sicky

So I am sick again... and I'm just trying to stay really chill this week while I don't have much to do b/c of spring break so I can be well at least by Monday. We have the longest rehearsals this weekend tho, and I hope I am well enough by then to sing. Right now nothing pretty is coming out of my mouth. Yeah. No fever or anything tho so thats good... it just feels like my sickies picked right back up where they left off from last time. GO AWAY I SAY.

Anyway today I met my mom at 10 b/c she had 2 coupons at DSW and was feeling generous! I got a new pair of casual black shoes b/c my current ones are falling apart and I'm thinking they won't be lasting much longer. YAY. Then we went to ULTA where the in the greatest surprise ever I got a free gift worth $65 for buying an ULTA brand product. Sweeeeet. Then we went to B&N and ate lunch at SUMO. I love Japan.

I came back home and slept for HOURS. At 7ish Boo & KK came over to watch Top Model, Idol, etc... Nigel was particularly harsh this episode and he's usually such a sweetie! I am rooting for Allison and maybe London... but right now like more than half of them pretty much suck. And in Idol news... I'm still questioning why I watch it... its so corny. But poor Jorge. And poor LUNA- she had an upset stomach tonight, and well... we smelled the consequences of that :-/

Tomorrow I'm working for Dawn from 330-430, so thats like $20 extra this month. Then I might peruse Gap b/c I have a 30% coupon for the 12th-15th & 5% of my money goes to my favorite non-profit organization!

Well thats all for now... CYA.

thar she blows

This week has been kind of rough... Here are the highlights, err.. lowlights?

1. Tuesday I got in "trouble" and I was very upset b/c I didn't mean to be wrong :(
2. I busted by BUTTTTT Wed night to finish a program notes project for Thursday night, and was up until past 1 doing it.
3. I finish it, look at the syllabus, and realize they aren't due until March 19
4. Yeah. Not only that, but we don't even have class this week.
5. Today my one and only aria SUCKED.

Luckily tho, there is a silver lining. Theory is canceled for two days this week, which has thankfully afforded me some extra sleep time. Much needed sleep. And tomorrow is FRIDAY!!! And then I can just chill; I'm headed home to spend some time with the fam & b/c I have to be up kind of early Saturday to judge at the Music Plus voice & piano "Festival," which is over by my house. Then Vlad will be coming to see me!!! YAY! Maybe we can play with our buddies.

Well I'm going to get in my PJs and watch AI. CYA.

Valentine's Day musings...

Actually I'm not really here to must about Valentine's Day, although it is coming upon us this Saturday. I'm mostly here b/c I can't fall asleep!!! I have lain there in the bed for an hour or so just thinking thinking thinking.

Last week in my voice lesson, I was warming up with Dr. Mathes when she just stops and asks me, "Why are you doing music ed?" And for some reason, her asking that just struck a nerve and I started to cry. She went on to say that "with your voice" I should be performing. And while its a very nice compliment, it just hurt because of course I would much rather be performing. I never wanted to be a teacher, and I still definitely don't have any dreams of working in a school teaching music. I love music, obviously, & I really do love to help kids perhaps find an appreciation for it and even possibly help them learn and grow as a musician themselves. But what I love WAY more than that is singing and being on stage. And I know I've set it aside and tried not to think about it because my logical, realistic self is telling me to get the teaching degree so I'll be able to make some kind of money. Its just frustrating to not really know what to do. So these are things I think about.

Then Saturday night I get scolded b/c I didn't feel good and decided not to come out and play. Which made me feel worse b/c I actually don't like to let people down even when I don't feel truly wanted in the first place. My mom asked me if real friends would make me feel bad for not wanting to come out; the answer is no, but then I get defensive b/c I know my friends are good. So I think about these things.

Then today I get this lovely invitation via fb for "X, Y, & Z Sing Songs of Love" (or something to that effect) to celebrate their upcoming nuptials and to raise $$ for their honeymoon. It would be just CORNY if it was any regular person. But this corny affianced individual is an ex-boyfriend of mine. Soooo, corny + YUK! Deep down, I am actually very happy for him & I hope their union works out, but no I most certainly do not want to attend their happy singsong fundraiser! VOMMMMMMMM!!!!! As two friends said, I'm sure he sent the invite to all his fb 'friends' but still. Come on!! And it was just all up there on my screen reminding me that I am no where near about to get married. And its weird that that fact would even bother me b/c I'm not even ready to get married! Its just the fact that I'm not... I don't know. It was just... not something I cared to see or think about.

