Poetry Tuesday

In one of my classes this semester, we started book clubs. Basically, you just got to choose what book you wanted to study and whoever else was studying that book was in your group. I got so lucky and was in a group with just 3 people (including me). My friend Abigail (the one below), Lisa, and I studied 20th century American poets. I loved it. I loved our group and the discussions we would have, but also all the poets we read.

So I just wanted to share with you something we did. Abigail would sometimes give us assignments and one week it was to write a poem in response to or in the same style as E.E. Cummings. (Don't worry, I capitalized it on purpose.) So here's his poem followed by my poem in response:

because i love you) last night
because i love you) last night

clothed in sealace
appeared to me
your mind drifting
with chuckling rubbish
of pearl weed coral and stones;

lifted, and (before my
eyes sinking) inward, fled; softly
your face smile breasts gargled
by death: drowned only

again carefully through deepness to rise
these your wrists
thighs feet hands

poising
to again utterly disappear;
rushing gently swiftly creeping
through my dreams last
night, all of your
body with its spirit floated
(clothed only in

the tide's acute weaving murmur

And here's mine

although you love me) tomorrow

although you love me) tomorrow
might not come quickly
and like the bat
that ceases
to fly like
the bird, i will no
longer be able to.

your love will
come in the deepest
and (not entirely feasible)
nighttime of my sorrow

hands, arms, hearts
torn apart and
,once more, put in the
way they were made to be.

your love will
entirely free my long
forgotten chains.
that until that day
were made ready to fall
apart and against the very
wounds they were
made for.

(i will not
remember when it comes


And there you go. Hope you enjoyed!

Cancelled Classes

I just found out all my classes but one are cancelled for tomorrow. This is PERFECT timing. I have an enormous research paper due on Tuesday and having all day tomorrow to perfect it will be wonderful.

Maybe I'll actually get in an interesting post as well on my whole day off. I'm thinking Poetry Monday? Hm. We'll see.

Random Thoughts Thursday (jumping on the bandwagon)

Sorry, Gena, but I had to copy you. It's just too hard to pass up a chance to not have a planned out post.

I'm desperately hoping it will not be this cold a week from now. My banquet dress is strapless and I just don't think a strapless dress with this weather will be a good combination. I'll let you know.

In 10 days my LTC chorus will be performing for the whole church. GULP! I mean, we have amazing kids in it that can REALLY sing and are really great musicians. However, they have a tad bit of trouble with showing up to practice. I'm pretty sure I yelled at them last night. There goes my reputation as the fun-loving college kid.

I sleep walk way too much. Last night I did it twice. Once, I walked into the living room and started talking to my roommate. The other time I was positive that something poisonous was in our room and I needed to get us both out of there. I eventually woke up and went back to bed. About a week ago I ended up texting one of my friends in my sleep. I conveniently let him know that I was using his bed while he was on vacation. Um. WHAT?!?!? I was definitely safely in my bed and I'm pretty sure I don't even know where his apartment is. Needless to say, that was extremely embarrassing. So I should probably get a handle on this whole doing stuff in my sleep, thing.

My roommates and I got a GREAT apartment for next year. I'm thoroughly excited. It has a big balcony and everything. I'll have a room to myself so I'm thinking I'm going to get a futon and a new bedspread and decorate it real cute. It will be great.

Everyone needs to stop what they're doing right now (well, finish reading my post, comment, and THEN stop what you're doing) and go to On Cue. So I might have agreed with my friend that it was a waste of space. That we didn't need another gas station. That the horrible destruction of land was a detriment to us all. So I might have been lying. It. Is. Wonderful. It's like having our very own QT only cleaner, bigger, and better. Yes, friends. It is true. I think I have switched allegiance. One bite of the ham and cheese stuffed breadstick and you will, too.

What Have I Gotten Myself Into???

And here she is, folks. Pi Zeta Phi's Spring Sing Director 2010. YIKES!

