Birthdays, Boston, Burrrr....

Pics:
1. Lindsay laying her show at the bar I got carded to enter into on my 21st birthday
2. Me singing one of my originals "Feel Your Love"
3. Me and my birthday buddy Calen...I'm a year older and a head shorter...sweet! :)

Wow, it's been a long time...sorry about that. I do not intend for it to take me so long to post, I think it's just been a long busy week and then a weekend away, I feel like now is the time when I can finally sit down. So let's see what has happened since I last talked to you...

Well, I was on the schedule to perform last week so most of my week was spent getting everything together for that. I had to finish 2 songs writing chords and parts for both of them. I still can't say I did all that great a job but at least we got through the show with me singing 2 of my own original songs. Last Monday I sat at a keyboard for 3 hours plunking away on the notes and trying to come up with a melody as well as chords...I can say that I actually did it. I wrote chords for an entire song, the funny thing is how I did it. Follow me here...

I was sitting there at the keyboard in our main performance room. People were going in and out, working on lights and other aspects of the stage. I asked my prof for a bit of help...but he got me nowhere. He turned a sad/deep/angry song about one of my campers from this past summer into a Latin pop song...not the "stormy" look I was going for. So I sat back down and worked at it. Then as I was playing I realized I didn't know the name of all the chords I was playing...Eminor flat 5? WHAT? oh...that is actually E diminished. As if I am supposed to know that. So as I Was sitting there playing chords I didn't know the name of a piano player would walk in and I would simply play it and ask them what I was playing...so then 3 hours, a lot of D minors, a few F augmenteds and some G and E diminished chords later I had my song...haha! Believe me, for those of you with no music background as confused as you are now is how confused I was on Monday.

I practiced a lot all week and then performed on Thursday. I can't say it was the greatest, but a lot of people said it went really well. My band is so awesome we had a lot of fun with my set. I was really excited to perform my songs that I had written and then I also did "Girl Next Door" by Saving Jane. It is really nice to know that I am not performing for another few weeks. I think I am actually going to redo one of the songs I did last week. Today in class I brought it before the chopping block and I was told I had a really solid Broadway or Evanescence...I said lets lean towards the Evanescence (don't worry mom it's not a bad thing). He actually said that it could be a really cool song which makes me really happy! The song is about the struggles a child has with depression and thoughts of suicide that rage within them like a storm that never goes away. On of my campers this summer was feeling like she should not live, like she would help those around her if she just didn't exist any more. It was these brewing feelings within her that made her feel as though she should end her life. The song sounded almost like a storm with loud drum cracks and a low rumble on this thing called a mogg as well as a cool piano part that sounded like rain and then an electric guitar part that added a lot of color to it.

I just realized that I talked a lot about that song...sorry...

Well, yes...I am 21 now, and to top it off I got carded on my 21st birthday, but not for alcohol. One of the artists who is simply living here with us students had a show in Boston on Saturday night in a Bar and so we had to be 21 and up to enter. Funny part is as we were walking in my friend had to point out to the guy that it was my birthday...so the question we ask is, did he not care? or did he really not look that close and basically I could have been 20 and he still might have let me in...hummmmmm....who knows?

We had a great weekend though. After being couped up on an island for 1.5 months we didn't realize how good it felt to be in a city...crazy! haha (and I'm not a city girl at heart...I just like it) We spent most of the weekend shopping and eating. But it was fun just to hangout with each other and enjoy not doing music stuff. On the way home my friend goes, "This has been great...I haven't thought about song writing in 2 days." and I go, "Till now...thanks!" It was funny...and so true. We had a totally free weekend!

Now we are back and in the full swing of things...However it has been kinda fun around here because Monday morning we were greeted with a lovely blanket of 4 in of snow. So though it has been cold, it's been pretty.

Thank you all for your sweet messages on my birthday as well as cards and such. I love you all so much! I can't wait to show you all what I am learning and the many pictures that I do not have posted up here...if you want though you can see more pics at http://picasaweb.google.com/kelsduf so be sure to check that out! I love you all!!!

smile before bed...you'll sleep better,
~Kels

quote of the week: (not meant in a bad way...but totally funny taken out of context)
"She really needs to start doing drugs." ~Jake the Snake!
...10 minutes later...
Jake and I were sick and about to go to bed so in saying good night I said I might want to shoot something if I woke up with chills again and he said he would shoot something if he woke up coughing and then he turned to me and said...very seriously...
"I know, you want to just shoot each other?" ~Jake the Snake

I love this place!!! haha!