The Beginning

It's all gonna start soon.

I promise. I'm far too motivated, and (dare I say it) ready.

G Stands for Goals

That's right. G does not stand for Gatorade, it stands for Goals. I went to Career Development Center's (CDC) "Ready, Aim, Hire!" workshop tonight. It was part two, Aim. Peter Spellman, head of Berklee's CDC, ran the workshop. If you haven't heard of him, check him out. He's brilliant.

To sum up the workshop:

-Be proactive. The jobs are not going to find you, you have to go find them. This could be anything from a gig to a cubicle. Go after what you want.
-There is going to be a period of dues-paying. He couldn't emphasize that enough. In any field, there will be a point where you're on the bottom of the totem pole. Embrace it.
-Treat every class as a professional gig. Bob says that good grades are money in the bank. He's right. So is Peter. Take the time to develop a good track record with your teachers. You never know when you might need a recommendation letter.
-Network. Network. Network. Peter said, "When it comes to networking, one plus one equals ten." He also said that before you take any job, try and find REAL people connected to the company. It could really help you.
-Understand what makes YOU tick. What are your assets? What do you bring to the table? Be able to articulate it.
-Be good at self-promotion. Many people don't like self-promoting. The thought of "selling" themselves is unappealing. It's confidence, not arrogance, when it comes to being a good self-promoter. Good self-promoters are "politely persistent", professional, and good storytellers. But the best way to promote yourself is to just be yourself and help others. BE GENEROUS. It comes back around.
-Create success on your own level. Don't go straight for the major label when you can do it all yourself for free! The more you have going for you, the less they (whoever they may be) can take away.
-Always always ALWAYS be in the pursuit of WOW. Go the extra mile. Impress your peers, your boss, your mom, etc... Stand out. Be creative. Be bold. Be YOU.

In case you're wondering, I found that picture of Mia Hamm in this month's Women's Health, and it really hit me. I'm not entirely sure why, but it did. It's taped on my wall right next to my bed. There's just something about it that I find extremely motivating and comforting in some way. The raw passion that Mia has for soccer comes through in it. Maybe that's it.

Anyway, I'm off to bed. One cannot run on no sleep, no matter how hard we try!

Enjoy!

Today, Part Two

Mission Accomplished:

4. Spend 45 minutes on Ear Training. Check.
6. Catch up in Legal Aspects. Check.
7. Work on a song. Check.

Seven is a good number. I made a list of seven goals for tomorrow. I'll spare you the list (it's not that exciting). Anyway.

If you live in the Boston area and are free this Friday night, don't miss Tom Howie at King's!

Today, Part One

Told you I'd get back to you! Today was much better than yesterday, and it's not done yet. I made a new list. I'd take a picture, but it would be backwards. So here it is:

1. Declare major. Check.
2. Finish 'Forever Man'. Check
3. Go to the gym. Check.
4. Spend 45 minutes on Ear Training. 1/3 check, I did 15 minutes earlier today.
5. Finish College Writing before dinner. Check.
6. Catch up on Legal Aspects.
7. Work on a song.

I'll post Part Two as soon as I finish the list, which will be sooner rather than later.

Back to the grind!

Lists

I like to make lists. I like to accomplish things. I made a small list of things to do today. So far I'm batting .000 (spring training starts soon, what do you expect?). I tried to buy the books I needed for class, but the bookstore was sold out AGAIN. Then I was gonna go declare my major, but it's like a tornado outside and I didn't feel like walking down to the Fenway building. I haven't practiced yet. I've been working on getting an apartment for next year, so I'm working on getting that sorted out. Then I just have to organize my room a bit, which I will probably do while watching the Jack Bauer Power Hour also know as 24.

By the end of the day I will be 2 for 5, batting at .200--maybe 3 for 5. If that was a Red Sox player's stat for a game, it would probably be J.D. Drew having a good day while going through a slump sometime in July. Katie Lannan, please weigh in on this.

So I'm going to make up for today's bad day at the plate with tomorrow. I know the day isn't done yet, but I am not going back outside if I don't have to. The biggest bonus about staying in the dorms is the convenience factor.

I will blog again tomorrow, and by that time I will be a declared business major that has mastered Forever Man and has an organized room. I'll have even worked on some Ear Training, finished my Harmony homework (if I have any), gone to the gym, done some reading, finished my Arranging homework, and might even have a song written.

Today was good, tomorrow will be great. Why be good if you can be great? To quote Paul Anka, good is the enemy of great.

Behind The Sun

Why did it take me so long to find Clapton's 'Behind The Sun' album? I have no answer for that. It's been around since 1985, and while it definitely is an 80s classic in the sense that you listen to it and you immediately think of the 80s, I still love it. How can you not love 'Forever Man'? Such a great song.

