Yes, I got a job! I was so down on myself on not being able to find employment - I type 115 WPM (which not everyone can do) and STILL couldn't find anything or the longest time - but I finally did succeed in getting a job!

I'm working at a Wendy's and it's absolutely perfect - I won't have to work too many hours, which is good since I'm still in school, and I won't make enough money to affect my financial aid. I just need a little extra cash to make ends meet, and some work experience to list on my resume after I graduate next May. I have a friend that worked at this same place for two years while he finished his degree and he liked it. So I'm very psyched. I had my first day of training today, and another day of training later this week. :)

So all the hard work of looking for a job DID pay off. The process was really hard...putting in applications and resumes at God knows how many places and almost never getting any calls back. I'm one of those people who wants to see results from the things I do...so getting almost no responses to my applications and resumes was really hard for me. Through the whole almost six-week-long process I got three interviews - a flat out "no" from one, a "I'll get back to you" that never did get back to me (which means "no"), and then, thank goodness, a job out of the third.

The thing is that I know there are many, many other people out there whose job hunts are much longer and yielding even less calls back. I'm thankful that my search was easier than theirs.

Y'know, when I was living in California, there was this strange...almost stigma about jobs. My parents always told me that no honest work is below anyone (honest work = legal work), but when I was in school (from kindergarten all the way up through high school) people I knew, even my friends, would talk badly about other people because of the jobs their parents had. I had a friend whose mom was a health educator for the state of California and made a lot of money, and I remember her talking badly about another girl, whose mom was the head person at the bakery at the local Albertson's grocery store.

So for a long time I kind of had this...complex about jobs, a complex born from growing up in that social atmosphere.

When my dad lost his job when I was in 6th grade and couldn't find another job in his industry, he started looking for any job he could get just to put food on the table - and the job he ended up getting was driving a school bus. And he didn't drive just any school bus. He drove the short bus. He drove deaf kids to and from their special school. My dad was making less money than he'd made at any job since he was 18, but he still did it so me and my mom could eat and have a roof over our heads.

And at the time, I was ashamed that my dad was a school bus driver. I didn't tell anyone. He parked the short bus in front of our house at night and then drove it to work in the morning, but I lived in a different neighborhood from my friends at school, so nobody saw it. But I didn't let anyone come over to my house during that time. I kept my dad's school bus job a secret, and I didn't tell anyone about his work until he got a job with AT&T when I was in high school.

I've worked other jobs in the past. My first job, when I was 16, was holding an arrow on the street corner on the weekends, advertising a new housing development. That wasn't so bad, socially, since a lot of other people I went to school with did that too, but I still got teased about "working the corner."

After I graduated high school, I typed medical documents for a summer (which I absolutely hated). I was an official music theory tutor for my college when I was working on my Associate's degree. After I transferred to a 4-year college in California, I worked at Disneyland (that was always one of my life's goals), which I am very proud of. I've also worked in journalism as a copy editor and reporter. And now I work at Wendy's.

A year or two ago I might have balked at the idea of working in a restaurant. But now I've finally realized that what my parents told me all those years was right: No honest work is below anyone. And that means that I've realized that it's absolutely ridiculous to talk badly about people based on where they or their parents work.

I'm happy to work at Wendy's. My co-workers and my boss are nice people. I'll get to work with the public, which is something I really like to do (I actually hate jobs where I sit in front of a computer all day). The safety standards at work are very thorough, which means I have a very low likelihood of getting hurt at work (and if I do get hurt somehow, there are plans in place to help cover my medical care while I get better). And the work schedule and pay rate fit my needs.

I'm very happy to work at Wendy's, and I'm excited for my future there. :D

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Tonight I sang in a voice recital at Dixie State College. I've done a lot of recitals at DSC but tonight I sang a song that's particularly special to me: "So Anyway" from the musical Next to Normal.

The performance went beautifully and my wonderful boyfriend recorded it for me to share with the WORLD! <3 So here it is.




I am a total perfectionist - I am NEVER satisfied. But I think that I"m definitely satisfied with this performance. It wasn't absolutely perfect, but it was REAL. Music on CDs, stuff you buy on iTunes - a lot of it is perfect, but it's so engineered in the studio with computers and stuff that it isn't real. My performance was organic...it was definitely real.

And I am very, very happy.

:)

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So it's the first day of the spring semester tomorrow. I'm excited :D I have classes I like with people I like and altogether it should be really good.

Spent a couple days last week in Vegas (separately). First on Wednesday me and Brandon went to see Penn and Teller at the Rio. Then yesterday me and Brandon and Stefani and Richard went to Vegas for Stefani to get a new tattoo (covering up an old one she doesn't like anymore) and another piercing. Then we went shopping. Much, much, much fun.

I need to take a shower and get to bed...eeee, excited :D

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Almost done with Christmas music performances, at least - finals are next week!

Today we had two Vocal Jazz Project performances. One was a luncheon in the Gardner Ballroom at DSC, and one was an evening performance at a country club.

