Showing posts with label music. Show all posts
Showing posts with label music. Show all posts

Friday, January 16, 2009

Resolutions... goals... impossibilities?

Since over half a month has elapsed since we went out and bought new calendars, I guess it's time for me to establish some goals.  I'm terrible at this - that's why I usually don't do it.  But since I'm hoping 2009 will bring two semesters that were better than the last one, I suppose it can't hurt to face them with a new set of resolutions... Here goes nothing:

  • Stop biting my fingernails: How long have I told myself that I need to stop doing this?  I'm now twenty years old, and I can honestly say that I've been biting my fingernails almost that long.  I completely realize that it's a nasty habit, but that doesn't make it easy to quit.  I also realize that I am somewhat of a control freak, and that this is something that I often can't stop myself from doing.  Do you know how distressing it is for a control freak to not even be able to control himself?

  • Reach 10,000 songs in my iTunes: I am currently at 7,793 songs.  I don't know why I feel so compelled, but that simply seems significant.  I have no doubts that I can accomplish this by the end of the year, especially if I'm going to be working at RAGE 103.7

  • Play some concerts: I really want to tour some coffeeshops and such in the Cape Girardeau, MO area.  Joshua Smith and I are playing music together, and I really enjoy what we've been doing.

  • Write every day: By moving into a major this semester that focuses more on creativity than on math, I truly hope I can accomplish this.  I don't even really care what it is that I write every day; it could be blogging, writing in my journal, writing for a class, writing fiction or poetry or lyrics... whatever.  I just really want to write every day for at least a year and see what I can produce.  I'm taking a class this spring called "Writing For the Mass Media," and I'm pretty psyched about it.  That should help me in my goal.  I am certainly interested in journalism.  In my spare time on the Internet, I ran across a slideshow of pictures detailing the "writing spaces" of several famous writers and thinkers, hosted at architecturaldigest.com (Don't think me insane simply because I have enough free time to look at things like this).  While I was looking through these amazing pictures, I realized that I would be much more likely to write if I only had Rudyard Kipling's amazing library to work in:



Alas, I do not...  So I will have to settle for wherever I am at the time.  Someday, someday....


I would also like to mention that I am somewhat ecstatic to be moving to a major like Mass Communication.  One of the leading causes of unemployment is occupational immobility.  In our ever changing, technological, post-modern world (and with our economy going to hell in a hand basket), I believe fewer and fewer people are going to find themselves in careers and jobs that will last a lifetime.  This used to happen all the time, but no more.  Technology is constantly changing, and people constantly have to adapt and learn the skills they need to keep up.  I believe a communication degree will give me those skills I need to achieve my goals.  To try to adapt in a field like Computer Science is difficult at best.  By majoring in Mass/Media Communication, I'm hoping to open up the doors to many different job possibilities.  I will obtain the skills necessary to potentially land a job in radio, journalism, or audio production - to name only a few.  If I had stayed in Computer Science, all of my time would be devoted to keeping up with the latest programming languages and technologies necessary simply to survive in the field.  Now, I should learn skills necessary in many different professions, and I will not be so stressed that I can't learn the necessary skills for other jobs.

Meanwhile, The Book Rack is hiring in Cape Girardeau, and I fully intend to apply on Monday when I move back for the semester.  I'm excited and hopeful.  I've always wanted to work in a bookstore!



Wednesday, July 16, 2008

Insomnia...

Yes, insomnia. Or maybe it was that Venti Mocha Frap from Starbucks earlier... In either case, it's a good thing I don't have to go in to work until noon. I have nothing else to do; therefore, I shall blog. My day started very early today (yesterday) -- so early I had to wake up before breakfast. What's this world coming to? 6:00... that's what time Dad told me to get in the shower, apparently. 6:10... that's what time I actually woke up and heard him, allegedly for the second time, say that I needed to get in the shower or I wasn't going to get to go to Cape Girardeau today.

Grandma had doctor's appointments in Cape this morning, and we decided to go along for the ride to stop by the college and to go shopping. So, we dropped grandma off at her appointments and went on to SEMO. I had some paperwork to fill out in the financial aid office, and they gave me the beautiful news that my total expenses for a year of college totalled $14,000. Wowzers, thank God for scholarships, but still... Here, you want an arm too? How 'bout a leg? From financial aid, I went to the Career Linkage office, where I found out about a few on-campus job possibilities. At this point I'm really hoping to get a job in the Kent Library on campus, but I still have to call the nice lady in Career Linkage. I also paid a visit to Student Support Services where I talked to the Director of Tutoring Services (or some other such official sounding title). He was nice and helpful and knew Dr. Lewis, my favorite professor of all time. That lent a great deal of credibility, and I left feeling like I had made a really good impression. I hope to tutor maybe 4-5 hours a week and work part time somewhere else as well (hopefully the library). Speaking of the library, I spent the rest of my time on campus exploring it. The Kent Library's selection of periodicals, journals, non-fiction, and literature is outstanding; however, their fiction section is extremely limited (as in they have a few shelves stocked with current bestsellers), so I'm planning on relying on the Cape Girardeau Public Library, Poplar Bluff Public Library, and MOBIUS for my reading pleasure. The nicest part of the Kent Library -- besides the quiet study areas, of course -- is the Kent Cafe which serves coffee, espresso, macchiatos, cappuccinos, lattes, mochas, hot chocolate, Tazo hot tea, and cookies. Yes indeed, I can get a cup of coffee any time I like for a mere $1.05. Beats Starbucks prices!



By the time I had thoroughly investigated all four floors of the library, it was lunch time. After that, my favorite part of the day arrived: shopping time! I got so many things I can't remember them all:

  • Clear iPhone case

Clothes


  • Two different black, patterned long sleeve casual/dress shirts
  • Navy blue Converse zip-up hoody

Music

Here's where I really hit the jackpot... mostly old Christian music:

  • The Dingees - Sundown to Midnight
  • Five Iron Frenzy - Our Newest Album Ever!
  • Mortifcation - Triumph of Mercy
  • MxPx - The Ever Passing Moment
  • MxPx - Life in General
  • Relient K - The Bird and the Bee Sides/The Nashville Tennis EP

So there you have it... everything of slight interest that happened during my day.