it's been a long year.

it's been a long year.

I just looked through some of my posts from the beginning of the year, and I was going to post some snippets about the milestones I reached throughout 2006. However, once I started pouring over some of the old entries, I realized just how much I've gone through in the past year. It would take me forever to read through all my old posts. Just to sum up some of the other things that have happened this year: I had five surgeries in 2006, and after each one, I had to work hard to regain my strength. in January I ditched the wheelchair and the walking cast. I went back to school part-time. In February I was able to start driving again, and then moved back to my house in EC. During the spring time, I basically re-learned how to walk. In May, I finished my spring semester classes and also finished up all my incompletes from the previous semester. Speaking of school, I had to push back my intended graduation date three times (to summer 2006, fall 2006, spring 2007). This summer I went back to work with the marching band, and in October I rode buses to all the competitions. I'm continuing to work hard and reach milestones, although now they're not as frequent and maybe aren't as big of a deal.

I feel like I've hit a plateau in my physical recovery, and it's so frustrating. I am ending this year a lot stronger than I started it, but I'm still so weak and I still hurt all the time. I still can't do so many of the things I used to love doing. I can't even carry my own damn laundry to the laundromat across the street. If you had told me last January that I'd be at this point now, I probably wouldn't have believed you. A year seems like such a long time, and we tend to hope that time will heal all wounds. I guess part of growing up is learning that isn't always true.

i don't want to switch to the new version of blogger, leave me alone

i don't want to switch to the new version of blogger, leave me alone

Christmas was good. It was kind of weird. I think the theme of this Christmas, for everyone, was not being able to get the whole family together (reading Andrea's post made me realize that). My brother and his girlfriend are working through the busy ski season in WY, and Raji couldn't get down to FL to see his parents. I think he and I were both okay with that - it's just a day, like any other day, and we'll get to see them soon. We were lucky to have some time to go down to IL to see my extended family for a few days. We came back yesterday and planned on having a nice, relaxing Christmas evening with a few friends, opening presents and stuff. There ended up being some drama courtesy of Raji's little brother, but whatever.

Today I went for a long walk, and I'm definitely feeling it now. I saw my athletic trainer last week and he thinks I have an overuse injury in my knee. He said I need to lighten up my exercise routine (I had been going to the gym for a light workout every other day). I'm really frustrated because I want to build up endurance, but that's hard to do when I need to "take it easy." It's especially frustrating because my knee hurts the most when I'm going up stairs or doing other exercises that work my quads, and that's exactly what I need to be working on right now. uhaonw74y5987465vn73q45yvn0q3985v.

I got a fish eye lens for Christmas. I'm excited. Today was too sunny to take very good photos, but I took a roll anyway.








(this is how mischevious Mitzie normally looks - not long after this, she disappeared into my armoire again)

the past few days: a summary

the past few days: a summary

- Hung out with high school friends a lot - everyone has been home all week because, unlike me, they had finals last week.
- Gave a group presentation for my art history class. It didn't totally suck. The Mexica gods must have been pleased.
- Started a small kitchen fire. Thanks, shitty stove. Good to know that the smoke alarms in my house don't work. That's okay, the cats more than made up for it.
- Spent a billionty hours working on my fugue, and I'm happy with the way it turned out.
- Cleaned my house.
- Lost a cat and then found her in my armoire. I'm pretty sure my cats wouldn't survive a day without myself or my roommate around to fix their stupid mistakes.
- Had some people over for a holiday party, listened to lots of Hanukkah music (thanks XM), and had a late night percussion jam session.
- Drove with Raji to Illinois (where I am right now) for my extended family's Christmas party. Thankfully the weather was fine, so the drive wasn't too bad. I realized that in general I must look better than I feel, because all my relatives were telling me I look good, but in reality I feel like crap. Then again, compared to last year at this time, I probably do look good.

I think that's it. Doesn't sound so exciting when summarized like that, but it's been a good week (when I wasn't dealing with stupid final projects).