When we got to the country club, they didn't have a piano or keyboard for us. Somebody made a phone call and a girl showed up with a keyboard...like a child's keyboard. It was one of those like 66-key models and every time you pressed a white key it lit up with a pink light.

Our pianist, Justin, is an astoundingly talented musician. His performances can be awe-inspiring. So when he was given a keyboard that wasn't long enough, without a sustain pedal, with keys that *lit up pink!!* when he played them...looking back now, several hours later, it was very funny. I'm just glad I wasn't the pianist tonight. I might have cried!

But that's why I sing. I have my instrument with me wherever I go. :)

By the way, the performance went swimmingly and the audience loved us.

According to Dr. Briggs and other people on vocal jazz, my gospel solo is getting better and better. Today, after the country club performance, Al actually told me it was better without the microphone in a room that size (I really belt it out when I don't have to worry about blowing out expensive speakers).

Thursday, I sang my gospel solo in rehearsal. When I was done, Nolan said "Somebody get some chips!" Dr. Briggs was like "...what?" and Nolan continued: "'Cause Tracie's soul is saucy!"

That made me feel good :D

Hopefully I should have some video of Vocal Jazz and Chamber Singers up here soon! The winter choral concert is at DSC tomorrow at 7:30 pm (wait, it's past midnight now, so the concert is actually today...well, Friday, December 11). And then at 9:00 am on Saturday the choir bus leaves for Temple Square in Salt Lake City :D

I've got some friends I'm meeting up with in SLC between performances on Saturday. They're going to watch us sing too! I'm way excited. Unfortunately we can't take photos or recordings of the performances due to copyright regulations...hopefully I'll get some pictures when we're not actually performing. It is going to be so, so cold up there...I think I'll wear leggings under my skirt.

Today was the last day of class for History and Structure of the English Language. (yes, I am an English major, remember?) We broke up into study groups and got our work done quickly. Then we just stayed there in our groups and talked about life and finals and what we think of various authors and poets...when Professor Jantzen realized we weren't working anymore, he reminded us we had permission to leave class early - but we didn't. We're 4-year English majors - we like to just sit and talk about life, school, and literature :)

My dad has to go to California the first week of January to do some consultant work for a friend of his who owns a company. Dad asked me if I want to come along. It'd be nice to see all my friends I went to high school with - well, at least those who are still in the area - but I am so tired right now that I don't know what I'll want to do by January.

I do keep up with a lot of my old friends on facebook. My first boyfriend David, from back in 9th grade, is in medical school at UCLA now - guess I should have kept him, eh? ;) My best friend through high school, Mandie, is an architect at a firm in Rancho Cucamonga. She graduated from Cal Poly Pomona a couple years ago. Heather is in law school. Vinnie works on the cast of the TV show NUMB3RS in Burbank (he got a degree in film at Cal State Fullerton). And after Kristina got a degree in biochemistry at Notre Dame, she went back to California and became a model.

It's kind of strange, looking back at what my friends and I were like in high school and where we are now. I mean, not everyone I graduated with has a great life - there's quite a few single mothers, various people who never went to college, a lot who dropped out of the community college I got my Associate's Degree from.

And yeah...I graduated high school in 2003 and I'm still an undergrad now. But I did change my major halfway through my junior year, after I transferred to Cal State Long Beach. Then I moved out of state. That set me back a lot.

I've been thinking about it all lately...my journey through high school in California, getting my AA three years later, transferring to Cal State, changing my major, dropping out, moving to Nevada, getting accepted to University of Nevada at Las Vegas...and somehow ending up at Dixie State College in St. George, Utah, a place I never thought I'd live, a place I didn't even know existed.

The whole journey has been so chaotic.

But you know what?

I'd never take any of it back.

Dixie State College - the school itself, the English and music programs, the professors and peers I've met, everything - has changed my life irreversibly. For the better. I'm not just learning how to be a professional/technical writer, not just learning how to perform and sing more effectively...I've learned and am continuing to learn life lessons that will serve me well for the rest of my life - lessons that are serving me even now.

I could have stayed at Cal State Long Beach. I could have gone to University of Nevada at Las Vegas. But all I would have gotten there was a degree. I mean, getting a bachelor's degree - that's why I'm in college, of course.

But at DSC I've learned so much more than the material taught in my classes. I'm going to leave DSC with a Bachelor of Science in hand - but that won't be all. I'll carry what I've learned about life, carry the kindness of my professors, carry the shared experiences with my peers in my heart for the rest of my life.

My father has always told me: "An education is something no one can ever take away from you."

I know that when he's said that he's just been talking about achieving academic degrees.

But now I see a depth to his words that even he is probably still unaware of.

I've grown so much at DSC. And I'm not done yet.

Right now? I'm tired. I've been performing every day, doing homework, going to all my classes, etc...and when I finish this I am going to fall into bed and sleep.

