I am still among the living...

These have been a very busy few weeks, mostly because of preparation for my recital, but also because the Director of Vocations for Spokane was here in Rome for a week, and also because I had a very long to-do list (which is, at last, mostly done). Add on top of that the regular schedule of classes and community activities, and ... well, you get the picture.

The recital went well -- at least, basically as well as I had hoped. The only part I wasn't too happy with was the very last part of the program, which ended up being very sloppy, with a lot of wrong notes. Other than that, it was pretty smooth. The CD is in the process of being made. Did I mention the program before? I played Bach's Italian Concerto, Mozart's 12 Variations on Twinkle Twinkle Little Star, Debussy's Clair de Lune, and Schubert's Wanderer Fantasie. It was about 50 minutes of music. Plus, there was another seminarian who sang some songs in the middle part of the concert, right before intermission. One of the faculty members had his camera there, and sent me this little "poster" the next day. (Most of his pictures didn't turn out all that well.)
I think most of you saw the advertisement that one of my friends put together. If not, I'll be happy to send you a copy.

There are only a few days of school left. Thursday is the last day. My first exam will be Saturday, then I'll have three the following week and my last one on the 13th. And, of course, I'll be on an airplane the morning of the 14th. The day just can't come soon enough! Unfortunately, there's a lot of work I have to do between now and then, but I think it will be quite manageable. There are only two oral exams this semester. There's one take-home test that isn't too tough, and there are three in-class written exams, which shouldn't be too bad. Nevertheless, prayers would be appreciated. :)

The weather is getting hot and muggy, and wearing black all the time doesn't help the situation any. Really, it doesn't make all that much difference in the long run -- I don't go outside very often anyway.

That's more or less the state of affairs. I'm just looking to get through these last two and a half weeks with minimal strife.

By the way, Happy Birthday to Grandpa Thomas, who turns 96 today!