Merry Christmas!

that which cannot be put into words

that which cannot be put into words

Well, it's about that time of the semester again - the time where everyone else is on winter break and those of us at UWEC are in the midst of finals. Since I'm a part-time student this semester, I don't have many finals this week. I'm feeling a little overwhelmed anyway. I actually don't have any tests this week, just projects. I'd almost rather have tests, instead of having to finish composing a fugue. For the record, fugues are pretty hard to write. I have so much stuff going on this week that I had to create a big "to-do" list. I'm having trouble keeping track of everything. In addition to the projects I'm working on, I taught for a few hours at Menomonie yesterday (I'm working with their winter drumline - I don't know if I mentioned that on here). Also, I have to finish those pesky grad school applications. Speaking of things I need to do, note to self: buy cat food before the savages get upset.

I had my percussion jury yesterday and it went pretty well. Actually I think it was the best jury I've ever had, which figures - it wasn't really important this time. I'm working on a marimba solo by Julie Spencer called "After the Storm." It's really difficult, but I absolutely love it. I'm playing it on my joint recital next semester (April 12th), so I should have enough time to perfect it. My hands were really tired because I practiced way too much in the days leading up to my jury, but like I said, it went fine.

I got a CD from the Memorial Concert that was held in May, and I'm listening to "Threnody" (the piece that was commissioned from Jim Bonney). Wow, I almost forgot how heavy it is. It's a lot different to listen to it, rather than playing it. It's easier to appreciate what's going on when you're not counting measures of rests. Listening to it reminds me of how difficult those rehearsals were. I think I kept it together pretty well, but all I was thinking about the whole time was how unfair it is that those five people are gone. I spent a lot of time crying that week. I remember some people saying the piece is too sad, and they wished it were more optimistic, or something like that. I know that would have made people feel more comfortable, but I like it just the way it is. As far as I know, there is no real-life happy ending in this case, so let's not make one up. Besides, I think the point of music is to take us somewhere, even if that place is uncomfortable. It says things for which we can't find words, or that we're too afraid to say. As Victor Hugo said, "Music expresses that which cannot be put into words and cannot remain silent." Sad as it is, I'm so glad we'll always have this piece of music as a way of remembering. If you'd like to get your hands on a CD from the concert (in exchange for a small donation to the Greenhalgh Endowment Fund), talk to Andrei.

On a lighter note (I think?), watch this:



Interesting, but not surprising.

I've started becoming addicted to YouTube (I know, I'm a little late on that one)... Andrei posted a bunch of links to neat videos. This one of Chick Corea and Gary Burton is my favorite, despite (or maybe because of?) the abundance of bad hair:



Gary Burton's dampening skills are crazy.

Anyway, good luck on finals.

reflective/tired

reflective/tired

I don't know why, but I've been in a reflective mood lately. Maybe because we're nearing the end of the semester and the end of the year.

Among the things I've been thinking about: how people act in unexpected situations, and what it says about them. After the accident, one of my friends said that bad situations like this bring out the true nature of people. She was referring to myself and the others who were injured, but I think people show their true selves when interacting with others who are going through a bad situation. Basically, I think a person's ability to empathize says a lot about them - their maturity level, their experiences, etc. Looking back on everything I've been through, I've encountered some real assholes since the accident (the parking office, and others who will go unnamed). It amazes me that people can be so callous. On the other hand, most people have been really amazing, and have shown their best side to me while I've been going through this really difficult time. That was explained better in my head. Oh well.

Tomorrow is the annual Holiday Lobby Concert in the Fine Arts building. It will be fun, but it brings up memories of last year, of me being in a wheelchair and seeing a lot of people I hadn't seen in a long time. It was an emotional day for me, though I probably didn't make it obvious. It's amazing to think of how far I've come in a year, and how much my friends have been there for me.

I've been going to the gym a lot lately in an attempt to build up my endurance, but it's going to take a very long time before I see much improvement. My knee has been giving out a lot because my leg muscles are so fatigued from exercising. Fortunately I wear a knee brace, so it doesn't hurt too much when my knee gives out. Stairs are still difficult/painful - no change there.

I think I had more to say, but I'm tired.

?

?

Does anyone have a recording of Wind Symphony playing "Methuselah" last spring?

Let me know if you do. Okay thanks bye.

