over: a long post for short year

If there's one cliche that has a lot of truth to it - it's that one piece of advice we've all heard a million times: "expect the unexpected." Right now, I'm sitting on a roll-away bed in a hotel room while my parents watch CNN shortly after moving out of my dorm. Room 514 of Wright Hall is empty, the door is bare (I took the name tags the RA put on it for sentimental reasons), and the keys are gone. Freshman year has come to an end, and summer is here.

When my last final crept up on me and I finally had to head to Biology at five o'clock last Friday, I couldn't believe it was over. And I was sad to think that I would be saying farewell to Belmont, Nashville, and friends from around the country just a few hours later. Summer didn't have the same "ring" to it and I didn't get that feeling of excitement that had taken over my entire brain, body, and central nervous system in years past. Essentially, I'd be saying goodbye to a new life I had created in the last nine months in Nashville and to a time of life that I'd never experience again - freshman year of college.

Now this is starting to sound cheesy, but I don't really care. Never again will we be 18-year-olds heading off to a new place to:
1) learn things we genuinely care about (provided that one's major pertains to what one loves),
2) start taking care of ourselves for the first time (...with the help of our parents wallets),
3) establish a complete new network of friends whom you have no prior background knowledge about (well, I didn't know anyone at Belmont before I came), and
4) ultimately begin to find out who you are personally (without mom and dad breathing down our necks).

When I said "expect the unexpected," I spoke from experience. I had no clue what I was getting into when I decided to go to Belmont. I had applied to the place on a whim (after I had found the school on Google), visited for the first time after I had been accepted, and enrolled in late April when the May 1st deadline was approaching and I decided that I had felt slightly more comfortable on Belmont's campus in comparison to the other nine schools I had applied to.

Considering these things, I'm glad Belmont was right. And for reasons unexpected.

I didn't expect to find such a good friend in my roommate. Although we had requested to be each others' roommates, we had only met once before school started. I think we both agree now that we had completely erroneous perceptions of each others' personalities before we moved in. Considering that, we worked pretty well. From late night conversations (she was good at telling when I had something on my mind) to spontaneous dance parties, no one could ever replace Molly.

I didn't expect to forge such solid friendships early on. I remember leaving town one weekend in mid-September and missing everyone so much after being gone for just a couple of days. When I got back and Jane and Molly Selbs sprinted to give me a welcome back hug, it felt as if I was seeing them for the first time in months, when in actuality I had only known them for less than a month. Now I feel like I've known everyone for years when I've only known them for nine months.

I didn't expect to have so many friends from Texas. But I also didn't expect to have friends from so many other places as well - Ohio, Georgia, California, and even Canada... just to name a few. I didn't expect to spend time with friends in so many different places outside of Nashville, either... from some random state park off I-40E (for a spontaneous camping trip one night) all the way to the Big Apple (for a three day weekend celebration).

In addition to these great things, I found a great church in a matter of weeks and classes went very well. I had the chance to enjoy a good number of concerts and experience a lot of what Nashville had to offer. But there were also some unexpected hard-times this year - I struggled with division between various friends and my roommate leaving Belmont. Very recently, Nashville was devastated by a disastrous flood (although I personally was not affected, the city and its population will be recovering for years to come). On a less serious note, I didn't expect Miley Cyrus to be my first celebrity sighting... how disappointing.

All things considered, Belmont was an adjustment - but a relatively easy one at that. I can't believe the year's over. I'm already missing everyone. But instead of looking back, like I've done in this ridiculously long post, I'm looking forward to a summer of growth - I'm excited to work at Kanakuk, to spend time with friends from home, to travel, to invest more time in my hobbies, and to enjoy simple pleasures.

love,
flat anneley (take me with you on your adventures)

living now

I've been pretty bad at updating this blog weekly (which was my original goal at the beginning of the semester) mainly because 1) I haven't been making time for it and 2) I haven't thought of interesting things to blog about.

When this week came about (last week of school), it was my intention to blog a sort of "recap" on the whole year. Freshman year has definitely been a whirlwind and lots of things in my life have changed - but the idea of writing a 'recap' and how I've changed, etc, got me thinking... how much time do we spend dwelling on the past? That is, remembering the good times and trying to forget the bad?

Think about it. A lot of this here blog just recaps past events. I was going to recap my entire year in this post, but decided not to (maybe in a couple weeks when I have more time to think about it). We all post photo albums and comment on them. We quote inside jokes from the 'good times.' When we have nothing to talk about with friends, we ask them what they did that day or how their week has been.

