Hrmm... updates...

Well, I seem to be posting less and less anymore... To be honest, I come here every now and then and begin an awesome post, but neglect to finish it for one reason or a nother. This one I'll finish and post, I promise. November 11 marked my 21st birthday. I am now old enough to buy alcohol, and have taken advantage of that right several times now. Unfortunately, I've been pretty let down for the most part. Most of the stuff I've had tastes more like something I'd use to disinfect my toilet as opposed to drink.... I've had... A Rum and Coke "Appletini" Budweiser Labatt's Blue Smirnoff Twisted Apple Of that list, the drink I enjoyed was the Smirnoff. Mainly because it was mostly green apple flavored, with only a hint of alcohol. I have a hard time imagining anyone heavily drinking... but hey, it's an acquired taste, and I don't even like coffee. Moving on; the next topic is my car accident. This past friday I got in my first car accident. I pulled out of my apartment complex, intent on finding a branch of Comerica bank so I could cash my Marching Band stipend. I pulled out into the street, noticed that a quarter-mile ahead the light was turning red, so I stopped accelerating. It had been drizzling on and off that day. I moved my car to the inner lane, because the right lane probably had 6 more cars in it, and I intended to go straight at the intersection. I noticed that an AATA bus was stopping in the right lane even though I didn't see anyone getting on or off. Not a major concern, but it had my attention for a second. When I looked back, I realized I was closing in on the car ahead of me pretty quickly. This happens to me once in a blue moon, and usually the worst case scenario is my tires may squeal and I seem like a moron. Friday was the exception. I was surprised that I didn't stop. I fully expected to stop in time, but the combination of me probably pressing the brakes to quick and the wet road caused me to loose traction altogether; the car began to twist ever so slightly as I sailed straight into the car in front of me. I rear-ended the car in front of me, and they hit the person in front of them. The woman in the frontmost car was alright, but the woman in the middle car was quite shaken up. Some of her family members happened to be nearby and came to check on her. An ambulance was passing by, so I and the man (related to the woman in the second car) got their attention in case she needed help. She said she had a headache, and the ambulance drove her to the hospital to make sure everything was alright, though her relatives assured me that she was fine. I really wish I knew her name so I could at least send some flowers. I feel terrible at te notion that I hurt somebody. I'd rather be the one in pain and shaken up than her. I checked out her car, and it seemed to be mostly alright. She'll need a bumper replacement in the rear, and her hood was bent, but those are luckily minor repairs. My car isn't so lucky. The gentleman who towed her car took a look at mine and said there'd prolly need some spot-welding work, which was quite expensive. The car will probably not be worth fixing. Fun. Happier topics exist though, I had recieved some birthday cash, and was told not to spend it on bills. So I bought a hamster. His name in Linus, and he spends most of his time running. He keeps himself as entertained with his wheel as I do with my computer. Also an interesting development, I'm entertaining the idea of changing my primary instrument to Euphonium. Why? I'll try to list the pros and cons as I see them, and you can tell me whether or not I'm foolish for even getting the idea in my head. Pros: -The Euphonium is more natural than the trumpet. I've always agreed with the sentiment that playing the trumpet is like singing, and I can honestly say that there's nothing that feels more like I'm just singing than playing on the Euph. It comes so easy, which leads me to... -My tone is quite good. I know that sounds asinine, but I've been roping people into listening to me (I'm sure I hear myself through rose-colored lenses) and they've all said things like "With that sound, there's no reason you shouldn't consider it." -Playing the Euph. feels better. This may sound absolutely nuts to everyone but me, but I'm willing to go out on a limb if you understand what I'm saying. When you experience something truly musical, there's a certain serenity-pleasantness you experience. It's calming. I'm going to steal a quote I heard the other night, "Music brushes aside the dust of everyday life." Playing the euphonium is a more musical experience because I just let the music go and do what it wants, I'm not actively fighting with the horn. Cons: -I may have to start lessons over at 112, which would suck, as I would have to take 8 more semesters of lessons. Hopefully, if I decide that this is right, I can manage some kind of deal. Possibly I could continue my current lesson numbers, or maybe take summer lessons to catch me up to a reasonable level. -My trumpet wouldn't do me much good, I'd have to buy a horn. a $2,000-$3,500 horn. That's a con. ...So, there's a lot to consider. I'm heading out for the evening, I'll post soon. -Dave