oh yay!

A candidate for actual theater viewing!

trip!

So, here's to another 3000 miles+ band trip.



It will Saturday through Sunday of travel, seven concerts, Bourbon Street, oh, and lots of homework, and hopefully finishing a sweater that I got yarn for.

There are NOT matching clothes. (phew.)
And, I don't have to pay a cent! (wow.)
And, can we say, per diem!? ($200.)

But, our main 'cultural event' involves going to a street full of, well, bars.
And, I will have to do homework.
And a concert every night.
And, no attending church on Sundays. :(

But, the per diem! sweet.

If any of you are out there, we're playing at all those stops - you're more than welcome to come to our concerts!

another question, or two

I'm beginning my rough draft (what I like to term, spewing thoughts on paper) and had some questions:

Why do you think that those same primary kids who sang every single Sunday will later on say, "I can't sing" or, "I'm not good at music?

And, does it even matter that these kids think that they are not singers, or not good at music?
(I guess it's a way of asking, why is music important, and do you think everyone can, and should appreciate music?)

getting there

Next week I will be adding four more states to the total! (Alabama, Mississippi, Louisiana, and Texas.)

an announcement

Well, first an update. The second attempt at making a recital dress failed miserably. So, I bit the bullet and got one. It's not something I would normally see myself wearing - I guess that's a good thing.

More importantly, though, is I've sold my soul. (I almost spelled 'sole')

And I quote (from here):

The first five people to respond to this post will get something made by me! My choice. For you. If you have a request, I'd be happy to entertain it...(within reason, of course, and my budget.) This offer does have some restrictions and limitations:

1-I make no guarantees that you will like what I make for you! But I hope you will...
2-What I create will be just for you. Or maybe a member of your family if you'd rather.
3-Give me at least til August to finish, please, unless you are moving and need it sooner... then I'm sure we can work something out. And if you are long distance, I'll probably send via cheapest shipping.

The catch is that you must re-post this on your blog and offer the same to the first 5 people who do the same on your blog. The first 5 people to post this same information on their blog and leave a comment telling me they did will win a lovely homemade gift by me! Have fun with this!

I especially like the 'give me at least til August' restriction. I most definitely will try to finish before then, but I had some stress-induced eye twitching a week or so ago...not good.

So there you have it!

for mac fans

I'm up cutting out fabric for my recital dress.

I finally finished one I intended to wear for last year's recital, only to find out, well, ahem, it doesn't fit anymore.

So, to pass the time with the new dress, I've been watching this Monday's Dancing With the Stars.

I really enjoyed Steve Wozniak's dance. heh.

it's raining here

and I have so much I should be doing.

Instead, I am updating my goodreads account. Which has got me thinking - Those of you who read this, I know (I think) personally. And I appreciate and value your opinions.

Should we not join together and share these opinions? These great books that we enjoy?

I thought about a bloggie book club, but we have such different demands in our lives that it would be asking a lot for everyone to be reading the same book, at the same time. Though, there may be some who would want to. I guess, what I'm saying is, what would be the best way to share our ideas and the next 'must read'?

A blog where we're all members, who can contribute?

This goodreads thing?

Is this even something that would be interesting to someone, other than myself, and I'm delusional?

it's been a while...

At least it feels like it! Perhaps because there's been more going on than just school....

In no particular order, here are some of the things I've been up to:

1)A Trip to MESA!
Which included:

2) The wedding of my cousin, Liesl, to Sam
I was the flower girl - I always forget how much time and energy these things take. I'll soon forget again. That's why I'll be willing to do another wedding.
Liesl was beautiful, Sam, handsome. Andy...heh...he and Mike my uncle were fun to pester. Matthew kindly let me use his spiffy camera, and I worked on getting pictures of them.
I loved borrowing the camera, so I didn't have to just stand around awkwardly outside the temple. Instead, I was the annoying relative, following people around, trying to get some nice candid shots.
And, as tiring as flowers are, it's always rewarding. I think these arrangements turned out quite nice.
Pictures will be forthcoming.

3) Auntie Marki's 50th
That means she's old.
FYI: Age is determined by the number of your kids married, and then, once there are grandkiddies, that changes the formula once again.
It really wasn't her birthday-day in Mesa, but her husband wanted to have something down there that her AZ friends and family could attend.
I got the job of getting her out of the house - that part wasn't hard. We just went to Food City.
mmm....Buneulos....
It was after Food City that was tricky. I had to lie. It was an effective lie, I must say.

