STUDIO 48 -- I’m in way over my head. I can’t explain how I’m feeling right now. I need not look for a reason or explanation. This can’t be rational. Yet, I don’t care and I definitely don’t want it to stop. Needless to say, I will sleep well tonight and most likely with a big smile on my face. :-D

Hmmm

I have a severe and perhaps terminal case of writer’s block / lack of motivation / genuine apathy towards the subjects that have dominated my life for the last four months. I have lots to do including exams to study for and papers to write and I can’t get rolling on any of it. I’m in deep.......

“I think the ice maker just turned off.”

Random mid-week thoughts...

STUDIO 48 – Random mid-week thoughts.

Well, actually... these thoughts have very little to do with it being the middle of the week.

You know when someone has a wreck and people ask: “Did you total it?”, what does that mean. “Totaling” a car is very relative. It is actually possible to due more dollars worth of damage to a vehicle than the darn thing is actually worth. Just ask my downstairs neighbor who hit my room mate’s POS Trooper last month. He did it late at night and tried to play it cool and not tell anyone. The problem: He drives a black truck and my room mate’s Trooper is bright red. The red scrape down the side of his new truck didn’t give it away or anything. Bob paid like $1000 for the thing. The issue, the insurance company gave him $1600 for a dented door! That car should have been “totaled”. I guess our friends at State Farm didn’t do their homework. Bob isn’t complaining.

You know when you really want something; however you know that by getting yourself all excited in anticipation now that you are only setting yourself up for anguish later? I am there right now. Something could be brewing in my life, yet I’m nervous about getting pumped about it because of the multiple times that I have screwed things of this nature up by getting too excited. There is nothing there yet to be excited about, but I’m feeling it. Who knows?

As I write this, one room mate is shaving another room mates head on our balcony. Gosh, college life is just about as good as it’s ever going to get!

I watched my first ever episode of American Idol tonight with K-diddle and Rusty. I still hate reality TV in all forms, yet I can now appreciate Idol for what it is.

Am I dork for practicing my music for China so as not to make an @$$ of myself on Saturday when I stand in front on 21 highly judgmental musicians? Most definitely! And I don’t care.

I have 32 pages of papers to write by the end of the semester (two weeks). I’m gonna have less fun the next two weeks1

All for now. Life is good. Stay tuned.......

The University of Florida has the arrogance of Notre Dame and the tradition of Wake Forest.
GAYtors, GAYtors: How’d ya like to bite my......
Right in the middle!

Happy Easter?

STUDIO 48 -- Happy Easter everyone! I have just arrived back in the Classic City after right at 51 hours back in GainesVegas. What an unproductive weekend, yet... exactly what I needed. I did a lot of thinking about a lot of things. I got some stout advice from some friends and my family. I am now ready to make some decisions about my future that I was completely not ready to even think about before. I guess it is fitting that I did this much pondering and reflecting on Easter weekend. It was good to get to go to church with my family. I have become one of those Christians that doesn’t always live my life the way I know to be best. Nothing like some time around my parents and then going to my old church to get me feeling guilty and tugging on my heart.

First) Can you really say “’Happy’ Easter”? I know that it is a happy holiday because Jesus died for our sins and rose again on the third day. I mean, it’s a friggin’ miracle. But, a man did die! I have trouble ‘celebrating’ death. I can see saying “Happy Passover”. After all... it is a holiday that celebrates the Angel of Death not taking the first-born of all the Jewish children in the bondage of Egypt. Then again, by celebrating the Angel of Death not taking the first-borns of all the Jewish households, aren’t we then celebrating the demise of all the first-born Egyptian children? Again, ‘celebrating’ death just isn’t my cup of tea.

Second) My worrying about my last two (or three) semesters at UGa is now over. It was my father, the same father who has put overbearing scholastic pressure on me since the second grade, who told me that “there are some things that you can control and that are worth worrying about, and all other worries are a waist of your time.” Poetic? Insightful? Interesting? Perhaps all of the above. Nonetheless, I am going to take the wiser Phillips’ advice and start worrying about the things that I can control and stop with my worries about the things of the past and the things of the future that I cannot control.

Third) I’m approaching a ‘DTR’ in my life. Some of you have heard me use that term and some have not. If you know what I’m talking about, then you can ask me about it. If you don’t, then stay tuned. I’ll update you all as soon as I achieve the juevos to go through with it.

