Tonight I treated myself to the Waco Symphony's opening night. I was so excited - I got dressed up, and was fully prepared to become the proud owner of a season subscription. However, when I arrived at the box office, not only were they not selling season subscriptions, but they also were only accepting cash. At this point, it was 7:25pm, and I was convinced that my lovely evening out was ruined. Thankfully, Jocelyn rushed over with a $20 bill and rescued me. I got my ticket and raced up the stairs (in heels, no less) just in time to take my seat as the first note was being played.
The featured soloist was Haochen Zhang, the 2009 Van Cliburn winner. At 19, he was the youngest competitor in the competition. He was quite good, as would be expected.
The first piece was a Verdi overture which, unfortunately, I don't really remember because I was so flustered. The second piece was "Death and Transfiguration" by (Richard) Strauss. I don't know why I am not more familiar with Strauss's pieces, because they are fantastic! I will definitely be hunting for his pieces in the next couple days...
After intermission, the orchestra played Rachmaninoff's Third Piano Concerto. I cannot comprehend why this piece receives so much attention. In my humble opinion, his Second Piano Concerto is INFINITELY better. (And no, this has nothing whatever to do with the fact that the Second has a fantastic clarinet solo - seriously). Yes, the Third is impressive, but the Second could beat it in musicality any day. So what if you can rip up the keyboard, if there isn't a beautiful melody?
But, enough of my musical criticisms...I included the links to the youtube versions of Rachmaninoff himself playing both, so you can make up your own mind! :)
It is now after 11:30pm, and high time I turned in for the night. The post about how great Contracts class was today will have to wait...
Tuesday, September 28, 2010
Monday, September 27, 2010
This video may already have gone viral on Facebook. However, for those of you who missed it there, you can see it here!! :)
First, the background. The previous owner of the condo left a few furniture items, which she is supposedly coming back to get. One of those items is a piano. Now, as excited as I was to have a piano, this one is wretchedly out of tune. In fact, there aren't words to describe how out of tune it is (hence the video).
For the past six weeks, I have been laughing about recording a video and sending it to the piano tuner at Converse, just for kicks and giggles. :) Well, with AnnaGrace in town this weekend, we made it into a whole comic act. For those of you who make it through all 7 minutes, congratulations!!! Special props to you if you can actually identify what the pieces were. :) Here goes...
See what I mean??? We did get a very sick sense of pleasure out of making that video, though, despite how horrendous it sounds.
It is practically killing me to have a piano within reach, and yet to be unable to play it! However, there is some redemption - Jocelyn let me into a practice room last week, and I spent about 40 minutes tickling the ivories!! It was sheer bliss...And, this Tuesday, the Waco Symphony is playing Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3. I am SO THERE!! Student season tickets are only $20, and while I am not crossing my fingers about quality, maybe this will give me some temporary relief.
The rest of the weekend was pretty fantastic, too...On Friday night, Addison Road, Matt Maher, and 10th Avenue North played at a free concert on the Baylor campus. MaryLou, AnnaGrace, and I packed a picnic dinner and enjoyed an evening outside. So fantastic!! If you are not familiar with the music of 10th Avenue North, you should definitely check them out.
Saturday morning we went out for a group run. I thought I was going to die by the end of the 7.5 miles, but we all managed to finish in one piece.
Saturday night was the Baylor v. Nebraska women's volleyball game. MaryLou has been pumped about this game for weeks, and we were able to get tickets dirt cheap. Of course, she wore her red Nebraska shirt, and I wore my green Baylor Law shirt - and we enjoyed every moment of the rivalry. :) Unfortunately, Nebraska won 3-0, though the scores within the sets were closer than either of us thought they would be. The pictures are on MaryLou's camera, so they will be coming later...
By this point, you are probably wondering when I studied this weekend. The truth is, I didn't do hardly anything. However, I have been studying like a fiend tonight - and, in super exciting news - out on my porch!!!! The weather today was beautiful, and fall is definitely a-comin'!!! Currently the temperature is 69 degrees, with a low tonight of 56. The air conditioning is off, the windows are open, and hopefully we can continue to cut our electricity bill!! :) It's not supposed to break the 90's all week, and I am so thankful - who knew the 80's could feel so wonderful??
Well,this post has gotten quite long enough, and I must get back to my Contracts homework (UGH!!). Time has not changed my mind...I still hate that class (though I like the professor!).
I hope your Monday is fantastic!!
