the view from H6

So O'Hare on one of the busiest travel weekends of the year. True to form my grandfather insisted I leave for the airport a full 3 1/2 hours prior to my departure... so 30 minutes later I had successfully navigated security with my gigantic cello case only to find my flight already 40 minutes delayed. It's probably more now but I'm afraid to look. So at any rate one of the baggage guys has a nice singing voice and keeps getting on the gate intercom and singing Christmas carols... It's kind of a stress reliever, people get all starry-eyed and just grin and clap like goons when he's done. Also the woman sitting down the row from me is traveling with her jack russell terrier and the dog is pretty out of control and keeps begging people for their McDonalds. I'm a little concerned about where the dog is going pee/poo. My cello case is looking like a prime target so I'm keeping an eye out.

I'm wishing I had a friend with me. Like Kate, mostly. now the puppy is eating an empty nyquil box off the floor. Tonight is my mom's holiday party so I get to come home directly in the middle of preparation madness. Last year I got completely plastered and ended up singing O Holy Night in front of the entire party doing vibrato by pulling on my neck skin. Hot mess.

Christmas Spirit?

I've gotten in the habit of watching TV while its muted. I do it mostly when I'm in the apartment with Kate at work and I think I just like some movement in my peripheral vision. I've had ESPN on mute since about 9:15 this morning which is probably a massacre on my carbon emissions number. It's also led me to ponder why the federal government considers it an efficient use of their time to investigate steroid use amongst major league baseball players. Is this really a pressing national concern?

I'm driving to Chicago tonight and flying to Dallas tomorrow and I'm the closest to "melancholy" that I've felt in a while. I'm just sad about being a way from Kate. I get really frustrated when we have to be a part for extended periods of time especially at occasions like Thanksgiving and Christmas. I think we both feel too young to give up holiday experiences with our nuclear families but lately she's feeling equally like my family. One of my anthropology books called it the "family of procreation" but I think this sounds too biological and utilitarian.

My mom keeps calling me about Christmas present ideas and I don't have the heart to say that the last thing I want to do for the 3 days leading up to tuesday is fight the raging hordes at Mockingbird Station. Le sigh. I'm excited for some family time and to see the dogs, I just feel a little down when I think about it without Kate.

I've been noticing a lot of birthday announcements on facebook lately so I did a little math... 9 months ago was about february... valentines day, no? interesting.

In other news I'm procrastinating like a champion. I'm at the start of all-nighter number 3 for the term. Sigh. These are getting to be less and less enjoyable and this is definitely the latest start yet. I'm a douche.

Resaons I Dislike Queen Elizabeth II (and Carolyn... when she pouts)

I've been to London 3 times. My mom has a real fascination and I'd say closeted obsession with the British royal family and, in addition, tends toward hyper-planning family vacations. At any rate, every time we've been to London we've had a morning where we make the trek to Buckingham Palace to see the 'changing of the guard' only to find that our chosen day is the day that they decide to do a 'reduced' (i.e. lame) production. Then usually the rest of our time is too scheduled to possibly try another morning.

From what I remember (and I'm assuming I'd remember the shit out of a full-scale changing of the guard) all that happened was a few new soldiers marched out and replaced old ones... no horses, no carriages, no fanfare whatsoever. Damn that Queen Elizabeth II... I bet Queen Elizabeth I would never tried any funny business like days off for the 'changing of the guard'. Maybe the guard just wised up and joined a labor union. At any rate, I was severely underwhelmed by the downsized "off day" changing of the guard and feel a little resentment toward the Queen, London and really the UK in its entirety for withholding this great cultural phenomenon.

While I'm on the subject, here's another little ditty. We went to Paris in March a few years ago and my mom spent 3 weeks prior to the trip telling us how cold and rainy it was going to be. So we all packed accordingly and brought MAYBE 1 tshirt, just in case. Naturally, it was ungodly hot all week. On a particularly unpleasant day we went to the Musee D'Orsay. My sister (who already had her panties in a wad about attending museums on 4 consecutive days) just couldn't pout hard enough and decided to throw a little hissy fit by refusing to stop fanning herself with the map of the museum. As a result we walked up 6 flights of stairs because we didn't know there were escalators... because little miss snooty pants was fanning herself with the map.


Anyway, this is just in case you were curious about our family vacations, they're funny. And I like writing about them so you just might have to read more about them.

Structural FUNctionalism

Week #5, All-nighter #2. Maybe I should consider some revisions to my current method of "time management"?

These article review essays are just not worth staying up all night for... but, here I am. The current dilemma is; I did well on the last essay so, instead of indicating sub-par intellectual ability, turning in a dick-lick of an essay tomorrow is a dead give-away for a severe lack of effort.

I'd like to thank the BP on Wisconsin Ave. for providing the Dr.Pepper, beef jerkey and gum (to cover the impending beef jerky breath) which will sustain me through these next hours.

from 600 E College Ave, with love

So I was just sitting here flipping through pictures from last year and came across ones of Carrie putting Condoleeza on the wall of my dorm room. It got me to thinking that at this very moment someone is living in that room with her. They may even be sleeping right next to her without knowing that beneath one measly layer of white paint, Condi is gazing down. Even more satisfying; the realization that as long as that dorm is in existence there will always be one layer, indistinguishable from the decades of paint applied before and after it, that contains Condoleeza [memories from the more than occasional genius of a former life].

things that are not acceptable

a note for conservatory voice majors:

absurdly (and purposely) off-key beatles sing-alongs that spill out into the hallway in the conservatory basement at 1am are NOT okay. for any reason.

thank you for your consideration.

what else were we expecting?

