Typing the title made me realize that I already kind of used that title and I thought I'd give an update on the eye-makeup sitch. I ended up getting a quad of Stila eyeshadows and have been using it for a few days and I am HOOKED. I've wanted some Stila eyeshadow since I went to Spain and my friend Becky let me borrow some - I've always thought it was so pretty! Well, not only is it very pretty, but it wears incredibly well :)
This week went something like this:
Tuesday - Drove down to SA, had dinner with grandma, hung out with brother, spent the night in NB
Wednesday - Made a huge mess in my mom's kitchen making homemade power bars, drove to Austin, made dinner for The Great Kate and Ev, then went to the Saucer with friends to play darts.
Thursday - 7:30am continuing education course at the Capitol (!!!), lunch at Guero's, mall for new jeans, stopped by the state hospital to say hi to folks I worked with, went home to shower/change, dinner at conference, Ballet Austin performance, Swing/Shim-Sham/Contra Dancing at the Women's Federation or "The Fed" 'til 12:30am.
Friday - Music therapy conference 8:30am, lunch at Home Slice, conference 'til 5ish, dinner at Casa de Luz, met with friends at Shady Grove, played Rock Band with the boys 'til 2:30am. It was sort of accidental, that game sucks you in.
Saturday - More conference 8:30am - 5pm, dinner at Maudie's, 2 hour nap, Copa downtown for Rattletree and Salsa dancing, then Lucky Lounge to say hi to a bartender girl friend of mine, Logan's, Rain, Whataburger, home at 3:30am. I couldn't sleep so I caught up on Grey's.
Sunday - Woke up around 9, coffee and good conversation with The Great Kate on her back porch overlooking Austin, breakfast with dear friends, then hit the road.
I am so ready for a nap. Lots of cool things happened at the conference, I will blog extensively on that later :)
3.29.2009
3.23.2009
:) :) :)
I am going to Austin tomorrow for a conference, the first time I've been back since leaving in December (driving through this past weekend doesn't in any way shape or form count, even though we DID stop for Thundercloud). I'm so excited! I'm going in early to hang with my grandmother in SA and get some yummy vegan energy bars made with my mom, then the conference starts bright and early on Thursday morning and runs 'til Saturday.
I love South Texas, especially in the Springtime :)
I love South Texas, especially in the Springtime :)
3.18.2009
Robert Rodriguez Cooking School
I'm making this tonight (he drops the F-bomb once or twice, just warning you, but Johnny Depp is in the segment, and you should still watch 'cos the recipe is magical.)
3.17.2009
someone get me a big. margarita.
'cos I passed.
So, for now it's Christina S., MT-BC. Now all I have to get is that M.A. part :)
So, for now it's Christina S., MT-BC. Now all I have to get is that M.A. part :)
3.16.2009
tomorrow really IS the first day of the rest of my life.
So, this'll be quick so I can get back to reviewing, but tomorrow from 9am - 12pm I'm taking my music therapy certification board exam. Yes, it's three hours. Yes, every time I think about it I want to throw up.
It was in the Spring of my Junior year, 5 years ago, when I (re)discovered music therapy and decided to shift my entire life path in pursuit of another degree. I could've transferred, could've gotten a second bachelor's degree, but you know me. Never one for the path of least resistance.
Being less than 12 hours away from an exam that holds my professional life in its hands is giving me a weird, tingly feeling. It's really totally crazy to be so close to something I've wanted so badly not just these last 5 years but really over my entire life. All I've ever wanted to do is play music and help people. Even when music was thrown in my face as a "blowoff major" and all the times I was discouraged in studio class playing soul-crushing symphony excerpts for auditions to orchestras I would never even think about wanting to be a part of and blundering through undergrad, trying to find something that suited me.
I'll never forget that semester that I decided after writing a paper, skipping a TBS meeting that ultimately got me thrown out of it to attend my very first national music therapy conference...I walked into my advisor's office and, looking at my grades (which had previously been so subpar I'd had to repeat theory. Yeah.) said, "you kicked ASS this semester!" The 4.0 was a result in me finally finding what I wanted to do. That was when I decided to concentrate on ethnomusicology, because I had unexpectedly and dorkily fell in love with the role music and culture play with each other.
