Adoption Announcement

Calling all Sam's friends in the Denton area:
Two weeks from today I head home to Houston for the summer (I know, I know. But don't get too sad; unlike my last college, I'm coming back in the fall.)
I have to get everything out of my dorm by that date. Now, there are quite a few things that I don't use at home that I need to leave here, in order to get everything I'm taking home home in one trip. So, is there anybody who would be willing to adopt anything off the list below for the summer:
1.) A mini-refrigerator
2.) Microwave Oven
3.) 14'' TV (w/ remote, by the way)
4.) HP Inkjet Printer
5.) 4-cup coffee maker
6.) Crock-pot
7.) Cordless phone and receiver.
8.) *Box of towels, linens, and blankets.
9.) *Assorted boxes of books.

If there is anything on this list that anybody could find useful, you are more than welcome to use it for the summer.

*If you can't keep anything all summer, but could maybe spare to hang on to a box or two for a few weeks, I will be making a few visits up here during the summer. So if you could just hold a box or something for about two weeks, I could take it off your hands during one of those visits.

Give me a call or let me know the next time you see me if you can spare some space. And don't worry, when it gets down to the wire, I'll just start asking people.

George?

disclaimer: I do not envy any person who serves as president of the United States. I feel sympathy for the pressure of the job, but whoever holds the job asked for it and fought very hard to get it.

Gas prices are on the rise. Oil companies are pocketing record profits. It's not hard to figure out where the money goes. Yes, oil production is getting more expensive, but if that was all that was causing these price increases, then the CEOs wouldn't be getting 10-digit bonuses.

Of course, the oil companies can do whatever they want, and have nothing to be afraid of. Congress, only three days after the Senate's announcement to look into price gouging, has turned it into nasty partisan finger-pointing. The senate will never agree on anything with enough substance to actually change things.

George Bush spoke out today. What does he have to say? He took the time to explain to the American people what a hybrid car is. Way to go! We knew that years ago. He broke down the concept of supply and demand, informing me of how prices go up when demand is high and supply low, but by increasing supply the price comes down. Why are you telling me this?!?! You assure me that the cost of producing gasoline has gone up. I'll say! I bet that's exactly what his oil buddies are telling him every day.
I can't believe that we have this obvious of a problem, Congress has reached a rut, and all the president can think to do is give a 5th grade science lesson and hope that it becomes some sort of Rooseveltian "the only thing we have to fear . . . " sort of speech.

Home Stretch

About twice a year (every semester) there comes the blog entry about the home stretch. This one isn't as much of a 'stretch' in that a whole bunch of stuff will hit at once and the year will be over in a snap. Here's what's coming up to create the grand finale of my sophomore year:
This week:
Wednesday: Final presentation in Principles of Music Study (there's a good reason I don't abbreviate the name of that class.) Final chamber music performance (and thus my weeknights free up) and final orchestra concert. Wednesday is a busy day.
Thursday: Turn in final government assignments. Final Aural Skills assignment. Last US History quiz.

Next week:
Cello jury
violin jury
study for tests and stuff

week after that
finals in music theory, aural skills, government, US History, Brass methods, and packing up that messy dorm room.

The weekend

This post soon to be re-written or replaced by a more thoroughly post written on more sleep and with more time. This is just in response to all the e-mails I've gotten of people who want a report on the weekend.
This was a great weekend. My birthday was fun (see earlier post). Saturday night was Jordan's prom. Way way a whole lot 'a fun. Her school does prom better than Brook, I think, even though I only know what I've heard about Brook's, 'cuz I opted to skip mine.
Project celebration was this morning (from midnight to six.) It's the same thing as Project Graduation, except they do an after prom one. And her school lets the students bring their guests, hence why I got to go. Lots of fun. I helped Jordan win a refrigerator. Among the unwanted prizes, I left with a new UNT t-shirt and a set of socket wrenches for myself. Heck yes to new t-shirts that allow you to lengthen your laundry cycle by a day.
Jordan gave me a remote control for my TV for my birthday. I can't wait 'til my first oppurtunity to watch TV and control it without having to be within a toe's reach of the TV.
Project celebration ended at 6. Then some other stuff happened which I'll write later. Crashed at Jonathan's 'til about 2:45. Drove back, haven't slept since then, hence the tiredness of right now.

