I haven't posted in a while.... I've been busy, and still am... Man..

Well, I'm at school right now, and I'm hoping to God that after last night's bombings that Saddam Hussein is dead. That guy is a freakin' psycho. But I'm like going crazy because nothing new is happening! I want to know that something is going on. I want to know if Saddam is dead or if that speech was really him or not I'm confused and they aren't telling me anything except the same things. All I know is that Fox News I think is better than any of them, because they have a equal sides thing, not a liberal stance like the other networks. I have class in a bit so oik bye.

Well, I finished my paper... I bsed a lot I'm sure lol. But hey hopefully I get at least a B.... he gave me a B last time and that surprised me. Anyway, I woke up at 9 today so I could go to the 10:00 section, but then I talked to Becky and she said they didn't do anything in class today except the causes of the great depression (again). So I"m just going to go at 10:30 and drop off the paper by his door. And hand in my other stuff, and then go to my intro to american ed class, which is a little more beneficial to my major. So yeah. Here we go, less than 3 hours until I go home!!!!!!!!!!!!!

#315 - Space Age Hero - Worlds

Question: why do I never read the book if I know I have to do a report on it? That should be enough for you, that and leave for home in less than 18 hours........ YEAH!

#280 - Bad Boy - Miami Sound Machine

I'm in Blackburn computer lab right now, working on my annotated bibliography IT"S 12:30 ALREADY!?!? CRAP. Anyway, the first thunderstorm of 2003 is happening as I write. Just wanted to remember, I guess. Or maybe to procrastinate...

Well, I feel much better now. Jacob said that the rooms in Hessler were about the size of Oaklands so that is good; plus it's a fairly nice dorm. No suites, though, so they are floor showers and stuff. But hey what can you do? God has a plan for me there. The dorm is semi-coed... one side is men and the other side is women. Jenny is on Aston 4, and she says the rooms are awesome there... Why didn't Millikin create a guys dorm when they built Aston? Did they figure the guys could just stay at home or something? I love Aston because of the atmosphere, and the old building is sweet. But hey The more I think about it the better Hessler seems.

I spilled pop on my desk again.... I just cleaned it up with soap and water and it looks SO much better. Just a hind of spring cleaning I did... Now if I could only vacuum. I may in a bit.

IT IS SO NICE OUT RIGHT NOW. It is around 60!!!! YES!!! SPRING IS HERE!!!!!!!!!! ::Vivaldi's Spring plays in my head:: da da da da dada daaaaaaaa, dada da da da dada daaaaaa dada da dada da da da da da. :):)

#255 - Ghost Train - Eric Whitacre

OK, I got a room in Hessler, and Bobby just IMed me and said I'm rooming with Dustin Hites which is good because he goes to InterVarsity... he's not a music major, though, it said in another email he put in the shared folder that he's an earth sciences major. However, he's in choir, so maybe he's minoring? So that's the only thing, but usually the quality that they are an avid Christian means that I will have a good roomie.

#237 - The Revealing Science of God - Yes

Well, I'm feeling better, but hopefully I'll get at least a tolerable room........................... I'm still a little upset though.

#234 - When I think of You - Janet Jackson

I AM SO PISSED AT MILLIKIN RIGHT NOW YOU HAVE ABSOLUTELY NO IDEA.

Ok, so when in hell did sophomores get preference over juniors? NEVER. Until you go to milikin. So Garrett goes to get a room; he gets the last single, because the only two other openings for men in Oakland are with freshman. WHAT IS WITH THAT!?!??!?! GRRR..... So, he signed up for the single. What can you do? So now I'm probably going to be living in Hessler, with Freshmen all around me. Seriously, I'm so upset right now I could cry. THIS IS SO FUCKING STUPID. OK, WHAT THE HELL AM I SUPPOSED TO DO NOW? I NOT GOING TO HAVE A CAR NEXT YEAR, SO I HAVE TO LIVE ON CAMPUS, but why not give me a nice dorm room???? I'M A JUNIOR. Sophomores shouldn't have a nicer room, they shouldn't have preference. I'm probably going to live with someone I don't even know, since Hessler isn't a dorm with singles anymore............. I'm so pissed............ dgnsamdg;sdalkgjdfkgnxckjgplsadkgjdkfgjlkdfjglkfgnxcmbn;dflkgjdaklfjglkasjgklsdjfglkjasdlkgjsadfg >:O><:O>:O>:O>:O>:O ::crying::

OH MY GOD.

