It's December. WHAT?! No, hold on. Yeah, it really is. HOLY CRAP.

That pretty much is how I'm feeling this morning. I have a week and a half of classes left, and then finals/Juries. Then break? Wow.

Thanksgiving was nice. Tampa was very warm and it was good to see family. Unfortunately, my grandmother had a nasty fall on the day that I got there so we were taking care of her. My mom ended up changing flights so that she could help my grandparents travel.

This week is long. Monday and Tuesday I was in auditions for Magic Flute stuff. That was interesting. I got some dumb Soprano songs stuck in my head now though, makes me wanna slap people.

Lets see....what else should I talk about? I dunno, I'm tired and really don't feel like going to classes today. I've never ditched any classes this semester, I just can't. So I won't. Anyway, I better finish getting my shoes on and go to school.

Posted by Justin Seal on 12/1/04; 9:20:33 AM from the dept.

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Man hours to pack for four day holiday: 3 hours

Anticipation for flight to family: 4 months

Tickets on airplane to Tampa Florida: US$230 something

Finding out you can't get there on the day you thought you would because weather delayed one flight and canceled another: REALY FUCKING ANNOYING!

Yah, so I was re-booked for Thursday flight to Tampa. Festive

What's better? I leave two hours earlier, and *STILL* get to Tampa at the same time I was to have landed there today. Just 24 hours later

Posted by Justin Seal on 11/24/04; 8:46:36 AM from the dept.

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"Luck will be yours when you least expect it" in bed.

It's this time of year that is always the hardest for students. Right before Thanksgiving break and near the end of the semester is always hard. Tests out the butt, performances (for us music majors), papers, projects, blah blah. It's the time of year when people start getting really snippy with each other.

Well, next week I'm off to Florida. I'm kinda excited. This will be the first time to travel by myself since I went to Baltimore two years ago. I really prefer to travel alone. It's so much simpler to just find your gate and such. In groups you have to keep up with everyone and make sure everybody knows where to go. It's a hassle.

I'm also happy to see my brother and sister-in-law in Tampa. I haven't seen them since New Years. Exciting! Anyhoo, I have a paper to edit and finish. Festive.

Posted by Justin Seal on 11/17/04; 8:18:51 PM from the dept.

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There comes a point during the year when the capitalist pigs everywhere rub their hands with much glee at the coming of the Spending Spree that is the Christmas Buying Season. What makes me sick is this is getting earlier and earlier every freaking year.

Not even a week after Halloween, there are commercials advertising "Holiday" items. GIVE ME A BREAK! Now, I know that the "holiday" season is a big deal. It's great that people buy each other gifts to celebrate a relationship and happiness being around each other. What I don't understand is why they people think that if they get a jump on the season, they'll miss out on all the rush. The rush will be there no matter what and there is nothing you or I can do to avoid the craziness. This strangeness engulfs people and they buy and run around and buy more.

What prompted this rage, you might ask? Something as simple as a "Glade Holiday Candle" commercial. With little frosted votive holders featuring some kind of scene. Usually with snow, people bundled up for the cold, sleighs, and pine trees. I guess these things are what people want to buy to remind them of the Christmas they never had or will have.

The reality? For three weeks you they run around trying to find the "perfect gift" for everyone they know, only to find out that stores aren't selling it anymore. Gas prices get a nice hike too cause people have to DRIVE to the stores! Of course! Finally the week of Christmas comes and it's not the blissful snowy scene of a votive, but a rainy, bitterly cold-but not cold enough for snow-type weather. The Christmas tree you bought a month ago at the tree stand has about three pine needles left on it, the rest are on the floor and the gifts that you put yourself into debt to buy. Tensions are high between you and your significant other because of spending on gifts, and the kids screaming about how they really wanted the "Super Happy Fun Gift AB35-XM2" and not the "Happy Super Gift AB24-MQ5" they got.

No, this hasn't ever happened to me. This type of scene is probably played out in house holds though. I'm truly not that bitter. Some things just tend to set me off.

Ok, I'm done rambling now

Posted by Justin Seal on 11/6/04; 8:58:14 PM from the dept.

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The link above is for iTunes users only. If you have a recent version of iTunes, this will take you to an album.

