Story Time

I'm almost finished with A Million Miles in a Thousand Years. The book is centralized on finding your story in life. That being said, I want to share my story.

My name is Dustin. I am the son of the most inspiring people on this earth; a strong-willed woman from Memphis, TN and the funny man and musician from Bratislava, Slovakia. My sister takes after my mom and is a great influence on my life. My five-year-old nephew is one of my best friends and calls me "Uncle Dusty". My niece is a beautiful two-year-old who grows up faster than I can even comprehend.

I was born in Nashville, a city I hope to live in once again. I moved to Garberville, California when I was 4, to the redwood forests and reggae beats. It was there that I first began taking piano lessons when I was 6. I still remember Pam, my teacher, and her strong British accent, always telling me I bound to do great things. I could not have asked for a better place to spend my childhood. Although I didn't get the traditional house on a street with many other kids (any other kids for that matter), I really began to appreciate the value of family. When it came time for high school, my parents decided California wasn't the best place to continue my education and made the move across the country to Jacksonville, FL to a small school named Douglas Anderson School of the Arts. I am grateful every day that my parents valued my education as much as they did, and for that, I thank them.

I can not say enough about my high school. Not your "traditional" high school to say the least. Instead of football games and homecoming, we had art showcases and musicals. People roamed the hallways singing, practicing their instruments for class, writing poetry, or reciting monologues (the list goes on and on). It was at DA that I met the greatest friends I could ever ask for. In addition, it was my freshman year that I first became truly informed about the love of Christ and all He has done for me.

So, here I am now; my 3rd year at the University of Florida studying music performance and political science. I have the greatest base of friends, the greatest family, and a purpose for life. Of course I have ideal goals or checking points in my story, but for now I can look back and say that it has been one with conflicts, climaxes, resolutions, and the best experiences I could have ever asked for. After all of that, I just want to say thank you to everyone who helped make my story what it is. Thank you for all those who provided me with struggles that I have had to overcome and thank you to those who have been there during the struggles. Thanks for being a part of my story.

"And once you live a good story, you get a taste for a kind of meaning in life, and you can't go back to being normal; you can't go back to meaningless scenes stitched together by the forgettable thread of wasted time."

"Life is like a piano...what you get out of it depends on how you play it."

These past few weeks have been great. I have really been put to the test with music this semester and the level of my artistry. I have been very satisfied with my ability to adapt quickly when a professor has an idea of how to change the music. This semester, I have already been given 2 extremely difficult chamber works; a Faure Piano Quartet and a Franck Piano Quintet. These piece really explore harmonic realms, making them very difficult to predict and play due to the frequent tonality changes. In addition, I am furiously trying to work on the first movement of the Saint Saens Piano Concerto No. 5 (The Egyptian) because I entered the UF Concerto Competition, which happens to be next week. As of now, I still do not have a for sure accompanist and do not have the piece fully memorized, boy do I have my work cut out for me...On top of all of this, I am preparing for my junior solo recital, which is the pinnacle of my undergraduate studies as a music major in the Spring. I hope all of those reading this blog will be able to make it! It should be around an hour of music that I have been working on since being at the University of Florida.

While still on the music theme, I finally caved in and bought a violin online. I have always wanted to learn how to play my entire life and now I have the opportunity to. That being said, I spent a ridiculously low amount of the set of 2 bows, rosin, violin, case, and extra strings and have not had the best of luck in terms of instrument and sound quality. Either way, it works well for a beginner. Unfortunately, violin is not really an instrument you can "teach yourself", so I have been slowly asking some peers in the music college for advice because as of now, I can only play "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star". Hopefully I will be able to get the hang of it sooner or later.

Last bit of information: I have finally found the perfect church for me after searching since my freshman year at UF. During my first year, I attended Gator Christian Life, then later tried Wesley, First Assembly, and now Anthem. Anthem is a great church that seeks to welcome everybody from all walks of life, no matter where they are in their spiritual journey (that sounded a bit like the Community Group plug at Cru). I'm very happy to have found a place I can attend regularly and would love to introduce anyone who is interested.

