Student Teaching Misconceptions

Gordon says....

-You won't have time to practice. Give up now.
-You can't take lessons.
-You shouldn't be in any ensembles.
-You will have lots of night rehearsals.
-You will feel absolutely disconnected from people on campus.
-You're going to change so much that you'll be fantastically grown-up by the end.
-Public school education should be all-consuming.


I say....

-I've had more time to practice this semester than I have in any other semester, no contest.
-I am taking lessons, even if it isn't on my transcript.
-I'm in both Wind Ensemble and Orchestra, and I'm playing for a pit outside of Gordon.
-I have no night rehearsals, except on Monday, and it's not related to school.
-My apartment it awesome (no disconnect here), and I've managed to stay in touch with people at school.
-I still feel pretty normal, and I've been doing this for a month.
-Public school education makes up approximately 40% of my day. 60% is not public school education.

Does this mean that I'm slacking off?

Classification

I have always thought it was somewhat unfair that people with certain (voluntary) dietary restrictions have words by which to identify themselves, i.e. vegetarian, vegan, fruitarian, ecotarian. Well, I'm jealous. I have dietary preferences, but the world has not deigned to bestow upon me a title. Thus, I hereby proclaim myself an omnivorous antipescetarian. There can no longer be any doubt about my individual eating habits.

Stats

I just discovered the stats tab on the blogger dashboard today. (I've been using this for over a year...you'd think I'd have discovered that sooner than this morning...) In doing so, I found out that after the US, the country with the most representatives that have at one point or another looked at my blog is Turkey. As far as I know, I don't know anyone in Turkey. Interesting.

Music Philosophy

Evensong at Church of the Advent only happens once a month. I guess that means that I'll be making the trek to Boston one time more frequently every month than I have in the past. In case you were wondering, Evensong is the evening prayer in the Anglican tradition where the liturgy is sung rather than spoken or chanted. It's truly beautiful. I'm really beginning to love the Anglican church. I love the emphasis on engaging all the senses, the connection to the rich history of the Church that stretches beyond denominational boundaries, the reverence given to all things holy, and the emphasis on very high quality music and repertoire.

How do you explain your deepest joy and passion with a world that doesn't share your worldview? How do I describe to my younger brothers - pop music lovers - that listening to the Best Loved Hymns cd on my drive to school in the morning is like having the Choir of King's College sitting in my back seat? How can I teach an orchestra full of middle school intermediate instrumentalists to play music without explaining to them that for me, sitting in the middle of the wind section, being enveloped in the glorious harmonies of Brahms Symphony No. 1, is a worship experience that can in no way be replicated elsewhere? The way I see it, music is a gift from God. This definitely doesn't mean that I have impeccable musical instincts, nor does it mean that I am particularly good at playing an instrument or singing, but it does mean that music speaks to me in a way that other things don't. Therefore, my life calling is to become the best musician I can be by practicing, by seeking good instruction, and by being involved in music for the rest of my life. To do less than that would be compromising a God-given gift.

Bach once said, "The aim and final end of music should be none other than the glory of God and the refreshment of the soul." Bach was a very wise man, if you ask me.

Sunday Afternoon

Context: Sunday afternoon, between church services

Available time: approximately 3 hours

Project: chocolate chip cookies

Apartment reaction: YUM.

Photo:

YES.

This afternoon, Sarah and I went to Pinkberry on Newbury Street in Boston. Oh dang. It's so tasty! Tart frozen yogurt with toppings? You'd have to be crazy not to like it.




(And it's healthy too!)

The Bumpit Experience

You know things are going to get loud and crazy in the apartment when everyone returns from a rather long Christmas break. How could we have expected (or wanted) less? So it came as no surprise when we found ourselves not unpacking vast amounts of stuff, but instead in possession of and playing with a certain rather horrid hair accessory known as a "Bumpit." The hype that surrounded the Bumpit was due to the fact that it was the subject of an impossible-to-explain running joke that spanned almost the entirety of last semester, and so that we now have one is no unimportant event. We had a good time.

Dear weather,

COME ON, SNOW STORM! YOU CAN DO IT! I BELIEVE IN YOUR CAPABILITY TO CANCEL SCHOOL!

Love,
Jillian


Post Script: Thank you. I am glad you have heard my request and responded favorably.

If I were rich...

