If you haven’t heard, I started playing cello recently. It was definitely a fine decision. I’ve enjoyed it so much! I had my first lesson a couple weeks ago and my next one is either this coming week or the week after. Using a bow was extremely awkward for my hands at first, but I’m really starting to get used to it. The strings are tuned very differently from guitar. Guitar goes up a perfect fourth each string, but on cello, it’s a perfect fifth. It’s not harder or easier that way, just completely different.

While I was cruising YouTube for videos I might be interested in, I came across videos of a group called Project. It’s 3 guys, a flute player who beat boxes while he plays, a cellist, and a contrabassist. It’s really interesting and there are many videos. My favorite song that they do is a jazz piece called “Fables and Faubus”. Here’s a video of them playing it…

If you’re interested check out more videos of them on YouTube, they have a ton of really great covers.

School is going extremely well right now. I’m maintaining straight As. My test average in Calculus is 108%. My grade is somewhere 99% or above. Chemistry is also going well. I start my first physics class next semester. I’m so excited.

Thanksgiving was great. I went to my Mom’s house with my sister. My mom, despite worsening problems she’s been having with leg pain this year, cooked an incredible feast! Turkey, green bean casserole, mashed potatoes, corn, biscuits, peach and blackberry cobbler, pumpkin pie, and dutch apple pie. I definitely have a lot to be thankful for… my family, my school, my friends, and my wonderful girlfriend (coming up on 10 months on Monday!). I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving!

Last night, my dad sent me a link to a video blogger named Ze Frank. He’s soo good at it. I’m going to start trying to post daily and putting his video into each post. This first one is “how to procrastinate” and the second one is his actual post from today about Valentine’s day.

What a guy!

So, both today and yesterday were snow days. Yesterday I didn’t do much. I got some recording done. I redid the instruments in “Shelby-Doo”. If you want to see why I redo them then just listen to these… you should be able to hear the difference. I brought the key up in the new one because the old one was too low for my normal singing voice… it just kind of sounds like I’m talking.

Old…

New…

The main difference is just that I’m using a preamp now instead of miking an actual amp. It allows me to get a more full tone instead of just capturing one small part of the spectrum with a microphone. Also it has things like a compressor… which makes the clean guitar in the new one less clinky and more full and broad. Yes, the preamp has done wonders. Next, I’d like to get a small mixer and a couple of condensor microphones so that I can start recording live things and using acoustic more. I’m also considering sound proofing my room soon. It would make it look funny!

Today was Valentine’s Day and it was a great one. I made an excursion through the remnants of this week’s blizzard all the way 1.66 miles away to Olivia’s house. She met me half way though. =) We just chilled out all day. We watched X-men 3 and listened to tunes, danced, talked… you know… the whole shabang. It was a good snow day.

I feel like I’m pumping diversity in my schedule constantly lately. I’m also, somehow, being more optimistic than I usually am. I see everything falling into place and tonight is just one of those nights that I’m really thankful that it’s all happening.

School has been so great so far this semester. I now have my driver’s license, so doing my mentor visits for senior project will be like 30 times easier. Everything is looking up so much schoolwise. I talked to Mrs. Sugden this last week about college a little bit. I haven’t been reading into physics much lately, but I have been reading. I talked to her about maybe majoring in math instead or maybe applied math and she kicked my butt into gear. She just told me there’s a lot higher demand for physicists and that I’m more built for it. She told me, “Remember this conversation when you’re being nominated for the Nobel Prize for physics.” Haha… so I’m going to take Mrs. Sugden’s advice and stick towards physics. All the other classes are going great.

The next thing is just my attitude. My attitude is becoming (somehow) more positive. I feel so free. My faith has just brought me to this point where I have such confidence in the way I want to live. My main goal is to never be employed…. ever. Now, that doesn’t mean I won’t have a job. But I won’t look at it as a job, and I’ll most likely be my own boss… or I’ll be doing something in creative thought… with science and what not. The verb “employer” in French literally means “to use”. So, you can see my attitude towards being employed.

The final thing that makes me gleam lately is a little more personal. I was on the phone a while tonight talking about all this and among less serious conversations with a certain… person, so don’t think I’m some kind of freak that just bores a girl (oops… did I say girl? dangit… I gave away my secret) with depth and seriousness. As I said above, I am free. Of course, I’m too indirect about this. Whatever. I guess I’ll just leave this topic open-ended to the reader’s interpretation.