Biden's Malarkey and The Trip to Erie

Hey kids! I'm on twitter! Feel free to follow me....

@PeterJFelice

Now that that is over with, didja catch the vice presidential debates last night?? I watched a little of it, but it was really difficult seeing a man of Joe Biden's age resort to such immaturity and lack of professionalism. I mean, laughing at scoffing at his opponent on serious issues does not reflect who I want to take the oval office if something were to happen to the president. The liberal faithful love it. Which I also don't understand, they heavily criticized Romney for his 'behavior' last week. Sure, he probably could have lightened up on the moderator - but he was DEBATING. That's what you do during a debate! Sheesh. It makes me want to vote for Romney simply to do what I can to keep that joker out of office.

Joe Biden is living proof that God has a sense of humor. 

What a great meme! I'm gonna have to save this one and use it for future arguments.

So I briefly touched up on my grandfather's passing last week, but I didn't really talk much about our trip to Erie. It was a long trip. Two of my brothers, my future sister-in-law, my sister, my girlfriend and myself all piled into the new Chrysler Town and Country, or as Paul called it 'a mini-spaceship that looks like a van', and made the eight hour trip to Erie, PA.

Oh...and yes, the van we took was pretty awesome.

We did pretty good on the way there, only had to make two stops. One for gas and snacks and the other for lunch. But we added a third stop on the way home because Paul and I forgot to use the little musicians room before leaving the lunch stop.

I'd like to take this time to call Whitney, Mario's fiance, out. She posted this picture as we were getting ready to leave for erie.

And then about five hours in, I took this picture.....

Gotta love Karma!

Despite the circumstances, it was great to see all of my family members that I hadn't seen in years. My grandmother seemed to be doing well, considering she had just lost her husband. On the way home, Paul and I were discussing getting all of the grandkids on a telephone rotation to call my grandmother to make sure she is ok. I'm hoping we can do this as it would probably mean a lot to her.

Now here is a rare picture. Minus two great-grandchildren, this is all of the descendants of my grandmother.

We're a crazy bunch!

The funeral was a beautiful ceremony. I got to give a speech about how my grandfather would also start a conversation with me by telling the same joke. Everytime he would see me he would say 'Pete and Repeat were on a boat. Pete fell of, who was left?' Giggling, I would say 'Repeat' and he would repeat the joke. The most astonishing was when he lost his memory due to dementia and couldn't remember who I was when I went to visit, but when I started the joke myself and said 'Who was left?' without hesitation he responded 'Repeat.' It was a really neat story, and my family seemed to appreciate me sharing it with them.

My brother Matt also gave a speech about Poppa's background and his experienced in the Navy and as a Carpenter. It was also a nicely delivered speech.

Following the church service, we went out to Heaven's Gate Cemetery and my grandfather was laid to rest following a 21 gun salute. I had never seen a military funeral before so that was pretty neat. And my uncle Joe gave us all shells from the salute that we could keep as souvenirs.

 

After the ceremonies had concluded, we went to my Uncle Joes for a mini-family reunion. During that time, I felt it necessary to show Alison the Erie Bay as she had never seen it before. We took a trip out there and got some good pictures of the bay.

Seeing the way the clouds were formed and the shining sun reflect on the water like that really filled me with hope for my grandfather. It was such a peaceful feeling and I felt happy that he was now walking with God in heaven. He will definitely be missed.

And this concludes todays 'picture blog'. As always thanks for reading!

- PJF

Be More Happy

Well, by popular demand I am continuing the F-Sharp blog. It took a dive back in May for no apparently reason other than I had lost interest in writing. That being said, it was a great tool to use to keep my family and friends up to date on what is going on in my life and also a good way for me to vent out frustrations with all things from politics to sports. So this is one of hopefully many entries that I will be posting in the future.

First, a tribute to my grandfather who passed away last Thursday. He was a WWII Navy Veteran, Carpenter, Winemaker, Volunteer, a son, a father, a husband, a brother, and so much more. We will certainly miss him.