Life after teen years: day 2

Well first, may I just say that I am blessed with better and more friends than I deserve. This has been a great birthday. From people shouting at me in the halls of the music building, messages on my facebook wall, e-mails, text messages, voicemails, and a few I got to talk to, I got more happy birthdays than I can count, but each time it made my day.
I started my day in Richardson, TX. Through a class I'm taking, I had to be in Plano early this morning to observe music teachers all day. One of the people in my group lives in Richardson, which is in the same school district, and her parents live in a big empty house. So, last night, all of our group drove down to Richardson and spent the night there. Her mom cooked dinner and breakfast; home cooked food on my birthday!
We first went to an elementary school where the music teacher is named Jim Lovell. I was excited about that (Jim Lovell was a Gemini and Apollo astronaut, Tom Hanks immortalized him in the movie Apollo 13.) The elementary was alot of fun. I think we were there for five different 1/2 hour classes.
We then went to the junior high where we saw an orchestra, a choir, and a band class. The choir class was alot of fun. All morning long we'd been introduced, more or less, as "People from the University of North Texas who are going to be music teachers, so they've come today to see what we do." Anyways, by the time we were in the choir class of the junior high, we were ready to hear something different. I had the idea that the teacher should tell the kids that we're talent scouts from the Disney Channel. She went with it, and they bought it beautifully. It was a classroom of 80 7th and 8th grade girls, and they sat up straight the whole time and worked hard. The five of us "talent scouts" took notes the whole time and kept straight faces. Of course at the end of class the teacher told them the truth and everybody had a nice laugh.
After getting back to Denton I ran a few errands and then met up with church friends. We ended up at Tyler and Katie's apartment (that they rent now, and will move into once they're married.) It was fun. The group (Brandon) gave me a book of Deep Thoughts by Jack Handy. I consider myself a pretty big fan, and this book only had a few I'd heard, mostly new.
The only slight downside of the day really isn't a downside at all. For my birthday, my parents gave me some money so that I could get new rosin and and a new endpin for my cello (endpins are the sticks that go from the bottom of the cello to the floor.) After a few attempts to contact or reach local retailers in the area, I ordered the stuff online. That all took place last week. So everyday this week I've gone to my mailbox once or twice a day to see if my cello stuff had come. Today, I got to the post office at about 6, and sure enough, there's a yellow slip that I have a package. Sadly, I can't get it until Monday. But, as much fun as this weekend is going to be, it'll be good to have something to make Monday seem like an alright day.
Jordan's prom is tomorrow night, and that should be alot of fun. By the way, her school's UIL One Act play competed in San Angelo today (the 21st) and advanced to state. Jordan picked up the best actress award. Funny story: she called at 6:20 this morning, thinking she'd leave me a voice mail that I'd get when I woke up. I could tell by her reaction that me answering the phone was the last thing she expected. Don't worry Jordan, I had to get up anyways, the phone was ringing.
Oh! And in other news, I've received two promising leads on possible voice teachers in Houston this summer. One came from my former voice teacher at Pepperdine. It's a Pepperdine graduate who got his masters at Rice and is now in the Houston area. The other came from Kelley Vanslooten, high school voice teacher, who recommends this guy who went to Julliard and now runs the voice department at San Jac Community College.
Alright, it's not my birthday anymore, and I'm tired.

