the theme of my life...

okay, so i feel like there is a common theme occurring in my life...like in every aspect, in everything that i try to do this theme comes back to bite me in the.., well you know...so what is it, ill try to explain in without a diagram, it might be hard...imagine this, there is this scale (not to weigh, but to measure) and it goes from 0 - 10, everyone sets there own expectations for themselves and the world has expectations for everyone, so let's say that the world expectation for everyone in a 6, and in my case, my expectations for myself is a 10, i truly feel deep in my being that i am able obtain a 10, but here is the catch...while i am always striving for success in everything i can never get past a 9, it doesn't matter how hard i work, or how bad i want it i can not break my 9 point ceiling...this happens all the time, here are just a few examples: my music (personally, solo i mean), my grades (okay but not great), and now in general, the plans for my life, translation, pharmacy school (i found our this weekend that i am on the waiting list for ole miss)...so here it is, in everything i feel like the world is shouting to me in a slightly mocking way, "ha,ha...you thought you had it, you did the very best you could but ya know what, your best is just a little short of great...enjoy being average, delia charest"....and you know what, it just sucks....

i am taking the first step, admitting i have an addiction...

yes that is right, i am going to admit to you all that i am addicted...some of you are asking "what could delia possibly be addicted to", the other of you are saying "its about time she admit it" so here goes...

"I DELIA CHAREST AM ADDICTED TO NUTELLA"

there i feel better already...i discovered my new love while being in France, everyone was like, "try it, try it" and i am now blaming my addiction on everyone of you, especially Katie Mo and Maggie (but secretly i am thanking God for allowing you to open my eyes)...luckily, the only place near me that my love is sold is Winn Dixie, and honestly the Winn Dixie near my house is scary, and i won't go without anyone else, and there is no way that Charles will contribute to my addiction, he already believes that i am beyond help, so i am probably going to be exploring this "cold turkey" thing, i am not looking forward to it...but oh well, i am not going to think about that now... im going to eat dinner now, hmmm....what to eat, what to eat....

the real world stinks, take me back to Paris

so back in America, what have i been doing...workings, yuck!!! i haven't even unpacked yet, part of this is due to work, but i think the other part deals with the hope that i can just pick up and go back...hmmmm, why do i think that i feel this way, easy, i am in a transition period right now, note about delia, she doesn't like change, especially when she has no idea what the transition holds, yes that is correct, still no word...my friend that i work with at uab has applied also and he called this past week, they told him that the decision will be made this coming week, and students will be notified the next week, two more weeks, aghhhhhhhh....i just want to know so i can decidewhat i am going to do, i hope i get for many reasons, but right now i hope i g et in so that i do not have to make the decision of where to move, do i move home or do i stay here, work and find a roommate, i know what i should do, but i want with all of myself to do the other, i just want to know, but i will pass on knowing if i can catch a flight back to Paris, thats a fair trade right? well i probably should get ready for church...

ps. i am really ready for my body to get used to central time again, not being able to sleep past 730 is really beginning to get annoying, i mean i am out blogging even copeland, thats just wrong

i wanna go back....

more...

so there were many things that i looked forward to on this trip to France, but the most powerful aspect of the entire trip was something that i had not even considered to be a factor in the trip, what was is...GOD...now dont get me wrong, i knew that it was a blessing that i was even getting the opportunity to go on such a wonderful trip, and i was constantly asking for a safe trip...but i saw God in ways that i had never even thought of discoveing Him on this trip...of course through the music i am always thinking of Him and how my voice can be used as His instrument and i often feel His presence when i am singing, but throughout this trip, He revealed Himself in amazing ways, obviously through our music, but it was every concert...the first Notre Dame: there were times when i had to stop singing and fight back the tears b/c of utter awe i was feeling in singing in such a obvious presence of God...

the second the night concert at the little paris church: seeing God's glow in the eyes of our audience, they would not stop clapping until we came back, they said that their parton saint teresa is the saint for desperate people, eveyone told us that usually they would pray to saint teresa for her help with us, but not our choir, they said we were not desperate, and we did not need the saint, it was amazing to see their faith in us after just hearing us for a short period of time...

