Memory... All Alone in the Moonlight...

So, just so you're not disappointed, this blog entry is not about Cats. Even though it's a wonderful show, I just thought the title would be a good hook to get you in. Do not be entirely disappointed, however. I am in no way suggesting that there will be no future installments on the Blog of Awesome in which Cats is involved. However, for the purposes of this entry, there will be no Cats. Sorry.

(And if you're actually adverse to Cats and are happy that that is not the topic of today's entry, then congratulations.)

So, anyway, I've been studying for a Psych exam I have on Tuesday, and one of the concepts that we're studying is memory. (Intriguingly enough, another concept we're studying is the actual concept of the concept, but I won't spend too much time on that.) And, there are some eye-opening things as well as some blatantly obvious things that I'm reading in the two chapters pertaining to the, dare I say, memorable concept of memory.

(I'm sure I learned some of this stuff in IB Psych, but I don't quite remember. And now, thanks to this chapter, I know why. :D)

What I think interested me most is the whole idea of interference. Our long-term memory is essentially limitless, but we have memories both from before and after we learn certain things interfere with what we're trying to recall or recognize. For instance, when I take Italian next semester, I'm sure that my past knowledge of Spanish will interfere with my ability to learn Italian, since the two languages are so similar. This is what is called proactive interference, in which memories from the past are interfering with memories encoded afterward. The opposite can take effect as well. If I become fluent in Italian (and, as a Vocal Performance major hoping to pursue a career in opera, this is probably not a bad idea) and then my knowledge of Spanish diminishes, then retroactive interference has occurred.

Another intriguing concept is the idea of mood-congruent memory. If I'm happy while studying for this test, then I had better be happy when I'm taking the test, because that actually has an effect on my performance. Also, the setting should be similar. Unfortunately, that's probably unlikely, because my dorm setting is quite different from my setting in the Psych lecture hall.

And, of course, the one thing that I kind of already knew but never ever adhered to (as a result of confirmation bias and overconfidence, but, again, that's another chapter in my psych book), was the idea that things should be studies over a long period instead of cramming. So, really, I should have been studying this stuff as I learned it in class, rather than working the entire last weekend towards the test.

Which leads me to the point of this blog entry, which is almost in now way related to the title (ironically enough). Perhaps it's time to change my studying habits. I've already found that it is a lot easier to study and do homework at college than it was in high school, despite the fact that I have a TV, laptop, and various other means of distraction in my room. Perhaps I need to take more advantage of the situation I've placed myself in and study things more regularly, rather than just before a test. I know that a lot of you reading this are like "Well, duh," but this is somewhat epiphanic for me. Maybe I'm inspired to study more simply because dropping grades could bring an end to my scholarship and send me home, or maybe I'm a big nerd (probable), but this seems like a good lifestyle change for me. Especially if I decide to minor in Psychology, which requires a lot of memorization and consistence to master. (Or, since it's what I want to minor in, somewhat master. Haha.)

If you've made it this far and you're sad that I haven't discussed Cats, then I'll throw you a bone (which is more of a dog metaphor, but I'm sure you'll pardon it for now). The Rum Tum Tugger is the best character, possibly followed by Macavity, and Skimbleshanks annoys me. Also, I don't understand why everyone respects Bustopher Jones, Old Deuteronomy, and Gus the Theater Cat, but they (initially) deplore Grizabella. It just seems like there's not a theme. Grizabella is avoided because she is old, but so are the other three cats I named (though I suppose Bustopher could be interpreted as middle-aged). Still, though, that's really the only thing you should question about Cats, because it is an excellent show and no one can say otherwise.

Thank you.

I have a new blog!!

Don't worry, Eric's Blog of Awesome isn't going anywhere. Wipe the sweat from your brow and take an Aspirin.

However, being the Vocal Performance major that I am, I have dedicated an entire blog to my musical career, which, of course, doesn't really exist yet. But for my own amusement (and perhaps your own), I have decided to keep a public electronic diary of all that happens to me musically throughout college, grad school, and an eventual career. God willing.

So please check out A Return to Bass-ics if you like. Or don't, but tell me you did so I feel like a better person. :D

Meanwhile, the Blog of Awesome will keep track of my day-to-day life, as well as reflections. If I feel a post belongs on both blogs, I can even publish it twice. How convenient am I?

The College Chronicles: Episode 1

So, obviously I've come to terms with the fact that this blog is sort of the window through which I can communicate to my friends and family back home in excruciating detail my personal college experience. So this will serve as a sort of transition post in which I will randomly reflect on several parts of my college life. These sort of aimless entries will be titled The College Chronicles, and are going to be raw and uncensored, not unlike adult films or a farmer's market.

Anyway.

From this point I will not be backspacing anything I write. I will just figuratively vomit onto the page and it is up to your brain's wiring to make sense of that which I write. (I do reserve the right to edit for grammar and mechanics, however, so please accept that. When I say that I won't change anything, I mean the content of the post. Essentially, once it's there, it's there forever. Pineapple. See. I can't un-say the word pineapple because that is content. If I had written the word "pienapul," though, I would reserve the right to re-write the word. Perhaps I'll establish a set of by-laws, and you, my faithful bloggees, may call me out at anytime if you feel I am not adhering to a College Chronicle general rule. You could even go as far to say that it was a College Chronicle Caper. Oh God, see, I can't un-write that.)

I've noticed that people stay up late. Like, really late. I, being a person who loves sleeping (but not sleeping around because I'm not a slut), do not always sleep. But when I get the opportunity, I take it. Now, granted, I understand that not everyone has an 8am class, and that a lot of these people are out on their own for the first time, and the fact that they can stay up late without purpose or direction means that they should. I'm a victim of this belief as well; please don't think I'm being hypocritical. I just find that sometimes, if I am tired, I should sleep. Natural human biological reaction.

Also, I've noticed that the toilets on my floor flush spontaneously. They are the fancy automatic flush toilets, which, given that some people in the world are incapable of flushing their own waste (people in general, not on my floor-- if you're on my floor and I'm reading this, I'm making a general statement. Same about the sleeping discussion you might have read earlier in this blog), I'm a strong advocate for them. However, they are super-sensitive, and more often than not, the toilet flushes twice when one flush would have been sufficient. And so then, I was thinking, certainly I can't be the only person in the world this has happened to. I hope not, because that would suggest some sort of inferiority on my part in my abilities of correctly using a toilet. If we are to assume that this happens to other people as often as it happens to me, then we can assume that the dorm is using twice, perhaps even three times as much water as it needs to. Perhaps this is why room and board is so expensive these days. Yes, I'm blaming it on toilets. Perhaps automatic flush toilets are the reason why we're in a recession (or are we finished receding? Certainly there has to be a point where we stop. But I won't talk politics). Perhaps, and I'm just spit-balling here, but perhaps automatic flush toilets will one day cause the downfall of humanity. After all, water is nothing to laugh about. If we flush it all away, we'll all die of thirst. I'm just saying.

