, though everything and everyone are gone, I would rather be by myself. My roommate is still around and I know she probably wants me to hang out with her tonight because it's our last night living together...but...well, tonight just seems like a solemn, windy night. A perfect night for flying.

VICTIM!

2006-06-01T19:18:00.000-05:00

I had a less than pleasant dream the other night. I don't ever want to walk home by myself again.

It was dark outside, and I was walking through the quad by myself. There's a particular corner that I have to round in order to get to my dorm. This corner scares the living daylights out of me because there are big trees and bushes that someone could easily hide in, and you wouldn't know they were there until they pounce on you. Well, no one was in the bushes, but there was some shady looking guy on a bike around that same corner. He startled me, but what scared me more were his words.

"Victim. You're gonna be a victim."

Then he pulled out his gun.

At this point, I was on my knees. I knew that if I didn't do as he said, I would be killed. He told me to stand up. But I didn't stand because he was going to do something terrible to me if I did. I chose my dignity over my life.

"Have it your way."

He pointed the gun at my head and everything went white.

Hindi grlz dig Hip-Hop PLUS Grandparents do the Darndest things!

2006-05-21T20:53:00.000-05:00

For the past three weekends, I have found myself going home, but not because I'm homesick. 2 weeks ago, there was a family crisis and I wanted to be there. Last week was Mother's Day, and this weekend was my best Indian friend's belated birthday party.

I am no stranger to being the only white girl at a party because of my dearest friend, but I enjoy it immensely despite extreme awkwardness. Usually, I say the words for them. "Silly white girl don't know nothin." Which is 100% true, and that's why at Indian social events, I take a step back, watch my friend do her chit-chatting, and observe everyone else. Occasionally, I'll pique someone's interest and they'll ask me a few questions. If I'm with my friend's family, they always ask about my singing or dancing. The things that stick in peoples' heads...

But this desi party was different. None of my friend's family was present. All the attendees (most of which arrived 2 1/2 hours late) were newly made college friends. So all the girls were young and spoke English to each other and not just out of politeness for me. These girls loved to put their hair down, and quite literally. Most of them wore hijabs (the scarf that Muslim women wear to cover their hair and neck) and for many of the girls, it was their first time seeing each other's hair.

What I found most interesting, though, was their music selection. I have come to realize that my friend's love of Bollywood music is not shared with the rest of her demograph. Everyone wanted to listen to hip-hop. I kid you not! Sean Paul seemed to be the favorite with his hit single "Temperature." Not only did they love listening to this music, but in true desi fashion, they loved dancing to it too. By far, the most impressive dancer was an eighth grader from Lombard who could do everything from the worm to sultry hip checks straight from a Shakira music video. I probably got along with her best out of all the girls. Unfortunately, I can't remember her name. But that's not surprising considering I can't remember anyone's name at Indian gatherings.

When my parents found out that I was going to this party, they told me I couldn't take the train back to Chi-town, which I didn't fuss about too much because Adams and Jackson street get uber-creepy and quiet after dark and they are the only streets to get to the nearest El station.
So last night I slept in my own bed. Yay! And this morning, I went to church with Xingmao and his family, followed by a delicious Cantonese feast. Things would have been perfect if Grandpa Wat hadn't thrown up at the table several times and insisted that he was fine. He's ninety, maybe older, and his swallowing mechanism wasn't working properly (or so the family told me).
Oh man did that freak me out.

Because Xingmao subjected me to his family, I decided I wanted to visit my grandparents who were not too far away. Again, the experience would have been really nice if grandpa hadn't hit Xingmao's car! Fortunately, my grandpa hits cars all the time and is well accustomed to shelling out the dough to fix the damage.

It's been an interesting weekend.

Screw TGIF!

2006-05-19T18:03:00.000-05:00

I hate Fridays, especially this Friday and the Fridays to come.

Fridays are now my busiest day of the week. From 8:30 am-5:30 pm I am at school with less than half an hour to eat lunch.

Do I want sympathy? Hell Yes! No one else has this schedule but me, and I don't think it's fair.

Actually, I've gotten used to it, except for one thing: I spend all my time and energy at school on Friday, and then Friday night I have nothing to do because I am too tired to answer the phone when a friend.

