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It's an exciting one, I'll have you know...
While laboring away like I usually am at my homework (cough), I suddenly decided that watching youtube videos would be a much better use of my time. It makes perfect sense, right? Right.
Upon entering the site, I immediately dove into my latest fixations: amateur acoustic covers of popular songs and a capella groups. I stumbled across the ridiculously amazing group called Straight No Chaser from Indiana University (*waves at Dani*), and watched a few of their videos. Being the sucker of in-tune human voices and Christmas that I am, my favorite quickly became "12 Days", a rather interesting version of the classic carol we're all taught as wee little ones. Cue video:
If you watch the video, you'll notice they randomly break into this cool minor-ish harmory midway, and lucky for me, someone had commented saying the harmony was from the song "Africa" by Toto. Because I'm a huge nerd and had to have the latest in trendy harmonies (call 1-800-HAR-MONY in the next 15 minutes for the new, wild fifth-progression harmonies seen in all your favorite pop concerts!),
I hit up iTunes and did a quick search. The original song was...meh, but what got me blog-post-writtingly excited was a particular result listed further down. Andy McKee, that virtuosic acoustic guitar talent that you probably didn't know about until right now, had transposed the song for acoustic guitar and recorded it.After applauding the computer moniter and patting myself on the back for coming across such a find, I quickly *legally* downloaded the song (not iTunes...I'll keep my 99 cents, thank you) and set to listening to it 2000 times - that number not being a gross exaggeration. It was good times.
In other news, I have yet to purchase alcohol. And I've been 21 for all of...2 weeks? In college life, this seems like something akin to cardinal sin - embarrassing, I know. But sometime in the near future, there will be a moment when I walk into a bar, flash my shiny "I'm-actually-legal-unlike-half-the-people-in-here" license, and slap down a crisp five for a few drafts. And there will be much rejoicing.
"And then the angels, they did sing. And from the heavens, three mugs dripping with such delightful condensation, they did fall and rest themselves gently upon that happy bar-top. All order was restored, and such was the purchase by our Great Christopher."
I can see it going something like that.
For those of you not in the know --> Colossal Donuts from Shoppers = DBABG (Delicious Bad-ass Bakery Goods). The end.
A little story for you, as further proof that Maryland loves money:
I wake up the day after my birthday and go through my usual morning checklist: shower, get dressed, eat breakfast, check email, etc. Upon checking my email, I notice a message from the South Campus Commons desk saying I had received a package the day before. Getting any sort of package when you're at school is like winning the lottery, and if it's around your birthday then excitement might as well be oozing out of your pores. So after completing my checklist, I skip down to the desk to pick up my package.
When I arrive and ask for my package, my heart falls a bit when I learn that the package is an envelope. Maybe it's a card? But then why wouldn't they just put it in my mailbox? Is it a really big card? No no, the envelope is normal mailing size, and looks nothing like a birthday card. In fact, it's from South Campus Commons. Did they send birthday wishes?
Their version of birthday wishes, maybe.
I open the envelope and read that I was being charged $10 for checking out a spare key for longer than an hour last week.
When Maryland does birthdays, hoo boy, it goes all out.
This week has somewhat reminded me of a dramatic movie. Plot twists, crushing emotional blows, and deep, startling realizations. And the Terps right now? Not helping.
I write this now as I take a break from watching the CRAP that is the Terps vs. Middle Tennessee on Comcast SportsNet/CSS. The "crap" part refers to both the quality of sports cinematography (oo, big word!) as well as the quality of Maryland's play. Even given the fact that my eyes would probably melt in their sockets if I continued watching the white and blue blobs that are Maryland and MTSU, my new eyes wouldn't be able to survive witnessing the rest of the game anyway. I am in no way a full-out, hardcore football fanatic, but I can see that Maryland is not holding up.
As for this week, I keep finding myself doing that movie moment stare-out-the-window-pondering-life-while-listening-to-soul-reverberating-music kind of thing. Most of this pondering has dealt with the many questions raised during my first days of classes, and the answers seem hard to come by. What do I want my senior year to be like? Am I preparing myself for what's coming after? What do I even want to do afterwards? What happened to those goals I set mid-summer?
What the hell am I doing?
Opportunities keep cropping up that, given a clearer schedule, I would have taken immediately. During my sophomore year, I had wanted to become an official cartoonist for the Diamondback (if you can call the DB official...). Now, when there's a spot open in the paper, I know that the time I would spend drawing would cut into homework, band, or KKPsi.
But being disappointed with my predicament is useless, of course, because my schedule is full of things that I willingly stepped into. That I love. And in this case, sometimes you need to sacrifice one love to be with another. I just hope I'm never asked to make this sacrifice amongst the people in my life.
In other news, the pivotal moment in every college kid's life is coming up for me: the big 2-1 (September 15th!). I'm happy because I'll finally be able to head out to the bars with my friends, but I'm disappointed because it will mean the end of dorm parties and underage excitement. Yes, I was sometimes one of those kids in the booming dorm room down the hall, and those moments were pretty clutch. I guess this is just the passing of another era, and yet another indicator that I'm stepping out of my childhood. Good thing that's not depressing or anything...
