Hershey trip

Today, the chorus and drama club went to Hershey park. The day was fun, filled with roller coasters, other rides, friends, Latsha, Aaron White, and more! I rode four roller coasters and, for me anyway, that is a proud accomplishment!

Spice of Life

No person can take the spice out of one's life unless one allows them to do so. Well, I've been letting others take the spice out of my life for quite some time now. Which is especially unnecessary given my age! However, that ends. Nobody is taking the spice out of my life anymore! Better still, so many wonderful friends are returning to Bloomsburg from college - they all make me so happy. I went to the park with Breanna and Julia the other day - I love them so much! Happenings like these and angels like them remind me of what I used to love about life and why I loved it.

Whether it be Julia's irreplaceable laugh, or her uniquely inquisitive outlook on acquaintanceship... whether it be Breanna's lovely smile, or her quirky, often perverted sense of humor... whether it's Cheyenne's adorable voice, the way I look up to Carlyn like a big sister, the way Ashley has an aura of immense coolness radiating from her, the fact that Darbs is just forty pounds of love, kindness, and beauty in a human costume, Tyler's wonderful kindness, Eric's never-ending laugh (am I really that funny?), Danny's smile, Christian's heart, the way Kaitlin screams 'Mead' and used to give me car rides everywhere, the wonderfully awkward moments with Mr. Burrell, Kelsey's many impressions, Latsha's over-dramatics, Mr. Dodge's hum, Dr. Decker's down-to-earthness, Lyell's inability to shut the heck up in theory class, Walker's irreplaceable quirk and loveability, the fact that John from St. Paul's and I are like old pals after knowing each other for a week and a half, my father's enormous collection of vinyl records, the way Barbara G checks on what I'm up to by using her daughter's facebook accounts, Lydia's facial expressions, Andrea's talent for finding some goofy fun in any situation, Harry's uniquely wonderful - and frequent - eye roll, the way Hugh calls me 'Co', Robert's sensational antics and his incredible knowledge and admirable love of music, Darren's youtube links, the one waitress at Harry's Bar and Grille with the heavenly laugh, Loco Mama's drunken, cross-dressing, online ramblings, the fact that Father Les referred to me as his 'Easter Bro' during Holy Week, Dr. Jones's absent-mindedness, the ease of which I can speak with Dr. Polhill and the fact that he treats me as an adult, Angela's smile, Aileen's all-around-loveliness, Courtney's willingness to be my best friend and spend so much time getting lost, being bored, and indulging in intellectual discussions (without a table! Ha!) with me in her car, or perhaps the fact that I don't know if I've properly punctuated this paragraph (haha!) - I LOVE all of them and they make me happy. They inspire me. They restore my faith in myself and make me love life and the world!

:-D

Sometimes, we really would do ourselves well to appreciate the simple things. The landscape painted by Edgar Degas seen here below is unbelievably beautiful in its simplicity.

Broad Ripple Geese

Broad Ripple Geese
-
The geese on the Monon scream hello
"HEY THERE!"
The walkers pay notice
"Hello!"
The geese advance
"I said HEY THERE!"
One thinks 'Silly geese!'
They are neighbor geese
They share with us
We share with them
We live together
Neighbor geese
Family in strange places
Broad Ripples scatter the canal
as the geese dive in
Broad Ripples scatter the water
as it makes its way toward drinking
"HEY THERE!"
Why! Hello, goose.
-

Broad Ripple is a neighborhood on the far north side of Indianapolis. While I live in Indy this past Summer, we would walk and drive through Broad Ripple on almost a daily basis. There is a cycling/walking path on what used to be a railroad track (the Monon) called the Monon trail. There is also a path along the Indianapolis Canal called the Central Canal Towpath. Geese congregate on these paths like they own the place. They are much friendlier than Bloomsburg geese! They are the nicest, friendliest geese I've ever encountered! I'm convinced they try to talk to humans. They make no effort to avoid the people running and walking and cycling, and they often make strange, loud noises as one passes - I've always interpreted these noises as them saying 'Hello!' What a great place.

Beautiful Paintings!

These are paintings which make me happy. It is a a beautiful thing to be able to enjoy artwork such as this. It is fulfilling.

'Garden at la Hune, Saint-Tropez' - Jeanne Selmersheim-Desgranges

'A Slag Heap near Marchiennes' - Maximilien Luce

'Side Farm' - Andre Leveille 

'Boat along a Bank' - Jan Viglbrief

'An Orchard in Springtime Bloom' - Achille Lauge

Mr. Davis

I was making a children's book illustrated in water colors. Well, I gave up on that endeavor... but at least this awesome picture of Mr. Davis came out of it! I'm pretty proud of it. :-)

Todd Davis

Words of the Wise...