I don't want to be the grumpy old lady on a Friday night, yet I choose to be. Where's the sense in that? I don't know.

All of these emotions are actually brought on by the fact that according to Stanislavski, I am not an artist and never will be even if I can sing pretty and try really hard. Thus, I am depressed and grumpy and have a hatred for Jason Mraz, Twista, and Kill Hannah whose music is blaring on the quad right now thanks to the DePaul Activity board and something they like to call Fest.

I need to get out of here.

big breath

2006-05-10T19:12:00.000-05:00

Well...I'm a big girl now. I just signed my first lease for an apartment.
Wow...
Wow...
I move in July 1. So it's a little later than I had originally planned. But that's ok. Things are going to be awesome. Basically, we're living in a complex filled musicians, namely singers. Haha. It's going to be an interesting year. But I'm soooo excited. Everything is finally happening and falling into place. Just so you know, Alex and (hopefully) Paulina and I will have the best apartment in the world. During breaks, we're going to have you all over. Sweet...

Compliments to hubby Alex

EDIT:
Oh yeah, forgot to mention this. Paulina is my sweet mate suite mate in my current dorm. She's pretty much one of the coolest people I've met since I've been here. Not a music kid, but still really cool because she's undeclared and pretty much likes all the bands I like. Actually, she went with Alex and I to the Sigur Ros concert last night, which was pretty amazing. I'll have to write about that tomorrow because there's a lot to write on that subject as well.

Pretty Girls Make Metro Bouncer Mad

2006-05-07T22:25:00.000-05:00

Sad story.

On Friday, the boy and I went to the Metro to see Pretty Girls Make Graves. He really likes them, and I think they're decent, although I don't know their music all too well.

Long story short: We got kicked out before the show even started because a bitchy, pretty boy bouncer saw me take a few sips from Dan's beer with no pretty green wristband on. No different from any other time I've been to a concert. We weren't making a scene or being out of control. Honest to God I only had a few sips. But, the bouncer wasn't budging or making any deals. I offered to leave and go home so Dan could stay and enjoy the show (mostly because it didn't mean that much to me anyway), but he refused, and we walked home in silence.

What happened to the good old days of the Metro? When people could drink and smoke and have a good time listening to good music? Sigh...

To make myself feel better for getting us kicked out, I decided that whoever this pathetic, must-stick-to-all-the-rules bouncer was just dumped by his girlfriend and in order to make himself feel important again, he picked on a cute girl who looked similar to his ex.

Well bouncer, I hope you do feel better for picking on a little girl like me who would never do anyone harm unlike a big black man on crack who would no doubt kick the bejesus out of you if you ever tried to kick him out. Way to go, man!

you know my pick-pocket days are over

2006-04-30T11:34:00.000-05:00

The days when I took whatever flyer or pamphlet came my way have now ended.

Last night, I was on the L with my husband Alex and my friend Matt. We were talking about typical gay things when a black man sitting behind us stood up and offered us his card. Of course, I can't say no to any free thing. It was for a church and the black man started to testify. We were silent and non-responsive.

"The Lord showed me the way on November 23 when I tried to kill myself. My wife had left me and took my son. I started drinking and doing the drugs and the lord showed me how I was doing the devils work. He also showed me how the devil killed the people that I loved. Especially my mother. Whew. You know he loves you and you and you."

"So...anyway...who was this guy that you had oral sex with for four hours Matt?"

One week

2006-04-29T17:36:00.000-05:00

Tomorrow will mark one week since my roommate's boyfriend has NOT stepped foot in our room.

Yay!!!

Let's just say when I got home from the NP concert last week, I finally put my foot down.

Unfortunately, I cannot tell all the details on this blog, for it would be in bad taste. But if you want to know the whole story, you can e-mail me.

reform now!