P.S. Does anyone know the status of the audio recording from the memorial concert in May?

let's go away for a while

let's go away for a while

Raji had surgery yesterday to fix his nose/sinuses. He'd been having problems since he broke his nose in the accident. During surgery, his doc straightened his septum, and did some other stuff to reduce swelling or scar tissue or something. Raji's brother and I took him to the hospital (before six yesterday morning........) and sat around with him while he waited to go into the OR, and then we waited through his surgery and took him home. It was weird (but really nice!) not being the one in the OR this time. I feel bad for my parents for having to wait through all my surgeries. Anyway, the surgery went fine. He seems to be doing pretty well, all things considered. Right now I'm just killing some time before I go find some lunch for him.

After I wrote my last post (about a friend making a hurtful remark), I was told about someone else who made a sarcastic comment directed toward me. I don't understand where people get off giving me a hard time about my schedule and what I'm up to these days. Evidently the people who are making these remarks believe that I'm not very busy, and I should be busier, or something. I don't get it.

First of all, I'm recovering from a lot of stuff. My last surgery was less than three months ago, and it's not like it was just one surgery. It was the last in a series of seven surgeries. And it was a pretty major surgery. I'm still feeling fatigued, and I'm in a lot of pain lately. If people want to compare their schedules to mine, they should compare their health to mine, also.

Secondly, believe it or not, I'm pretty busy these days. Sure, I'm only taking seven credits, but that's four upper-level classes. Just like everyone else, I have projects and tests to do in these last weeks of the semester. I may not have as much school work as everyone else, but it's something. In addition to school, I performed in a concert earlier this week and took the GRE last weekend, and those things required practicing and studying, respectively. Also, I'm working with Menomonie's winter drumline, doing grad school prep stuff, trying to exercise daily, and do some Christmas shopping in my spare time. I'm not going to claim that all the things I'm currently involved with occupy every second of my time. However, it's presumptuous and condescending to decide that I'm being lazy, or whatever people think of me. Like I said, I don't understand. I know I'm letting this bother me way too much. I'm still at a point in my life where I need lots of support from the people around me, and it's hard for me to deal with snide, baseless comments.

Okay, rant over. Today I went to the knee doctor for x-rays and a check-up. It was pretty much what I expected - "It's normal to be sore - you've been through a lot. Here, have some more painkillers." At this point it's not like there's a magic solution. My doc said I should feel a little better when I build more strength, and after more time has passed, and when the weather is warmer. I was also told that I probably have tendinitis in my knee, which would help explain why it hurts so much. Great, just add that on to everything else.

I'm so ready for a vacation. I'll be in Mexico in a month. As it turns out, Mexico is warmer than Wisconsin. Yay!

i don't have the patience to watch you looking down on me

i don't have the patience to watch you looking down on me

I was having a bad night already, and then a close friend said something really condescending. People just don't fucking get it.

if train A leaves the station at 2:00, and train B is traveling at a speed of 40 mph, who cares?

if train A leaves the station at 2:00, and train B is traveling at a speed of 40 mph, who cares?

This week started out pretty well, but now I'm just completely exhausted. I've been studying every day for the damn GRE - I'll be so glad when it's over. I started going to the gym again to do light aerobic workouts. I did that three or four times this week. I need to build up my endurance. Also, I've been working on grad school apps (it seems late, but mine aren't due for another month or so). Add that to my regular classes and preparing for a percussion ensemble concert, and that's more than enough to wear me out. Actually, I'm proud of myself - this is the most productive week I've had for as long as I can remember. Oh, I even did some Christmas shopping and decorating.

So I had energy to do a lot of stuff this week, but now it's catching up with me. I just need to get through the GRE tomorrow and then I can come home and sleep. I wish I could just take it easy for the rest of the weekend, but I have a project due and a test early next week. And I need to work on those grad school applications. There are a lot of other things I'd love to be doing, like playing piano or working on arrangements for my joint recital next semester, but I just don't have the energy to take on anything else right now.

I had physical therapy yesterday, and it made me frustrated. I still can't do stairs very well, and my ankle motion still sucks. My therapist taught me some new exercises to do four times a week, so hopefully that will help. Between the gym and physical therapy, I'm working a lot on trying to build strength in my quads and to loosen up my ankle joint.

