Blacksburg, I'm Back!

…and ready for spring semester!  This post is a bit late, my apologies.  I’ve been back at VT for just over a week now.  Classes began January 17^th and have been wonderful thus far.  I know, how can I tell after just a week?  Well, I can’t be positive, but based on the first week, I think I will enjoy this semester.  I’m taking the second half of British Literature (Romantics, Victorians, and Contemporaries), Intro to Creative Writing, Greek & Roman Mythology, Media Institutions, and Visual Media.  I really like my Mythology professor so far.  He’s young and energetic, and seems to find ways to relate the material to stories our generation is more familiar with.  For example, he related bits of The Odyssey to The Lion King, and he has also related basic concepts and elements of mythology to the Batman saga.  It’s pretty fantastic.  Now, if only he would mention Star Wars a time or two. 

With a new semester comes some new opportunities, and a couple of huge changes.  Spring of freshman year, I joined the staff of Philologia, which is Virginia Tech’s undergraduate research journal for the College of Liberal Arts and Human Sciences.  I’ve been an associate editor and have loved every minute of it.  As an associate editor, I reviewed submissions, got to tear apart papers (editing is a HUGE passion of mine), and helped decide which pieces should be published in the next volume and which should not.  Right now, both of the current editors-in-chief are seniors and will graduate in May, thus leaving the position open when they leave.  I applied and interviewed for the position.  After a long and somewhat stressful interview, I was selected as the next editor-in-chief for Philologia!  I’m so excited to take on this new position and all the challenges and work that may come with it, which include interviewing new staff members, organizing meetings, writing acceptance letters, team-building activities, and everything in between.  It’s going to be an awesome two years.

However, with the editor-in-chief position comes a grand time commitment.  I expected that, and knew that I would have to make adjustments in my schedule.  My biggest time commitment outside of class was symphony.  I couldn’t afford to spend 5-6 hours a week at rehearsal with the responsibilities I would acquire in Philologia.  And to be honest, as much as it pains me to admit it, I’ve grown apart from my violin.  It feels kind of like a burnout; there’s only so much I can do in 12 years, especially if I don’t plan on majoring in music (which I’m obviously not).  It even got to the point that I hated practicing.  I got bored after ten minutes of scales, and turned to Mozart or Beethoven.  Even playing my favourite pieces aggravated me, but I didn’t understand why.  I could play Beethoven’s Romance No. 2 in F with my eyes closed at one point, and Mozart could make me smile on the worst of days.  What had changed?  I talked to my mom about it, and we agreed that I would take my violin back, go to a few rehearsals, and see how I felt about it and make a decision from there.  When I found out the repertory for the February concert, I nearly fainted: William Tell Overture again?!  The thought of playing my most hated piece made my head hurt and my stomach twist.  As much as I wanted to give it a try, by that point I knew I had gotten the editor-in-chief position.  That solidified my decision.  Admittedly I do feel a bit empty without the rehearsals, but I know it was the right thing to do at this time. 

And with that thought in mind…I embrace spring 2012 with open arms and an open mind.  Let’s do this!