third saturday night of the compeitition: the concert of my life, selig, lux, and i thank you jesus, all the best we had ever sung, we held the audience in complete awe, and want for more, after lux we could hear the audience breath a sigh when the song was over, and the uproar after we finished i thank you jesus...the response for that audience was amazing, people who could not speak any english came up to us to tell us how we moved them, one precious little french man told us that the spirit was with us, all around us...i truly belive that, yes we sang well, but it was truly God's voice and spirit that these people heard...

other than the music i was also able to expeirence God's amazing creations...looking at the beautiful history that has been around for so long, and so many things have happened in these places, the most obvious were the cathedrals...to think that people had been worshipping in these places for longer than i can fathom is just amazing...and now i can add my name to that long list of people that worshipped in Notre Dame or Chartes...

the scenery was also constantly showing me God...i've always said that when i see the sun peaking through the clouds or around a building, and i can see the individual rays, that i am seeing God...it felt like everytime i turned around i saw this, at Notre Dame, the Eiffel tower it just seemed to be everywhere...

hands down the most amzing nonmusical experience of this trip was when charles and i went back to notre dame to spend some time with God...we lit a candle and said a prayer that He would always bless us and our relationship together, it truly was amazing i really felt His arms around the two of us that day...

there were so many other things that i was able to see glimpses of God and His work through, i could not upload many pictures so here is a link to my yahoo pictures...hopefully you can see some of the glimpses that i so gratefully experienced...

we were so lucky...

WARNNING...this could be considered mushy and girly, read at your on risk...okay so charles and i realized that we were two of the luckiest people on our trip, so many of our friends left their significant others back home in alabama, having to spend countless time and money to communicate, but not charles and i, we got to spend ten amazing days in france, together...we grew closer throughout the entire trip, we got to sing the concerts of our lives together, we got to experience the top of the eiffel tower together, we got to see history together, we learned to navigate the Paris metro system together, we even got to spend 10 hours on a plane together, (that last one was good and bad)...it made me realize even more what a lucky girl i am, and how much i want to continue to experience new things with this, my wonderful boyfriend...here are a few of my favorite pictures of us thoughout the trip...

this is us waiting to board the plane in atlanta...we were so excited and ready to go...

this is us in front of the arc de' triomphe, this was an amazing part of Paris, it was sooo big...

this is us on the boat ride, you can see the eiffel tower behind us, it was so pretty at night when it lit up, absoulutely breath taking

this is us actually on the top of the eiffel tower, that Paris in the backgroud, getting to the top of the tower was scary but once we were up there the view, and my company made it so special...not many people get to expeirence the top of the eiffel tower with the love of their life!!!

this is us right before we left for our banquet on the last night, it was really sad to say goodbye to everyone, but charles was wonderful, he always can help me when i get into my sad moods...

okay, so this is on the bus ride from atlanta to birmingham...we were so sick of traveling, our bodies were exausted b/c at this point with time zone changes we had been up nearly 20 hours at this point, we were sooo tired...
there are so many more pictures...ill post some more later, now i must have a break...

i cant believe that its over

so i am back in america...and to tell you the truth, i was happy, this possibly could be attributed to the 15 hour trip from paris to birmingham, but it was sad to see the trip and my choir expeirence end...so you ask how did we do? well we did very well, we did not win the top award but we came very very close...we tied for the top prize in category one (the tie was with the choir that won the competition) and we won an award for the best interpretation of a french piece...for a more detailed account of read dr copeland's play by play on the Choir blog.....right now i am uploading my pictures to wolf camera so that i can pick them up this afternoon...everything there was so breath taking, yes somethings we not very clean, but it is like that anywhere, especially birmingham...i got so many wonderful pictures, it is going to take me a while to decide the ones that were the most amazing to post on my blog, maybe ill start tonight...as i post them i will tell about their significance and what happened then, i guess that is how i will tell the story of my ten days in france...so check back soon

here we go...

exciting!!! here are some links to our recordings...these are just a few of the many, many things we will be singing....

salmo

mate saule

richte mich gott

he's got the whole world

i thank you jesus

its amazing...

it is amazing what people will do for you...i have recently discovered, this past week, that people will be there for you when you need it...i have been flooded with outpourings of care, good wishes, and love...its wonderful to see God working through people, it just blows my mind...i am forever grateful...