Yes, I realize that I just spent ten minutes writing about toilets. But the joke is on you, because you just spent ten minutes reading about toilets. Or longer, if you're below level in reading. I should hope not. If you are, there are options for you.

Also, in writing this I've noticed that my mind moves a mile a minute. It's strange. As I gaze up through my hurricane shutter, the sun is creating a pleasant aura in this room. It's very good for good blogging strategy. What does that even mean? "Blogging strategy?" Why did I say that I couldn't erase anything I wrote?

Being slightly independent is a strange thing. Like, for instance, grocery shopping. Something that seemed so simple when my mom did it. But, when I go to the Target near campus, I end up hopelessly lost at times. For instance, I still haven't located the Ramen Aisle at Target, despite having been to the store twice now. And it's not like they have a little kiosk where you type in "Ramen." Though that would be ingenious. Like real-life search engines. On another note, why aren't there machines that tell me where the keys to my dorm are in times of crisis? What about my iPod? I can call my phone, but I can't call my keys. I mean really. This is the twenty-first century. Why am I even using keys? Why doesn't my door just scan my retina and let me in? I mean, really. That solves two problems with one blow: I can get into my dorm without worrying about a key, and pirates, who wear eye-patches, can't because their retinas are covered with an eye-patch.

What?

Nope. Can't erase it.

Also, Skype. It's annoying sometimes. Like when I'm watching something and suddenly people are chatting and EVERY SINGLE TIME SOMEONE POSTS SOMETHING I get that little water drop noise. It's going on right now. Certain ethnic girls from high school are chatting right now in a group chat, and my Skype keeps making the little water drop noise. But what really irks me is that, for some reason, when I have my earbuds in, whenever the little water drop noise happens, it goes on the loud speakers, instead of into my earbuds. And that means that whatever is playing at the time is played out loud. This usually isn't too big of an issue, but it's sometimes very difficult to listen to Somebody to Love by Justin Bieber when people are judging you after hearing random snippets of the song.

Just for the record, I only own two Justin Bieber songs. Neither of them is Baby. Because that song is ridiculous. On a related note, I do own Rebecca Black's Friday, as well as the Glee cover of it. Yes, I did pay ninety-nine cents for it. No, I'm not proud of myself.

Oh. Another thing. The laundry room. I feel as if sometimes people have no regard for other people when it comes to laundry. It's like all morals fly out of the window and suddenly we're in a jungle setting. The laundry room is like the lion's den... in a jungle setting (SHUT UP) and I am a piece of meat. A sentient piece of meat who knows he's a piece of meat and who only wants to do one load because if he falls behind he'll have to do two loads and end up looking like a douche for using two washing machines when there's a limited amount. But anyway, I had to transfer my clothes from the washer to the dryer. I go in and there are like three dryers open. Suddenly, two girls come in and take two of the dryers. No big deal, I think, I still have this dryer left. Well, true story, there was a reason that dryer was open. It wasn't working. And so then I realize that one of the girls simply came in, put a single article of clothing into the dryer, and left without starting the dryer. Now, I'm sorry, but you can't just "reserve" dryers. It's a come-and-go process and you get what you get. Regardless, I still felt dirty as I removed the lone article of slightly damp clothing from the dryer and placed my own clothes in there. But it's a jungle out there, and it's survival of the fittest (or, if you prefer Creation, then it's like the Garden of Eden and I'm fighting with the snake for an apple or something.) I guess you could say I'd better "wash" up my act.

I'm not entirely clever when I'm simply writing what I'm thinking as I'm thinking it. And that's unfortunate.

Also, I have rediscovered the joy of orange juice at college. It's true. I bought a whole carton of OJ from Target and I've been enjoying it the entire last two weeks. I have a glass in the evening. It's sort of like having a glass of Chardonnay in the evening as you relax in a big dusty chair by the fire reading a Leo Tolstoy classic, except replace the alcohol with Vitamin C, the fire with a fan, the dusty chair with my beautiful futon, and the Leo Tolstoy classic with Facebook, Hulu, or a derivative of Memebase or Failblog.

Well, anyway, it's nearing 6:45 and I have my a cappella practice at 7pm, so I'd better bid adieu to my beautiful readers, who always remain faithful to me. God Bless You. God Bless America. And good evening to you all.

The One Month Mark

I actually have passed the one-month mark. As of September 17, I had called Florida my home for a month, and as of September 24, I had been in classes for over a month. So, really, it's been a month and some days, but The One Month And Some Days Mark just didn't have the same ring to it, so the name of this blog entry, simply for the purpose of poetic license, will stay as written.

Thank you.

So, you should know that I'm writing what will soon be a beautiful blog entry from the comfort of my dorm room, serenaded by the beautiful tones of Miley Cyrus's Party in the USA (which, for the record, is coming from my next-door neighbors, not my dorm.) I am lying somewhat seductively on my futon under my bed in a dimmed setting, next to two empty Coke Zero cans and a bowl that has already held plentiful amounts of Beef-Flavoured Ramen and Easy-Mac. I am also sitting next to a huge bottle of hand sanitizer, which has, so far, helped me through the epidemic of bubonic plague that has been spreading like wildfire through this campus.

In fact, I think I'm going to use a little right now. Give me a second.

...

Ok. I'm back.

For those of you who are new to my blogosphere and/or do not know me and are simply stalking me because my profile picture is unbelievably sexy (it happens to the best of us), I am a Classical Vocal Performance major. This means that I sing a lot of classical music, including a lot of opera. As such my classes (which you will get a full report on in due time) are mostly music-oriented (surprise!) Some are more enjoyable than others. All of them are, in themselves, intriguing to their own respective extents. That's a good thing, too, because if I dip under a 3.0 GPA, I'll lose my academic scholarship and either have to take out loans or say goodbye to my beloved palm trees. Which is something I don't want to do. Because palm trees are beautiful and tropical. Like me.

Anyway.

All of my friends who are Engineering or Pre-Med or Microneurobiochemistry majors (if that's a thing) may look at me and scoff when I say that being a music major is not easy. I am currently enrolled in no less than 11 classes, not counting my extracurriculars. I have 8am (6am MST, mind you) classes EVERY BLOODY DAY and minimal naptime, and it looks like that's not going to change much over the next four years.

My first class is Music Theory, which meets Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 8-8:50 am. And, just FYI, there's a lot more to theory than one might think. After a quick review of key signatures (which, due to my background in piano, I took to pretty easily) and different chords, we jumped straight into Bach Chorales. As in, creating chords with different voice types. At first, I found this extremely challenging, but I've reached a point where it is not nearly as difficult to avoid creating Parallel Fifths and Octaves (which are bad), leaving leading tones unresolved, and other fun things. It's definitely a structure that is kept very much inside the box, but we must learn the rules of music before we can break them. And, for the laymen reading this... there are a LOT of rules of music. And I know that we've barely scratched the surface.

