Finals

It's been a while since I've updated this. I don't feel any need to apologize for it, I just haven't felt the need. I'm still trying to figure out why Thursday worked so incredibly well despite being one of the busiest days I've had in months, so I figured I should start typing:

My finals on Thursday were in English, Chem, and Choir. Most people would be worried about Mrs. Colclough's Chem final, but not me. To me, there are two components to sciences and mathematics: the patterns that you learn throughout a semester, and the memorization (in this case, the history of chem and polyatomic ions). The patterns come naturally to me, and I only had to fill about half of one side of the gigantic note card provided.

English and Choir, on the other hand, were projects, and I was behind on both.

English involved reading a poem aloud in class (off a piece of paper) and telling a bit about about the author. I was supposed to have a written part turned in by last Friday, but instead I picked my poem the night before. Once I found the poem though, I know exactly how the perform it:

The Singers
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

God sent his Singers upon earth
With songs of sadness and of mirth,
That they might touch the hearts of men,
And bring them back to heaven again.

The first, a youth, with soul of fire,
Held in his hand a golden lyre;
Through groves he wandered, and by streams,
Playing the music of our dreams.

The second, with a bearded face,
Stood singing in the market-place,
And stirred with accents deep and loud
The hearts of all the listening crowd.

A gray old man, the third and last,
Sang in cathedrals dim and vast,
While the majestic organ rolled
Contrition from its mouths of gold.

And those who heard the Singers three
Disputed which the best might be;
For still their music seemed to start
Discordant echoes in each heart,

But the great Master said, "I see
No best in kind, but in degree;
I gave a various gift to each,
To charm, to strengthen, and to teach.

"These are the three great chords of might,
And he whose ear is tuned aright
Will hear no discord in the three,
But the most perfect harmony."

For choir I chose "King of the Road," but I couldn't keep the words in my head. It's not a problem I usually have, but I'd learned the melody three months ago from a version of the song sung in German. (I didn't know the German words either of course) I finally sat down and tried to learn the words on Monday, but by Wednesday evening I was only remembering the words half the time. On the other hand, I remembered every bit of the "broom-ography" (as Reuben called it) even though I had only thought of having a broom on Wednesday night!


But these were all challenges that I knew I was going to have when I woke up that morning. The real fun didn't begin until just before Chemistry, when I got ahold of Eric. Eric is the Lead in a Stadium Barbershop Quartet (Stephanie and Reuben are also in it, for those of you who didn't see us that night), and when I talked to him I realized that I hadn't made sure he knew what Shakabrah was and that we were performing there. When I explained it, he said that he was meeting a friend at the airport and would have to see if he could make it.

The guy carrying the melody would have to see if he could make it?!? I may hae overreacted, but I really wanted to put this group on stage. I was frantic, but I managed to put off thinking about it until I had finished the test. I ran through the list of all the people that were performing at Shakabrah, and anyone else that might be able to learn the piece quickly. I even considered calling a friend from PLU and seeing if he had any plans for the evening. In the end, I decided my best bet was Ricky. I knew he would be there, he had the vocal range and quality for it, and he could sightread.

I spent lunch working on a project for math, but afterwards I hung around the his next class until he got there. Stephanie had explained the situation to him already, so all I really had to do was hand him the music.

I think that it was at this point that things got even more complicated, though I didn't realize it yet. I had circled "Lead" on the sheet music, and Ricky asked me, "So you're singing lead?", to which I responded, "No, you're singing lead."

After choir (I got a perfect score, but it was an empty victory: twice I forgot the words and just froze onstage) I checked in with Ricky (yes, he had learned it) and headed for knowledge bowl. There were some transportation issues, which meant that Jenny was stressed, which did nothing for my own stress level. Between matches, I called Eric (he could come after all), my mother (to get transportation for Eric), and my grandmother (to confirm transportation for me and three other people). We won, (so what if it was just against Foss and Clover Park! It's been a while since my team has solidly won a game) and I arrived at Shakabrah five minutes before my sheet said to be there. (wow, that's a lot of parentheses)

Unfortunately, the time on the sheet was wrong, and everyone had been wondering where I was for at least the last ten minutes. Apearently, Ricky thought that I wasn't coming either, but once I arrived he was completely calm about it. Mrs. Wilhoft on the other hand, was in pre-show histarics, and I was very glad to be whisked away to practice.