We were wondering what the smell that had been plaguing our room for days was.... Garrett finally found the problem. One of his low carb drink bottles had been broken, and had gone unnoticed. So it smelled like rotten milk for awhile, and I thought it was because when I spilled a little milk on the fridge a few days ago. But I had cleaned it up. So then tonight, he found it, and OH MY GOD the smell was horrible it smelled like rotten milk and puke and fart; I seriously gagged. But it is gone now, so we are venting our room.

Well, after today, I don't like Concert Choir so much anymore. There are only like 6 first tenors, and 2 aren't there all the time, and 2 don't seem to care at all about it. It's making me upset. I know some of the people in the choir would rather be somewhere else or not be in choir at all, but for God's sake at LEAST pay attention to the director, and put forth SOME effort, because then you won't need to go over the same part OVER AND OVER again. THAT is the biggest reason I wanted to be in Uchoir at the beginning of the year. Some people are in concert choir because they have to be in a choir, and they are glad to be in concert choir because presumably, you don't need to make as big of a commitment. Well that doesn't mean don't do crap in class!!! I feel truely sorry for the people who are trying their best and giving their all to make up for the people who don't pay attention. ARGH!

Luckily my voice lesson cheered me up some. We started going through the Russian, and it seems like a fun song. I hope to have Garrett record at least some of the accompaniments for my songs before I go home.

Speaking of Garrett, I'm kind of mad at him because he has said he wouldn't mind me as a roommate again next year. I have a really crappy number for room draw, and he has a really good number. Anyhoo, he is asking someone else to be a roommate next year. Now, I normally I guess wouldn't mind this, except that without me, he wouldn't be here in Oakland this year, and now in the opposite camps, he's not returning the favor. I'm in the meantime stuck without a roommate with a not a chance in hell getting into Oakland next year.

#218 - Subdivisions - Rush :)

Well, to my amazement, I managed to get the majority of what I needed to get done, done. I watched my conducting tape, listened to 1 piece, Analysed the 3-pt invention, started the 2 parter, read a little bit of voices of protest, and I'm going to finish the IPA today (hopefully.) I didn't practice, unfortunately, I didn't really get started on my paper, and some other crap. But what can you do?

4 more days until I am home!!!!

#197 - Nobody's Hero - Rush

Saw 12th night today; it was good. I have the hiccups. That is not good.

#194 - Rhapsody In Blue (cond. Leonard Bernstein) - George Gershwin

Well I did a little bit of the stuff on my list, but I'm not going to the library until tomorrow when I have a lot more time. I read about 20 pages of Voices of Protest and I'm going to read more today and a lot more tomorrow. I also started to analyse the inventions. I'm going to finish the rest of the IPA maybe tonight after the concert. Man, I can't WAIT for the concert to be over. The unfortunate thing about this concert is that we are going to be on stage a big chunk of the time so I can't bring homework with. We sing at the beginning and at the end and not in the middle, so I wish we could bring homework with. I could get a lot more done, although it's difficult to do that with an orchestra right in front of you. At least there is always AFTER rehearsal, but I won't get anything done, that is almost guaranteed.

It was absolutely beautiful today. It got up to 65, and it was so nice when I went to rehearsal, but then it was colder when I got out, and now it's down to 35! What's with THAT!?!?!? I hate central Illinois weather. I can NEVER make up it's mind. It's almost spring. It should be 65 from now on. I'm sick of this cold crap. It's bad on my voice and body too. Grr. Oh well.

