The Halfway Point

Can you believe I'm halfway through my first semester? I can't. I had three midterms today. Back to back to back. I aced my Guitar Lab midterm. It was almost funny. If my math is correct, then I received a B on my Ear Training midterm, which I'm happy with. I was aiming for a B (an A was out of the question). I completely owned my Harmony midterm. I struggled for a bit, but then I had a breakthrough and blazed right through it. I left the classroom beaming. I felt great.

As you all know, Friday is Halloween. I'm wicked excited for it. Julia and I are going to BC (finally!) for trick-or-treating and a dance. I won't reveal my costume(s) (I might go as two things) yet. I'll let the pictures/videos do the honors.

Now for some random thoughts:

-I haven't talked to Bob in over a week. That's not good.
-I'm so obsessed with the Script that I ordered yet another CD/special package thing from the UK.
-Julia hasn't called me yet. I think she lost her phone in her bag again.
-What am I gonna do with six pairs of tube socks?
-I should put new strings on USA.
-I need to finish these songs.
-Eric's playing his music so loud that the stuff on my desk is shaking.
-There's a really awesome kid playing here tonight. I'm excited.
-My room is really clean. Not that that's out of the ordinary.
-I said a lot more than I thought I would.

Okay well, I'm gonna go do something with my life now.

(College) Life (in General), and the Who

This is about more than just college life, but I'll start with that.

College..What can I say about it? What can't I say about it? It's a great place. It really is. I've made some really great friends, and it's been a great seven weeks. I have no complaints (other than midterms are coming up), and even though sometimes I crave a campus and books, I know that if I had it I would be begging for concrete and lead sheets.

That being said, I went to my first party tonight. It's funny because my mom was just asking if I had been to any yet and I told her no. It was more of a jam session than a party, but nonetheless there was people and noise (the liquor stores had all closed, not that it had any affect on me). It was pretty fun. I met some cool people, so it's all good.

I have my remaining four midterms this week. Guitar Lab, Ear Training, Harmony, and Writing Skills, in that order. I'm not concerned with my Guitar Lab midterm at all. I have a few patterns to memorize, but it won't be a problem. Easy A. I'm a little worried about my Ear Training midterm because I'll probably end up singing the hardest melodies we've done. It's completely random, but I'll end up singing the most difficult ones. It's alright, I have until Wednesday. I'm not worried about the material on my Harmony midterm, I'm worried about the time limit. I only have 50 minutes, and I really want to ace it. If I study enough, I'll be fine. I know what I know, and I know what I don't know, if that makes sense. I have to work on what I don't know more than what I know, and I know that makes sense. My Writing Skills midterm shouldn't be too difficult. Plus it's not until Thursday. Plenty of time to prepare. I'm more concerned about getting my homework done than I am about doing well on my midterms. I have to write a list of changes I would make in secondary education in America, create a track on Reason, write out a drum pattern with a bass line that grooves with the drums, and study. All of this is due by Wednesday (most of it is due Tuesday).

On top of all that, I have to go for a run tomorrow and start eating healthier. I'm going to start a food journal. I have to, otherwise I'll live off cereal and sweets with the occasional peanut butter sandwich. Okay, so it's not that bad, but it's not that good, either.

I also need to start a "career journal." I know what I want to do already, so it's more like a direction journal. How to get to where I want to be. Technically, I already have one started. My lyrics/idea notebook is exactly that. This one will be much more focused. Which is what I need to be, focused. It's not like I'm scattered now, I just need to straighten a few things out, but don't we all? In a way, I'm waiting to get it together. I actually have a song by that title. It's not done yet. Fitting. Just give me some more time, I swear it'll all work out.

Once again, Pete Townsend acknowledged my existence. I went to see the Who last night with my mom, Susan, and my friend Tom. And once again, it was an incredible experience, and an unforgettable night. The third time's the charm. Last night was only my second. You probably have no idea what I'm talking about, but if you do, you know I'm right. It's almost happened twice, thrice if you count Billy Joel. Next time. This also gives me more time to prepare. I could use it, too. Eventually, none of this will be necessary.

I'm gonna leave you now. Probably somewhat confused by that last statement. Cut me some slack. After all, it's almost two in the morning.

(The funny thing is, that's exactly what I want)

Midterms

Before I take on the tasks of yet another busy day, I need to update.