The other three had made a couple of changes to the song while they were waiting. They made about four bars staccatto and added a ritardando to one of the phrases. It was an odd time to be making changes IMO, but I went along with it and we sang it once through before we were hurried to our seats for the start of the show.

Eric showed up a few minutes later. I checked my list and saw that there were two more acts before ours, so I grabbed the music and ran out between acts to show him the changes. I had just finished telling him about the staccatti when we were pulled back inside: the acts before ours had been canceled and an MC had started on the Drama Club announcements while someone when to fetch us.

I told the others on the way up that both Eric and Ricky had earned the right to sing with the group, Ricky had the presence of mind to correct the MC that we were now a "Barbershop Quintet," and off we went!

It had been a few months since I'd performed barbershop, so for me it was all new again: the pitch blown, the first chord hummed, the rush as you realize that the five of you have breathed together, come in together, and that the notes you've worked hard on have come together to make chord after chord in perfect harmony and synchronity.

The rush lasted the rest of the evening, and I wasn't the only one to feel it. Eric kept asking everyone if we sounded good. No matter how many other people had told him so, he had to hear it from everyone he knew there. What surprised me though was that Ricky asked if he could join us. I saw no reason why not, and the more I've thought about it the more I realize that we could do with one more person. I'll bring it up with everyone else on Monday, but I can't see it being a problem, aside from having to balance one more person's schedule.

I don't have the energy right now to describe all the wonderful acts, but I'd like to give a big bravissimo to everyone who participated and a puzzled look to my councelor.

One more thing I would like to bring up is that in my euphoria I didn't hesitate at the unexpected opertunity to improv a sequel to Spencer's and my "Muh-nah-muh-nah" act from two years ago. We had only about five minutes to prepare seperately, but it came out as good (if not better) than the original. I'd forgotten that I really do enjoy improv, I'm just not very good at coming up with themes for improv games.

It's 2 AM and I'm tired. This is why I don't update more. G'night all. (or should that be good morning?)

-Chops

All-State Blues

Can't write long, but I just wanted to get this down.

I'm bummed. I had a big exciting day: skipped school (don't worry, it's a field trip), sang for rich and famous people, got a picture taken with a couple of the players from the NY Nicks, went to Gameworks, and picked up some books I've been waiting for. But all I can think of is the announcement.

At our pre-show Starbucks run, Laura mentioned that she found out she was going to All-State. Apparently it was going on the announcements today, but she had found out early because she had stopped by the choir room and seen the packets. The way she explained it made it sound like there were quite a few of them.

In the bustle of figuring out how I'm going to avoid a serious tongue-lashing for not having my tie, the replacement tie, black slacks, or black socks, I forgot to ask Mrs. Alatsis if my name was on one of those packets. Post-show, she decides to announce it (probably didn't want any extra pressure on people), and the lucky people are: Laura and Joey.

So I've been depressed. On the upside, Mrs. Alatsis didn't see my lack of proper attire, and her comments afterward were solely about my confidence in how well I'd learned the notes. (I used the folder to cover my shirt, and was so sure she noticed the lack of a tie that I looked into it to avoid her gaze)

But just about all I can think about is not having the chance to go to All-State. Despite my lack of contact with most of the people I met there, last year's All-State is still a defining moment in my life. The music, the director, and most of all the atmosphere that alternated between the complete focus and zany randomness that only happens in the performing arts.

I'm not mad at Joey or Laura: they completely deserve it. They weren't even competition with me, because they sing Tenor and Soprano. But whenever I explain that to myself, a part of me answers "don't you deserve it too?" And on a very minimal level, we were competing, because each school that auditions two people of different voice parts is guaranteed to have one admitted.

I tried to explain to Joey what All-State Choir is, though I suppose I was really trying to explain what it means to me. He didn't really seem to get it, though we were both tired. We slept most of the way home.

One last thing that's been racing through my head. Since the day All-State was over, I've been dreaming about the next step up: All-Northwest Choir. It runs every other year, and next year is the year. Now I'm worried; if getting into All-State is so hit-and-miss, what are my chances of making All-NW next year?

Fortunately I've got more shows and party-planning to keep me busy.

-Chops


P.S. Another reason why this is such a big letdown for me is that a lot of the people I'm still in contact with from last year are doing it again this year.

Birthday planning

What I might look like with pigtails

Well, once again I've neglected sending Birthday invites until after Thanksgiving weekend. Generally that means that no one can make it, since by the time Monday rolls around I'm asking people only a week in advance.

