Life is Crazy!

So I put starter in the freezer, as I won't have time for her until next week.

I nearly have all of the slippers crocheted (one last slipper to go) and then I have to assemble them.

I still have to buy my mother's present, but that's for tomorrow.

I have to bake fruitcake.

I have to make fudge.

I have to pass my Russian test tomorrow (8AM wtf), so am currently studying like mad.

I have to wrap all of the presents. (This will be the year that I don't wrap anything at my mother's please please please.)

I have to figure out if I'm going to make little hair flowers for my cousins (probably should). So four little hair flowers (they take ~30 minutes to make -- and people charge exorbitant amounts for them!).

Um... that's it?

Bread and Life

WARNING: LONG RAMBLING POST AHOY.

I made a batch of sourdough the other day. Honestly, I was super nervous. All that confidence I had built making bread a whopping five times with my starter? Gone. I was unsure about how I was kneading it, unsure about the amount of flour, it wasn't rising well, I didn't shape it well, etc. etc. But it still came out quite tasty.

I'm currently toasting two slices to spread with peanut butter, and heating the kettle to try some Starbucks Via (instant coffee) that I got from a friend -- adding sweetened condensed milk to the mix. Is peanut butter normally quite goopy? I had to open a jar for the first time in about a year, as we're out of peanut butter, and when I was mixing in the oil, it seemed like there was too much oil! That the peanut butter was too thin with it added. Granted, it was also room temp and we keep our peanut butter in the fridge so that could have been part of the problem.

EDIT: The via is not bad. I added a big spoonful of sweetened condensed milk, some more sugar and it's quite palatable. :-P But there is still a bit of bitterness that is just pure Starbucks. I dont' know as I would buy via, but I'll sure take it for free from my buddy.

Speaking of room temp... my heat is mysteriously not on. The thermostat has been wonky (it's digital) and I'd noticed a few days back that the screen wasn't lit up, but it came back. Last night however, it was unlit, hasn't come back, and the heat is also not turning on when I'm pretty sure it should by now. Mister's also not sure if this is a problem on NStar's end, or if we need to call our landlord because the heating system is broken. I'm gonna have him deal with that, since I wouldn't know one way from the other, and NStar is in his name anyway.

Yesterday was the last day of classes, and a highly productive one at that. I had my Russian oral exam with a partner -- I wasn't the best, but I wasn't the worst. There was one awesome sketch that had my prof laughing the entire time. Couldn't understand a word of it beyond: "'Oh hey Ivan!' 'Do I know you?' 'It's Hamid, Sasha's my sister.' 'Oh I thought you were her friend.'" There was also a memorable bit where Hamid stood up to go, said good bye, and Ivan was like "wait a minute Hamid, I have something to ask you." I think he then asked if Sasha liked him, judging by the class's response, but I have no idea. The assignment was actually super hard: 12 questions with a partner, 12 each!, and you can't repeat questions. I honestly stumbled over some of the parts at the end, because I forgot to write down what I was to say and I never recognize the verb "to eat dinner". Never. So I'm like 'uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh...' and my parter was like "dinner!" :-P

Then on to theory where I had a presentation. That went well. We had studied a few Bach fugues in class, and I found a fugue that was the inspiration for one of Bach's. Bach's is much better. :-P

In ear training, I gave my presentation Monday so I was all set.

And then before my 1:00 History class, I wrote a 5-page paper. I started it at 8:00, had three hours of classes, and finished at 12:34. Tada! I had been attempting to work on it Monday and Tuesday, and I had a mental block about it -- I have no idea why. I wrote a highly amusing "essay" at about 3 am while ridiculously frustrated, though. It begins with: "The Twelve Tables and the Magna Carta are both super awesome." You can tell that an essay is a winner, when it begins like that!

So I have two finals to prep for: my history final tomorrow at 11:30, and my Russian final Wednesday at 8:00. KILL ME NOW. Luckily, I've felt woefully unprepared for each Russian exam, and gotten As... so either she's a super easy grader, gives easy tests or I really know more Russian than I think I do (doubtful)... but yeah, I'm not expecting that test to go well.

I have a doctor's appointment today at 3pm which I'm super excited about. Not in the journey to the doctor's office, as it's far away, but that I get to talk to my doc about the problems I've been having. Yay!

School Update

We watched that in Russian class first thing today.


