Ok so I figured I wouldn't get to post about my trip before (e:anne) (see ).

and to think i recently posted a journal full of the many fun things i'm looking forward to this year, and this trip hadn't even been thought of yet! AHHHH 2007 why do you have so much potential to be fantastic?!?!

i think it's funny that this trip came along mostly because i was whining about how i've been to europe every other year since 2001 and i was bummed because this one would break that streak. in 2001 i went to London with the family, then in 2003 I went with chamber singers to london, wales and scotland for probably the best and most special trip i've ever been on, and then in 2005 i went to scandinavia and paris. AAAAND now i get to italy and spain for a week! (e:Anne) was right about us not being an impulsive family AT ALL, so for the three of us to sit down and spend an entire afternoon full of valuable free time to compare itineraries, prices, is just crazy, but we did it and all of our flights are booked. we just have to book our hostels and we are all set! AHHHHHHHHHHH it is going to be fantastic. i LOVE travelling. i seriously don't understand how anyone can dislike travelling. i understand how some things i love would not be loved by everyone (including hunchback of notre dame, standing up in front of people and singing, and the song "when the lights go out" by five) but how can you not love just getting away and seeing the world and all it has to offer?

i'm so freakin excited.

...since i last ran, approximately. i feel like such a blob. i feel as though any hint of muscle definition or tone has completely vanished from my existence all together. i mean thats a long time to go without doing much exercising!!!! granted i know some people go their whole lives, but i'm not trying to live up to those standards. luckily, training for the half marathon starts on monday. i've made up a little running schedule based on several training plans i saw online. i sort of combined them into one. i really hope that i can stick to it exactly as it is. it's hard because i generally prefer running in the afternoon/evening, but there is almost always SOMETHING that comes up that i can't work around, or i don't eat enough to give me proper fuel earlier in the day and then i feel sluggish and end up not getting in nearly as much as i should/could. probably the best solution is to use the fact that i don't have to be at school until 9:30 to my advantage and get up and exercise early. man that is super hard when its cold and dark out. who wants to crawl out of bed? ahhhhh, such a dilemma. when i think about it logically it makes the most sense to get up and get my exercising over with early. but i don't know if i believe in myself enough to do it consistently. haha what a terrible thing to say but i know myself pretty well.
we'll see. regardless of what part of the day, i'm determined to get back into shape, hopefully the best shape i've ever been in! that way i can continue to eat the way i have been without feeling horribly guilty. it's really not good how guilty i feel when i eat like crap. it like consumes my thoughts the rest of the day. this is probably a signal of some kind of disorder, really. well, as i said, running will either make me change my eating habits, or just make me feel less guilty about it. it's easier to stay thin and be active as the weather gets warmer, too.

the movie black snake moan with samuel l. jackson and christina ricci is good. i really enjoyed it and i recommend it highly. two thumbs up. can't wait to see the 23409283049235 other movies i've been meaning to get to lately.

come see my kiddos sing next weekend (kiddos = students, not children i have birthed). the wizard of oz at jfk - march 9th thru 11th. ask me for details (or just read (e:mike)'s journal). i think i will be sad once it's over. being at rehearsals is fun and keeps me too busy to notice what day it is and before i know it, it's friday! i really do love being busy, especially with great stuff like music and nice kids.

last but not least...............i'll be 24 in 24 days!!!

I officially registered for the Buffalo Half Marathon yesterday!!!!!!!!!!

I have so many things to look forward to in the next few months and I'm so excited about all of them:

march
wizard of oz
my birthday
NATS competition (a singing competition)

april
rock and roll hall of fame
my cousin's wedding in Alabama
bringing my kids to the NYSSMA solo festival

may
running the half marathon

summer
giving a recital and wearing my BEAUTIFUL DRESS
finishing my first full year of teaching
harry potter
going to NYC with (e:anne) :) :)
going to the beach everyday with (e:mike) (e:jill) (e:beast) etc.

fall
Rochester Marathon in september
being a bridesmaid in my friend Nicole's wedding
getting an apartment
auditions/applications for grad schools


yup, i guess life is looking pretty sweet! i'm still hoping to add something else to that lineup though...