I am excited about Magic Flute although all teachers keep telling me I am still too nice! Its hard to be so completely different than myself...& I don't even consider myself particularly nice. But it will be fine, & I am practicing a lot.

Speaking of practicing, thankfully today was my last day playing the damn trumpet. I SUCKED AT TRUMPET! And I practiced soooo much this weekend & this morning. NO MORE!!!

I am singing a song in Russian by Rachmaninoff this semester. I chose it for several reasons, mostly b/c its gorgeous & 2nd since I am dating Vlad, who is Russian, I thought it would especially neat to learn a song in that language.

Speaking of my Russian, I am very excited for V-day this weekend. After pretty much boycotting the holiday for any year I didn't have a boyfriend, its nice to have a reason to 'celebrate' it. We're going to Bonefish Grill for dinner, & I am pretty pumped b/c its DUHLISHUS.

Well I guess I'll try to sleep again now. I hope it works!!! Night.

Getting back into the swing of things...

So. My "New Year's Resolution" is to start going to the gym. I got a YMCA membership with all these great and wonderful intentions to go to aerobics and yoga classes, and whatever else looks interesting. Unfortunately, now that my school and work schedule is set, I am available at none of those class times!!! So pretty much all I can do is go run or lift weights whenever I have a few hours. I would much rather go to a class where they tell me what to do for a specific amount of time. They supposedly change the class schedule every few weeks, so hopefully I'll be able to go to a few classes soon.

School is fine thus far. Nothing too stressful yet. I was irked this morning b/c I got up early for my 9am class only to find when I got there that it was canceled. It just sucks mostly b/c it is SO COLD outside right now!!! What is up, weather?

I am very excited about The Magic Flute. I never really thought I'd be a part of such a famous opera. At Samford all we ever did were scenes and one-act operas that no one had ever heard of... which is fine. But I love my role and I can't wait to get more into it.

In other news, today we got our new microwave that we asked for like... 4 months ago. We were enthralled. A microwave with buttons?? No way!

Erin is moving this weekend, and I am sad :( She was the best roommate ever!!, but I am really happy she's getting to go on tour performing and doing what she loves to do.

Well I guess I don't have much to say. Time to watch the Cosby Show and do some more reading/outlining for school :-/


BYE.

Christmas, New Year's, et al

Time flies when you're having fun, eh? Idk if it was the most productive for me, but I think I figure some things out and am at least on a good path right now. Plus I had some fun times with lovely people. Can't ask for more than this.

So Christmas was relatively uneventful this year. My grans came over on Xmas Eve & we had dinner and played some Wii (they LOVE Wii). Christmas Day we went to church, opened a few prezzies, ate too much delicious food, then went to my aunt's house to visit with my dad's side of the family. It was fun except this antibiotic I was taking should NOT be taken with booze... it made me BURN UP ON FIRE HEART RACING. Not a good thing to do. I ended up staying at my parents' house for almost a whole week; they like me :) & Luna and Leia only got in one fight the whole time (no injuries, thankfully).

I spent a few days with Vlad; we gave each other presents. He got me like all relaxation gifts... an electric massage pillow, a bath pillow, bubble bath, and... long island iced tea mix. All great for relaxing, huh? He is also giving me $50 to gamble with at VICTORYLAND hahaa! Presents to help with drinking, gambling, and being lazy... whats that, like, gluttony, greed, & sloth?... how sinful am I going to be? Anyway. I got him a SEXY gray pea coat, too much booze, & a ROLL TIDE CRIMSON ELEPHANTS blanket. I think we did good this year.

For New Year's we never could figure out where to go or what to do, so I finally decided we should get some people, have dinner somewhere, and go to a bar for midnight. Simpler said than done. We made reservations for 6 people at SUMO (b/c they said they took reservations... didn't explain that it was more like call ahead) for 8pm and it was PACKED when we got there. We waited a/b an hour before getting seated. I mean its no big deal, but by the time we got seated, we were pretty much starving!!! But it was DUHLISHUS so thats good.

