Weak end.

Oh, man…that title is so freaking clever, I can hardly stand it…yeah.

I watched Requiem for a Dream last night–most depressing thing I’ve seen in a long time.  It was just very disturbing.  And I didn’t like the ending very much.  There could have been a little more epilogue to wrap things up, because it sort of just comes out of nowhere.  But I guess I won’t be doing heroin after all, cause you know, it was getting to be a 50/50 chance.  Not.

Things otherwise are going quite well, I guess.  We’ve had some rehearsals for Impromptu, getting ready for A Capella Extravaganza in a couple of weeks.  It’s actually a little frightening how soon it is, since us newbies have to learn/memorize three songs by then.  Fortunately, I already know one, but that’s sort of cheating, so I’ve been spending a LOT of time arranging pieces.  I have little to no music theory knowledge, but I have ears, and the process of listening to every note over and over again and writing them down is…just as tedious as it sounds.  The part I have the most difficulty with is determining which part gets which notes and how to reduce complicated music to something singable.  My first attempt was me actually arranging something, and my second was a straight transcription of something that was already arranged.  They both sound decent, which makes me happy.  From what people have been throwing around idea-wise, I’m excited about what we’ll be singing.

It’s cause I don’t think you’d believe me.

A math teacher who can hardly add, can’t finish his own sentences and can’t spell?  A group member who blames the professor for teaching it wrong?  What does 15 mangoes times 9 mangoes equal?  A food service lady who refuses to let me walk away without trying her new, you know, stir-fry and or cheese-covered concoction?  “But I just want the rice.”  That’s not allowed?  A blue suit for $15?  Crazy freshmen who still complain like freshmen?

This is how it’s going, which is to say I’m perfectly happy, but my life is a little crazy.

And I got an 8mm camera…how cool is that??

But I’m Okay.

Sorry I disappeared for a bit, there.  Choir Retreat was Saturday, and it was great!  Heckling became an art as people introduced themselves to the choir—people were still surprised that I’m a senior.  I still think a t-shirt is in order.  Oh well.  It was a blast, and there was hardly any moaning or groaning over past life experiences to weigh it down, so kudos.

Then I got really sick.  And I haven’t had a touch of dairy in weeks.  What the hell?  I’m okay now, but the last 28 hours haven’t been very pleasant…in that I was really sick all night, slept all day, and didn’t get to do the things I wanted to accomplish.  But I’m better, and happy, so I’ll get over it.

My almost-anguish.

When hearing about how an audition went, the last thing you really need is a fake out—not that I was faked out, exactly.  But usually, being thanked for the audition right away means they’re going in a different direction, a.k.a. you sucked.  And yet, somehow, against all odds, that being me vs. another guy who got in anyway because he tried out for two parts, I am now a member of UWEC’s own Impromptu.  Not gonna lie—I’m completely pumped.

Agony.

I know you’re all waiting with breathless anticipation for the news, and if you’re not, then you’re not, I guess.  But I am.  And there’s still nothing.  So just wait a little while.  Yeah.

Fifteen.

Callbacks, or should I say “callbacks”, lasted less than twenty minutes.  We sang the same numbers we did the other day, just with Doc in the room, and then it was over.  Supposedly, I’ll know tomorrow night, but it sounds like they’re discussing tomorrow morning, so I wouldn’t be surprised if I found out sooner.  I’m not sure how hopeful I am.  Cautious optimism, people.

A little sad, but who knows?

Auditions for Impromptu were this evening, and after a last-minute freak out and song change, I feel like it went well enough.  I was one of two tenors auditioning, with one of the tenors, that being the other tenor, also auditioning as a baritone against one other.  Three guys.  My tenor friend and I have a good enough feeling about it, but we’re still cautious just because the whole thing was so weird feeling.  There are still callbacks!  Who are they going to eliminate?  It’s all up in the air.  I like my chances, but we’ll just have to wait and see.

Impromptu audition…get it?

I wasn’t really planning on auditioning for Impromptu, Concert Choir’s a capella group, but now I guess I am.  Now I need to pick a song to sing at auditions, and I think I’m making it more complicated than it needs to be—pick a song, be done with it, right?  Not so much.  No, this song needs to be perfect now, because now that I’m auditioning, I really want to get in.  Why audition for no reason?  Exactly.  I rarely have the need to play to win in an ultra-competitive way, but music is very much the exception to that rule—that is to say, I’m playing to win.  I’ve even got a shot, one single shot, in hell, so it’s pretty exciting.

The Small Matter of Infinity.

My math course.

I’m unsure how to go about putting into words my…whatever it is I have against this class. It’s incredibly easy, first of all, which I don’t mind. What I do mind is the professor treating us like we’re as dumb as rocks and taking us through each step as slowly as possible, ending every statement by having us fill in the last…word. This technique can work well, but not when it’s every single sentence, and not when we don’t even know what he’s talking about yet! Fortunately, I’m taking the class with some friends, so one of us is usually able to find the funny in it.

Yeah…he misspelled “endless” today. How? E-m-d-l-e-s-s. Emdless?

Sometimes I forget I’m a senior.

It’s an understandable mix-up.  I am taking MATH 106, which is little more than word problems and logic puzzles.  I’m also still taking a 200-level English course, usually meant for sophomores and juniors.

But there comes a time in everyone’s life when they realize they’re taking a 300-level Physics course and they’re actually okay with it.  Yes, upper-level science—Physics of all things!  It’s Astronomy, yes—my professor would, more appropriately, call it Astrophysics—but still!  I walked in thinking, “Wow, I might have to drop this, what was I thinking?”  But then he said the magic words: “We’re not doing any math.”  And it was all okay again.

The State of Things Major and Minor.

If you missed it, or I didn’t mention it, I’m not a Theater major any more, and as such, my enjoyment of all things theater has dropped considerably. I’m not sure why, but sitting through my Theater History/Literature class today was just not fun like it would have been a few months ago. On the other hand, I enjoyed my English Language class way too much this morning. Pretty crazy, right? But now I hear word that two Theater professors are retiring after this year, (with a third leaving soon after), and I can’t help but wonder what it would have been like to get here just a year or two later. I won’t have the same Directing professor that everyone I know has had for the last…however many tens of thousands of years. Maybe, just maybe, I would have been able to take Playwrighting, and enjoy all that comes with such a glorious-sounding course. But that’s not how it was, and I’m really okay with that, because I’m having so much more fun as an English major than I’ve ever had before.

Also, this is the first second first day of school I’ve ever had in college. Amazing.

The last day of summer.

I’m glad it’s over with, actually.  Without a few goals to reach for, I just turn into a boring mass of nothing that wanders about the internet in search of more random trivia and partially-amusing YouTube videos.  But now?  Now I have a nice little purpose, like not failing out of college, though that’s a little glass-half-empty, isn’t it?  Fine.  I guess my goal is passing, if that’s better.  Okay then.

Another goal might be to kill the Cardio Kick people.  Who’s like, “Yay, Aerobics!” at 10am?