Joseph Nicholas Felice

July 27, 1927 - October 4, 2012

Rest In Peace

In recent news, it seems there has been a lot of debate over a recent move by Norton Healthcare to require its employees to get flu shots to protect their patients. Yes, you read that right. To PROTECT THEIR PATIENTS. Those evil bastards are wanting to try and keep people with weak immune systems from getting the flu. This move has been deemed by many as being 'unconstitutional'. Really. So telling a company that they can't enforce a policy that takes strong consideration for their patrons and is not illegal is constitutional? I mean, if the government was sending agents into your house with needles and injecting you against your will - yes, that is unconstitutional. But we are talking about a competitive company wanting to keep their patients from getting an unnecessary and unwarranted illness. I say if you don't like it, then find another job. The flu shot won't kill you, and at worst it may make you sick for a few days. And if does, well then you have a law suit on your hand - good luck with that.

This actually brings up a point that has been irking me for many years. In recent times, I have been able to make observations about human cognitive abilities and it has become apparent that it is a human natural trait to generate anger. It seems that people enjoy being angry more than they do being happy, and because of this they will find reasons to be mad. Don't believe me? Try standing in a McDonald's lobby and compare the number of complaints, or unhappy people there are to the number of compliments or obviously satisfied people within an hour during lunch time.

Ok, lets take this idea a step further. We are talking about a corporate fast food chain. Greasy, less than perfect food, usually smaller and less appetizing than advertised on TV commercials or menu screen pictures.  But at the end of the day, you are being fed. You don't go home hungry, and the original purpose for going to a restaurant has been completed. But you feel compelled to complain that it took ten minutes for your order, the fries weren't hot, something on your sandwich wasn't right (barring food allergies of course), etc. Here's a thought: Take a spear, and try and hunt a deer for dinner. We should be so lucky to have what we have, yet it never seems to be good enough. This reminds me of a classic Louis CK interview with Conan O'Brien which I am posting below.



He has a pretty damn good point, doesn't he?

And we've all done it - myself included. But perhaps this is a good life lesson to us as humans. Maybe we should make it our goal to be as happy as we can every day. Imagine how much better life would be if people stopped trying to find reasons to be pissed off, and concentrated more on appreciating what we have.

Politics is a great example of this. Politics is all about finding reasons to hate the other candidate. Twisting his words and creating memes geared at implementing the belief that he/she is the spawn of Satan. I laughed at the ruckus that stemmed from Mitt Romney's comments about cutting spending from PBS. Instantly, people created an anti-romney campaign that suggested Romney was against Big Bird. I wonder how many of those people have actually donated money to PBS to keep it on air. Or how many of those people give two shits about Sesame Street, or have even watched that show since they were young children. But because their opposing presidential choice said it, it infuriated them. There really isn't anything logical about that.

Be more happy. Say it to yourself. Every day when you wake up. Be more happy. I'm gonna try this, and see if it helps even me.

Ok, now that I'm done with that rant how about a funny picture?

Just kidding. Nothing really funny about that picture, but people seem obsessed that today's date happens to be consecutive numerals. Ok....for reals now.

I think I need to print this out and put it on my wall.

Sports Update:

The reds just lost and will be going home, allowing the Giants to move on to the NLCS. Hopefully the Cards will follow cincy in two more losses to the Nationals. Really, I'm just tired of hearing from their fans.

Louisville Cardinals - Rocking it with a 5-0 record! Saturday at 11 AM (what the hell kinda time is that for a football game??) they will be facing the very inconsistent Pitt team on the road. If Pitt brings their normal game, I think it will be a pretty solid victory for the cards. And this time, we won't have to swim there (hopefully). However, if Pitt decides to play at their best - Strong and Company could be in trouble. Here's hoping to 6-0! Go Cards!

Indianapolis Colts - Not quite sure where we will finish this year. We have a very good QB and a decent running game, but we're a very young team and the chemistry isn't quite there. Coach Chuck Pagano is expected to miss nearly the entire season as he battles leukemia and the entire team has rallied behind him. And they showed their support by stunning the Green Bay Packers in a thrilling rally from an 18 pt deficit. The largest lead the packers have blown since 1957. 1957??? My Dad was 7. He's now 62.

