I had a little adventure concerning my finger and the car door today…ouchies.

Turned out, that was the least of it, though. I had just arrived at the post office and I guess was just still in shock from jamming my finger, because I fainted there in the post office lobby, standing in line. Twice. It was truly bizzare, like something out of a dream - I open my eyes and there I am on the floor looking up at all these shocked people. After the second time, the people around me insist that I need help (I wasn’t about to argue at that point), and that I certainly mustn’t drive (wasn’t going to argue that either). One nice lady pulls out her cell phone and calls 911 (!!!), while I realize that the man talking to me was my seventh grade math teacher. At the same time another woman flashes a card saying that she’s a nurse and offers me her cell phone to call someone who could come for me. Little problem with that - Dad’s half an hour away; Mom’s ten minutes away, but I have her car. So my former math teacher offers to drive over and fetch her. By this point, the paramedics have arrived and are taking pulse, blood pressure, that sort of thing. Mother shows up promptly, and they leave me with her, with admonitions to go rest and that sort of thing.

Apparently a wee bit of random fainting runs in my family…guess now I know that I did get that gene.

My faith in the goodness of humanity in general has been restored today, too.    :)
Go gag if you like, I care not!

Anyway, that was MY adventure of the day. And here I thought my excitement today was going to be in checking my brother out of school to get his braces off and chortling about signing in the column that says “parent signature”. Hee hee!

Postscript for those who are about to remember that this started with my finger and freak out over that: It looks almost normal, and come one - I’m typing with it! I did keep ice (or rather, frozen veggies) on in all afternoon, but it’s certainly not broken, maybe a little bruised and swollen is all. I’ll be fine, promise.

[Apologies to Billy Joel for stealing my title from him.]

Categories: home
16 Comments »

Finals are over, and I’m sitting on the floor at home, singing along to a nice random collection of Billy Joel, Simon & Garfunkel, Queen, Matchbox 20, Jewel, and assorted others. Very nice.

The plane trip went smoothly yesterday once it got underway. A note to anyone doing any air travel in the near future: if you fly Northwest, pack small light bags. 59 pounds is 9 pounds too heavy. Trust me.

What’s interesting is that I was at the Greenville airport yesterday with a friend who was flying Delta. And given what she said about the weight of her suitcase, Delta seems to not have similar rules. Also given that this is the same suitcase I brought home last year, at which time I was flying Delta. And then the one I took back to school was BIGGER! Interesting.

Anyway, learn from my little $25 mistake.

Categories: home, travel
1 Comment »

I added a couple of poems to the Wordsmiths site last night. They’re kind of an odd pair, but there ’tis. Feedback welcome! - either as comments or as e-mail.

Categories: scribblings
8 Comments »

One down, yay for that. Had my German exam this morning and then spent the rest of the day studying anthropology in various random corners of the campus. This morning after the exam (which went well, I think), I curled up on a couch in the parlors for a few hours. In the afternoon, I actually spent a few hours sitting outside the University Center - yes, outside! It was gorgeous - about 55 degrees and not a cloud in the sky. Then a marathon stretch in the CCLC, which by and large, is deserted by clients and consultants alike during exams. Only a few people came down: enough to make my time worthwhile, but few enough to leave plenty of study time for the me.

Though honestly, I feel like a bit of a loser about exams. All around me, my friends are studying their poor little tails off, while I’m sitting here with one exam done, one isn’t cumulative, and one for which I know the exam question. I really didn’t intend for this to be an easy term…it just sort of happened that way.

Categories: college
3 Comments »

Classes have ended and the oratorio has been sung! It went quite well - at least from where *I* was standing! *shrugs happily*!!

Next up, exams. I’m not as concerned about them as I probably should be…maybe in the morning.

Categories: music
2 Comments »

One week from now, I will be at home!

I had my voice jury this morning, which is the equivalent of a final exam for any sort of music lessons. Basically, you go in and sing in front of the voice faculty - you get to pick the first song, and then, on the spot, they pick a second one from the list of songs you’ve worked on this term. My teacher and I had chosen “Liebst du um Schoenheit” for my first, a pretty (if a bit schmaltzy) song. Then the panel chose “Se nel ben,” an Italian song about how Fortune is never reliable. Probably the one I least expected them to pick, actually, but not a problem!

The real fun was that it was thirty degrees and rainy today, and one is supposed to dress up for juries. Meaning a skirt. My roommate thought I had lost all vestiges of sanity I ever possessed. It was wonderful to come back at noon and put on jeans! Made me feel almost indestructable. An illusion, of course, but it was nice while it lasted.

Next on the calendar: one oratorio, three exams, and about a gazillion little errands!

Categories: music
No Comments »

…That the celebration of birthdays is healthy. Statistics show that those people who celebrate the most birthdays become the oldest.

So! Never be afraid to admit your age and have a party! heeheehee!

Categories: miscellany
5 Comments »

No, this actually doesn’t have to do with the fact that my roommate and I have had more than our share of sickness this term. There were some interesting quips written in sidewalk chalk around the Johns Hall breezeway today, saying odd things like “Getting the flu: $0. Getting a flea bite: $0. Getting the plague: priceless” and “I infect. I kill. What’s your verb?” I have absolutely NO idea what group is resposible for these gems, but my favorite was “Have you hugged your favorite microbiologist lately?”

I guess the real story of my week is the oratorio. At the end of every fall and spring term (no that isn’t redundant - that excludes our shorter winter term), Furman Singers, Women’s and Men’s Chorales, and the Orchestra get together and put together an oratorio or two, and every other Christmas, it’s Handel’s Messiah. This happens to be a Messiah year. However, it’s Dr. Joiner’s turn to direct, and he decided not to do the whole thing this time. He picked some highlights of the piece, and we’re also dong Poulenc’s Gloria.

(Aside: Because only hard-core enthusiasts of classical music have ever heard of Mr. Poulenc, I offer you 2 quick facts.
1. The guy was French, so of course his name is not pronouced phonetically….it’s more like Poo-lank. That looks really bad somehow, but there you have it.
2. He lived from about 1890 to 1970 (sorry, too lazy to look up the actual dates), so his music is really wierd until you get used to it and it all comes together. Then it’s pretty cool. Usually.
This ends my two minute lecture on Poulenc. End aside.)

My personal preference is Messiah, though, probably because it’s something I’ve heard a lot at home. (My dad is a virtuoso of the CD player and appreciates classical music.)

Anyway, since the concert is this Friday, we have rehearsals every day this week, which is kind of a drain on my time, but it’s worked out okay. We’re almost there!

So, recap: Hug Theresa, Poulenc is wierd, Messiah rocks, and Katie is busy. The end!

Categories: music
4 Comments »