Babysitting the cutest cat in the world!!!!!! She's trying to get me to pet her while I type. So I must go and dote on her. This is a good practice run to see if I really want a cat of my own next year. So far the verdict is -- definately yes!

Spring Cleaning, Part 4:

So no more cleaning for the last few hours. I've got my grad school resume done. My application is filled out. Now all I have to do is write a page long essay of my goals and career. I can do it! I also took the time to decorate a couple of boxes, reorganize a cabinet, and clean my bathroom. I'll try tomorrow to get some of my recital stuff taken care of, and the last of my grad stuff mailed off. Oh please let it all go well!!!!

Spring Cleaning, Part 3:

I went to Lowe's to try and find another type of organizer. Now that I'm committed to living in this apartment for the next couple of years, I need something done with the horrible closet conditions. And I found the perfect one -- I can fold my sweaters and put them on shelves that hang from my closet shelf! Oh so much space that clears up at the bottom. A few more of them and I should be in business. And then tonight I'm going to type my graduate entrance essay, finish typing it up...turn in my library books tomorrow, and then get a transcript on monday. Oh, and go talk to someone in the admissions office about a possible dual masters. We'll see how it goes.

Spring Cleaning, Part 2:

I went to the store to get a hang up bag for my formals. I'm always worried that they're getting mangled. I also wanted to look at a can of paint to brighten up my little living room. So I found the bag, and then asked someone to mix the paint. It turned out that they had a can there that someone had not paid for in the exact color I wanted...for four dollars! YAY!!!!!!!!!! Oh that makes my little poor starving student heart happy! I'm off now to hopefully finish my room -- and maybe my bathroom. Then I have to take a break and finish my grad school applications! I'll keep updating!

Spring Cleaning, Part 1:

Decided this morning that I will do all of my deep cleaning now since my family will be here in a month -- and though it sounds like a long time, I won't have time to REALLY clean anything after this week. So, I thought, yes -- K mart is going out of business...and all of their closet organisers are on sale. I will go and get some! But first -- I must make room in my closet to put an organiser! Yes. So currently the entire contents are spread all over my room -- on top of the previous mess. The top shelf looks lovely! Tha'ts all the progress I've made. And I'm trying to get rid of all clothes that I don't want to wear....quite a hassel. I never want to get rid of anything, but I haven't enough closet space...and I MIGHT wear something again. If I could only see it to know what I have to wear....so yes. I must get rid of stuff. I got rid of four pairs of shoes. That's quite a feat for me! Anyway -- I'm back to the room. Maybe I'll get my bedroom reorganised today. My deadline for the whole apartment is tuesday -- when Adrian is going to come over and help me paint my living room. I'll keep you updated

SPRING BREAK!!!!!! IT"S SPRING BREAK!! I spent two hour this afternoon basking in the first warm sunny day of the year. Oh it was so relaxing! A picnic blanket, sweet tea, and a nice simple book to read! Life could not have been much better than it was this afternoon! So lovely! Thank God that the day came when I had time to enjoy it -- one day sooner and I would have missed it!

And speaking of missing it! There were some lost seagulls at the lake. They must have been heading for a coast some where, and true to form, the man didn't stop for directions. So Lake Waco is there new vacation paradise. "C'mon honey, just give it a chance! It looks way bigger from over here!" It was amusing -- not to the second bird though.

Ah! Three performances in one day! I think this is easily the most I've done. Sometimes two -- no wait, maybe with Melody Lane we'd have that kind of turn around. I'm so tired, but I had SOOOOOOO much fun! My role wasn't the comedy role, but I got to dance around singing at the top of my lungs. With the little kids this afternoon they only laughed at the wolf. Robyn and I would being acting and singing our hearts out, and all he had to do was walk onstage and they were on the floor laughing. Ah well -- the majority of the studio came tonight, and it was so much fun to perform for them! They liked it! They really liked it! I wish I'd gotten some pictures, but I forgot to get my camera back from Adrian before I left town today. I'm going to go wash the ringlets out of my hair. It's all crusty from hair products, and having to recurl them between shows. Night! I'm still in post performance glow! I think I"ll put off my project until tomorrow morning -- I"m too tired!

Do you ever have one of those days when NOTHING goes right?

This morning I woke up on time, and wound up running late -- go figure. I plugged in the iron, and decided that my new lamp would look much better behind my dining room table...so I tried to slide it behind without actually moving anything. And my table broke -- and fell -- with my sewing machine on it. The machine is fine.

Class was not bad except that I have a project due friday, and no time to do it except between shows tomorrow. But we don't have class. But we do have to slide it under his door before class time tomorrow morning. So I still have to wake up earl.

Choir -- always atrocious. I hate that class with a raving passion. I'm not a mezzo, and I'm singing alto. It was long, and boring, and we're singing bad music.