Old age and wrinkles aside, I've gotten to know a lot of people during my time at Maryland. They come from every sway of life here on campus, and it's incredibly interesting to see the connections when you step back and look at it all. For me, though, this is almost a problem.
I was never the popular, know-everyone-at-school kid (not to say that I am now). I went through that normal progression in life: a best friend in elementary school, a "posse" in middle school, one or two small gangs in high school. And then college came through, and I was hit with 25,000 opportunities. Band came first, when I spent every waking minute in an oh-so-glorious and confusing early week with 250+ new people. The trumpet section became my first college family. Then came the time when I was released from my band-chains and appeared as a more or less normal freshman on my dorm floor. Everyone on my floor had already bonded, yet I was lucky enough to be included in on some of their floor activities, and eventually became good friends with most of them. 3Cent became my second college family. From there on the list continued to grow: civil engineering friends, aerospace friends, KKPsi and TBS friends, etc.
This wasn't to say that I was suddenly one of those people who knew everyone and would say hi to every living creature on the College Park campus. Because while I met new people and made new friends, my ability to connect with all of them in the same way I had connected with my best friend in elementary school had diminished.
Now I feel almost stretched, and a little unnerved that I won't be able to connect to all those who I would like to be close to. If you've ever spoken to me, you know that words are in no way my strong point. I'm a bit awkward and tend to trip over words if I can get them out in the first place.
It is my hope, though, that my senior year will allow me insight on making the connections I need.
Hope you're all well, and I look forward to blogging for you again soon. A little less on the deep side, maybe? Heh.
So it's definitely been awhile. Can't say I meant to take such a long break from the blog, but I guess the flurry of events that was August led me astray.
So, where to begin...
Life, as of now, is ridiculous. I can't remember a time in my 20 years where I have been more busy than this past week, and I'm happy to report that I've come out on the other side with all of my limbs still attached. Just barely.
This past week, for all you non-band folk, was something called Early Week. It officially began on Friday, August 22nd when we had a morning of early week registration, followed by a few music sectionals and full ensemble rehearsals. From there on out it was band all-day, everyday. You chuckle, but this isn't a joke. Here was my schedule for that week:
6am - Wake up. Roll out of bed. Hit the floor and decide whether those newly broken ribs are worth getting up into the shower.
7am - Breakfast at the South Campus Diner. Eat half a bagel. Think of writing a letter to the NSA with new ideas for torturing prisoners.
8am - Morning marching rehearsal on Chapel Field begins! Cue random dance parties. Also cue death stares from half the band for suggesting such an atrocity.
11:30am - Wrap up marching rehearsal and shuffle towards lunch at the Diner. Contemplate where would be the best place to pass out in the band office. Settle on the small space under one of the computer desks. Awaken from your day dream to the tapping of 200+ plastic utensils on trays and chairs. Conduct the Alma Mater in the middle of the diner, and chuckle as confused non-marchers stand up and place their hands over their hearts.
1pm - Back in CSPAC for indoor music rehearsals. Realize that napping is impossible when you're given a list of 20 things to do. At least you're busy?
4:30pm - Off to dinner. Decide that you could deal without diner food for a while. AKA when you run out of food in your fridge in the apartment. Conduct the fight song in the middle of the diner. Snort when some random non-band kid says "I thought that was Victory..."
6pm - On Chapel Field for evening marching rehearsal. Run through each set of halftime 300+ times. Bust out glowsticks around 7:30 so people can see you waving your arms. Suppress the urge to rave with said glowsticks.
8:30pm - Head back up to CSPAC for meetings, fittings, etc.
12:30am - Get back to the apartment.
1am - Pass out.
6am the next day - Begin it all over again.
Good times? Early week certainly had it's ups and downs, but the passing of our first game against University of Delaware brought an incredible finality to the entire situation. I was very excited to have half my family on my mom's side come down to see me during my public drum-major-debut (albeit they did cheer for Delaware...). A little nerve-wracking, but very cool all the same. Also, for those of you not in band who were oh-so-curious about us not marching halftime, much less not wearing coats; we had about 12 people go down from the heat before halftime even started. And honestly, having another dozen pass-out during or after halftime probably would not have benefited us. Just a thought.
So for all of you who were indignant that the band did not march because hey, they're a marching band. that's their job! WTF?, I would 1.) Like to offer my uniform to you to perform that show after a week of exhaustion + that humidity, and 2.) Like to point out that I probably saw you sitting down during the game come halftime. Actually, I know I did. Poor kid, you must have been so hot. Having to stand there and cheer? Tough job, my friend.
Bitter thoughts aside, this past week was an experience, and I am extremely excited for classes to start. This semester I'll have 5 aerospace classes and 2 band classes for a total of 17 credits, which is the smallest amount I've had since freshman year. Heck yes.
In other news....wait...there is no other news. Band is my life. Well then...
I'll be a better blogger from now on, I swear!
