Dr. 3ELMAH

[unbound_spirit]

In honor of Markusha's birthday, where ever he may be, a random and humorous skill set evaluation.

Type your cut contents here.

Language:

-Extensive training in French, training in German, training in Italian, training in Korean. 
-Worked as University tutor in French, German, and English as a Second Language for Korean students
-Helped in audio creation for French Praxis Exam for ETS.
-Used Korean skills during internship with NJSO in 2004 to communicate with producers and sales to the Korean community.   I also stopped some creepy guy from stalking Sumi Jo and stealing a bunch of money from NJSO. 
-Created language based on English, Cyrillic symbols, and Arabic numerals.  Only like two people other than me can read it.

I'm also interested in learning Russian next. 

Competition:

-Was a member of the team that won the National Engineering and Design Competition something like ten years in a row.
-Won 2nd place in the bridge design contest for that team.  (Designs were evaluated at Picatinny where a simulation machine was used to basically smash them to bits to see the point at which they would collapse.)
-Academic Decathlon Gold Medalist for Music, Silver Medalist for Neuroscience
-NFAA Merit Award recipient
-recipient of several university scholarships and grants.

Accents:

-After hanging out with so many people from Russia, I have developed the ability to immitate a Russian accent so well, I have managed to fool many Russians.  The jig is always up when they start speaking Russian to me, though, ha.
-I can also do British, Irish, and several others. 

Random training and research:

-Astro Physics
-Medicine and medical anthropology
-Immunology
-Phsychopharmacology
-Otolaryngology in relation to thyroid disease

Not so random training:

-Vocal performance and composition  A.B. and M.M. from Ivy League schools
-international opera experience
-extensive training in classical voice, contemporary music performance, musicology, music theory, etc.
-Recipient of numerous awards and grants
-Tutor for university in music theory, music history
-experience as voice teacher for students of various ages and backgrounds

Other:

-Strong writing and reasoning abilities.  Published essays.
-Experience in administration, software research, and funding research

Personality:

-Able to perform well under pressure
-Restless being in any one place too long
-Tendency towards depression
-Perfectionist
-Dedicated to succeeding at any given task

And yet my degrees (Bachelor and Master)  are in music.  Seriously, what should I do with my LIFE?

Comments

[mechanyx.livejournal.com]

Build a quantum phase inhibitor. I'll probably get to actually listen to your voicemail in like 20 minutes.

[unbound-spirit.livejournal.com]

Why? So the sun won't die? I'm sure the human race will find some stupid means of destroying itself long before that happens anyway.

[unbound-spirit.livejournal.com]

P.S. Yeah give me a call, I'll be up all night, as usual. I think I'll be in the city tomorrow too.

[mechanyx.livejournal.com]

I'm working on infrastructure replication or else I would.

No, the quantum phase inhibitor thing is more an exercise in futility.

[unbound-spirit.livejournal.com]

Dude, what can we DO?

I also want to do things that matter. I want to change the world, move mountains, influence humanity and history for the better. At this point, even being an artist doesn't feel like its enough.

[mechanyx.livejournal.com]

Two words: open source

I'm not kidding. The single most productive and societally significant thing most ppl can do is write open source software. I try to contribute and if I weren't working two jobs, I'd be contributing a great deal more. Phuq, I would even re-learn C because it's that important.

[unbound-spirit.livejournal.com]

I'd have to go back and do my undergrad over in CS though, wouldn't I? Not that I'm opposed to that...

[mechanyx.livejournal.com]

It depends. You could potentially do a post-bac. A lot of programmers have taught themselves though. You should read about this guy Con Kolivas who did all this kernel hacking even tho he's an anesthesiologist with no (or little, I'm not sure) formal CS training.

The trick is you have to really want to do it. Continued interest in what you're doing will keep it going. That's why I didn't program for years was because I had no interest but now that I have a firm grasp on what is wrong with computing and what needs to be changed, my desire to do something about it is pretty high.

