Catch-up

Oh Mylanta, it has been a while!  I've had so many ideas for blogs in the past couple of months, but simply no time to sit and compose them!  My life as a student here at AMDA has become busy to the exclusion of almost everything else.  It is as though the fat has been trimmed from my lifestyle, so to speak, and I am now a lean, mean, musical theater machine.  Or at least I am well on my way to becoming one.  I was so exhausted and overworked during the first four weeks of the semester that I couldn't think of anything but flopping into bed at night when I finally got home, but I have thankfully adjusted to the fast pace, and this is becoming a new version of normal for me.  I even finally have a moment to sit down and write this blog post.
Because it has been so long, I think I'll continue with a few half-baked ideas that would have become full posts if I had had the time, so you can get an idea of what's been on my mind during my absence from the blogosphere. 

Item 1: Rest and Relaxation
The crucial turning point at the four-week mark this semester came out of a monumental shift in attitude.  Up until then, I had the idea that I am entitled to a certain amount of free time every week, and if I didn't get it I would be upset about how busy my life was and take free time for myself in a variety of ways such as procrastinating or all-out not doing my homework.  I was justified, I thought, for taking the free time I needed to keep my peace of mind.  It certainly didn't help that I didn't give a rat's ass about the grand majority of work that I did in college. 
Now, however, there is nothing I don't care about that I can cut from the agenda when the going gets rough, so I had no choice but to do it all, which did indeed make me very unhappy for several weeks until this breakthrough:  I am not entitled to any free time.  Of course I need rest and relaxation just as much as every other human being, but psychologically I cannot be always looking forward to and living for the next period of rest, be it an evening with my favorite TV shows, a night out on the town, or a weekend off for Thanksgiving.  There may be no breaks one week and loads of them the next, but I need to be able to keep going without pouting about how little free time I have.

Item 2: New Mass Translations
As my Catholic readers know, this past Sunday began the use of the third edition of the Roman Missal, with translations closer to the original Latin.  I know that there have been mixed reactions to this, but I am super super pumped!  I am all for the beautifying of the language surrounding the Eucharist, the most beautiful thing in the whole world!  And I love the idea of returning even closer to the roots of the Mass, the original Latin, which saints prayed for centuries.

Item 3:  CHRISTMAAAASSSSS!
Is coming!!!!!!!!  There are less than three weeks left!  AH!  Thanksgiving, as usual, has been only a teasing, tantalizing taste of the family, food, and fun that is to come... and I am excruciatingly excited about it all!  And meanwhile I get to revel in Christmastime in New York City. Who could ask for anything more?

Ok, there are more things, but I really have to get going.  I have songs and dances to rehearse for midterms this week and next!