Manhattan Sonata

Sorry I haven't posted in so long. X.x I haven't forgotten. It's just that the end of the semester was CARAZAY and break was boring. Now life it a bit more steady what with school beginning.

The end of the year though, was a mostly positive one. I turned into a hermit for the last couple weeks of the semester as I sat in the basement of Lehman Library for hours on end (we're talking 12+ per day) to study, only taking breaks for food. Not so fun. BUT, it paid off. I managed to do well on my exams and meet my goal of getting above a 3.5 for my first semester (although I'm slightly bitter about missing the dean's list by 0.03). I'm shooting for that 3.6 this semester. I'm fairly certain I can do it.

Also, I'm super excited to be taking on something that I never thought I'd have the opportunity to do this soon in the game. The Columbia Musical Theatre Society (whom I did some sound design stuff for last semester) is putting on Rogers and Hammersteins Cinderella this semester, and yours truly is going to be music directing! I'm very excited, as this means I'll be in charge of music rehearsals, pit rehearsals, and will be conducting the show. I miss conducting so much that I even bought my first baton. :) I'll let you know how this all goes as things progress.

With the new year, I initially made the resolution to take more risks, even if they're just little ones. I overthink situations way to much (this isn't exactly a secret) so I'm vowing to introduce a little bit of spontaneity to my life. This resolution holds true; however, the other night something else came to mind. I was watching Rent with my dear friend Rebekah, when, just after Seasons of Love finished playing, she said to me, "Y'know, we should all listen to that song every day. We would all be a lot happier." That gave me an idea. I sat down today and created a new playlist labeled "Songs to Listen to EVERY DAY." And I'm going to do just that. They're all songs that are uplifting reminders of how lucky we are to be on this Earth, or at the very least, songs that make me feel happy. I might not make it through the whole playlist every day, but I'm vowing to listen to at least some of it, be it actively or just while I'm working on my homework. I'm curious to see it's effect on me. I'm a generally happy person with no major complaints, but I have a feeling that this will make life even more worth it.

So, if you're interested, I encourage you to do the same thing. Don't put songs on it that talk about pain, sadness, or heartbreak (not that you shouldn't listen to those songs, just not on this playlist). Put songs that make you feel good. Songs that make you feel lucky to be alive and who you are. Songs that make you feel worth it. Even songs that just make you laugh or smile. And listen to a few of them EVERY DAY. As someone who believes very profoundly in the power of music, I'd be curious to see what effect it has on your life. For starters, here's my list (though I'm sure I'll add to it as I see fit):

"Seasons of Love" from RENT
"The Distance You Have Come" by Scott Alan
"Unwritten" by Natasha Bedingfield
"August's Rhapsody" from August Rush
"Keep Breathing" by Ingrid Michealson
"100 Years" by Five for Fighting
"Can't Take it In" by Imogen Heap
"Being Alive" from Company
"Say Goodbye" by Scott Alan
"That's How You Know" from Enchanted
"You Can't Stop the Beat" from Hairspray
"Nolita Fairytale" by Vanessa Carlton
"Can't Go Back Now" by The Weepies
"Goodbye" from I Love You Because
"Brave" by Idina Menzel
"Beautiful Day" by U2
"So Much Better" from Legally Blonde
"Love Today" by Mika
"Love, Save the Empty" by Erin McCarley
"I Wanna Have Your Babies" by Natasha Bedingfield
"Steer" by Missy Higgins
"Finale B" from RENT
"Louder than Words" from Tick...Tick...Boom!
"Air" by Georgia Stitt
"Music of Heaven" by Jason Robert Brown
"Defying Gravity" from Wicked
"Happiness" from You're a Good Man Charlie Brown