So the cubs are out of the playoffs before I even got my 'division championship' tshirt in the mail. what a crock.

Maybe the Russians have all the answers?

Around the middle of the 20th century someone who had a film production company and a love of classical music apparently got the idea that recording the greats playing all the staples of their respective instrument's repertoire was a worthwhile project. The result is a plethora of (sub-par and actually rather haphazard) recordings of some really brilliant musicians. I've taken to watching them on youtube pretty much daily with the hope that their flawless technique and interpretation will somehow begin to rub off on me. My favorite performer thus far is Zara Nelsova. Here's the deal with Zara: She's actually a Canadian, of distant (way distant) Russian ancestry, who is, in fact, simply named Sarah Nelson. But who's keeping track. She's brilliant and wore some of the most serious ball gowns I've ever seen in conjunction with a performance of classical music. She is just ungodly fabulous and more technically sound than I can ever hope to be. Her playing is remarkably expressive and full; her technique is ruthlessly efficient. She plays with her nose in the air and her eyes closed, exuding a kind of self-confidence and concentration that is the stuff of legend. Not to mention she "modified" her name with a little Russian flair just to make the package complete.

Aside from feeling remarkably inadequate, watching her got me to thinking that "Caitlin Andrew" is no name for a cellist. Henceforth I would like to be known by my Russian pseudonym,
"Catarina Andrevka".

Eat your heart out Sarah Nelson.

I'm already sick of the Packers and they've only won 3 games.

On the other hand I kind of want them to go undefeated just so I can one day expunge on my experience among the locals during a time of unbridled Packers football FRENZY. It's already beyond normal 'fan support'. I can't even watch the weather without hearing about it. Even if it's Monday, and the next game is 6 days away, the local meteorologist puts a little icon of a Packers helmet on 'game day' during his daily "and here's the weather leading up to game-day" report. Is nothing sacred to you people?

The cello studio had it's first "studio dinner" tonight. Here's the highlight: on our way to Downer we were walking en-mass (taking up the whole sidewalk) when, out of nowhere, we failed to give way to an oncoming biker and he yelled at us, "Do you want a fritter up your cock?" I was stunned. I mean, what the hell? To top it off, he was definitely wearing a Packers sweatshirt.

windblown hair and much fist-pumping

Tuesday night Kate and I drove around campus just to scope out the general situation; remarked on the ridiculously enormous construction site (complete with industrial crane) that is in the midst of creating our savior (the campus center), and we hazarded a guess as to how long (or short) until the first major incident involving a lawrentian and the construction site occurs. Driving west on college ave we spotted an incoming freshman and his parents walking in front of the chapel. Before I knew what I was doing I had rolled down the window and was yelling an MTV-spring-break-worthy "WELCOME WEEK> WOOOOOOO" complete with windblown hair and much fist pumping. The parents were a little stunned but the dude totally double fist pumped right back. So whoever you are; welcome to lawrence, man.

Life in Appleton is just great. Great in that 'my parents aren't around so I can pretend I'm an adult' kind of way... that is until I realize I'm writing a completely useless post for my lame new blog instead of warming up for my impending cello lesson. Watching new freshmen move in yesterday is forcing the reality of the situation; within a week I'm diving headfirst into 33 weeks of academic rigor. As they say in Texas; "I'm in the chute" (which I believe is a reference to cattle awaiting slaughter).

On the up side; Oktoberfest is also looming on the horizon. MEAT ON A STICK, DRINKING IN THE STREETS AND OVERWEIGHT PACKERS FANS...GIVE IT TO ME.

Tuesday night, it was my opinion that drinking games are overrated (Here's my drinking game... beer, mouth, swallow.)
Wednesday morning reminded me why the use of a drinking game to 'pace' oneself is a favorable idea.

It's been cloudy all morning and I'm running on 3 1/2 hours of anxiety ridden sleep - I have a lesson at 10am and I'm nervous like I've never been. It's not audition nerves; it's I want Janet's approval nerves. The sun just came out and I need to go warm up. The pads of my fingers are raw and I cut my nail on my right thumb TOO short - no matter how hard you try, summer always wreaks havoc on hand strength and calluses. There's nothing like the eternal autumnal task of painful practice to get yourself back in an academically musical state of mind.

The endless opportunities that come with the promise of fall term are irresistibly glorious. The possibility of being wildly successful is still very real (if only because you haven't yet had the chance to screw up).
Me? I'm shooting for just north of average and a few good memories.

i just got tired of the old one.

i don't have anything particularly interesting to say on this new blog of mine. mostly i was just sick of the old one.

most of the excitement in my life has stemmed from cubs baseball, kate coming home from work, don juan (and other assorted excerpts), cleaning the apartment and a new commitment to eating more fiber. intersperse this with occasional csi marathons and, thus far, it's been one of my favorite Septembers in recent memory.

the new freshman move in on wednesday. so, tomorrow night kate and i are going out to dinner at fratellos just to lay eyes on all the new kiddos eating their last dinner with their parents. i can't be too much of a douche though bc i'm going to be in the theory classes with them in the spring... because my life is that much of a joke sometimes.

at least the captain-crunch chicken tenders will be delicious.