The Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Merry Christmas, everyone!

Just lounging at Grandpa & Grandma's house reflecting on the last semester (3.5 months) of my life. Wow, a lot has changed!

"Life is a process of becoming, a combination of states we have to go through. Where people fail is that they wish to elect a state and remain in it."
- Anais Nin

Change is a good thing. It means growth; prosperity.

Go through life with God taking control and you will ultimately be brought happiness!

I know this, because in these last few months, God has truly blessed me. My life has literally been turned around from days on end of depression, sadness, and turmoil into utter and complete happiness and joy. My faith has been restored. I have met amazing people who have helped me through a lot of things, and the future has a way of arriving unannounced =)

I'll let you into a little pocket of my life - approximately a week and a half ago I was in tears (again) lying in my bed. My best friend and roommate at college, Jade, had just left for back home to L.A., and my other roommate was moving out of our room. Which meant I still had three days in Boston where I'd be pretty much alone because all my other friends were going home that day.

(I know...boo-hoo...but I was down in the dumps.)

I had been having a tough last month because George and I finally severed all ties, and ended our one-year relationship. Which while it is a very good thing and it needed to be done, you can't help but feel sad about the whole situation and how things got so screwed up. But he was a previous chapter in my life - someone who helped me grow up and realize the qualities I didn't want in a person. I was finally ready to start a new chapter in my life. And my, was it going to be exciting! I was determined to be happy again - with myself, with Berklee, and with my life.

That Wednesday after Jade left, I called my mom:

(Sobbing...) "Mom, I don't know what I'm going to do these next few days. Jaaaade left...she was my best friend... I'm really going to miss her! My other friend couldn't meet with me today. Now all I have are a bunch of finals and those are no fun. And I'm supposed to go sing at this thing tonight, my R&B styles lab teacher sent us an email saying we had to come."

"Jourdan, things are going to be alright. Go to this thing tonight - I'm sure you'll have fun. I love you and can't wait to see you on Saturday. Try to have a good night, okay?"

"Alright. Thanks. Love you too. Bye."

So after that, laying in my bed, I decided to pray again. I had been doing this a lot lately, and I have really been trying to get back into my faith with God. I hadn't yet found a church in Boston, and I really wanted to. I didn't care what type of Christian church it was - only that I could surround myself with other worshipers and believers in Christ.

Okay, God. I'm going to put my life in Your hands. You know I've been going through a tough time lately...please send someone in my life to make me happy again. I want to start over - my future is full of possibilities! Please, Lord, help these three days go by a little fast so I'm not so lonely. Amen.

I fell asleep, not setting an alarm. Something (or Someone =P) woke me up right at 7:25 - five minutes before the jam session started. Ehhhh...I thought. Do I really have to go to this? YES, Someone answered.

So I hopped up out of bed, picked one of my favorite holiday songs - "Merry Christmas, Baby" - a jazzy, bluesy, fun song to sing, and went downstairs.

When I entered room B16, it was not what I had expected. There was a table of food, and lots of people! I had expected only the kids in my class - but this was over twenty people. My teacher saw me, smiled, and announced, "You're gonna sing tonight!" I blushed, and nodded sure. There was a full band of kids, and we all started singing great oldies together. Kids took turns at the microphone, and it was fun dancing around and being a background singer. I didn't really recognize anyone there, but I felt the love. These were nice people.

Then it was my time to sing. I handed out my song to the band, and they started the groove. It was rockin'!!! I was really happy, and just let go. Something about that performance made it perfect. I wasn't really trying, yet it sounded great. I had a really fun time, and after I was done, everybody clapped.

I sat down, feeling accomplished, and started eating some chips. That's when I saw him - what was his name again? Oh yeah...Josh! I had met him once a couple months ago in my dorm - he had come in with some other guys wanting to check out my Dream Theater merch on my wall and meet me. He was standing there hopping around, playing bass. I remember at that moment, watching him with the biggest smile on his face, Wow...this is what Berklee is all about. People playing because they LOVE it. He really has the passion and love for his instrument. That's awesome.

Afterward, I saw Josh again and told him he did a great job. He smiled, and said thanks. "I really like your dress," he said.

I smiled, "Thanks." Then I remembered why I was here in the first place. To meet new people and start that new chapter in my life.
"Hey...if you want to hang out later, I'm in room 613. My roommates all left, so I've been a little lonely with no friends to talk to."
"Sure, sounds cool."
"Okay great. Well I'll see you around!"

I left, and headed up to my room. To tell you the truth, I kinda forgot about what I had told him. Josh was a really cool guy - he knew everybody and was really nice - so I thought he was probably just being polite he said he'd maybe stop by.