2006-04-27T22:35:00.000-05:00

Whoever thought that quarter schedules was a good idea should be shot.
Having 3 midterms and 3 finals a year really sucks. Again, I'm having a ridiculously hard midterm in my Musicianship class. Ok, I know I complain about this class every time I have a test, but I swear to Allah, that these tests are ridiculously hard and ambiguous. And it's not like I can even try and study ahead of time because for 4-5 weeks it seems like we're studying one thing, and then the day before the test, he gives us a practice exam, and it may as well be a completely different chapter. Then the one day you have to study, you're forced to guess what's really important to study because the real exam isn't even remotely close to the practice one. AHHHH! The man is a genius, and because of a peculiar incident, I'm even convinced he's psychic or has super-natural powers. But my god, man. Can you give us a break? None of us are going to remember this stuff unless we're going to study Musicology. Yes, this is the top class, and I feel honored to be even in it, considering I never took AP Music Theory in high school, but this stuff literally makes me want to kill myself. Next year is supposed to be even harder. GROAN...

In other news, I want to be a Chimera (either mythological creature or crazy medical condition!)

a champ's breakfast

2006-04-26T11:22:00.000-05:00

This morning, I carried a box of Cracklin' Oat Bran with me to school. Most people's response was, "Cracklin Oat Bran? Sweet."
To which I replied, "Hell Yeah."

No doubt about it. Cracklin' Oat Bran is the best stuff out there. Forget Wheaties, forget Lucky Charms. Cracklin Oat Bran is king!

Buzznet RAWKS!

2006-04-23T00:03:00.000-05:00

Check out my Buzznet site for a documented trip to lousy Evanston to see a concert on a whim!

Watch me Watchmen

2006-04-05T16:59:00.000-05:00

Watching the movie V for Vendetta rekindled my interest in comic books, so I decided to read The Watchmen. Fortunately, I found it at the library and didn't have to drop anymore money on the special edition that book stores only seem to be selling these days.
So, the past week or so, I've been toting around the bright yellow book, and the responses I got all in one day were astounding! Within the course of an hour, three men, (one gay, one black, and one very scrawny white boy), came up to me and said, "You're reading the Watchmen? That's awesome." We would then have other mini-conversations about other comic books we've read.
I finished the comic the other day, and I must say it's quite good, not my favorite though. But there's something very interesting about the graphic novels concept and how people respond to it. I'll try to explain without giving away the ending. There's one character whose goal is to unite the entire world, and in a way, those who have read the book are united. Even though this character is completely fictional, his achievements are almost carried on, in a way. Sorta. It made sense a minute ago. Oh well. Maybe some people know what I'm talking about.

Anyway, I had forgotten how much I love to read. I'm excited about a book I have to read for English, Twighlight of the Ice. It's about Chicago and the men who used to ice down the freight cars in the stockyards. Very interesting.
This English class is going to be really cool. I'll write more on it later, but it's all about Chicago and we get to research any Chicago related topic we want. I'm going to research Little Italy/Taylor St. I can't wait!

Look...

2006-03-26T20:59:00.000-06:00

Ok, I have to be honest with you guys. This blog, and blogging in general, just isn't working for me right now. Some things have happened that could be blogged about, but why bother? For the past couple of weeks, I've been keeping a diary of the paper and pen variety. I won't delete the blog just yet, perhaps something will strike me, hopefully not lightning, though.

Lament for Edgar

2006-03-06T20:58:00.000-06:00

Fox's captivating hit drama, 24, just killed off it's best character, Edgar. He was my favorite because he knew so much about those computer thingys. He was a hacking genius, and Chloe was his socially awkward companion. But now he's gone for good. I don't think you can revive anyone who died of a nerve gas attack.

No one cares except my brother and me, but if you ever watch the show, you too will feel my pain.

Endings, beginnings, and middles

2006-03-05T20:29:00.000-06:00

Today is my half birthday. I am 19 and 1/2.

Today, my parents have spent 30 years of their lives together.

My cousin's baby, Iris, is a year old already.

In April, I will have dated my boyfriend for a year.

In two weeks, this school quarter will be over and I will do nothing for spring break but visit my family.

I finally finished A Confederacy of Dunces. I've been reading it for several months now, but I have no idea what my next novel will be.

I've started writing a real diary, one in which I don't have to censure my thoughts. We'll see how long it lasts.

I am a new person today.