As if I don't have enough to worry about right now, this weather is really irritating my ankle and knee. Rainy weather sucks because it makes me ache a lot, but bitter cold is worse because it gives me sharp pains that make it hard to walk.

Okay, I'm done complaining. I just needed to vent a little. I know it's just the end-of-the-semester crunch and I'm not the only one feeling a little stressed.

we're clever but we're clueless

we're clever but we're clueless

I have to take the GRE on Saturday. I am brushing up on my math, because it's my worst subject.

I hate math.

You Are 20% Left Brained, 80% Right Brained

The left side of your brain controls verbal ability, attention to detail, and reasoning. Left brained people are good at communication and persuading others. If you're left brained, you are likely good at math and logic. Your left brain prefers dogs, reading, and quiet. The right side of your brain is all about creativity and flexibility. Daring and intuitive, right brained people see the world in their unique way. If you're right brained, you likely have a talent for creative writing and art. Your right brain prefers day dreaming, philosophy, and sports.

Are You Right or Left Brained?

Is it winter break yet?

if you never try, you'll never know

if you never try, you'll never know

So... I'm still getting over bronchitis. I'm feeling a lot better, but I still have no energy. I just got back from physical therapy. It was the first time I was able to go in about two weeks, and it pretty much kicked my butt. I feel like I've lost a lot of the gains I had made (as far as strength and endurance goes).

Apparently ER this week is about a bus accident. Fuck that.

Why is everything in the world due the week of Thanksgiving break? Luckily I only had a couple assignments due (since I only have a couple of classes), but it seems like everyone else is completely overloaded. I can't wait for break. It's not like I do much during an ordinary day, and I'm not going anywhere this week, so it's not much of a "break" for me I guess. But it's something different, and I'll get to see some high school friends, so I'm looking forward to that.

After break (or maybe during, if I'm feeling ambitious), I'm going to start working on grad school apps and get back to studying for the GRE. I'm kind of dreading all that grad school preparation, but at the same time I'm looking forward to it. I'm ready to get out of here. The problem is, I'm not sure how far away I should go, since I'm sure I'll still be having medical appointments as a result of the accident. What a mess. I'm just going to send out a bunch of applications and see where I get accepted, and then think about where to go.

I blame the randomness of this post on my weird sleep schedule.

no lyric for this one

no lyric for this one

I went to the doctor yesterday, and evidently I have bronchitis. My immune system gets an F.

when you've got to feel it in your bones

when you've got to feel it in your bones

Here is some stuff that has been happening lately:

One of my close friends has been having some medical problems. It's especially stressful for her because the doctors aren't sure exactly what it is yet. I understand some of what she's going through because I went through some of it too (spending some time in the hospital, staying with the parents, having to drop classes, etc.), but it's hard seeing her so stressed out. I wish they would just figure out what it is so she can get treatment. Sorry for being so vague - if you're reading this, you probably don't know her anyway.

In lighter news, I have been in contact with one of my profs from last semester concerning an incorrect grade. In college, rarely can you say that a bad grade was your prof's fault, but in this case, my prof lost part of one of my tests and then turned in a grade that didn't count that lost answer. I am happy to report that my prof finally found the essay and changed my grade. It went up by almost TWO letters! That makes my life a little easier. I kind of blew off that class because something had to give last semester, but I knew I did better than the grade I got in the class.

I spent some time this weekend working with the Chippewa Valley Brigade, which is a new drum corps in the area. It was good experience for me, but it completely wore me out. I still have a complete lack of energy. The kids were cool though, and I have a new respect for the work that has gone into the corps. I just wish some more people would join... *hinthint*, maybe we could get some Chi-Hi kids interested......

What else... Oh, I was almost over this stupid cold, and then I got sick all over again. I think I just don't have the energy to fight it off. My mom is bugging me to go to the doctor, so maybe I'll do that tomorrow. I'm trying to get back into my physical therapy routine at home but it's hard because I don't have any energy. I spend most of my time being completely exhausted. I swear I never knew the meaning of the word "exhausted" until the stupid accident.

