Serious Music Geek!

My Theory teacher sent this link to the class to watch as homework and I loved it so much that I wanted to share it with you all!

This is the kind of music geek they are turning me into here! In my class called "Seminar in Music Theory: Pitch systems and Tunings" we talk about this crap all day! And ...yes I admit... I am fascinated by it! I'll come home for Christmas babbling on about the advantages of quarter comma mean tone tuning and how I can't stand equal temperament and how I only tune my cello strings at a 3:2 ratio. And I'll wear my geekiest glasses and you can all make fun of me.

If I start to sound/look too much like him, PLEASE someone intervene!

Video Tour

The video tour of my house won't upload anywhere.  It's simply too big of a file.  I can't even email it.  Poo.  I hate it when my best efforts are thwarted.  

A real update

Enough of the silly surveys and things that I've been blogging lately.  Here is a real update.

In the past two days, 4 different friends have told me that I look "really tired", "exhausted", and "half asleep".  1) I hate hearing that... you might as well just say "wow, you really look like crap today! What happened?"  and 2) I've gotten more sleep in the past two days than I have in a long time.  What's the deal?  I didn't wear makeup yesterday and I thought that might have been a factor, but I was more than disheartened to hear it today when I was all put together and thinking that I looked good.  Dang it.  

Tammy, you'll be happy to know that all the fun that I've been having in Michigan is finally subsiding.  I am full force into school and super busy with homework and textbooks and practicing.  I am learning to say "no", which is a HARD thing for me to do.  "No" to dates that I have neither time nor interest in.  "No" to teaching opportunities that I don't have room in my schedule for.  "No" to parties when I have homework to do.  *sigh* ... growing up is hard.  

But I DID say "yes" to two new callings in my little Kalamazoo University Branch.  Say hello to the new branch choir director and relief society teacher.  I am extremely humbled and overwhelmed by both of these new positions.  I feel moved to use a slightly sacrilegious but applicable quote from my favorite Jim Halpert of the Office.  "Lord beer me strength!"

I ran my first sectional as GA of the cello studio here.  It's hard work to command authority in front of a group of college cellists, many of whom are hardly less talented or younger than I am.  I am extremely grateful for the ones who were respectful and helpful, and who listened to what I had to say.  And less grateful to the ones who didn't... in fact, I wouldn't mind smacking a few of them.  Master Francis... I totally relate to the feeling of "caged monkeys".  I'm sorry that I was ever one of them.  I had a lesson in church today, of all places, titled "Love the ones you teach".  Man, if that wasn't inspired from God, I don't know what is.

After a series of small miracles, I am happily settled into my new studio apartment in my new yellow house.  And someone bought the lease to my old party house.  Phew, that's a weight off of my shoulders!  Here is a picture of my cute new place, and also a video tour... cause I know you all secretly want to see inside my house.  Please don't use the info in the pic or video to stalk me for real.  I'll call the cops.  

JAMILYN!

1. name= Jamilyn

2. fav food= peppers

3. high school= Taylorsville High School

4. fav color= orange

5. celebrity crush- Joshua Radin

6. fav drink- mint tea

7. dream vacation= Rome

8. fav dessert= creme brule

9. future ocupation= cellist

10. what I love= sleep

11. one word to describe me= blessed

12. flicker screen name= don't have one.  but it would be puddle duck

AND tagged by Cassie

Six Random Facts About Jamilyn:

1) I am unbelievably squeemish about blood... talking about blood or watching TV shows/ movies about blood or watching people get shots or even getting my blood pressure taken.  These are things that all make me VERY  woosy and uncomfortable.  

2) I have trouble sleeping if my room is messy.

3) After a HORRIBLE experience at a haunted house with my Aunt Rachel and all my cousins when I was 8 years, I REFUSE to ever go to a haunted house ever ever again.  I tried a haunted corn maze last year with a bunch of friends, hoping that maybe I've grown out of this silly fear, but it only made me more sure that I'm ok to pass up haunted houses for the rest of my life.  I have a hard time with really terribly scary movies too.  I'm a wimp.

4) I really like reading poetry- like the abstract kind that you have to dig deep to find any meaning.  And sometimes I read them not to find meaning, but because I like the way the strings of words and syllables and sounds feel when they are said out loud.  It's sort of a transcendent experience for me. 

5) Eating things like dairy products, caffeine, and red meet make my tummy really sick and flu-like.  So I try my best not to eat these things.  The hardest one for me is not eating ice cream.  I sure love ice cream!

6) I have a funny fascination with above-ground water towers that have the town name printed on them.  I think they are awesome and funny looking and a great idea for every mid-west town! I wish Kalamazoo had one...

TAG Elisa and... MOM!  Write 6 random facts about yourself.  If you want to.  

Tagged By Elisa... enjoy!

