Piano Jury

Tomorrow (Saturday) is my very first Piano Jury. I will go before a board of piano professors who will grade/judge me on my ability to perform three classical pieces (one from memory), various scales I have studied throughout the semester (major, natural minor, harmonic minor, and melodic minor) and arpeggios that I have covered. This is exciting, yet nerve racking at the same time. I have played the piano for nearly seven years, but this is the first classical training I have ever had.

I am used to playing hymn arrangements and anthems for church. Not Beethoven's works, or various Etudes by many great composers. This is helping me to become a more well-rounded musician, and it is different
- but I like it.

Thanksgiving

I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving! I know I did! Our family always goes to my grandmother's house for lunch and she always cooks TONS of food. There were eleven of us at her house for lunch, and she cooked five desserts. FIVE! And that's only the beginning!

On Friday I got up early to do the annual Christmas shopping trip. I rolled out of bed around six a.m. and headed to Asheville to fight the crowds.

Over break I had a paper to write for World Lit, a project to work on for Religion and Culture, two tests to study for (in Business Communications and Social Psychology), and music to practice for my Piano Juries which are this coming weekend. I wrote the paper, and have taken the tests - the presentation for my project is Friday, and my Juries are Saturday. On Saturday I will have to begin preparing for my much dreaded Final Exams, which are next week.

. . . .But there is a light at the end of the tunnel!! After I take my last final exam on Thursday, I will not have to go to school for nearly an entirely month! Our vacation is from December 12 until January 8. Now that is a vacation I can live with!! No homework to worry with, no papers to write, or presentations to spend hours on! Just free time - something I am not used to! It's gonna be great.

Holidays

Thanksgiving Break is fast approaching, and with it comes many papers, last minute tests, and homework assignments. On Monday alone, I have three tests and a turn-in assignment. We as college students are always excited to have a break. We will return from Thanksgiving Break, have one week of classes, then take our final exams. I will be so glad to be home for the holidays. . . I'll be home for Christmas. :-)

Trans Siberian Orchestra Concert

Last night I witnessed the most amazing concert ever. I took my mom, a friend, and a co-worker to the Time Warner Calbe Arena in Charlotte to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra. The lighting and special effects were almost as amazing as the music itself. They used multiple lasers and stage lights not to mention the fire that shot from the stage. The musicians absolutely blew my mind - they played their instruments while performing their choreographed routine as well. Their endurance and high level of performance was amazing. If you ever have the chance to attend one of their concerts, I highly recommend going. It was a great way to begin the Christmas season.

Thanksgiving Break . . . or Not?

Thanksgiving is just around the corner. One more week and we are out for the Thanksgiving Holiday! We have class on Monday and Tuesday, then we are out Wednesday through the weekend. This is a much needed break, however, we only have one week until exams once we return from this break. . . which means there is a lot of work to be done over these five days. There are tons of notecards to be made, pages to be highlighted, and study guides to be created. The best part is - after exams, we have nearly an entire month out for Christmas. It couldn't possibly come soon enough!! :-)

Long Days and Sleepless Nights

What a week! This past Saturday, the Adult Choir at church had a two hour long rehearsal - - - because we now only have three rehearsals left until our Christmas Cantata. This year has flown by, and the sound of Christmas music brings me to the reality that 2008 is nearly over!!
On Sunday, I got back from church and began to work on homework. I had two papers, and a Statistics assignment due, along with the stress of studying for a test. I was up until 3 a.m. On Wednesday, I had two papers due as well. The joys of college are endless. . . and so are the sleepless nights that come with them.

Broad River Outing

Yesterday the weather was absolutely amazing. The sun was shining and the leaves are in full color! One of my friends and I decided that rather than doing homework in the coffee shop or in a dorm room, we would go to the Broad River to do our studying. We found a nice picnic table and worked on homework. I read for World Lit, and she worked on Biology. I was sitting there minding my own business when a massive bee randomly landed on my arm and stung me! I flailed around until it flew away. I had a large red spot on my arm for hours. It was pretty crazy. Moral of the story: there isn't one.

Halloween

This year, I did something a bit different for Halloween. I had a group of friends over to my dad's. He lives in a log cabin on about 40 acres of land. We ordered pizza and watched the Exorcism of Emily Rose. After the movie we had a bonfire and made s'mores. It was pretty awesome. Most of us wore costumes. I purchased an inflatable costume from Party City. It made me look as if I were riding an Ostrich. It was pretty hilarious. Hopefully this will be an annual event. :-)

Coffee Shop

So - I think have become addicted to the Broad River Coffee Shop here in Boiling Springs. I have gone there every single day of this week! I study there, I go there to meet up with friends, and sometimes I stop in to get some caffeine before class. It has become an addiction!! It is a great hang out place too. Open Mic Night is always a high point in the week for a lot of us too. It's always a good time to get away from the books and just enjoy some time away from studying. Gotta love the college life.

