Officially done with thesis!

That's right. I finished writing my thesis last Wednesday at 5:30am. And as of 7pm today, I have also defended it and given a presentation to the faculty and students at the undergraduate honors thesis symposium in the classics department.

The exciting news is Prof. Brennan and Prof. Connolly proposed that we type set and publish my thesis online! It would be a nice little publication for Rutgers alumni/ae to read. Thomas Frusciano, the Rutgers archivist, also wants a copy to keep in the archives. I feel like I'm actually making a small contribution to the academic world at last.

So, once my thesis is nicely proofreaded and formatted, I'll post it on here for those nerds who enjoy reading painfully detailed accounts of history.

IN OTHER NEWS!!

This saturday is Rutgers Day! Come watch the classics department take center stage on the steps of Brower Commons on College Ave! There's going to be a runway -- Greek and Roman fashion shows every hour, AND a reenactment of gladiatorial combat at 1pm. My very own thesis adviser will be deejaying. haha... I wouldn't miss it for the world.

Proud of Rutgers Classics

I know I always complain about Rutgers, but believe it or not, there IS one thing I love about Rutgers -- the classics department! I have nothing bad to say about any of the classics courses I've taken nor any of the classics professors.

I've already written a post about my thesis adviser, Prof. Corey Brennan, who is super famous in the classics world. Today I was in his office and he had tons of correspondence from various universities and even something from the US Supreme Court about Cicero! (Not that I was snooping around or anything... it was all sprawled out on the table.)

Anyway, today I just read his blog post on my Latin professor, Serena Connolly, who is my all-time favorite professor and who apparently just was awarded a fellowship at the Institute for Advanced Study at Princeton. And guess what she is working on? A "book-length examination of the Disticha Catonis—an Imperial collection of Latin aphorisms—in their classical context"!!

I am quite excited for her and the topic she is studying. Hope to read her work when she's done! Here's the link for the rest of the blog post: http://rutgersclassics.wordpress.com/2009/04/05/serena-connolly-receives-200910-mellon-fellowship-for-assistant-professors-at-institute-for-advanced-study/

Oh and as a side note. My adviser also wrote an introductory blog post on my thesis topic. =) Here it is: http://rutgersclassics.wordpress.com/2009/03/27/a-60-second-ru-history-lesson-the-rutgers-latin-motto-sol-iustitiae-et-occidentem-illustra/

More about that later!

The Janitor Musician

It's great to be considered a well-rounded kind of musician who can be useful in various musical functions, but sometimes, I feel more like a janitor than a musician.

For example, compare the following scenarios:

• There is a spill in the cafeteria. Call the janitor.
• The trash bins are overflowing. Where is the janitor?
• Why are there no more paper towels in the restrooms? Call the janitor.

• I need an accompanist for service this Sunday. Call Jessica.
• I need a studio accompanist for company class next week. Call Jessica.
• Who can I get to accompany the violin recital? Maybe Jessica can.
• I need a keyboardist for the summer conference. Call Jessica.
• How does this hymn go again? Jessica, can you play it?
• I can't accompany so many vocalists. Jessica, can you take some?
• My pianist just became ill. Can you play for the choir this Sunday?
• We would love to have handbells for the Christmas service. Call Jessica.
• Who can we get to play music at our wedding? Ask Jessica.

I could go on forever, but you get the point. All-purpose musicians get used the most and appreciated the least. Their skills are taken forgranted (just like sound technicians). Why do I feel like an every-day, all-purpose musician that people can pull from the shelf and use whenever they need?

Nor am I the only one. Many musicians like me go unappreciated all the time. That is the reason why there are so many of us non-elite, freelance, working-class musicians. Who would be inspired to reach for higher achievements when they are treated like this?