Hanging in my room, my neighbor Tom stopped by to say hi and we were chatting. T.S. was also there with a couple of her friends, and they started talking about Josh. "He's that cute Puerto Rican boy!" said one of them. "Yeah...mmm." said another. I was surprised - even they knew him! Wow, maybe he had just texted them telling them he would stop by to say hi. It would be funny for him to see that it was my room, too.

All of a sudden, there's a knock at the door. "JOSH!!!" they all yelled when he came in. I smiled and said "Hey", Tom also introduced himself. I was confused as to whether Josh had come to hang out with me or with those girls.

He had two bottles of water in his hands. "Hey...is anybody thirsty?" he asked, "I have an extra water." One of T.S.'s friends snatched it up and said "Thanks". I was going to say I had wanted it since I had just sang, but I didn't want to interrupt. I could tell that those girls liked him.

After that, Tom left, and I invited Josh over to my side of the room to check out my new songs that I had written on GarageBand. He smiled and told me he really liked them, and even helped me mix them. The girls left, and Josh and I got to talking. It turns out he's actually from PERU, not Puerto Rico (lol)...and he's a Libra. Haha. We compared Libra with Gemini and every astrology page on the internet told us that we were the perfect fit - soulmates, actually. We looked at each other awkwardly, and laughed. What's going on?

We ended up spending the entire night up together, talking about our lives and what our goals were in life. Turns out, we both want to open a music school for underpriveleged kids when we get older, so that any child - no matter what their social or monetary background - can get an equal musical education. He's also very Christian, and has great morals and values. He told me about a church he goes to here in Boston, and said he would be more than delighted to bring me to a service when we got back. Both of us were also very familiar with worship songs, and were singing them together all night. =) We found out we had a lot more in common than we thought!

Josh also told me that he wasn't the committing type. He had never had a serious girlfriend, and he was really afraid of ever getting one.

The night went on (to early morning), and we were still just hanging in my room. We have a deeper connection, I can feel it, I thought. I asked him what he thought, and he said, "I can definitely feel a connection between us. I don't know what it is...I've never felt this before."

I knew that he wasn't into commitment, so I didn't want to push anything. He kept telling me that he didn't know the first thing about relationships, and didn't know how to be a good boyfriend. I said, "Just forget about it then...whatever", and we walked to Tedeschi's together (this was now 4am).

In the store, he asked me what I thought about PDA in public. I said, "Well, if you're comfortable and you like someone, I don't see the problem with a little peck or holding hands." He then looked me in the eyes, and asked, "Does it go a little something like this?" ...then he kissed me!

It was the sweetest thing ever. From there on, we hung out those last three days...it was amazing (more details later!). When it was time for his bus to leave for New York, I was really sad to see him go. He kissed me and told me that he'd be thinking and dreaming about me the whole time and he couldn't wait until we'd be back again. Ever since then, we've been talking on the phone and texting non-stop. He finally asked me out, and we changed our "statuses" together on Facebook!!! It was so cute, and I know it was a big step for him. I'm so proud of you, Josh!

There is no remedy for love but to love more.

I'm finally happy again. I have a new outlook on life. God has come through to show me His true power time and time again, always answering my prayers or teaching me an important lesson in some way.

I'm so excited for what's to come next!!!

"People grow through experience if they meet life honestly and courageously. This is how character is built."
- Eleanor Roosevelt

New Music!

Can be found at my music myspace!

Okay, so sorry about not posting lately, but if you knew what happened, you'd understand. Basically, my last post (that doesn't show up on here...the 10 things I've learned...) was SUPER-LONG and I put so much thought into it and everything. THEN it got deleted. I don't know how or why, but like 4 pages of typing got totally deleted so I was really angry and never have posted something else for fear of it deleting.

Anyyyway, I think I'm over it now. Still having fun at Berklee...a lot has changed! Classes are finally getting a little tougher! And I have a job! More soon. xoxo

Listen to my song, and let me know what you think!

-jourdanjustine

10 Things I've Learned So Far...

48 degrees out here.

I don't care if my fingers are numb while I'm typing this outside on Mass. Ave curving around the Berklee building. I'M IN LINE TO GET TICKETS TO AN EXCLUSIVE CLINIC WITH JOHN MAYER!!!!!


Booya.
Hell, I'm from Minnesota. The cold doesn't bother me one bit =P


p.s. Here's a picture of my awesome music bedding =]

You're going to have to Change...

Watch this: Someone found out how Cris Angel (the master magician who levitates between buildings) levitates. This is crazy!



What do you think??

On another note...my apple jacks are back today! Yay, I was so happy I almost ate two bowls.

I'm also officially in the Berklee Chamber Choir (we had tryouts and everything)...and they put me as a Soprano I!!! Whaa? Okay...I'm gonna have fun hittin' those high notes.