Then we went back to my apt to relax a little before going out. Unfortunately when we got to the bar, Jessica couldn't get in so our group disbanded. Also the bar was PACKED LIKE SARDINES, you could barely walk through. So we mostly sat outside under these heaters, and since I was still taking the antibiotic I didn't drink. Which turned out to be a good thing, since on the way home I was side-swiped on the interstate. But thats a story for later. So anyway we rang in the new year WITHOUT champagne since we couldn't get close enough to the bar to actually get any. I decided we should head back home, pick up our own champagne & chill at my house for the rest of the night. Here are some New Year's pix:



So like I said on the way home my car gets hit on the driver's side, & the assailant tries to SPEED AWAY. Then all my crazy car passengers told me I needed to chase them to get pictures and whatever. We were able to get them to stop at a gas station off Oxmoor, and it turned out to be a girl I knew from middle school. Awkward. She was begging us not to call the cops b/c she didn't want to get a DUI & lose her job, etc, which I felt bad for, but she didn't have her insurance card & without a police report, I would've had no proof she had hit me. So we called the police... and she LEFT the scene. Which we all thought was pretty foolish, but I guess now she won't get the DUI. And thats fine; I mean, I don't want anything bad to happen to her; all I care about is getting my car fixed. But we got to chat with cops for a while and then finally headed home.

The next few days were boring; yesterday I had to bring my computer to my dad b/c it had decided to stop working (it wouldn't turn on at all). Luckily it just needed a new power supply, and my dad had like 5 of them just laying around downstairs. So now I have my computer again. Later that night was our bowl game, in which we um BLEW. I have nothing else to say about that. I didn't even finish watching it b/c Stephen called to ask if I wanted to see a movie. We saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button, which I was going to wait til dvd to see, but I LOVED it. It was really amazing. Then KK had been calling me, thinking I was ignoring him, but I would simply never do that! So I went over to his house to play with him, hly, & griffin. This is what happened:

And thats all I'm going to say. PUXnLUV for 2009. BYE!

I'm thankful for Thanksgiving

Its safe to say I haven't felt very good this entire semester. Is it possible to have a sinus infection for 4+ months? I guess if it continues to go untreated... or treated with treatments that AREN'T WORKING, perhaps. I can't remember one day when I've felt energized; everyday has been so sluggish. My mom wanted me to come into the dr today to get SHOTS, but instead I'm going to start ANOTHER antibiotic and hope that this one will fix me up. If not, I'll be subjected to the "very painful" (I actually quote my mom the nurse) 2 shots needed to be injected into my ASS. So, new antibiotic, pls work. Kthx. Anyway needless to say I don't feel good. I took some Mucinex D, & while it has definitely cleared up the sinuses for the time being, it has also made me verrrrry looooopy. When I stand up, my legs feel like they're made of jello. I hope its the red kind. Yum.

The weekend was nice. I spent it with V, who took me to eat at nice restaurant & even got me 2 delicious drinks which had me feeling verrrry goood Saturday night. I also got my oil changed Saturday afternoon. I never remember car things like I ought to, so it felt like an accomplishment.

So top model is over for this cycle & McKey won... which isn't what I wanted. Poor Analeigh. I rooted for Sam (after A got eliminated) mostly b/c McKey is so snore.

Last night I watched "The Prince & Me," which I've seen before & thought was pretty lame. But I couldn't stop watching it last night b/c this guy kept looking so HOTT.

That isn't the best picture, but mmmmmh. Maybe it was the accent that stole my heart.

Well its time for my 2nd nap. I can barely keep my head up. Bye!

Play. Laugh. Grow.

I can't sleep. Quizzes :-/

Quiz: Are You High Maintenance?

Laid-Back
You definitely care about how you present yourself, but probably not enough to let your appearance dictate what you do, where you go, and who you spend time with. Sure, you take pride in your appearance, but you know that some things are more important than looks. That's a great attitude — it looks like you've achieved a very healthy balance between narcissism and neglect.

http://web.tickle.com/relationships/quizzes/show/56

Quiz: The Identity Test

Extraversion Medium

Your medium score in the Extraversion category defines your social identity. You are probably comfortable in either a crowd or by yourself, and spending time alone or with company is equally enjoyable. When among others, you tend to stand in the foreground, although you may not always wish to take the position of a leader. Instead, you seem to prefer moving between the role of leader and follower, as the situation requires. You probably keep a moderately active social life; you're generally on the lookout for excitement, but certainly don't require it. You tend to keep a fairly positive emotional outlook, and people can usually count on your for some good cheer.

http://web.tickle.com/relationships/quizzes/show/147?page=1

This weekend sucks. Nothing to do. Vlad's going to Ttown. Tmrw I'm going shopping with bb (2 of my fav things), but I can't buy anything :(

Anyway I love Luna :) The end.