Chicago Cubs - Eh.....they weren't the worst team this year. We're still rebuilding.....not much hope for the future when you barely win 60 games, but I'm confident they are working on a plan.

Music Update:

Superhero Symphony - Rehearsals were going well for a while, but given the challenging brass parts for that piece along with Tchaikovsky Symphony #4, Dr. Goldstein and I have decided it was in our best interest to push the premiere date to April 21, 2013. The good news about that is that we will be able to spend more rehearsal time and push for a much more solid performance.

That is...unless the world blows up in December.

Coming Soon: Scenic Impressions, written for my girlfriend Alison Durbin. I'm not gonna say much about it now, but feel free to listen to the second movement available on my soundcloud.



I'm also currently applying to graduate schools. The three choices I have are in the following order...

1. Michigan State
2. University of Maryland
3. City University of New York

So this is it, the first blog kicking off somewhat a fresh new start of blogging for me! I will do my best to update it daily, but no promises!

 Thanks for reading. :)

- PJF

Grades, Federal Aid, and A New Engagement

Well, I can't really use time as an excuse for why I have no updated this thing. But I can use the lack of motivation, though seemingly a lot has gone on. Summer is here, and I have a lot more time on my hands. I say that hesitantly, as I am in the three ensembles at IU Southeast and have four concerts in the month of June. But I am only taking one class, and my summer CA job doesn't require nearly as much as the job during the regular school year does. So now, its finding things to do with my time. It has given me a lot of time to work on my Orchestra project, however so that is definitely a good thing.

Speaking of classes, my Spring 2012 Grade report is out....

          I have to say that I am not complaining about those grades. While the B+ in a 5 credit hour class actually brought my GPA down slightly, I have still managed to avoid the 'dreaded' C on my grade report, which is a goal I set for myself after realizing it would be highly unlikely for me to finish school with a 4.0.

You know, its kind of interesting how the GPA itself doesn't transfer when you switch schools. I had someone tell me the other day that it wasn't fair that you could have a really bad GPA at another school but then transfer and get a good GPA. Really? I question on how thats not 'fair'. I mean, its not like you are gift wrapped the new GPA. You are given a second chance, the opportunity to make things right. I don't think thats unfair at all, and everyone has the chance to do that. Alas, the words of an 18 year old who has barely begun to live.

More school fun. In logging into to onestart last week I was disheartened to get this message on my to do list.

I wasn't entirely sure what that meant, and so I rushed to the financial aid office to ensure I was still getting covered for my final year of my undergrad. As it turns out, I was denied because I have accumulated too many hours over the course of the years. See apparently you can only receive federal aid until you reach 160 credit hours, and I have accumulated a total of 170 which sounds like a lot, but the UofL School of Music Education department required 146 hours when I was there. So if their cap was 160, that means if you had ONE bad semester and had to withdraw all of your classes, then you could be screwed out of receiving federal aid. This concept stirred my brother, Paul, to make an interesting status update.

He may have been able to use a slightly more appropriate analogy than 'cooter hair' but the point was well spoken. Interestingly, someone questioned why I am complaining about this and why I have not graduated. Again, shit happens - but at least I'm actually working to try to fix the mistakes of the past. I didn't graduate, no. That was a mistake. I spent years working at crappy jobs trying to keep myself alive, and I was also paying off my student loans. In five years, I think I managed to knock off seven thousand dollars (maybe more). See....I was actually making a conscious effort to pay the government what I owed them. Also, I'm back in school trying to better my future. I am riding a 3.5 GPA cumulative after two years of college....that is not the easiest thing to do.

The injustice is that the federal government is making something like this difficult on me. That our system is set up to reward fortune (or lack thereof) but spit on hard-work and success. Welfare is an unjust system. It was designed to help people in need, which is understandable - but it does nothing to ensure they are trying to land on their feet. It enables people to avoid getting a job and be able to stay at home all day while getting money for doing nothing. Yes, I understand that there are people that flat out can't work - but what about people like me, who ARE working hard? Who WANT to succeed. Where is our help?