At the same time, we try to block out all the bad memories. I just got a gig as a photographer for a camp this summer, and when I was talking to my mom, she said "Just don't tell them about that time you dropped the camera at the middle school dance!" Horrible memories rushed to my head. I had blocked that night from my mind, and when she brought it up, I remembered it vividly - dropping the school camera, bawling my eyes out, having to explain to my yearbook teacher what happened. I hated that I remembered it and never wanted to think about it again. Even now, when it doesn't seem like that big of a deal, I don't want to think about it.

I don't really know what to think about this whole concept - people always say to "live in the present" when so much of our lives depends on what we've already done. What if we started anew everyday?

Just food for thought.

x
anne

bittersweet

in two weeks, I'll be driving home to texas at this hour. freshman year will be over.

it's bittersweet. it'll be hard to adjust to not seeing everyone everyday.

in the mean time, I have a different paper due every day this week. yikes.

I also need a job this summer.

x
anne

long time no see

Hello there!

It's been awhile. Life's been passing by fast. Sometimes it seems like lots of things have been happening, other times it feels like I'm wasting the days away.

Yesterday was the epitome of a perfect day - because there was no agenda. Selbs and I went to Grimey's for Record Store Day (and dropped some cash on some gems - most notably the Monsters of Folk self-titled album on clear blue vinyl, which I'm listening to now). The rest of the day was literally spent without a care on our minds... we looked at the calendar and calculated that we had not had a chill saturday since around, hmm, February. That was awhile ago.

I've made it a habit to spend hours on the quad almost every day... I'll settle in next to my tree, listen to tunes, and chat with those who come and go. I'll say hello to someone when they're on their way to class. It's almost guaranteed I'll be in the exact same spot when they get out of class. I might be getting a little more tan. That may be an exaggeration. The sun has had an effect on my attitude, though - it simply just makes me happier and more energized. Must be that Vitamin D.

Lots has happened recently... finally housing is settled for next year (TK '10... whoop), went to North Carolina for Easter, had a summer job fall through, went camping spontaneously, celebrated National High Five Day. Tomorrow, I'm volunteering for the Nashville Film Festival, Tuesday I'm recording Selbs for my final recording technology project, Wednesday I'm seeing My Morning Jacket, this weekend is Best of the Best Showcase, and in just three weeks I'll be back home in Dallas for the summer. In the meantime, I've got a case brief to write, a five page paper and a couple of three pagers. All in good time.

Hope all is well with everyone. The weather is just shy of 70 and sunny here in Nashville... another perfect day, they keep piling up (Ahead of the Curve - Monsters of Folk).

Sincerely,
Anne

P.S. Be sure to buy my friend Emily Reid's new single on iTunes called "Out of My Hands." It's great. You can also see a ton of videos of my friends' performances on my vimeo account: www.vimeo.com/annefogerty.

music overload

Last Wednesday in my recording technology class we nixed any note taking plans on the syllabus and headed straight towards a discussion to find the answer to a question that is continuously circulating throughout the realm of the music business today: why is the music business falling apart, and what can we do to fix it?

People have come up with a number of plausible answers to this question – at least the first part. We can blame iTunes, record labels, and uneducated consumers all we want – and they are at fault to an extent. However, in the end, it seems like it may all boil down to what the business revolves around – the music.

Is there too much music out there? Technology has done wonders for the business, and nowadays, any old average Joe or Jane can put his or her tunes up on the web for all to hear. Ahhh, but there’s the problem – any old average Joe or Jane can get his or her music out to consumers. Even when the music is, let’s say, average. Back in the day, our grandparents didn’t scour the internet looking for obscure talented artists. Now, it’s trendy to do just that, and because there’s so much music out there, we don’t necessarily feel the need to pay for all of it (guilty as charged). How many of us can say we honestly listen to everything that is on our iPod?

New technology and tools musicians are using to record – whether it’s in a dorm room or a studio – are making it harder to find the good stuff as well. You can fix any shortcomings with the click of a button. A mediocre artist has the opportunity to sound stellar (case in point: Taylor Swift). It’s a bit like a false ad. You hear something, and thus expect that quality when you hear the artist live, only to find out that they don’t have “it.”

Music has become like a thrift store: we have to sort through all the crap to find the good stuff. Record Labels complain about consumers only buying singles. Maybe that wouldn’t be a problem if the artist could create an entire album that is just as good as that one song.

On that note, I saw a lot of artists that proved themselves this past weekend. First off, I went to an in-store show at Grimey’s featuring “The Civil Wars” – a duo with killer harmonies. Afterwards, I headed to Hotel Indigo to see Jane, Emily, and Ben perform. They were amazing. Jane closed the show with a new song, Thinking Clear, that Ben sang harmony on. I’ll let the performance speak for itself:

.

Jane also had a stellar performance of her song “Suddenly.” Unfortunately, a good number people were casually late and missed it. You can see it here:

I have a few videos of Emily as well that will be up in about week (my quota on my vimeo is full at the moment and it won’t let me upload anymore).

