The first day of Operation V-ball was a vast success. I will lose the weight and become sexy again in like 2 weeks. (WE CAN DO IT MONICA!!!!!!!!!) Then maybe the guys in the studio will love me instead of torment me. :P

Practiced a bit today, didn't sound too shabby. Worked on my triple and double tonguing and it was fairy clean. Now I need to get it faster than like 100 bpm....120 would be way cool. Just saying hi, and wondering if anyone actually reads this blog. I should probably make a new one or something. We will see.

Time for bed, goodnight world. (goodnight moon....goodnight stars....)

Love,

Rachel

ohhhh blogs. :P Stuff is good here...finally starting to feel good about my trombone playing. I played with James this morning (damn hes really good) and held my own on everything except for the scales in 3rds. Time to get goin on those, no more ignoring it. Colin and James both were accepted to Indiana for grad school, and each earned at $10,000 scholarship. Kudos to them, if I can ever be half as good as they are someday, I'll be really happy.

Attended the Phi-Mu Alpha recital this evening. What an experience. I've never seen such a mixed up group of guys perform. The trumpeteers were funny, but I think my favorite was when Colin and Salwass got up and sang a song called "The Red and Black." (country-style) It got even better when James, Ben Lester, and Boll all came out and played random instruments (aka a cheese grater, spoons and a Dennis Wick Straight Mute.) And Vernie played his solo well....what a tough piece. Overall a really entertaining evening.

I have yet to figure out what I'm going to do this summer for money. Not gonna lie, I'm starting to get really worried that I won't have enough to pay for next semester. I know living in the house is a lot cheaper, but I'm still worried. I hope to hear about some gigs soon that I can play along with my summer fulltime job.

Time to get some sleep before piano class tomorrow.

Goodnight all,

Love,
Rachel

kind of a messed up day....started off so well. Dave Hopkins came up to me in the hallway and asked if I had seen his trombone. He left it here over spring break, and it disappeared from above the lockers. I didn't think much of it...assumed that he misplaced it or someone was hiding it as a joke. Apparently not. Later this evening Doc O informed me that James' tenor trombone was also missing. Whoever the fucker is that decided "hey, I have a great idea, lets go steal trombones from people who actually work to earn the money to buy them." Yeah, great idea you little fuck.

Stuff like that can really wreck your day.

-Rachel

first day back in the EC. So glad to be back here. Hung out with the guy for a bit, then spent 3 hours of my life sitting in a rehearsal for a Childrens' Theatre...don't get me wrong, I love kids, but tonight was not the night. It was just a long rehearsal.

Spent a bit of time with Heather tonight also, that was good. It was nice to see her again. :) Hopefully raquetball tomorrow night after bone choir. Thats about it.

I have to get stuff ready for a lesson by tuesday, since Ostrander changed my lesson AGAIN. I guess being versitile in these things is good, but damn its hard to plan out practice sessions when your lesson keeps moving up earlier than planned. Oh well.

Bed! :P

Love,
Rachel

ok...second post of the day. sweet. Woke up early and practiced for about 2 1/2 - 3 hours. Felt ok, not spectacular like I'd hoped.

I'm pretty much hired at Barnes & Noble for the summer...just have an interview soon. :) So that'll be nice, working there instead of the summer daycamp will allow me to make one or two small trips to visit friends in EC/MN over the summer. So I'm really psyched about that one! :D Yay for money!!!


No word from Financial Aid yet. Oh well, I guess I can wait another couple weeks for the new horn. I've waited this long....whats another 2 weeks??? (answer: SHEER TORTURE)

Went to Chipotle w/Dad for lunch, that was really nice.

Picked up an extra 4 hours at the bookstore and 4 more hours at Griffin Ford. Funny story here............ Pretty sure I had to call this guy whose name was "John Thomas" to tell him his vehicle was ready to be picked up, and then the next call was to a guy named "Harry Johnson". Those things just DON'T happen. It was really hard to keep from laughing.

I must be crazy. Waking up at this time of day DURING SPRING BREAK just to go play music with small children. Ugh. (well, freshman in hig school...so I guess some of them are technically taller than I am, but still...)

Remind me NEVER to do this again...6:20 am is far too early for this college kid.

Love,
Rachel

I am exhausted. Worked almost 12 hours today...that paycheck'll be nice. I have been told that my blog is not very entertaing...all I do is talk about my day. So I'll try to become more amusing. Bargle.

Today after work I went downstairs, got three billiard balls, started juggling them and walking around my basement. Then I proceeded to practice trombone for an hour (while still juggling) and played the hardest Kopprasch in the book at tempo: quarter note = 265.7 bpm. Bolero, La Gazza Ladra and William Tell were next on my list. Seeing as these excerpts are so short, I decided to kick the tempo up a notch. Quarter note = 294 bpm. Playing them perfectly gets so boring after awhile....so I decided that I'd just stop for a bit.

Upon finishing this simple task, I was somewhat hungry.

Going upstairs (still juggling of course) I prepared myself a 7 course meal...consisting of salad, steak, a lightly salted/buttered baked potato, croissant rolls made from scratch, chicken soup, chocolate mousse, and a cherry on top. (yes, the cherry counts as a whole course)

Then I ran 8 miles in just under 15 minutes. And that was my day.

Love,
Rachel

random day today...didn't get much done. I really need to get back into trombone. I always am like "well, I'll practice later." Then I never get to it. I hate these old habits....its really hard to keep up with stuff at home. :\ Tomorrows going to be even tougher.....I have a 12 hour work day (9 am until 9 pm) That means I'm getting up early (whether my parents like it or not) and playing a routine at like 7:30. hehe.