I have my first two midterms tomorrow. The dictation portion of my Ear Training midterm, and my Ensemble midterm. I'm not too concerned about them, that's not to say I haven't been studying for them. Studying isn't the best word for preparing for midterms. Preparing is actually a much better term. Ha. Anyway. The rest of my midterms are next week. The only one I really have to study for (and I mean study) is Harmony. Not because I don't know the material, but because I have 50 minutes to make sure I know the material. I fully intend on acing it with time to spare. Fortunately, I have six more days until said midterm. As far as my Guitar Lab midterm is concerned, I just need to look over a few songs and I'll be fine. Thanks, Bob. That class is an easy A. It's almost too easy. And now that I don't have to use the Berklee Method, it's an even easier A.

Ratings Auditions are next week. I was going to audition, but I think I might wait until the end-of-the-semester auditions. I don't really have anything prepared, and since you can only audition once per semester, I'd have a better shot at boosting my ratings in December than I would next week. I know what I want to play, I just haven't worked it out yet.

Tomorrow night is the Who concert!!! I'm wicked excited, you have no idea. It's going to be epic.

I'll write more later. I have stuff to take care of.

The Amy Method

It's not about Berklee anymore. It's about me. I strongly dislike the Berklee Method, so I say screw it.

I have a new method, and it's called the Amy Method. And it trumps the Berklee Method.

Only BT's is better.

Time to get to work.

A Quick Break

I needed a break from my homework. I've been at it for basically three and a half hours straight. Yeah, a break is necessary at this point.

There aren't enough hours in the day for me to do everything I would like to. My homework takes up the majority of my time, and usually the remaining hours go to sleeping, eating, and the Red Sox/baseball. With midterms coming up I have to be on top of everything, even if I find some (okay, most) of my guitar-related stuff boring, I still have to do the work. I'm glad that midterms are this week because that means the semester is halfway done. Where has the time gone? I've been at Berklee for seven weeks already, and I've averaged about one Red Sox game per week. Ha!

I'm going to see the Who on Friday. I'm so excited! They are so good live. SO GOOD. I have amazing seats and I know it will be a night to remember.

Alright, back to work. I have to be at BU in a couple hours, and I've still got a decent amount of stuff to do. My mind has to be solely focused on the game tonight. I'm grinning thinking about it.

It's Just A Moment, This Time WIll Pass

My motivation has returned, but I felt the need to update before I begin tackling my workload.

Honestly, I would love if this semester was done now. I'm not in the mood for school. Even if ear training will help me become a better musician, I really don't enjoy doing it. I refused to sing in class yesterday, and I promised my teacher I would sing Friday so I better be ready. I will be ready. I'm gonna ace whatever he throws at me. I got this.

Continuing on the subject of not being in the mood for school, I have an essay due tomorrow. It's a compare and contrast essay, and I think I'm going to do it on the two presidential candidates. It's the most relevant topic I can think of, and I have sooo much to draw from (which is a blessing and a curse). However, just like ear training, I really don't feel like doing the work. I'm motivated, just not motivated to write an essay.

Harmony might kill me. We went from talking about the modes of a major scale (easy easy easy stuff) to writing out guide tone lines. I know all about guide tones, but writing out actual lines? Easier said than done for me. Now this is something that I don't ever see myself using. Ear training, yes. Creating drum patterns, yes. I use English every day, but guide tone lines? Guide tones themselves, yes. But lines? Well, unless I become extremely proficient at piano, no. I don't think I'll ever be writing out guide tone lines outside of Berklee. I could be wrong, but I don't think I am.

There are some moments where I question my decision. I love Berklee, I do. It's not about that. I do feel as if I "belong" here, I just question whether I "belong" some place else sometimes. I'm happy here, but I know for a fact I could be happy anywhere--anywhere near Fenway Park that is. Ha, I'm kidding. I can be happy anywhere. We all know that. And I am happy here. In the words of U2:

And if the night runs over
And if the day won't last
And if your way should falter
Along the stony pass
It's just a moment
This time will pass

Motivate Me

I have so much to do right now, and I'm so unmotivated to do it. I came back from long run, all hyped up to be productive, and now I'm just not.

This seems to happen more often than not these days. I get back to my dorm ready to go, sit down at my desk, and nothing happens. Literally. I don't do anything. I obsessively check my email, Facebook, a few other sites, and listen to music. Even right now, it's taking me a lot longer than it should to type this. I don't think I'm having my what-the-fuck-am-I-doing moment. No. Things would be much more extreme. It's a combination of factors. That's all I think it is. The Red Sox loss (I still believe in them), coming back after being home (okay, so that's a roundabout way of saying 'I miss Bob'), and just knowing I have so much to do makes me not want to do it. I don't even think I could write a song right now.

I'm just not feelin' it. I better go before I make myself depressed.