This is the first time I've used polyvore, and I've discovered that it's dangerously addicting. I mean truly dangerous. Last night, it (combined with a just-returned-from-break/roomie-bonding/slumber party-esque/uprorious/late night conversation with my dear roommate) led to a significant amount of sleep deprivation. Not the most brilliant move on my part, but if nothing else, the conversation was entirely worth it. The finished polyvore product itself is causing me a great deal of difficulty in terms of blog-publishing formatting, but hopefully that's not too terrible. Maybe this time around it won't make my entire second paragraph a hyperlink. I'm not convinced I'm entirely sold on the shoes, and I think the background might be a little bit much, but it was good fun, and heck, it was only my first attempt. This could become a serious problem, albeit a rather gleeful one.

If I had millions of dollars, I might be tempted to wear something like this. I would also want to travel around the world, take thousands of pictures, and compile actual photo albums for all the cool places I'd been.

Aspirations

I would like to make my blog super legit. You know. The kind that boasts multitudinous followers, is full of spectacular photography and other interesting graphics, and is constantly both hilarious and utterly intriguing. I've been researching, and I've come up with a list of things that might make it better.

1. never capitalize anything. even when starting sentences. i am not sure i can use this particular method since improper grammar, usage, and mechanics bother me so much.

2. Use www.polyvore.com frequently. It allows people to admire your impeccable fashion taste and assume that you have enough money to purchase every article of clothing that you've combined to create an outfit. Congratulations, you have now become a fashion icon.

3. Develop your own background (preferably white with some artsy pictures) rather than use one of the several provided by blogger.com. If your background is individualized, you've proved to the world that you're both creative and technically savvy.

4. Provide links to some of your other entries, because people will stay on your page longer.

5. Center all your text. Why the heck would you follow standard writing technique when you can break the mold so easily?

6. Be able to cook and/or bake, wear cool clothes, take amazing pictures, be crafty, have some sort of unique skill, write with pithy sayings and admirable wit, be familiar with pop culture, have read all the latest best-sellers, and have all the time in the world. (This one should be easy.)

7. Have lots of friends who also enjoy blogging.

8. Be able to Google your blog and have it come up in the first five hits.

9. Be vastly intelligent.

10. Lead a generally fascinating life.


By the time I get my doctorate, win the Nobel Peace Prize, or star in the next greatest movie of all time, some of these might be doable.

City Excursions

This afternoon, Chris, Diana, Jon, and I ventured into Boston on a whim. We didn't have a plan of action for when we got there, so we wandered around until we found some statues. As is customary when traveling in the city and finding statues, we took pictures of them. It was good fun.






It reminded me of when we were in Washington DC over the summer and took pictures with statues there too.


Sadly, I don't have too many of those pictures, but I think it will become tradition from now on: if we find statues in our travels around the world, we should always, always take fun pictures with them.

Umm....

This video is so weird that it had me laughing out loud to myself at 7:30 in the morning, sitting in my chair at school before 7th grade band started. And here I was thinking jazz oboe was a strange idea. What about one-man-band-plus-piano-and-blow-organ-accompaniment oboe?

A Few Recommendations

I've decided to list my top 10 favorite movies. They're in no particular order, as far as I can tell. After reading all of this over, I've decided that my movie preferences are sort of all over the place. Oh well.


This, I think, is my favorite movie, possibly of all time. I bought it at Target on a whim one day over the summer without having seen it - something I don't usually do. Not only is it a beautiful, beautiful story, it's also 100% true, exactly historically accurate, and full of fantastic British accents. If you like period drama, chick flicks, the English monarchy, the complications of politics, or fancy clothes from the Victorian era, you HAVE to watch this movie.

Also full of British accents (of the North English variety this time) is Billy Elliot. It's a tale of growing up, of complicated family dynamics, of overcoming obstacles, of following dreams, and of hard work. Plus it has amazing dancing. And did I mention the accents? They're great.


My family was watching this one this evening. If you didn't see it in the theater (or better yet, an IMAX theater), you missed out. It was just that epic. I think I referred to it as a "brain-melter" this evening while talking to my mom on the phone, a description that I think is pretty accurate. You might have to watch it twice to really get it, but it's absolutely worth it. SO. GOOD.


On a different note, Everything is Illuminated is both hilarious and profound. Apparently is has very little to do with the book that it was based on, but I only saw the movie, so I will advocate for that. Be forewarned - it's a little weird, and is probably much more funny if you've had some international travel experience, preferably in Europe. Decidedly and unapologetically politically incorrect (which, honestly, is quite refreshing), it feels very much like foreign film, and I would highly recommend it.


As for a real foreign film, I love this one! It's in French, but it has English subtitles for the non-French speaker. Quirky, cute, and colorful, it's probably more of a chick flick, but it's adorable and is full of good messages.


