Heap!

I'm loving the El Rey these days. Last night, exhausted but happy from a successful day at school, Josh, Colleen, and I went to see Imogen Heap (formerly of Frou Frou--and yes, it's pronounced with an 'ew', not an 'ow' sound). My review, in light of more papers to write, will have to be captured in an exclamation of "What an awesome show!" How beautiful it was to hear her voice live. If you're skeptical, check out her My Space Site for a sampling of 4 full length tracks.

Oh, and she did an acoustic version of "Let go" (piano & vocals only). Spectacular.

News from School

It's with a modicum of pride I write of my inability to sleep last night. I wrote a paper instead. You may think this the harbinger of hard times--it is in a sense--but the important thing is that I did it! And, I'm still alive to tell the tale. School is a wonderous thing. I would hardly say I procrastinated to an extreme. I don't know if I've ever read so much in a weekend. But certain tasks were put off in light of easier ones (reading vs. writing).
Oh, and when I handwrote this post, I did it in lower case letters. Old habits die hard.

Oh, Brad!

No, not Brad Pitt. Never will you find a post about his love life on this blog. The sad fact is the media's obsession (with it): Josh pointed out that on CNN's wesbsite today, Brad & Angelina were number two to Osama Been-Lying's latest video tape. Whatever. That's the news, and I'm not here to report the news.

Last night, after a mind-numbing day at school, Josh and I ventured up to the El Rey for Brad Mehldau's show. If ever I was to be left in numb through the talent radiating from the stage, last night was it. The trio was so... words fail me. Some writer I am! Larry Grenadier on bass, Jeff Ballard on drums. Phenomenal. I was, of course, thrilled to hear them cover Knives Out (one of my top 3 favorites from Radiohead), as well as a number of originals. I highly recommend exploring the website: Knives Out is on there, as is "Day is Done" (The Beatles). What an awesome reminder of last night's brilliance.

In light of my numb and awestruck mind, I go to eat breakfast, fold laundry, and all varieties of domestic fun.

Connected

Coming to you live from UCI! Finally recognized by the wi-fi gods, I'm happily camped under a tree with just a couple minutes to post. Current feeling: calm & pondering. I'm across the way from the bridge that carries students to the Claire Trevor School of the Arts, and part of me feels distressed not to be there. I should have a class there. I should be involved. I should be "doing music" as it were. I feel the pull more because of my music writing class...we're studying Mozart at the moment and I'm feeling all those urges which tug at my heart strings and tell me what I'm meant for and what...I love. As far as things go, dear people aside for this purpose, it's words and music. The buildings watch me, keen on encouraging me to pursue entry to its many wonderous doors of musical knowledge.

Reader, I tell you, I'm going there. If it exhausts me as much as Mozart's 1791 (last year on Earth), I tell you I need to go there. It has to start today. You'll hold me to it, right?

P.S. There are these wonderful free lockers by the bookstore that I am completely in love with! You put a quarter in, lock your stuff, return, turn the key, & you get your quarter back! Oh, joy to the locker!

My Prof is in my Peer Group

I learned today that one of my professors graduated high school a year before me. That means she turns 30 this year. Instantly I liked her, because I feel the distance so pointedly between my fellow classmates. I'm definitely a minority in these three courses of mine.

I'm learning to overcome barriers, however. It is my second day of attendance this quarter and I didn't get lost on my way to class. I did, however, earn a hefty backache from the too-many-pounds stuffed into my hundred-dollar backpack (I got it ON SALE, so don't freak out). I was ready to bail out on my iBook after several failed attempts to connect with UCI's wireless internet. I finally wised up and queried a fellow classmate (who was certainly 8 years my junior) and learned of ye olde registration required to gain access to the network. Ah ha! Now it's simply a matter of shaving down my load to the most necessary of texts. And earning those abs of steel to help bear the burden.

Today I purchased some UCI wear as well: a t-shirt, sweatshirt, and licence frame. I had a 15% off coupon, so I went for it (yeah, orientation!). Come Monday, Teri (friend and alumni) has offered to personally escort me about campus and educate me on its geography.

I survived my first week. Hooray!

First Day at School

I've spent the past hour at home winding down: feeding the cats, kicking off my shoes, and finding a parking space in less than 20 minutes. Yep, gotta love the garage: it's always there in my time of need! Parking at UCI was less than cool. Fishing for spaces cost me 10 minutes of class, which would have been put to better use in looking for the building my classroom was in. I nearly lost my front bumper in one of the parking structures because someone else was rounding the bend too tightly and invaded my personal space. Classes show promise. I'm enrolled in music writing and two required English classes that are part of my major. One class focuses on poetry, the other on drama. This begets tons of reading and writing, so...

no. 100

I called my parents last night, in a weak haze of exhaustion from 5 hours at work. My cold/sinus infection hasn't completely disappeared, but I was well enough to do my job & smile. The people-contact was a pleasant change, but my body was still tired from lack of use during the week. Our conversations are generally mild-mannered. We rarely discuss anything as racey as politics. In fact, I'm sure I bore them with my play-by-play recollection of the latest thing the cats have done or what happened at work or (lately) the color & quantity of mucus oozing from my nose or mouth. Yes, it's been that gross. My apologies to the reader with a weak constitution.