I will say this, they are offering me the chance to appeal which I was told by the Financial Aid Officer that I would most likely be granted because it is my final year and I wouldn't have to take out that much more. But the problem with this is that under an appeal you are required by law to only take what is REQUIRED to graduate. This means courses such as trombone study, piano study, and conducting - all classes essential for what I want to get my masters in - will have to be dropped, and I'm not so sure I'm willing to sacrifice a future in music because of some stupid system that was setup by greedy bigots on capitol hill.

Anyway, that is my rant for the day. Obviously, this situation has pissed me off. I have a meeting with my academic adviser to figure out what exactly I should do about this.

On a more positive note, I am happy to say that my younger brother, Mario, is engaged to his lovely girlfriend Whitney!!

Mario has asked me to be his Best Man. I'm not entirely shocked about this, but was pretty excited because since I really don't have anyone I would call my 'best friend' I'm pretty sure this will be my only shot at the coveted honor. They have not set a date yet, but it will probably be next spring - which will be interesting, considering it will be near my graduation. But I could not be happier for the two.

But now for a little humor...

Cracks me up every time.

Another good thing that has come with summer is that I have been taking a lot more care of myself. I have only eaten out a handful of times since the semester ended a month ago, and have increased my intake of fruits and vegetables significantly. I'm also trying to run every night. Since I have been on this 'diet and exercise' kick, I have felt less fatigued, stronger, and more motivated to get things done. Clearly I am doing something right.

                                                                         - PJF

Theory Analysis and Recording Session

           I guess its a good idea if I update this thing again, now that might life is a little less complicated. The semester is coming to a close and I am looking to get out of it relatively unscathed. Still pulling to avoid any C's, though there are some question marks in some courses - particularly Music Theory. Yes....shocking is it? But this course was a different setup, and I struggled on writing the paper and bombed the presentation. I'm hoping and praying that this is just me being irrationally critical of myself, but I feel when you get confused in your own presentation it should be strongly counted against.

Here's a little snipit from my paper.....

The powerful climax raises a very important question. Why does Eb become the tonal centricity and how is it related to the original tonal center of A? Well, it’s very simple. It has already been determined that Bartók was heavily dependent on symmetry in his music. Eb happens to be a tritone apart from A, and is the exact halfway point between the octave. The diagram below illustrates how each tonal reference point of the subject progresses into the climactic half-way point, and then returns to the original tonal center of A.

Example 6. Tonal Axis Diagram of Bartok’s Music for Strings, Percussion, and Celesta

        In this diagram, it is noticeable that each succeeding interval is an exact mirror image of its counterpart. For example: In the top voice the A moves to the Bb while in the bottom voice it moves to the G#, both of which possess an interval of a half step. Then, the top voice moves to the C#, an augmented 2^nd up from the Bb, and the bottom voice also shifts an augmented 2^nd down to the F. This of course continues till the end of the movement when the original tonal center of A has returned, thus concluding an amazing display of tonal centricity.

            Not exactly a world-class work, but I'll take it considering how crazy this semester has been. Bartok is not necessarily the easiest composer to analyze either. But if you relate everything to mathematical formulas and symmetry, you are bound to run into some interesting perspectives on his music.

I am happy to say that on April 27, 2012 the clarinetist, Carrie Ravenscraft, and I met up at TNT studios and recorded my solo clarinet sonata 'Perceptions of Strife'. What a spectacular ride it has been with this piece. Carrie gave a stunning performance of the piece on April 16 at the new music festival, and that recording has already been sent to several professors at various music schools including Eastern Illinois State and Kansas State. Now that we are making this recording, we can start thinking about getting the piece published.

I will say as someone who loves writing large scores with lots of instruments, I never could have predicted the potential success I could have writing a piece for ONE instrumental voice.

The studio was nice. Tim Haertel, the main sound engineering professor at IU Southeast, graciously let us use his studio to do the recordings. We had help from Niko Kanstanis, and Josh (I can not remember his last name) on the actual recording. But for the most part it was up to me and Carrie on which takes we wanted to redo, and how we want the recording to sound.