My other 8am class (8-9:15 am on Tuesdays and Thursdays) is Skills Ensemble, or Aural Skills. Yes, we've already made a fair amount of "Oral Skills" jokes. Most of us are still fresh from high school, remember. This class involves ear-training- that is, recognition of certain steps of a scale, certain chords, improvisation, sight-reading, and pretty much everything else. And let me tell you. For everything that I don't know in Music Theory, there are ten things I don't know in Skills Ensemble. You could say I am aurally challenged. (Admit it. You laughed.) So, yeah, definitely a difficult class, especially at 8am, when my brain still isn't quite functioning.

After music theory on Mondays and Wednesdays I have Keyboard Skills. Luckily, due to nearly thirteen years of piano from the most awesome piano teacher in the world, I have a pretty good grasp of piano skills, so I placed a year ahead in piano. I would have placed out, but I didn't have a lot of basic technique (contrary and parallel motion two-octave scales and other such tomfooleries) that kept me in the sophomore program. The unfortunate thing is that I was recently displaced from my last keyboard class into one that is about a week ahead, so it's been a little weird catching up and adjusting to an entirely different class setting five weeks into classes. But such is life.

Immediately preceding Keyboard on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 10:10-11:00 am is one of the highlights of my day, Symphonic Choir. This is the largest audition-required ensemble at my school, and is actually a lot of fun to be in. Right now, we're going in the opposite direction of any college choir that I could ever imagine and are singing excerpts from the Baseball Cantata (yes, there exists such a thing) called Casey at the Bat, based on the famous poem. Yes, they wrote, in essence, an entire opera out of a poem. Talent. And, for our first concert, we will be wearing t-shirts and jeans and be singing on bleachers instead of risers. #reasonswhymyschoolisprobablybetterthanyours. I'm assuming we'll be returning to my traditional choral music after the Casey concert, but I'm glad to see that the choral studies program here is so open-minded.

After choir on Mondays and Wednesdays I have a short break, after which I have my fourth class, English Diction. This is the class that I was placed in five weeks into classes, so it's been interesting catching up to the rest of the class. The main focus of the class is on learning IPA (International Phonetic Alphabet), which is, naturally, actually very useful for singers, but kind of a slow topic to learn. I do enjoy making sounds, though, so I'm making the most out of the class.

The final class on Mondays and Wednesdays is Opera Theater. In this class, we basically work on presentation from a singer's perspective. Essentially, acting while maintaining singing posture. Definitely a fun class. Mondays we are at the school wellness center for Movement with a dance professor (including a lot of yoga as well as some beginning dancing) and on Wednesdays we are in the classroom, learning about staging and other such trivialities necessary for an opera singer.

Also. Fridays. I have Voice Forum. This is "Listen to Pretty Music and Occasionally Hear Important Announcements From the Voice Faculty" Class, so it's fairly enjoyable. I'm planning on singing a La Bohéme aria as my first forum performance next Friday. We we we so excited. :D

Back to Tuesdays and Thursdays. After Skills Ensemble, I have Experiencing Music. I will leave it at the name. It definitely had a slow start at the beginning of the semester, but since then we have learned a lot of different cultural music, which is at least interesting to me. It's definitely a class I would take if it weren't required for my major, but since it is, it feels more monotonous to me. But we're starting some more classical studying, which pertains more to me as a classical singer, so I'm definitely looking forward to that.

And then... I have two non-music classes, both meeting on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Solely for my own amusement, I'm taking an Intro to Psychology class, which I'm enjoying very much. It's the one class in a lecture hall setting, so I actually feel like I'm in college when I'm in that class. And thanks for IB Psych, I'm finding a lot of this to be review, so I'm enjoying myself quite heartily. I then have my Intro to Acting Class, which also serves as my honors credit for the semester. It's definitely a lot more challenging that I would think, and the instructor definitely requires professionalism from us, so there's not a lot of fun improv moments in the class, but overall it's a good skill for me, as a performance career hopeful, to have.

And then, I have my private voice lessons... easily the highlight of my week. My voice instructor is absolutely amazing. My first voice lesson he already had me singing high G's and A's like no one's business. I'm already working on several different songs in multiple languages, way more than is required of a Freshman, and I'm enjoying every second of it. Every time I come out of a voice lesson, I'm on a high for the rest of the day. Which is good, because my lessons are on Tuesdays, which, being only a step above Mondays, are not great days for me as a person who enjoys his sleep.

In addition to this maddening schedule, I'm also in the chorus for the opera and in the university co-ed a cappella group, which still does not have a set name. I'll let you all know when it does. And it will be glorious. It's definitely interesting balancing the classical nature of the opera with the contemporary nature of the a cappella group. But versatility is beautiful. And so am I.

So there's my update on college. I'll try and blog more so that way not all of my blogs have to be so long. If you actually read to this point, I commend you. And let's play a trick on those who didn't. If you did read this all the way to the end, then write your favorite fruit as a comment on the LINK to this blog on my Facebook Page and see if some confusion ensues. Tomatoes count, but assorted squashes do not. Besides, whose favorite fruit is a squash? Gross.

(Also, if you are reading this and you understand what I mean when I say "plump squash," then you're cool. If you're from UM, you shouldn't understand that. So don't feel bad.)

So, to conclude. College is awesome. Much too awesome. I am eternally grateful to be given the opportunity to study here and am hoping to milk the university for everything it's worth.

♫ ♪ ♫!!

(In case your computer is dumb and is showing BOX BOX BOX, those were intended to be music notes. Sucks to be you. Thank you. Bye.)

THEORY PLACEMENT

Ok.

So.

Music theory.

Haha.

No.

True story. I took my music theory placement tests today, which included both written and aural theory. Both of which were somewhat sucky. Now, I'm not saying that I'm some grand master of music theory, but I legitimately thought that I could work my way through a theory test and get maybe half of the questions right and then figure out the rest for myself.

But no. Because college music theory is much different from the rest of music theory that I've ever actually used. For instance, there are these things called modes, which are scales with different steps. I sort of learned them this summer but immediately forgot them upon returning to school. Basically, there is a mode for every note in the C-major (or A-minor!) scale, played on just white keys. For instance, a D scale played ONLY ON WHITE KEYS is a Dorian mode.

But here's what I want to know... WHY?!?!?!?!

I really doubt that there is a single song written with the Dorian mode in mind. Last time I checked, songs are written in major or minor keys. Nothing else.

Perhaps it's the frustration of failure talking, but I obviously failed both tests. Luckily, however, I automatically will default into Theory 101... there is no remedial class that I have to take... thanks to the good lord Jesus. So even if I failed every question (which I didn't... I did well on scales and basic chords... and maybe intervals), I won't have to pay. The instructor did say, however, that "basic theory" will be quickly reviewed in the first two days of the semester. Depending on what he defines as "basic," those two days may be stressful.

I'm beginning to think that being a music major is definitely not going to be quite as easy as I had anticipated.