So you can understand that it's really, really strange feeling for me to be nominated for a graduate research award for original scholarship for my thesis, which researches bilingual music therapy, which I had a blast researching and buying Latin American songbooks off Amazon for. I also got to integrate my love of neuroscience into the project, and found neurological rationale for teaching students, especially special needs early second language learners in their native language AND in English.
It's strange to read the recommendation letters for the job I pretty much had been hoping to find and found me. I guess I'm finally the student I had always wanted to be...I've run with a bunch of smarty pantses and I feel like I can hold my own now.
Anyway, enough procrastinating. I'm going to go get a good night's sleep and hopefully next time I blog I'll be MT-BC! :)
It was in the Spring of my Junior year, 5 years ago, when I (re)discovered music therapy and decided to shift my entire life path in pursuit of another degree. I could've transferred, could've gotten a second bachelor's degree, but you know me. Never one for the path of least resistance.
Being less than 12 hours away from an exam that holds my professional life in its hands is giving me a weird, tingly feeling. It's really totally crazy to be so close to something I've wanted so badly not just these last 5 years but really over my entire life. All I've ever wanted to do is play music and help people. Even when music was thrown in my face as a "blowoff major" and all the times I was discouraged in studio class playing soul-crushing symphony excerpts for auditions to orchestras I would never even think about wanting to be a part of and blundering through undergrad, trying to find something that suited me.
I'll never forget that semester that I decided after writing a paper, skipping a TBS meeting that ultimately got me thrown out of it to attend my very first national music therapy conference...I walked into my advisor's office and, looking at my grades (which had previously been so subpar I'd had to repeat theory. Yeah.) said, "you kicked ASS this semester!" The 4.0 was a result in me finally finding what I wanted to do. That was when I decided to concentrate on ethnomusicology, because I had unexpectedly and dorkily fell in love with the role music and culture play with each other.
So you can understand that it's really, really strange feeling for me to be nominated for a graduate research award for original scholarship for my thesis, which researches bilingual music therapy, which I had a blast researching and buying Latin American songbooks off Amazon for. I also got to integrate my love of neuroscience into the project, and found neurological rationale for teaching students, especially special needs early second language learners in their native language AND in English.
It's strange to read the recommendation letters for the job I pretty much had been hoping to find and found me. I guess I'm finally the student I had always wanted to be...I've run with a bunch of smarty pantses and I feel like I can hold my own now.
Anyway, enough procrastinating. I'm going to go get a good night's sleep and hopefully next time I blog I'll be MT-BC! :)
3.15.2009
General Malaise
I just had an interesting conversation with a girlfriend of mine. A statement she made was something along the lines of, "It's not that I'm not a happy person, I just haven't been happy for awhile." Another friend who was with us said, "I just feel like I really haven't been myself for the last three years." I could identify with that...with a general sense of heaviness...maybe mild depression but nothing really debilitating, just...blegh.
We came to the conclusion that probably most of America is feeling like that with the economic downturn. It makes me wonder if there's been a recent rise in individuals seeking mental health resources in the way of psychologists and counselors. We all also happen to be in our twenties and realizing that we're in a transitional point in our lives. It means taking better care of ourselves, protecting those bedtimes, being conscious about what we choose to put in our bodies, taking time for ourselves to think or to pray, drinking less alcohol, mindfulness about routine and chores around the house and how we want to live. I should also mention that 2 of the 3 of us in the conversation have been pursuing graduate school (master's and doctoral degrees) the last few years and that stress adds up. It's a tough place to be because as a nation and a generation we are beginning to rethink how we've done things and sometimes that involve realizing that those things don't really do it for us any more. The next step is the most important I think - figuring out what exactly does make us happy and pursuing those like crazy.