So, the conversation eventually roamed to the plains of religion and afforded me the opportunity to explore my Christian beliefs in a very natural, off-the-cuff manner. There was no planning for that moment, and I surprised myself with the deftness at which I supported my beliefs. It was uplifting and encouraging to myself, as I often wonder just how rooted I am in those beliefs. I don't always feel as enthusiastic as I first was, and last night was like being drench by a cooler of gatorade. I hope it was encouraging to my parents. I'd like to afford some credit to the fact that I actually have been reading the Bible for a change, as well as Rick Warren's "Purpose Driven Life" (no. 62). So, it was a good thing.

Then this morning, I woke up and realized I could cross another thing off my list. I'll allow myself some grace on the whole "in person" stipulation; this was about my intentions and the natural flow of conversation, not about writing a letter or sending emails.

Brought to You by NyQuil

Ah, a restful night's sleep under my belt at last! Quelle chance! Quelle bonne humeur! The cats have been fed, Robitussin PE choked down in a hurry, and I do declare: I think I'm over the sickness hump! As if it wasn't enough to miss work, I have to run errands at school today in an effort to assure them I'm up-to-date on all my shots. It's a new thing, some state law passed in recent years, but well worth it if it cuts down on outbreaks. I just wonder why they didn't require it sooner. They do it at the elementary school level, don't they?

Another thought here: what is up with Blogger? For any other users out there: are you having difficulty publishing your posts? For the past week (at least) I have had to publish twice before my post shows up. Is it just me? I've been thinking about swithing to WordPress or TypePad, but can you imagine what it would be like to move nearly 500 posts? I don't want to think about it. This, for your information, is post 479. Them there's a lot of words. On a sidenote here, if no one is having issues, Josh just said it might be an issue with the servers, aka, bandwidth. It's not like I'm the ONLY site they host, y'know. And Blogger, you know I love you!

Footnote: Just to prove me wrong, I was able to post successfully the first time around with this post. Yea!

My Favorite Moxie

Le Bonne Nuit?

I might have been well enough to venture into work today if I actually slept through the night. Thanks to the prescribed decongestant/expectorant, I tossed in bed for two hours before finally giving in and getting up to read and play with the cats. I gave sleep a second chance at 3:30, but even now my lack of sleep and ingested prescriptives leaves me exhausted and strangely wired. I've avoided a second dose in hopes that sleep might yet come to me, even if the sun is shining outside. I'm so glad I paid $22 for a night of insomnia.

A Day

It was a day. Today was sunny and beautiful, from what I could tell behind the window panes. I nursed my increasing congestion to the tune of meowing cats, the neighbor's electric saw, and the hum of the refrigerator. Oh, and all brands of Law & Order reruns. First thing, I made an appointment at a local clinic to save the pain of waiting for a return call. Although I only spent an hour about town, I got an amazing workout on my tired body. I managed to kill three birds with one stone in the same shopping center by going to the doctor, picking up cat food, and passing through the health food store for Primal Defence pro-biotics (necessary with my new regimine of anti-biotics). I'm getting the shock treatment with the switch in my insurance coverage. I ended up spending over $100 on drugs because the benefits only apply for mail-order prescriptions, otherwise there's a deductible for what I get at a pharmacy. Blah blah blah. Boring stuff.

So, now that I've choked down my medicine, I can't seem to sleep though my body is run down and exhausted. Perhaps this whole not-being-able-to-breathe thing has its disadvantages. I missed out on extra pay at work (and helping out an all-too-skinny crew!) and the energy to run pre-school errands and clean house. Perhaps the most interesting thing to happen in this post is that I composed half of it in lower-case letters and then had to edit myself. This too, shall pass.

New Year Haiku

Sinus infection?
Some "Happy New Year" indeed!
Film at eleven

Fresh Start

The new year promises...nothing new under the sun. 2005 passed quietly in my living room amidst South Park and a rousing game of "Riff" with four close friends. We toasted each other at midnight as we watching the ball drop in New York as though it was happening for the first time. I'm looking forward to the challenges that are in place for me, both personally & academically. And I'm looking forward to finding more interesting things to post about. Meanwhile, Josh has fallen asleep on the couch and I declare: it is time for bed!

P.S. I declare this the year I start writing with caps on my blog. Y'know, just for kicks.