          It wasn't easy, and at times there was a little tension do the lack of clear communication between Carrie and I, but the end product will really be awesome. And this was only a two hour recording session. Carrie and I might have had to take out restraining orders against eachother if we were there for more than 6 hours!

All joking aside, 'Perceptions of Strife' is becoming a great success but it wouldn't have without Carrie's outstanding musical interpretation. She has brought the piece alive, and that means more to me than anyone could know. And the important thing is, we will finish the project! I have already begun the editing process, which is basically me listening to each take over and over and deciding which one I like best. Then that has to be sent off to Tim, and he will piece everything together for the final product. 

All in all, it was a pretty large step for me as a composer. Having my first piece recorded in a studio is definitely a new experience. Tim was very friendly and helpful and he also had a couple of engineering students who assisted with the project as well.

I also have to send a quick shoutout to Tim Miller, who set the whole thing up but more importantly worked with me on 'Perceptions of Strife', and pulled at my 20th century strings to create what I am considering my best work yet!

-PJF

Realization

I came to an astonishing realization yesterday. Something that could very possibly strengthen the notion that I was and always have been destined to write music. It happened when my mother and step-dad visited Rich O's in New Albany after a really nice ceremony honoring the new Pinnacle Honor Society members. The PHS is an organization that honors non-traditional students such as myself for academic success and continued contributions for the school. After the past couple of weeks that I have had, it was very nice to have an evening of rest and relaxation. And of course, having a drink at Rich O's following the event was an added bonus.

So I got to talking about an article I had read several days ago about a school out in California that was using music to teach math. Of course, as someone who is an advocate for music in schools, I was overwhelmed with joy that this was going on. When I explained this to my mom, her response was that it made perfect sense because I had always been good at math and she believed that helped me with my music. My succeeding thought was 'oh, lord. Another MOM story about how great her kids were' Then she went on to support her claim by reminding me of my basic programming skills at the age of 5. Being able to retain code values and enter them onto a computer to make elementary programs....at age 5. That's when it hit me. For some reason, I had blocked a key memory out of my mind and it hadn't been an image in my eyes until yesterday. One of the many lines of code that I learned how to do was input musical note values (based on their letter name) into basic programming and then running the program so the tune would play back.

The code went something like this if I recall....

         10 PLAY "CEDD-DF#..."


Or here is an example of what the screen for basic programming looks like, though I couldn't find an example of the play command.

 

Though when I was doing this, there was no window or box. It was all purely on the screen.

I'm not sure the exact age I was when I learned to do this, but it would have had to have been around the age of 10 or 11, when I was taking piano lessons. But when asked how long I've been composing music, I had always dated the beginning to the age of 16, as a sophomore in high school. When in truth, I have been writing music a lot longer than that. And I spent hours upon hours writing different tunes with that coding. Had a blast doing it. Of course, it was only a PC Jr (ca. 1980), so the sounds that came out were monotonically computerized. 


My mom continued to tell me stories of how fascinated I was in elementary school every time a musical instrument was introduced to me. She said I would talk for hours about hearing Mr. Cornish demonstrate the different brass instruments at our school assembly. When I took Piano lessons, I was picking it up faster than most of the kids my teacher had taught - particularly the theory aspect (learning the notes). Even before I started writing music down on paper, I was always creating my own tunes. Using my ears to play things that I loved to hear. I never really appreciated it as much, but there was no question in my mind - I have always been in love with music.

It's been 20 years. Two thirds of my life, and I here I am today. Writing a symphony for a live orchestra. It's amazing to think of how far I have evolved from being able to write a single line of notes to organizing and constructing thousands of them together across a wide palette of musical instruments. But even after 20 years, I still enjoy it the same I did the first day I knew was a C was. That's what separates having an interest in something and being undoubtedly passionate about it.

An Easter Miracle

"Chris is Risen! He is Risen Indeed!"