"When i was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." 1 Corinthians 13:11
We came to the conclusion that probably most of America is feeling like that with the economic downturn. It makes me wonder if there's been a recent rise in individuals seeking mental health resources in the way of psychologists and counselors. We all also happen to be in our twenties and realizing that we're in a transitional point in our lives. It means taking better care of ourselves, protecting those bedtimes, being conscious about what we choose to put in our bodies, taking time for ourselves to think or to pray, drinking less alcohol, mindfulness about routine and chores around the house and how we want to live. I should also mention that 2 of the 3 of us in the conversation have been pursuing graduate school (master's and doctoral degrees) the last few years and that stress adds up. It's a tough place to be because as a nation and a generation we are beginning to rethink how we've done things and sometimes that involve realizing that those things don't really do it for us any more. The next step is the most important I think - figuring out what exactly does make us happy and pursuing those like crazy.
"When i was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things." 1 Corinthians 13:11
3.13.2009
March Makeup Madness
After my second eye infection in as many months, I decided to toss every single bit of makeup that could possibly come near my eyes...concealer, shadow, liners, everything. I figure since I have to rebuild my stash, I should do it with grownup makeup. Does anyone have any suggestions?
3.10.2009
I'm so silly.
You know? I say something about not blogging and then something wacky will happen to me the next day and it gets me thinking that maybe blogging about this whole thesis process would be better for my sanity because having to store all these ideas for when I come BACK to my blog would be taking precious space in my brain. I think actually NOT writing would make me far more crazy than getting my thoughts out here.
That being said, last week I basically paid a statistician to make me cry. My sample size of my thesis groups were tiny (yes, I knew that) and she was very blunt about the fact that one of my tests couldn't be used. I was quite low for a couple days, doubting whether my research was worth anything at all.
But today I got a little ray of sunshine in the way of my graduate ESL professor. Taking that class was probably the single best idea I've had scholastically, 'cos I learned all kinds of things about second language acquisition theory and practice. I have been nominated for a graduate research award and have to get all kinds of stuff together for it, 3 letters of support, a curriculum vitae, and a narrative about why my research is important to the field...all this while getting ready for orals, for CBMT, and writing pretty much all day.
Anyway, what I needed was a letter of support from the ESL prof and though I was on a short timeline (the app is due Monday of next week) I thought that actually going in to see her and catch up would be much better than an Email saying "hey I know I haven't seen you in over 6 months could you do me this huge favor?" I know, the debutante in me will never die. It definitely paid off because she agreed to have the letter to me by this Thursday and really seemed to have appreciated that I took the more courteous route.
She gave me the BEST little pep talk...getting all excited about my ideas for future research and totally supporting my research because it's multidisciplinary, and really what the fields of ESL and music therapy needs. She even went so far as quoting Emily Dickinson who, when asked if she like to write said, "I like to have written." Meaning she likes to have it done. The prof also quoted her husband who said, "Just shut up and write." Which is SO what I needed to hear. The other really big thing that we discussed was that in her class I learned about the validity of alternative or authentic assessments, which are basically non-standardized tests used in the classroom by the teachers to gauge student progress. Suck it, statistician. Just because my research is a pilot study doesn't make it unworthy of stats. I could go on and on about doing research in music therapy and why most people in, say, psychology, look down their nose at it. Music therapy is such an individualized process that a lot of times the most significant (and by that I mean meaningful) research comes in the form of qualitative or case studies, anyway.
/rant.
Kyle also said the other night, "look - people a lot less smarter than you have published theses. It doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be done."
Send me all your writing vibes, I needs 'em.
ps: IT'S RAINING!
pps: MY NASTURIUM IS BLOOMING!!!
That being said, last week I basically paid a statistician to make me cry. My sample size of my thesis groups were tiny (yes, I knew that) and she was very blunt about the fact that one of my tests couldn't be used. I was quite low for a couple days, doubting whether my research was worth anything at all.
But today I got a little ray of sunshine in the way of my graduate ESL professor. Taking that class was probably the single best idea I've had scholastically, 'cos I learned all kinds of things about second language acquisition theory and practice. I have been nominated for a graduate research award and have to get all kinds of stuff together for it, 3 letters of support, a curriculum vitae, and a narrative about why my research is important to the field...all this while getting ready for orals, for CBMT, and writing pretty much all day.