Breaking up sucks. I'm pretty sure that this time its it...you have to trust your significant other with your life, or the relationship won't last.

Christmas is coming soon...

...and I love these rain/snow boots!

(I would need a size large/9 and you can get them here)

Hehe =]


Oh c'mon aren't they cute?

P.S. MY APPLE JACKS STILL AREN'T BACK YET!!!

Yea & Nay @ Berklee

So...I'm going to "rate" and describe all the classes I'm currently taking for two reasons:
1. It's a good way for you guys to experience a week in my life here.
2. I'm extremely bored.

I just finished my classes today, and don't have anything else planned today. It's been raining hard all day long, and it's just plain icky outside. So - inside I stay!

Here we go (hopefully some of my teachers don't read this!), and I'll post some pictures along the way, too =]...

Private Lesson - Duane Moody
Mondays @ 2:00pm
Don't know how this one is yet, because I haven't had a lesson with him. He's been in Germany singing in an opera for the past three weeks. But like his surname, I think that may be his character, based on the emails I've received from him. Here's an exerpt:

"Hello everyone: This message is not for everyone.... What are we waiting for people, a personal invitation? As if you haven't gotten one already. Sign up for your make up lessons TODAY!!! Stop waiting 'til the last minute to do things. And when you do sign up for your make up lessons, please sign up as I requested you to. I have noticed that some of my Monday students have signed up for 3 seperate half hour lessons. I specifically said for my Monday students to sign up for a complete hour and a seperate half hour, and I informed my Tuesday and Wednesday students to sign up for a complete hour. Why are folk signing up for two seperate half hour lessons? I do not wish to think that I have students who can't follow direction. Use the brain you have and if you don't understand, ASK questions. I gave you all my personal numbers and personal e-mails. NO excuses.

You know what I'm going to say, right? KEEP PRACTICING YOUR BREATHING EXERCISES. I know all of you have not been doing this, but trust me, doing those breathing exercises will only help to elongate your career, i.e., the 40 year plan as compared to the 5 year plan. Also, learn as much music as you possibly can and have the songs prepared for me to hear them so we can decide if these songs are right for your vocal instrument. DON'T JUST WORK ON YOUR POP/R&B/GOSPEL, ETC. MUSIC!!! Go to the traditional vocal rep books in English that are on the reserve in the library. Try to sing the melodies of these songs. If you are not good at reading music, then listen to recordings of this music. BERKLEE IS NOT THE ONLY LIBRARY IN BOSTON PEOPLE. I am not interested in charts, I work on your instrument, but if you wish to chart out a song for me to overview it and to see if it is correct, DO IT. Even if you don't feel like it, DO IT anyway. Take initiative, be assertive and aggressive. TIME WAITS FOR NO ONE!!! Learn that lesson QUICKLY!! In other words, don't waste your time in the first two weeks of class thinking about what you should bring to your first lesson. Also, check the voice department handbook and see what Vaccaii or Concone lessons you should prepare for your semester proficiency and LEARN IT. I did not say memorize it, I said learn it.

You all are adults, I don't think I need to hold your hand to help you figure out what you need to have prepared for your proficiencies. If you think my e-mails are too long and drawn out, get over it, I type fast so I can type more than the average person. And the main reason why I type so much, is because I need to explain myself fully, so that I cover my own ass. It's what adults do. LEARN IT!!! See you all in your lesson times. Peace and much love. Mr. Moody"

Daaang. He sounds partially hilarious, though. I think I'll like him =]

My friend Dann and I

Rhythm Section Grooves for Voice - Paul Pampinella
Mondays @ 9:00am
This class is okay. It's definitely not my favorite, but I'm learning new things in it so that's good. Basically, each week we bring in a handwritten lead sheet (which are chords, the beats in each measure, key, lyrics, etc. and main melody line to give to the band so they can play it for you). You also count off the band and cut them off at the end when you're done performing your song for the rest of the class.

It's really good practice for performing in front of an audience, too, because there are about 7 kids in the class and you know they're all judging you. =P
And Paul gives good criticism on our lead sheets and critique - so then we learn to fix it and next week we can do better. He's the kind of teacher who's really blunt, however, so a lot of people don't like him. Yeah, he's not the "bubbly" type, but he's good at his job: teaching. Surprisingly, when I sang last week and I finished, he said, "Great! I have nothing else to say...good job." (Everybody stared in awe as I sat down, lol).

"Pimp Tom" - haha don't ask!