I might save more about this for another post, but I wanted to say I am relieved all the drama with the Dove World Outreach is over and Gainesville can be cleared of its title as the "Qu'ran Burning City". This whole event was a poor decision made by the church and was only escalated by the excessive media attention.

Here's some music I have been listening to lately:

Jonsi- Go
Brightwood
Brendan James
Philip Selway

Inner...Inner City...Inner City Pressure

After a hiatus, I am back to the blog (at the frequent request of Melinda Loving).

I finally moved in to the new apartment on Monday (August 16th) and am looking forward to a great year. I am just a huge "fan" of the way academic advisors are such a great resource when it comes to my life and studies (I hope the sarcasm is evident). I am having to go through numerous hurdles in order to secure my dual degree in both Music Performance and Political Science. Luckily, I have it under control and this semester is finally all figured out (did I really just end my sentence with a preposition?). Classes so far are great, I can't wait for the semester, but this will prove to be more challenging than I thought. Music History II is completely manageable, as nothing could be worse than the 1st of the 3-part history sequence. Judicial Politics makes me feel like a giddy child, but the class is going to be extremely difficult (according to the quirky professor who says exams will take about 2-3 hours). Conducting will be great; the teacher(s) is hilarious. Apparently, since I am majoring in piano, I will have to play the songs students will conduct throughout the semester. Exceptional People and Mans Food are not going to be at the least bit difficult, but I am glad they are intriguing and specific enough to keep me interested. Of course, piano studio and chamber will be great. I am extremely satisfied with my choices at UF; music never gets dull to me.

Just a brief update of pre-return to college. The week before moving in, I went to Ft. Lauderdale with Mindy, Randall, and Kristen and stayed in a condo for 4 nights. The entire trip was great; too many laughs to count. Randall, Mindy, and I played this game where we would each sustain a note and make random dissonant chords. This would typically last...all day long (which Kristen was not too fond of during her headache spurts). Our 2nd day there, we decided to go to a Safari place in the middle of nowhere where you drive around the preserve in your car and take pictures of the animals as they come up to your doors. The next night, we decided to drive to South Beach to go to a Jazz club/restaurant on Lincoln Road and had a great night. Our 2nd-to-last day there, we drove jet skis for about an hour and had a blast. Kristen and I paired up, with me driving first and throwing her off the back (at her request). When it came time for her to drive, she decided to take a super sharp turn, hurling us both in the air, off the jet ski and floating like bobbers in the open sea. After swimming (like a champ I might add) through the ripping current back to the jet ski, I managed to get her back on. She was shaken after that moment, so she left the driving up to me. After getting back, we went to our condo where the "largest tiki bar in Ft. Lauderdale" resides. After some refreshments, we went to dinner on Las Olas and admired the people on the streets. One of the greatest things to happen to me during this trip was discovering Flight of the Conchords for the first time. Needless to say, I immediately ordered all the seasons online and have already almost finished Season One (it came in the mail yesterday...). Overall, a very successful trip with some great friends.

Last thing, the Switchfoot concert was amazing, I could not have asked for anything better.

For now, this is all I can think of writing, hopefully the pictures here will speak for themselves.

"Time is making fools of us again."

These past few days have been great. I am grateful to have the friends I do.

On Friday, I FINALLY got a group together to go to Islands of Adventure with me for the sole purpose of seeing The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. After waking up at 5AM, picking up Kristen and meeting Mindy and Randall at her house, we were off to Orlando. We got an amazing parking spot (I've never gotten that close) and waited in line to pick up our tickets. Of course we got stuck in the line with the slowest ticket dealer (what do you call these people?) in the history of IOA. After waiting about 45 minutes, we were finally inside. Naturally, we basically ran to see the Harry Potter world and upon entering I felt like I was 12 years old again. Hogsmeade was exactly how I imagined it. Our plan of action was to wait in line for Ollivander's first because that line was supposedly the longest in the park. Tried Butterbeer (frozen is better) and was amazed with how good it was. After waiting about 2 or so hours, we were finally inside. I do not want to give too much away for those who haven't been, but I can say I got goosebumps during the display. Walked away with a SICK wand (Neville's to be exact) and we were off to the Forbidden Journey in Hogwarts castle. The castle itself was amazing and after waiting quite a while we finally got on the ride. This ride was one of the best rides I have ever been on and I felt like a small child constantly smiling in bewilderment the entire time. Beats Spiderman out of the water (plus, it is a bit scary as well). After that, we went on Dueling Dragons (renamed Dragon Challenge) where little was changed except the entrance to the ride. Zonkos and Honeydukes had to be the least impressive parts of the park, but still were a great experience (although immensely overpriced).