Less Difficulties

Well, I'm all moved into the dorm. And now it's 7:35 am and I'm already getting up early for orientation shenanigans. Wait. LET ME TELL YOU OF THE CONFUSIONS OF COLLEGE.

So, I get an email from one of the music admins saying that they're looking forward to seeing me at the "Dean's Breakfast" this morning... which I assume is specifically for Frost School of Music students. But then I get my orientation schedule, and instead I'm listed as being at the BankOne United Center (basically their big auditorium... Obama apparently has spoken there) for something else Frost-related. Essentially, I'm hoping that they're the same thing.

Anyway.... moving in was fairly painless. We had to park a while away, but we managed to pile my entire life into one cart and drag it across campus. In the heat. And humidity. Which I keep telling myself I'll get used to.

Luckily, we were able to get our way in before my roommate, Dominic (who is actually used to Floridian heat) showed up, so we managed not to get in each other's way, which was probably good for starting a healthy roommate-ship.

(Is that a word? I feel like it is.)

And now I've woken up and experienced my first dorm shower experience. (There was like, no one in there... that was pleasant. haha.) And now I hopefully will find out if the Frost School thing is the same thing as the "Dean's Breakfast." I hope that it is, because I'm taking my roommate... and hopefully I'm not leading him astray. haha.

COLLEGE HAS STARTED!!! :D :D :D

In What is Perhaps the Most Difficult Non-College College Experience I've Had So Far...

So... I haven't blogged in a while, which is really a shame, because the internet community really needs to hear my every whimsical thought in order to function as a whole. Seriously. Without my interference, I doubt that the Internet would still exist. True story.

Anyway.

I move into college tomorrow. I feel like I haven't blogged about my feelings of leaving for college enough. It is definitely a mixture of good and bad feelings, but after leaving my house this morning (at 5am, mind you), I felt like I was ready to take on the world.

Though let me tell you, I might have just been through the most difficult day-before-college experience of my entire life today. Allow me to outline the entire experience in excruciating detail for your entertainment.

So we arrive at Ft. Lauderdale International Airport (we flew in through there because it was cheaper than flying straight through to Miami International... plus it's only about 40 minutes away). We obviously did not want to have to ship a whole bunch of stuff, and so we decided to do a lot of shopping here. Hey, there are Wal-Marts everywhere, right?

WELL NOT IN FLORIDA.

My dad's phone kept taking us to what my mom and I later christened as the "Invisible Wal-Marts." On two separate occasions, my dad's phone found a Wal-Mart in the area (about 5-6 miles away) and then proceeded to take us to a place that contained not such Wal-Mart. The first time, it took us to the exterior of what appeared to be a shopping mall. We figured that there wasn't a Wal-Mart inside the shopping mall (not that I'm judging Floridian architects) and so we took a guess that there maybe had once been a Wal-Mart there that had, since then, been removed in order to place a shopping mall there. A bit of a far guess, but we went on.

Well, after that, we found another Wal-Mart on my dad's phone, which then proceeded to take us into the middle of a seedy-looking residential area... with no Wal-Mart. Apparently, the invisible Wal-Mart was on top of two small houses. An excellent disguise, but I have to wonder what Wal-Mart's management teams are thinking. Surely if they're disguised, they can't generate a whole lot of revenue.

Finally, we give up and start taking I-95-- the main highway that takes us from Ft. Lauderdale to Miami and Coral Gables (the actual location of the college)-- south in hopes of finding a Wal-Mart to the side. At this point, I've started texting my roommate desperately asking him if he knows the area. He was able to locate a few Wal-Marts and Targets in the Coral Gables area, so we started heading in the direction of those. Then, as we're heading south, we suddenly see a Wal-Mart to the right... and then miss the exit for that Wal-Mart. So, we decide to just take another exit and back-track. Unfortunately, the next exit was for another highway (just a side thought: Florida has a lot of state highways. Like all connected in this cornucopia of state highways, all of which have speed limits of 50 mph at the highest, and all the old people drive about 20 under.)

But we finally find our way into the Wal-Mart, which, for the record, was very difficult to deal with. It had quite a messy organization and was not entirely easy to navigate through. To top this all off, we were in a heavy Spanish-speaking area, and very few of the management was actually fluent in English. So, even with my Spanish-speaking skills, it was difficult to navigate through. For instance, how do you say "printer" in Spanish? Hold on a second, I'm curious. Let me go check.

It's "impresora."

Anyway.

So we finally are checking out after having spent about two hours finding every little thing I might ever need in four years of college. We are finally all scanned through... and my parents' bloody credit cards aren't working. NOT A SINGLE ONE.

Seriously. Visa, MasterCard, Discover... all from three different banks. None of them worked. My dad's debit card didn't work. We even tried writing a check... it didn't go through. And obviously, we didn't have the cash to pay for such an inordinate amount of paraphernalia.

Essentially, God didn't want me to check out.

And so, we finally get the Discover people on the phone, and we get that card validated for use in Florida. Keep in mind, also, that I was serving as the translator between my parents and the management at this Wal-Mart, who spoke in very broken English. And then, for some reason, we have to SCAN EVERYTHING AGAIN.

WHAT.

And so finally we go through scanning everything again, and PRAISE THE SWEET GOD JOSEPH AND MARY AND THE DISCIPLES AND BLESSED ALLAH AND THE PRECOCIOUS BUDDHA IT WORKED. And we finally get out and head to the hotel.

But, despite this harrowing experience from which I probably never will fully recover, I am way way WAYYYYY excited to be moving in tomorrow. The next chapter of my life is starting... the rest of my life is starting... etc etc. I sound like a Hallmark card.

(Interesting thing about Hallmark cards... they make cards for literally every occasion. I've learned this based on experiences with certain theater kids who I hope will read this.)

I'm naturally a bit nervous. But I'm also really excited because Florida has palm trees.

(That was a big selling point for me.)

So I'm sure I'll update you on that later. Stay faithful, my four faithful bloggees.

Future Status: Secured

Well, it's decided-- I will be enrolling at the University of Miami in the fall as a Vocal Performance major. And I must tell you, it's all very exciting.

I came back last Wednesday from an impromptu visit to the UM campus, and I've gotta tell you-- it's a great campus at a great location... with a great climate... and a great program. What's not to like? It's also out of state, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't itching (at least a little bit) to go to undergrad out of state. Earlier, I may have mentioned that I definitely wanted to go to grad school out of state, but I neglected to mention I wouldn't mind taking undergrad, either.

I hope that anyone who reads this who was hoping I'd go to Colorado State University (which was where I was most likely headed before I got the full-ride scholarship offer... it is, by the way, guaranteed as long as I maintain a 3.0 GPA) understands that this was an offer that I simply couldn't refuse. As far as college rankings go, UM is listed at #29 nationally as a music school, and I have been overall impressed with the teaching staff there (the head of the vocal department herself called me personally and talked to me for a solid 20 minutes over the phone-- that says something to me.) Saying good-bye to CSU is very difficult for me, because I have really familiarized myself with the program and instructors, and I know that I would get a good education there. However, I also know I'll be getting a good education at UM as well, and the winter there will be much less painful that the charmingly bone-shaking winters of Colorado.