Estoy matando el tiempo

2006-02-28T13:04:00.000-06:00

I am killing the time.
My piano class was cancelled this morning/afternoon and I had plenty of time before my English, but in true Jigau style, I'm updating my blog with less than half an hour before class. Meh. It's only English, a subject that I'm beginning to loathe, mostly because of the teacher. She wastes class time like no other, and it's not the fun kind of wasting time, either, like philosophical conversations about the evils of Best Buy or Blockbuster. She reads things to us word for word off the overhead and expects us to copy it, or something. Academics at DePaul are slightly ridiculous. Today, I met a guy who is going to major in Japanese (he's white), and when I said "arigato" just for giggles, he said, "Yeah, we haven't learned that yet..." He said something else, but I tuned out. Whatever boy. Keep eating your Krispy Kremes and milk for lunch.
Well, I better go. Don't want to be late for class...

Illinois is for ice-skaters

2006-02-16T22:16:00.000-06:00

Did you know that two of the skaters on the men's Olympic ice-skating team are from Illinois? Matt Savoie is from Peoria and even got a degree in Political Science at Bradley, and Evan Lysacek is from Naperville! Woa. Too bad he's not going to get on the podium. He's super cute!

Add another item to the list of things I've lost and/or broken:
I can't find my glasses. Of all things, my glasses! Fortunately, I wear mostly contacts. But seriously, my glasses? I can't see without some sort of corrective vision, so I don't think I could have really left them somewhere and walked off without them. But I've searched my side of the room top to bottom, and they are nowhere to be seen! I'm seriously starting to consider foul-play. Number one suspect: my roomy!
I don't really think she stole them, but what else am I supposed to think? Glasses just don't grow feet and walk off.
Any ideas where to look? I've looked about everywhere, but I'm open to anything right now.

Nothing is worse than a bad lesson

2006-02-15T18:52:00.000-06:00

I just got done with my voice lesson about half an hour ago, and it SUCKED! I don't know what the deal was. My head just wasn't in the game, as they say. I had a hard time with a song that I learned last week and should have had perfected this week, but didn't, and it's time like these I kick myself for being a quick learner and having high standards.
My teacher is older, in her seventies, and she's as sharp as a butcher's knife, cuts like one too. She never says outright "You Suck!" but she has her way phrasing things in a nice manner, but upon second examination, you realize she cut you up BAAAAD!
I love talking to the other freshman girls in her studio about her and her little sayings. Like, "Don't be artsy-craftsy. Just sing!" or "Don't pussy-foot it."
She's a funny old lady, except when I have a bad lesson. You know you have a bad lesson when she doesn't say it was a good one. Now I feel like crap and want to write on a sheet of paper a hundred times over "I will never have a bad lesson again. I will not disappoint my teacher." But then there are other singers who never practice and just get away with it, like my friend Meatloaf. She even has a "famous" teacher, but she doesn't get the glare of shame. Grrrr....
Being in the School of Music sucks sometimes.

Olympic Champions

2006-02-13T16:14:00.000-06:00

Let me just start off by saying that I LOVE the Olympics. It's the only time when I feel patriotic and want my players to kick the butts of the other ones. Then again, I realize the terrible truth that we're all ethnocentric assholes, but I don't care. I'll root for team America any day. And actually, in the winter Olympics, we're the underdogs, so I don't feel bad for cheering blindly.
However, there are some things I'd like to address.

Apollo Ono, you have let fame go to your head, and for the past two winter Olympics, you have been a disappointment. You're not even that cute.

Shawn White, way 2 go, dude. Right on. But dude, what was up with Bob Costas asking you about getting more babes after winning gold? That was shady. You should have punched him out or whacked him with your medal.

Michelle Kwan, I have cheered for you from the beginning. Tara, Sarah. They are nothing. I know a guy who met Tara Lipinski on the ice after she retired and said she was a bitch. You had true grace, and I'm so sad that you're leaving. I wanted to see you beat all those little girls and show them that it's never too late to win. But that won't be happening, will it? That's a shame. You probably could have done it. And another thing, you, at least, would truly appreciate the medal. Kids burn out so quickly in that sport, but you have remained. Hell, you're only 25 and you're considered old. There's something terribly wrong with that, but I guess that's how things work in the sports world.