ROLL TIDE ROLLLLLL 10-0!!!!

Its been a fine weekend. Friday all my classes went by pretty quickly. I was really nervous to have our playing quiz in woodwinds Friday morning b/c I JUST started making sounds on the flute the previous Wednesday. Honestly, I made valiant attempts at it everyday since the day I acquired the flute, all with zero success. Somehow Boo (who is apparently a woodwinds genius!?) was able to teach me how to get the correct Mouth Position... it was so exciting to hear that first beautiful tone! But, luckily, she postponed our quiz until tomorrow b/c no one was really making the best sounds after not having real class on Monday & Wednesday since she was out of town. I was so relieved.

Anyway then I had a voice lesson & voice performance class... which was funny b/c for some reason I was the only one singing. So everyone had to show up just for me... I felt kind of bad about that. But at least it was short and sweet! Friday night I took my buds to ArtBuzz for their first painting experience! We made the Bubble Tree, and I think everyone had a good time :)

Saturday we all watched the Alabama game together and wow was it stressful. Erin & I ate our feelings with pizza, Hly just yelled a lot, & Kevin and Vlad I thought were more silent than usual. But THANK GOD we fought on to victory in overtime. PHEW. We were very happy. Then V left & the rest of us went to Habanero's for a celebratory margarita. Our waiter's name was Hector.

Today I went to lunch at my grans' house, & my mom's cousin Cindy & her husband & daughter were there too. I had a lot of fun with their daughter, Isla, who for some reason really took to me! I enjoyed her very much! Then I came home & later had my first Magic Flute rehearsal, which went well.

I watched Baby Mama tonight b/c Charter gave me a free on-demand movie for being a new member. I liked it! And thats pretty much it. Time to start a new week... sigh.

Apparently my religion is Lunaism

My weekend was good and bad. I spent it with Vlad and while the majority of the time was very nice and fun, the end LETS SEE sucked. I just really see no solution to the cat problem. I'm not willing to give Luna up. He is not willing to get allergy shots. There is no compromise. He says life isn't a fairytale "sometimes we have to do things we don't want to do." Well, um, I could say the same thing to him. Luna is something I'd have to give up forever (speaking for all future cat-pets); getting allergy shots takes 5 years max. I understand that its not convenient. But having pets is a lifestyle for me; its not choosing who I love more. Its a part of who I am. I LOVE ANIMALS!!!! When I see them my heart JUMPS and I have to touch touch touch touch. I can't live without that. I just can't.

I'm not ready to make some terminal decision. I can't face the heartbreak. But I know I have to be true to myself as much as it hurts. Right now I just keep hoping a solution will present itself.


I want a garden by the ocean tide
Because I lose my way searching for stage lights

Election in 1 Day

I just took this quiz in honor of the upcoming election...










Your true political self:
You are a...

Social Moderate
(50% permissive)

and an...

Economic Liberal
(36% permissive)

You are best described as a:

Centrist:
You exhibit a very well-developed sense of Right and Wrong and believe in economic fairness.

Merry Halloween/Last Day of October

October has gone by FAST! I have not even noticed it SWOOSHING on by! And its even one of my favorite months! I like when the weather starts to change; I mean, I prefer warm weather, but after a while I am ready to wear long sleeves and scarves and jackets! And for some reason October/early Fall always gives me a good feeling... idk. But I digress. Happy Halloween. Check out those RAR pumpkins. Wow.

Lets see... since last time I wrote, I took my woodwinds midterm & I got a B+. I am happy with that! I'm also now starting to "play" the flute... as of right now, I'm not getting any sounds out :( which is really frustrating. I'm starting to think I should have picked a different instrument! But hopefully I'll figure it out when I'm practicing this weekend. I'm also now playing viola instead of violin in strings class, which I actually like a lot better. I love the way it sounds.

