Surprises

So, I was in the library today, and I turn around, and Kate and Missy are walking toward me. I was just like, "Those girls look familiar, but they're still at home. Aren't they?" It turns out, they came down to Decorah for Kate's 18th birthday. So, needless to say, I spent the day with them. We hung around my room for a while playing Star Wars Trivial Pursuit, then we met up with Ben and Jacob, who were also quite surprised. We, being myself, Ben, Jacob, Kate, Missy, Ryan, and a kid named Tyler proceeded to eat at a Mexican restaurant in town called Subor Latina, which was fun. It started to storm, so we walked back to campus in a downpour. It was actually fun, just ignoring the perceived inconvenience, and enjoying the rain. We then proceeded to go into one of the dance studios in the theater building and swing dance, and do some Bulgarian folk dancing. Let's just say basically, it was a ton of fun. Man, I had been missing dancing. It felt great to be able to throw perceived barriers aside, and just let the music take over your body. Descend into nothing but a physical interpretation of a musical joy. Swing is not as sensual as some Latin dances, such as the rumba or tango, but it has a certain energy that is very hard to duplicate. I was told tonight by my roommate that when I dance, I actually look like I am swinging. I guess, in my posture, facial expressions, and body movements, I really look like a "swing dancer." I don't know, when I first started dancing, I was very, I don't know, tight. Meaning, I just didn't allow myself to express myself the way I really wanted to. Then, I entered a phase where I would consciously overexaggerate myself to just be stupid. But as I was dancing tonight, and just releasing all this pent up energy, I realized that the eccentricites that I initially started as a sort of mask are really how I dance. It's hard to explain, but I felt very much connected tonight to the music and the dance. Maybe it was just the welcome arrival of good friends. Man, probably the best part of tonight was just enjoying everyone's company. It was so much fun. Good to get to know this Tyler fellow better. He's a great guy. And just enjoyable to be with people I care about very much, celebrate Kate's birthday, and celebrate some good fellowship. Now, I'm sitting here watching Attack of the Clones and thinking about retiring for the night. So, how was the rest of my day? Well, I got a color changing cup at the SAC picnic today. I practiced the piano for a while, and my sight singing, then busted out the trombone for a bit, playing some intense band music. I need to work on pedal tones hardcore. We're playing the Olympic Fanfare and Theme by John Williams (I love John Williams, he wrote the music for Star Wars), and this part has these intense blasts on like, pedal B flats and it goes down to pedal G's. Hard. Plus, I needed to start to get my double tongueing back in shape. Out of pure coincidence, I was in the same cluster of practice rooms as Kathleen, this girl I want to pseudo-woo. Man, she practices a lot. I always seem to run into her at the music building. Sort of like me last year. And this year, I guess. I still do practice a lot. I've been doing about an hour a day consistently so far, which is a goal I want to keep. With Kathleen, must just be coincidence, or fate, or whatever. I talked with the Star Wars trombone girl for a while after running into her, so that was nice. She got a real nose ring, so that was impressive. I don't know, my feelings for her aren't like I thought they would be. Bah, my feelings for women are always so hard to describe, and they fluctuate so suddenly. Oh yeah, and I got the lead spot in jazz band, the same position I held last year. So, now it all depends on how the orchestra audition pans out. I hope I make it, but I think I will do alright if I don't. If you don't know, I played a very solid audition last night, after being very nervous. It wasn't perfect, but it was technically very good I think. I probably had some timing and breathing issues, but overall, I characterized it as a good showing. The most important thing is, I left the building feeling good with how I played. And all I ask of myself is to play the best I can. Was it my very very best? No. But for a high stress situation, the curve was met, and I was pleased with how I played. So, we'll just see how that goes. Like I said, I really want to do orchestra, but if I was outplayed, there's not much I can do, except practice more, to make it next year. So, it was a very good day. I didn't get to go biking, as I had planned, but I think the time with Kate, Missy, and everyone else was a fine tradeoff. It's just so cool that she would want to spend her birthday here at Luther, visiting us. What a great person, seriously. Missy too. Dang it, people are just cool.