Despite all the pro-American ads on the TV, I still love watching the games because there is nothing more exciting than watching the top athletes of the world performing their best, including curling.

2006-02-08T22:07:00.000-06:00

Have I changed?

Well, you can certainly take your nickel back.

Malicious Mirabel

2006-02-05T02:58:00.000-06:00

Mirabel, believe it or not, is a boy's name. He used to be my floor's RA, but after tonight, I don't think I'll be seeing Mirabel anymore.
Alex and I were sitting on my bed, trying to watch Donnie Darko, but we had just watched Flightplan and probably weren't ready for another movie. Then, we hear Mirabel pounding on my suite-mate's door, drunk as all hell, yelling, "Open the door. Open the Fucking door, Bitch! Open the Fucking door, Bitch." He repeated this, over and over again. I'm very close with my suite-mate Paulina, and I know that she was not doing anything in her room that would have made Mirabel so aggressive. Plus, Paulina is a quiet girl, and had hardly ever spoken to him. I cut across the bathroom to see what was going on. She started screaming back at him, "No I don't have to open the door. This is ridiculous and disrespectful. How dare you call me that...etc." and he eventually walked away.
I give Paulina my phone to call campus public safety and she files a report. Shortly after she does this, Mirabel comes back to her door and starts pounding again. This time, he was dumb enough to talk to someone on his cell and actually admitted to being on duty. This sent Paulina over the edge, and I called public safety to file another report, and they assured me that officers were on their way.
At this point, Alex and I, plus Miranda (a friend of Paulina's) are all in Paulina's room, waiting with her for the campus cops to show up. They come, ask Paulina a few questions, and the search for a missing Mirabel began.
Now, according to Bailey, the black man that sits at the dorm's front desk late at night and can't type to save his soul, later told Alex and I that the only reason the campus cops found him was because he slipped on the ice outside while he was smoking and cracked open his head. They asked him some questions, and took him to the hospital, for both the cracked head and his blood-alcohol level (that's university protocol).
Paulina is pressing charges against him (which means that real police made their way to our dorm) because God knows what could have happened if she opened the door. I don't think she'll get very far, but Mirabel's career as an RA is OVER, which actually makes me a little sad. He was a nice guy, and other than this one incident, he'd never been mean or belligerent.
On a side note, it was a good thing that my door was locked for the reason that my roommate and her boyfriend were out in the study lounge and had no key with them...
But after Paulina screamed at Mirabel, he tried to open my door to get in.
Such drama!
Paulina is ok, though. She's a little shaken, but she'll be just fine.
And because every story must relate to me, I was excited to give my witness statement to the Chicago cop. I might get to go to court too! Yay fun!

Irresponsible? Probably

2006-01-31T18:45:00.000-06:00

Well, my camera is broken, and now my iPod has joined the ranks of broke-dom...
I'm not sure what to do. I believe it's still under its year warranty, but ALL MY MUSIC IS GONE!!!
It's ok. IT'S OK! IT'S ALL GOING TO BE OK!!!
Obviously, I'm panicking a wee bit.

In other news:
Jesse Jackson spoke at DePaul. I caught the end of it, but I'll be honest, I was a little turned off. He had everyone repeat his words, but I was told that that's just "his thing." You GO poor people!

I hate my English teacher. She wastes our class time by making us do elementary English assignments, but that might just be the fact that many of the people in my class can't write for beans. I had a meeting with her today to discuss my writings...worthless. At least she said that I could communicate clearly. Thank-you Mrs. Page.

This week is mid-terms. I'm crying inside.

Weird dreams

2006-01-22T15:47:00.000-06:00

I've been having the strangest dreams these past two nights.
The most disturbing dream occurred two nights ago. It started out with me sleeping in my bed in my dorm, and my roommate with her boyfriend in her bed on the other side of the room. Her boyfriend had to get up and leave so he started putting his clothes, only to realize he had no clean underwear. This is where things get a little fuzzy. I'm not sure if he saw a pair of my panties and decided to wear them, or if I offered them to him. No matter. He started to put them on. Now, Ashley's boyfriend is a bigger guy. He couldn't easily fit into my underwear, but in the dream, he managed to squeeze them on, and continued to taunt me. "Hey, Diana. Look, there's a crotch in your panties. How do you feel about that?"
I couldn't tell if I was laughing or crying in the dream, but I was in hysterics.