But despite my exhaustion, I am so incredibly excited. Not just for tomorrow and the day after - but for my next two semesters at Dixie as well. I've learned so much. I'm going to learn even more before I'm through.

- Tracie

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Tonight (or, rather, last night, as it's past midnight) the DSC music department held the last Student Vocal Recital of the Fall 2009 semester. I love having the opportunity to perform, especially solo, so recitals are really special to me.

I sang a song called I Miss the Mountains from the musical Next to Normal. I've got video up:



I hope that works!

I got some pictures afterward too.



Left to Right: Dr. Ken Peterson, the Director of Vocal Studies and my voice teacher, me, and Aaron, one of our music majors and an absolutely fabulous tenor.



The foyer of the Eccles Fine Arts building is gorgeous. I'm actually in the hanging on the left!



This is me and my friend Rita, who came to see me sing. Rita has all-but-officially adopted me as her granddaughter. I love her muchly! :D

Altogether, a great night. I've got another performance with the Chamber Singers today (Saturday), and then I'm singing at the service of Unity Church of Positive Living on Sunday morning. The DSC choral concert is on Friday, and then on Saturday we're going to go sing at Temple Square in Salt Lake City!

I really love how DSC supports the arts. Our musicals are always awesome, the art gallery is positively gorgeous, and the music program is really blossoming.

DSC was just recently accredited to award 4-year degrees in music. When the approval was finally announced, everyone was so excited. I'm not pursuing a music degree, personally, though I was a music education major at Cal State (before I transferred to DSC). But I'm still so happy that we got a music degree.

In the year and a half I've been here, the college has grown so much and continues to do so before my very eyes. And the fact that I can take such an active role in the music program, even though I'm an English major, is such a blessing in my life.

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So today, as I mentioned, we had a luncheon performance for the Chamber Singers and an evening performance with the Vocal Jazz Project.

Unfortunately, I got to the Chamber Singers performance barely on time and didn't have a lot of time to take pictures. But here's a good one:



That's Al with some lovely Chamber Singer ladies :D Al is totally awesome. He's one of our best basses!

Here's another shot from after the Vocal Jazz Project performance (at a faculty party of an elementary school in town):



Much fun was had by all, of course. :D

- Tracie

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Performances! Lots of them. Tomorrow, a performance with the Dixie State chamber singers at a luncheon on campus, then a Vocal Jazz Project performance in the evening at a school, I think? I'll find out tomorrow in class, lol.

I really don't like the Christmas season, generally, but I do like the opportunities to perform. There are more performance opportunities this time of year than any other. The only drawback is that our repertoire is almost entirely made up of Christmas songs. I guess you could call that an occupational hazard ;)

Friday at 7:30 I'm singing in the winter voice recital at DSC. I'm singing a song from the musical Next to Normal (it's still on Broadway and won a few Tony awards). The song is called "I Miss the Mountains." Today in my voice lesson my voice teacher, Ken, watched and listened to me sing it and was very very happy. He had "nothing to say" - which means, nothing needs to be fixed. Yay!

Then Saturday the chamber singers are singing at Pine Valley, which is a place I've never been before. I hear it's very pretty. And then on December 12 (the day after our winter choral concert at DSC), the chamber singers, concert choir, and women's choir are going up to Salt Lake City to sing at a place called Temple Square.

Temple Square, I'm told, is a really special place for members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. I've never been to there, but I've heard that they decorate the area with lights at Christmas and that it's absolutely gorgeous. I'm looking forward to seeing it and singing at a new venue. Well, new to me, at least - I think that most of the people I'm singing with have been there before.

I'm still researching grad schools, of course. For a long time, my first choice has been University of Nevada, Reno, but University of New Mexico in Albuquerque is starting to look really appealing. They have a Master of Arts in English with a Rhetoric/Professional Writing emphasis. They also have a Creative Writing emphasis available, which is good.

I want to be - I will be - a best-selling author, but until I make it big, I need to be able to support myself. While I'd love to pursue one, a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing isn't exactly the sort of degree employers are looking for. So I'm looking to earn a professional writing-esque Master's so I can get a job - and fill out my grad school electives and such with creative writing courses.

Until then, I'm focused on graduating from DSC! Spring 2010, here I come :D

- Tracie

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They're hiring building managers at the student housing complex I live in. I just finished putting together the application packet. It included a cover letter, two applications (one for property, one for corporate), an essay about what I have to contribute/etc, and two letters of recommendation. I got one from Ken and one from Steve (I've discovered one of the awesome things about going to a 4-year college is meeting PhD's who can write letters of recommendation :D).

I'm really hoping I can get this job. I'd have to move into a different building, but I would have free rent. Freeee! For 40 hours a month. Awesomeness. The job is kind of like an RA at a dorm. So not only would I have some responsibility but I would also get to meet a bunch of new people.

Aaaaanyway, I'm hungry. Rita gave me some chicken a couple days ago that her husband doesn't like. I'll go crack open the freezer and take a look at it.

- Tracie

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