Melissa Dunphy

Finals are done! I am a free woman. I feel completely lost and unable to fathom what I should do with my freedom. I need structure! Lists of minute tasks! Obligations! Instead, all I have is a long, lazy summer stretched in front of me, interrupted by one pissweak general ed class and a broad idea of some of the things I want to achieve:

1. Reorganize the Center for Music Technology. It is a mess, and I have been given access by the department and license to fix it up. That's going to be a fun task that Matt is helping with too. The only not-fun thing about it is that the lab is full of Macs. Ugh.
   
   On a side note, here is a chat conversation I had the other day while hanging out in the lab:

   me: Wow
   There are these big desk rackmount things in here
   At least, I thought they were just racks
   but then I looked closer
   and they are freaking SOUNDPROOF.
   Leviathant: Wha? Soundproof racks?
   me: They are these big boxes for the servers that lock everything up in this soundproof container
   Leviathant: Ooooh.
   me: We have to set those up in the summer
   Leviathant: ok
   me: clear glass front, covered on the inside in foam, compressing foam in the door
   Leviathant: That makes sense, because servers are loud. But they are also hot.
   me: motherfucker it has a fucking temperature sensor
   digital readout in the front
   fuck, here it is http://www.norenproducts.com/Acoustilock/xCAB.html
   Leviathant: Phwoah.
   me: I just downloaded the price list.
   it's $2350
   for a desk
   Leviathant: For a soundproof temperature regulating desk.
   WITH LABYRINTHS



2. Fix the house. This stage of renovation involves tiling the basement, finishing the tiling in the bathroom, installing good shelves in the basement, and destroying the living and dining rooms and re-drywalling them. When I've done that, I can buy a piano!


3. Make a garden. My big task for the summer is to build a retaining wall and erect a fence. When I've done that, I can buy a chicken! Theoretically.

In terrific post-finals news (actually, I was tipped off in the middle of finals, on hell day, which was almost more than I could bear emotionally), I am being awarded the Harry Wilkinson Music Theory Scholarship. It's a lot less than the alumni association scholarship, but it means more, since the people who gave it to me are my professors.

Hell day was Tuesday, when L'homme Arme was performed. I played the theremin like an oaf (though I forgive myself - can you believe I only built it five weeks ago? It seems like six months already). Ioana's click track failed. Because I was playing and not in the audience, I had no idea what the mix was like, and I'm told there were some balance issues. But it went surprisingly well. The faculty seemed to like it - they'd like it performed again at some new music concert next semester. I should add "practice the theremin A LOT" to my list of things to do over the summer.

Labels: college, music