Merry Christmas from 423!

Like our tree?? :) Alyssa and I put that puppy up on Sunday. It's fake and very small, but I think it adds some holiday cheer to the room.

It's nice to be back at school, though I am rather stressed getting ready for finals and my jury. A jury is a final for music majors. Pretty much you go in and sing two songs in front of the voice faculty. It's just nerve-racking and I need to really start cracking down on memorizing my songs and everything, which is hard when a couple are in Italian. Oh well, I'm sure it'll all work out.

On another note, Alyssa, Jeremy, and I are heading down to Waterville on Saturday to see the WOH production of "A Christmas Carol" which some FAME-rs are in as well as 3 members of the Ganza family. So, I'm excited to see that!

On another another note, Alyssa owns seasons 1-3 of "Reno 911"...which is probably my top favorite show in the entire world and we've been watching a lot of that lately. Trudy Wiegel is my hero...end of story.

Okay, gotta go!
Later, gators!

Happy Turkey Day!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! I hope everyone has had a wonderful holiday. I, for one, am STUFFED. My day started around 10 when I began helping my mum peel carrots and chop potatoes. We ate around 1pm and it was very yummy. She even made this really delicious dessert that my grandmother used to make when I was little and I hadn't had it in years. I am not much of a pie person, which sucks around Thanksgiving time because everyone eats pie! So, this dessert was a definite treat. It's made with whipping cream, chocolate syrup and graham crackers. You whip the cream, mix in the chocolate syrup, and then line the pan with graham crackers. Then you put the chocolate cream on the graham crackers, line some more graham crackers on, put some more cream and so on. Then you put it in the freezer and freeze it. It's so yummy! :) So, that was a nice dessert. After we ate my brother and I left for my dad's. We got to my dad's and then I watched some episodes of The Office from the seasons 1&2 DVDs. I love that show, it's soo funny. Eventually Uncle Jim, Deanna, Mammie, Tut, and Murph arrived and we ate around 6. Another scrumptious meal with pumpkin cheesecake for dessert! SCRUMPTIOUS! Now, I'm just watching some more of "The Office" and hanging out.
It was a nice holiday, all in all!
Later, gators!

Video blog!

Later, gators!

Thanksgiving=Canned Cranberry Sauce

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and there's nothing I love more on Thanksgiving than canned cranberry sauce. I first remember eating it at my grandmother's on my mom's side. I was obsessed. In one of my nursery school artwork books, there is a page where one of the teachers asked me what my favorite food was and I replied "the red stuff we eat at Gee's on Thanksgiving." Talking, of course, about cranberry sauce. People always say "oh, gross! eat the real stuff, with the real berries!" and I do eat that too, but it's not even NEARLY as good as the jellied canned kind. YUM.

On another note, my friend Jeremy and I drove to Waterville last night to see the high school's production of "Annie". Our friend, Libby, from FAME was Annie and then Chris' sister, MaryKate was Miss Hannigan. Both of them were wonderful! And both of them were definetely in a different caliber than the rest of the cast. So, that was fun. I was tired though, and the show was kind of long. I did, however, get to see Chris' dad and his little brother, Will, who I hadn't seen since August, so that was nice!

Tonight I have a rehearsal for a Collegiate Chorale concert I have tomorrow evening. Hopefully that won't take all year. Blech.

Alright, well I have class in a few.
Later, gators!

Oh, DSIS...you ole dog, you!

Last night, after taking a two-hour nap, I woke up at midnight to get on good ole WebDSIS and register for classes. I've blogged about DSIS before...and how registering is a dreaded part of the year...for everyone. Because everyone is up trying to get on, it takes forever...but oh well. I'm all registered.



I'm taking the following classes next semester:
*Sight Singing/Ear Training II
*German 101
*Pre-Calculus (woo, online..gotta love getting crappy gen-eds outta the way online!)
*Piano Class II
*Elementary Harmony II
*Principles of Singing II
*Collegiate Chorale
*Athena Consort
*Voice Lesson
19 CREDITS...holy moly oly. I'll be busy, for sure!

Alright, well I need to go practice for my piano quiz tomorrow and study for my math test that I have tomorrow as well. YUCK! Later, gators!

Shiny, happy people holding hands...