Speaking of physical therapy, I've been trying to use the stairs more often, and I think I've been making small gains. It will be a while before I can go up and down the stairs without people noticing that I'm struggling. It's hard because my leg is so weak that I'm using other muscles to compensate. I think I pulled a muscle in my back (under my ribs) from going up and down stairs. I never knew stairs could be such a challenge.

It snowed last week, and while it was pretty, it made me wish I were somewhere warm. I was so sore that I could barely walk, and whenever I was in a building, I was worried I'd slip on the wet floors. Plus, the snow was past ankle-deep, which sucks when you have a bad ankle. Winter has barely even started and I'm already sick of it. The weather makes my aches and pains even worse. The worst aches are the ones I know I can't do anything about. When my foot and ankle are bothering me, usually I can elevate it and rest for a while and it feels a little better. When I exercise or ice my knee, some parts of it feel a little better. But there are some aches - like the outside of my knee, or the spot where my femur broke - that can't really be helped. The outside of my knee has been bothering me all weekend, and it sucks knowing that I can't just go to the doctor and have him do something to make it all better. I'm still in constant pain - if it's not one thing, it's another.

New game: song lyrics for titles. You get a cookie if you guess the song.

it wears me out

it wears me out

Here's an update on stuff since last week.

Last Friday I had an appointment with an occupational medicine doctor. It was the first time I've met with him. I think basically his job is to oversee my case and track my progress. Since it was the first time I'd met with him, I had to re-hash everything I've gone through in the past year. Then he talked about how he thinks I'll be affected long-term. None of my other doctors really talk to me in terms of the future, so in a way it was nice to finally hear something about that from a doctor. It was hard, though. I heard pretty much what I expected, but it was sobering and depressing to hear it from someone who knows what he's talking about. Anyway, I won't go into details (because you never know who can find your blog). In good news though, he said it's obvious that I'm working really hard and I've come a long way.

I had a good talk with Catherine last week that pretty much sums up how I've been feeling lately. She mentioned that after you've gone through something really bad, it's hard to relate to people your own age. I feel like everyone around me is worried about things like whether or not they'll catch the latest episode of Grey's Anatomy or whether they'll be able to get off work so they can go drink, and I'm in a completely different world. But I know that's not exactly true - nobody's life is perfect, and everyone has their rough spots.

I'm still sick, but I think I'm gradually getting better. The biggest problem now is my complete lack of energy. It feels like I have mono - that's how exhausted I am. I know I don't have mono, this is just what it's like to try and recover from everything I've been through, and then be sick on top of that. I haven't had the energy to do much physical therapy stuff lately, and now I feel like I lost some of the progress I'd made. My fatigue is worse now that I'm sick, but it's pretty much something I've been dealing with since last October. The occupational med doctor told me it's partly due to my weight loss. I think there's something more to it, though - it seems like everyone who was affected by the accident is tired all the time now. Anyway, I was hoping by this point in the semester I'd be starting to feel better. I'm not looking forward to next semester - I'll be taking classes full-time again. I hope I get some of my energy back before then.

Okay, now something positive: speaking of school, I got A's on both of my tests last week, including the Baroque counterpoint test from hell.

I think I had more to write about, but I'm tired and it's time to pick up my laundry.

I'm not going to go into how I feel about the election results...

< 1000 words

< 1000 words

Okay. I should update. I actually have some free time now that I'm not studying for any tests or doing homework. I had two big tests this past week. The art history one wasn't so bad, but my counterpoint test was insane. I think I did okay on it, but you know it's bad when nobody finishes the test within the class period. I spent probably 55 minutes on it and felt pretty rushed.

Anyway, here's a summary of life since the last time I posted:

Last weekend we celebrated Halloween with a party at Raji's. It was a lot of fun - a bunch of us dressed as the cast from Anchorman. Ryan was Brick, and his costume was perfect. It was cool to see a lot of people I hadn't seen in a while. Oh, and my mom made food, so that was sweet.

A couple weeks ago I went with the band down to the state marching band championships. It also happened to be my birthday, and the rest of the staff threw me a little surprise party, complete with a homemade cake. They started to write "Happy Birthday Amy" on the cake with frosting, but they ran out of room, so it turned into "Happy Amy". It was funny. That pretty much turned into the joke for the rest of the weekend, since word got out to the rest of the band about my birthday. They sang "Happy Amy" to me (to the tune of "Happy Birthday"). Then a couple of my students made a card for me and my whole section signed it. All in all, it was a fun birthday.

