How Musicians Hear The World

July 29th

Yes, i’ve chosen to now name my posts based on the day i write them on. Tragic.

Let me sum up my summer so far:
So I started the summer with a little summer to-do list that I created during finals. Every moment that I had during that period where I wasn’t focus and wanted to look forward to something i could reward myself with i wrote it down on this list. Now I won’t share everything, but here are some successes I’ve had this summer,

1. Get my G2 license by June w/ Peter’s Driving Academy. Basically the entire month of May was me taking the 6 inclasses and 10 hours in the car, I had my license by the 5th of June (:
2. Volunteer if you have free time! It looks awesome on a resume. I actually volunteered at my sister’s elementary school alongside the Music teacher there. I took some notes and such, what he did, stuff that he did that I could actually better, should the time come. And it also let me truly consider if i would want to teach at an elementary school level, and I’ve come to this conclusion through a metaphor. It’s kinda like Kingston, it’s a great place to study in for a few years however I would never ever want to actually live there. Just like teaching elementary school. I think it’s important to get the basic experience with teaching a classroom at an elementary level, but i would never want to be stuck teaching music at an elementary level. I would definately want to teach highschool, should i be given the option.
3. Buy a Camera with a decent amount of memory. Birthday present. 4.0 GB of memory (thanks to the memory card that came with my phone). I’ve definately wanted a camera for so long, just because i have so many movie ideas, and I got something even better from it. I’ve recorded a lot of goodtimes with my friends (haha even with you) in pickering/scarborough and saved them on my computer. Even now when I watch them I laugh, and feel good. Something that will be important to srsly have when I’m alone in Kingston and need the feeling of true friends around me.
4. Make an attempt to actually be more social, meaning if someone invites you to go out, YOU GO OUT. if you hear the group is gathering, YOU GATHER, CAPICE? only good things can come from this. Well… I mean, I did kinda end up finally getting a boyfriend this way…♥ (:

Some mentions that sort of happened but haven’t been completed really:
-Learn enough Italian to be able to have a basic conversation and whhhhhhy did i want to learn italian? First off, i find it’s a lot easier to learn than french. Secondly, you can’t deny that most of the musical terms in music are not italian, because most of them are. I may have not finish the whole book that i’m learning from, HOWEVER i can confidently pronounce italian words that i have never seen before. i may not know what they are exactly, but i will be able to say them without sounding like an idiot in front of my peers and colleagues.
- Learn all of the FFVII Solo Piano Collections If you have not heard any of these songs, i strongly suggest you check them out. srsly. Especially ‘Fighting’, this was the one i reeeeeally wanted to learn. Instead what i ended up doing this summer, was dropping this goal (but keeping it at tha back of my mind should i had time to practice them) and instead learning two movement’s from Beethoven’s Tempest sonata. One of which you, brad, had a chance to hear in it’s early stages. I’ve almost completely memorized the third movement, and I am working on the first (since for my jury, which i have not played yet) because i need two movements for my jury.
-Learn to play the guitar. FAIL
-… so i can learn to play the ukulele!! (which was the original intent of the guitar learning) DOUBLE FAIL
- Join a fitness club for fun. Reasons this didn’t happen: No job. am lazy. i’ve just decided i’ll wake up early and go running instead.
- Do something with my YouTube page. haha fail/win? you decide, i unno i think i’ve had some pretty good videos this summer! (mind you none of them music related… which is the ultimate fail, because that’s what my subscribers want, instead i give them stuff where nikki and i just goof off because we’re dumb like that…)

Other than that though, my days consist of me waking up.
-Studying some history (I WILL SUCCEED THIS YEAR, BECAUSE I HAVE TO DO IT FOR MY PROGRAM, AND I WILL NOT FAIL AGAIN.) I DO NOT HATE HISTORY is what i tell myself at least 10 times a day until i believe it.
-Read a book, any book. (i actually have this list of books that i’m one day hoping to complete, and there are over a hundred at least, classics and newer ones too)
-Driving to random places. Since having a car to yourself, even if it’s just to the grocery store, is so. freaken. nice.
-um i guess starting tomorrow, running in the mornings.
-practicing for 2 hours (i found the cure, i drink caffinated coffee before hand, it’s the only way i can push through so i can go out at night)
-and well, lounging around mostly. unemployement allows a person to do such things…

One of the main reasons i didn’t get a job this summer is this. I figure this is really the last summer i can afford to not have a job, after this i will need to work until forever. I remember last year when i worked at Tim Hortons at PTC I would work all day, come home exhausted, and rarely have time to do anything. I’d be frazzled, disorganized, and rarely have anything in order. Something, that is a bitch by school time. This way, i sit down and truly work out basic things, like what do i want to achieve, how will i do this, what triggers stress/pressure/anxiety/depression, how can i avoid this or cope with this during school? What are somethings that worked last year? what didn’t? how can i learn from my mistakes and do better?

Best lesson i learned this past year, which i’ll admit is a no-brainer to most, but when you’re like me, and are shy around people you respect: make an appointment with each of your professors once a week to go over class material, learn the things you have problems with, and gain confidence in your classes by working as a team with your professors.

SO VITAL, but i think this will help the most.

to be honest, i’m really not looking forward to going back to school this year, because i know that these last two years i’m going to have to work hard. I even wrote it down here:

Acknowledge that September is going to Hard. Work hard. Push Through.

I get a lot of confidence by reading these words for some reason, maybe it’ll be just the kind of thing i need.

And now for something completely different: So, normally I avoid lululemon, that clothing/apparel store that i swear every single girl owns $100 pants from? I find it has nice good quality pieces, but it is soooo expensive… But my sister loves it, so i had to tag along with her when we went to the mall. At the back of the store, normally near the changing rooms, there’s a wall dedicated to the employees… and their goals. Namely employees are encouraged to make 1, 5, and 10 year goals in relation to career, personal, and health. Once they make those goals they create a page listing those goals and posting them somewhere where they’ll be able to see them as a reminder.

Now Brad – btw if you’ve actually read this far, let me take the time to congratulate you – ACTION ITEM I think we should both make an effort to create out own Career(school)/personal/health goals. However, instead of 1,5,10 years, i think as we, as students, should make them for the next 1, 2, and 5 years. I’m planning on perhaps doing a collage or something to show mine off. When I finish it i’ll post them in my “summer 09 ” photo album on facebook, as well as framing it to hang in my room this year as a reminder. If you finish yours by the time i see you in August, i’ll post yours in the album as well. Maybe we can spread the idea around? Even if it sounds like a cheesy idea, and you’re skeptical (because you probably are, or you actually think it’s a brilliant idea) try it out anyways. If anything you’ll waste an hour of thinking, but it might be beneficial to at least have an idea you know? Lululemon also has a way to complete this project here if you’re having troubles starting…

Anyways, hope I haven’t bothered you too much. I’ll admit this post is kind of long, but it’s also been a while since i’ve posted anything, and I may as well get back into the habit now that I have time (:

Talk to you soon!

Katerina

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