The Final Post...Someone Give Me a Kleenex

The time has come, you guys.

It's the end of the project.

(nobody say anything about how I'm going to continue these guitar shenanigans - it will ruin the moment)

(wails of sorrow from the studio audience)

(everyone is wearing black)

(it's super sad)

(Laurent is laid down to rest)

(more people cry)

(the sadness is overwhelming over here, folks)

(so anyway)

I'm not too sad about this end, because I'm going to keep playing guitar and trying to achieve a moderate level skill. That is my goal (I refuse to say New Years Resolution so shut your face), and I may or may not stick to it. Either way, I really like blogging, so I'm going to stick to it and blog about my menial life for the five or so people to whom I will whine "DIDJA READ MY BLOG" Barney-from-How-I-Met-Your-Mother-style. Oh, shoutout to the glorious Caitlyn Regan who told me today that she reads my blog!

The things that I learned from this project, if anything, include how to make a blog. I consider that much a success. Mr. Matthys told me that I lost points on my presentation a few days ago because I was self-deprecating and more or less said "I suck so enjoy". While I understand the need for self-confidence and not setting the audience up to expect disappointment, I also have a thing about honesty. A lot of people in that class are great guitarists. If I went up there and said "I'm playing guitar, prepare to have your mind BLOWN", they would all probably want me dead in a ditch someday for shaming the name of Laurent everywhere. It would be the most possible anticlimactic situation I could think of, considering my performance, which I personally feel like everyone will acknowledge was not good. I'm proud of myself, man! I may have little skill that I have achieved, but over this path I have learned a few things. I've learned how to play major chords, I've learned how much steel strings hurt on the finger region, I've learned how to meet new people (just carry around a really nice guitar and they'll all ask to play it), and I've learned a little something about self-confidence. I've also learned that I will probably never get into Wind Ensemble, but that's a flute problem. And I will get over it, I'm sure. And, you know, deny my fate by practicing for two hours every day until my mandible falls off. Because that's the kind of person that I am trying to be.

Either way, it's been fun. I'm off to England now (MLIA). But I'll be back, like the terminator. And I will master Laurent and all he has to offer. Besides, I would much rather keep him and learn him than give him back to Hannah, where he will sit in the corner and make her look worldly and exotic.

toodles, y'all.

Mouth Bleeding and Other Fun Topics

So, a lot has happened. And I feel very prepared for my Google presentation on Monday.

MONDAY, YOU ASK? Yes, presentations are due tomorrow for the lesser mortals, but not for me.

WHY, YOU ASK? Because I will be spending the next five or so days bleeding from my empty mouth sockets and eating chicken soup. Yes, dear viewer, tomorrow is the big day of my wisdom teeth removal. I may or may not be having a panic attack right now, but no matter.

Anyway, back to GUITAR.

I watched a YouTube video last week which taught me the chords for "Jingle Bells". They are easy (for normal people) and so I should have them mastered by my presentation day. I should clarify for Mr. Matthys's sake that if I was at school I would absolutely be prepared to go tomorrow, but since I won't be, I can use the extra time that isn't spent writhing in agony polishing my skills and having a final hurrah with Laurent.

I think my final presentation will be playing my two songs: Jingle Bells (with a Santa hat, of course) and This Land is Your Land (patriotism FTW). If I have time, I'll also share a PowerPoint presentation on my improvement and process, or just talk about it. I would like to emphasize for the court that I did not intend to be a champion guitarist for this project, I merely wanted to learn basic chords and a song or two. PROJECT COMPLETE, I THINK.

I'm planning on continuing into Semester Two with this project for band letter points and an A option. I really would like to get better at this instrument, it's cool and makes me look pretentious.

In other news, Blake and Co. finished their music video starring me. It is my new favorite video on the Internet, I wish I could be there tomorrow when we watch it in band. Here is the link. Make it viral. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Zd5ekiJGw1g
I would like to mention that I have no idea where Blake found several of the shots of me, which makes me more than a little scared. He also stalked my Facebook wall for baby pictures (BTW, Blake, I could have gotten you a much better one if you had actually asked me about it)
I WANT TO DO MORE OF THEIR VIDEOS RIGHT NOW THEY ARE SO PERFECT AAH.

So I'm done fangirling.

This has been a ride, guys. I'll keep posting as I continue into Crazy Guitar Fun 2.0: Revenge of Laurent (SECOND SEMESTER). If I don't post again until after my presentation, I just want to say I've had a great, if horribly stressful and finger-paining, time. I love blogging.

Stay groovy.
Love,
Isabel