happy

This song has appropriately alleviated all feelings of strife from earlier today. It is called 'Feels so Good' and it is by the amazing Chuck Mangione himself. It is incredible how music has the power to dampen one's spirits then pick them right back up again. Thanks Chuck. Feels So Good by Chuck Mangione

angry

I just played my piano jury and it was absolutely humiliating and awful. I was sick for three quarters of this semester and have gotten in maybe a third of the time that I would need to prepare my pieces well, and I just wasn't ready to do it. A jury is supposed to be an accurate representation of how hard the student has worked for the semester; their best work. What just happened in front of the music faculty was a joke. I am angry that I was forced to play in spite of my condition, and I will be even more upset if I get graded down significantly because of it. This is the most upset I've been in a long time. I punched a wall, and now my hand hurts.

Don't think twice, its all right.

Today is cleaning day and it is also the last Saturday/weekend I will spend at school. I am ready to get home and relax for a little, maybe write some music, maybe not. We will see. I have 3 exams, an 8 pager, and a piano jury left before I am gone. I will be very very relieved when all this is behind me. Bob Dylan has really been speaking to me recently, I think his lyrics are really sweet and often applicable poetry. Thanks, Bob.

photo boof

Check out these sweet pics taken in the "Cave of the Spectacular Conceptions".

Check out this cool video of Sony's commercial for the Bravia TV thingy. It is set to Jose Gonzalez's Heartbeats and is really sick. I suggest you go to the sony website to see the "Bravia" High def. version, because it is even cooler.

square one?

Today is a monday, and a good one at that. I think that mondays exist so that God can have a universal avenue to remind us that we are lost without him. This monday has been a good one so far because I have been reminded of that fact incessantly starting at 12 am. Yesterday my girlfriend and I broke up. There are a lot of reasons for it that don't need to be talked about on the internet, and to be honest I really don't feel like explaining it 100 times in the next few days. I covet your prayers as exams and juries approach, emotional overload is just beyond the horizon. It all ended on good terms, and without a doubt the Lord is being glorified through our decision. Pray for me that I will be able to rest in the midst of a lot of turmoil and finish school responsibly. That dude up there in the corner along with my bro, danboy, drew, and scotch have all been very helpful. I love those guys.

On a lighter note, I wanted to let the world know that I plan on buying a motorcycle at the end of this summer. Ideally I would like to accquire a early 70's Honda that doesn't run, that way I will have to fix it up and put my sweat and tears into it, developing a real sense of ownership and tenderlovin'. Hopefully Drew is going to do the same. If you're jealous I understand, just don't let jealousy overcome the sense of admiration that is undoubtedly stirring in your bowels as you think about me cruising on top of Lookout Mountain in the warm summer air, throwing peace signs to little kids playing on the sidewalks.

This has been a really busy week. I have been downtown 4 out of the past 5 nights, Ive gone to 3 dance parties, organized and participated in a wallball tournament, jumped off the pier, and gone to a concert. It is now Sunday afternoon and I just got back from the Drexler's house in St. Elmo. What a sweet place to eat incredible food and have amazing fellowship with friends. Being there this afternoon was a reminder of what my home is like. I love being with people who thrive off of hospitality. The salad Mrs. Drexler made was a lot like this kind that my mom makes. This is the final half-week of class, and I am not ready for exams, juries, and going home. Im kind of anxious about going home as well because I have been forging some really solid friendships in the past couple of weeks with my pals and it's kind of anti-climactic to peace out right when you start to really enjoy yourself with your peers. Oh well, I can't complain about this summer, because I get to spend it with a community of amazing people at Ridge Haven hanging out with kids the whole time. I mean, what more could I ask for? I am excited, yo.

I am Kanye, and you are not.

I am all better, the doctor told me so. I finally got a clean bill of health today from my doctor. It is really relieving to not have to worry about what I do and how it affects my health. He said that I can do whatever I want. Aaand I listened to all of Late Registration today and realized that I missed Kanye West, and that I regret dismissing him the way I did in the past. Easter break is in two days, and not a day too soon. I will have finished all my make-up work and had one make-up lesson. Piano is rough right now, but I don't really care. The SoulForce equality ride came to Covenant yesterday, and it was good to get a glimpse of the northeast-mid atlantic region's view of what a christian school should look like, particularly in it's orientation towards homosexuality. I had some really good conversations with some of the riders and I really felt like good dialogue was being held between the riders and students. I gotta go. I gotta testify..come up in the spot lookin extra fly.....

So I am now almost superficially recovered from my last bout of illness, and am not so excited about all the extensions I got on tests and papers. I have 4 tests and a paper due by Wednesday. I am also way behind in my applied music lessons, so who knows whether or not I will be having a jury this semester. I am kind of worried about that, but kind of not also. I hate being behind, and it is extremely frusturating to know that I haven't made the kind of progress that I could have musically this semester if I hadn't been sick for 6 weeks out of the semester. I am trusting God that this is all going to work out, and it has been nice to be able to really let go and just focus on what is next. I am going out west for Easter break to see Lauren, and that is something that I am really looking forward to. I have kind of set that visit up as the light at the end of the tunnel that is this week, and if I can just make it through this week I will be more established after break. I just want to feel on top of things, ready to tackle whatever comes my way. I have yet to experience the feeling of being ahead of schedule and not lacking anything in terms of assignments or practicing. My jazz lessons are really out of whack; not only have I been sick, but Mr. Ward has had gigs out of state for the past two weekends, extending my dry season of piano instruction. Hopefully if I work very hard this week I will be back on track academically, which should lend itself to increased productivity on the piano side of my life. Who knows.