On Saturday, Molly Selby and I drove to Knoxville to catch a couple of shows that were part of the Big Ears Festival. We saw a group known as The 802 Tour (802 referencing the area code of Vermont where they’re from) first. They were… interesting. Some things I appreciated (Sam Amidon and his folksy voice), other things I did not (attributing noise to be music).

What we really drove to Knoxville for was Sufjan – yes, I saw him in the flesh. We agreed that it wouldn’t even matter if he sang, as long as we could look at his face for an hour. Fortunately, he sang. And played piano. And played banjo. He was performing as a special guest with the band Clogs. Every musician in this band was what you would call a true musician (I mean, they got Sufjan to perform with them, which says something). Sufjan only played one of his songs – Barn Owl, Night Killer – but the trip was well worth the three-hour drive there and back. Now I can’t wait to see him perform an entire sets’ worth of his songs.

Last night was truly a treasure. Joanna Newsom performed at the Mercy Lounge, but more importantly, Robin Pecknold opened for her. Robin Pecknold may not be a household name, but Fleet Foxes is, and Robin is the lead singer of Fleet Foxes. He played a variety of covers, Fleet Foxes songs, and brand new originals that he had never performed live before. If you hear the lyric “Oh man what I used to be, oh man, oh my, oh me” on the next Fleet Foxes album, I’ll be privileged to say, like those trendy hipster kids, that I was one of the first to hear that one live. Joanna was great as well (very different), but my true love was for Robin.

Considering I went to five different shows this weekend, it’s obvious that there’s plenty of good music out there for all ears to hear. I don’t mind excessive amounts of the good stuff, but maybe the people without the talent should make way for those who have it.

I hope everyone has a great Easter this coming Sunday – we truly are blessed to be living like we do in this day in age.

Sincerely,

Annedroid

happy spring

It's friday and I'm sitting in my den snacking on cheese 'n crackers. I like that. But what's more exciting is what has led up to this monumental climax of cheese 'n crackers.

this week has been the perfect break. a little bit of high class partying at the deb ball, a little bit of casual relaxation at the ranch, and a bit of winding down at home. couldn't have asked for anything better. I'll let some photos speak for themselves.

The decorations at the Helping Hands Crystal Ball.

Dinner at the Ball!
Getting our dose of the Alamo on the way down to the ranch Sunday afternoon.

Monday morning walk to the river...

Just hanging in our favorite spot... a miniature cave on the river.

Oh, you know, just soaking up the beauty of Texas.

Exploradoras

Cool cross at the top of the hill at the ranch... looks even cooler lit up at night.

This is where we spent the majority of our time... just a few steps down from the house.

Laying out on the river (pre-Lindsay's burn).

Kayaking the Nueces... there were a few struggles but be made it all the way.

Final group shot before we left the ranch.

On the way back to Austin... windows rolled down the entire time, 84 degrees.

It was a jolly ole time, and I can't wait until we get to do something like this again. come sunday, I'll be back in nashville rockin 'n rollin... and when life seems to drag, I'll think about spring break 2010.

hope everyone has had/will have a wonderful spring break

xx

(slightly) tanner

(p.s. all of these pics were taken from my friends' cameras... thanks friends)

goodbye winter

Goodbye winter. I know you don't want to go because the ground is still wet from your snowy tears. I'm sorry, but it just isn't working out. The sun is calling me, and I'm going to Texas. When I get back, you better be gone for good.

It's still freezing here in Nashville. It keeps snowing, even though it's not sticking anymore. Needless to say, I'm going to back to Texas for spring break! In just two days until I'll be making my way to Austin.

Last weekend I got to go to Lindsay's home in Ohio. The ground was covered with snow when we got there and stayed for the weekend. I loved getting to go see where she grew up and spending time in her home with her parents and pets (ellie, cricket, and fat mike - the biggest cat I've ever laid eyes on).

On Friday night we went to see the CCM's (Cincinnati Conservatory of Music) musical, Anything Goes. It was a pleasant surprise when I found out a friend from home, Christine (who is a freshman at CCM), was in the show! CCM did a great job and it was great to see Christine perform with other equally talented actors. We talked briefly after the show.

I'm officially two weeks into my facebook/twitter fast, and I'm loving it! It actually has been that difficult. I spend my time doing other things that are actually more enjoyable than surfing people's profiles (although that can be a lot of fun sometimes).

The past couple of weeks have been productive but not that exciting... hence the lack of words on this thing here called a "blog." I'm reaching for words here - and for that, I'm sorry. When I think of something that might be mildly interesting to expound upon I'll be sure to share.

Peace, Love, and Texas,

annexious