Performance Skills/Background Singer - Janice Pendarvis
Mondays @ 6:30pm
Why hello, my least favorite class! Or should I say dreadfully hated. Basically, Janice is not good at her job. She supposedly flies in on a plane every Monday to teach us and always has an excuse about how her plane arrived late and she couldn't get our stuff copied to hand out and she always has a mess of papers. And to top it all off, she babbles on about nothing, and hasn't teached us a thing. In the class we're supposed to be singing three-part harmony (like backup singers), and she is STILL working on putting us in groups! How hard can this be, people? And last Monday she spent the entire hour focusing on one kid and how he can't match pitch and she was working with him the whole hour. I've concluded that if you live far enough away where you have to take a PLANE to get there, you should NOT be teaching there. Period.

At the "Baw-stuhn Haw-bah" with Mom, Tay, and Grams!

Ear Training I - Kaye Kelly
Mondays/Wednesdays/Fridays @ 3:10pm
Okay, after the worst is over comes one of the best! I love ear training! It really does depend on the teacher if you enjoy a class or not. If you don't enjoy the subject and the teacher doesn't teach it well, you don't want to learn. Even if it's a subject you don't particularly like, but the teacher's great, you end up loving the class! (More examples about that later).

Anyway, in ear training we basically study solfege (do, re, mi, fa, sol, etc...), and therefore learn to sight-sing songs using that technique. We develop our "ear", and learn to hear intervals, different notes, and the tonal quality of them all. We also practice dictation - which is writing down on staff paper what we hear. All we normally get before we start is the key and the number of measures. I personally think it's pretty easy, because I've grown up doing this all my life with choirs and AP Music Theory in high school, but some kids really struggle with it. Everyone in that class is really fun, though, and Kaye is an awesome teacher. By the second day she knew all of our names, and really takes the time and patience to make sure everybody understands what we're learning.

My class is advanced, so we move through the chapters pretty quick. We're already at sight-singing and dictating 16th notes, which are crazy quick.

Kaye is also a singer/songwriter herself - you can check her myspace out here and her webpage here.

Shopping in the city with Jade & Dann

Writing Skills - David Zoffer
Tuesdays/Thursdays @ 9:10am
Eh. Not much to say about this class but that it's my second-least-favorite. The teacher is always late, and he's dressed like he JUST got out of bed - not combing his scraggly hair with a pre-mature balding head...definitely never shaving...and his clothes are of pajama-type material. Even though the class is early, even I try to look my best! And I'm the student!

Fashions aside, David Zoffer assumes we know how to write notes, legatos, all the phrasings and markings, etc. already and moved promptly onto bass and drum notation the first day. Since then, he's given us assignments that we don't know how to do, and doesn't explain it well. He also has the handwriting of a 4-year-old...NOT even kidding! It's really that bad. Just to write out a measure of music takes him about 6 erasures to get it looking not-quite-decent. He can play piano though, I'll give him that.

Standing in the Frog Pond in the Boston Common (it turns into an ice rink in the winter!) =]

History of Art 2 - Ross Bresler
Tuesdays @ 10:10am/Thursdays @ 2:10pm
Ross is absolutely AMAZING! This class ties for my favorite along with Harmony. The way he teaches makes you really want to learn about art. This is my biggest class - with about 30 kids in this large room - and there's a humongous overhead in the front where he displays slides of the paintings we're studying (right now we're in 1400 Italy and 1500 Flemish) and talks about them with passion and ferver. He can be so hilarious - talking to himself (yet at the same time giving us a lecture), swearing at the paintings or the artists for doing certain things, etc. Basically, he puts on an act for us every day on his "stage". It's really fun, and I really have started to look at art in a different way now. We take a trip to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston every other week too =]

More friends!

R&B Styles Lab - Larry Watson
Wednesdays @ 11:10am
Except for the first day, when Larry went on a rant about how black people are born more musically talented than white people and started all types of music - which white people just copied off of (note that this class is full of 5 white female students, including me)...he's been an okay teacher.

The class is really fun, and every week we prepare a gospel/r&b piece that has to be memorized, and then we bring sheet music for the (cute) accompianist to play. It's really laid back and relaxed, and last week I sang "Love Finds Its Own Way" by Gladys Knight and the Pips. He told me it was a great choice of song, and next week we all have to come back with a Gladys Knight or Dionne Warwick song.

Nadia, Jade, and I about to embark on a quest for kettlecorn!

Harmony I - Omar Thomas
Wednesdays/Fridays @ 2:10pm
I think I've raved and ranted about this class enough already, but I'll add a little more. My favorite class EVER, Harmony with Omar Thomas is a great learning experience for me. I now look at music in a totally different way than before!!! This is so much fun...discovering all there is to music and all it has to offer - there's just sooo much more out there than just the melody, harmony, and words we hear on the radio.