No phrase has filled me with more joy this year than that one has. Every time its said, whether ritually or sincerely, I get a warm feeling in my heart. Perhaps that is cliche to say, but it fits perfectly into alignment with the reflection of the past few months, which have not been the easiest on me. It has to do with uncomfortable decisions I've made, decisions I was advised against making. Falling into a world of lies and deceit. Questioning people's motives, wondering if I would ever get through this. And at one point, I looked Satan straight in the eye wondering if his path would bring the joy that it appears to have brought so many. I celebrate love, Christianity, Jesus, God - have for many years. But deep down in my heart, I can not deny that evil does not always lose in the struggle between what is right and wrong. Sometimes things just seem easier if you focus most on what you want, even at the expense of the people you love. And given these temptations, these sadistic philosophies - I found myself turning my back on God to the point of almost complete denial of his existence.

I was angry. Saddened that I had once again been hurt by the people I loved. Devastated that I have continued to try and see the good in people when everyone else is blind to them, and instead found my heart to be repeatedly pierced by my own good intentions. It was a terrible way to feel. I spent many nights laying awake, cold and shivering. Anxious, tearful. A complete emotional trainwreck. I lost sleep. I've been eating unhealthy. And the worst part is, I was so ashamed I didn't feel comfortable talking to anyone about it - not even my own therapist. I was sinking into a dark cavern of hatred, with steep slippery walls.

Then with one last gasp before completely sinking into the dark abyss of temptation and sin, my mind called out to a God I was trying so hard to tell myself did not exist. The words I spoke to him in my mind were as follows:

"God, if you exist, please listen to me. I know you are busy. I am busy too. This isn't me. I know you know its not me. I have a good heart, but it has been tainted by life. It may be a good heart, but its not a strong heart. I need you to make it strong. I don't need you to fix my problems. They are my problems. I just need you to give me strength. To give me a reason to pull myself out of the swallowing depths of hell. Give me a reason to move on. Maybe you don't exist. Maybe the atheists are right. But what I need the most is for you TO exist so you can give me the strength I need to fix myself. Please do this for me."

The voice of doubt that was plaguing my mind stayed with me that night. I asked myself why would a supposed higher being that governed billions of people care about me. Eventually, I fell asleep.

Now, perhaps there are logical explanations for what happened next. Maybe its just coincidental, or I was playing mind games with myself using what I really wanted to drive my inhibitions. All I know is that the next day, I felt like a new person. I suddenly had this unexplained burst of energy flowing through me. Without explaining in detail the changes I faced, it is important to know that throughout the next couple of weeks I managed to get a lot accomplished. I was acing tests left and right and getting papers turned in on time. My co-ca, Shelby, and my boss Jen can vouch for my turnaround as a Community Advisor. The bottom line: I was acting on all of my responsibilities with 0% doubt or denial that I could achieve my goals.

I didn't see tears flowing from a concrete statue. I never had a rosary turn to gold on a trip to Italy, and I've never seen a man who's been blind since birth be able to experience the wonders of sight. However, I DID experience my own miracle. It was a miracle because the previous day I had honestly believed all was lost. I was so self-absorbed in my misery that I failed to recognize that there was someone watching out for me. Or, maybe it was me that WAS the blind man. I didn't think it was possible for me to see, and I held on to the slightest bit of faith I had left desperately asking for the ability of sight. That small grain of faith changed my whole perception, and did it over night. And even to this day, I don't feel like anything can stop me.

Christ experienced a similar miracle. He went through the most painful suffering anyone could experience. And though he stared death in the eye, he used his last grasping breathes to call out to God. God heard him, and responded by resurrecting him from the dead, as I believe God heard me and resurrected me from being completely lost into my own hatred for the people that caused me to hurt. Jesus Christ is Risen, and because of that so have I.

The message of Christianity is often lost by the misquoting and misrepresentation of scripture. The Bible has a lot of great things in it, but it is filled with stories. They might be true. They might be false. But holding them on a higher account than what is truly in your heart seems futile. All Jesus ever wanted us to do was love. And we do that by having faith.