Rain Rain, Go Away!

So, it's raining. . . . and this weekend is Homecoming!! How depressing! The Homecoming Parade has been canceled, and so has the Powder Puff Game. We typically toilet paper the entire campus on the night before the Homecoming Game, but looks like that won't be happening either. :-/ Guess we'll see what tomorrow brings.

Downhill from here

Well, Fall Break has come and gone! Mid-terms are over and the rest of the semester is pretty much downhill! Less than two months left til final exams! Thanksgiving and Christmas are just around the corner, which means there are more breaks in sight. I'm really looking forward to the holidays. I'm pretty excited about spending time with my family during the time away from school, since I've only been home one time this semester. I just wish those breaks were sooner! :-)

October Plans

The month of October is going to be so busy! Fall Break is this coming weekend, and I am so looking forward to it! I hope to catch up with some friends and relax! I am playing for a revival next Monday and Tuesday evening, so that should be interesting. The last week of October, my church is having a revival too, so I will be playing for it as well! On Halloween I am having a bunch of friends over to my house for a cookout and bonfire. In all honesty, I think Autumn is my favorite season. The weather is cooler, the leaves are changing colors, and the atmosphere is just great! Gotta love it!

I Need a Break!

This past week was insane!! I had five tests in one week: Social Psychology, Religion and Culture, World Lit, Business Comm, and Statistics. Besides all of the studying I had to do, I played for a funeral, worked ten hours, and went to church to play for choir rehearsal. What a week!! I love to stay busy, but I am so glad Fall Break is just around the corner. This coming weekend will be the first time I have spent the night in my own bed since I moved back to GWU in August - Can't wait!!

Where's the piano?

This week one of my very close friends grandfathers passed away, and I was asked to play for the funeral. I got to the funeral home, where the funeral was to take place, only to find that there was no piano - only an old Hammond Drawbar Organ. This little organ looked like it came right out of the 70's (which was probably true). Let's just say it was quite the experience. I played a prelude, two songs in the service (Amazing Grace, and the Old Rugged Cross), and the postlude. It was an interesting experience to say the very least. Live and learn. . . and always be prepared for the unexpected!!

First Outdoor Wedding

So, this week I played for my very first outdoor wedding. I never knew that playing for an outdoor wedding would be so much work!! It was insane. I borrowed a keyboard from the University, so I had to borrow an amp and keyboard stand as well. I had to load and unload everything by myself and get everything organized before the wedding began. I was placed directly in the sun, dressed in a full suit (coat and all). It rained like crazy a couple of hours before the wedding, then the sun came out - so it was very humid. It was tons of work, but I now know what to expect for the next one. Live and learn!!

This is going to be a busy year...

Well, school has started back and life is GREAT - but as hectic as ever. This semester in particular is going to be insanely busy, but hey, that's the fun of college! 16 hours of classes, working 10 hours a week in the Admissions Office, playing the piano at my church, Peer Leading a group of freshmen, and minoring in music (which requires attendance of 6 concerts per semester and a ton of practice time) should definitely make for one busy semester!! I am rooming with the same guy I roomed with last year - He and I get along extremely well.
Our room this year is much bigger than the one we were in last year, so that's pretty exciting. Tons of new guys are on our hall so it's been great getting to know them as well. I'm really excited to be back in the swing of things here at the Webb. Hope your school year is off to a great start and your college search is underway! Good luck class of 2009!!

Jesse

back to school

we're going to start classes aug 20

School's OUT!

So, WOW. . . School is out and summer is here! I am living at GWU all summer taking Western Civilization and working here in the Admissions Office! My friends and I are having a blast. We have so many things planned for the summer! Carowinds trips, Camping Excursions, and all kinds of really great stuff! The cool thing about summer classes is that they are only like one month long. We meet for two hours a day, cover about a chapter a day, and test once a week on the subject matter that we covered since the last test. Our only grades are four tests, and a final exam. It's pretty great. I will keep you updated on all of my plans for the summer! Hope exams have gone well, and everyone is excited about graduation!! Congratulations to those of you who graduate this year! You guys ROCK! !

Hope to meet you in the Fall!!! :)
Jesse