These Times, They Are A-Changin'

Well, its been almost a year since I last blogged...and I thought of getting rid of this blog just now so that I won't be critiqued, criticised, and penalised by hiring committees in a year or two who can access this blog. But I figure I have another year before I really have to worry about that, so I'll cross that bridge when I get there.

To recap quickly.  This summer was awesome - living with some of my best friends for about a month and having a place that was my own "house" was a great introduction to what it's like to be on my own for once.  The only complaint about this summer was the crappy weather, which limited what we could do with the month I was there.  I then went back home for my job at the creative and performing arts center where I work over the summer - I absolutely love working there, by the way.  The last week I actually got to be in charge of the students on my own due to an unfortunate death in the family of the Director of the jazz program.  That was a great opportunity for me to experiment with some teaching strategies before I junior student taught.  Then my family and I went to Colorado for vacation...which was, well, how to put it, interesting? I enjoyed the nature and fun things my family did, but in some ways it was very very very hard for me in terms of finding "relatability" with my family members.

Back to school was also somewhat of a hard adjustment - not getting into Wind Ensemble did a number on my self-esteem, self-image, and overall confidence.  Last semester was just busy in general and the bad start didn't really help - I feel like I had my head in the clouds for most of it and was kind of skating by.  I was glad to have completed that semester - let's put it that way.

Winter Break was great - I had Mikey, Adam, Donny, and Brendan down by me for New Year's and my birthday! 21st Birthdayyyyy! That was fun indeed, and kind of quiet actually...I just a had a few friends over for the night.  After my college friends left, I pretty much vegged with friends who were still home - then I went to visit Adam which was very pleasant.  This was the first time I stayed at Adam's for an extended period of time and I'm glad that I did.  I really enjoy the Gruschow's and I am glad that they are such an amazing family. I also started reading more into Buddhism and buddhist philosophy, which proved to be very helpful for the upcoming stress of the semester.

Spring Semester started off like a whirlwind - it seemed as if I had never left at all.  I was freaking out about proficiency exams on each instrument, but I managed to pass them all! Hooray! That was the only major concern of Block III - everything else seemed pretty easy.  It's funny how I get more accomplished when I have barely any free-time.  I guess it's because I force myself to sit and prioritise.

The whole reason I'm writing this blog entry though is because this Spring Break was freakin' amazing! I had such a good time with all of my friends from home.  Adam came home with me too! Katie was back, as were Nick, Steve, and Evan for a short period of time...so people who I don't usually see due to physical distance (or people who I won't see as a result of distance soon) were all back in town and I had a great time.  A bunch of us went into the city for the St. Patty's Day parade and had a blast.  The weather was so nice that I even went to the beach with Katie, Greg, Meg, and Adam.  It was fantastic. After being home for the majority of the week, Adam and I went to his house too where I got to spend some time with his family.  I am really glad that his parents are as open and welcoming as they are.  In fact, this break was so good because my family was also very good to me.  My dad and I were speaking with each other much more and in fuller bursts of conversation.  He even talked to Adam in more than just a "Hi." sort of way. I was really happy about that and it made me really happy to see that my dad is finding a better path.

"Immense compassion springs forth spontaneously toward all sentient beings who suffer as prisoners of their illusions." - Kalu Rinpoche, Luminous Mind: The Way of the Buddha, translated by Maria Montenegro.