prepared or overpacking?

so i am packing for france (ahh jus tthe sound of it is music), and i have come to a large question...how much should i bring...i mean, i want to bring so much, but i dont know if is should...usually i over pack becuase i never know what i am going to want to wear, or if the weather will suddenly change, i just like being prepared is this too much...help me, let me know

well, thats it....

im done, (thank you Jesus for allowing me to get through it)...yeah i am glad that this semester is over, but no real time to blog now, off to church choir, then tonight to decatur with charles (the poor thing has a doctor appointment t/m)...hmm, and then what...oh yeah EUROPE....thank you all for everything, ill blog soon...(and itll be good!)

i never thought i had become dependent...

on the blog...the choir blog...it has been down for several days now and i am at a loss, i can check to see if anything is happening, i cant remeber rehearsal times this week, and i cant keep up with my friends' blogs (b/c i use the links on the choir blog)...so Copeland, hear my plea..."PLEASE FIX THE BLOG ASAP" if it isnt fixed i have no way to procrastinate studying........

probably not the smartest way to make an extra buck...

okay so with the upcoming trip to france i am looking for extra ways to make some cash so that i can enjoy myself while in europe, but b/c exam week is upon me, and pharmacy school is still contingent on my spring grades i dont want to over work and under study for a little money, but i did decide that i would work these two dead days, one regular morning shift (t/m) wednesday and one 12 hour (today) tuesday...well, i have worked many 12 hour shifts and they really havent been bad, this one was very different, i usually go in about 630 am and stay until 7pm, not bad at all, i can get through it easily, but this time instead of saying 3.5 hours over, i decided to pick up some overtime by going in 3.5 hours early, yes that is 3 AM this morning and working for 12 hours, it was rough...i would rather work night shift (11pm-7am) than ever do this again, my body is so confused, i dont know where yesterday ended and today began, and now i am about to go to bed so that i can do it again (at 630 am, not 3)...goodnight

SlimFast, a pink passport holder, pretty music, and a final gasp for air...

well, first let me say i am sorry for my absence of blogs this past week, its been busy to say the least, so let me take this time to update you...
LAST WEEK:
Organic test, ill have to admit it was not my finest moment, i did study, alot, but it did little good, the test was just so much material, but ill still have a B in the class, which is okay considering...
LAST WEEKEND:
Spring choir concert, my last concert at UAB at the Alys, and i think i did pretty good (emotionally speaking) no complete waterfall of tears, just a few here and there (this helped by avoiding Dr. Copeland)...i sure dont know how im going to keep from bawling our last night in France, its going to be hard to say good bye to this part of my life...anyway, enough dwelling...so my mommy and my nana came to visit and see my concert, it was great, we spent time with charles's parent's and sister, it was great, i love when our families interact and have fun...anyway back to the concert...it was amazing (well if you dont count our slight speed problem), we sounded great, and there was this mind blowing overtone at the end of Alleluia, i have it on tape and it is just glorious...

THIS WEEK:
busy, busy, busy...i played for charles's mock jury, it was rough, i was supposed to play for josh's too, but i just couldnt do it, i backed out, and maggie did it, but this was probably a good thing, i just hate going back on my word, it makes me feel like i cant be trusted, and i can, when i say ill do something, i DO it (with the exception of this incident)... i sang with caroline in convocation, we did our duet, and it went okay, we had done better, but it want too bad for my last time singing in Hulsey, another ending moment, anyway...then i had an organic lab final, which wasnt too bad, i studied the right things and i think i did alright, but i wont find our until grades are released, and today, physics test, i did alright, well to tell you the truth, i felt really good about it until i started talking about answers with the 'smart' people in my class, turns out i had a problem right, but it didnt make sense to me, so i changed it, and you guessed it, i had it right the first time, this sould tell me something
Hmmm, WHAT ELSE...