I cannot believe all there is to discover with just a simple song. Triads and chords now mean a LOT in the whole scheme of things. I have a feeling by the end of this semester my ear is going to be a million times better than it was before I came here, and I'm going to be able to listen to a song on the radio, tell what key its in, and tell what its chord progression is! Be ready to test me!

My class is also really laid back and fun. Everyone has a sense of humor, and some kids just yell stuff out randomly and we all start laughing - even Omar. We have "piano tests" - where we sit at the piano in front of everyone and play out different scales to get the fingerings and sharps/flats right. It's pretty easy, as long as you know what key you're in! Other than that, we listen to popular songs, namely Coldplay, Dave Matthews Band, and "Hide and Seek" by Imogen Heap - I love that song =]

Having fun and getting into trouble at the hat store =]

(okay, I'm trying to do a rainbow theme here for the titles if you haven't noticed, but I've run out of colors. forgive me, please!)

At Revere Beach, a couple T stops from Boston

Intro to Music Technology - David Doms
Fridays @ 11:10
I seriously cannot keep my eyes open in this class. It's not that the class is bad, it's just that the teacher's voice puts me to sleep. NOT EVEN KIDDING!!! I try sooo hard to listen and pay attention, but just the droning way he speaks drifts my mind elsewhere. Not to mention he always has the lights off, and that definitely doesn't help.

Anyway, the first class was a joke. He talked about computers and how they work and make our lives easier. Stuff like copy/paste, download, etc. C'mon!!! All the students here have grown up in Generation X - where technology has always been a part of our lives. But now we're moving on to Garage Band and how to use it and stuff like that. No biggie. I think this class will be a breeze compared to the others even if I'm not always completely able to stay awake =]

Best Friends Forever! My roommate Jade =]

Hanging out by the Harbor and Quincy Market

I think this one explains itself =P

WOW I just realized this was a realllly long post! Well if you read it, I hope it was worth it! Comment about what you think about it. More lata.

-jourdanjustine

They Disappeared...

...yes. My apple jacks! The freakin' DAY I write about them in here, they're gone and replaced with (cough, cough...ICK) Lucky Charms! Is this a sign? I was stuck eating those tonight, which wasn't fun. I want my fruity o's back, please!

Oh well. More important things on my plate to worry about. Like choosing another song to sing for Monday's Rhythm & Grooves Ensemble and writing out the lead sheet which takes a long time. And running to the Museum of Fine Arts on my own time and studying the art there and picking one to write a paper about. OR maybe the fact that in Writing Skills I have a "score" to write out with at least 16 bars of a bass and drum groove, which I'm not very good at writing out. I do not PLAY bass and drums! All the little x's and whatnot for the drums are confusing, because I'm not good at rhythm. I guess I'm gonna have to learn, though!

So all of those things are due in the next week or so...I better start studying now!

Anyways, last night was really fun. Being in the Berklee Chamber Choir, we went to Old South Church in Boston (built in the 1600's and gorgeous!) and sang with the touring Ateneo Chamber Singers from the Philippines. They are so amazing! We sang two songs together. Here's one of them, "You Raise Me Up", with a 7th semester guy singing the solo part: Harmony class is so amazing...my teacher really shines a new light on chord progressions and makes me think of music in a totally different way (a great one!) I really love to listen to songs now and hear what roman numeral chord is playing...haha I sound like a freak!!! Oh well. I'm at MUSIC college, what do you expect?

You've also gotta learn to be tough in this city. Many a times Jade and I will be walking around and a homeless person will yell for money or some weird guy will come up to me and be like, "Hey sexy, can I wash yo dishes?" WTF? Haha, it's like, scary yet funny at the same time. We just ignore them and walk away. Tonight though when I was walking home from the gym I was on the phone with Jade and these guys walked by me and were like, "Hey you!" They were walking the opposite way, so they said that just as they passed me. But anyway, I ignored them and kept talking on the phone, and they yelled, "What are you doing tonight?" then after no reply and I kept on walking fast (I was literally steps away from the Berklee entrance) the one yelled, "Too busy, huh?" I would have to say that was the scariest encounter yet because I was without Jade. I know how to hold my own though and really think that I could get out of a situation if need be. Hopefully that will never happen though! I love Boston - it's a great city - but there are always creepers in every city.

More later!
-jourdanjustine

College Life.

I am proud to say that in the month since I've been here at Berklee, I have eaten a bowl of Apple Jacks at EVERY SINGLE meal. No kidding! Some kids are on a Ramen "diet" at college...and I'm, well...on an Apple Jacks one. I haven't even gotten sick of them yet, that's crazy. I still crave every last bite of those yummy green and orange o's. =]

Yes, Mom - I Miss You Too!!!