Of course we managed to ride everything we wanted to at least once and headed back to Jacksonville, first stopping at Chilis (which never gets old). Ended up getting home around 2:15AM extremely exhausted, but had an amazing day.

The rest of the weekend was pretty relaxing, caught up on some good tv shows and spent the day with my parents.

I finished Drops Like Stars by Rob Bell last night, but was actually a little disappointed with the book to be honest. Has anyone read this? I would love to discuss his writing style/message.

Still working on the Colbert book (which is hilarious I might add). I think it's important to treat everything in it as a joke and/or sarcasm. I already have tabs on some of the hilarious quotes. I'm thinking about making a quote wall or something like it for my new apartment. Maybe print a whole bunch out (funny and inspirational) and covering a bulletin board with them so if someone comes to my room and likes one, they can just take it and keep it.

Looks like I am going to yet another concert when I get back to school and I am extremely excited. I'm going to see Wakey Wakey and Matt Hires at Common Grounds in Gainesville with Christina, Meagan, and Kelsey. Anyone else is welcome to come, the tickets are super cheap! (I think $8)

I think I will start my Supreme Courtship book after I finish with Colbert. The book looks like something exactly up my alley. Basically a satire about the Supreme Court with fictional justices including a reality tv judge to name just one.

Here are some photos from Islands of Adventure.

"We read to know we are not alone"

So let's just call this the Summer of Reading.

For some odd reason, I can't stop buying books this summer. I just finished V for Vendetta (my first graphic novel) and am wondering what to start next.

Here are my options:

Kurt Vonnegut-Deadeye Dick
Stephen Colbert- I Am America (And So Can You!)
Tim Burton- Burton on Burton
Marjane Satrapi- The Complete Persepolis
Franz Kafka-The Trial
Christopher Buckley-Supreme Courtship
Rob Bell- Sex God
Rob Bell- Drops Like Stars
Scott Turow- One L

Where oh where to start?

In other news, I have been really looking forward to the future lately. This year is going to be a great one, I have a very rooted set of friends, a new place, (tons of new books), new classes, I'm getting more involved in organizations on campus, and am working on some amazing music for my junior recital. All of these things are only for this year, but I can't help but be excited about the long road as well. I've decided that I am dead set on going to law school and am really excited about where it will take me.

I think I want to get more involved in photography. Lately, I have been trying to figure out some fine details about my camera so I can take great shots without having to buy an expensive point and shoot (digital SLR). I've also been messing around with Photoshop lately and could see myself working on some photography projects that I could possibly blow up and hang on the wall.

This blog post has been all over the place (as is my mind), but I wanted to end on some great news I found out today. I will be seeing Switchfoot live for the first time on August 13th and I could not be more excited. This concert will be different for me than others, however, because Jon Foreman's (lead singer) music has had such a powerful effect on my life and if I got the chance to meet him, I could only thank him for his gift. His solo Four Seasons albums has been a piece of music I have connected with during my aunt's last days in the hospital and on my search to be a loving follower of Christ.

Off to read!

this vichyssoise of verbiage veers most verbose vis-à-vis an introduction

Thought this accurately depicted the NYC state of mind.

This is my last week in The Big Apple and I cannot describe how great it has been to be here for 6 weeks, but at the same time, I really miss home. I can't wait to get back to normal life, not catching a subway to a tourist filled square, working for the day, and taking a subway back home to a closet sized room for the night. I have had so many great experiences in the city and can't wait to share them with all my family and friends.