Last Friday I sang one of the Queen of the Night arias during performance class in front of EVERYONE. My heart was beating SO FAST; I was rawther nervous. But it was fine. I was just glad when it was over b/c my flu shot was making me feel pretty icky.

Over the weekend, Vlad came to B'ham on Saturday & we went to the Alabama Theatre to see the silent film of Phantom of the Opera with the awesome organ playing in the background. I'd seen it before in like 7th grade when we studied the book for lit class, but it wasn't much like I remembered it. I was afraid Vlad might not like it, since its nothing at all like a "horror" movie you would see these days, so you have to realize its going to be different. But we both really enjoyed it and had fun! They made it really theatrical at the beginning and end with these guys in scary masks carrying candles & rolling out a coffin that the organist steps out of. It was pretty cool. Check it out:


Here we are, obviously, VERY scared:

In other news, on Monday for choral methods I had to go rehearse 20 minutes with a school choir AND video record it, so I went with Whitney to her husband's choir at Hewitt-Trussville High School. He wasn't there that day, so W and I ran the rehearsal and it was quite a new experience. I left feeling like it was kind of fun, but also knowing there was a lot I should have done differently plus just a lot more I could have done. But it was my first time, and thankfully it wasn't too scary.

In top model news, cya Sheena. I was hoping it would be Elina, but oh well. I hope Sam or Annaleigh win. Yo!

Anyway, today is Halloween and I have zero plans! No costume, nothing! And I don't even feel sad a/b it! Does this mean I am getting old??! Yikes! Well I guess thats all. Have a fun Halloween!

Happy Birthday, Olivia!

Well, its been an okay weekend. Friday night I went with Mom and Christy for margaritas (yum), then to Sips N Strokes for my 3rd painting. Here is a picture of my lovely three snowmen; its my favorite painting I've done yet! I love my snowmen! The one on the right is goofy.

I felt reeeeally sick again late Friday night, however; my sinuses hurt soooo bad :( Thankfully I slept like a ROCK.

I slept late Saturday morning, got ready, and drove to Montgomery. I was very happy to see V. He took me to eat at Jim 'n Nick's & then to have a few drinks & play pool at some place called Byrd's Bar. I had a good time, and I wish I could have stayed longer.

A few days ago I checked to see when Magic Flute rehearsals would be, and I saw that I had one today at 815, so I was pretty excited about it. But then I looked again tonight before I was about to leave, & I saw that it had been changed to 6:30!!! So obviously I'd missed it, which upsets me very much!!!! I never miss rehearsals!! I love them! Ugh.

In other news, for the past few days whenever I've picked up Luna she has meowed like I'm hurting her, so I was starting to get really concerned. It was her back right leg that seemed to hurt, so I tried to check it out and see if I could find anything wrong. I couldn't really see anything, and she just kept meowing like OUCH so I gave up and decided to make her a vet appt soon. But today when I got home, she seems much better, didn't cry when I held her, and when I looked at her leg I could see a scab there. So I'm thinking maybe Leia scratched her pretty badly last time we were at my parents' house :( I'm just glad its nothing worse; I was getting really worried.

Well I guess thats all. Here is another picture of my snowmen!



And a very happy 22nd birthday to Livvy-Bot!

BYE!

Song song song sing sing sing sing song

Today I am singing for the first time in my voice performance class. I'll be singing "Chi il bel sogno di Doretta" from Puccini's La Rondine, which is an aria I've wanted to sing for forever!!! Its so pretty, and I'm actually excited to sing today and not nervous yet.

And after that I am done for this week!!! I can take a nap! I think I slept all of 1 hour last night. Its ridiculous. I could NOT fall asleep. I think when I know I have to be up for something important the next day, and I know I need to get a good sleep, I find it even harder to fall asleep for that very reason. And that is so frustrating. I mean, I had my Woodwinds mid-term exam today, which I studied for quite a bit last night, and I wanted to get to sleep by 11:30. But I never could fall asleep. So la. C'est la vie, I guess.

Tonight my mom, cousin Christy and I are going to have margaritas, and then we are going to paint some snowmen!!! It will be my 3rd MASTERPIECE, if you will. And luckily, my mom wasn't able to get the flu shots yet, so I won't have to get my shot like we originally had planned.

Tomorrow I am going to see V in Montgomery; I haven't seen him in like 2 weeks so that should be nice. Hopefully it will stop raining :(

Well I guess thats all. Have a great weekend!