I forgot to mention in the previous post that I dearly miss my mom, dad, sister, and rest of my family, too! (Of course you guys knew that already; it was subconsciously implied). Here are a few pics of mom, me, Taylor (15-year-old sister), and Grams when they took me to Boston and dropped me off! It was a great time...from episodes on the "T" - (you know what I'm talking about!) to long walks on the beach and Targets. HAHAHA. Please don't ask why I'm awake right now - thanks, guys! I'm headed to the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston at 10am today with my Art History class, that should be exciting.

Have a good one...that's all for early this morning =]

Missing You...

This is the longest time I've ever been away from my boyfriend George, and I'm really sad about it!

Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love it here in Boston. I love the school, the friends, the city...but it's just not the same without George here. Our one-year anniversary is approaching November 2nd, and we're not going to be able to spend it together =[

Good news though, is that I'm coming home in a couple weeks so we can finally be together again! Only for a weekend, but it'll definitely help. I miss my baby!

Above is a pic of us on my 18th birthday...I miss his beautiful smile, and I can't wait to be held again =]

So this weekend was a BORE. Nothing exciting happened at all, except on Saturday "morning" Jade and I woke up at 3pm writhing in pain from our bodies throbbing in every muscle possible. That workout sure did a number to us!!! Seriously, it still hurts really bad right now, and it's Sunday night.

All we did Saturday was take the T to Boston Common and went to see "The Dark Knight" at the Loew's Theatre. It was really fun - we went with a couple friends, and even though it was my fifth or sixth viewing of it, Jade had fun watching it for the first time. Bryce totally lunged at her during a scary part, and she screamed soooo loud and jumped out of her seat into mine!!! Haha...then we ended up walking all the way home down Boylston because it was too late - the T had shut down for the night. Good times.

Today, we woke up at 4:30pm! Crazy. Then we went to "breakfast/lunch/dinner" in the cafeteria and after that went shopping down Boylston and Newbury. We brought Dann (our next-door-neighbor in the dorms and really good friend) along because he was really down today because him and his girl are having troubles. Poor Dann =[ I found some good workout clothes and tennis shoes, so I'm really pleased with myself.
Then we went to Teriyaki House - our favorite restaurant here so far - and got some...yes you guessed it!...teriyaki chicken. Yum!

So now I'm sitting here at my desk, and I have a few things left to do before school tomorrow. I have my first private lesson with my vocal teacher tomorrow! Sorry this was kinda a boring post, but I'll have more exciting things to say later!

-jourdanjustine

Why Am I Awake Right Now?

Why? Because I'm on a sugar-high from all of the heaps of apple cinnamon oatmeal and sparkling apple cider (that looks like a wine bottle) I just ate and drank to be "merry" with my friends. Cool, right? Ha. What a great Friday night.

We really are good kids though...hell, it's college and we've never drank or even been to a party! What is with that?! Going to the gym, then staying in the dorm and studying/surfing the web. Grandmas do more than that. =P

Well, speaking of the gym, Jade and I had an INTENSE workout today! It was a group class called "Body Defined" - gosh, we shoulda known from the name that it would be crazy. Starting with standing on a half-a-ball-thingy (I guess it's called a bosu ball?) while using 5 and 8-pound weights, we lifted, thrusted, toned, and twisted our bodies in every possible position to upbeat RHCP and other tunes. My face was beat red by minute three. Poor Jade and I tried so hard to keep up with it...we were laughing so hard at ourselves trying to do lunges while stepping on towels and slipping. Good girl-bonding moments...=]

Anyways - we got done and felt accomplished with ourselves. It was an hour long of straight workout. Then we sat in the spa for awhile, conversed about religion in the world (random), and headed home.

(Side note: Conveniently placed on our walk to and from Healthworks is a Coldstone Creamery, and two college girls with very little willpower drool every day strolling by).

Henceforth, Jade gave me the eyes that said "Let's go in there NOW!" and I seriously passed it and tried sooo hard to resist it while complaining, "Jade! Please! We just worked out!" And then a black guy looked at us, yelled, "What the hell?! Eat some!", so the choice was decided - we were back for another snack.

Luckily, I made us only get ONE SMALL CUP, and I only took THREE BITES (go me!) C'mon guys...this is a hard thing to do. Very hard. And for Jourdan Rystrom? Even more difficult. I'm beginning to gain the willpower I need to make it through this life!

Haha, you guys all probably think I'm a fitness freak, but I swear I've never worked out in my life until this last week! It's crazy - I think I'm high on life because of all the endorphins flooding through my body.

School was great today. Started out with boring Music Tech, but then the sun came out, it was beautiful again, and Harmony was a blast. My teacher is sooo awesome - he plays piano all the time and teaches us just the right way so we all can understand. He's also really "hip" - he's fresh out of college and wears a leather jacket and a key around his neck. Haha. Whatever floats your boat, dude.