Well I think I'm going to get something to eat for dinner, and then take a shower and get ready. I have to be there at 7, since concerts in Decatur start at 7:30.

My MP3 collection is ever increasing; I got lots of stuff off of the network. I now have 601 Mp3's.
#170 - Peace Crusaders - Jean-Luc Ponty

You know, since I am so freaking bored right now, I'm wondering if I shouldn't just post my thoughts right now. You know, I go home in 7 days. Exactly a week from now I'll probably be watching TV in my room or something. And petting my dog. I miss everything. Don't you notice how you get more and more homesick the closer the time to go home is, especially if you are SICK of your surroundings? That is why I wish I had my car down here. GOD I wish I wasn't in that accident. That means I"m probably not going to have my car down here next semester; maybe Spring 2004 I will. I hope so; I need the car to do observations, and teachings and stuff. I hope Dr. Wagner sent that letter back to Dr. Forbes... He needs to get it.

Adam is home for Spring Break now. I go next week, and then Amanda. That's just for perspective. Anyway, Amanda IMed me last night saying she wants to interview Aria for a class so I said sure I'll ask her. I'm sure she'd be fine with it; Aria loves being the center of attention, even if she doesn't know what she is talking about (I.E. my love interview last year, she kept quoting Moulin Rouge).

OHOHOHOHOH A few more reasons why I want to go home: my mom spilled out my birthday present, but that's because she wants me to bring it back down with me: A DVD/VCR COMBO!!!!!! I am so excited you have no idea; I've been wanting those for forever. I mean it is so cool because you don't need two units! And now, if I feel the need to, I can bid on DVDs instead of movies, and I don't have to get DVDs of the movies I have because I will still have a VCR unit! Excited excited. Another reason: I AM CRAVING FANTA RIGHT NOW. I haven't had Fanta since I believe early January when I was home; I remember I used the last free coupons at a Kroger for our Christmas Party.... I don't think I had any left after I gave mom two. If I did have one left, it was still like Mid January since I had Fanta last. I'm beginning to forget the wonders of it.... sigh..... Oh well, at least I still have bengal spice tea.

I think I'm going to read, and listen to music while I wait to get so tired I can't stay up.... Tomorrow is a BIG day. I want to go home. I miss my bed!!!

#131 - Holiday - Madonna

Well, that sucks. The library closes at 5 on Friday and Saturday. I guess the library figured why bother? No one studies on Friday! Everyone studies! Geez. Oh, well, I guess i can get a little done if I can get my butt away from the computer. Which is probably unlikely, unfortunately. But I'm going to bed a little earlier tonight; I felt so tired all day. This Wagner thing is taking it's toll on my body. So I don't know. I hope I can at least read a little tonight or something...

#125 - "Birth of the Red Violin" (from the Red Violin) - John Corigliano

Since today I am not that busy, and tomorrow is, and Sunday isn't really, I'm going to try and make today as productive as possible. I don't want to talk much, since I am saving my voice (even though I have a voice lesson AND choir today, I'm probably not going to sing full out.) I'm going to practice my voice lesson stuff, which I should really do more, although with this Wagner thing it's easy not to. Your voice can wear out quickly. Last night at the rehearsal, I sang full out, and barely made it through the first song. But I did it!

Mr. Held told one of the students at the masterclass I didn't see that when your voice cracks, it releases tension. I was skeptical at first, and Garrett doesn't buy it (he says his voice never cracks, and I don't buy THAT), but after last night, I totally agreed with him. I was singing, and my voice cracked, and for the seconds right after that, my voice felt totally comfortable. I could feel the tension starting to creep back in, though. But I think it is great!