[callmetothejedi.livejournal.com]

You are an extremely intelligent, articulate, passionate, BEAUTIFUL woman. I haven't heard you sing, but I feel that the music world would be poorer without your vocal talents. You work hard, and there is nothing wrong with being a perfectionist. I could see you doing extremely well in a Ph.D program of some kind - didn't you say in a previous post that you wanted to combine your musical studies with your scientific research? I think that that sort of research - combining music with science - would be interesting and a good read.

[unbound-spirit.livejournal.com]

I've been thinking about a PhD program (and the post-bacc pre-med program, and math programs). I think if I got a PhD, it would open me up to working in a lot of other fields. I feel like I want to change the world in such a big way, I want to influence humanity in such a big way, and while being an artist is a sufficient outlet for that, its really not enough sometimes. It becomes a bunch of beaurocratic crap after a while, with a little bit of actual art-making.

I think about people like my great grandfather, who worked with FDR and Churchill, and made MAJOR changes to the U.S. and world economies, and like, I want to do THAT. (I mean, I'm not an economist, but, I want to change things for the better on THAT kind of level.)

[callmetothejedi.livejournal.com]

I think that you will be able to change the world in the way you want to. :) That's really cool about your great-grandfather working with FDR and Churchill. Out of everyone that I know, I think that you WILL be able to change the world for the better.

[le-putois.livejournal.com]

World Domination's always a good bet!

[unbound-spirit.livejournal.com]

Yeah but, see, for that, I would need a lot more money than I currently have...

[willowfinn.livejournal.com]

When we do finally meet in person, I predict that we will be speaking pseudo-Russian to each other within five minutes. Possibly less.

[unbound-spirit.livejournal.com]

Oh hells yes. It will be INSTANT. I can't wait.

[dsch.livejournal.com]

Woah, I had no idea you had such a science background in addition to all the awesome music stuff you do!

Me, I realize I'm not innovative enough of a composer to make it in that field, nor do I have a high enough sense of self-worth to aggressively promote my work. Music is not The Thing I should be doing with my life, and I realize I would like to do science instead. But you, with all the stuff you've done to promote new music and all the jobs you've already had, are the type of person the field of music needs and should be glad to have. I definitely think mountain-moving is within your reach, at least based on what I've read in your journal.

[unbound-spirit.livejournal.com]

Maybe we can figure out some way to combine science and new music. Like something legit. Like creating a whole new research field. I don't know, I'm just brainstorming. There has to be some way to fulfill both parts of our minds and wishes, right?

[kvschwartz.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

Sounds like things are really rough for you right now.

It's good to be able to get it out of your system what you don't want to do.

But it might help to start listing things you DO want to do. For example:

You're an operatic singer who wants to perform new (or new-ish) works. Which is to say: you are the Dream Come True for thousands if not hundreds of thousands of living composers out there, who are desperate for a champion. OK, not every single one will be the next Benjamin Britten. But who cares? Back when opera singers were singing brand-new stuff by Mozart, they were also singing plenty of contemporary works by people no one remembers anymore.

You have some networks already. It seems that every month the intranet-tubes come up with a whole new method for networking.

Could you place ads, saying you're seeking new manuscripts? Facebook has places for such stuff. MySpace probably does (if you're willing to wade through all their crap). You probably know the places to check a lot better than I do.

And, you know, if you want to take some math or physics or astrophysics classes, why not? You don't lose the ability to explore a new field, or re-explore an old one, just because you turn 25 (or, for that matter, 65, as my father keeps demonstrating).

[unbound-spirit.livejournal.com]

Thanks Kevin *hugs back*

I'm in contact with a lot of new composers, and frequently get sent music by them. I just don't have any infrastructure through which to execute a performance of that music. If someone said, "Here's some music. Here's the dates we're going to record it and here's when such-and-such record company is going to release the recording, so please plan your schedule accordingly" that would be different. Right now I just get a lot of "Here's some music. You might like it." (The exception being the new opera I'm doing at the end of this year, where a composer said, "Here's some music. I actually got a grant to have this premiered, so set these dates aside and lets start making some music.")

I've lately kind of lost some of the networking fervor I've had in the past. Maybe I need to be going to more concerts or something. I guess I've just been so down, you know?

I'd like to take some math/physics courses, but the question is Where, When, and Will that be helpful in furthering my career in those fields if I choose to pursue it?

I feel so old...