Anyway, what I needed was a letter of support from the ESL prof and though I was on a short timeline (the app is due Monday of next week) I thought that actually going in to see her and catch up would be much better than an Email saying "hey I know I haven't seen you in over 6 months could you do me this huge favor?" I know, the debutante in me will never die. It definitely paid off because she agreed to have the letter to me by this Thursday and really seemed to have appreciated that I took the more courteous route.
She gave me the BEST little pep talk...getting all excited about my ideas for future research and totally supporting my research because it's multidisciplinary, and really what the fields of ESL and music therapy needs. She even went so far as quoting Emily Dickinson who, when asked if she like to write said, "I like to have written." Meaning she likes to have it done. The prof also quoted her husband who said, "Just shut up and write." Which is SO what I needed to hear. The other really big thing that we discussed was that in her class I learned about the validity of alternative or authentic assessments, which are basically non-standardized tests used in the classroom by the teachers to gauge student progress. Suck it, statistician. Just because my research is a pilot study doesn't make it unworthy of stats. I could go on and on about doing research in music therapy and why most people in, say, psychology, look down their nose at it. Music therapy is such an individualized process that a lot of times the most significant (and by that I mean meaningful) research comes in the form of qualitative or case studies, anyway.
/rant.
Kyle also said the other night, "look - people a lot less smarter than you have published theses. It doesn't need to be perfect, it just needs to be done."
Send me all your writing vibes, I needs 'em.
ps: IT'S RAINING!
pps: MY NASTURIUM IS BLOOMING!!!
3.09.2009
Just a Little FYI
So, the blog posts are going to be rather sporadic between now and May - I've GOT to get my thesis written. This blog is not the only place I write - I wake up every morning and get my wandering thoughts in a journal to clear my head. This blog, see, is just another place to write, and I need to be focusing all my writing prowess into that dang paper so I can graduate. And get a puppy.
See you then :)
See you then :)
3.05.2009
Favorite Movie Genre
So, I just went to see Slumdog Millionaire and I really hate that I saw it AFTER the Academy Awards because now I'm going to look like a bandwagoner when really we were going to see it before the Awards and just never got around to it because oh my gosh, that movie rocks my face off. It's really simple, really well done, maybe a little predictable, but whatever IT'S A LOVE STORY.
And that got me thinking about movies, and more specifically about what John Eldredge says in Wild at Heart about why we like the books and movies that we like.
So here's a rundown of my all time favorite movies:
Dogfight
Enchanted (I actually bought the DVD before seeing it)
Metropolis
The Fifth Element
The Professional
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
Paris, je'taime
And that got me thinking about movies, and more specifically about what John Eldredge says in Wild at Heart about why we like the books and movies that we like.
So here's a rundown of my all time favorite movies:
Dogfight
Enchanted (I actually bought the DVD before seeing it)
Metropolis
The Fifth Element
The Professional
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day
Paris, je'taime
...and what do they all have in common (besides, as I just learned, Luc Besson) action! adventure, and LOVE! I am a complete sucker for a good love story. Kyle likes the dramas like the Wrestler (blegh) or House of Sand and Fog (bring your razor blades and your warm bath) but I like the stories that may not overtly be about love, may have some explosions, but at the end really were all about love.
And I asked Kyle why he thought that I would like the movie so much and he said, "Because he fights for the girl?" and I could just nod my head, else re-release the flood of tears that I had to hold back in the theater so I wouldn't be that girl.
Oh but I AM that girl. That girl also got real pissed at the Bachelor this past week - all that junk about him "following his heart" - come on. There are ways to follow your heart that don't involve being totally classless and destroying a girl on national television. If you watched, did you notice what made her the angriest? That he didn't fight for her.
Gah, I am such a girl. A girl who has been broken and put back together by One who loves unconditionally, is loved madly by the hubs, and who can appreciate a good old fashioned love story once in awhile. Especially if it involves ass-kicking girls and gratuitous explosions. And maybe a little Bruce Willis.
3.04.2009
What is Easy, What is Not
Easy: writing down a Bible verse, thinking "wow this totally applies to my life right now!"
Not Easy: Dealing with something out of left field the very next day (scholastically related - not a huge deal, just, disappointing) and relying on that Bible verse to get you through.
"So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded, you need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what He has promised." Hebrews 10:35-36
Why Tri?