Phil Collins may have gone a little too far with some tracks, but overall, I think it's great. I've been listening to it pretty much nonstop for the past few days. It just makes me wanna dance and play guitar. I'm listening to 'Tangled In Love' right now, and I'm just groovin' to it with a huge grin on my face. Much like the one in my two previous posts.

For my guitar lab midterm, we have to pick a song and learn it. I am definitely going to do a Clapton song. My teacher expects it anyway haha! I'm probably going to do 'Forever Man' because it's one of the few Clapton songs I don't already know. Well, there are a lot of Clapton songs I have yet to learn, but you know what I mean.

Anyway, just thought I'd confess my love for Clapton some more. I'm gonna go play now.

Ten Minute Post

I'm giving myself ten minutes to blog.

Spring break is three weeks away, which means midterms are even closer! I think I will always be in awe of how time flies. It's amazing to me. I can't wait. I love the Berk. I really do, but a break would be good. My short one rocked, I know that this one will be better. I've got so much to do between now and then. I'm going to get it all done and spend my 10 days or so doing what I want. It will be nice.

I'm still in a fantastic mood. Even with my current workload.

It's only been six minutes, but I'm gonna go. That workload needs to be unloaded.

I, once again, am feeling like this:

Procrastination

I'm not one to procrastinate, but I really don't feel like doing my homework or studying for my harmony quiz tomorrow. I could play my guitar, but it's all ready to go. Snug in its case. Big Red does not want to be disturbed right now.

So here I am blogging while my book is open on the story I should be reading. I have so much to do, and yet I clack away on the keyboard. I'm hanging in the blogosphere--aka procrastinating--when I should be doing many other things. Like what? Well, here's a list (more procrastination):

1. My homework. For some reason my college writing homework never ends. Ellen (my teacher) is awesome, but cut us some slack! As much as I like literature, I'd like to have a life, too. Lately it has been tough.

2. Play guitar. I do go to music school. Sooo, yeah. I'll leave it at that.

3. Apartment/Roommate hunting. Here at the Berk, off-campus housing is not only cheaper but recommended. I need to get on the stick. I found a bunch of places, I just need to go check them out. And find a roomie.

4. Finish a song. I started a song back home and I really need to finish it.

5. Declare my major. I've known I wanted to be a Music Business/Management major since I was 15. Three years later and one and a half semesters in at Berklee and I have yet to declare. What the hell, Amy. What. The. Hell.

6. Swing by Student Employment. A little on-campus part-time job with very flexible hours would be a good way to get some extra cash. I gotta pay for Red Sox tickets some how!

7. Go the the gym/Go for a run. I ate ice cream today. Not good. I even feel a little nauseous. No more ice cream from the cafeteria. NO MORE.

8. Do my other homework. Ellen, please remember that we have more than just your class to worry about. I have Arranging and Legal Aspects homework to take care of. And Songwriting. Gaaaah!

9. Organize my room. Not so much my room. It is pretty clean. My clothes are just shoved into the dresser.

10. Hit up CVS. I need a few odds and ends.

11. Go to the library. There are a few Eric Clapton transcription books that have my name all over them.

Wow, I had even more to do than I thought I did. I'm going to go and try and take care of them now.

Wish me luck!

Meanwhile, Back at the Berk...

Yep. I'm back at Berklee. Not for long, though! I can't believe that spring break is only 24 days away! Where the hell did the time go!? Seriously. It feels like yesterday I was just getting here. Now I'm three weeks away from being halfway done with my second semester. Okay so I'm kind of stretching out the where-did-the-time-go thing, but still. Three weeks is not that long.

I'm still in a great mood. I have no reason not to be! Life is good! The only thing slightly annoying me is my College Writing homework, but I'm nearly done that!

Today was awesome, tomorrow will be awesome, everything will be awesome. I wish I could bottle up my mood and give it to some of my friends. A few could use it right now.

Back to the grind! There is homework to be done and songs to be written/recorded. I'm gonna try and record a song a week and post it here and/or on Twitter. So be on the look out!

This basically describes my mood/face as of late:

!

I'm energetic, excited, happy, and optomistic by nature, but for the past 48 hours or so I have been exceptionally excited and happy (yes, I'm excited for something just about all the time).

The main reason is because I had a great night with my favorite person ever, Bob. So I had been looking forward to that for a while and my excitement became uncontainable. We had great food and great conversation. It was awesome. I hadn't seen him in over a month and a half (which sucked)! I came home this weekend to see Bob. My parents even acknowledged that I was here to see him. Seeing them (and being home) is great, but had BT been busy, then I would have stayed in Boston.

