i'm tired of thinking of blog titles -- untitled.

Many exciting things going on here at Midwest Princess. I will present them to you in a list, because I think it will appeal to the attention span of my Gen-Y readers who, like me, can barely read a paragraph let alone a book anymore due to wanting everything FAST FAST FAST. (In researching the last sentence, I found that Gen-X includes people born from 1961-1981, and Gen-Y includes people born after 1981. Which would mean I am a member of Gen-Y, while most of my friends are members of Gen-X. But there is much controversy surrounding the boundaries of these generations. And you thought this blog was all fluff).

1. I got confirmation on Wednesday about the gig I'd been holding out for. I am now on the roster for two concerts this season with Music of the Baroque! I'm doing Hadyn's The Seasons in September and St. Matthew Passion in Feburary/March. It's a chorus job, of course, but this company is phenomenal and it hasn't been unheard of for choristers to move into soloist positions with them. The pay is fantastic; the conductor, Jane Glover, is acclaimed world-wide; and I'm told that the musicianship and professionalism is phenomenal. Which is just what I need after my experience this summer. Also, it means that from January through April 2008, whatwith the Opera for the Young tour and this gig, I will probably be able to work ONLY as a singer for three or four months. Unheard of!

2. In case you were wondering, I didn't blog yesterday because I didn't come to work. It was glorious. After a scrumptious breakfast with my dad and brother at Ann Sather, I decided it was just too hot to go to work, so I called in. Obviously they did not care, since I mostly sit and read/write blogs all day. Was my afternoon of getting things done around the house, consolidating my loans, and napping worth the $50 or so I lost by not coming in? Yes, yes it was.

3. I'm not even going to talk about my loan payments. It frightens me in a way that I haven't felt since I was a child and went through a phase where I thought my parents would die every time they stepped out of the house. Someday I'll understand why I chose to get a Masters degree at one of the most expensive institutions in the country, but right now I'm just beating my head against the wall and cursing my idiotic decision making.

4. But the good news is I got my diploma in the mail and it's oh so lovely. It came in a beautiful purple box. And it made those seizures I've been having every time I think about loan payments dissolve completely. (Note sarcasm).

5. It was so nice to have my dad and brother stay with us. It made me feel like a real grown-up, putting them up for the night. Mom sent two tupperwares of cookies and several boxes of my things -- "now that you have a big apartment", she says, "you have to get all of your crap out of our house!" It wasn't a lot, just a few boxes of textbooks from college and some "memory items", one being a photo of me and my ex-boyfriend that happened to fall out onto the floor. Upon returning home from rehearsal, I found this picture face down on my desk. "What the hell?", I said to my brother. "Oh", he said, "that fell out when we were bringing things up the stairs. Oops." Awkward. I thought I threw all pictures away, but apparently not. It was quickly wadded and thrown in the garbage. There are some memories that don't need to go in the box.

6. It is Friday, but unfortunately I am not off the hook until late tonight, as I have rehearsal. The show opens in two weeks and people are starting to panic. I'm not one of them.

7. I started reading this book this week:

I will tell you how good it is: I was so involved with it this morning on the train, I forgot to transfer to the brown line and had to walk 6 extra blocks to work.

8. I am counting the days until this temp job is over (Aug 24). The boredom has become unbearable. That's the beauty of the temp jobs -- they end. City Staffing called yesterday about a possible new job that sounds ok. Considering the state of my finances, I will probably need to take it.

Well, I hope you got to the end of that without falling asleep. I nearly didn't. Monday--tales of our trip to the exurbs (Aurora) for a housewarming party. A real-life, "we own this house" housewarming party, not just an "I've got a great new apartment that I'm paying way too much money for but want an excuse to have people over and drink" type of housewarming. It's sure to make me feel inadequate, jealous, and the slew of other emotions I feel toward people who seemingly "have their shit together."

Someday...