Yogie-Eyed

You know, yoga can be very sensual. Inhaling and exhaling, smooth extended movements, tracing your muscles with your hand to reach a pose, plenty of positions to choose from...think about it! Today at yoga, we had a male instructor. The room was so small that our mats were practically touching, and mine was directly in front of the instructor's. Every time we had a forward facing pose, we went through the awkward situation of trying to avoid each other's eye contact while experiencing that disturbing sensation of someone looking right past your left ear to the wall behind you. And all the while giving commands like, "Inhale and bring your arms up," "exhale into down-dog," "slide your right hand down to the back of your thigh...." etc.

My favorite pose has to be Cradle The Baby. Yes, Cradle The Baby. As we lowered ourselves to a seated position on our mats, the instructor told us to bring our left leg up to our chest and wrap our arms around it into Cradle The Baby. While I thought the pose was merely for a thigh/butt muscle stretch, the instructor and a few other people in the class couldn't help but...cradle the baby. As my mother and I held the pose, we watched the others rock their foot back and forth and gaze at it fondly.

I've exercised twice now. What other wonders does the new year have in store?!

as usual

As usual, I am thrilled that there is a new semester starting soon and a new chance to rock at life. I am so ready to nail all of my performances this semester and work really hard to develop them. And I finally know what I want to do after college! I have decided that I want to get a masters degree in performance. Yay! Although I really have no idea where to look. But that is part of the fun.

This next semester includes understudying Lauretta in Gianni Schicchi, usual University Singers concert, Brian Hartman's small ensemble Ars Nova, B MINOR!!!, and of course, ITALY! So many things to think about and be excited about. And hopefully studying some Bach with Ms. Harrell.

Also, I have gotten a bug inside me to tutor. I don't know how, and I'd love to get paid for it, but that is not the number one reason that I want to do it, or really any number reason. It's not that I've gotten a new wave of excitement to teach public school. Tutoring just sounds appealing to me, to really work one on one with someone struggling and (hopefully) see a difference. I might check out the Intersection, where my friend Jackie works, or Big Brothers, Big Sisters. Do any of you bloggers out there in Columbia know of a place I can help out once a week or so?

I can't wait till my brothers are grown up and we have a better relationship. They are already starting to get more fun, and I am excited for the days when we can all come home for Christmas and really talk and have a good time. Although I love coming home, most of my time here is spent on my computer or reading a book. Or eating, of course. This year lunch/brunch was hashbrown and egg casserole, "compote" cranberry stuff, or as Tom and I call it, "compost," french-toast egg-nog casserole, golden juicy ham, and...a Fat Tire? Yes. I can finally join my parents in a drink around the house.

Also, I got a Kindle for Christmas. wtf.

Reasons I am against Kindle:

-it's not a book

-like Taylor said, it will destroy libraries

-it extinguishes the whole book culture we have going on here. You can't turn a page on a Kindle. You can't underline and write in comments on your favorite part. You can't borrow a Kindle download from your friend and read their comments. You can't see a pretty cover (because we all know we judge books by their cover). You can't feel the pages and smell the ink. You can't slam it with satisfaction when you're done and stuff it in your bookshelf amidst other conquered works. You can't huddle with your friend around a Kindle the way you would your bookshelf and talk about what a great character so-and-so is in so-and-so's novel and then pull it out and lend it to your friend. Your Kindle won't show the dog-eared pages that you got stuck on, the ripped pages from when you dropped it on the kitchen floor, or the numerous coffee stains. Well Kindle, guess you'll be going back to my dad's hands where you came from, you God-forsaken electronic.

On that note, I've truly had a WONDERFUL Christmas :) and hope you all have too.

I am going to fake it till I make it.

Interstate

Welp, here I am, hitting the road to Omaha.  Going home for a week or so and golly, I thought to blog on my way out the door.  ?!  I'm taking with me the Journals of Sylvia Plath, so maybe I'll squeeze something out while I'm at home.  She was young; I'm young.  Correlation.  I hate to leave Dumas, especially knowing that there's no one there save my family to see.  I sure do want to see them, but my trip will most likely be cut short, seeing as this evening when I arrive will be the start of a slow nail driving into my brain until around Wednesday when I'll be completely insane.  

Maybe there's more of a correlation between Ms. Plath and me than I thought...

Old Habits Die

I wondered if I should blog tonight, and then I decided that yes, I should.  I'm sitting here in the living room with Kim watching "Make Me A Supermodel" on Bravo (one of the top 10 most watched channels at 1603 D) and thinking about doing my TDP homework.  People on reality TV are usually dumb, but I love it when you find someone that emanates a higher level of intellect.  Like you can just tell when they talk or move or interact with other people that they are more aware of the dynamics of life situations.  For example: Renee on a previous season of ANTM.  And I refuse to believe that it's because she looks like she's 30.

A lot of things in my life have changed and are changing.  Sometimes it feels weird to me even though I know it's a natural progression of life.  But when I step back and assess, it's very comforting to realize that the consistencies over the last two years (years of immense changes) have been U Singers and my individual voice studies.  Sure, there have been developments in those fields, and those developments are exciting.  I am more in tune with my study: theoretically, historically, technically, thematically, emotionally, professionally....so many ally's.  It feels very good and natural.  I'm sure it's what I was meant to do.

Now to do this TDP assignment, which I'll probably get a smiley face sticker on or something because my professor likes to make us do skits, color with markers, and watch Magic School Bus videos (not that I'm complaining about that!).  Two more days till break!  Good thing there's no milk in the house so I don't have a chance to make mac n cheese and then eat every noodle.