Then we watched that in Theory, my second class. (It might refuse to embed "due to request" if so, this is Pure Imagination from Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory)



And then that in Ear training, third. Luckily, we didn't watch anything in History or I'd have had something stuck in my head from every class today!

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I auditioned today for a music scholarship with my theory professor, and when he realized that I had both the score and the solo, he was like "well let's go to the piano and play this!" so I got to work with an accompanist who was also supposed to be judging my ability to play but what probably working a fair amount on sight-reading. :-D We also worked out some course planning, and I talked with my history teacher about a course she's offering next semester.

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So I want to apply for an overload up to 19 credits. Ideally, I'd apply for 22, but that's not particularly reasonable when they have a "max" credit of 17. But I'm taking 17 and breezing through this semester. I'd like to take next semester: Theory 4, Ear Training 4, Oboe Studio, Individualism in Pre-Modern (or maybe History of the English Language), Russian 2, Orchestra, Orchestration, ... I feel like maybe I'm missing one. Or I can't count credits in my head, either are possible.

I also have to see if I can get more transferred credits applied to requirements. My Anthro class counted as freshman writing, so perhaps I can get that applied towards Freshman Writing 2? As I also have the Harvard Extension writing course which is in there.

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I got a B on my English essay that I was super worried about -- and that's INCLUDING the deduction of a letter grade for not doing the in-class peer review (I was so bogged down I didn't have really anything to show for it). This is super awesome, and I'm honestly surprised that it was that high. So it turns out that both papers that I worried over turned out fine, and I think I have less to worry about!

Frustration

I am easily frustrated most of the time, but I've been noticing it more lately. Between picking fights with classmates over stupid things like politics and religion (why oh why would I ever get involved in those discussions...) and just day-to-day stresses, I have been snappy lately.

My current problem? I both feel neglected by some and taken advantage of by others. Mister has been having to work 12+ hour days at his job nearly every day. This is because HIS coworkers have not really been doing their jobs and he's been doing most of the work. So when he gets home, he's tired, he's hungry and he's pissed at his job. I feel like I never see him, as he's always at work, and when he is at home, he's usually trying to distract himself with video games or something. Now, I realize that I'm needy and that he's the only one making money in this household, but still -- a little attention?

I also have a temporary roommate that has been here for over a month. She's making some questionable life choices in that she's waiting on two non-dependable people to move out here by the end of this month or mid-November (say what?), and hasn't paid rent for two weeks because she hasn't gotten paid...? I am thoroughly confused as to how she could have been working for several weeks and not gotten paid. We're asking a nominal amount of money -- it's really not that significant, but it's spending money for us as we're spending most of the paycheck on rent and payments.

She's also currently sleeping, as she works the overnight shift. Which means that when I come home to my house, I have to tiptoe around and not play music because there's someone sleeping. Or, at least the door is shut, so I assume she's sleeping.

Also in cranky mode over here, she leaves the fan on ALL THE TIME. I tried explaining to her that the fan works much better if you OPEN THE WINDOW rather than move the same stale, hot air around, but she kinda brushed it off by saying that she didn't want to hear people on the street. I can HEAR the fan, and it frustrates the hell out of me, knowing that it's 60 degrees F outside, yet my roommate "needs" a fan running on my electricity. I'm currently wearing two sweaters for crissakes.

The other thing that's been frustrating me is part of school. For my eartraining class, there was a group performance/sight-reading assignment for LAST Friday that got pushed to THIS Friday as most were not ready. I banged it out over and over on the keyboard until I got it in my head while home sick last week, and I've had it memorized (all three parts) since last Thursday. My partners? The one is nearly tone-deaf, and the other claims to have no time. Ok, I can work with this, and I'll set aside time when I'm on campus to practice (I'm not about to go too far out of my way as to be available during times when I'm not on campus). So the performance in front of my professor is tomorrow, and for the rehearsal today? The one who texted back saying he'd be there never showed, and the other one hadn't brought his book, looked off of mine but so clearly didn't care that he was misreading rhythms that are less complex than children's songs. (Seriously, it's in 3/4 and the rhythm was 1--|1 2 3|1--|1 2 3|1- 3|1 2 3|1- 3+| etc.) I was having to add a beat every other measure just to keep the harmony accurate.