Woohoo! Suz & Grant are married! The wedding was very nice. Very them. I even liked the vegan food! :) I am exhausted though. It was a lot of travel and hustle bustle in a short amount of time. Not to mention that I have register for classes at midnight tonight. Blech! I think a nap is in order...and then I'll just wake myself up at midnight.
Anywho, back to the wedding, yes it was very fun and entertaining. My brother and I were deemed "greeters" and so we stood outside the sanctuary and handed out programs.


It was fun! The reception was very nice, lots of fun dancing. It was a very nice wedding, all in all. BUT I need to get some rest, so I'll write more soon!
Later, gators!

PS...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, UNCLE JIM! :) :)

I voted today...did you??

I made my way to the union today to vote. To be honest I had no idea about any of the issues at hand, but I voted anyway. So, yeah. Woo! Go me!
The weather today was horrible. Cold, dark, gross rain. Yuck.
I just got out of my voice lesson and walked back in the dark...at 4:30. That's ridiculous! My voice lessons are going really well. I am learning a lot about my voice and how to properly use it. :)
Only 3 days until we leave for DC...woohoo!!!
Okay, well I need to eat some dinner and study for an Ear Training test. Later, gators!!!

This isn't normal...

Look at how huge and disgusting that is! It takes up almost my whole thigh. I don't know why I am so fascinated by the freakin' thing...but it just seems like such a disgusting mark for just small bang.
On another note, I am sooooo excited to go to DC. :) :) It'll be nice to have a little break from school as well.
I called the Augusta Superintendent's office today to find out about substitute teaching during X-Mas and Spring breaks. I have to get finger printed...which costs $70. Highway freaaaakin robbery, I tell you. BUT I think it's like 50 bucks a pop for a day of subbing, so that's not too shabby. And she said that once I sub for 20 days they'd reimburse the 70 dollars. So, anyways...bed time for me. Later, gators!

It was the storm of the century!

Even up here in Orono, ME we had a taste of Hurricane Noel. And she (he?) was a-rip-roarin! The picture is me getting ready to walk over to the union to see Hedda Gabler. I got soaked. To give you an idea of how soaked I was...here is a BEFORE picture of Alyssa:

And an AFTER picture of Alyssa:

Needless to say it was a tad bit uncomfortable to sit through the play soaking wet, BUT it was a really good show! Sarah Farnham, who played Hedda and was in Bat Boy with me last year, was magnificent! She portrayed the crazy, lonely lady wonderfully. I wish it wasn't illegal for me to snap pictures of the set because it was absolutely amazing! I've never seen such an elaborate set ever. So, yeah, it was a really good play. :) Okay, well I need to take a shower now.
Later, gators!!!

I am bruised.

Okay, well I tried a billion times to get a picture of the MASSIVE bruise on my leg...but none of them came out. SO, I'll just explain to you how disgusting the bruise is. Well, first I'll explain how I don't understand how a bruise that huge came from a not big injury.
Thursday night, I went to see an a capella concert featuring Maine Steiners, Renaissance (which Alyssa is in), Mixed Nuts, and Bear Vocals. It was in DPC 100, which is a big lecture hall. After the show was over (it was a great show, by the way) I was walking through the aisle of one of rows of seats. I was walking kind of fast and I slammed my thigh into one of the seats/desks. Now, it really hurt and everything, but I was not expecting the bruise that followed. On my thigh there lies a RAISED (yes, raised, like bump) black, blue, purple, and red bruise. You can feel the bump through my pants. Is this normal? I just banged my leg, I wasn't shot. Oy vey, bodies are weird.
On another note, I am going to see "Hedda Gabler" tonight. It's UMaine's fall play featuring some people I was in "Bat Boy"t with last year. According the the UMaine theatre website it is "[Henrik] Ibsen's great social drama of a caged woman in the late nineteenth century [who] explores her tormented desire for escape and her yearning for individual and spiritual freedom." Sounds interesting enough. So, yes I'll be seeing that with my friends, Alyssa, Kate, and Ashley. All pretty cool music majors. :)
I'm pretty excited for this week to get going because on Thursday night I am going home and then Friday I am heading to DC for my Aunt Suz' wedding to Grant!!!!! :) My dad, my brother, my grandfather, and I are driving down on Friday and then driving back Monday. And then Monday night I am coming back to campus and then staying up to register for classes and then having theory at 8am. Joyous. haha. Also, I don't know if I can last 12 hours in the car with 3 Thurston men who are all the same. Should be an interesting trip. Tut and I are going to be arguing over music, I know that much. I can only take just so much Patsy Cline and ABBA. :)
Alright, I need to shower.
Later, gators!