From Indy I took a bus to Chicago to spend time with Dean and Ross. It was cold, dark, and snowy when I got there, and for that reason it felt more like home than Indy has in a long time. We pretty much just stayed in the South Side, where Dean and Ross reside, because going outside meant dealing with the blistering cold. One nice find was Dean's roommate's advent calendar. I honestly didn't know what these were until Bad Santa.



Coming back to Boston was wonderful. Christmas Eve-Eve with Momma and Ellie and Ben and Jamie, Christmas Eve with the Ozonoff's, Christmas with the Artertons followed by the Englands, good times as usual.
The other big news way Jamie's exploding belly. I was expecting her to pop around January 6th, so I went to NYC to see some buddies for a weekend, only to find out my little niece was born the night after I left! I hopped on another bus back to Boston to show my support, only to find out she was in the ICU having tests done. Regardless, I got at least one good picture out of the trip:



And the after:

After a week of soft foods and tv, aka healing, it was back to Butler! I give a guitar lesson once a week, then I've got Composition Lessons with my main man Dr. Schelle, Analysis of Music since 1900, Composers Orchestra, Ensemble 48, my thesis, my graduate recital (Sunday, April 19th at 8pm), and then working on finding some existence outside of the academic world after graduation! It's a lot, but I can handle it.
To pass the time, I hang with my fellow musicians and talk about the important things in life, like baseball and It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia. For example, we had a big Inauguration Party on January 20th, showcasing the togetherness and unity of our new era as people of all groups got together to share in the celebration. Some people even wore ball room gowns, and of course Josh had to try one on.
