The Lion King

Yes, I definitely went to see the Lion King. It was very much amazing. So amazing that after it was over, I didn't even want to talk about it, because I was still going over everything in my mind.

I could definitely go see it again. It was so hard to try to concentrate on the actual show when you're being bombarded by all those amazing costumes.

Anyways, I've got most of my preparations for another school year finished. I should probably go out and buy myself a couple dozen more pencils...but I've got my classes organized, I've emailed my teacher to settle lesson times, I'm still looking for an accompanist, I've rented a locker (a big one, I'm pretty sure), I've bought my textbooks and given my old textbooks to Bound and Copied to be sold. So I'm feeling pretty good.

And Mia is on her way back, with a new seat strap and hand rest. Now all that's left is to make more reeds for the coming year.

Now I think I'll turn to the dreaded goals. I'm generally not a fan of making specific goals. I've tried to make them in the past, and I always feel really bad when I can't complete them as perfectly as I wanted to.

So I'm going to make a deal with myself. I'm going to list these...goals, for lack of a better term...that I want to keep in mind for this school year. I'm not going to beat myself up if I can't go through with them perfectly, and I'm going to keep in mind that even making a little progress, even if imperfect, is better than making absolutely no progress because of being too afraid of failure.

Clear as mud? Good.

File, save.

So, here are things and ideas that I want to keep in mind for the coming year.

Blogging, in more quantity and quality. I don't think I blog nearly enough, and when I do, it's usually not about much. I hope to fix that at least a little.

Try to cut back on the procrastinating. I know I say this every year and I'm going to say it again this year. Of course, the fact that I can get 80% on a paper when I do it the day / day before it's due doesn't exactly encourage me to change my style, but even so. I'm going to put in the effort.

Practice more. Again, I say this every year too. But I really do need to spend more time in the practice room. I do like practicing...it just seems like the process to get to the point where one can begin practicing takes a lot of time and effort. So, enough of using that as an excuse, because it's a lame one.

Make more reeds. I'd like to be able to have a few working reeds, rather than using one until it's literally ruining my sound, then work furiously on a new one, use that until it ruins my sound, work furiously on a new one...etc. I've tried setting aside time in my practice to work on reeds, but either I practice first and then am too tired and frustrated to work on reeds, or I work on reeds first, which makes me too tired and frustrated to practice. So I'm thinking of splitting them up. Maybe designating a certain day of the week to be my reed working day. Then I can fully concentrate on my playing for the rest of the week, and then put all my attention on reeds that one day. Obviously I'll still work on reeds other days if the occasion calls, but still. I'll see how this method works out for me.

Put more effort into my non music courses. I really need to stop thinking that they're like options in high school and I can just screw around. I still need those electives for my degree, so they really do matter. And believe it or not, they do affect my GPA, which I've heard it's nice to have higher rather than lower.

I don't dare make any more, because then I'll be overloaded with goals, and won't be able to do anything with any of them and...well, then we go back into the whole despair and failure issue, and I'm just not going back there.

And of course I'll always try to remain optimistic, but I know that school will get to me, and there will be days that will make me wonder if a degree is really as necessary as I think, and whether I can just live my days happily as an usher, or a waitress, and never have to study again. But we'll deal with those days when we get there.

But I think that's it for me. I keep wondering if I should have a special sign off saying for the end of my blogs. Any thoughts? Suggestions?

And the effort put into that last poll was quite disappointing. Four votes? That's almost enough to make me stop doing them. Maybe I'll just have fish, like my brother's blog...

~Calminaiel~

"I freaked out. 2of3 freaked out. 3of3 said "Yay! I get band aids!""

Back from Tour!

Actually I cam back a few days ago, but seriously, who likes to blog too soon after a 12 hour travel day?

Not I.

I'm currently sitting on the front lawn, since the house is way too hot and uncomfortable. Champ's with me. Just chillin'. I kind of feel bad about flattening the grass I'm sitting on...kinda. But it's grass, it'll live.

