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There is one thing I want in this world:

(Ok ok, I take it back. But if I had to want only one thing, this would be it.)

Opera Love.

The kind of love Wagner and Puccini wrote about. Where it is love at first sight, forbidden and secret but still pure and beautiful. No talking about oneself, just simply swooning for each other and promising eternal happiness. Armies, oceans, and time are not enough to keep two people apart. Glorious arias and magnificent monologues professing this feeling are a part of every day - one is never alone.

Ladies wear glamorous dresses, massive skirts with a tiny waist, whereas the men are dressed in classic suits and rich fabrics. (Always a handkerchief for the lady!) There are no cell phones with text messaging to mess it up, no playing hard to get. No cars and awkward dinners, only carriages and candle-lit meals in a grand dining room. Though not everyone approves, it doesn't matter what this foolish world thinks of this love!


Oh, wouldn't it be nice.

Nicknames, etc.

Yep, it stuck.

Thanks to the cool kids in to Mellophone section, I am now "Ray-Ray" to students at Northwestern. Who knows how it happened, and I don't know exactly how I feel about it yet. Even though it's rather goofy, it's nice to know there's something special there. Band camp is over - this season is going to be amazing!

Also, I now have three fish! The small spotted orange one is Gus. There's a silver one with black trim and a golden one with spots that don't have names yet. Something good will come to me later I suppose.

More veggies less carbs.

Gone For Good

Untie me, I've said no vows.

Yes, it's true. I am changing my major to Business, with a concentration in either Finance or Marketing. I am no longer a Music Ed major.

Here are my reasons:

Job Security. A BME is great if you want to teach music, but does not transfer well to other sectors. I never want to be begging for work, and I want to set myself up for success. A business major will be an asset no matter where I land.

$. (Does this really need an explanation?)

I've been working with a local marching band, and I know I could not teach high school band for an extended period. I'm sure I could if I absolutely had to... but I don't have to. So I'm not going to. The kids are outstanding, it is a great experience, and the school has the "perfect" program, but it's just not meshing like it should. I'm certainly not all about me some band right now.

I truly believe I can be just as happy being a businesswoman - rocking a power suit. (I blame my mom for this one!) But in all seriousness, I love talking with people, I love presenting my ideas, I love working through problems and organizing my time. This is a change a feel confident in. There's a million different directions my life could go from there, and I cannot wait.

Life will go on. It's nice to think someone in CMUS might care for five minutes, and then I'll just be one of those people that woulda coulda shoulda. But how many kids walk in and turn around? At the end of the day, no one cares aboutchya. It was a good first year, but that's about all I want to deal with.

Current goal: celebrate my 24th birthday in New York City, with an awesome job and a busy life.
And I'm going to make it happen; this is Step One.