I had my history midterm this morning. I was so tired this morning I could barely do it. I only filled about half of a blue book, and I saw people fill like 2 blue books and so I'm thinking I didn't do very well.... I hope I get at least a B though. I explained a lot of what we talked about in the class. It's weird. But what can you do? I have a few midterms next week I need to do. Other things I need (or at least I'd like) to do this weekend are:
Watch my conducting tape
Listen to 3 conducting pieces
Take notes on those
Read "Voices of Protest" for history (At least get through a good chunk of it, so I'm almost done by the end of the weekend because a paper on that is due Wednesday.)
Analyze the two part invention for counterpoint
Analyze the three part invention for counterpoint
Practice (although not on Sunday, that is vocal rest day)
Finish IPAing the Russian for the Mussorgsky
Get started on my 20th century music paper (need annotated bibliography by Thursday)

I think that's it. I'd like to get all of that done, however that seems horribly ideal, considering the concert tomorrow. I'd like to get at least some of that done, though. I'm going to the library tonight to do a lot of it; I don't know if I'll go to Lighthouse because of that. I want to get my work ethic back on track it has been slacking as of late.

This UN meeting is still on after like 4 hours! This is a really important meeting, I know that. I hope something happens. OK, and they are saying that Usama Bin Laden's sons have been arrested.... I don't know but it at least a top al Qaida dude person which is good.

And Saddam is now planning to dress his soldiers as US or British soldiers, attack his own people, and then blame it on us. Can you believe that? I think Fox News Channel should explain that to France and Germany.

#111 - Lord of the Dance - Steven Curtis Chapman

I heard Alan Held sing today at a masterclass. HOLY FUCKING SHIT. Now I don't normally swear, you who know me, but OH MY GOD. HIS VOICE IS ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I mean, we were in Kaeuper Hall, and you could tell he was holding back, yet already his voice overtook the room. If he sang full voice in there, the room probably would have collapsed on top of us. Wow. And he is a great teacher! He helped the people who got to sing in the masterclass very well.

It was so funny today; we went to John's Hill School to observe. And me, Jacob, and Clayton observed a class (I forget off the top of my head what it is called) but it was for students and their future and they were talking about money and business. Now the guy said he was from Paris, IL, and asked if anyone else was. And one girl raises her hand and says "I'm went to Paris, France!" Hahaha. But that's not the funniest. The funniest was when he asked what other states people have been to:
Florida!
North Virginia!
Atlanta!
Chicago! (which is HILARIOUS because not only is Chicago not a state it is in THIS STATE)
France!
Trenton, New Jersey!
Jamaica!

#99-Into The Lens - Yes

I SWEAR TO GOD.... I am never singing Wagner again after this thing with Alan Held is over... it totally strains my voice. Singing the same 4 high notes over and over, right on my tessatura, wearing out my upper register, for 20 fricken bars, is absolutely horrible, and I hate it. I just don't like Romantic music in general... the only genre of music I like less than Romantic (especially late romantic, not post-romantic that's when it started to get cool again, and some early Romantic stuff is cool.) is atonality, serialism, 12-tone stuff.

#32, Rebecca St. James - Reborn

WHY does the weekend ALWAYS go by SO FAST?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!

Anyway, I'm in the process of listening to all 583 of my non-Christmas mp3s, mainly because I have never really heard all of them all the way through. I am on #19, Stratus by Billy Cobham.

Choir was pretty weird yesterday. We sang mixed pretty much the entire time after running through a newer piece. We then mixed, I went to the front rown on the other side away from my part. We sang through the Brahms, and then we were going to sing Wagner. Dr. Holmes asks the first tenors to stand and sing their part. The other first tenors pretty much stayed where they were. Well we sang and it seemed like I was the only one singing and then we get done with the first phrase. Dr. Holmes runs over and hugs me. Then he's like "Spencer, good job!" and then he looks over at the other first tenors (that was funny the look on his face) looks back over at me and I'm like "Well, you told us to mix up!" So then he asks everyone to sit down again, and then he says, "Stay standing Spencer" so I had to sing the entire part all my myself. I was really nervous. It was totally put on the spot. And he was like telling me not my part what to do with accents, and the turn, and stuff. I think he was trying to give the hint that the other first tenors weren't doing the job. But then the rest of the rehearsal went normally. So that was fun...