things are, like, looking up, omigod!

Two things:

I've decided that, even if I get in, I don't want to go to McGill. I've sent them several emails requesting the status of my admission, asked questions of the professor, and left a phone message a two, NONE of which I've gotten answers for. The phone message and the emails to the admissions office do not bug me as much the fact that Prof Box has not responded to any of my queries, or even to my thank you note for the lesson. He's an awesome guy, and it sounds like he has a great studio, but I'm not sure I want to go through another session of schooling second-guessing my professor. If at some point I decide to reapply for graduate school, I'm looking for a professor who's going to be committed to my musical growth and not ignore me. A couple of other factors have led to my decision not to wait for McGill, and I'm still not sure that I'll be accepted.

That said, I went ahead and sent off emails to the various band directors in Texas that Chris provided me information for. Immediately, I got a response from one band director, followed by two others a while later, all positive, all requesting more information from me. One guy was extremely excited I knew Chris, and it seems that his good example has set a positive precedent for me. Thanks Chris! (Thanks also for the email full of exclamation points :)

So, something worked the way I wanted it to, for once. It looks like I'll be going to Dallas in the fall, maybe sooner depending on when Chris is moving and when the jobs here want to let me go. This is a good thing- I'll be immersed in music and trombone playing which means I might feel a little more excited about it. Even if I'm not, I'll have a source of income and a springboard from which to seek out other jobs I might be interested in having, dealing with feminism/activism and such. In the past couple of weeks my teaching experiences have been such that I realized I really enjoy it. Really. I've become invested in the success of my current students and the feedback from the directors has been all positive. Each day teaches me something new, and I'm becoming more adept at translating concepts into actions.

The other thing:

I have received in the mail today, 8 months late (but more than making up for it), my "birthday present" from Jerry.

The Complete Futurama Season Two DVD set. 19 episodes, at least 10 of which I've NEVER seen, replete with the hilarious David Cohen/Matt Groening audio commentary, deleted scenes, and other goodies that I cannot wait to discover this evening. Four discs of Futurama goodness. Lots of Richard Nixon jokes. I'm so set on entertainment value for the next week.

Thanks Jerry!