The setting sun just came out of a bunch of clouds. Which is kinda pretty, but also quite bright.

Anyways, tour was lots of fun. Relatively little drama, which was very awesome.

The concerts were...concerts. It kinda sucks that I didn't really feel particularly passionate towards any of our music...I certainly liked a good part of our music...but I didn't really love it so much that I felt a rush whenever we performed it. So instead of coming out of concerts feeling exhilarated, I just came out of them thinking that there's another concert done.

Not that they were bad, most of them went quite well. I felt quite out of tune for most of them, except the one outdoor performance we did in the park. But it was still pretty fun.

Speaking of being out of tune, I really need to make some reeds before classes start again. And do a hundred other things that I'm procrastinating. Looks like I'm not breaking that habit anytime soon.

I'm sorry I can't put any pictures from Europe up. I lost my camera on the first day. But after being up for 24 hours and then having to go on walking tours, I guess I really shouldn't be surprised.

I also lost my seat strap and hand rest for my bassoon, which I also need to buy again before classes and rehearsals start.

But right now it's a pretty evening, the air is cool (at least, outside of the house) and it's Friday, so I'm content to forget everything I have to get done for now. It can wait for Monday.

However, my feet are going to sleep. I keep having to shift position. I don't think there is a convenient position for typing when you're sitting on the ground.

I'm going out tonight, to a Micheal Jackson tribute concert, done by a group that my friend is in. I was never really a Micheal Jackson person, but it should still be fun.

~Calminaiel~

"So, I found out why I keep finding a string in my hole."

Camping Again

Yup, I went camping again. To Windemere lake in BC. With Erika, Sarah, and Emily. It was pretty awesome. =)

That lake is gorgeous. It wasn't super cold, so it was wonderful to swim in. The beach we were on was really rocky, which was great because we didn't have to deal with mud, or water weeds or anything.

It was a very good weekend, besides the fact that it was sometimes so hot that all of us just felt like doing nothing.

I'm also wondering if the fact that we went canoeing and I rowed for half the trip is why that muscle between my neck and my shoulder hurts so much. Hm.

I can't believe I leave for Europe on Thursday. I have two days to get so much stuff done! Well, not so much stuff...but that fact that it's only two days until I leave makes it feel like I don't have much time to get anything done.

I'm feeling really excited, and yet also a little bit nervous, and I can't figure out why. I think part of it might be because Mom keeps going over things like I'm leaving tomorrow, and it's making me feel like I have even less time until I leave, and also like I'm not going to see her before I leave. Which for some reason makes me nervous, apparently.

Oh well. As long as I keep my wits about me, I should be fine.

I also realized that this morning was basically my last chance to sleep in for the next two weeks. I highly doubt we'll be sleeping in much during tour.

Anyways, I had a really fun time at work tonight. We played poker, and bet with smarties. And we actually played a type of poker in which I actually felt like I knew what I was doing. Which was a nice change.

I was told to make a list of things I need to do over the next few days, so I won't forget. But lists also tend to make me nervous, because having everything laid out in front of me always makes it seem like there's more to do than when it was just in my head. So I think I'll skip that for now.

Anyways, I have to be up early tomorrow for rehearsal, and I desperately need to shower, because I'm kinda gross at the moment. I don't really like showering when everybody's in bed, because although Mom and Dad say they don't notice, and it's fine, I still don't like feeling like I'm making a lot of noise when everybody is in bed. So I'll get up a little earlier to do it tomorrow. I'm slightly doubtful whether I'll actually want to get up early, but at the same time, I have the motivation of the knowledge that I'm really gross and a shower will fix that. It's also not too late now, so I think I'm going to go get ready for bed now, and hopefully be in bed early enough that getting up a little earlier tomorrow won't be that much of an issue.

~Calminaiel~

"We don't accept Glosettes here."

(PS: New poll, in case you haven't noticed. Check it out.)