37:365

Wow... okay, so yes, it has been a month since I lasted posted. Whoops. I guess school will do that to you. I've had a bevy of concerts, rehearsals, mid-terms, photo shoots, studying binges, practice sessions, masterclasses, and socializing going on in my life, and it has shown no signs of settling down until I get past finals in December. BUT... I promise I will try to post more regularly, for the 3-5 people who actually visit this blog. :P

Anyhow. Here are a few photos from some of the recent shoots I've done in the past month.

Oh, and for my 20th birthday, my parents very generously decided to give me a brand new, gorgeous, amazing Canon EOS Rebel T1i. I named him Sydney Carton, after one of my favorite literary characters (Dickens fans will understand...). I think I'm in love. :)

16:365

Okay, I guess it's time for a life post of sorts. The accompanying photo has no comparative value, just fyi. 

So... yesterday I was forced, by the misunderstanding powers that be, to attend orientation at my school, which I have been attending part-time (practically full-time, to be honest) for the past year or so, as I'm "officially" going full-time this fall to complete my degree. And, so, as a result, I woke early and drove to school and walked across campus only to be surrounded by a hoard of bloodthirsty fresh-out-of-high-schoolers and their sleep-deprived, possessive parents. It undoubtedly goes without saying that I, on the brink of sophomore-ism, felt out of place among them. 

Thankfully, I was able to register for all of my classes and managed to sneak out of the day's remaining activities thanks to an understanding student employee who agreed with me that it was ridiculous to attend an orientation session underlying rules and ideas I was already quite familiar with. Okay. I'll stop now. I promise. 

Anyhow... I'm SO SO SO excited for fall. I think my friends and family are by this time sick of hearing about my plans and goals, but I can't stop gushing about everything. Earlier this year my close friend Emily and I, who were both previously home-schooled, were discussing how much we love the college atmosphere and environment while other classmates complain about their workloads and schedules. But I love school- I thrive in a learning environment and soak everything in like a sponge. I love the social activity and challenges, the studying requirements, the musical assignments, the emotional roller coasters involved in developing relationships and maintaining them. 

Well, I'm off to go practice and eat dinner and attend Bible study and then come home and organize a ton of music programs I've accumulated over the years. I like going through them... some more recent ones bring back memories. Memories I'm looking forward to revisiting this fall. 

life without facebook?

Well, it's actually quite nice. A close friend and I are beginning what we've deemed to be a feat of strength and self-control: a Facebook hiatus contest. I know, it sounds like something completely unnecessary, but the fact remains that Facebook is a major life-controller.

I have several things listed in the "life-controller" category for myself, and most of them aren't beneficial in any respects: coffee, social networking, and shopping are the main three. So, I'm attacking Facebook first. It just takes up too much time out of my already-tight schedule, and now that I'm working an office job and maintaining a performance major's practice routine, I can't let other important things slide. Things like sitting outside on my screened-in porch and talking about gardening with my mom. Like reading an engrossing chapter in Little Dorrit by Dickens. Like wrestling with my Wacom tablet on my Macbook. Things that build you up, and don't tear you down... like watching for status updates from frustrating people who don't care if you're looking, anyways. Things like that don't matter in the long run; they only tear you down and keep you from focusing on reality, which can actually be quite blissful.

Yesterday I played for a wedding, which also happened to simultaneously occurr during my brother's graduation party (thanks to my mother's absent-minded announcement that she had ordered my brother's invites, and would I please remember to be free on the 20th? Um... no, Mom, I'm booked for a wedding on that morning...). It was simple and slightly disorganized (a few things were different than the ceremony had been rehearsed the night before), but it went well and brought to mind the fact that I am a very, very sentimental female. 'Nough said.

I'm looking forward to autumn. My classes are all ones I know I'll enjoy immensely; all but one revolving around music. Being a performance major (on harp) is wonderful because I can completely immerse myself in music. I love academics, but honestly, music is my first love. I'll have plenty of core classes to complete during the summer, anyhow. I'm hoping to take European history this fall, but as far as academics, that's it.

But for now, I can sip my iced caramel macciatto and read Dickens and enjoy the sun. Because it's summer, and school doesn't start for another 2 months. 2 months of friends, work, practicing, reading, and more work. And then I can finally sink into reality.