Cleaning up

Today is my first real day off since March. Weekends in grad school aren't for relaxing, but catching up on reading you didn't do during the week and doing ginormous projects. A bunch of the company is going on the annual canoe trip today. Normally I'd be all for it. I love canoeing, and goodness knows I could use the exercise. However, my apartment is in desperate need of cleaning. Please do not think I'm living in an absolute stye. That's simply not the case. I just haven't been able to do more than surface cleaning for the last couple months. It's time for me to get down and dirty and clean everything I can reach, though that means I can't dust the tops of my windows. (Memo to self: Buy a step stool.) I'm kind of excited about having a clean apartment. I know that sounds really nerdy. Guilty. I do wish my sister Elizabeth or my friend Lauren were here to sit on my couch while I clean.

I've always liked being able to talk to someone while I clean. When we were littler, Biz would sit on my bed while I rearranged my bedroom. When I moved to college I substituted Biz with Lauren. Unfortunately I haven't been able to find another substitute. Such is life. We can't have it all. (Ah, cliche.)

In this deep clean I'm attempting to pare down my belongings. I have a lot of stuff, and most of it is unnecessary -- at least for right now. I don't have a lot of space to put all this stuff, so what would be my coat closet serves as a glorified storage space. When I moved from Iowa to Cincinnati, I took everything save for a three or for medium-sized boxes with me. Most of the extra stuff consists of books. I have the equivalent of six boxes of printer paper filled with books. I wish I had the shelf space to display them. Some of them are old textbooks that may or may not come in handy later. Some are vintage classics I plan on reading some day, when my reading list isn't dictated by a professor and their discussion schedule. Most of them are musically related books I like to have around for reference. I'm not going to lie, I have pulled out my Grout (you music kids know what I'm talking about) to consult about a date. Anyway, I digress. The point is that I have too much stuff in my modestly sized apartment.

My original thought when moving here was that I would make this place a little more permanent than any of my places in Indianola. Though I was required by the school to move so often. Such is the life of a college student. Fortunately, I'm planning on renewing my lease. That makes this apartment the place I've stayed the longest since living at home during high school. It's kind of unsettling, if you really think about it. Dwelling 19-24+ months in one place is considered long term now. Unfortunately, I don't know where I'll end up after I finish my degree. Will I stay here? Probably not, unless I get a really good offer from a company. Otherwise my thoughts are leading me towards moving to New York City or Chicago.

I realize that like most of my writing, these cities are cliche. However, that's where the operatic action is. So far my plan has shifted to include working with a management firm for a few years and then trying to get a arts administrator position. The idea that opera is an old boys club is reinforced everyday. You have to play the game in order to win. That's just how it goes. Learning that now should save me a world of trouble down the road. That isn't to say if I was offered a really good package at an opera company I wouldn't turn it down. It really depends on where I am at then end of March next year.

Right now my five year plan is similar to a choose your own adventure novel. I have 3-5 options to choose from at all times. I've thought about the management firm option. The Met has a fellowship program where I could work with their guild for a year. It looks more like a development position, but it's the Met. I've thought about becoming an au pair in Europe for a few years. I've also thought about staying in school and getting degree in a foreign language -- I'm partial to French. I've also thought about opening a bakery somewhere, either on one of the coasts or in Europe. I really just need to get through the next 9 months and reevaluate in March. Right now I need to reevaluate the state of my apartment.