Midterms, break, and what comes next

It's midterm week, and all I want to do is sleep. This is an issue.

I have two papers, three exams, and an epic packing session to complete before I can get my burnt-out self back to Texas. Currently, I'm sitting in the Keep lounge with a French press full of coffee desperately attempting to get as many words down on paper as I can before dinnertime, when I will probably want to rip my hair out and scream at the top of my lungs...and it's only Monday. Bleargh.

It's pretty hard to believe that the semester's half over, especially because I remember writing this post like it was yesterday. Luckily, there's still a lot to look forward to in the coming months - things like my birthday, Oberlin's annual Folk Music Festival, the contra dancing extravaganza that we call the Dandelion Romp, and the numerous recitals and performances that I will attend and give. I actually had brunch on Sunday with the ultra-fabulous composition and politics major Mark Poliks in order to brainstorm about recital ideas. Both of us are really interested in pushing the boundaries of what is comfortable and conventional for a performer to do onstage, and I think that the things we came up with will end up turning out wonderfully. More on the recital soon, I promise.

This Spring Break, I'm taking it easy and spending the week at home. I've done a lot of traveling this year, and I thought that it would be a good idea to be able to spend some time in my own space with no obligations whatsoever. You know what's especially exciting? The weather's gonna look like this:

...which is nothing like the weather in Oberlin at the moment. I know it's only temporary, but it feels more like Scotland or Seattle today than the bright, sunny Ohio spring that I've been enjoying for the past couple of weeks.

The Belles are currently taking a short break from gigging until after Spring Break. It's been a pretty busy year for us, with the tour and all...so we decided that we would cut down on performance obligations until after we all got some time to spend with our families. After break, however, it all starts up again! We're going to continue our monthly shows at the Vine and Bean Cafe in Cleveland (they say we play "warm and tasty bluegrass," I say they have warm and ridiculously tasty cauliflower soup); we'll also be playing in Oberlin at the Feve, Agave, and the Cat in the Cream Coffeehouse.

Okay. Back to work I go. More coffee. More words. I can do this. Freedom is just around the corner!