Anyways, we're studying chord progressions now (with roman numerals), and Berklee has a new roman numeral system so I'm kinda screwed up. They don't use lowercase numerals (ii, iii, iv, v, etc.) for minor triads and chords - they use minus signs (V-, III-, VII-). Weird! That'll take getting used to. Ear Training was fun, too. Solfege is sooo easy! I guess it's because I've grown up with it my entire life because of being in choirs and stuff, so I can see where it'd be hard for someone who had no idea... Dictation is actually fun, I know - I'm such a nerd. Oh well. I'm paying $46k a year for my musical education, so I'd better be!

Ahhh...well now my back/arms/butt/legs are sore from the workout, so I'm gonna hit the hay. Yeah...it's um - five in the morning. Oh well, I can sleep in tomorrow!

-jourdanjustine

p.s. My AIM sn is douhavesandalias. Don't ask, just IM! =]

Who Am I?

Wall Street Journal 
posted Thursday, September 04, 2008 10:58:50 AM

Who Am I?

I am under 45 years old,
I love the outdoors,
I hunt,
I am a Republican reformer,
I have taken on the Republican Party establishment,
I have many children,
I have a spot on the national ticket as vice
president with less than two years in the
governor's office.


Did you guess?

....


I am Teddy Roosevelt in 1900.

I think that we are too quick to judge 
these days when choosing the candidate 
we want to support.

I'm not pushing the ticket one way 
or the other, but there has been so 
much controversy over who has the 
experience and who doesn't. BOTH parties 
have so-called "inexperienced" on the ticket, 
so I don't think any side should blame 
another or let alone use it against them.

I hope this little snippet had you think 
in a different light, and not judge based 
on the "status quo".

Everybody remember to vote for this years election =]

Nick Pitera - This guy is amazing!

If you haven't heard of Nick Pitera yet, you're missing out! Since last year, he's had over 8 million hits on YouTube because of his amazing voice. He has a gorgeous tenor voice and a crazy female-sounding falsetto. He's a 22-year old animation major hoping to work for Disney someday. You have to see/hear!

This is his most famous video (over 6.5 million hits alone), singing "A Whole New World", with both Aladdin and Jasmine's voice:

Plans, Friends, and Working Out!

Today was really casual and fun!

Woke up (early...8:30am) and went to Writing Skills, which is like an arranging class, then went back to sleep until 1pm when Jade and I went to lunch.

After that, we headed to the gym and worked out. We received our membership cards...the pictures look horrendous! I had a really good workout - it really boosts my energy and my attitude when I walk out of there knowing I did something good for myself =] Then we came home, sat around, and that was it. What a good lazy day, huh? It was beautifully sunny out today, though.


Here's a picture of myself, Nadia, and Jade in me and Jade's dorm! Don't you just love our matching rainboots? hehe

AJ Rafael (look him up on YouTube, he's amazing!) got a callback for the Singer's Showcase - which is this much-anticipated annual concert featuring the best-of-the-best for singers at Berklee. He is an amazing singer/songwriter/pianist/guitarist/ukelele-ist?? haha and he is awesome! Unfortunately, he didn't make the final cut, but he was still great. I'm going to wait until next year at least to try out so I can have more training. Look out for AJ Rafael - he's our next up-and-coming Jason Mraz! =]

So I sang Calvary the other day for my R&B lab class and it went pretty well. Now our teacher gave us another assignment for next week - choose, study, and perform an "old classic" R&B song in front of the class next Wednesday. After looking awhile, I settled on "Love Finds Its Own Way" by Gladys Knight. It's really pretty, and has a jazzy feel to it.

Going home to see my baby and family soon...I got my plane ticket for October 10-13th - I'll only miss Friday classes because we have Monday off for Columbus Day. I'm really excited, though I do have to admit I don't miss Minnesota at all. I just miss the people. Boston is sooo amazing, I love living in the big city.

Got some homework to finish...writing out a lead sheet for a Nichole Nordeman song I'm singing in my Rhythm and Grooves Ensemble on Monday, and I have to transpose it up a whole step. - goodnight! =]

-jourdanjustine

Another Day

So I only had two classes today.

I thought I had three. I stayed up until about 4:30am last night working on Harmony homework I thought was due this morning, but it's not 'till tomorrow. Ugh!

Oh well...at least I have it done. And it was fun homework - I took 8 Dream Theater songs (my FAVORITE band in the whole wide world) and listened for the intervals in each chorus and wrote them down. We're working on memorizing note intervals, something I've been proficient at since AP Music Theory junior year of high school.