Three days left

Well, this semester doesn't feel like it's been that long, but it's nearly over. Yikes! In one of my classes yesterday, somebody pointed out that we now only have five classes left before the final in there. The 'jury buzz' has begun around campus. In every conversation, the question seems to arise, "How's your jury this semester? . . . . . what are you playing? . . . . . "
As for me, I feel fine about my jury. I practiced with Clark this past Saturday and things really seem to be solidifying. He's coming to play at my lesson today, so that should make us all the more ready.
Finals, well, we'll see. I suppose I could stand for those to be a few more weeks back on the calendar than they are. Get this: I do not have to write a single term paper this semester! The first three semesters of college, my stress level was determined by the schedule of paper deadlines. Last semester it was the music history paper that made me a social casualty for two and a half weekends. This semester, there are no papers, and it's a bit unsettling. If I got an entire classload of paperless courses this semester, then there's bound to be a semester coming where there will be an excess of papers to write. And it does put that much more weight on final exams to have no term papers to balance it out.
This Friday I turn 20. That still feels weird to say. Seven years ago I was thrilled to be on the brink of the 'teenage years.' Now I'm just about through. Only three days left that I can blame all my irresponsible actions on those crazy teenage hormones. So, while I'm still a teenager, I'd just like to say to everyone that "I can't stand any of you and you're all ruining my life." What can I say? I'm a teenager.
I'll be spending my birthday in Plano, TX, which is about an hour from here. We're going to observe music teachers again. I'm really excited about this visit, but there are better days it could have come on than my birthday. I'll be waking up at 5:45 to get dressed in "teacher clothes" and spend my day at schools filling out papers and writing observations. I know that to you working folks, 5:45 is not at all an early time to be waking up on a workday. I understand. But also realize that you typically finish your workday by 5, at which point you begin the rest of your day's tasks: errands, chores, leisure, eating, etc. I'm usually not done with classes and homework until around 9 or 10. Anyways, it's completely doable for this one day. When I was sharing this with Jordan, she kindly pointed out that getting up and going to school in teacher clothes and being there all day is pretty much what I'm going to be doing for every birthday from now on. So I guess it doesn't hurt a bit to start now. Such an appropriate way to spend my first day as a grown up.
Whoa! Time to get to class.

Everybody Meet Jordan!

I should have done this sooner, but I just got the picture a day or two ago. This is Jordan Bailey. She's a Harding-bound honor student. She and I have been dating for about two and a half months now. We met through my friend Jonathan. League City people remember the Steins, they left League City about 11 years ago and moved to the DFW mid-cities area. Anyways, Jordan goes to church and school with Jonathan.
I've been talking about her for awhile now, so I figured it's high time I put up a picture.

Grandpa Leighton

George Leighton Knox, Sr.
George Leighton Knox, Sr., 91, of Tahoka, passed from this life on Thursday April 6, 2006. He was born Feb. 5, 1915 to the late William Frank and Verda Jane (Hall) Knox in Clay Co., Texas.
Mr. Knox attended Mangum High School in Mangum, Oklahoma. He married Helen Yarbrough on Jan. 31, 1937 in Dimmitt. Leighton worked for Tatum Brothers Elevator in Tahoka for 25 years and was a member of the First United Methodist Church in Tahoka.
He is survived by his wife, Helen of Tahoka; three sons, George Leighton Knox Jr., of Tahoka, Raymond Otis "Buddy" Knox, of Lubbock, and William Clyde Knox, also of Lubbock; a daughter, Claudia Fern Flippen, of Tahoka; 11 grandchildren; 13 great grandchildren; 2 great-great grandchildren; three sisters, Beuna Milligan, of Ft. Worth, Erma Treadwell, of Lubbock, and Louise Patterson, of Lubbock. He was preceded in death by his parents and three brothers.


For those of you who don't know the connection, Claudia Flippin (they even mispelled our last name in her own father's obituary) is my Grandma by marriage.

Save the date!

Best piece of gossip I've picked up in a long time: Mom and Dad went to see the United Players' production of "The Beams are Creaking" last night. Who should be there but Katie Clarke's parents? They said that "The Light in the Piazza" is going to be featured on a PBS broadcast of "Live From Lincoln Center" on June 15. So anybody who wants to, for the low low price of nothing, can see the show this summer. I'm excited.