3 Names you go by - James- Jami- Jamilyn
3 Things you are wearing right now - Green sweater, brown shirt that says "leaf me alone", jade ring
3 Restaurants I love -Cafe Rio, Shwarma King, Kamin
3 Favorite things to do -Play Cello, go on walk/ talks with friends, email my missionary
3 Trips to plan on this year - weekend fun in Chicago, home for Christmas, some amazing musical experience in the summer
3 Things you want badly - To be better at orchestra music, for the next 18 months to fly by so Nathan can come home, for my mom to kick cancer and be completely healthy
3 People who will do this - uh.... I hate answering this kind of question.  Who ever wants to will do it.  Who ever is bored and wants to waste time.
3Pets you have/had - "Kismet Thank My Lucky Stars" little black pomeranian who I miss terribly, Jessie my cockatiel in elementary school, and little Aleesha my childhood hampster
3 Things you did yesterday - Got a 95% on my theory test (woot!), had an awesome cello lesson, made a "happy 6 months" card for Nathan
3 Things you ate today - It's only 11:00 am, so there hasn't been lots of time yet to eat, but I did have a bowl of cheerios and a blueberry smoothie and I've been snacking on dried cherries and almonds.
3 goals - Get a 4.0, practice cello 4-5 hours a day, learn to speak like a Michigander
3 Fears - Letting people down, not "making it" in the big scary music world, and of course, hippopotamuses! 
3 Things you plan on doing today - practicing orchestra music until I can finally play 5th movement of Bartok, working on my program notes research project, going to Jake's birthday/ Office party!
3 Things you plan on doing tomorrow - Going to pitch systems and tuning class prepared and ready to learn, running a cello sectional for orchestra so that we can hopefully figure out how to play together as a section, and watching the presidential debates with Annalaura
3 Favorite Holidays -4th of July, Easter, Christmas (and halloween)
3 Favorite beverages - water, iced chai with soy, home made fruit smoothies

OK now it's my turn to tag.  I tag... STACI ARMSTRONG, ASHLEY TOLMAN, and LYNSIE HARMON

Nauvoo YSA Conference

Note to my non-LDS readers, YSA is a church acronym for "Young Single Adults".  In the LDS faith there is much emphasis on marriage and family, so every so often they arrange conferences to get young... single... adults together to hopefully find a good LDS match and get married and live happily ever after.  There is lots of dancing and socializing time.  They also usually include inspirational speakers on church-related topics to give the young single adults an extra spiritual boost.  I recently attended one such conference with my MG friend, Sarah. Not so much to find my future husband, but to see beautiful Nauvoo!  Although I didn't find my eternal companion among the strange collection of not-so-young, yet VERY single men, I DID make some good friends and had myself a grand old time.  

I LOVE Nauvoo.  The church history there is all very cool... and definitely a spiritual boost.  As I mentioned in the previous post, Hurricane Ike went crazy on us, and Nauvoo was rainy and windy and buggy... but still somehow very beautiful.  And the temple there is incredible.  Thanks again Sarah for remembering your other midwest MG pal and inviting me along! 

So raise your hand if you remember the days of Jamilyn and Brady Fausett.  That last picture is of me and his Aunt... who is a site missionary in the Wilford Woodruff house.  Random to meet here there, huh?  I thought so.  

Other updates:  I rear ended a car last night on the way to a bridal shower.  Everyone involved is fine, but all the paint is chipped off my bumper and my car rattles when I accelerate.  Dang it.  And I have a little bit of a cold. 

 AND I have two dates ...to two different symphonies this weekend.  Tonight is Kalamazoo Symphony with my viola friend Ruan... who is actually in the Kalamazoo Symphony and got me a comp ticket to the performance and musicians after-party.  Then tomorrow night is with Darren to the Grand Rapids Symphony playing a Disney Tribute.  I'm going to be all date and symphony-ed out! 

Love to my friends and fam.  I miss you guys... esp. my mom and my girls.  

Ike Yikes!

As many of you know, Hurricane Ike ripped through our country this weekend.  I was worried about my Texas missionary, hoping that he wouldn't be evacuated and that everything would be safe and sound with him.  It didn't dawn on me that as a mid-wester, I should worry about my own safety too!  

I spent the weekend in Nauvoo Illinois at a YSA conference with my good MG friend Sarah (blog post and pictures to come...).  It was rainy and windy and HUMID, but I heard that Nauvoo is always rainy and awful, so I didn't connect it to hurricane weather.  

Then I tried to drive home to Kalamazoo last night.  It should have taken about 4 hours from Sarah's house in Normal Illinois.  But thanks to Ike- Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, and many other midwest states were pounded with torrential rain that evacuated homes, flooded roads, and closed all the major highways that I knew how to take.  After gridlock traffic jams, 100 extra miles worth of confusing detours, toll roads that I didn't have money for, and 3 extra hours of trying to find my way in blinding rain, I finally made it home safely... at 2:30 am.  

This is a flavor of natural disaster that I'm not quite used to.  I know that my Father in Heaven answers prayers because he made my gas tank last me 100 more miles than it should have.  He helped me stay safe and calm in a very stressful and scary situation.  He guided me home.  