4) General pestering of relatives, okay, mostly Marki and Mike.

5) NOT letting Matthew fluff up my already quite fluffy hair with a balloon. Bad Matthew.

6) Flying back to Greensboro, and though loving the time with Family, ready to be back home.

7) General straightening up, and doing post-travel laundry.

8) Enjoying Spring Break!

9) Teaching
I have one oboe student, and now two! beginning piano students.
I have really enjoyed teaching piano. Especially, because it's not just the piano I teach. I get to talk about theory stuffs, too. And we learn note names, and all that good stuffs.
One of my students is about my age. I really really like teaching adult beginners. They get concepts really quickly, making teaching challenging, which forces me to think about how and what I teach! hoorah!

10) Borders books
I was given a gift card for my birthday (Thanks Frau!) and perused the store to find the perfect books. Well, the perfect books for me to enjoy right now.
Book 1: What the Dickens
Book 2: Playing With Grownups
Book 3:The American Wife

I also contemplated The Boy in the Striped Pajamas. It was the movie tie in version. I hate those covers! Mostly, though, I think I didn't want to deal with emotional turmoil right now. Or anything too serious. Selfish, I know, but when I buy a book I'm not ready to read, they end up sitting on my shelf for a while, and then as they receive the stigma of shelf sitting, I don't want to read them. I don't understand me, either.

As such, I ended up returning books 2 and 3. They still look really good, but I don't know when I'd get them read. They didn't speak to me. (I only use that word because I can't think of a better.) I enjoyed the Tooth Fairy story.

On the return trip, I swapped the books out for The Mysterious Benedict Society. I really enjoyed the book, even though it kept me up till 4!

Some day in the future I need to list all the books I've read that I've thoroughly enjoyed. There's some I keep thinking about, but I know will never get reviewed by me anytime soon. For example, Horns and Wrinkles. Loved it. Fabulous entry in the American Folklore category. I randomly picked it up at the library because of its cover. Nicoletta Ceccoli is a wonderful illustrator. And who doesn't want a story on about trolls and the Mississippi?? The Hunger Games. Rapunzel's Revenge.... Okay, okay. A future entry.

I also had some Borders Bucks, so while my car was getting new tires, I walked over to the conveniently located Borders, and got Me Talk Pretty One Day, and The Elegance of the Hedgehog. I don't any more about them then what the covers say. I'm excited about them both (especially Me Talk...the opening pages deal with March in NC with him being apathetic to basketball.I'm looking for some pointers in dealing with this. [Venom: Not a hater! :) ])

11) I'm getting caught up with my homework. The latest book I've read for classes is a history of Muzak. As far as books for classes go, it was pretty entertaining, and not a drudgery to read. It even mentioned Bonneville corporations involvement in Easy Listening, and Lex de Azevedo got a shout out. Who knew!?

And now today is Friday. I have a whole list of things to get done today, tomorrow and Sunday.

Grocery shopping, cleaning the bathroom, homework, dishes....


Life is good.

happy birthday, frau

Thankfully, when she was commanded, she said Yes to my brother.

Hoorah!

She's taught me a lot, the short time she's been in the family, whether through late night chats, iTunes and Name that Tune (Silly Brahams Requiem), or through how she chooses to live her life.

Things I know are important to her:

Family - An effort is always made to attend where possible family gatherings. Where gathering is not possible, at minimum, a card, but most always there is a thoughtful gift included.

Music - A large variety is included on that iTunes playlist. Bluegrass Thunder. Organ. Violin. Piano. Need I go on? It's not just listening, but appreciating, and using.

Books - I don't remember how many boxes I was told were filled with books, but betwixt the both of them, they filled the UHaul tight.

Writing - If any of you want to read well written, thought out posts, hers is a fine example of writing.

Education - The last three play into the part of always learning, and wanting to know more, in any form. Whether it be the current pursuit of French, Bislamic sit-sit, quilting, angel food cake making, etc. etc.

I could easily go on, but the hour draws late. So in closing: Bon anniversaire!

i luv the south

yummy sammich

An open face tasty sammich.

You need some real thick wheat bread. mmm....
Ham.
Cheese.
And then some cottage cheese.

Cook the first three in the oven for a bit, till the cheese is all nice and melty. I usually have medium cheddar on hand,

Then, right before serving, and a dollop of cottage cheese.

Oh, so tasty.