Anyone Got Some Syrup? I'm Going To Make A Snowcone.

Early morning is the best time to get to campus, especially on a morning like this. It is so frickin' beautiful outside that it would be impossible for you to stay in a bad mood for long if you just take a quick look around. Just look up once, then go back to being grumpy.

There's one particular scene that's my favorite. There's a clearing in between Wulling and Eddy Halls with Burton in the background. It's filled with pine trees and driving paths. With the snow falling and the street lights still on, it looks like one of those screen saver winter scenes you can download for free at goaheadanddownloadthisalthoughImayinfectyourcomputer.com.

I like those smaller moments. Those are the ones that always stick in my mind more than big, grand moments with spot lights and applause. They exist throughout the entire day too. This is why I always try to be prepared, so I can enjoy the moments that suddenly come up. That might sound a bit backwards but really, it's not. I plan things as much as I do so that when I need to, I can experience an unexpected moment.

There was a woman in my Performance Course who made a comment that's very fitting. All of us were dancing solos and most of us were choreographing them. Leslie encourages us to learn how to improv more because it does make you a better dancer but it takes time to be able to do that. You have to become very familiar with the music genre to know what kind of tempo change may be coming up. Until we've learned more though, I stick to choreography. Cindy said that she was choreographing so that she could improv. She meant that she wanted the whole dance planned out but being a solo, if she messed up or forgot something (which almost ALWAYS happens) she could improv and still be confident that it would turn out okay. That's how I pretty much live. I plan a lot of things and am very structured so that when I have to, I can improv and things will be okay.

When something tragic happens, the last thing you want to deal with is the dishes or the gutter that's falling off. If you get all of this stuff taken care of, you can deal with the tragedy at hand and face it fully instead of having to push it to the side. Plus, I get to look out of my kitchen window and watch the snow fall while I do dishes. Doing things in a very structured way doesn't mean that you're missing out on things. It's quite the opposite. You're experiencing everything that's happening at that moment. The smell of summer air changes from the morning when you're mowing, to the afternoon when you water the plants. I have to have my desk near a window so I can monitor the changes outside while simultaneously glaring into a computer screen. You have to catch each moment and brand it into your mind because you never know what phone call you'll receive an hour from now. When you're sitting in the hospital or where ever, you can remember for a moment, how all of those pine trees looked at 6:45am.

Did any of that make any sense? No? Okay, go outside and look at the snow.