My baby is in the shop

2006-01-16T18:26:00.000-06:00

Last week, I broke my camera. It was in my backpack along with a water bottle. Later, I discovered that my bag was wet as well as my camera.
Fortunately, my mother had the smarts to buy an extended warranty, so I can get it fixed free of charge.
Well, it'll be shipped to the manufacturers tomorrow, but it'll take 4-6 weeks. That's 4-6 weeks without a camera! 4-6 weeks without new buzznet pictures! OH NO! WHAT WILL I DO WITHOUT BUZZNET?
My little camera needs lots of prayers, guys. I want it back as soon as possible, but without your help, I feel as though I'll never get it back.

So much to cover!

2006-01-12T23:36:00.000-06:00

Tyler and I met online about a year ago. He started reading my blog, and I checked his out. Then suddenly we started an e-mail correspondence that continues to this day!
He just recently moved to Chicago and we finally met up.
He met me at the "L" stop closest to him. I'd seen pictures of him before, so I knew what he looked like, but had no idea what he would sound like, which is actually what I was concerned most about, for some reason. He has a nice mellow voice. I was glad.
I wouldn't say that things were awkward between us, but things were a little quiet, but things only got better as the evening went on.
We went to a coffee place near his apartment in Andersonville. Nice place, nice atmosphere. More talking, more getting to know a person I already knew.
There will certainly be more meetings for Ty and I. Alex and I are going to take him to H&M soon and help him get some new clothes for job interviews.
Hooray for meeting people!

Ryan

2006-01-06T16:53:00.000-06:00

Ryan Barrows died today. I don't think many people in my circle know him, but he was a good kid, and certainly didn't deserve to die of cancer this morning at the age of 21.
I knew Ryan through youth group. He was kinda weird, I won't lie, but he was charming. The only way I knew how to describe him to people was that he worked at our local movie theatre forever.
We went on a missions trip together and I met his dad.
His older brother committed suicide about a year ago.
Ryan was diagnosed with cancer last year. I want to say it was a type of bone cancer. The doctors wiped out his immune system and he was in isolation for several months.
Did I mention he was 21?

Paulina's Pinch

2006-01-05T21:36:00.000-06:00

Yesterday, my sweet-mate Paulina confessed that she had a mega-crush on a waiter that works at a local pizza joint.
"I think he's anywhere between 25-28 years old. Do you think that's too old? He's really cute though. He's tall and skinny with thick, black glasses. Dark curly hair on top, but not like a Jew-fro. AND he always wears the same white t-shirt, jeans, and red converse. I really want to slip him my digits. What do you think?"
I told her to go for it. Be fearless. Bait the trap then watch him bite.
So we designated tonight as the night when Paulina gives this man her number. I told her that no matter what happened, she was going to follow through.
We brought a posse to support Paulina on her mission.
He was pretty cute, I must admit. Skinny and tall like Morrissey, but nerdy like Elvis Costello. The red converse definitely sold me.
We ordered dinner and ate it casually, occasionally sneaking glances at him. Talking about him. Giggling. Eating. I kept telling Paulina to go up to the counter and give him her number when no customers were around, but she hemmed and hawed.
"I don't think I can do it, you guys. What should I do or say? I don't know..."
"Goddamit, Paulina. You are giving him that number or I will!"
The plan was that we were going to pack up, and then on the way out, she would go up to the counter and pass the note. But then pizza-man disappeared. He resurfaced wearing a trench coat. We all started to freak out. "Paulina, it's your last chance. Do it now!"
"No, I can't do it. I can't."
He went out the door.
"Dammit Paulina. Fine. I'll do it for you."
I grabbed the number from her and ran towards the door, but at this point he had already crossed the street. One of Paulina's friend was behind me and told me to go. And I did. I ran across the street to catch him.
"Hey. Wait! Wait up!"
He turned around and I gave him the napkin with her number.
"Ummm...My friend in there thinks that you're cute, and she wants to give you her number, but she was too chicken to do it."
"Oh really? Well, I probably noticed her. Where was she sitting?"
"At the long table, closest to the counter. She's the cute one with short, straight brown hair."
"What's her name?"
"Paulina."
"Oh yeah, Paulina. I remember her because she goes to DePaul, right?"
"Yeah."
"Ok, well is she going to be home later tonight? Maybe I'll give her a call. Tell her my name is Barry."