Maggie and i started the Slim fast diet, so that we could drop a few extra pound before we leave to France, i mainly just want to fit into a certain pair of pants, and we know that it is just a quick fix, it hasnt been too bad so far, i get to eat dinner in about 30 minutes and am toatlly excited (thats sad i know)...charles got me this really cute pink passport holder, and i am soo excited about it (this again is sad, i know)...
ONLY ONE DAY OF CLASSES LEFT:
today was my last day in many of my classes, monday ill only go to physics and orgainc, and ill be done...but today in contemporary music techniques (which is not that easy of a class) we looked at some alentoric music, similar to what it sounds like (alien) it is music based on chance and choice, here is an example of some...

i personally think it would make prettier art work than music, but im a traditional kind-a-girl...after today, all i have is to turn in my final project in theory, and then finals, YEAH!!!!
THIS WEEKEND:
like i said earlier, final project in music theory, but first tonight, the opera, going to see Elixir of Love...Saturday, a mornign of rest followed by a reprise of figaro scenes in at Wallace St CC, Sunday a choir concert, 430 i believe at South Highland Pres. Church...
NEXT WEEK:
working some, practicing/rehearsing some (for france), and a whole lot of studing...ill keep you posted...

14 DAYs....FRANCE

(i dont really know if this is france, but its not here, and thats the point)

but for now, im going to cook dinner, this post is long enough....thank you if you read the entire thing...peace

stupid, stupid, bank....

so i evidently overdrafted my bank, but here is the catch....i dont know how...my register matches the online banking perfectly, everything is correct, all my withdrawls, deposits, everything...so how in the crap did i overdraft??? okay that is the first crappy thing, second...i thought that i had signed up for overdraft protection, but evidently i did not sign up for that (even though that is what is was told i signed up for, i "signed up" for overdraft limit, which just means that the bank will cover a $500 overdraft but i have to pay it back and i get charged for it), here is the catch...b/c i evidently overdrafted 3 times (about $5 each time) i got charged 3 times for my overdraft...total about $90 for 3 little transactions, that should have gone through according to my correct register...and the bank, what will they do, of course....nothing....gotta love america

task: find the positive

thats what im working on...for starters ive got these...

and with challenge comes...failure

so i just took my organic test, and it is very disheartening, i mean i studied for about 16-18 hour this weekend and still managed to royally bomb the fire out of my test...you may think, now delia your overreacting...but no! i know for a fact that i missed a 15 point question, and in addition to that i had no idea on about 4 mulitiple choice questions, completely blind guessing (which i am not good at)...but i guess there is nothing that i can do about it, well except start studying for my physics test (thats next friday)...maybe moving home for a year won't be too horrible...

the biggest challenge yet

so i heard from ole miss...not a yes or no, but a "well, we havent decided yet"...evidently there are so many appllicants (myself included) with similar admission scores that they could not decide...their solution: to stress me out for another month, aka, wait until spring grades are posted and then decided on the basis of them...so i hope you enjoy this blog b/c i probably wont be making very many until after exams, see it will take an act of God for me to get all A's this semester, but it is what i need...i have to make high A's on everything else in all of my classes (highs A's i mean 99-100)...so i will be studying...and right now the stupid kid that lives above me is running around his house making more noise than my cats (this is his weekly saturday and sunday ritual), so i am going to go across the street to study organic...test is monday, lets see if i can do it!!!!

patience

ya know, i'd like to think that i have a moderate amount of patience, enough to get me through the usual events, but i do believe that this pharmacy thing is taking just a little too long...i submitted my application last semester (before christmas) and was told that decisions would be made by april first, and clearly they weren't...i mean i just want to know, is that too much to ask? the waiting is just getting to be too much...but alas i know that there is nothing that i can do about this so i will just pray for more patience and continue waiting...as soon as i hear anything, i will post...(keep your fingers crossed)

the last minute rush

so i know that everyone, like myself, is just ready for this semster to be over...and most people are probably like myself rushing around trying to get caught up before exams...so i am spending a lot of extra time this week, next week, well basically until the end of my exams, studying...id like to think that i am a good student when it come to studying but i know that i fall into the traps and habits that we all do so here is a list i found rather helpful, it allows me to catch the traps before i fall, b/c falling is really embarassing ...