Thank God he wasn't. As much as I love Berklee and its world-class faculty, none of them hold a candle to Bob in my book. I'm really looking forward to the summer, mainly because I'll get to see Bob on a weekly basis again. All of my friends hated Mondays in high school, but I loved them. Mondays meant I got to spend the evening playing and learning and hanging out with Bob.

And I'm really looking forward to having my weekly three to five hour night playing and learning and hanging out with Bob over the summer.

Home

I'm writing this from my own bedroom. The one that has Pete Townshend, Eric Clapton, the Beatles, and many others plastered on the walls.

It's oddly comforting to be home. It's almost like time has stopped. I'm only here until Monday, but I have a feeling that when I get back to Boston my four-day weekend will feel like it went by in the blink of an eye.

I feel like being home will give me some clarity. I spend a lot of time thinking about what I want to do instead of actually doing it. Last semester I was all talk. This semester, I'm all business. I'm all about getting stuff done. Being home gives me time to plan a little bit (more). It gives me time to write. All of what I consider to be my best songs were written right where I'm sitting right now. Even my most recent songs were written here over break. If I could write a few more while I'm here, it would make my life that much better...

...I'm gonna get to work on improving my life.

Eric Clapton

For a guitar player, I don't really listen to a lot of guitar players. All my favorite music is pretty much guitar-based, but you'll rarely catch me listening to Jeff Beck or Derek Trucks. It's not because I don't like them--I do. I just don't connect with them. The one guitar player I really connect with is Eric Clapton. I love Hendrix, and Stevie's cool, too, but Eric Clapton...There's just something about him.

I went through a huge Cream phase, and I mean HUGE. I learned like..16 songs in a month one time. I don't think I've ever done that with any other artist before. Well, maybe Billy Joel, but still. I was a Cream fanatic. I still am, I'm just running out of songs to learn.

Anyway, back to Eric. I didn't notice until my teacher pointed it out the other day that I rarely use my pinky when I play. She said, 'You're a Clapton fan, aren't you?' I said yeah. 'I can tell because you don't use your pinky.' I had never noticed that, but it makes perfect sense. I've spent hours and hours watching him play, it's only natural that I copy my favorite player. He didn't need it, he didn't use it.

So instead of working on what I'm supposed to be, I've been relearning Cream songs for the past hour or so. Brings back a lot of great memories to say the least.

Clapton is God.

Priorities

Everyone has priorities, and we're always sorting them out. At least I am. I am constantly organizing my life. Here is my current list of priorities (excluding my social life. That's probably number one):

1. My College Writing homework. I have a buttload of homework for that class right now. I have an essay and two observations due Monday, and I'm going to be an over-achiever and get my stuff that's due Wednesday and Friday done before the weekend is over. It is possible. I am sacrificing my social life, but one weekend isn't gonna kill me.

2. Ear Training. I have a quiz this week. I've been good with getting my work done, so that won't be a problem. I have tonight and tomorrow to prepare for the dictation part of the quiz on Monday, and I have until Wednesday to prepare for the singing part of the quiz. That shouldn't be a problem.

3. Playing guitar and writing songs. I have to write a song with my B string tuned down to A for my lab. That's easier said than done. I was like, 'Oh, no problem...Oh wait, that sounds AWFUL.' So yeah, there's that. I also have to work on stuff for my private lesson. Not to mention, I try to write as many songs as I can. I'm always thinking of lyrics, and when I have my guitar, I'm constantly looking for riffs and hooks and chord progressions that resonate with me.

4. Jamming. I love to jam, everyone here does. I would love to live in an ensemble room and just jam for like..a week straight. No class, no worries, just music.

5. Staying healthy. It's hard to do in college. The food selections here aren't exactly the most nutritious. Knock on wood, I haven't been sick once all year. Basically everyone of my friends has been sick at least once. I try to get at least six hours of sleep a night (easier said than done), and workout fairly regularly. I renewed my gym membership, and I have winter running gear. So I've been trying to keep up with that.


I'm sure there are many more things I could list, but those are my five for now. What are yours?

So Much To Do

I figured I'd update before I get down to brass tacks and start my homework. I know it's Friday, but I have way too much to do to put it all off until Sunday. Small doses. I also have to clean my room, it's rather disheveled. Plus I want to get ahead because I'm going home next weekend and don't want to have to worry about getting stuff done here. Sometimes I'm an overachiever, what can I say? You gotta get ahead.

I'm really enjoying second semester. I love my classes and everything's just kind of falling into place. Or it's starting to, I should say. It's gonna be good, I can feel it.

I have a ton to do, I should get started on it. I'll post more later.