Going through this program has confirmed what I want to do for a living, but it also helped me to realize what I do not desire in life. I realized that I am not, nor will ever want to be a litigator. Yes, the name is ironic due to a certain school mascot I have a relation to, but it is just not me. I can't imagine going in front of a room full of people, a jury, and a judge who grills you with questions (on appeals court at least). I am fine working in an office, meeting with clients on a personal basis and settling the dispute via non-trial methods.

I am really ready for law school. I have this weird obsession with being busy, so I feel as if this could translate well into losing my life studying at said law school. I have always been open to an academic challenge and can't wait to experience this in law school.

The rest of this blog is completely random, but it is something I really need to talk about. There was a free NY Philharmonic concert in Central Park tonight that I did not attend. Let me first say that I think the NY Phil is absolutely amazing after seeing them in concert on Friday night. I am very impressed by their control and artistry. Alas, this is not the reason I did not attend tonight (aside from the reason that I am feeling under the weather). The real reason was the guest artist; Lang Lang. Lang Lang, if you are not familiar with him, has gained extreme international fame for being one of the "best pianists of our time". I could not agree with this statement any less. I will say that he has done an amazing job at opening the realm of classical music to people around the world that do not listen or appreciate the genre. I am not talking about this facet, however. As a pianist, I look at the overall presentation of the artist as a musician, both technically and musically. I will say that Lang Lang has incredible technique that allows him to tackle any piece. Where I stray from the popular opinion (mostly composed of non-pianists) is his understanding and presentation of the music he plays. He is incredibly "showy" to the point that sacrifices the music. It is my opinion that amazing music can speak for itself and does not require the performer to "put on a show" so to speak. Yes, Lang Lang can play every note written on the page, but what is that music when there is no emotional understanding? Lang Lang simply overstates too many things for me to appreciate him as a pianist. This has been a long rant about something pianists could spend hours talking about, but I just needed to say this (or blog in this case) to everyone. If you are not too familiar with pianists and are interested in researching or listening to a Chinese pianist, please go with Yundi Li. He is someone who really understands music and performs it in a way that gives meaning to the piece and respect to the composer.

Can't wait to come home on Sunday!

I look out the window, the birds are composing

Today was a great day.

I found a great Boba tea place around Columbia that is only a few blocks from where I am staying. The tea there was (dare I say it) better than Lollicup by miles.

After, I went to see the stage adaptation of The Screwtape Letters by CS Lewis. I still haven't gotten to the book as it is directly after Mere Christianity (which I am almost done with) in the volume I am reading (and that I left at home). The play was absolutely phenomenal, I think I was the first one to stand applauding after it had ended. The acting was amazing, the messages were incredible, it was just an all-around great performance. My favorite line from the play (which I would assume is a dramatic reading of the book) was:

"Religion in moderation is no better than no religion at all"

Now on to a different subject. I wanted to express the power music has in my life and here is why:

After the play, I walked home, changed in to more comfortable clothes, grabbed my iPod, and went to Riverside park to lay down and look at the stars. Although it was a bit hot outside, I found a nice spot with a pretty clear view of the sky. I decided to choose Jon Foreman's Four Seasons as the soundtrack to the night. At that moment, sitting there, listening to my music and staring at the sky, I appreciated my life more than I think I ever had. Looking around I can see amazing trees, tons of airplanes flying through the skies, a million stars, all a part of God's amazing creation. On top of that, here I am, God's most complex creation, getting to live in this amazing world He has made for us. I thought about my aunt, who passed away last year, and smiled knowing she was right there with me. I miss you Bubbie.

Music just has an amazing effect on me, I feel like it's such an emotional outlet that can not be rivaled by any in the history of this world. I thank God every day for the power of music, especially its' effect on me.

I will leave you with a quote by one of the biggest musical geniuses of all time.

“Music is an agreeable harmony for the honor of God and the permissible delights of the soul.”- Johann Sebastian Bach