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Seeking Balance
Sorry for the long delay in posting – this past week was one of the longest of my life. Our air conditioning was out for about 4 ½ days, which through wrenches into more than half of the days this past week. Things like this sure make you realize how good you had it during college when all you had to do was write the maintenance request on the dorm bulletin board. Thankfully, one of my classes was cancelled all week, so I had extra time to deal with the situation. Additionally, my landlord was very attentive and helpful in getting the problem solved. :)
However, with that crisis averted, things have returned to a fairly normal pace around here. On Friday night, the Christian Legal Society had dinner at Assistant Dean Creed’s house. And guess what – she is adopting a little boy from Ethiopia!! It was interesting to hear how she picked Ethiopia and what the adoption process was like. It feels like another lifetime that I was getting on the airplane to come back home, and counting the number of foreign couples that were taking Ethiopian babies with them.
The rest of the weekend has been spent on homework, and trying to achieve some sort of balance in my life. I have my homework done, but I always feel as if it is never enough. I guess the professors’ warnings that we should be studying 19-20 hours a day have started seeping into my subconscious, even though I tell myself that I am NOT interested in that kind of lifestyle. In college, I didn’t want to spend my entire life in a practice room; nor do I now want to spend my entire life with my nose in a law book. However, my Type-A personality is making it very difficult to put the books aside and let myself do something fun.
Speaking of fun things…we went to the first half of Baylor’s “Community Hymn Sing” tonight. There was a 600 voice choir and a full orchestra – and it revived my desire to play music. I have started craving it, but this weekend it has peaked as a full-on crisis. I managed to pull my clarinet out for 20 minutes today, and I’m already dying to do that again. My goal for this: find a piano!!!
However, with that crisis averted, things have returned to a fairly normal pace around here. On Friday night, the Christian Legal Society had dinner at Assistant Dean Creed’s house. And guess what – she is adopting a little boy from Ethiopia!! It was interesting to hear how she picked Ethiopia and what the adoption process was like. It feels like another lifetime that I was getting on the airplane to come back home, and counting the number of foreign couples that were taking Ethiopian babies with them.
The rest of the weekend has been spent on homework, and trying to achieve some sort of balance in my life. I have my homework done, but I always feel as if it is never enough. I guess the professors’ warnings that we should be studying 19-20 hours a day have started seeping into my subconscious, even though I tell myself that I am NOT interested in that kind of lifestyle. In college, I didn’t want to spend my entire life in a practice room; nor do I now want to spend my entire life with my nose in a law book. However, my Type-A personality is making it very difficult to put the books aside and let myself do something fun.
Speaking of fun things…we went to the first half of Baylor’s “Community Hymn Sing” tonight. There was a 600 voice choir and a full orchestra – and it revived my desire to play music. I have started craving it, but this weekend it has peaked as a full-on crisis. I managed to pull my clarinet out for 20 minutes today, and I’m already dying to do that again. My goal for this: find a piano!!!
Sunday, September 12, 2010
Law Students = Complete Dorks
On Saturday night, one of my classmates hosted a game night at her house. It was great to be able to get together outside of a school setting, although our nerdiness could not escape us. A name game involving Black’s Law Dictionary was first up on the list. We passed the dictionary, and each person had to find a legal definition that started with the first letter of his or her name. The goal was to help us remember each other’s name – not sure that it’s really going to help, but I did learn lots of new legal terms! I know, it sounds incredibly boring, but people actually picked some really interesting stuff! My term was Ker-Frisbie:
The Ker-Frisbie doctrine is applied in the context of extradition and generally holds that criminal defendants may be prosecuted in United States courts regardless of whether their presence has been obtained through the use of applicable extradition treaties.
While game night was a pleasant socializing experience, Friday night’s “Law Buddy Social” was definitely a bust. Let me preface the discussion by saying that my law buddy seems super helpful and nice. However, whoever invented the idea that socializing could occur in a bar was out of their ever-loving mind. I don’t care that people are drinking…if you enjoy it, fine. However, every bar that I have ever been in (and I will admit that I can count them on one hand), are just so loud. It is impossible to hear anything, and how you are supposed to get to know someone in a place like that, beats me.
I will get off my soapbox now…
Today’s church experience was GREAT! I visited Fellowship Bible Church on Jocelyn’s recommendation, and am so glad that I did. The people were so friendly – multiple people came up and introduced themselves, and one family took me and my roommate out to lunch! I was blown away by their hospitality, and it was nice to go to a church that was Biblically sound. The college group is studying Song of Solomon (interesting choice, I know), and talking about the idea of “courtship.” I found it very interesting – I don’t know any church that would touch that subject with a 10-foot pole!
In closing, I am back in the dorm tonight. The air conditioning at my condo is broken, and Jocelyn and her roommate graciously agreed to let me crash on their floor. A bunch of us were sitting around doing homework this afternoon, and it actually made me miss my undergraduate days! Thankfully, my wonderful landlord has already put in a service order for tomorrow morning! :)
The Ker-Frisbie doctrine is applied in the context of extradition and generally holds that criminal defendants may be prosecuted in United States courts regardless of whether their presence has been obtained through the use of applicable extradition treaties.
