i still exist

After an incredibly long, and somewhat unintentional hiatus, I've* decided it's time to return to this lovely blog.

*ok, technically, Huei Pan, Scott Young and others have bullied me into it.... but considering the forecast of increased writing in my academic future, it's not a bad plan to work my way back into it before I drown in weekly page requirements.

Kitten in the midst of a lecture 

It has been an eventful year, and rather than bombarding you lovely people (if anyone actually reads this) with an update reminiscent of an epic Greek poem, I think I have chosen to present vignettes from the last year.  A sort of "blooper real of AMC's Graduate pursuits," if you will.

And if you won't.... that's fair enough.

As a quick synopsis in case I haven't caught up with you in EONS.

Cherry family vacation 2012 = moving AMC across the country in a dramatic road trip of 5 adults, a cheerful baby, and a grumpy cat.  My family is the best.  My cat is still punishing me.  I still don't believe there's a Joshua Tree Forest along the 10.  That, or I have a dramatically different idea of "forest" than the state of California.  I am doing a DMA, and loving it, and not sleeping enough.  I've had amazing opportunities (see: playing a gig with Barry Manilow....it counts, we were on the same stage at the same time), and feel über blessed.

...I am only mildly confident that I used über correctly there.....

I have the best colleagues in the world in the horn studio, and am loving every minute of my studies with the fantastic Dr. Morrell.  I do apologize to them, and Sarah Bareilles, for having arranged "Love Song" for 6 horns.

I will never have to conduct again, and the world is a better place for it.

I led a group of doctoral students in Mindfulness Meditation in lieu of presenting a power point on performance anxiety.

As I write this, I am engaging in a Haiku battle with someone I have never met.

As for the rest, here is a teaser of upcoming episodes:
-The next great american novel, or: the collected tweets, emails, and texts of Liz Love and AMC
-Traffic in Los Angeles is not for faint of heart (footnote: i brought a stick shift here?!?!)
-I am pretty blessed to be here
-Old friends in new places, an ode to P Blake, Marshall, and Huei.
-Kitten, brave world traveller
-Things California NEEDS to know
-I am from Texas, people, not a different planet
-ok, Texas might be a different planet.
-Once upon a time, I didn't realize AC was optional, now it makes me cold
-That time Marshall slept on my couch for 6 months and it was awesome
-The journey from "hometown girl" to "new girl in town" is breath-takingly, terrifyingly, good for me

To Sum Up:

California is fantastic:

Santa Monica Pier making the water all pretty.

But I am so excited to be home in a little over a week!

Texas Clouds being ridiculously awesome, as they do