Finally) Tomorrow should be the day that the RCB officers are announced for next fall. Needless to say, I am excited to get it over with. I like to maintain good, sold chemistry amongst the members of the section. Picking someone to lead them is rarely a way to achieve this. I can now say that no matter which direction the directors (kinda ironic that that is their title and their role in this process) decide to take our section, it will be good. We will move on from these bitter debates and be fine in the grand scheme. It’s like holding a job interview, except you rarely have to work with the people that you beat out when you get a job from an interview. Moving on when this is all over will take a lot of maturity from some people that don’t have much. For some reason, though... I have faith.

Stay tuned.......

Weekly Reader...

STUDIO 48 – What a week! I’m swamped getting things ready for China. I have been on the phone all afternoon with high school band directors to inquire about borrowing their school’s horns for the last two weeks of rehearsal so that we can ship ours to China ahead of time. I may be speaking too soon, but this may work.
We had our first China rehearsal yesterday. I will say that I was impressed with how organized it all was. I was concerned that something was getting left out. So far, so good. My greatest achievement of the day was fitting all the horns and cases into the tiny, miniscule storage room in the basement of the coliseum.

Life is really good. Busy, but good.

I will be performing with the distinguished Tuesday/Thursday Concert Band tomorrow evening at 8:00. We are playing a decent program (as opposed to the last concert), but we’re not playing it well. This is the least talented of the non-music-major bands that I have been apart of. I might have to go back to the symphonic band next year.... who knows?

I got screwed by an academic advisor. It was like two years ago and now I have to take a class this summer to stay on tract to graduate next spring. Boo on her!!!

I’m finding out just how blessed I am to have the friends that I have.

Really getting random on here. I’m scatter brained. I’ll add more later.......

OASIS = BOOOO

STUDIO 48 – I don’t know why I assume every semester that class registration is going to be easy and stress-free. It never is. I always have a foolish faith that I can pull it off and get every class exactly when I want it. Every semester... Yet, it never happens. This Summer/Fall is no different.

I just want my diploma!!!

35 hours to go!

Life is busy – But with good things – But still busy

STUDIO 48 – Life is busy – But with good things – But still busy.

I’m going to head back to ‘the Hugh’ in a few minutes and help Sam get the horns ready for G-Day. I’m excited about G-day, but I am nervous about the pending selection of my co-section leader for next fall. It doesn’t matter what happens, somebody is going to get pissed. Either because they didn’t get selected or because someone they did not want -- did. I’m trying my best to be professional, but it is hard. I like to have good chemistry in the section and people being pissed off over something as trivial as section leader is not a good way to achieve it. No matter who gets it (...and I really don’t care who gets it because I am pompous enough to think that I can work with anyone... well ... almost anyone), I will treat them the same as I would treat anyone in that position. This will be interesting. I like the drama, but I don’t like pissed off people.

There might be some big news in my future... I eluted to this event in an earlier post, but still no official word. So it will have to stay on the DL until then.

I may change my opinion next fall, but as for me and my situation and position right now... I really think that Mr. Keck is doing a great job. Nothing more, just thought I’d share.

Tomorrow is my dad’s birthday, yet for some reason I’m the one that is getting a free dinner out of the deal. Amazing!

Life is good, but helter-skelter. More to come.......

Random post #11

STUDIO 48 – Nothing of note to report. So this entry will consist of short, simple, one-sentence thoughts.

I am in the middle of writing two papers that are due tomorrow and Wednesday, respectively.

I’m finishing up some last minute details to make sure that the Sousaphones don’t look/sound like crap at G-Day which is now only four days away.

Getting 350 people to China is more work than anyone anticipated.

Go to McAllister’s Deli on Broad St. tomorrow night (Tuesday) between 4 and 9 and support YOUR Redcoat Band’s trip to China.

Tonight is the NCAA Men’s championship, tomorrow is the women’s, the Braves are back in action, G-Day is Saturday and the Masters is this weekend -- boy, this is a really bad week for me to have lots to do for school because there are a lot of things that I would rather be doing/watching.

James Taylor had it right... “Whenever I see your smiling' face, I have to smile myself”.

More later, if I ever get any free time. Hang in there, guys (and gals), we are almost there.......