I think to myself that I must be crazy, wanting to do these two triathlons this year...crazy to be bit by the bug of any sort of sport really. I'm an expert procrastinator, and until recently, found myself an excellent excuse maker. But you know what? You can't BS a triathlon. You can't. I learned that the hard way last year - if you don't get out on the road or in the pool/river, if you don't eat right, if you don't get enough rest, it's going to be much harder on you than if you had actually been consistent, gotten the right nutrients, rest up.
The same can go for anything in life, in business, in graduate school, becoming a great musician. Triathlons make me a better person. PLUS I get to raise money for a worthy organization. Everybody wins. :)
3.03.2009
ahhhh :)
I just got back from swimming, and a funny thing happened. I swim in a pool that's 25 yards. Now, I recently found out that a mile is about 1760 yards. So, divide that by 25 and I'd have to swim 70.4 laps, or 35.2 up-and-back. Um, can you say daunting?! I'd been swimming twice before that, and did about .6, .7 miles each time - swimming 100 yards, then resting for one minute, then continuing. At that rate, it would take me forever to get to 71 laps.
So today, I did something different - I hopped in the pool, and then just started swimming. I would switch from free to breast stroke on the 5s and 0s, just to mix things up a little bit and catch my breath. I realized that because swimming is different running for me in that I am a way stronger swimmer, I would have to pay more attention to my body. That's the benefit of having a tri under my belt already, I know that I need to train consistently (because last year I sooooo didn't) and I need to listen, listen, listen to my body. So, I just started at good old #71 and counted all the way down to #1, trying to go at a pace where I wouldn't have to stop. I did it in about 49 minutes.
I'm so not a type A person...I don't play games to win, I play them to play. In fact, if I'm playing with people who enjoy winning (coughcoughKYLEcough) I'll do things just to thwart them. I have to find the joy and the happiness in everything I do. It's why I garden, why I hate cleaning unless I know it'll make the hubs happy, why I play the piano, why I study to become a music therapist.
In doing this training business, I've learned that it is far more important to listen to my body than to pay attention to what my pace is. If I get on the road or in the pool consistently, I'll be a faster runner/biker/swimmer. The point is not how quickly I can get to the end, it's how much fun I'm having getting there.
Fun Fact of the Day: Did you know that I live like 3 miles from where Lance Armstrong used to work? Yup, the Richardson Bike Mart is just down the road from me.
3.02.2009
3.01.2009
...and even more stuff...
Here's some links you might want if you want to get involved: Lance Armstrong Foundation
The Austin Triathlon - you too can sign up for this adventure and be a part of Team Livestrong.
Hey, there's also other races that are supported/being supported by the LAF - see if there's one that you can be involved in!
Go ahead, pick a fight - and join in the Livestrong Challenge! There are 5k walk/runs and 10, 40, 70, and 100 mile bike races in Seattle, San Jose, Philadelphia, and Austin going on this year. If donating or walking/cycling isn't for you, you could even volunteer for any of the above races.
hi there :)
I just sent out an Email and set up a facebook group to support my fundraising efforts for the Lance Armstrong Foundation and Team Livestrong's involvement in the Austin Triathlon this coming September - if you've made it here because of one of those avenues, welcome to the party! Glad you're here supporting me and/or laughing with me 'cos this training stuff is not easy, but it's definitely worth it.
I've got a couple gadgets on here that will lead you to some cool places - you can see how much money I've raised and donate by clicking on the little thermometer looking thing on the right.
I also did a triathlon last summer - at the very bottom right of this page if you click on triathlon, you can read about all things triathlon related. Just interested in the running portion? Click on "running." Swimming? You get the picture.
Again, so glad you made your way here - I love reading your comments so please feel free to leave some love :)
Switchfoot
This song just came on - chorus lyrics are: This is your life, are you who you want to be?
Whenever I hear this song I think to myself, "yes?" and wait for the assault of reasoning from my inner Critic and then resign myself to "no."
But today for some reason (I say that like I haven't been praying and working really hard at all the things I want to resolve) my soul relishes in the fact that my heart says "YES!" and means it.
:)
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