Some great, true quotes by some inspirational people. Nadia Boulanger was one of the greatest influences on music in the 20th century, she is an inspiration to me every day as a musician. Johannes Brahms is known for having a myriad of great sayings, and this one relates both to his disdain for many of the nasty people in the musical community at the time as well as a basic truth about human society. Edouard Manet also inspires me as an artist. And Father McIlhiney is one of the kindest and most loving human beings walking this Earth. These people speak words of wisdom.

- "Everything we know by heart enriches us and helps us find ourselves." - Nadia Boulanger

- "We are not enemies, but friends. We must not be enemies. Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection. The mystic chords of memory will swell when again touched, as surely they will be, by the better angels of our nature.” - Abraham Lincoln

- “Those who enjoy their own emotionally bad health and who habitually fill their own minds with the rank poisons of suspicion, jealousy and hatred, as a rule take umbrage at those who refuse to do likewise, and they find a perverted relief in trying to denigrate them.” - Johannes Brahms

- "The attacks of which I have been the object have broken the spring of life in me... People don't realize what it feels like to be constantly insulted." - Edouard Manet

- "Christ says that if God is going to forgive us, we must first become forgiving people ourselves. Whenever I say “I’m sorry,” I’m helping another person to find that forgiveness within herself or himself." - the Rev. David McIlhiney

-“Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people” - Eleanor Roosevelt

Way past my bedtime...

It's way past my bedtime, but I've been thinking about how much I love all my friends and how much I appreciate everything that is beautiful about them. My Courtney 'poem' which I have been continuously writing for over a year now. :-)

Courtney Langmeyer :-)

There is some really annoying chick
I think she’s annoying
That’s why

When I was in eighth grade
she pretty much attacked me
because she liked a picture I drew of James Marsden

Actually I guess it was ninth grade

But not really

So I tried to avoid her
because she creeped me out

Then we did a spontaneous exercise thing
She laughed at her one answer
But it wasn't funny
Like, at all

Silly her

Still weird

Then she got marker all over her face
and looked like a freaking weirdo

What a goofball

Then this one time
she was in a play
and everybody said her laughing was annoying

My mom got a headache

And she kept creeping me out backstage

I thought her laugh was the bomb

Then this one other time
she sang Danke Schoen really, really well

Then she was like
Blah Blah Blah don't put that on youtube

She thinks she's a bad singer
or something crazy like that

Then this other one time
I was really stupid and went away for the whole summer

What and idiot

Then this creep who is always bothering us was like
Oh blah blah blah SKYPEE

Then I was like
oh blah blah blah SKYPEE

Then I skyped Courtney instead

Then this other time
she was in this integrated arts camp

And we both thought Josiah was just the best
and then we went to a picnic and ate vegan food
and she got peach juice all over her face

She's one messy eater

Then this other time she worked at the fair
somebody's orangeade
she got paid and was so excited

then she had to buy mustard stuff

Then this one other time
she was going to audition for a play

She was really nervous

But she shouldn't have been!

Then we spent New Years in Jet Puff
We saw the donkeys and automated elves
and wondered where Santa Clause was with our chips?!

And she got a cool tie to put on her bag

Then she was the most beautiful Mabel in history
And she sang Ma-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-a-bel
We worked on it at the piano in the hall
She didn't seem to think I could help her
But I did

And she blew me away
She has a way of doing that

Then we went to Southern
Only we had no idea where we were going
Then we must have been on something
because it was right there
but we missed it
It was the glare, I betcha

Then we slept on Hugh's futon thing
and Walker was on the couch
I'm glad I was asleep
But years from now
we'll be glad she wasn't

She's so funny

That’s why I love Courtney Langmeyer

As the school year ends...

A year ago (actually, one day short of a year ago), I wrote a post titled 'As the school year ends...' well this is this year's version of the same post.

To get out of the truck in the school parking lot and be tackled by my best friend after being away in Indy for two months. To meet Josiah, Grace, Romey, Sean, Jonathan, Eric, and all the other amazing kids at Integrated Arts camp! They still inspire me! To go around the circle and share about ourselves. To carry books to and from the Alvina Krause - except I didn't get to carry any books because SOMEBODY wouldn't let me! To help the IA kids paint and act and create stories and make Mondalians and Fridalians. To play games with them! To SCARE people!

To go to Walker's house - I cannot adequately describe the nostalgia that place gives me. To watch 'Dinner for Schmucks'. To see Hayley laugh harder than I thought a person could. To ride home in Hayley's green 'stalker car'.

