Velkommen!

It's that time of year again in Decorah! This weekend was the 41st Annual Nordic Fest: a festival at which Decorah celebrates it's Scandinavian heritage with music, dancing, traditional food, arts, and crafts. This event draws basically three crowds of people: a generally older population of people wishing to celebrate their heritage, about 50% of the Luther College population (students and recent grads) and actual Scandinavians that FLY IN for some AmerScandi fun.

Last year I was the housing coordinator for Nordic Fest, so it was a bit tainted for me by all the hard work, but this year I was able to relax and enjoy the festivities. My personal favorite moments of the wknd:

• Live music and dancing at Sabor Latino
• Diving contest at the pool (i won!)
• Grilling out at Greg Peterson's house (Luther's college organist)
• Nordic/Swedish dancers
  
• Free lemonade at La Rana
• NOT going to Roscoes
  
• The best fireworks I've ever seen from the lookout point at Dunning Springs!
• Church this AM at First Lutheran with Rachel and Brittney
  

The best part of the wknd, of course, was seeing people that I'm not going to see again for a really long time. Ironically, this was also the worst part.

San Buenaventura (Ventura)

Translation: City of Good Fortune, and rated one of the United States' top 5 "most livable small towns". This is where I'm going to be living in a little less than 1 month. Seeing as I've never been to Ventura before, I thought I'd do a bit of research. My findings, compared with my hometown, are summarized below.

Population

• Ventura: about 104,000
• Marshalltown: about 27,000

Median Household Income in 2005

• Ventura: about 58,000
• Marshalltown: about 39,000

Median Gross Rent

• Ventura: $1,094
  
• Marshalltown: $464
  

Registered Sex Offenders

• Ventura: 0
• Marshalltown: 68

Average Daily High Temperature in January

• Ventura: 68
• Marshalltown: 28
  

Average Annual Snowfall

• Ventura: 0 inches
• Marshalltown: 31 inches

There are so many people that say they've always dreamed of living by the ocean. I've never been one of those people, but here I am, moving to an apartment on Preble Ave just 5 minutes away from the Pacific.

Yeah, it'll be nice...but that doesn't make up for the lack of snow during Christmas.

Bala-la-la-laika

Scheduled for occupancy at Baker Village for July 8-14 is the Balalaika and Domra Association of America. "Balalaika", I have learned, is the name for Russian folk music as well as an actual type of instrument used in Russian folk ensembles. Usually Baker is scarcely populated, which is nice since I live here, but for the past week it's been alive with music, christmas lights, cell-phone conversations in foreign tongues, and some guy that likes to read outside in the sun like I do.

Today I joined the BDAA Russian Liturgical Choir, led by Tim and Sandra Peter--2 of the 3 choral conductors at Luther. They've been practicing all week so Patrick, Kelley, and I are latecomers. The Peters' seemed grateful for our contributions, though, especially since most of the choir is better at playing triangle-shaped instruments and wearing funny clothes.

Singing in a choir again was like therapy for my soul. Especially since we were singing Rachmaninoff's Bogoroditsye Devo, Raduisya. There are some pieces that go straight into you and turn everything you thought was complicated into one humble little ball. This is one of them. I can't think about choir too much yet, or, more specifically, the fact that it's over. I've put it in a drawer, so to speak. It has come out of the drawer only once...only to go right back in. Someday I'll deal with it. Or not. Better to just live vicariously through Patrick, who will be involved in choir for the rest of his life.

But back to the choir...we, of course, don't sound as good as the Robert Shaw Festival Singers, and it doesn't help that I've never sung in Russian-ever-but it's the thought that counts. The BDAA Russian Liturgical Choir will be making it's debut (and final performance) tomorrow night at 7pm in the CFL. Tickets are $10, which means no one is going to come.

While the Russians are kind of quirky and have block parties and jam sessions every night, they are still WAY more enjoyable to have around than the wrestling camps that throw their sheets, pillows, and cans of pop out the windows. Maybe the Russians will invite me to their block party tonight. I would totally invite the girl from Oslo 1 that lives all alone to come jam with me.

Day Off!

I'm at work ALL THE TIME. Well, not all day, but certainly every day. Since events usually come in on weekends that means I'm working during them. However, although I worked for 1.5 hrs today, I would consider this a day off. I LOVE DAYS OFF! Here's how I spent it:

• Slept in till 9:30!
• Started a new book: Inventing the Abbots by Sue Miller
• Took a bubblebath
• Watched 2 episodes of "Alfred Hitchcock Presents"
• Browsed foodnetwork.com, then remembered I bought a cookbook at a garage sale
• Found recipe for muffins in said cookbook. Bought muffin tin, milk, eggs, and one orange to make cranberry almond muffins with orange zest!
• Burned CDs: one of my recital for Grandpa, and one of John Williams' American Journey to listen to as I...journey across America! (note to Deb: this music is reminiscent of Disney World)
• Shared a special/holy moment with Patrick and Vanessa at the office. It was 7:07:07 on 7/7/07, the 7th day of the week, and there just happened to be 7 people in the office.
  