(Another note about location-- I've had a lot of people tell me to be careful, because Miami is a "rough" city. UM is actually located in Coral Gables, which is considered by many as the nicest suburb of Miami, and I asked a few students when I was there if they ever felt threatened as far as their security goes. They laughed at the thought. I can't help but think that it's a similar situation to southern Thornton-- I was warned I'd get shot at THS.)

And looking ahead four more years into the future, I'm thinking of the San Francisco Conservatory for my MM. That or the Manhattan School of Music. Or grad school at a non-conservatory university.

But that's stuff I'll worry about in 2014. For now, I'll enjoy the security of knowing what my future looks like for the next four years.

Until later, my faithful blog readers (all four of you), I bid you adieu.

Full Ride? WHATTT.

Well, it's not set in stone, but I couldn't help but blog about the latest development in my life. So, here's the basic story.

In chemistry today, we weren't doing anything because we had a sub and I had already done the assigned worksheet (which, by the by, was technically homework), and so I started playing around on my phone. And when I started playing around on my phone I saw a little notification stating that I had an email from the University of Miami.

I figured it was one of the many emails colleges send to try and persuade you to come to their school, but two words caught my eye: "FINANCIAL AID."

Now, again, I wasn't expecting much, because I have gotten absolutely squat as far as need-based financial aid goes. But I thought maybe there was an academic scholarship somewhere within this financial aid notification.

And lo and behold, I pulled up the link the email gave me and kind of screamed in the middle of chemistry class (luckily, there was a sub, and she wasn't paying much attention-- if she left a note stating that I was misbehaving, I'm sure Ms. Robertson will understand my reaction.) Miami is offering me an annual $24000 scholarship for academics, and then an additional (possibly) annual grant of $15654, which adds up to an inordinate sum of $39654. (PS THAT'S EXACTLY the 2011-2012 TUITION. OMGGGGGGG)

The only thing that is scary is that the Miami Grant (which apparently is also academic-based, not need-based) is not necessarily guaranteed-- it all depends on whether they are able to find funds to get that to me, and in the struggling economy, nothing can be guaranteed. The good news is that the $24000 is guaranteed, so that's a nice blanket. However, at this point, it's gotta be a full ride or I'm not going. I don't mean to sound posh, but nothing short of a full ride will beat CSU's current offer.

There's also the case of a potential vocal scholarship. According to an email I received, I should be receiving information about a vocal scholarship shortly. Now, that might be outed by the grant (after all, what else are they going to pay? Room and board?), but if the grant doesn't go through then I still might have a vocal scholarship. It really all depends.

Apparently, I'm supposed to hear within a week whether the grant will go through all four years. If it does, then there's really no question that Miami is the winner, unless I can convince CSU or DU to get me more money. :)

Also, I feel obligated to mention that NYU has offered me a grand total of $8000, meaning that I would have to slave away the rest of my life to pay on loans. So that's, unfortunately, out of the equation (though, in case you're still keeping track of my rankings, NYU is now ahead of St. Olaf and Capital University; for the moment, I'm saying that CSU and Miami are tied.) I can't say I'm too surprised, but I was hoping for a better package from my dream school. However, I certainly can't complain at the thought of living in Miami for four years. No snow... no cold things... the humidity would be pretty bad, but I would hopefully get used to it. And its music school is (at least, according to Wikipedia... I haven't found any actual backing to this claim yet) ranked in the top 25 schools in the country, so I have no doubt that I would get a good education, especially considering how much I would be able to put into the program, since I'm pursuing a degree that I will love.

So right now, I'm kind of at a difficult crossroad. And I have less than a month to decide where I'll spend the next four years of my life. Wish me luck.

On Being Professional

The title is, of course, an excellent use of hyperbole. I still don't consider myself a professional anything... with the possible exception of professional dogsitter. But I had a really great experience today and I felt the impulse to blog about it. (I go in and out of blog spells, apparently. I still am yet to match September's 17 posts. I obviously had little to do then.)

So my family and I drove up to Ft. Collins today to the somewhat obscure Avogadro's Number Restaurant. (I KNOW! What a cool name! Unfortunately, its address is 605 Mason St. in Ft. Collins, when Avogadro's Number is roughly 6.02 x 10²³, so the numberin

g is a bit off... but maybe its owner was just a chem major at CSU (something that I, for the record, will never be), or a big nerd (something that I, for the record, have always been.)

But I'm getting ahead of myself. This is not a blog about chemistry, but about the joys of singing.

So, anyway, I had my first paying gig, receiving a whopping $25 for my singing ability. This was the first time I was given money for singing in a non-artistic setting. (Though I have accompanied on piano for money, but that wasn't performance... after all, the singer is the main attraction.) But I sang three songs:

Non piu andrai, by Mozart (from the opera The Marriage of Figaro)

Chiquitita la Novia, by Fernando Obradors (fro

m a collection of traditional Spanish songs called Coplas de Carro Dulce)

Our Great Mikado, Virtuous Man, by Gilbert and Sullivan (from the operetta The Mikado)

And I frankly thought they were highly entertaining. The other singers were great as well. And, at the end, I got this lovely little honorarium for my troubles:

It is only $25, which (at least, hopefully) will eventually be like a drop in the bucket of the millions of dollars I'll be making as a vocal performer. But it's just kind of special, because I have never gotten money for singing outside of a competition setting. Just for performing. It feels kind of cool.

The performance's purpose was to honor those who had finalled in the Colorado regional Classical Singer Competition, something that only eight students in the state were invited to do. For those of you following my vocal pursuits, this is the competition that is taking me to LA this summer along with my best duet partner Hillary Thompson, who is amazing as well. It's also the same competition that sent me to New York last year, so this is the second year I've participated in the second round (hopefully, though, this year I'll make it a bit farther... last year I think I was disqualified because I was never told that I needed to have more than one piece prepared-- the website was fairly unclear. This year, of course, I know better.) I'm just as excited this year (even though LA isn't quite New York... haha) and I really hope I get far enough to at least garner some scholarship money. We'll see.

Well, at any rate, I have $25. :D That will pay for lunch at college... for a week. Maybe. Or maybe a few trips to Starbucks. Like now. Or I can spend it on clothes... I could buy more vests. But you know what? It's my money that I earned, so I can buy whatever I want!

(Well, as long as whatever I want falls within the price of $25.)

The Joy of Installing Ovens... Among Other Things

So today was an interesting day.

Last week, my dad decided that it was time to put in a new oven. Because apparently the oven we've been using for the last 14 years can't cook a turkey, and obviously, since we are proud middle-class citizens of the United States of America, the inability to cook a turkey, arguably one of the most patriotic animals that is allowed to be slaughtered and eaten (obviously bald eagles are not exempted from such a status because of the whole "eating and slaughtering" thing, though not necessarily in that order. But I digress.)