For the small amount of people that read this message, thank you. I'm not the best writer, and I spend a lot of time writing blogs of opinions that I have, but this is a true story that I wanted to share with my friends and family. This was an Easter miracle that I experienced, and this is my way of thanking God for the miracle. By sharing it to the rest of the world, so they too can find faith in their hearts and be 'resurrected' from their own deaths.

The Wacky Month of April

Well, I am approaching the busiest month of the year for me. April is that month where I have a million things that I have set in motion in previous months and now I am waiting for confirmations on. Scholarships, Honor Society Admissions, Competitions. There's a whole slew of them. But the most important one at this point is the  PARMA student composers competition. The winner gets a professional performance and recording. I have entered my composition 'Ataxia!' which is written for Alto Sax, Tuba, Timpani and Percussion. Yes - a very odd combination of instruments. Welcome to the 21st century.

See, that's not so bad is it?

I got the results back from a psychological assessment I had done recently. It was the same thing I had done in 2003, that informed me I was ADHD and suffered from severe anxiety and depression. This time, however, it was astonishing to find out that I had not shown any major symptoms of ADHD and therefor I did not receive a diagnosis for the disorder. This is a good indication that contrary to what some people might have tried to get me to believe, I have won the fight against ADHD without the need for medication. There is no doubt in my mind that I have the disorder, however over the years I have learned to control it to where it is not very apparent. I was informed that my listening skills were perfectly normal. Hmmm...interesting, considering I have been told before that I was a bad listener. The good news is, I've had more people tell me I'm a good listener - and this test confirms it.

My memory was on the weak side as expected, but not nearly as bad as I had anticipated. Believe it or not, it still fell in the average category. And these tests were all based on people my age. Overall, I tested in the high percentile of most of the categories, including intelligence. This of course was good for my self-confidence.

As far as other disorders go, the only thing they could find was some depression and anxiety though a lot of that was the result of what had been going on in my life at the time. There was no Bipolar Disorder or Borderline Personality Disorder. Basically, I was told that I'm as normal as the next person and had nothing to worry about. I can still take medication for my ADHD if I felt like I needed it, but while I am still riding a 3.6, Acing most of my tests, and getting all of my work done on time - I really don't think I need medication.

The moral of the story, I'm not going to be so quick to accept the judgments certain people make about me, because there is no one I know better than myself.

Previously, I posted a blog entry that was all about the Dream Game 2.0. Well, the game has come and gone and sadly for me the Cardinals were defeated by the NBA-esque Kentucky Wildcats. I've said this before, if Calipari doesn't win the national championship with this team he probably never will. The championship game is tonight, and they will be playing Kansas.

Aside from the game, which was just as exciting as anticipated, I was heavily disturbed by the actions of the Kentucky student body (likewise, I would have been just as disappointed if it was the Louisville fan base). Here we have this wonderful game that means so much for a state that has constantly gotten a bad reputation, and a bunch of idiots have to de-evolve to the stages of neanderthals and run around like barbarians, burning everything in sight and flipping cars. That's definitely what I want this state to be remembered for. I know these people are excited, but a little class can go a long way and this was just a poor representation of the Kentucky fan base as well as the state of Kentucky. Completely unacceptable.

I hate for this to take away from the achievement of the basketball team, so I will definitely say Congratulations to Kentucky! Anthony Davis is an amazing player, and he's going to do very well in the NBA! I won't be watching the game tonight, but it will be pretty amazing if Kentucky does win #8 tonight.

I saw this picture (below), and from a personal standpoint it really made me laugh!

On april 13, 2012 five bands will be surfacing at the Clock Tower on IU Southeast for the 2012 IU Southeast Rock Fight. All of the Community Advisers have been working very hard so I encourage anyone who may be reading this to please attend. The bands that will be featured are as follows:

Gym Diablo

Johari Window

CarlFox

Washington and Out

Second Perception

This event is completely free and open to the public, so I hope to see everyone there! And please check out the video that was created and edited by Cory Dixon!



Well, that is it for today. Thanks for reading!

- PJF