Unfortunately it started raining that afternoon and the marching band show got moved into a fieldhouse. They marked the floor so the bands could march on it, but I don't think the visual judges actually judged, due to the conditions. We tried to be positive with the students about the move inside, but I know it must have been hard for them. The same thing happened my first year in marching band, but they didn't have the field house yet, so we did the performance at a stand-still in the gym. It was such a let-down. We worked all season for that performance. Now that I'm older and wiser I know that it isn't always about the end result, but that's a hard one to explain to the students. Anyway, we performed indoors and took fifth place. I think we would have done better if we'd been judged on the visual aspect of the show, since that was probably stronger than the musical aspect. The students were disappointed about the move indoors and about their placement, but they accepted it with class and maturity. As one senior said, we'd rather earn fifth place than be given first place out of pity.

I feel like this is the point where I say something to sum up the season, now that it's over. Well, I think Collicott did a really good job of leading the band. I know it wasn't easy, but I admire him because I know it took a lot of physical, mental, and emotional strength to pick up where he and G left off last year. The season seemed very surreal to me. I worked hard to do the best job I could, but it felt weird. I'm sad that the season is over because I looked forward to working with the students and seeing all the other staffers. On the other hand, I feel like some weight has been lifted from my shoulders. Teaching is hard work.

So other than that stuff, I've been spending my free time trying to accomplish everything on my "to do" list. I have started to focus on grad school again. My plans had been on the back burner since the accident, but now I'm trying to get everything sorted out so I can hopefully go to grad school in the fall. I scheduled my GRE - I take it in a month or so. Then I have another month to turn in my applications.

I've also been spending more time exercising and doing physical therapy. I meet with my athletic trainer once a week, and then I do exercises at home every day. When it was nice out last week, I went for a couple long walks on the bike trail. I walked about a mile last friday, which is a very long walk for me. It's the farthest I've been able to go on the bike trail since last October. But I probably walk about that far when I'm shopping or whatever and then I'm not paying attention to it. My knee still aches a lot but it feels a little stronger. I'm so glad my ACL is fixed now - I notice a difference. I used to hate straightening my leg because my knee would kind of lock up, but it doesn't do that anymore. My ankle has still been giving me problems, but that's not really "news". Basically it hasn't gotten much better since whenever it was operated on last, but now the cold weather is making it feel worse.

I still don't have much energy these days, and I'm hoping that comes back soon. I want to settle into a recovery/workout routine and have the energy to keep up with it once I start classes full-time in the spring. It doesn't help that I'm sick now, but hopefully I'll get over that soon.

Speaking of being sick, I think I had more to write but then I just spaced because I am a total zombie right now.

Here's a new picture I took tonight:

worth a thousand words

worth a thousand words

Sorry for the no updates. Life is busy. I'll post a real update soon. In the meantime, here are some photos I took from the bike trail last week (click if you want to see biggies):

anniversary and PT

anniversary and PT

The one year anniversary came and went. I thought it would be just like any other day, but it hit me harder than I thought it would. I didn't know what to do with myself. I decided it wasn't good for me to sit home alone, so I went to the fine arts building to look for friends. It was kind of weird because I didn't see many people I recognized. I ran into a few people but then I didn't feel like talking. I think I was worried I'd break down, but I don't know why I was so worried - it would have been totally okay if I did. Anyway, after that I decided to go shopping, and that made me feel a little better. At least it got my mind off things for a little bit.

I felt a little overwhelmed on Monday with everyone talking about the accident (and then seeing it all over the media). It made me realize that, except for that one day, a lot of people don't talk about it much anymore. I hope it's because they're dealing with it well, and not because it's our social custom to not dwell on bad things for too long. Maybe it's some of both.