My coaching with Aslanian went well, and I had time to go to lunch beforehand and sit in the hall with my part-time "boyfriend." His fiance lets me babysit him while she's not around to keep her eye on him.On a bad note, I was relaying a funny "tenor" story to Chris, and VC heard me, and jumped all over my case for telling a story that wasn't true. It was -- I got it straight from Carol. But he gave me the "you know you're making that up" tone of voice, and then proceeded to tell my friends I was sitting with that things like that don't happen in the real world.

Italian was long. I was tired by then. I just wanted out.

AH and then for the fun part! My voice lesson. I walked in and VC asks who's next. The lesson was Adrian's, but since he coudln't come and my recital is pending, he said I could have it. VC started the first rampage. How can he just give lessons away like that? No one does that (actually its very common practice in the studio. We switch lessons about as often as we change socks.) Then for the next 15 minutes, everything I did was wrong. My singing was wrong (you used to be able to do this. Two years ago you had this down! Why can't you do it now?), my reactions were wrong, (What was wrong with that? Stretch? NO! BREATH. Now what was wrong with that? Um, breath? NO! STRETCH! What was wrong with THAT? Um........stretch? NO! BREATH! Now what was wrong this THAT? Um............I don't know? See! That's your problem. You don't pay attention when you sing! You should be paying attention. You need to think more! What's wrong with you today? Is this a bad day? You seem distracted. I can always tell when Rachel's going to have a bad lesson because she gets spacey.) Last week, by the way, the problem was that I was thinking too hard. You see my confusion. Anyway, thank God MY part of the lesson went well once my accompanist came in. But my mood was ruined. And I beat a hasty retreat. To go work with Glenn for another hour. He remembered hearing the "tenor story" before -- so See? It did happen! That's total today one hour of lessons, and two hours of coaching. I should practice some tonight, but I'm going to take a bath and go to bed. It is after all the night before three performances.

ANyway....being :Lent I suppose I should say something about giving things up. Which I am. But my day was so bad that I forgot to think of anything before I got to the service. So: upon post-service reflection I am going to give up: 1) being emotional in my lessons instead of clinical. 2) Looking to other people for my approval and self image instead of to God, who frankly, knows me better. I'm also working on 3) Some relationship issues that came up recently, and then I haven't decided what to take on. I already read my bible and pray daily (Yay new years resolutions) and I don't want to give up chocolate or sweets -- I haven't given up anything material in a long time. I've tried to give up character flaws for the past couple of years. Maybe I'll keep working on giving thanks for everything. Starting with my lesson this afternoon. That should take all night. I'm off to a bath

Thanks to Stacey Fredrick for the following contribution! Too funny for words!

What is a Praise Chorus?

An old farmer went to the city one weekend and attended the big city
church. He came home and his wife asked him how it was.

"Well," said the farmer, "It was good. They did something different,
>however. They sang praise choruses instead of hymns."

"Praise choruses," said his wife, "What are those?"

"Oh, they're okay. They're sort of like hymns, only different," said the farmer.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his wife.

The farmer said, "Well it's like this: If I were to say to you: 'Martha, the cows are in the corn,' well, that would be a hymn. If, on the other
hand, I were to say to you: 'Martha, Martha, Martha, Oh, Martha,
MARTHA, MARTHA, the cows, the big cows, the brown cows, the black cows, the
white
cows, the black and white cows, the COWS, COWS, COWS are in the corn,
are
in the corn, are in the corn, are in the corn, the CORN, CORN, CORN.'

Then, if I were to repeat the whole thing two or three times, well that
would be a praise chorus."

What is a Hymn?MA young, new Christian went to his local church usually, but one weekend attended a church in the city. He came home and his wife asked him how
it was.

"Well," said the young man, "It was good. They did something different, however. They sang hymns instead of regular songs."

"Hymns," said his wife, "What are those?"

"Oh, they're okay. They're sort of like regular songs, only different," said the young man.

"Well, what's the difference?" asked his wife.

The young man said, "Well it's like this: If I were to say to you, 'Martha, the cows are in the corn,' well that would be a regular song.

If, on the other hand, I were to say to you: 'Oh Martha, dear Martha, hear
thou my cry. Inclinest thine ear to the words of my mouth. Turn thou thy
whole wondrous ear by and by to the righteous, inimitable, glorious truth.
For the way of the animals who can explain; There in their heads is no
shadow of sense. Hearkenest they in God's sun or his rain unless from the
mild, tempting corn they are fenced. Yea those cows in glad bovine,
rebellious delight,Have broke free their shackles, their warm pens eschewed. Then goaded
by minions of darkness and night, they all my mild Chilliwack sweet corn
have chewed. So look to that bright shining day by and by, where all foul corruptions
of earth are reborn, where no vicious animal makes my soul cry And I no longer see those foul cows in the corn.'

"Then, if I were to do only verses 1, 3, and 4, and do a key change on
the last verse, well, that would be a hymn."