I mean, I realize it's a stupid little assignment that really doesn't mean anything. I know this because I've had it MEMORIZED for a solid week. You can't tell me that I'm so magically brilliant that I'm learning stuff easily that others cannot, when it's frickin' quarter notes and dotted halves. I can tell some things that my partners are doing wrong and hindering their learning, but it's not my job to teach them how to learn. So I've been trying to beat the melody into their heads. As much as I like these two people, I need to have a talk with them about taking my time for granted as well as whether or not it would be worth it to attempt to work with them again.

The one kid who doesn't care, I'll just be blunt and explain that unless he's not going to be an ass (unlikely), I will let him work with others. The other kid tries -- I've seen him try. Him blowing me off today is what frustrated me the most, as I was in the practice room because HE needed it, not I. I also can't tell whether or not he practices. If he does, he doesn't get any better so he must be doing something wrong. Add in the tone-deafness and it's a fabulous combination. He'd say 'do' and sing "mi" or something similar -- and not hear the difference! I've tried saying: stay on the SAME NOTE -- and he still gets off somehow. I dunno. Again, not my job to figure out how to make this work for him but I can certainly try with what is within my power.

... it's funny, but they both were asking if I was in the education track, as I guess they felt that I was either being teacher-ly (I probably was) or doing a decent job of teaching. It's just so frustrating to see something being done WRONG and not be able to fix it personally. I just wish that I could record my voice singing three times and loop it and call the project done. :-P But then that eliminates the other part of the test which is listening to your partners and making music. And that's what it's all about.

Update

I'm never doing anything of note these days, it seems I'm always doing updates and status checks on life. Oh well. As a snapshot, I can see the guy who paints the house sweeping paint chips off of my porch and hear the garage band next door rocking out. I've also got marinara on the stove (holy cow that asshole just went the wrong way down not one, but TWO one way streets!)... ahem. I've got marinara on the stove that I started yesterday (tomatoes, crushed tomatoes, garlic, fried onions, fried red pepper, ground beef and fried mushrooms) and I'm delaying writing a paper for history (due Friday) and some responses for something in Lit (due tomorrow). ... AND my theory homework, and studying for my Ear Training exam on Friday, and my Russian work... I just don't wanna right now!

I harvested my first cantaloupe the other day; it's the Pixie variety. It's funny, it tasted and looked (when cut) like an orange honeydew melon. It had that smooth, almost crisp texture of the honeydew and was less sweet than I expect cantaloupe to be. But still delicious! I have another one on the counter waiting for me, and I have three on the vine that might ripen in time, and I discovered two rotting as babies on the vine (I'm thinking that a ladder smooshed them -- house painting, remember?).

Hm, my sorta roommate, L, is missing... she went out for a walk and a phone call and hasn't come back for two hours. I should probably check in to make sure things are ok...

On her end, she finally did get a job (R, I've told you some of the tale I believe), it's the SAME ONE that she was trying to get, but she's still looking because although they brought their offer back up to the pay she was initially offered, the hours are still 6pm-2am, and the train stops running at 12:30am which means she'd have to be driving downtown during rushhour to GET to work... ick. But, it's a paycheck until something better comes along. AND she has a new car. AND she's dating four boys. So, her lack of boyfriend, car, job and apartment (all in the same week) is just down to apartment!

School

So R, I feel far too lazy to both post and send you an email about school, so I'm just gonna post it all here! :-P

Tuesday was the first day of classes, and I had one class -- ENGL200, or Understanding Literature. My teacher was my kind of people: no bullshit, straight-talking, a bit of a hard ass, but understanding to those who follow the rules but maybe need one exception down the line. :-P I am a fan, and I look forward to those classes.

Wednesday is my main day of classes, as I have all of my MWF classes and band as well (which I actually don't start until the end of the month, as the strings get a few extra weeks of alone time with the conductor to Not Suck). I start out with Russian at 9 am.

My Russian professor, Svitlana, seems very nice, a bit scatter brained, and it's hard to get a feel for how she is as a prof. With it just being Russian 101, I'm sure there won't be any great strides made in my learning the language, especially as one has to teach to the lowest common denominator. But it's a good class to wake up with. Also, the guy who sits next to me is pretty cool, and already took Russian, so he's just boosting his GPA. (A.k.a. sounds like good Class Partner material to me!)