You got 30 minutes TM

Its been a pretty good weekend except for that I've been sick. All last week I've had the worst sinus headaches and congestion; its NOT fun.

Karen's wedding was very beautiful; I hope they will be very happy together. And the punch at the reception was MMMH DELICIOUS OMG.

B/c I felt so bad I didn't get to go to my uncle's BBQ at the lake Sunday. I took some meds and slept for about 4 hours instead. I still felt yukky afterward, but at least my headache was gone.

Today I went to class and all that stuff, then had a nap! Then I went to my night class only to find a sign saying it was canceled! Sigh. But I guess I can't complain. I went to Domino's and got some CinnaStix!

Now I am watching Animal Cops. I wish I could save all the animals; it is so sad what people do to their pets. I mean, why get a pet if you can't take care of it, or if you are going to be mean to it? I don't understand at all.

How could anyone be mean to a precious little baby like this?


Did I mention what CRAP top model was this past week??! Lauren Brie did NOT deserve to go home; it should have been Joslyn or Sheena. CRAAAAAP. Hopefully this week's ep won't be as ridiculous.

Well I guess there's nothing else to talk about. I wish there was a vacation in my near future... lalala. Ok thats all. Night.

"Always the... singer? Never the bride..."

Karen's wedding is tomorrow and I can't even express how happy I am for her! I think its such an amazing thing when you actually find the one person you want to be with forever. I'm honored to be a part of the ceremony. But at the same time, watching all these old friends get married always makes me feel so sad. This is no exception; maybe even moreso b/c Karen was my very best friend for a very long time. Its just so mind-boggling and I can't even put words to how I'm feeling. I guess I just always wish that I was at that place, ready to take that step. B/c I do want that someday! I know its not my time, and don't get me wrong- I am perfectly ok with that; I would not want to get married at the wrong time with the wrong person and end up in an unhappy situation. But watching my friends get married brings on quite a melancholy for me. Plus with the whole Vlad-Luna situation... ugh.

This whole week I've been very down and shiftless. I keep wishing I could get away and do something fun. Too bad UAB doesn't get a fall break. I'm glad its the weekend; after the wedding tomorrow I will spend a lot of time with my family and precious pets who I LOVE. Then Sunday we'll be going to my uncle's lake house for some yummy bbq :) And my mom is making Halloween cupcakes!

Anyway today I was playing with Luna and put the toy on her back which makes her CRAZIE so I took some pix. And thats all for now. Good night.


Uh oh!!!


Got it!

Queen of the Night

Hello everyone... well, hello to the maybe one person who possibly reads this. Last week, Tuesday, I had my audition for Mozart's The Magic Flute, and Wednesday I was cast as the Queen of the Night. I'm very excited about it, mostly because its a very famous role and a very challenging one. It will be a great addition to my resume, and most likely a lot of fun fun fun. We had our first cast meeting tonight and will begin rehearsal this semester even tho the production isn't until March.

Anyway, school is going well. I'm enjoying my classes for the most part; the only thing I hate is not getting more sleep! I miss Tuscaloosa still, but I'm pretty much used to being back here. Last weekend I went to Ttown to visit Olivia with Hayley & to watch the UA-UGA game. I don't prefer to watch football, but ever since I lived in Tuscaloosa, I have grown to CARE VERY MUCH whether or not the ROLL TIDE CRIMSON ELEPHANTS win or lose. So the results of that game were VERY exciting, esp with all the festivities in the apartment below us... RAMMER JAMMER?! Oh yes.

This weekend, Friday I had din with Hly & KevKev at SURIN! Mmmhhhh duhlishus. Then we went to Barking Kudo, walked around entirely too much, then the Garage, then.. Wal-Mart. Hly bought HSM2 Uno cards (even tho they were not the same low price as the regular Uno cards ($2 more!),... nor is she a 11 year old girl) so we could party like they did in the days before TV in the basement of KK's house. He had the most precious DOGGIES tho.

Saturday Vlad came to B'ham and we went to his ex-roommate Blake's wedding, which turned out to be a lot of fun. There was much free booze, which is always a good deal. Here is a picture:

Anyway thats about it. I'm feeling a bit low at the moment, but this too shall pass. Thats all for now. KBYE.