Pretty sure I went and saw the musical tonight, Guys and Dolls. It was a lot better than I expected...Peter and Karen did a great job. Its nice to see the bandos taking over the stage. :D Spent some time with Kate and Sandra tonight...I think Kate was tired so we didn't talk a whole lot, but Sandra and I sat in her car and talked for like an hour before she dropped me off. Nothing like quality time with girlfriends. :)

Time for bed....I'm going to be up for a routine in like 6 hours. Holler.

Love,
Rachel

Home again...gotta admit its kind of nice. Spent all of yesterday getting stuff done; went to the music store and found the horn I'm going to buy, got glasses so I can see and stuff, went through all my dad's music and found the Bach Cello Suites AND the Bozza "Ballade". Sweet, now I don't have to buy that stuff. Didn't really practice though, time to start that back up after this entry.

Last night I stayed up late watching movies (Corpse Bride/Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat) with my little sister, and had some Oktoberfest with my parents. (yep, they saved a full case of it just for when I come home!!! :)


Today I'm going to my brother's matinee performance of "Guys and Dolls". He's playing in the pit orchestra, so I'm sure it will be lots of fun. :D

Well, thats bout it...but as good as it is to be home, I really miss my Eau Claire family.

Time for life,


Love,
Rachel

almost time for spring break!!! t-minus 4 hours and counting. I'll miss all you guys here at EC, but to be perfectly honest I need the break badly. It'll be nice to go work and earn some money and such. I'm really getting nervous about the money situation...I don't have enough of it, and I have a $300.00 bill to pay each month this summer for a house I'm not even living in. Our stupid landlord just doesn't allow subleasing. DAMN IT.

Had a great week here...lots of good things going on in the music department. Josh Lee and Colin Gilliland won this year's Concerto Competition, which was great. Josh had been working for so long on this piece, and really played well. Colin always works hard, so its about time that it paid off for him as well.

Last night was incredible. I won't go into graphic detail, but it did involve a large chunk of the trombone studio, trays stolen from the Caf being used as sleds, igloo building, "writing" in the snow, a hockey mask, and Doc PAO's front lawn. :D Lets just say it was a really really great night. :)

Well, time to shower up and pack for Spring break. If you're in the Milwaukee area for break, give me a call!!!!! :)

Love,
Rachel

so wind symphony tour was freaking amazing. I spent most of the time with the studio guys (ie Justin, Boll, Vern and Colin) Colin, Boll and Justin spent pretty much the whole time tormenting me with tickling and verbal abuse, while Vern spent almost the whole time trying to defend me. What a guy. haha. Anyways, as mean as they are, I just try to think that they do it because they like me. So we'll go with that.

Almost time for Wind Symphony's concert...the last time I have to play that music. lol. Its great music, I'm just ready for a new challenge. I hope the rest of this semester goes as well as first semester did. Played a routine with Colin this morning, and felt that I actually sounded pretty good. He's a phoenominal player, and its an honor to work with him. He was encouraging and stuff, which was nice. Now I just have to take my playing up a level. (or twelve). :P

Well, thats about it for now, time to shower up and get dressed for this evenings concert. Spring break in t-minus 5 days...

Love,
Rachel

quick post tonight, I'm heading off to Minnesota tomorrow for Wind Symphony tour!!! Gotta admit I am really really excited to get away from here for awhile. Too many memories as of late...I need to escape them for a bit. I keep taking frustration/bitterness out on those who I care about, and that needs to stop NOW.

Overall life is really good....I love my roomates for this fall; Heather and Bri are great. :D It looks like I'm getting my new trombone sooner than expected...if I get the loan I will get the new "twombone." lol. That Conn 88H Linburg is so close...I just have to make sure that I get it no matter what. :)

Anyways, I need to lose some weight so I'm going to start a pretty intensive diet starting tomorrow. No more Taco Tuesdays for awhile. :P Its so hard to eat healthy on campus though. No wonder people gain the freshman 15!!!!!

Time for bed, routine w/Vernie at 7 tomorrow. Whoo.

Love,
Rachel

great night last night...it was fun to party at The House again and not feel like an outcast. It was me, Heather, Becker, Monica, Kailyn, Justin, Adam Boll, Laura, Colin, James, Keith, Liz, Josh Lee, and Andrea. Gotta say, it was a great group of people. James and Colin weren't there the whole time...but thats ok. Colin occasionally takes it overboard with the teasing...I mean, I can take a fair amount of it, but constant women bashing (even jokingly) gets irritating sometimes. Enough bitching. lol.

Played in excerpt class yesterday, that went ok. I wish I could have understood what Nobu wanted me to do a bit more. Sometimes its difficult to see what he wants us to to. So that was a tiny bit frustrating. Oh well, I'll have to learn and adapt if I ever hope to be in orchestra someday...God, I love orchestra.

Time for some Chinese food and quality time with the ladies. :)

Love,
Rachel

yeah yeah, i know second post in like an hour. I can't help it. Sometimes I feel so left out of everything. I try to be there for people, and then its like "hey you don't even matter, I like this other person better." Its hard not to feel like odd girl out. Oh well, I guess I have all of next year to get used to being the third wheel...


goodnight.

aaaaaaaaaaaah! SO MUCH TO DO!!!!

Solo to prepare for studio class, tons of polysci research, finding time to work out, practice time, making money at the music library, sectionals, trombone trio and band tour all next week.

Anyone else feeling overwhelmed??? :\