Most of the reason I didn't get it done is that I don't have a clue what to do. I'm going to delay it 'till the weekend of the 9th through the 11th, to give myself and my guests time, but I don't want to have people sitting around with nothing to do.

Going to see Narnia is one obvious choice, but I don't want to just sit in a dark room for my birthday. Also, I've been alowed to invite as many people as I want... so long as it's at the house.

So in desperation, I'm asking for your help. Parties are spontanious, but I like to go in with some idea what I'm going to be doing and I'm drawing a blank. If you are reading this, chances are I'm going to invite you, so what would you want to do with a group of freinds? Any particular games or movies?

Also, is there any day that weekend that you wouldn't be able to make it?


Edit: Just noticed that Tolo's on the 10th. That means that at least Saturday night is out. I could do a sort of lead-in to Tolo, but that might be too much for one night. So basically I'm looking at Friday night, though Saturday and Sunday are still possibilities.

Random Pic:

'03-'04 Concert Choir in Italy. I dont remember the name of this town or the church, but it was a nice place to sing.

Again, I'm going in reverse chronological order. I'll probably do that a lot beacause I want to get immediate thoughts down quickly.

Tonight was the first concert of the year at Stadium. I was surprisingly calm about performing, and I'm told the choreography was leaps and bounds above Homecoming Assembly. There was however a minor crisis backstage on my part. See, I'm the pitch-blower for Concert Choir, but I forgot the pitch pipe. Not only did I forget my own, but Mrs. Alatsis' pipe too. After tonight, I owe John a BIG favor. He lent me his so the show could go on without any changes.

My uncle came to watch the show, and I hear my dad did too, as well as Mom and Dave. It was a pretty typical fall concert: all the choirs sounded one-tenth as good as they did at the end of last year. I have a lot of freinds in Mixed Choir this year, (Henry, Bryce, James) so it'll be good to watch their progress.

Speaking of a lot of freinds, I found out yesterday that my freshman fans are more extensive than I thought. I was hanging out with Saylor yesterday when we ran into a freind of hers. (Hmm, name starts with an L) After a moment she introduced me as "Chops" and Miss L got really excited. I think the only things she said for the next minute was "you're Chops?!?" and something about taking a picture.

Lemme back up a bit here to explain how this following of mine started: Ars Nova was booked to perform at the Howdy Assembly this year. The performance was a fiasco, but before we started we introduced ourselves. Every since then there's been about half a dozen freshmen who will randomly shout "Hey, Chops!" when they see me in the halls. I've been meaning to learn their names and get to know them, but it was quite a shock to find out it had spread farther than that. I've never been "popular" in any group, so I'm not really sure why people who don't know me are spreading my name around as a sign of coolness. The phrase "That's my name, don't wear it out" springs to mind.

I can't write anymore tonight, so g'nite all. I'll see most of you before you even read this post. 

My battle scars =P

There's the pic of me on Friday with "wounds and leisions," as Mr. Pierson called them.

Today I went back to the orthodontist. Again. One of the spacers fell out, so they had to put it back in. I'm getting sick of that office.

I decided to try out Google's Picassa today. I even got the file-sharing extension called Hello. Expect to see more pictures, because now I can upload them into a new entry in one click! Anybody else use Hello?

I also discovered Wikimedia Commons. There's a ton of cool pictures in there, all categorized and many already formatted to be a desktop. This is my new desktop.

Gotta get to bed now. -Chops

Of Moles and Molars

I spent more time at the orthodontist's today than I have since I originally got my braces! =(

I missed third period completely to go have my first appointment with my new orthodontist, Dr. Adab. I had already postponed my normal appointment for Homecoming Assembly, and besides that, a wire had broken loose, ripping one of the things that holds it in place right off. That meant they had to replace it and put in new wires, top and bottom. (BTW, call me wierd, but I like the feeling of my braces being tightened. Not so much the dull toothache afterward, just the feeling that they're actually moving into a normal position.) When it come to the top row, the assistant kept cutting the wire too short, so she decided to put it in, then cut it. Yeah. Let's just say my mouth may never be the same size it once was.

I got back to school in time for most of "Mole Day" in Chemistry. For those of you who haven't heard about Mole Day, it's named after Avogadro's number (6.022 * 10²³), the number of atoms in 12 g of Carbon-12. I think it sould be on June 22, but that would be during vacation, so it's good that it's not. Mrs. Colclaugh has people bring in puns on "mole," and we all watch a student-made Mole-cumentery. Steph, Sarah, Erik, and Bronson did this years, which was a spoof on safety videos. I brought Mole-chi and attempted to prepare it in the microwave, but it fell flat. Oh well.

