Defense Preparations

I'm spending most of my time now preparing for two major presentations: my thesis defense in front of the committee (conveniently enough, neither of them are ever in town at the same time), and the big stupid analysis presentation--I'm doing Penderecki's Threnody to the Victims of Hiroshima. While the work sucks, at least things are coming into focus for the rest of the semester.

There seems to be an unusual amount of recitals these days. My favorite required event was Wednesday night, the Faculty Scholar Series. These events aren't concerts, but research presentations--often having nothing to do with composition. Why did I have to go, you ask? I ask that, too. Here's the best part: the audience was made up almost entirely of the composition student body and theory professors. The composition faculty were all conspicuously absent... and only one history/theory major showed up to what is supposed to be required for their entire department. I realized at a certain point that I couldn't get in trouble for leaving after the second of the three presentations. So I stayed to listen to my boss's presentation, then jumped ship.

It was that night that I came to a sobering realization: I need a Game Boy Advance. It shall be my graduation present to myself. If I get one any sooner than May... my life could be destroyed. I must hold out until then... for now, I must focus on my defense preparations. I can't afford to think about having fun yet. I have until Wednesday to build the deathcoaster, so I can eradicate the deadite army. We are but sixty men. It's a good thing I have that high school chemistry book in the trunk of my car...