From 10 am until noon, I am in what's basically the same class: Theory 3 leads into Ear Training 3. I don't move, it's the same professor, and it's the same principles. I LOVE love love my theory prof. He's hands-down my fave prof thus far. He's funny, he's teaching at pretty much the level I need right now (it's a little dumbed down, but we've only had the third class), and I'm doing excellently and sitting in the front row. I like classes that make me feel smart, and have smart people in them, and there are a lot of smart people in this class. You don't make it to level 3 without being capable of understanding the concepts in levels 1 and 2 competently. That, and the smart people sit up front parallel with me, so we can ignore the few dumb-butts. It doesn't hurt my profs case that, apparently, after the first class, he told my conductor that [the conductor]'d love me, because I play all the instruments. No, that isn't a terrible thing at all in a popularity contest. :-P

From noon to 1pm I have break. Nominally I should be bringing lunch, but half the time I forget, and usually find a secluded corner away from the craziness of lunch.

At 1pm I have the one class that I'm not sure about. It's History of Western Civilization, and I'm leery of both the prof and the class. Firstly, I found out in the first 30 seconds way too much about my prof's life, how she has a bias (her concentration is in Italian Ren, "which means that I'm really reading Roman texts anyway"), and that this is her third year teaching. The part about my classmates... well, let's just give this lovely example. When asked why do we study this time in history (800BC-1600AD), one girl (a self-proclaimed history major) went:

Well, you have Jesus, then you have all the theses [A.N. she meant the Protestant Reformation], then you have the Glorious Revolution, which leads to OUR revolution! That's why we should study this!

... yeah. A little too much Jesus and a little too much America the Beautiful. The one good thing about the class is ONE single classmate who also knows wtf he's doing there. We had a couple debates across the classroom the first day, and by the second class he just moved on up to the front next to me. :-D I rock that way. We had lunch today, and I met his lovely new (as of start of school) girlfriend. I HAVE OFFICIALLY MADE FRIENDS.

All I've done with Band is audition, and I did well. The conductor and I chatted for a while (he's written two books on Gustav Holst! I must find these!) and he was very candid about the quality of the ensemble. He said he's not been ashamed of a concert in 10 years, but that I might be disappointed. Although the clarinetist is apparently ALSO my kind of people, in that he plays everything (started on oboe, but had jaw problems so had to switch) and is all around a Good Guy. I am looking forward to meeting my section (by which I mean woodwinds -- I'm the only oboist).

But I'm liking school thus-far. The work-load is manageable, and I like classes and learning. My classmates are decent, and except for the hallways, I'm mostly not having to deal with stupid 18-year-olds in my face.

Life Changes!

So things have been different in my house these past couple of days, and are bound to get even more so this week. My good friend from high school, L, has just moved to the area and is crashing with us until she finds a place. I love her dearly, and she's been great fun to have around.

One thing that makes me sad to do, but is important, is we're charging her to stay. Nominally, it's $100/week, but she's at $50/week and she's helping us clean (her point was that it de-stresses her, and she's gonna do it anyways). The reason why we have the bar set fairly high is this: another friend from high school, C, has rather irresponsibly decided that she's ALSO moving out here, and is apparently under the delusion that either a) I'm finding her an apartment or b) she's living with me and Mister. Neither of these are happening (esp. as Mister can't stand C and she bugs the ever-loving crap out of me after about 20 mins) so we're charging an amount that we're sure she cannot attain as she does not have a job in the area. :-D Sneaky and underhanded yes, but so is getting a phone call from your mother asking why you didn't tell her that C was going to be your new roommate (apparently my mother heard it from C's dad that C was moving in). It is not an issue with L, as L DOES have a job that starts tomorrow, L is actively searching for an apartment, and L is not obnoxious.

The other thing that starts tomorrow is school. Due to the unemployed aspect of my life, I am going to be a full-time student (yippee kiyay). I'm looking forward to classes, I really am, but the thought of being surrounded by teenagers is really disheartening. Luckily, quite a few of my classes should NOT be populated by young'uns, as I'm taking Theory 3 and Ear Training 3 (my old school called it Aural Skills and I keep finding it difficult to not call it that), as well as Russian and I feel that's a less common one. :-P

Gah, it may not be TMI Tuesday, but TMI ahead: I had an IUD put in about a month ago, and although it will be fabulous in the long run, it means that I have 6 months of cramping and intermittent spotting. I've been in two straight weeks of cramping every single day and not enjoying it. Usually by the SECOND dose of drugs it goes away. I want to remove my organs with a fork and knife and feed it to wild cats.