Just Me

My Dear Followers (of whom I'm not sure there are very many):

Yes, it is 2 am as write this. Yes, I should be doing homework (writing a paper). Yes, I do believe I have fully transitioned into college life. :P

Things are going well... crazy, busy, but well. I have at least four classes on any given day, occasionally with no time to eat (that would be on Wednesdays). I usually have at least two papers, sometimes three, in any given week, and no choice but to do them whenever I can manage (hence the 2 am thing... believe me, I'd rather be sleeping!). I've started to do Ballroom, which I have on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I have private voice and piano lessons. My voice teacher is a legit opera singer who keeps insisting that there are about twenty different kinds of "ah..." and of course, I can't seem to pinpoint exactly the right one. Opera is hard. *Sigh.* Piano is... well, kinda a joke. My professor is amazing (he's performing at Carnegie Hall in November!), but my piano skills are less than such. I can play a lot of stuff, and I can sight read decently, but my scales are practically nonexistent and my fingering atrocious. So what do I do with my breaks? I play scales until I want to scream from boredom and frustration. And then I go do "iLrn exercises" for French. Because of course the prof can't give us textbook homework like any normal person.

Except my French prof is pretty much the most amazing person ever. He's really nice and helpful (there were a ton of mix-ups with my books, and he's been incredibly patient through the whole thing) and he was born in Martinique and grew up in Paris, so he kinda knows what he's talking about....

My English professor is also pretty amazing. He is hilarious beyond belief (he actually kinda reminds me of my daddy), also works at the Smithsonian, and has about ten different masters degrees in completely random stuff. When he lectures he draws funny pictures and diagrams on the board, and there is no possible way to take notes in his class. He gives us extra credit for going to "talks" he gives at the National Portrait Gallery... the last one was on Edgar Allan Poe, the next one coming up is on Michael Jackson, and I do believe Elvis is coming at some point. Oh, yes... the unofficial name of our course is "Rhetoric and Composition: From the Odyssey to Elvis." That's how awesome he is.

Let's see... my third favorite prof would probably be Dr. Flaim. She is an awesome teacher... although I'm not a huge fan of the multitudinous papers she requires us to write. If we go see a show (which is, of course, required) we must write about it. I wouldn't mind so much if she didn't grade them so harshly... but oh, well.

Philosophy is not my thing. I'm sorry, it's just not. I probably wouldn't mind it so much if Plato had written his thoughts into mind-blowing musical compositions and composed lyrics rather than sentences that continue for about three pages and travel in about ten different directions and fourteen circles all within those three pages (and one sentence!). Oy vay....

The awesome thing about this place is, well, the place itself for starters. A lot of weekends I tend to hole myself up in my room or in a practice room and sleep or do homework; however, I am fully aware that I am in a gorgeous city and really need to get out and do something with myself! I have caught myself feeling bored once or twice and immediately pulled up yellowpages.com, searched something out, and then went there. I've seen several of the Smithsonian museums (every exhibit at the American History Museum, most of the Natural History Museum, the Asian Art Museum, the gardens, the Castle, and the National Portrait Gallery). My favorites so far were the American history (Carol Burnett'sWent With the Wind dress!) and the gardens, which you can read about should I ever get my book published. :D I've thoroughly mastered the Metro system (for the most part, haha), although I do not like it when something is closed for track maintenance... and something is always closed for track maintenance.

I have, of course, made myself quite at home in Tenleytown (where AU is) as well, and I've snooped around multiple amazing shopping places. Favorites of those include, of course, Pentagon City, Friendship Heights, Metro Centre, and Eastern Market. Chinatown is covered with incredible restaurants (and a Rita's!). I still need to go to soooo many, many places: Arlington National Cemetery, Holocaust Museum, Mme Toussaud's, the Spy Museum... there's so much to see and do!

The fact that CUA is right in the middle of D.C. is the only amazing thing about it, though. The view of the Basilica as the sun goes down or when it's lit up at night from some areas of the campus is positively breaktaking, and the school of music itself is nothing to scoff at. Just a sampling the names dropped around here: Tom Pederson, Denise Puricelli, Ric Ryder, Norm Lewis, Parker Esse... and those are just a few of the ones who work or live here. Look them up; dead serious! Parker Esse is a Broadway dancer/choreographer who taught a master class here and told a story about Christine Baranski, who he has worked with extensively. I shook his hand. :D

Life here is pretty much amazing. There are so many things I still need to do! There's an organization called St. Ann's; it's a maternity and children's hospital/home, and CUA goes and volunteers with the kiddos there. I need to get off my duff and go, because I'm really excited about getting to work with the little ones.

My dorm, as I'm sure you've all seen on Facebook, is incredibly bright and cheery... it's a warm kinda room that people always want to come to. Everytime my door is open, I have people stopping by to check it out. :)

Life here is pretty amazing. The only thing missing is, well, everyone. I've made a ton of new friends here, and it's pretty incredible... but I miss everyone at home. It's strange going to mass and not seeing Madame or Father Bill... it's odd meeting Peter with his new haircut, always someplace other than The Corner. And seeing Kate, Jess, and Sarah online only is killin' me. I cannot wait to come home this weekend and see everyone, to sleep in my own bed, to watch the Nanny with Mommy and Daddy just like always, to sit down at my piano and play as much as I want, knowing that someone needs to hear me sing and play.

Ooh, that's another something! Peter and I decided to try to put together a busking act... jah, street performing! I finally broke down and bought the same Torch Song book that Mrs. Wagner has, and we're going to learn some of my favorites. I'm gonna sing, he'll play on his keyboard. I'm stoked!

So life is good, but I miss life. Ya know? It's definitely different... and I don't mind at all the new things I'm learning and doing... I'm just praying the old ones won't fade away.

P.S: You are allowed to comment if you actually read this thing, ya know....