In my email today from Elder Morris I found out that the storm skirted around Seguin Texas where he is serving, and they only experienced light rain.  We are both very lucky and blessed to be safe and dry in our own homes tonight.  My heart goes out to all those who face more devastating circumstances from this storm.  

Grand Haven = Beautiful

So I went to Grand Haven Beach on Lake Michigan today with my new pal Darren.  It was such a fabulously brisk autumn day... perhaps a little too cold for swimming.  I was brave and waded in until my shorts were completely soaked.  Darren chilled on the shore for a while, and then, due to my incessant taunting, joined me for about 3.7 seconds.  

        

He was a good sport and let me completely burry him in beach sand.  He said that even the sand was cold.  

 

Because Darren was freezing, and because I love picturesque little towns, we did a bit of Main Street browsing.  I got a MAJOR lecture from a gift shop owner for trying to purchase 2 post cards with my debt card.  Sorry Mr. Store Owner for trying to make an innocent purchase at your establishment.  I didn't realize that my lack of cash would trigger your bad mood and set you back 27 cents.  Thanks a billion Darren for lending me a dollar and saving me from his wrath.  We ate at a delicious little street cafe.  Best roasted baby red potatoes I've had in a while!

The lake at sunset was breath taking.  We walked up and down the pier and along the shore line but none of my pictures do it justice.  When it was dark, we watched the light and fountain show that they do here every night. It's kind of like the Bellagio fountain... but more Lake Michigan and less Vegas Strip.  
   

Man, sometimes I'm impressed with the weirdness of the faces I'm capable of pulling.  I don't think either of us were ready for this shot, but I like it anyway.  

Thanks Darren for such a beautifully fun day!

"Wish you were here... Grand Haven... Sept. 08"

Woah Today...!

My blog got a new look... do you like it?  Somehow while changing the template, I lost all of my old gadgets.  So I had to "rebuild".  's ok I guess.  

I waited all yesterday for an email from Nathan.  Nothing came and I thought I'd have to wait clear till next Monday.  What a happy surprise to come home from school today and have a wonderful new email from him in my inbox!  

And I got to go look at the Yellow House studio apartment today!  It's TINY but adorable and I WANT it.  I'm crossing my fingers that it all works out.  You can too if you want.  

I had my orchestra audition and I MADE PRINCIPAL CELLIST!  That was a good boost in my grad student confidence here surrounded by amazing undergrads.  

BLARG!  Intro to music research class is going to kick my butt.  There are only 10 of us in the class and we all meet around a big table in a tiny room in the library.  "knights of the roundtable of writing million-page papers of doom" class is what I think I'll call it.  I need to find a music related topic that interests me that I can research and find at least 50!!!! sources for.  And... I need this topic by Monday.  Any recommendations?  

I went to lunch today with new michigan music friends.  :)

My "pitch systems and tunings" class is fascinating!  

My first cello lesson with Bruce was inspiring!

My first days of school have been exciting!

Summer Goals Evaluation

Today's horoscope: "You are right on schedule in your life so don't worry that you are lagging behind"

Thanks horoscope for those words of encouragement.  

Welp, school starts tomorrow morning which I guess signifies the end of my summer.  Due to Master Francis's wise training, I feel compelled to evaluate my summer goals.  In case you didn't know, they have been posted on the right hand column of my blog since the start of summer.  

1. Eat healthy... check!  I even became a vegetarian and weigh 15 lbs less than last summer.  

2. go running 3x a week.... well, this goal started out really well and lasted about a month, then I started biking more and felt like I got my exercise that way.  I went running this morning.  I'll make a new exercise goal.

3. Go to the temple 1x a week... failure.  I did this for three weeks in a row and then the temple closed for cleaning and I just didn't go back after that.  Now I live 3 hours away from my closest temple.  But those three weeks were very spiritually uplifting, I can tell ya that much.  

4. Keep in touch with missionary friends.... CHECK!  I keep in touch with Elder Morris, Sister Folkner, and Sister Hafen.  And they are all healthy and happy last I heard.  :)

5.  Learn the Elgar cello concerto... I did ok with this one.  I know notes and where I am going in the 1st movement and most of the 4th movement and have done some serious passage work in the 2nd movement.  I feel like I am in a good place to start working on it with Professor Uchimura now.  I know it's so cliche for a cellist to love the Elgar concerto, but MAN I love it!!  All y'all who don't know it should go check it out ... like SOON!

6.  Learn to scrapbook... lol.  Check!  I'd love to show you all my new discovery of my creative self but me and the scrapbook are both in Michigan.  You'll just have to take my word for it that it's going well.  I didn't know I had it in me.

7. Review music history and theory... check!  I was amazed at myself for how efficiently I did this.  And it payed off cause now I don't have to take remedial coursework!  YAY!  

8. Save money.... check.  

9. Walk more than drive... easier in Logan than in Kalamazoo, but I think I can safely say that I gave this one a good effort.  

So it was a pretty good summer, eh?  I'm really excited to start school tomorrow.  Time to make new fall goals.  Look what you've done to me Anne!  ... I love it.