Jess-9000 User Profile | DeviantArt (original) (raw)
- Dec 25
- United States
- Deviant for 14 years
- She / Her
Badges
My Bio
I have a degree in classical music composition. My main instruments are flute and piano, with an increasing amount of voice. Almost every time I find a new chord I like, it's actually a subset of a pentatonic collection. On the visual art side of things, I've been known to do some amateur modeling occasionally, as well as wire sculpting.
I love art of all sorts.
I'm feeling minimalist. Or maybe post-minimalist. More John Adams than Steve Reich. But probably not Dharma at Big Sur. No magical epiphanies lately, just happy I'm done with college. I'm finding it very liberating and calming to do things I really like to do, rather than feeling obligated to finish a degree that's only sort of what I want to be doing, after becoming unable to keep doing what I loved. I like that I can run again. And hike. So I took the summer off to be a semi-housewife (I do help with rent) and do lots of running and hiking and sleeping. I have muscles again, and tan lines. All in all, I'm doing rather wonderfully.
Let's focus on some good things. :) Things I accomplished in the last year-and-a-bit since my last journal entry: Came out as a lesbian. Regained my health enough to hike, bike, rock climb, and scamper up cliffs on the side of mountain roads again. Managed to salvage my relationship with my father after the disaster of coming out (my mother, as expected, was not a problem). Wrote my first piece for full orchestra. Wrote a flute and guitar duet (never. ever. again. Guitar takes an absurdly long time to write for if you're not a guitarist). Performed said duet with my favorite professor, who offered to play for me because when I emailed
"Thoughts on the Loss of Music" is a piece I recently completed for a student composition contest. It was selected, and will be performed by the professional chamber ensemble The Playground on January 19th at the Newman Center at the University of Denver. Here are the program notes: This piece deals with what it feels like as a musician to lose the ability to create music because of health issues. Each of the three movements describes the sound world of a different emotion or thought process that I experienced during the months I lost the ability to walk or sit upright for long enough to play music or compose. Now that I'm well again, I
Profile Comments 95
Thought I would drop in a message and ask how you were. 
I'm watching the Denver debate now on tv! Mitt Romney is really stupid. And yesterday there was a broadcast where they showed the campus and I was all like "OOoooo Viktor, Viktor I've BEEN THERE!!! I've been inside that building and OH OH THAT LOOKED LIKE JESS. Wait no that's not her...." 
Today I passed by a small mexican restaurant called Chipotle! My mind automatically wandered to that day we went there to eat in Denver 
Miss you! Are you doing well?
HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 
I hope you have a wonderful day!
To answer your question, yes, I am doing well, just super busy. I'm working 25-30 hours a week at a bagel shop down the street in addition to school, where I'm writing 2 orchestra pieces. So a couple days a week I have to be at work at 4:30 AM, work a full shift, and then go to class and do really mentally challenging stuff. I'm pretty worn out by the end of the day.
But! Today my school is hosting the first national presidential debate, so I have no classes, and I managed to get the day off of work, so this is my only day off of both work and school in months. So Jenny and I are heading into the mountains to avoid the whole mess of shut down roads and angry secret service men. 
How are you, my dear? How is school?
Thank you! I had a good day I guess. Nothing out of the ordinary really since I don't really care about celebrating my birthday 
Wow! Sounds really super stressful! I hope you're not taking water over your head.
I'm doing well. Lydia and Cicci has moved away for this year so I'm not seeing my friends as much but I'm spending most of my time with Viktor. School is fine. I'm getting to play with talented and mature people, finally Other than that I'm gonna start practice driving so I can get my license. Not that much is going on really except for rutine you know. But it's fine. I've decided that this year should be without any stress at all to compensate for last winter
So are you still biking a lot? Or can't you find the time? And I'm curious about how you're voting in the election although I'm guessing you're going for Obama...
Highlights from yesterday, and really all you need to know: Obama was re-elected, two more states passed gay marriage, and the first lesbian senator was elected. I hereby dub this election The Time America Grew Up A Little Bit. And yes, I did vote for Obama. I think it's important to have a president who is willing to prioritize something other than money, and as more young people are able to vote and more old mean conservative people die off, it's becoming a much more common opinion. There's a huge generation gap here, and now that the baby boomers (people born just after WWII) are starting to die, we're leaning in a more progressive direction. Finally. 
My state and one other also passed legalizing marijuana, but it's still illegal on a federal level so all that means is the states can go to the national supreme court and fight it out there. That one doesn't affect me all that much, though.
Oh man have I been busy. Working a lot on both school and my job, it's been crazy. But the worst is over- one more week of classes and then I have my long winter break until January, when I won't be taking as many classes. I should be able to get a car by May, which will be great becauuussssee I will be moving in with Jenny and John, probably in a small house near a big park in the city! 
I'm super excited. For Thanksgiving, which is in 2 weeks, Jenny and I are cat-sitting for John while he visits family back in Georgia, and in return we get to use his much bigger kitchen and grill to make an awesome Thanksgiving dinner. Nom nom nom. Also, my parents decided that for Christmas this year, instead of doing the usual presents under the tree thing, we're all going for 3 days to a 5 star spa resort on the coast. heeeee it'll be so great. And Jenny's birthday is next week and I got us tickets to Cirque du Soleil, which will be great too.
I've been writing 2 full orchestra pieces, and one of them (a very short one for orchestration class) is finally done, so that was pretty exciting to have finished my first full orchestra piece. They're so time consuming it's crazy. Also! Last spring I wrote a gay rights piece for solo double bass, and I couldn't find anybody to perform it because it's pretty hard and no one wants to spend that much time and effort on it. So my professors banded together and got me the email addresses of several professional bassists they know, with permission to pull any and all strings necessary to get this thing performed. The principal bassist of the Colorado Symphony has said that he'll look it over and get back to me about playing it. Fingers crossed! He's one of the best bassists in the country. :3
How's life in Ye Olde Sweden? I'm sorry you don't get to see your friends, but hopefully you're making new ones! What are you working on? How's driving? Do try not to die.
I read about the shooting at the batman premiere in Denver. You and your friends aren't hurt I hope?