I blame Julie and Julia for starting me blogging. It's tied with The Young Victoria as my favorite, and it's easy to see why it won so many awards! Here are a few reasons: high quality acting, gourmet food, the fact that it's "based on two true stories," relatable characters, obsession and recovery, and Julia Child. You can't go wrong, especially when Meryl Streep and Amy Adams play the two main characters.


Admittedly, I've only seen these two once, but they're what could be considered epic masterpieces. Also, I'm counting them together, so they are tallied as only one on my list. They're definitely not chick flicks; in fact, they're "guy movies." But I like them anyway. Real historical events, good plot lines, and battle scenes (ok, the battle scenes aren't my favorite part of the movies, but if you ask my brothers, they'd say that those scenes are the best) are the three most important components. You should probably go with the Director's Cut/Special Edition to get the most out of them.




To counter the manliness of the above-listed movies, I have to list this one. It may be over five hours long...but if you have the time, it's FANTASTIC. Mr. Thornton seems like a jerk at first, but by the time you get to the end of the movie, it's the most lovely, romantic end in the world. Sigh.



Ok, Penelope is a kid movie. But I love, love, love it. Don't judge me. It's a fairy tale, really, about a family whose mistakes have led to a curse: the next girl born will look like a pig. The curse can be broken when one of her "own kind" loves her for who she is. It's hard to explain....but so cute.


And finally - remember, these are in no particular order - I have to include some Dickens on my list. Nicholas Nickleby, believe it or not, has a happy ending! Obviously, I'm not going to give the ending away, but it's classic Dickens - a masterful story, full of richly developed characters, many interwoven plot lines, a very clear differentiation between good and evil, and a focus on the lower class being more (pardon the pun) classy than the upper class. I love Dickens.


Well...to quote an oft-quoted, dearly beloved cartoon character, "That's all folks!" There's church in the morning, so it's time for bed.

Found Camera!

I was correct - my camera was hiding in the depths of the glove compartment of my car. Thus, I can now post the pictures that I wanted to from the past few days!

First, here is the earring rack that my friend gave me for Christmas.


It's cute, right? I love it! (Here is where I wish I had a sweet camera that could make this picture look all artsy and stuff. I will buy one someday when I am rich. It might be awhile.)

Second, this is the cake I made on my second consecutive snow day.


Of course, this is what it looked like on Thursday. Now it looks more like this:


We've eaten some, as you can see. It tasted pretty good.

Thirdly, I made some popcorn in a pot today. It also tasted pretty good.


Finally, as a testament to the fact that my camera needs to be replaced sometime in the future because it's now old, these are a few pictures that it took in 2008 - no editing necessary.




Gordon is so pretty in the spring when all the flowers are blooming. I'm looking forward to it already!

Missing Camera!

Oh no! I can't find it anywhere! It may be in my car...so I still have to search that, but until then I can post no pictures. This I find sad, because I received a lovely earring rack for Christmas from a dear friend that I'd love to show the world, and I also made a cake that turned out nicely, and I would have liked to write about that too. How unfortunate. I still retain some hope that it will turn up somewhere odd, but it's making me nervous.

En Français

Warning: translating this with an online translator is not a good idea, because it sounds ridiculous, nonsensical, and far more depressing than it is intended to be. Funny how that works out. I see now why they warned us never to do French homework in English and then translate it online. The meaning is entirely lost, and the method of cheating is therefore obvious. Ergo, don't translate this. Please. In the event that you do anyway, be forewarned that it will sound weird.

Aujourd'hui, je trouve que je veux écrire en français. Quel'que fois, je pense que je peux parler en français parce qu'il n'y a personne qui comprend les mots. Je sais que ce n'est pas la vérité, mais je sens que je parle sans danger. C'est bête, je suppose. Tant pis.

Je n'aime pas cette saison dans ma vie. Je suis ni une parte de la vie d'université, ni une parte de la vie en réalité. C'est pourquoi j'ai peur que je perdrai mes amis qui habitent en chaque monde, parce que je suis dans l'intervalle. Ici, nous trouvons une fille un peu déprimé. C'est triste, vraiment, parce que si je suis déprimé, je ne peux pas encourager des autres. Je l'aime bien, encourager. C'est mon boulot dans la vie. Maintenant, je me plains de problèmes. Mon hautbois est cassé, et je n'ai pas l'argent pour le réparer à ce moment. Je peux le gagner; n'inquiète pas. Aussi, je me trouve un peu seule. Pourquoi, je ne sais pas. C'est ma faute, probablement. Je peux le réparer. Aussi encore, mon frère est malade - peut-être avec la maladie de Lyme - et je peux faire rien. Mais peut-être ce n'est pas sérieux. Finalement, je veux toujours dire, "Toutefois, que ce ne soit pas ma volonté mais la tienne qui soit faite," mais je le trouve difficile quel'que fois. Je veux crier, "Dieu, dites-moi que faire avec la vie!" Mais Dieu ne travaille pas comme ça. Donc, je convoite vos prières - pour mon frère et ma famille, pour mes chères amis, pour moi, pour mon pauvre hautbois cassé, et pour le futur. Merci beaucoup, mes chères amis. Vous êtes vraiment les meilleurs dans tout le monde.