I'm really glad that everything is relatively easy to me right now. I really don't need the stress at the beginning, and it's giving me more time to make friends and all that jazz. I really need to start practicing, though! Last night I went in a classroom to practice "Calvary" - an amazing gospel tune that I'm singing a Capella for my r&b vocal class tomorrow - and my voice was really strained! I need to work on that...pronto.

YAY! Jade and I are heading to Healthworks tonight to become a member, work out, bathe in the amazing eucalyptus steam room/spa, and watch the Big Brother 10 finale on the workout televisions! Haha...I'm sooo addicted to that show! It's all my
boyfriend George's fault. =]

My new favorite song is "Come on Get Higher" by Matt Nathanson. It's really beautiful - read/listen to the lyrics when you hear the song! It's the sweetest thing...perfect for anyone in a relationship. His new cd is full of the ups-and-downs in a relationship, and all the things you go through to make things work. Take a listen if you have a chance!

On a very happy note, I got into the Chamber Choir at Berklee and our first performance is at the Old South Church in Boston this next Wednesday evening! I'm really excited...I've kinda missed choral music lately since I've been singing in choirs religiously - pun intended - since the age of four! We're singing "You Raise Me Up" along with the gospel choir and a few other songs, too.

I'll have to post some pictures up here of my "finished" dorm room - it's absolutely amazing! About 5 different people have come to us three girls (Jade, T.S., and I) so far to ask if we could decorate their dorm rooms! Haha...it's so crazy. But complete with a Dream Theater neon hanging sign, a full-length mirror, decked-out bathroom, and ROPE LIGHT CHANDELIER...we're pretty cool =]

More later!
-jourdanjustine

Berklee College of Music!

So...I've been here at Berklee in Boston, MA for a few weeks now, and it's literally been the best time of my life! I've met sooo many amazing people here, and have made a new best friend =]

There's so much to talk about...but I'll just start with today, then add more as I add more posts (I promise to write now...I just didn't know what this blog was going to be about at first!)

Jade (my new bff originally from LA) and I walked to Healthworks - this awesome all-women's fitness center complete with luxurious eucalyptus steam spas and all the rest you can think of. We are going to join tomorrow and take advantage of all that it has to offer!

That's all we basically did today...we woke up at 2pm, and headed right there. Then, ironically, walking back to Berklee, Coldstone Creamery lured us in and the guy there gave us FREE ice cream! Booya. But bad habits are starting, especially since it's right on our walk to the gym! After that we just chilled in our room for the rest of the day. The next week of school starts again tomorrow - I'm really excited! Classes are great. Here's my schedule so far:

MONDAY:
Rhythm Section Grooves for Voice - 9:10-11:00am - Paul J. Pampinello
Private Instruction: Voice - 2:00-2:30pm - Duane Moody
Ear Training 1 - 3:10-4:00pm - Kaye Kelly
Performance Skills/Background Singer - 6:30-7:20pm Janice Pendarvis

TUESDAY:
Writing Skills (Arranging) - 9:10-10:00am - David Zoffer
History of Art 2 - 10:10-12:00pm - Ross Bresler

WEDNESDAY:
Styles Lab: R&B - 11:10-12pm - Lawrence Watson
Harmony 1 - 2:10-3:00pm - Omar Thomas
Ear Training 1 - 3:10-4:00pm - Kaye Kelly

THURSDAY:
Writing Skills (Arranging) - 9:10-10:00am - David Zoffer
History of Art 2 - 2:10-3:00pm - Ross Bresler

FRIDAY:
Intro to Music Technology - 11:10-1:00pm - David Doms
Harmony 1 - 2:10-3:00pm - Omar Thomas

Just sitting here attempting to do some homework now...but we all know how that is. I need to finish cleaning my desk up and then head off to bed - need to be up at 8am!

-jourdanjustine

Ingrid Michaelson

This new singer/songwriter is down-to-earth and plainly beautiful. I love her style, and when I heard her hit song, "The Way I Am" - sounding just her voice and guitar, I was breathtaken. The real-life lyrics about buying Rogaine for her lover losing his hair and how she loves how he calls her "baby" and how "he takes her just the way she is" really hits home for many of us and we can instantly relate to Ingrid Michaelson.

Her sophomore album, Boys and Girls, finally acquired her a summer headlining tour and cemented her starlet-status as a gorgeous airy, light, acoustic singer with a big heart.

The Way I Am

If you were falling, then I would catch you.

You need a light, I'd find a match.
Cuz I love the way you say good morning.
And you take me the way I am.

If you are chilly, here take my sweater.
Your head is aching, I'll make it better.
Cuz I love the way you call me baby.
And you take me the way I am.

I'd buy you Rogaine if you start losing all your hair.
Sew on patches to all you tear.
Cuz I love you more than I could ever promise.
And you take me the way I am.
You take me the way I am.
You take me the way I am.