NaBloPoMo, Day 13

Sometimes I wonder what my life is. I'm not even being profound. This was my night:

• trying and failing to focus on theory homework throughout. 
• playing piano in a horn studio recital. And that studio is full of characters. Let's just say one of them gave me a program autographed in chalk ("because it's permanent") as a token of gratitude for my participation. What.
• this video being posted by a couple girls on my hall as a lament about mock trial team stacking. Note: bad vocals are allegedly intentional.
• crossing my fingers that my theory class for next semester will stay at the 4-person size at which it currently sits. Because that'd be awesome.
• having a friend I was supposed to Skype with be in the ER instead. (said friend is entirely OK now, no worries.)

Like I said. What is my life.

Lots of fun, but never quite what you expect.

NaBloPoMo, Day 12

So I'm sitting here, figuring out what to write about while watching The Next Iron Chef, and I've got nothing. Therefore, these are my two main thoughts:

• Pineapple and tomatoes. That's an interesting combination. Kind of like tomato jam! Which is delicious!
• I used to watch this and Top Chef and other shows like that and think that that would totally be my bag, I could rock it, and it would be the best thing ever. And maybe with more training, I could. Maybe. But what I'm grateful for is that I don't actually have the desire to. I love cooking, but there's not this looming what-am-I-going-to-do-with-my-life, maybe-this-maybe-that feeling. And that's nice.

Oh, and if you've got more inspiration than I do, this blogger's open to suggestions. Hit me up.

NaBloPoMo, Day 11

One thing that most everyone at Wheaton develops is introspection. Knowing yourself, what you need, is of high importance, it seems, and along with that comes a piqued interest in personality tests. One offered by Career Services is the Gallup test, StrengthsFinder, which asks you something like 177 questions to discover your top five of 34 strengths. It's a lovely confidence booster and a sort of common language. As with most people, I like my strengths. They tell me these things, in this order:

• I am a relator, meaning that I pick a few close friends, but I know them really well. In a large-group situation, I just need a couple people to talk to, rather than wanting to talk to everyone however briefly.
• I individualize people. I don't like labeling people, generalizing, any of that. I'm particularly proud of this one because I think it's one everyone should have to be a decent human being.
• I analyze. I need to be able to prove something if I'm going to believe it and act on it. I have decision trees in my head.
• I'm a developer, so I take people wherever they are and help them improve. I also get excited about improvements, even if they're tiny. 
• I'm an arranger. I put people in groups well, arranging people and schedules for maximum productivity. (I think this might also have something to do with efficiency, which I like a lot.)

As happy as these things make me, my brain's getting a little full of personality stuff right now. Here's why:

• At some point, you have to stop thinking about yourself and what type of person you are and actually do something with your time. 
• Personality tests can sometimes become like a self-fulfilling prophecy: "Well, I'm a developer, so I would typically behave this way, so I guess that's what I should do" or "That's not one of my strengths -- I wouldn't do that, so I shouldn't."
• To some extent, self-discovery should happen by your own self, not by a test.

That being said, these tests give me a lot of insight into people I'm just getting to know. So that's nice.
 
Also, two people I know (kind of) got engaged tonight. I mean, it's cute, but whoa. You're a year older than I am. This is not OK.

NaBloPoMo, Day 10: Goodbye and Good Morning

Secret Garden closed tonight, and there are some moments that will stick in my brain for a nice, long while. The people will stick longer.

But this particular evening was a long one. After we changed out of our costumes for the last time, we began dismantling nearly every platform we (or they, rather) built.  I personally picked up something like 300 screws off the floor.  I stood on wood while other people took out screws. I mopped half the theater floor.  What followed was a series of "secrets and surprises," which, due to their secret and surprising nature, cannot be shared here.

Now scroll down and check that time stamp. Roughly 4:30 a.m. I didn't dilly-dally. It's those darned secrets and surprises. They only work late, late, late at night when everyone should be sleeping.

I'm not sure I completely understand all that goes on in that building, but there's something different about it that I don't dislike. For the moment, my time there is done -- they don't have any musicals slated for the near future -- but something tells me I might still be spending some time there.

Pardon the vagueness and rambling. I need to process, but first, I think it's sleepytime.

NaBloPoMo, Day 9

And the crafting has returned! Since September, I've been working on a couple different dorm room improvement projects. The first I call "birds on a line." Yes, I did cut those out myself. Yes, while watching Survivor.

Inspired by my own creation, I began to ponder a corollary to "birds on a line." Something else in silhouette? Something outdoorsy? Garden-party-esque? Animals? Planes? All modes of transportation? Heavens, no. Something much simpler was in order. I present the newly completed sequel, "clothes on a line." (Yes, I also cut these out, but during episodes of Bones instead.)

NaBloPoMo, Day 8: Cabbages

In the last week or so, a particular idea has come up twice: once, a professor said it, and tonight, a person quoted that professor. That idea is this.

"A cabbage needs no other cabbages to be a perfect cabbage. Humans are different in that we need other humans to shape us and improve us."

I don't fully remember the context of the first instance of this, but tonight it was used in the context of The Secret Garden. Seeing as this musical hardly relies on plot for its substance, the show's relationships are essential for it to have any meaning for the audience. Everyone must be aware of the ways in which the characters are different from cabbages.

In fact, I am not a cabbage, in case there was any doubt, and neither are you.* Just some food (oh dear) for thought.


*Oh the profundity. I sure hope no one out there's actually planning to get anything out of these posts because it's slim pickings.

NaBloPoMo, Day 7

Today, I pretended I was a goose in my conducting class. I looked ridiculous.

But it's what I was told to do, and it fixed something, I think. So because it's late and I'm tired, today's post is this: what is the most idiotic-looking thing you've done recently? And if you can't think of anything, I think it's about time you get your goose on.