Actually, this is what I actually feel about it. My friend Kailee and I will be co-directors and I am so excited!!! It will be so much work and I'll probably be so glad when it's finally over, but for right now I'm just thrilled to be doing something like this. Once in a lifetime type chance, really. AND my roommates are the rush directors so we'll just have a little apartment full of Pi officers.

Cooking Festivities

Tonight one of my guy friends and I cooked dinner for 8 of our friends. It was a success. Of course, my camera was dead so I didn't get any pictures of the ACTUAL meal but this is the picture on the recipe.

I was proud of us!! And apparently, some of my friends have decided that next year I will be teaching them how to cook by way of a cooking class. Ha. We'll see how that goes.

Spring Break 09

Spring Break this year has been AMAZING!! Today my family and a couple of my friends went to our farm. It was great. We fished, rode the go-cart, and did all the farm-y things you're supposed to do.





This is actually how the majority of my spring break has been spent. I'm writing 2 papers over the week.

And the entire reason my break's been so great!! Just because I've got to spend time with really great friends. (Man, I sound so cheesy, but it's so true.)

And just an update: I bought the purple dress for banquet! It came in the mail today and I'm SO excited!!!

My New Obsession

Ok, so maybe I'm a little bit obsessed with dresses. This past summer they were definitely my favorite thing to buy! But recently, I've been obsessed with Forever 21 dresses. My club's banquet is coming soon and I need to find a cheap dress, STAT! So these are my current favorites...


Ok, not a dress. But a really, really cute skirt!! I love it.

My friend Abigail LOVES this dress. So, I'll give her the credit.

Ok, here's the banquet dress. I love it! AAAAANNNNNNDDDDD... it's only $24.50. Bah! Can't wait.

And here's my second favorite. Oh man, I love it.


Ok, thanks for humoring me. Also... Forever 21 is now giving away a trip to Greece and 7 days of swimwear. DEFINITELY applying every day.

Ok, really, done. Maybe tomorrow's post will be slightly more meaningful.

A Glimpse

For today I just wanted to give you a quick glimpse into something considered normal during a life as a music major. If you are in private voice lessons, every week you attend a class called Masterclass. It's basically where you get the opportunity to perform the songs you've been working on for an audience and then they critique you. It's WONDERFUL!! My teacher, Laura, is amazing and every semester plays the emotion word game with us. We sing a song but she holds up different emotions we have to portray while singing. It's a great way to get us comfortable on stage as well as bring out different vocal qualities. Enjoy!!

Karissa Plays the Emotion Word Game from Courtney Knapp on Vimeo.

More than 2 Months!! (Shocking... I know)

Ok everyone!! I'm back. As you can probably tell by my severe lack of posting, I've been incredibly busy this semester. The pictures below are just a little taste of everything I've been up to so far this semester. From January until Valentine's Day weekend, I was in a show called the Valentine Cabaret (all the pictures of me on stage in black). It was so fantastic!! I loved being on stage even if rehearsals took up ALL of my time. I just got done with Spring Sing last weekend. I wasn't in my club's show, but I was able to be in a back-up choir for one of the hosts. So basically, I got all of the benefits of Spring Sing without any of the work. It was so great! The picture with the girl in the red wig is from Spring Sing. Her club (Gamma Rho, the club that won) was Pippi Longstocking. And then of course I've been spending time with friends.

I'm now working 3 jobs. I teach piano lessons, work in the school's box office, and am also a music recruiter. It keeps me busy but also keeps all my activities funded.

Speaking of funding, I've decided to go to Germany this summer on a singing campaign!! I've never been to Europe so I am SO excited about this. I'll be there for about 5 weeks and will stay in Chemnitz, Oelsnitz (I don't know how to spell that!), Prague, and Italy. If I could ask for your prayers for this, that would be amazing. The Lord is already doing great things through this work!

I think that's it for today. Thanks for staying with me through my catch-up post. Hopefully now I'll be posting semi-regularly.