At lunch I went over to eat with Saylor and... umm... I guess I'll just have to ask her name again tomorrow. Anyway, not my normal bunch, but sometimes I need a change of pace. I wasn't much company though, because the new wire on my braces had slipped out a bit and was latching onto the inside of my mouth every few chews or words. By the end of choir I had a sore spot the size of a dime.

So of course I had to go back. After the assistant sniped it shorter, Dr. Adab looked into my mouth and discovered that Dr. Parrott (the previous orthodontist, and yes, his name is pronounced that way) had decided not to put a brace on some of my molars. That, she explained, is why the wire keeps slipping out: it doesn't take a lot to put pressure on an inch-long piece of wire to get pulled out by chewing. She told the assistant to put spaces between my teeth so I can come back in a week to put the rest of the equipment in.

Easier said than done. A spacer is a ring that, although it's small, is five or ten times thicker than floss. The assistant attaches two pieces of floss to the spacer, then wraps them around her fingers and tries to force the spacer into the gap between my molars. The floss breaks. She tries again. The spacer goes in, but pops right back out. After the third try, she calls over another assistant, saying that her fingers have lost circulation from the floss tied around them. Finally, the last spacer goes in, and my dad and Lori take me back to my mom's house.

I decided a while ago that I would start taking walks around the neighborhood, (Tuscany neighborhood, btw) but so far have come up with excuses. I finally got around to it today, so there's something for me to be happy about.

Hmm, what else... My eye has been twitching for the last hour. I still need to do homework, so See you all later!

Fool Dancin'

Obviously this hasn't become habitual yet. Oh well, give it time. Rather than try and catch up for nearly a week, I'll just start with Friday and go back if it seems important.

The highlight of Friday was losing a fight with a makeup kit. All right, let me back up a bit. The library ran a raffle this week. You could "buy" tickets by bringing in books that you were reading outside of school. I brought in A Time to Hate, which I had just finished, Wicked, which I'm half-way through, and Star Trek: IKS Gorkon: Honor Bound, which I had just started. I got an additional ticket for attending the new Tiger Book Club, so my chances were pretty good that I would get something (a book of sudoku, btw). Also, there was a drawing to get facepainting done by Mr. Pierson. The winner didn't show, so I got to go in her place. Unfortunately only a few people saw it, but I hope to have pictures up for all by tomorrow.

The other big thing that happened was a meeting of Please, Don't Squeeze the Midget (a barbershop quartet I'm in). We settled on auditions next week to replace our Lead (2nd tenor) or Baritone, and the next set of songs we would learn. If I remember correctly, they include Ja-Da, and O Come O Come Emanuel.

Most of yesterday I helped move dirt from my grandma's house to my mom's. 'nuff said.

Last night though, I attended my first Stadium dance. I spent a large part of the day looking for my wallet, but it wasn't necessary anyway. Mz. Dennet knew I had an ASB card, so I didn't even have to pull out the expired driver's permit and last year's ID card, which I had found.

Pretty much everything I expected was true: loud music I haven't heard before, a lot of people I don't usually hang out with, heat, and more dry air than I would have thought. Since I hadn't been to one before, I wasn't much of a dancer, but I bobbed my head. Surprisingly though, I had fun! I knew that most of my neighbors weren't going, so I was expecting to hang out with choir people or the exchange students. When I got there I felt a bit like the odd man out: the first people I talked to were Mz. Dennet and my new counselor. Pretty soon though I found my group: Knowledge Bowl geeks! I got there about an hour into it, but when the lights started to come up I couldn't believe that two hours had passed.

Funny how life throws you a curve ball sometimes. Last year I was in Knowledge Bowl, it was part out of curiosity, part because of Ms. Lofton, part because I wanted to see how much I really knew. The people I hung out with there were the ones I already knew, so I wasn't looking for a new social group. It seems that I've found it though: the dance would've been a long, embarassing experience without those people that either I haven't talked to in a while (Bill, Jordan, Kim) or I am just getting to know (Saylor, Nikita).

And what about today? Well, I watched a quarter of the first season of Babylon 5. It's kinda cheezy, but it's got some great stories. Anyway, it's time for me to get homework done, so I'll see you all later.