The things I do for my friends.
Actually, it wasn't a big deal. I no longer fear the opposite sex, plus this was a person I didn't even know. I didn't care. If I weren't already involved, I might have given him my own digits.
Now, we wait.
Hopefully, I'll have more updates. Now that I'm a part of this, I want to see this thing through.

How about those UTI's?

2006-01-05T15:47:00.000-06:00

Last night, I pissed and there was blood.
That's not normal.
I had to wait until this morning to receive medical care, so at 10:15 (as instructed) I was at the medical center ready to fill out paper work and pray to God I get an appointment.
To my surprise, there was only one girl in front of me... a girl I knew. We were both in the Discover Chicago class together. I never talked to her much, mostly because she had designated someone as her best friend in the class. Plus, we're not exactly compatible. She's from Wisconsin, plus she's tall, blonde, trendy, and a business major.
We got to talking after filling out all the forms. As we're talking, I'm trying to figure out her symptoms. She didn't have a scratchy voice, or visible bleeding. She wasn't hunched over in pain...
My God. She was there for the exact same reason I was!
My guess wasn't confirmed until I gave one of the nurses my urine sample. There was the exact same cup filled with pee with her name on it. She also saw me turn in my pee.
"I had to do that too," she said.
"Yep. How about those UTI's?" I said.
She rolled her eyes and sighed. She knew EXACTLY what I was talking about.
I'm still giggling because I saw someone else's pee.

The same beginning

2006-01-04T10:12:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was the first day of class at DePaul, and I was happy to be back home.
My classes are mostly the same, but now instead of Discover Chicago: Music Scene, I have a comp. and rhetoric class.
I want to tell a quick funny tangent about this English class. I've never been in a class with so many people with ESL (English as a Second Language) or unique first and last names. My favorite name is a girl with the name of Skysta. That's probably not how she spells it, but that's how she pronounces it. Sky-Sta. I want that to be my name. That's a sweet name.
I'm concerned about the amount of homework I'll get this quarter, especially with this English class. I'll get it all done, but it will definitely cut down on the amount of time I spend dickin' around with my husband.
Oh wait. That's a good thing, especially since yesterday was a reenactment of every other day we've spent at DePaul.
My husband and I, plus two other vocal students (Meatloaf and Ptaaaak!)went to our favorite Thai restaurant and then rented Wedding Crashers.
Same as it ever was.
Wedding Crashers was a funny movie, and I know at one point, all of us were laughing hysterically at something, but whether that was the movie or something Ptaaak! did, I'm not sure.
Then of course my roommate's boyfriend came over and I listened to loud music on my iPod while they made out on her bed. But that's fine because I didn't wake her up this morning until 15 minutes before class started. Oops...
So we're all back in the swing of things. I just hope that this time around, I'll do more work than play.

EDIT
The thing I was laughing hysterically about didn't happen while watching Wedding Crashers. It happened in my room. Ashley's boyfriend saw a box of truffles that he had given her. One truffle was left. He takes the chocolate, turns to me, and says, "I gave her this box of four truffles several months ago and there's still one here. I force fed her two of them to her."
Let's just say that the delicious Godiva chocolate truffle was fed to her like a dog taking its medicine. Shove the pill down his throat, then rub his neck to make him swallow.
I nearly died, the spectacle was so funny.

Update

2005-12-30T16:28:00.000-06:00

I just updated my buzznet site. Finally, all my pictures are up. They go back all the way to the Limelight show. Check them out.

New Moon

2005-12-30T11:12:00.000-06:00

There will be a new moon tonight.
A perfect night to be alone and wallow in the sins of the world.