School is fine. Fine fine fine. Fine. I am fine. How are you?

School starts today. This is the end of starting each post with "today was a great day.". Oh, what horrors await me? I have been so lazy this summer, I fear I won't be able to break the habit of dropping anything that I don't want to do. I got a lot done this summer despite that anyways. I learned a sonata, the notes of an etude, even though its needs a lot of work before I can play it, some of a concerto, and some of a polonaise. I passed my carillon exam, played in the concert, and have successfully prepared for my jury. I have alomst finished the research project; I could have gotten it done this weekend, but was too caught up in 'other stuff'.

This week will be okay. As long as I get enough to eat.

I just had a disappointing experience. I was in Express today, and I found this pair of pants that I liked because of their interesting brown color. "Wow", I thought, "these are an interesting brown color." So I bought them and took them home. Now I have discovered that they are not brown, but not only that, it is difficult to decide on what color they are at all. Black looks bad with them, brown looks odd, colors look worse. They aren't black, brown, or grey. Just a wierd thing in between. But they were brown at the store!!!! I just don't know what to do. Do I keep them and hope that I will get used to the color? Maybe they will return to brown once I am in flourescent light again. Should I just bring them back and exchange them for pants that are definitely brown? Or should I return them and find something way less expensive?

So camping was great this year. I spent many hours completely carefree, letting anything I ever ws worried about die a slow death at the bottom of the lake. (The allusion I am trying to use there is that they um sunk and then drowned, not that I was at the bottom of the lake. ) ( i don't try to be too literarily elegant on this blog) The party on Monday was quite lovely as well, with absolutely nothing going wrong and everyone astounded at the brilliant and original idea to hire Craig the jazz pianist to play for us. I personally liked the cake too, and was glad to reacquaint myself with the Lipsys.

All my friends are back in town again! (but let us not forget that Melissa just left for Pittsburg today. She needs to stay here) A came into town on Monday, but didn't come to the party, and then furthermore did not come to visit not just me but everyone else at the campsite. He says he had "things to do". He did too, I will allow; he had to present the same workshop at Marriage Camp four or five times. The Meat Market was being held in Hastings this year at a place called Meetyouroneandonly (named after an Indian Tribe), so he had a long drive, and also was not getting paid. I guess they think that being given a free chance to hook up with a nice girl is payment enough. Move fast Aaron! You only have one day!

So Steve says that I'm not mean enough to be a lawyer. Just to prove him wrong, what kind of a person would look at a little baby and tell him he's ugly? What type of person tells a senial old woman that her husband is not there because he was abducted by aliens? What type of person is nicknamed The Devil by a little nine year old? What type of person kicks dogs and throws rocks at little squirrels? ME! See, I can to be a lawyer!! Have you ever purposely tripped a coworker? Have you ever thrown mud at your own sister and then lied about it Steve Birn? NO. I bet I would make a better laywer than you, so there.

Today was really really great. Greater than all days previous. I can't believe how great it was. I spent nearly the whole day at the beach with the Vantimmeren girls ( all of them). We had such a good time. After that Evie and I stopped in at the sikmas and ended up going out to eat with Ben, Pete, and John. Pete has just returned from California. Then I watched House with my family. That really was a great day.

Today:
8:30-11: Called A. not home. talked to Rachel. photocopied music, emailed Mrs. V an irate note about that security guard. Emailed arts acad to tell them I was not teaching this semester.

11-5: Dropped music off at Prof. Ryd. house, then beach.
You know the rest. For now, I am going to get my work done.

Today was good. I went to the mall for two hours. I could have stayed there all day, if I had not been really hungry and did not want to spend even more money on the food there. I think I am beginning to think economically: why buy lunch at the mall, when I can drive all the way home and get it for free? Of course, this is not thinking about gas expense. I don't think I really saved any money at all. Why bother saving money? isn't the reason you have it is so you can spend it?

I am going to call the head of Gvsu's security tomorrow and personally tell the him/her that their staff is obnoxious, insulting, and have no idea of what their job really is, and that since I am doing GVSU a service by playing that tower, I have every right to go into the tower whenever I need to. Do they think I just go in there for fun? No! I have work to get done, and do not need blockhead security guards telling me that I haven't been coming here for the last four years and that I need to arrange it beforehand, even though it was arranged before hand four years ago already, and that they do not need to know when I exit the tower. Any more questions can be directed to my lawyer Steve Birn.

Today was also another great day. It's the weather. It is just so divinely beautiful everywhere you look. I saw A again today, who had just returned from his Colorado stint. He has pretty much decided to take over my Beethoven project, but that is fine with me. I just don't care. He was rather concerned that it would start or had already interfered with my real practicing, but I told him I knew what I really wanted to work on. Then I got him to let me clean his house for the semester for extra cash. I met a new student who is transferring here from CC. He wanted to know if A treated all his students the same, or if he eased up on the Music Eds. I laughed and told him that A was psycho and no one can escape his wrath.

Today:
Work 8-11:30
Had lunch with trumpet players. For about 5 minutes
Bought P yogurt, for some reason
Met L 1:30
Met A
Practice 1:30-4:30
Should be going to M and D's concert with Ml. Don't know yet.

Another great day today. Worked for four hours, then practiced. I actually did practice pool too. I don't think it did me any good though. I went to go practice carillon downtown, but the guard wouldn't let me in, because he didnt know who I was. He asked me for my name, my home phone number, my student id, Mrs. V's name, and I had to tell him several times how I always come here and I am allowed to use it whenever I need to. He ended up calling Mrs. V with the number I gave him to verify that yes, I should be let in to play. He was like, even though he had had me spell out her name for him, "is Julianne VanWingerdinken there?" I just cracked up knowing what she was thinking at that point. He said, to validate his fears, that she said that she was glad that he had called. He was so suspicious. I was just laughing really hard. After I was done practicing, I called him up and said I was sorry for being so mean to him.

Then I went shopping with Mare and George. We went to Target and TJ Maxx. I bought X2.
And new shoes. I was holding George for Mare at the checkout and then when I had to pay for my stuff I go "Here" to the cashier guy and almost hand George to him. He got this scared look and backed away. I just wasn't thinking.

Tomorrow:
Piano student at 10:30
Carillon lesson at 12
Bridesmaid dress shopping 1-3
Get work done
Go to Schulers. Secret affair.

Blogging? Again?

So, we're blogging again. Main purpose: so that, once my family reads my dramatic schedule, they won't think I am under an obligation to clean the entire house all the time.

Short and Sweet:

Today: Slow. No work. Nervous about oral presentation later that night. Did not get dressed until 2:30. (note, as I am in Scholars program, am not working fulltime because I am Researching. The word research is up for interpretation. Regardless, I am still getting the work done) Did oral presentation. Talked too fast. Mom and Dad were there and Mom kept making strange gestures that I took to mean several horrible things at once. She was just trying to tell me to slow down. Later, took me to Holly's Landing. Amaretto sour.

Leave with Mare and Ev for Canada all weekend.

To do within next 2 weeks:

Nag A about funding
Write full program notes
Finish all piano music
Prepare entire carillon jury
Beg more hours at work
Decide on the other job

Within the next week:
Piano practice
Start reviewing folksongs
Carillon
Books
Marshall Fields account (what is their problem)
Talk to L about Study abr ref
Figure out wedding sit
Book campsite for week
Thankyou notes (M, AM)
Practice pool to whip D

Tomorrow:
Work
Pack
Leave
Clean room (before Leave)

And that's it.