To walk down Main Street near midnight with Courtney, Meghan and Carlyn - actually, I was 'stalking' them. To see that guy light up a 'cigarette' in front of the courthouse and then follow us creepily for a block or so after we laughed at him. To be given the stare of death by one poor man who didn't get our joke. To go to the last pond party before everybody left. :(

To run three miles, four miles, five miles, six miles, seven miles, eight miles, nine miles. To lose thirty pounds. To meet Coach Smoliga and Coach Stevens, Beavis and Butthead. To 'be destroyed... and lose' - in an Arnold Schwarzenegger accent. ;-) To have fun on the bus - Courtney, remember the changing incident? ;-)

To fall in love with the music Faure, Chopin, Brahms, Grieg, Poulenc and Stravinsky.

To wash cars. To be 'Colby Mildrew' - the killer. To run all over creation being counter productive. To wash the ALERO! To go to Balzanos. Pizza, pizza, pizza... I love pizza. "Um... um... oh wait - come back! I changed my mind! Ummm..."

To spend more time at the student council stand than probably any other student council member in history at the fair. To get some lovely new CDs. To 'click, click, click'. To keep losing Mo because he could keep up. To drink Orange-aide. To sit on the steps of Carver Hall. To steal someone's scarf! To always forget to tell Coach Stevens that we met the guy who wants to 'put his Volkswagen in the river' or something like that!

To run Diamonds. To have second Thanksgiving at the Ball household with so many awesome people. Yum! :-)

To learn to sing. To sing at TreeFest and the elementary schools and SUNCOM. To sing at the Mall and for a fund-raising dinner.

To spend New Years in Jet Puff with my best friend. To go to see the Christmas Boulevard. To see the cute donkeys and the demented automated figures. To wonder where the heck Santa Clause was with our chips?! To have lots of other fun times in Jet Puff.

To be the very model of a modern major general, and to hate doing it. To look forward to nothing at play except Kelsey, because she makes me smile and laugh, and that's what I needed to get through the evening. To take pictures of us shaking our heads with faces and see how our faces would look at a given moment. To just want to sit at the piano without being bothered by everybody under the sun!!! To go to O.Y.E.T.D. for once and only. To yell at my twenty daughters to get in bed before the top of act two every show and dress rehearsal - they were up and out of bed way past their bed-time every night. To see my best friends steal the show. To dance with Ashley backstage during 'Catlike Tread' every single night. To sit in the copy room with Courtney for the entire cast party, lamenting our youths.

To get lost trying to find Southern Columbia High School - accept we drove right up to it and somehow managed not to see (where the hell were we looking??? hahaha). To see a show done very well. To be recognized. To go to the Chinese restaurant.

To wish I had listened to Courtney! Actually, track wasn't that bad... but it was nothing compared to XC.

To go to Indianapolis and see so many great friends, people who care about me even though they hardly know me. To see Randy, Father Les, Alan Davis, Charlie, Anna, Cait, Mr. Boles, Jake, and Joyce and lovely family. To be so disappointed when I DIDN'T get to see Marilyn Vargo!

To have Robert Fertitta come and play one of the greatest concerts I could ever have asked for. To laugh with the waitress at Harry's. To meet Darren for the first time.

To have dinner with the Susquehanna Valley chapter of the AGO - a wonderful group of people.

To have the Spring concert go so much better than any of us were expecting. To accompany everybody's favorite song with Latsha.

To learn the importance of humility, dedication, kindness, forgiveness, and love.

Alain 'Litanies'

The final segment of Jehan Alain's famous 'Litanies' from his Trois Pieces pour Grande Orgue. This is me performing on the 27 rank Estey-Fritzsche pipe organ at the First Presbyterian Church of Bloomsburg, PA.

Wonderful people

Something is very comforting and consoling in having ones picture taken with wonderful people. It puts me at ease, which is no small feat. I am extremely blessed in that I have can claim to have the miracle of wonderful friendship and companionship with so many beautiful people. It is a blessing I by no means deserve, but it is an enormous blessing.

My mother and I. She truly is the best mother in the world.

Hayley, myself, Lydia, and Alex. Three great friends who I am blessed to know and be supported by.

Rees, Hayley, myself, and Maeve. Three GREAT people in every way.

My mother and I, with Maeve's head at the bottom.

Indianapolis Zoo visit

Pictures of Maeve from the Indianapolis zoo.

Maeve looking strangely at the Giraffes

Maeve looking strangely into space

A slightly exuberant Maeve in front of the meerkats.