It's All Too Familiar

The Red Sox are doing it again. They love to drag out the ALCS in an extremely dramatic fashion and then walk right through the World Series. It's emotinally and physically draining, though, to watch your team get blown out by a bunch of rookies (okay, the Rays aren't all rookies). The Rays are an exceptionally good team. But we got Dice-K throwing Thursday.

Thank God tomorrow's an off-day. The Red Sox need it. And I might need it more than they do.

Catching Up

As I type this, I'm sitting on my couch. I'm home for the weekend, and I have a beautifully hand-crafted schedule that allows me to miss my Thursday and Friday classes (just this once, though. I won't abuse it). I only had one class today, and I would have left early Friday so I decided to take an extra-long weekend. I've spent most of my day catching up with people so I thought, 'Hey, catch up on your blog.' I sat down a few times earlier this week and tried to write something, but I wasn't feeling it. Luckily I am now.

I woke up Monday morning at 8 after getting roughly five hours of sleep to get in line to get a ticket for John Mayer's clinic at Berklee. I missed English and my Guitar Lab to stand in line for two hours. I made myself go to Ear Training, where I ended up having to sing in class, and I failed miserably. It was alright, though. Keep reading to find out why.

Despite the Red Sox loss on Sunday night, a very good thing came out of it: I met and a befriended season-ticket holder. He didn't want to go Monday night's game, so I bought a couple tickets off him--and boy, am I glad I did. Julia and I (and Katie Lannan) enjoyed a fantastic playoff game. The energy was ridiculous. It was definitely the most important game I've been to, and probably the best. It was a blast. I couldn't have asked for a better Monday night in Boston.

John Mayer was hanging around Berklee the few days (he still is. Actually, he's recording with Berklee students until Friday). Word got out that he was in a class in room A15. So I went down and waited outside the door (it was about 8:15 at night when I got there). There were about a dozen other people there as well. Some people left, some people stayed, some people came. Eventually, Pat Pattison (look him up) came out to us and said, 'Okay, I'll open then door, but you guys can't come in. Okay?' We unanimously agreed. At that point, John was talking about how he approaches the blues (perfect timing for me). Really cool stuff. About ten minutes later, Pat Patisson motioned us to come in. I was luckily one of the first people inside the room and had a really good seat. He talked a bit more about soloing and stuff before deciding to play 'Gravity' and let us sing along with him at the end. I met him afterwards. It was cool. Really nice guy. I told him how much I loved his blues and he thanked me for telling him that. As he was walking out of the building he said, 'I wanna go back to 1997! This was my home!' We let him walk out in peace because he let us come in and sing with him. Fair trade, I would say. I was walking down Boylston street later on and I saw him and said, 'Thanks, John!' and he waved back and said thanks again. Pretty neat, eh?'

I should have skipped my Music Tech. class. Once again, it was a complete waste of time, and I was tired from the game and I knew I would have little to no sleep that night, but I went anyway. After my last class and my tutoring session, I went out to meet some friends and camp out to be in the first or second row at John Mayer's clinic. When I arrived (around 6 PM), they were all packing up their stuff. We weren't allowed to line up until 11 AM Wednesday morning. Well, about ten of us were in line outside the Berklee Performance Center (BPC) at 11 PM. A security guard came up to us and asked, 'Hey, are you guys in line for the clinic?' 'No, we're just chatting.' The security guard said, 'Oh, okay,' and walked off. A few people stayed while the rest of us went to Dunkin Donuts to make it look less obvious. And it worked. We stayed out all night. I met some wicked awesome kids. We bonded over our 24 hour (somewhat useless) camp-out.

(Long story short in regards to it being useless: Turns out (I was in class) that everyone in line got kicked out and security was in front of the BPC until then. Well, my group ended within the first five rows so it was fine. Staying up all night was wicked fun, but sleep might have been better.)

John's clinic was amazing. Go here to read about it. I didn't get to ask him a question, but I did get him to play 'Taking On Water'. I was in the second row, and he said, 'I'm gonna play one more song,' and I shouted, 'Play a new song!' And he did. It was wicked cool. He signed my guitar, too. So now I can say I have a John Mayer signature guitar. Ha.

Unlike my other celebrity encounters, I wasn't starstruck by John Mayer. It wasn't because he's just a regular guy (Bruce Springsteen is more of a regular guy than John Mayer is, and yet I broke down after I met him). I don't know why. He's one of my favorite musicians/people. I was so composed when I met him and I didn't (I almost did) cry when he played at the clinic. He hasn't impacted me as much as my other influences have. You can hear Billy Joel in my lyrics, you can't hear John Mayer in my guitar playing. But that could be because we have a lot of the same influences. So maybe I play a lick that Mayer uses, but really it's a Clapton lick. So to me, it's a Clapton thing.

