Today was another long day at work. During parents weekend we usually hold a 'parents weekend concert' through the music department. This year, it was decided that there would be an entire "Arts Alive" section of the weekend, include multiple performances of many different disciplines across various stages/venues. I was one of the first student staff members to arrive, getting to Tufts at 11:30am, with the festival starting at 2:30p and ending around 7:30/8pm. Despite the overall craziness and how much being on your feet for 8.5 hours is tiring, it was still a pretty good day. Draining, but good. The fact that I enjoy my job so much makes me wonder if I'm doing the right thing by going into OT. Is OT my greatest joy that is also the world's greatest need? I'm not 100% sure, but I think so...

This being my fourth year in events managing, I'm fairly comfortable doing what I'm doing. I've learned how to accommodate to the needs of the performers and audience members as best as possible, while still being a b*tch if need be to get things done. It's a very fine line that you have to walk as an events manager (in my opinion), but it's not that hard once you get the swing of it.

I had a moment of unexpected near-bliss tonight, which was really surprising, but also very pleasing. Now I love music, and music of all kinds, but it is rare for a piece to really grab hold of me and capture my attention to it's fullest. I can remember the first time I vividly had this feeling... it was during a chamber music concert my junior year. I was working the concert when one of the string quartets began to play Beethoven's String Quartet No. 15, Mvt. III. I can remember being in awe of the piece and my heart soaring along with the rises and falls in the music. It was absolutely breathtaking. I'm sure this was not the best that this piece had ever been performed in the history of music, but the feeling was certainly one of remembrance.

I recaptured a bit of this feeling this evening while I was listening to the Orchestra perform the first movement of Beethoven's 1st Symphony. (Oh Beethoven again, I just realized the coincidence... interesting.) I don't know what it is, but music has this magical ability to kindle feelings inside of you that are hard to get elsewhere. I do not believe my words properly convey what I felt, so I think I will use the words of those before me...

"Music washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life."

"Music is what feelings sound like."

"Music is an outburst of the soul."

"Music is the literature of the heart; it commences where speech ends."

I could go on and on, but I think you get the picture...