And so, my parents, being the absolute darlings they are, decide that we won't get the oven professionally installed. No, after all, they have two "strapping young lads" (and that's a direct quote, mind you) to help carry in and install ovens and other kitchen items. And for the second time in this blog's history, we turn to the magic of the dictionary:

strapping [ˈstræpɪŋ]

adj

(prenominal) tall and sturdy

[from strap (in the archaic sense: to work vigorously)]

Now, I am certainly tall, but I'm not exactly "sturdy." I am certainly the least masculine person in the family, with the possible exception of my mother. And I'm not really an excellent person at such activities as heavy lifting, which this task required a lot of. There was first the heavy lifting of the original oven, which was already considerably large, as ovens are apt to be. And then the new oven, which was like three hundred times (and this is, I must confess, a rough estimate) heavier, and of course a much worse thing to drop on the ground. If we drop the old oven on the ground, who cares, it's an old oven, but the new $1500 oven (which my parents considered a steal- I see it as a chunk of my college fund... haha. But again I'm digressing. All I'm saying is that if it truly was a steal it wouldn't be a big deal if I dropped it and broke it) would of course break and then I'm sure I could have to at least partially contribute to a new oven. And while I have money saved up for college spending money, I don't have enough to throw into a new oven.

And after all that, we still haven't completely put the oven in. It's just awkwardly standing in the kitchen next to a gaping hole where the old oven used to be. It's connected, so in theory we could probably use it as a real oven... it just happens to be a giant block in the middle of the kitchen, which, if left alone, could lead to stubbed toes, angry words, and a body count-- three things that are undoubtedly and equally unpleasant. So, tomorrow (which, I might remind you, is the Christian day of rest... plus it's already Lent. So unorthodox), the strapping young lads will assist their father in sliding this giant piece of machinery into a wall and hoping to the good lord Jesus Christ (it will be Sunday after all-- I must find some way to spiritually engage myself) that it fits.

Also today, I learned that I am definitely and completely incapable of driving a manual stickshift in a car. It's pretty much impossible, so I'm glad that my car is an automatic. Because if it wasn't, I'd... probably be able to drive a stickshift by now. Hmmm. Bad argument. But my brother (who just passed his permit test Friday) and I were learning at the same time, which is not a good combination. I, of course, am much too dependent on the automatic gears, having driven them for the past three years, and so it is understandable that this sudden change would be so... well... sudden.

However, I closed up the day video chatting with my dear friend Ali "Sunshine" Bongiardina over Skype, in which we discussed several hot topics such as abortion, theatre, and college. I also managed to fall out of my chair mid-conversation and was laughed at. My hamster, Fiyero, also partook in the conversation as a silent third party, which was quite pleasant as well. And then that ended, which was sad. My internet kept phasing in and out during the conversation, though, which made for some awkward pauses and difficulties. And then Ali, in the middle of a pleasant conversation, decided that she was going to get food and left me at the altar... or rather... computer, all alone without any love in the world. But luckily, my internet finally stopped being stupid and we went like a full hour without any issues, which was pleasant. It has really reminded me of how much I miss being with my NYT friends, who I just don't get to see as often, which is quite sad.

But while discussing life with Ali, I learned that the CenterStage Theatre Company (located in Boulder-- political friends of mine probably know my feelings about the city... haha) is putting on Titanic: The Musical (yes, there is such a thing, and no it's not based on the movie) this summer, so I'm considering auditioning for that. After all, my goal this years was to participate in five musical productions, and right now I've only gotten four (including Chess), and since Sound of Music with NYT didn't work out, I need to get some last show in before I head to college. Especially if I go to CSU, because they don't do a lot of musical theatre stuff. They do a lot of opera and Gilbert and Sullivan, but they don't do a lot of musical theatre, which is, of course, my first love in the theatre. So I've gotta work in as much as I can. Four productions is just not going to cut it, I'm afraid. So I'm considering that. The only problem is, of course, the location. Frequent rehearsals throughout the summer could be difficult to work with, as I'd be driving to and from Boulder every time I go there, but I have almost the entire summer off-- I'm just unavailable one weekend to go to LA for the Classical Singer Competition (Par-TAY in L-AY!), so if that weekend is when auditions/callbacks are, I'm screwed. But I can certainly hope.

But anyway, all six of my faithful readers, that's all in the life of Eric for today. Still no important scholarship offers from NYU or Miami, and I certainly can't expect any more mail until Monday... and of course school starts back up again after that. Gah. But tomorrow I will be participating in my first ever paying gig at a restaurant in Ft. Collins. (A company, Arias@Avos, is honoring the Classical Singer Finalists for Colorado, of which I am one, at a dinner tomorrow. And I'm being paid a $25 honorarium. Sure, I make more money dog-sitting, but this is indeed the first time I'm being paid to sing (excluding, of course, the times I've won money for vocal competitions), so that's a nice step in the right direction. I can never say my vocal abilities amounted to nothing now! I've got $25 to say the opposite. :)

So that's it, for now. If you haven't heard yet, I'm playing Molokov in the THS Choir's version of the hit musical Chess on April 27th at 6:00pm. Be there or be squared. It's going to be ridiculously AWESOME. :D

College News and Reflections

I apologize for the lame title. :)

So, today was a fairly wonderful day. I got admissions decision from both the University of Miami and NYU, along with admission to their respective music schools, which is really great.

However, I am yet to hear about any scholarship awards for academics or vocal ability, which is really what is going to make the decision for me at the moment, meaning that CSU is still in first for my heart and future.

I know that a lot of people will be shocked that I would choose CSU over NYU or Miami... or even DU, considering the great scholarship package they offered me. But really, as far as undergrad goes, the cheapest university is going to win. I'm already definitely going into a graduate program to get my Masters in Music, and that's when I'll be going for the big name schools. Especially considering that grad students also get great consideration in scholarships. Let's look at Eric's life as it stands right now:

Eric goes to CSU for four years and gets his BM in Vocal Performance in a program that is excellent, if not as well known. He's had a great experience at CSU and has beefed up his resumé considerably (especially when one understands that CSU is one of a handful of universities in the world that has been known to grant Freshmen leading roles in productions- something that's really winning me over at the moment.) Four years have passed, and it's time to apply to grad school. Eric has decided that while Colorado is a wonderful place, it's time to maybe break the mold and go out of state to a conservatory. If things go as planned, Eric will apply to the Manhattan School of Music and the San Francisco Music Conservatory, on top of some other possible schools for a two-year program to get his Masters. In addition, he will reapply to NYU and Miami's graduate programs in hopes that he'll get a good scholarship and then spend the next two years studying his butt off and hopefully starting to establish a career. Once he gets his MM, he leaves school forever and starts pursuing an operatic career. He might start out in the Denver Opera (which, for all intents and purposes, is a fairly well-respected program) or start in some other smaller opera companies before finally making his debut at the New York Metropolitan Opera. After Eric sings opera for a few years and fully matures his voice, he will then transition to Broadway, singing the bass roles that are really only offered to older people (because young characters in shows are almost always tenors because the world is unfair.) After Eric makes his transition to Broadway, he eventually gets the part of the Phantom in The Phantom of the Opera (which I'm assuming will still be running at that point) and then dies happily shortly thereafter.