I left immediately after the clinic. I scurried up to my room, grabbed everything I could think of that I needed (and I forgot several things), and left. My dad picked me up. I slept the whole ride home, really. I went to bed at 10:30 last night. I was in such a deep sleep. Sadly, I had to wake up at 9:15 because I had a haircut. My hair looks good, but I'm still kinda tired.

It was weird to be back at my old high school. I went to visit some teachers. I don't really know how to describe what it felt like. After my visit, I went to the Primary School to go see Nancy, who was there for once. I hadn't seen her in months. The last time I saw her was May. It was so good to see her. We talked for a bit, and I showed her my guitar adorned with John Mayer's signature. She's one of the few people that has never heard me play guitar. And it's kind of funny when you think about it.

Even after stopping in to see Marty at work, I'm not done my rounds. I have to go and see Sensei. I told him I'd say hi when I'm around--even if I don't go to class. Plus, it's almost like seeing Mr. Curit.

I get to see Bob tomorrow. I'm so excited. I can't wait. Tomorrow will be the first time in SIX WEEKS that I get to spend quality time with Bob. I need it. Badly. I'm beaming right now just thinking about seeing him.



Talk about having an awesome week. Let's recap:

Sunday: Red Sox game (loss)
Monday: Red Sox game (ALDS victory)
Tuesday: John Mayer meeting
Wednesday: John Mayer clinic
Thursday: Saw Nancy
Friday: Seeing Bob (and Dale and co. arrives!)
Saturday: My cousin's wedding (which is the reason I'm home)

If you made it this far, hats off to you. I'm done

11-1

I don't know what happened to Josh Beckett last night. He didn't show up for work. I knew it was gonna be a long game when he walked in a run in the first inning, but I didn't expect it the game to go into extra innings and end in a loss. I don't think anyone did--including Mike Scioscia. That wasn't the only weird thing about the game. Jacoby Ellsbury hit a routine pop fly that somehow no one caught (allowing three runs to come in. Nice job, kid), and Jason Varitek got a hit (that in itself is a big deal). It wasn't a typical postseason game. But then again, there really is no such thing as a typical postseason game.

We'll get 'em tomorrow night.

And I will be there.

Soxtober

October has always been a favorite month of mine. The leaves change, school becomes routine, and the playoffs start. Soxtober. It's back, kids. And for the first time, I can truly be a part of Soxtober. Being a mile from Fenway has more benefits than I can list. The best one being that I could possibly go to every home game--including Sunday's. I cannot tell you how, but if you were to bet money on whether or not I will be at Sunday's game, it's a pretty safe bet.

Running

I've always had an afinity for running. For as long as I can remember, I've been a fan of the sport. It's so liberating for me. There are very few things I enjoy as much as I enjoy running (baseball and music are excluded, obviously. They are my two passions in life).

Why do I run? I'll tell you why. It doesn't take much to make happy, and not much makes me happier than looking up at the sky when I run. That's one reason why. As I run along the river, I glance up at the sky every so often and grin with pure joy. I then seem to speed up a bit, slow down, look at the sky, speed up, slow down, repeat until exhaustion.

Another reason I enjoy running so much is because it's my ultimate stress reliever. And when I say stress I don't mean stress from school or anything like that. If I have a headache, as odd as it sounds, I go for a run, and within minutes it's gone. Running takes away emotional and physical stress like you wouldn't believe. Between music and running (and other physical activity), it's no wonder why I basically have a stress-free life. Part of it's personality, too, I bet. Don't let drama into your life. Some might say that's easier said than done, but it's really not.

Running lets me think without thinking. I'd rather sort out my thoughts while running than sitting in a quiet room. It really clears my mind. I feel like the weight of the world is off my shoulders when I run--even if it's just for a moment, it's amazing. I feel so empowered when I run sometimes. Like I can do anything. My feet may be on the ground, but it certainly doesn't feel like it. It's a natural high for me. Seeing that sun in that sky...I almost feel like I'm there when I run. Even in the heart of a city, something about running takes it all away. I'm in my own world.

And on top of all of my personal benefits of running, it gets/keeps you in shape. Running a few times a week is unbelievably beneficial to your health. It helps me sleep better (which is good because I still haven't been sleeping well) as well as keep me in shape. But we all knew that, didn't we?

I could go on for hours about how much I love running. You should go try it for yourself.

Oh, and don't use a treadmill. Feel the wind on your face and the earth beneath your shoes.