Are '.exe' files not compatible with Mac OS X?

I cannot stop playing this freakin' game.

It's so addictive.



I wish I could figure out how to get Snood on my computer too. :(

...from school. This year has really been wierd - I feel like I haven't had any long stretches of school at all, just a bunch of days off. Not that I'm complaining...

Last night we went to Century Grill. I didn't like what I got but everyone's else's food looked really good, so I'd like to go back, preferrably on a day when I can eat meat. I love trying new resturants in Buffalo...there are sooooo many good ones it feels like such a major life decision when choosing where to go to dinner, up there with grad school and marriage proposals.

Mike called me this morning just to tell me to listen to the JC Chasez song to hear his Carole Channing impression, and I must say, I do hear it. Ahhhh, she is so terrifying in that part in Alice in Wonderland!!!


I've decided it's about time where I'm throwing in the towel on being single. I think my time of independence and recovery has run its course, and it's about that time to shake things up a bit. Maybe not necessarily anything serious but at least someone who adores me and worships the ground I walk on not in a stalker way hopefully. This isn't too much to ask right? The trick is where to begin my quest. Work is totally out. Teachers are so boring and I feel like most of them already have their lives pretty much mapped out once they get their first teaching job. So I guess it's up to me to step up the effort when I find myself in social situations. In my head I like to believe in fate and destiny but I know that can only take you so far (ahh, the life lessons you learn from Can't Hardly Wait!) and I can't sit around waiting for fate to throw something at me forever. I'm getting antsy here!

Do you ever accidentally hit copy and paste and end up pasting something extremely random? I just did that and got the lyrics to 'Anticipation' by Carly Simon. Actually maybe that's appropriate??

I leave you with my favorite tongue twister, to entertain you and whomever you may be with today. Say this five times fast (or even once):

A box of biscuits,
A box of mixed biscuits, and
A biscuit mixer

Welp, I sang in the concert tonight. Can't believe it's over...

Has anyone ever lived in or know of anyone who lived in the Elmwood Heights apts? Im looking into getting a studio apt sometime in the near future. I'm ready for a change in a major way. Anyway that seemed closest to my price range and i like the location. Thanks!

Just voted for estrip in the Artvoice's Best of Buffalo Survey! EVERYONE ELSE DO THE SAME! I'm sure Paul will do this but here is a link to the survey:

There is a girl in my chorus who began this year not liking me. At all. And she was veeeeeery clear and vocal about it. She liked the other teacher and that was it. No ifs ands or butts. This girl has total anger management issues that i hope she deals with as she gets older (she's only a freshman). She used to make it a point to say "Hello" and "Goodbye" to only the other teacher and not to me even if I was standing right there.

Well HA HA HA looks like the tables have turned. I've gotten several "hellos" and "goodbyes." WITH a smile. AND she has even stayed after class to tell me stories, and she is going to try a solo for me sometime.

...HAAAAAAA!

Don't think that I place a lot of value on how my students feel about me. I know I'm not here to win a popularity contest and I really couldn't care less if the kids liked me - it's totally about respect. But this time, I feel like I should do a little victory dance. "The angry girl doesn't hate me anymore, the angry girl doesn't hate me anymore..."





And oh man thanks for the comments you guys. Seriously they made me laugh so hard. Would you believe I never even thought to do anything violent but now that y'all mention it...and (e:Anne) is right. As far as dress and general attractiveness, there's no contest...and that's all that really matters.

Thanks (e:peeps). As always.

So i saw the program for the concert I'm singing in in Fredonia on Sunday. And who is singing RIGHT AFTER ME but my fucking ex-boyfriend's current girlfriend. I am so pissed off. Why? Who knows. Mainly because she is definitely better than me and so she will just sound way better after I'm done because I sound fine but she is better. Everyone compares people to other people. You can't help it. Plus i will have to see her backstage and she will be the first goddamn person i see when i get offstage. Who puts two sopranos RIGHT AFTER EACH OTHER when we are the only two singers for the whole goddamn concert? I'm so pissed off. I AM SO PISSED OFF!!!!! All this hard work and preparation and now I am just pissed about the whole thing AHHHHHHHHHHHH