Ten Traps of Studying

1."I Don't Know Where To Begin"
Take Control. Make a list of all the things you have to do. Break your workload down into manageable chunks. Prioritize! Schedule your time realistically. Don't skip classes near an exam -- you may miss a review session. Use that hour in between classes to review notes. Interrupt study time with planned study breaks. Begin studying early, with an hour or two per day, and slowly build as the exam approaches.
2. "I've Got So Much To Study . . . And So Little Time"
Preview. Survey your syllabus, reading material, and notes. Identify the most important topics emphasized, and areas still not understood. Previewing saves time, especially with non-fiction reading, by helping you organize and focus in on the main topics. Adapt this method to your own style and study material, but remember, previewing is not an effective substitute for reading.
3. "This Stuff Is So Dry, I Can't Even Stay Awake Reading It"
Attack! Get actively involved with the text as you read. Ask yourself, "What is important to remember about this section?" Take notes or underline key concepts. Discuss the material with others in your class. Study together. Stay on the offensive, e specially with material that you don't find interesting, rather than reading passively and missing important points.
4. "I Read It. I Understand It. But I Just Can't Get It To Sink In"
Elaborate. We remember best the things that are most meaningful to us. As you are reading, try to elaborate upon new information with your own examples. Try to integrate what you're studying with what you already know. You will be able to remember new material better if you can link it to something that's already meaningful to you.
Some techniques include:
Chunking: An effective way to simplify and make information more meaningful. For example, suppose you wanted to remember the colors in the visible spectrum (Red, Orange, Yellow, Green, Blue, Indigo, Violet); you would have to memorize seven "chunks" of information in order. But if you take the first letter of each color, you can spell the name "Roy G. Biv", and reduce the information the three "chunks".
Mnemonics: Any memory-assisting technique that helps us to associate new information with something familiar. For example, to remember a formula or equation, we may use letters of the alphabet to represent certain numbers. Then we can change an abstract formula into a more meaningful word or phrase, so we'll be able to remember it better. Sound-alike associations can be very effective, too, especially while trying to learn a new language. The key is to create your own links, then you won't forget them.
5. "I Guess I Understand It"
Test yourself. Make up questions about key sections in notes or reading. Keep in mind what the professor has stressed in the course. Examine the relationships between concepts and sections. Often, simply by changing section headings you can generate many effective questions. For example, a section entitled "Bystander Apathy" might be changed into questions such as: "What is bystander apathy?", "What are the causes of bystander apathy?", and "What are some examples of bystander apathy?"
6. "There's Too Much To Remember"
Organize. Information is recalled better if it is represented in an organized framework that will make retrieval more systematic. There are many techniques that can help you organize new information, including:
Write chapter outlines or summaries; emphasize relationships between sections.
Group information into categories or hierarchies, where possible.
Information Mapping. Draw up a matrix to organize and interrelate material. For example, if you were trying to understand the causes of World War I, you could make a chart listing all the major countries involved across the top, and then list the important issues and events down the side. Next, in the boxes in between, you could describe the impact each issue had on each country to help you understand these complex historical developments.
7. "I Knew It A Minute Ago"
Review. After reading a section, try to recall the information contained in it. Try answering the questions you made up for that section. If you cannot recall enough, re-read portions you had trouble remembering. The more time you spend studying, the more you tend to recall. Even after the point where information can be perfectly recalled, further study makes the material less likely to be forgotten entirely. In other words, you can't overstudy. However, how you organize and integrate new information is still more important than how much time you spend studying.
8. "But I Like To Study In Bed"
Context. Recall is better when study context (physical location, as well as mental, emotional, and physical state) are similar to the test context. The greater the similarity between the study setting and the test setting, the greater the likelihood that material studied will be recalled during the test.
9. "Cramming Before A Test Helps Keep It Fresh In My Mind"
Spacing: Start studying now. Keep studying as you go along. Begin with an hour or two a day about one week before the exam, and then increase study time as the exam approaches. Recall increases as study time gets spread out over time.
10. "I'm Gonna Stay Up All Night 'til I Get This"
Avoid Mental Exhaustion. Take short breaks often when studying. Before a test, have a rested mind. When you take a study break, and just before you go to sleep at night, don't think about academics. Relax and unwind, mentally and physically. Otherwise, your break won't refresh you and you'll find yourself lying awake at night. It's more important than ever to take care of yourself before an exam! Eat well, sleep, and get enough exercise.

if these sound like you at all, check out the rest of this website it has other helpful hints and strategies:

Good Study Habits
Preparing for Exams
Ten Traps of Studying