Well, I'm hoping I don't die that quickly as I'm hoping to live to be like 105, but you get the point. I basically have my life mapped out.

The reason why I don't want to go to NYU for undergrad (unless I am offered significant financial aid) is because I don't want to be in debt for the rest of my life. College loans are hard enough to come by anyway in this tragically sucky economy, and paying them off at the same time as waiting for a performance career to spark would be suicidal (both literally and figuratively). My parents are, thankfully, helping me with college, but they have also told me that if I want to go to a private university (which happens to be 8 out of the 9 colleges I've applied to) and I'm not offered significant scholarships to cover a majority of the costs, I'm out of luck. And, unfortunately, federal grants are very difficult to come by and those that do exist will go to people less fortunate than I. I'm not guaranteed a performance career, and I don't want to pay off loans for undergrad. I might be willing to take loans for graduate school, but that's four years down the line.

So, the moral of this blog entry is that if I'm going for a big name, I'll save it until grad school. I am fully confident that CSU's program is just as good as any of the "big-name" schools' programs are- it just comes at a fraction of the price. Another bonus about CSU is, of course, that it's close to home and I've familiarized myself with the program quite nicely. I know the instructors there fairly well, and I have done a lot of research and found that the opera program is very well-respected across the state. I'm not making any commitments yet, of course (I imagine I'll be doing that all the night of April 30th... :P), and I tend to change my mind every two minutes as far as college is concerned, but, at the moment, this is my mindset.

Back in September, I would have jumped instantly when I found out that I was admitted to NYU. And now, though it's fairly painful to let this opportunity slide, I think I'm making a great decision in the long run. And NYU isn't going anywhere. Neither is Miami, or any other opportunity. I've proven to myself now that I can get into both schools and their respective music programs. Transferring is always an option, and so are graduate studies. I've waited 18 years to go to these schools.

Certainly four more won't be too difficult.

The Wonderful World of Colleges and Scholarships

So, I haven't blogged in a while, and I've been pushed by numerous people to do so. Apparently my life is so exciting that if people don't hear about it enough, they get very upset. And I can't have that happening on my watch. So, I'll be sure to keep everyone updated. :D

Really, the main thing discussed in this blog are my college plans. They can be elaborated upon much more in a full blog than in a Facebook status... or even a note. I feel like the blog offers me a greater area of elucidative analysis.

So, anyway, six out of the nine colleges I've applied to have accepted to me, and five of them have offered me significant scholarships.

The contenders:

CSU is in first, having offered me $2000 for academics, $3000 for vocal abilities, and $1000 for joining the honors program. This may not seem like a lot, but since CSU is a state school with a tuition of only about $6500 (according to Cappex.com, at least, excluding room and board), that is very significant. Nearly a full ride. Which is great.

DU is in second, having offered me $17,000 for academics and $10,000 for vocal abilities, making for a very good package. Unfortunately, since DU is in fact a private school and costs a lot more ($35,000 a year, not including room and board), the $27,000 award falls about $8000 short. Granted, it's a great scholarship, but my college fund doesn't quite allow for it.

Coming into third place is DePauw University in Greencastle, Indiana, which has offered me a whopping $19,000 for academics and an additional $5,000 for vocal abilities. DePauw's tuition, however, is still $33,000, so they're falling short as well.

Rolling on into fourth is Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, which offered me $18,000 for academics. Again, it costs about as much as DePauw, and I didn't actually send them an audition, so they're not very likely. Which is sad, because my beautiful stage wife KT goes there.

At fifth place is St. Olaf College, which only had the decency to offer me a $6500 annual academic award-- hardly enough to make a significant dent in their $35,000 tuition. So they're pretty much out of the running, especially considering I neglected to send them a vocal audition either. (I thought their deadline was January 1, when it was in fact December 15. My bad.)

And in last place is Capital University in Columbus, Ohio, the alma matter of my aunt and both of my grandparents. They've offered me nothing. Those jerks.

At this point, I'm still waiting for admission decisions from NYU, The University of Miami, and the University of the Pacific. My hopes for significant scholarships are, of course, not high from NYU, but I can still have hope, can't I? I should hear from them around April for both academic and music scholarships (if any). I'll probably have a week in all to decide where I'm going.

Right now it's CSU, which actually is not something that I feel bad about. I've had a few family members (who, by the way, are NOT paying my tuition) who have chastised me for sinking as low to go to a state school (GASP!), but I have others (including my immediate family) who are all for CSU, because all in all I've been very impressed by what I've seen of their program and they have, in fact, made me the best offer so far. Plus, Ft. Collins is not too far from home. And if, for some bizarre reason, I do not like it there, I can always transfer my credits someplace else. I, of course, would probably go someplace else to obtain my Masters in Music Performance (I'm still hoping for a big name conservatory-- either Manhattan or the San Francisco Conservatory), but that's four years down the road.

And so, until next time, I bid you adieu, my faithful readers. I wish you the best. When I make my decision, you'll be the first to know. (With, of course, the possible exception of the university itself... and my family... and probably people on Facebook. THEN blog-readers.)

The Tuxedo Post

This has basically been one of the best days of the year so far for me. Granted... there's only been nineteen days this year, but the first weeks back from school were kind of sucky and left me feeling defeated, plus the whole Zodiac scare didn't do much.

Anyway, the big news of today is that NYU apparently liked my prescreening CD I sent in and have invited me to audition on campus. Should I choose to accept this invitation, I'll go over to Manhattan one weekend and audition, and hopefully see a Broadway show while I'm there... maybe. We'll see. :D

I'm not as excited about NYU as I was earlier (I'm probably most likely going to CSU and then hopefully transferring to Manhattan School of Music), but I definitely want to keep my options open, and NYU is still my dream school, because it's freaking NYU. So if I get some sort of excellent offer, then so help me I'm going there.

But that's not the point of this post. What really put the icing on the cake was tonight's Senior Choir Concert. OH MY GOD. IT WAS SO AWESOME.

Everything went right... there was no "Groove Thing" Debacle like last year (though I'm of course not trying to say that last year's Senior Concert was in any was inferior to this year's... they're far too different to be even remotely comparable).

Last year's concert was a lot more traditional. All the choirs were separated, and there was very little movement among the choir as a whole. Sure, we danced and had fun, but it was different. We also ended on a mellower note, Josh Groban's "Thankful," a beautiful and meaningful piece, but not quite an audience-pleaser.

