Fall

It's over. Thank the gods, it's finally over.

I'll admit that this was not my finest semester. Performance in all areas was sub-par at best. Without looking too closely, it's easy to see stuff all over the place that could have been improved upon. Interestingly and despite my most ridiculous doubts, though, the world kept on spinning. I guess that's the silver lining. Maybe in the future I'll remember the work of this semester and remind myself that stellar, top-notch performance is superfluous to function (read: happiness). Maybe.

I've spend the last week organizing the spring semester into a far more consolidated, efficient beast than the fall was. Music and teaching fell on the chopping block as usual, leaving class and research in the top spots. The goal was to find time to sleep and relax, enjoying my last semester with these lingering friends and loved ones. With that big ol' M.S. degree serving as my purpose for the next 9 months, I suppose the way things shook out was logical, if cold. I'll still have some music. I'll still have time to teach the class I really did want to teach. What's more, everyone who was supposed to be mad, disappointed, or upset has been incredibly supportive. Whether they knew me well or were just objectively compassionate, I am grateful for that much.

I feel myself pulling away from beloved Lehigh. It's just one of those things ... the natural course has been run. It's time to go. As is typical, a starting point for my adult life has been chosen, although it's important to note that it can be rescinded at any time. Where else would I go? Who knows? The adventurous part of me wants to save my pennies, board a plane, and find the world. The passionate part of me wants to petition to spend the summer traveling with some drum corps. The pragmatic part of me wants to get a job so I can begin to build a life that can support a family someday.

My winter break will mostly be spent here at school, getting research done. I'll hopefully spend the majority of my time running, practicing, and reading. If I can catch up on even a little of my reading list, I'll be quite thankful. The peace of the quiet, tranquil mountain will be a welcome respite from the hecticity of the last four (seven? twelve?) months. Also, I feel the time alone will be important.

So it goes ... as usual, my favorite saying from Opus the Penguin certainly applies here.

"Another day, another segue."

Happy Winter Break.