I have a feeling Saturday will be hard, too. When a reporter interviewed me a couple of weeks ago, he brought it up: Saturday will probably be more like the "one-year mark" than the 16th was, because we'll be at the same marching band competition we were at that night last year. I hadn't thought of it that way, but as soon as he said it, I knew he was probably right. I think it will be okay for me personally because I do better when I'm in large groups of people. But I know it will be a difficult day for a lot of people. In any case, it's been a long week and I'll be glad to have it behind me.

Thank you again for all the visits to my blog and all the messages and stuff. It's nice to know people are thinking of me - and I'm thinking of all of you, too.

Things on the physical therapy front are going so-so. My knee is recovering well from the ACL graft. Now my therapist and athletic trainers are beginning to focus more on my ankle. It's really stiff and sore. I have a lot of trouble with stairs - I still can't walk up and down them normally (wow, it's been over a year since I've been able to do that). I think the PT staff just started to notice how limited my ankle motion is. My knee has always been the top priority, and my doctors/therapists/trainers knew the ankle motion would come with time and normal use. Now it's getting to the point where my ankle motion (or lack thereof) is limiting my knee motion, so it's time to work on that. My therapist has started using a technique called "manual joint mobilization", which I'm pretty sure is synonymous with "hell". Basically he pushes and pulls on my foot. It hurts so much, and I feel like my ankle is too messed up for anything to help. I guess it will probably get better, but it's going to take a long, long time. Hopefully PT will be a distant memory by the time we hit the two-year mark.

aha!

aha!

I finally figured out how to change the time zone on my blog! All my posts have been showing up in mountain time, which has been irritating me to no end. If you have a Blogger account, you can change your time zone by going to Settings > Formatting > Time Zone. It's really not difficult, but until now I didn't have the patience to search for it in the settings.

I have plenty more to write, but unfortunately my art history assignment has to come first. I'll write more later.

one year later

one year later

Thanks for all the visits to this blog (and the messages, and the phone calls, and the flowers). Today's post isn't going to be about me - I'd rather share some memories.

I didn't have enough time to get to know Branden very well, but here are a couple memories that will stick with me:

I ran into him at the bars sometime during the summer of 2004, and we talked about the upcoming marching band season. He was SO excited to work with the kids.

Last season, I started getting to know Branden a little more. We had a lot of inside jokes last year, and one of them was to call Branden "lower-case C" because when he was a student teacher, he always followed Collicott (a.k.a. "C") everywhere. We decided that when Branden graduated and had a band department of his own, he would become "A". Branden thought that was pretty funny.

As far as G goes, I have so many memories of good times with him, this post will only scratch the surface. G was that teacher in my life (and in the lives of a lot of his students) who really inspired me. It sounds trite saying that, but it's true, and I can't think of another way to say it. I'm better with music than I am with words. Anyway, he was a lot of things to me - a teacher, a mentor, an inspiration, and a friend. Here are some random memories:

We had a lot of fun times in AP music theory class. We used to watch movies every now and then, and we would all bring snacks. I don't think we were supposed to eat in class, but as long as we brought G some pretzels and frosting, he was happy. Another AP class memory: when the day came to have yearbook photos taken of our class, a few students were missing. G drew pictures of their faces and we held them up in the picture. It was hilarious - I can't believe that photo ended up in the yearbook.

G loved to surprise his students. In jazz band Raji's senior year, he bugged G every day to let us play the tune "Some Skunk Funk". G always yelled at Raji and said we weren't going to play it. G showed me that he'd pulled the chart from the music library so we could play it, but he didn't tell Raji. I remember Raji was upset until the day he sat down at the set and "Some Skunk Funk" was on his stand waiting for him.

My senior year, I started suggesting to G that the school get a new marimba (the instrument I was playing in marching band that year). Ours was at least 20 years old and was showing significant wear. It didn't even sound like a marimba anymore. G told me the music department wouldn't be able to afford a marimba that year - they'd have to wait until after I graduated. Then one day I walked into the band room, and there was a brand new marimba (I think my brother had something to do with that - he worked a short stint at the marimba factory). Obviously it wasn't my marimba, it was the school's, but in any case G made me feel special that day.

There are a lot of really funny memories of G, but I can't think of a specific one to talk about right now. Feel free to leave a comment with memories of your own! I'm burned out - it's time to go to do something fun.