Jet Lag...in a way

All throughout high school and most of college, I remained absolutely mystified by my mother's desire to go to bed significantly earlier than I did. I didn't get tired until late at night, and thus never went to bed before midnight or 1 am.

No longer true.

Last night, while watching an excellent video recording of Brahms' Piano Concerto and String Quartet (orchestrated by Shoenberg), I was unable to keep my eyes open. Eventually I looked at my watch, expecting it to be at least 9:45. Oh no. It was 8:15. So now I understand wanting to go to bed early. Hopefully the need for sleep will triumph over my desire to stay up late and socialize with the rest of my night-owl apartment mates.

Some rules

This could be a very dull read for anyone who dislikes the grammatical workings of the English language. But I rather like grammar and proper English, so I want to elucidate the correct way to employ some commonly misused words found in our native tongue.

"There is" vs. "There are"
-"There is" precedes a singular noun - "BEHOLD! THERE IS A UFO!"
-"There are" precedes a plural noun. - "There are many kinds of fish; my favorite is the piranha."

Less vs. Fewer
-"Less" describes something qualitative - "There is less lemonade in my glass, because my cat spilled it on my homework. Now I can't turn in the assignment."
-"Fewer" describes something quantitative - "There are fewer cookies in the jar, because I ate all of them except one."

Their/They're/There
-"Their" is possessive - "The llama belongs to them. It is their own."
-"They're" is a conjunction for "they are" - "They're going to travel around Europe, trying to break the world record of 'Most churches attended in one day.'"
-"There" means a specific place - "Put the thurible down over there."

Ensure vs. Insure vs. Assure
-"Ensure" means "to guarantee, to make certain" - "It is the responsibility of parents to ensure that children are trained in the way they should go.'"
-"Insure" means "to make certain by employing precautions" - "I have pre-cooked the bacon to insure that the pancake breakfast will be satisfying to all participants."
-"Assure" means "to make certain by setting the mind at rest" - "I can assure you that all is well with the world."

Affect vs. Effect
-"Affect" is a verb - "The pungent smell from the nearby barn affected the enjoyment of the chocolate-tasting party."
-"Effect" is a noun - "The effect was absolute anarchy and disaster."

If I write anymore, the world might fall asleep. No one likes mass narcolepsy. I've left out which vs. that, your vs. you're, elicit vs. illicit, than vs. then, and accept vs. except, but I think, if in doubt, one can always Google. However, no one (including myself) can have any excuse to misuse these words anymore. Ever. Exeunt.

Church?

Sometime this month, I want to go to Church of the Advent in Boston, just because I think it's great. Post church, I want to hang around Boston, because Boston is also great. Maybe I'll see a concert. Maybe I'll walk around and take pictures. Maybe I'll go eat good food. The possibilities are endless. Who wants to come with me?

Jillian's current status of existence:

-Done with day 1 of student teaching
-Exhausted, and thus going to bed
-No longer hungry, thanks to the sacred triumvirate: bacon, egg, and cheese
-Finished with homework
-Prepared (?) for tomorrow

I'd say that's decent after a 12-hour day.

2010 vs. 2011

Last year, Sara and I attempted a multi-tier cake as a New Year's Eve project. It was interesting....

Our only real disaster was what is now affectionately referred to as the "doughnut cake."


We fixed it by stuffing the gooey hole with a very large cupcake:


On the whole, our made-from-a-mix Funfetti multi-tier cake turned out reasonably well considering our somewhat disorganized planning, our relative inexperience in cake-making, and our severe lack of proper pans. It was a little lopsided.



This year, I'd say we've made some improvement. We made this cake from scratch, including no less than 8.25 sticks of butter. No joke. Talk about an artery-clogger!


...And there are only 6 sticks in this picture. Butter never killed anyone....right....?

Anyway. We were a little skeptical at first, because it looked like a cow pie.


But in the end, it turned out looking (and tasting!) very nice.



Happy 2011!