This year we ended with "Don't Stop Believin'," by Journey, to raucous applause. All the risers were placed in one long arch on the stage. There was no real sense of division between the choirs. And there was a heckuva lot more movement. I'm talking full-out dancing. I don't think I've even been in a show (and I've been in Footloose, the premiere dancing show) with such intricate dance moves that, overall, we're performed well by everyone. I would have never guessed that that would have happened, because such a large group of people would be difficult to do more than just a little bit of swaying, right?

Wrong.

Time and time again I am amazed at what this group of students can do. I first noticed it at the first dress rehearsal of Tale of Two Cities, where everyone was put together for the first time and everything just clicked, as if we'd been rehearsing for years. Then I was amazed on Art Day, when we have to maneuver ourselves around hundreds of students and faculty members AS A GROUP, all in the space of a few minutes. And now we managed to pull this off, against all odds. This group is truly miraculous.

Now, as a senior, I have the option to dress up formally for the concert as to contrast against the underclassmen, who are clad in the traditional white shirt and dark pants. I, being the freak about formal clothes that I am, decided to wear my tuxedo with my new emerald green vest. I figured there'd be a few other boys wearing suits, so the fact that I was being obnoxious wearing a tuxedo would blend in well.

Well, I was the only one wearing a tuxedo. A gentleman after the concert told me (and I choose to believe that he was just teasing playfully) that I had overdressed for the occasion.

I don't think I did.

I only get one Senior Concert. After tomorrow night, there will be no more Senior Concerts. No more miraculous dancing to tunes from Glee. Sure, I'll hopefully still be in choral ensembles in college, but there won't be anything like what I've had to offer from the THS choir.

So, I don't think it's possible to overdress for the occasion. There were plenty of girls wearing gowns worthy of prom... they didn't overdress either.

The truth is, when celebrating something as magnificent as this choir, there is nothing that can be done overboard. This choir deserves my utmost, sincere respect. In that regard, I was underdressed. There is no way to wear an outfit worthy of celebration of this magnificent group of people.

But I'm guessing a tuxedo comes close. And I'll be wearing it again tomorrow night. :)

GOAT

AS IF I DIDN'T HAVE ENOUGH GOING ON WITH MY LIFE...

After 5,000 years of existence, a professor in Minneapolis (who, for all intensive purposes, has no business meddling in the affairs of other people... like me), has stated that the Zodiac cycle that we have come to know and love is completely false, and that there is an additional sign, Ophiuchus. So, instead of a nice even twelve zodiac constellations, there's thirteen, adding everything into the mix.

Now, I'm no big Zodiac freak, but I've always been an Aquarius. Now I'm a Capricorn.

Capricorn... is a goat.

CAPRICORN IS A GOAT.

WHAT.

No, no, you're not telling me that I went from water bearer (which was already a fairly lame zodiac sign to be born with) to... A GOAT.

GOAT.

GOAT.

GOAT.

NO.

I can't be a goat. Goats are lame. Do people go around getting tattoos of goats? No. The majority of people with zodiac tattoos are, I'm guessing, not Capricorns.

This has thrown me way off. I don't even know what to say. It's beyond ridiculous. I always thought I was lucky enough to be an Aquarius, who narrowly escaped being a goat.

Now I have to wait another 5,000 years for another professor to discover the 14th zodiac constellation, which will maybe put me around Sagittarius. The centaur. That's a little less lame than a goat.

I'm already the rooster in the Chinese Zodiac... now I'm a goat in the star zodiac. What's next? My social security number? I'm in the process of applying to college. What if everything changes. WHAT IF THE ENTIRE WORLD AS I KNOW IT COLLAPSES AROUND ME? If the Zodiac can change on a dime like this, then nothing is for certain. I could wake up tomorrow to discover I'm purple.

And the icing on the cake is that I have my Lit Oral tomorrow and I should be studying for that but instead I'm sitting here reading up on the Zodiac and making sarcastic remarks about it in a blog.

GAH.

2011 Update

First off, I LOVE CHRISTA SO MUCH BECAUSE WE ARE BEST FRIENDS WHO NEVER GO ON DATES.

Secondly, I haven't posted in a while because 1) I was on Christmas break and tried to just sleep most of the time and 2) Since break has ended, I haven't had a moment to myself. But for the sake of my readers, I will make a quick post to let you know how life has been going in the life of Eric.

As far as colleges go, I have applied to nine universities (my parents are annoyed) and, of those nine, I have received three acceptances (no, I haven't received six rejections. :P) I have been accepted to Colorado State University, Luther College (IA), and DePauw University (IN), all with fairly significant academic scholarships. I'm supposed to hear from the University of Miami by January 15. Let's all cross our fingers. I've actually been looking into Miami's Vocal Performance program, and I really like it. Also, it's one of two places I have applied where snow virtually doesn't exist, which is also nice. Perhaps now is the time when I'm most motivated to go someplace like Miami. But I've also been very impressed with DePauw's music program-- when I went to the Classical Singer Convention/Competition in NYC last summer, I had a master class with their classical vocal teacher, and she was really awesome.

Anyway, yeah. I've sent recorded auditions to Miami and NYU (actually, New York was a prescreening... if they like me enough to invite me to audition, I might have to talk my parents in letting me go there for a live audition.) I'm auditioning at CSU sometime in February, and I have plans to audition at DU as soon as possible (especially since they removed me from their Early Action application because, apparently, since I signed up to the music school, the audition is part of the actual application, and I won't even get in until I send that in.) I'm auditioning for DePauw on March 6-7 (live-- I'm actually really excited), and I'm probably going to send recorded auditions to Luther and Capital University. I'm not sure about University of the Pacific or St. Olaf yet-- I'll have to see where that leads me.

But school itself has been keeping me busy. I've been working on my G4 Project for science. We're examining the voltage of electrolytes in sports drinks and then assessing their effectiveness on slowing heart-rate while exercising... I know it sounds very exciting. And then I have my Lit Oral Examination (yes, it's a funny name) this Friday, for which I feel reasonably prepared.

In a more positive note, the THS Senior Choir Concert is next week, and I'm singing a solo with my friend Kiani (who, for the record, is awesome) on the final night of the concert, for which I'm very excited. I finally have my entire outfit ready... I'm going all out and wearing a tux with a green vest, then switching into a royal blue vest for my performances with Select and VJ. (It's January 19-20 at 7pm... and it's free. :D) Then we go directly into our choir musical, which is confirmed to be Chess (it's a Cold War musical... I'm very excited), and the same week I audition for that, I will audition for Sound of Music at NYT, which (assuming I get in) will be my last show there, which is endlessly sad for me, because I only have done two other shows there before, because I was lame and only did school stuff until last year.

Did I mention that I was accepted into the Colorado All-State Choir earlier in my blog? Well, if you haven't heard, I did, and I'm very excited. I'm singing Bass 2 (really low) in the Men's Chorus, and I've been working hard on memorizing the songs on top of every-bloody-thing else I have to do.

So it's understandable that I haven't blogged in a while. :)