While game night was a pleasant socializing experience, Friday night’s “Law Buddy Social” was definitely a bust. Let me preface the discussion by saying that my law buddy seems super helpful and nice. However, whoever invented the idea that socializing could occur in a bar was out of their ever-loving mind. I don’t care that people are drinking…if you enjoy it, fine. However, every bar that I have ever been in (and I will admit that I can count them on one hand), are just so loud. It is impossible to hear anything, and how you are supposed to get to know someone in a place like that, beats me.
I will get off my soapbox now…
Today’s church experience was GREAT! I visited Fellowship Bible Church on Jocelyn’s recommendation, and am so glad that I did. The people were so friendly – multiple people came up and introduced themselves, and one family took me and my roommate out to lunch! I was blown away by their hospitality, and it was nice to go to a church that was Biblically sound. The college group is studying Song of Solomon (interesting choice, I know), and talking about the idea of “courtship.” I found it very interesting – I don’t know any church that would touch that subject with a 10-foot pole!
In closing, I am back in the dorm tonight. The air conditioning at my condo is broken, and Jocelyn and her roommate graciously agreed to let me crash on their floor. A bunch of us were sitting around doing homework this afternoon, and it actually made me miss my undergraduate days! Thankfully, my wonderful landlord has already put in a service order for tomorrow morning! :)
Wednesday, September 8, 2010
Mastering the Art of Cooking!
One of the simple joys of living on my own is being able to cook! So, allow me to share with you some of the cooking victories that have transpired in our lovely condo.
Last night, MaryLou (my roommate) and I made enchiladas, which turned out amazing! We supplemented the main dish with corn (steamed in the microwave!) and tomatoes from our tomato plant. Scrumptious!
While looking for “cheap people” recipes, my roommate stumbled across the “Peanut Butter Magic Danish.” It is super easy to make, and actually quite filling! And, may I point out, the title of the page is “A Fugue in Egg Minor” – SO CUTE!!! :)
Well, that’s all for tonight…classes continue to roll along well, although I am fairly certain that an explosion of my head is imminent. Measuring contract damages is like math - lots of formulas that I still don't fully understand..*sigh.* On the bright side, there is now one more area of law on the list of specialties that are NOT up for consideration! :)
Last night, MaryLou (my roommate) and I made enchiladas, which turned out amazing! We supplemented the main dish with corn (steamed in the microwave!) and tomatoes from our tomato plant. Scrumptious!
While looking for “cheap people” recipes, my roommate stumbled across the “Peanut Butter Magic Danish.” It is super easy to make, and actually quite filling! And, may I point out, the title of the page is “A Fugue in Egg Minor” – SO CUTE!!! :)
Well, that’s all for tonight…classes continue to roll along well, although I am fairly certain that an explosion of my head is imminent. Measuring contract damages is like math - lots of formulas that I still don't fully understand..*sigh.* On the bright side, there is now one more area of law on the list of specialties that are NOT up for consideration! :)
Monday, September 6, 2010
Sic 'em, Bears!
This weekend was AMAZING!
Dad came down for a visit on Friday, and proceeded to cook dinner while I sat around like a bum. Homemade hamburgers and potato chips with french onion dip – YUM!!! On Saturday it was Rudy’s Barbeque for lunch, and then off to the first Baylor home football game!!! Although I wasn’t super impressed by our playing, it was quite the experience…Baylor makes Wofford football look like high school! I also really enjoyed the marching band – yes, my lack of music is starting to manifest itself as moments of pure delight every time I hear an instrument playing. :)
Today I ran the Labor Day 15K in Fort Worth – my first Texas race!!! AnnaGrace was kind enough to run the entire course by my side, even though she ran backwards a couple of times and was clearly capable of running it much faster. I accidentally ditched her right at the end – apparently my finishing kick (which lasted less than 1/10th of a mile) was bigger than I expected. Oops! We finished in just under 1 hour, 44 minutes, (official time still to come!), averaging about 11:30 per mile. My longest distance yet!!
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| Before the race - bright and early at 7am!! |
I spent the rest of the day moving quite slowly and making friends with the ice packs in my freezer. Overall, though, I am pleased with the results, and looking forward to my next race, which will hopefully be a 10K sometime in November!
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| After the race - WE SURVIVED! |
After rewarding myself with a new pair of Nike shorts and a soak in the pool, I made the long, dismal drive back to Waco. And now, off to bed to prepare for another week of classes – thank goodness it’s only four days until the next weekend!!!
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