Conclusion

Today was a highly anticipated day. High school graduation.

Like most plane rides, it was quite uneventful, which is a good thing. As Mr. S put it, "Today is a little bit about you, but it's mostly about your family." That was very true. The speeches were nice, though I believe one didn't fit the context very well. Didn't even get actual diplomas, only ceremonial ones.  As RC said in his speech, today wasn't the event we're going to remember forever. It's what we did the past 13 years.

Afterwards was a brief celebration with the class, followed by finally finding my family.  We took some pictures, came home, had some cake, and I got some presents. 

I won't say it was disappointing, simply because I didn't expect much. Nor important, as I kind of knew I was going to graduate high school already. More than anything, it was a grand ending to this chapter of our lives.

As this chapter ends, I believe that what began with an introduction must end with a conclusion. Specifically, Changed for Good concludes with this post.

Not only is this the proper time to end such a work, but I will admit there are logistical reasons as well. One is that I will have a hard time in the summer keeping up the blog, and even more of a hard time in college. The other is that, quite frankly, the blog is dying.  It is hardly read anymore, and I have to force myself to keep it updated.

This conclusion shall begin a tribute to several people who I intended to write about, but never found the perfect opportunity.

KD: KD is one of those people who has always been around when you need him there. He's funny, but also dedicated.  Talented, but also relaxed. We've known each other a long time, and I'm certainly going to miss him next year.

RS: We met several years ago at PAC, and have maintained a very good friendship since. She always has a smile on her face, or her face is extremely red with embarassment.  In fact, if she's reading this, her face is probably red now. But that's okay. It's a nice feature, and highlights her lovely personality.

AG: He's one of the few friends Ive been able to keep since elementary school. We're both math people, we both like music, and we both play piano at a high level. As I've said before, it would have been harder to avoid being friends. And I'm glad we haven't avoided it.

There are more. And there will always be more.  I just can't possibly name everyone. I've heard it said that people come into our lives for a reason, and there are too many people who have helped me to grow to name everyone. I'm truly sorry.

Second, I wish to include an abbreviated classic: 

Year in Review 2013-2014

• #3: January 26th, 2014: It's hard to place what made this day extremely special. It was St. Sava Day at church. I was the honored domačin, and I got to give the Dobrodošlica (Welcoming Address).  I even screwed up, and had to pull out the paper with the words on it.  I just remember feeling really happy doing it. Maybe it came from singing Uskliklimo several times with the choir earlier.  Probably the Holy Spirit had a lot to do with it. But it felt special. And I can't really explain it here.
• #2: December 13th, 2013: This is a joy that all seniors in high school will understand.  We all go through this process.  We look at schools, visit schools, read about schools, talk about schools, and finally apply to schools. Throughout the process, you end up deciding on what school you really like. If you're like me, you make that decision fairly early.  On this day, I received my acceptance letter from CMU.  The satisfaction associated with getting into my first school choice is incomparable. 
• #1: June 1st, 2014: This was an amazing show experience. I was in some amazing numbers. I was challenged, and not bored. It was energizing, and above all, a lot of fun! I got to make my final statement as a dancer. The evening show was the greatest thing ever. There was applause in the middle of my solo, at parts I never expected. The crowd was amazing. We were taking extra bows at the end. I got a very warm reception from the other dancers in my class, which was one of the best parts of the entire thing. All week long, people were calling it one of the best dance shows we've ever done as a studio, maybe the best. The final week of class I said my goodbyes, but I'm sure I'm going to visit. I'm truly going to miss it.

And that is that. The best days of this past year. 

I will be keeping the blog online. I see no reason to take it down, especially since I probably enjoy reading old posts more than anyone else. The popular posts will be maintained by the system's widget (however inaccurate it may be).

I leave you with these words, my faithful and devoted readers.

Who can say if I've been changed for the better? But because I knew you, I have been changed for Good.

With all due respect,

-NM

WDA Spring Dance Show 2014

I have given up on trying to understand audiences. Sometimes you just have no idea what they're going to react to.

I was really excited for today. I loved all the dances I was in, and knew that this had the potential to be one of the best dance shows ever.  The only dance I was a little worried for was Nothing for Nothing, just because I was still getting the hang of it, but I wasn't terribly nervous. Just anxious.

The first show went very well. Putting on the Ritz was a little bit of a case of "How many times can you screw up and have nobody notice?", but it got a very good reception. I actually did Nothing for Nothing decently.  99 Potcakes was good from what I could see. And the finale seemed to get people involved extremely well.  It got a good reception from the audience, and we all left the stage satisfied.

Between shows, everybody went to Panera Bread for lunch, and then we came back for warmups. This time I was nervous. It was going to be my last WDA spring dance show.  Then, while we were stretching onstage, I made the mistake of saying the name of the Scottish Shakespeare play. That didn't help my nerves.

I think what calmed me down was watching Those Were the Days and Swing Break do their dances the best they had ever done them.  The crowd was into it, and then it was time to go on for Putting on the Ritz.  And I nailed it. Twice, the audience started applauding in the middle of the number, and at the end I actually ended up taking two bows. I felt really good about it, probably the best it's ever been, and was glad it got a good reception.

Nothing for Nothing and Potcakes both went very well. In general, the crowd was extremely energized, and got into all of the dances. The finale was a little emotional, but I was able to channel the energy. The audience started clapping along near the end, which I would never have predicted could have happened in that dance.  At the end, I got a book from Miss B and Miss L, signed, and my own bow. The audience was crazy. When the curtain closed, I exchanged hugs with my class.

Being the only senior was hard. It did get me a lot of attention, but it's also knowing that dance will go on without me. It's quite a different feeling from musical, where a lot of us are leaving, and you know that if you came back anyway it wouldn't be the same. Here, I truly feel like I'm leaving everyone behind.

I didn't cry at the musical cast party.  That was a four year experience, and three months out of those years. This was eight years, nine months a year.  I don't think it's even a tough comparison.  Although I can't say the friendships are as strong, I do feel like I've gotten to know everyone.

I do have one more week of class, though I'm going to miss Monday for the orchestra concert. The goodbyes are still to come.  But today was still a great day. And an important one.

-NM