Tonight...who knows? I think I might have to watch Citizen Kane before it's due on Monday. I'm kind of embarrassed that I haven't seen it. Actually, I watched the AFI top 100 movies while I was at home and was appalled at the number of them that I haven't seen! I have a problem with that list, by the way...where was "Forest Gump"?

Random Memory of the Day: My sister Elizabeth walking into my room at night, as I'm about to go to sleep: "Goodnight, Paige! Have a good sleep!" (as she comes to the side of the bed to hug me goodnight...) "Do you want me to sing you a lullaby?" (as she starts to stroke my hair she begins to sing sweetly...) "I'm coming out so you'd better get this party started..."

Express Yourself

I went shopping yesterday for professional looking clothes since, come this fall, I will be going to a place of business every day rather than class. No more rolling out of bed 10 minutes before Music History starts. Blast!

I think I did pretty well. I did not exceed my budgeted amount and got some wardrobe essentials:

1. Editor Pant in Black
2. Editor Pant in Brown
3. Essential Shirt in Sky Blue
4. Stretch Fitted Shirt in Classic White
5. High Heels in CUTE!

Patrick didn't buy anything, although he did look around at some sparkley things.

In other news, I've been researching my last name, "Brant", which turns out to mean "One who dwells on a farm that has been cleared by fire". Uh...ok... After reading this I was curious to learn what the origins of "Burzlaff" were, and found that it is actually two words: "Bohr" meaning "fighter", and "slav" meaning "fame". So, "Burzlaff" = "Famous Fighter".

And then I thought, if Burzlaff is so aggressive, maybe he's the one that set fire to my farm.

Memory

I don't remember things.

Like, you'd think with all the traveling I've done and how much I've cherished every moment of the touring life that I would remember more of it. For example, if someone asked me if I'd ever been to Palm Desert, CA, I would say no. But if you reminded me that not only did I perform a concert there, but also stayed with family friends that own a home there, I would remember. Vaguely.

I don't remember conversations, either. 9 times out of 10 I'll stop in the middle of a story and say, "Wait, have I told you this already?" And usually the 10th time the person will stop me and say that they've already heard whatever I'm saying. Twice.

Often times Patrick will say something and I'll be genuinely surprised: "really?" I'll say, only to hear, "Paige, I've told you that like 3 times." I'd give an example of this...but I can't remember any.

So, in an effort to improve my memory, Patrick purchased the game "Memory": Spiderman & Friends Edition! We play it every night and try to match Spiderman, Ironman, Captain America, Storm, and all the other all-stars. I'm sure my nephews would L-O-V-E it, but for me it's a mental workout. Often I will turn over a piece that I have JUST turned over during my last turn. What?? Why can't I remember where the Hulk is?? I'm getting better, though. Last night we tied.

Popsicles and Yo-Yo

I've never known so much about my sisters' daily lives.

I used to think that blogging was a glorified diary, and that all who posted must have been pretty self-absorbed to think that people would be interested in reading their every thought. As it turns out, when you live far away from the people that you love these things are a quick and easy (and hilarious) way to check in. So, seeing as I'm moving to California in 7 or so weeks, I thought I'd join the club.

In the weeks that are leading up to my own California Adventure I'm spending my time collecting names, generating lists, hunting down keys, counting dorm rooms, sending nasty emails to facilities, and managing a staff of 10 as Luther's Summer Housing Coordinator. Besides that I've been doing everything summer-y that I can think of, like eating popsicles (only $1 a box!), getting a public library card, going to the pool ($3 a visit...is a summer pass worth it? hmm....), learning flute (yes, that's summer-y), playing sand volleyball, going to Bible study, taking walks, and taking private golf lessons from 2007 US Open Winner Patrick Burzlaff.

I'm fortunate enough to have 3 of my best friends here for the summer, and now that we don't have classes eating up our time we're able to do things like lay on the floor in the CFA listening to Yo-Yo Ma playing Bach's cello suites until the SPO cops kick us out (it was the mean one this time, although he surprisingly wasn't as mean on this particular occasion...it was probably Yo-Yo that did the trick).

Basically I'm just trying to live my last 7 weeks in Iowa (for X number of years, anyway) to the fullest. And you can now read all about it, and on into the California Adventure. I'm not surprised by this, actually...I'm self-absorbed anyway.