DJ Tiesto. Now, I like a wide range of music and I'm not shy about saying that I like electronic music too. I'm a big fan of dance tunes and bouncy music. It's the way I get away from classical stuff every so often. But this new DJ Tiesto album features one song that should really not be heard on anything but strings.

Adagio for strings has been arranged (I sometimes say "deranged") for many different ensembles. One of my teachers frequently says something that can sum this up. "The question usually shouldn't be whether you can do it; the question is if you should do it."

Arranging this Adagio for anything besides a string choir? No. Should not be done. Even more wrong is only using a single musical phrase from the piece. Musical phrases are just like English phrases. It's not good to end a paragraph with out end the sentence or phrase. This DJ Tiesto does that. Over, and over, and over, and over. It really makes me, as a musician, want to go up to this guy and say "What were you thinking? FINISH THE PHRASE!!!"

Granted, I've played this piece a few number of times, being a string player. Also, joe-blow average man won't know the difference anyway. They'll hear the first few notes and go "WOA DUDE! That's like really emotional and stuff!" </stoner voice>

So please, if you're a DJ and you wanna re-mix something, ask a musician before you take a fragment of the melody. So we don't come and haunt you!

Posted by Justin Seal on 11/3/04; 8:12:49 PM from the dept.

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People don't get it.

In my state, and the people I know, people don't get it. They don't understand what it means. They equate marrying two men or two women like someone going to marry a dog. People don't get it.

The following is a slight paraphrase from a conversation that took place today in the hall way after my last class.

Me: "State Question 711 is an amendment to the state constitution making marrage only between a man and a woman"

GirlM: "They're just trying to provide a definitive legislation."

Me: "No, they're trying to legislate morality." (I went on a bit of a rant here)

GrilM: "Well, If I wanted to get married to a dog, would you have a problem with that?"

Me: "How in the world do you equate those two things? I don't understand the congruity there!"

So that's about the extent of it. I sputtered a few minutes about how legislating morality is immoral, but it really didn't make any difference. People just don't get it.

I'm moving to Canada.

Posted by Justin Seal on 11/2/04; 11:39:24 PM from the dept.

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So I put up a picture from my China Trip this last summer. You can all look at it.

It's me at the Summer Palace outside of Beijing. This was one of my favorite places. Despite it being so freaking humid that day, it was cool and calm.

The grounds were tranquil. I went into a Buddhist Temple and got some prayer beads. It was very nice. Anyhoo, I'll prolly update this thread after dinner

Posted by Justin Seal on 10/27/04; 6:58:49 PM from the dept.

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Anybody wanna buy me stuff? Feel free to visit my Amazon Wish List to buy me many things.

I decided that because I didn't get to catch the full Farscape series, I wanted it. Ergo, I added it today.

Now all I need is a TiVo and cable in my room, and I'll be a very happy camper.

Posted by Justin Seal on 10/18/04; 12:36:21 AM from the dept.

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So this last two weeks I've had the damndest realization that the world really is a lot smaller than you think it is.

So I use ISPQ, a video chat program. It really is great, however most of the friends I've made on there end up living like 1300 miles away. This can lead to frustration and such. The odder thing is that those people I meet (or even date) end up meeting each other and dating.

Example? In 2002, I dated someone in Baltimore. He is now dating a guy that I recently met in Virginia, who then knows another guy I met that lives in Baltimore. Stranger thing? The person I dated in Baltimore doesn't really know the other guy in Baltimore (not that I know of yet). So it really is a small world, with me living 1300 miles anywhere from the epicenter. Festive.

In other news, midterms are almost over. I just have to write a 400 word paper for Collegium over Pre-Classical performance practices. Double-trouble.

Well, I'm off to class! Cheers

Posted by Justin Seal on 10/7/04; 9:26:53 AM from the dept.

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I didn't see all of the debates tonight, but I did catch a few key questions on C-SPAN and watched The Daily Show rebroadcast of their coverage.

My take? Kerry won hands down. The president? Flustered, sputtering, unprofessional public speaker that has a thick southern accent.

I've not made it much of a secret that I'll vote for Kerry in November. So be warned that if you read this blog, you will be reading a biased source.

That's it..i'm off to bed.

Oh and Good job to the OCU Wind Philharmonic tonight. Great concert!

Posted by Justin Seal on 10/1/04; 1:13:57 AM from the dept.

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