Just the Usual
Last Saturday at work sucked. I got stuck on the OS split, as a 9, the same level as all the regular OS engineers rather than the normal 6 which would've had me as overflow only. The OS split crap really sucks. I wanted to try to help out sarahkitty and ended up not being able to do squat for her because I couldn't take Kernel calls, all I got was OS calls.
A little flying on Sunday afternoons helped to settle me down.
Den is supposed to be coming on the 29th and leaving on the 15th. I've arranged for the time off with a co-worker who does the scheduling and haven't bothered to ask permission from my manager. As far as I'm concerned, he's made himself irrelevant with all the crap he's come up with. I'm just going to do enough to keep him at bay until I can get another job.
Tuesday was supposed to be concrete but the concrete company's compressor broke down and they had to let it slip a day to get the compressor repaired. They need the compressor for the jack hammer so they can tear out a messed up slab in the basement.
The concrete guys showed up on Wednesday and tore out the slab. I stayed home from work until they left because DJ had a Dr. appointment. I managed to get VPN for work working and at least got caught up on my e-mail before coming to work.
Wednesday the OS split crap came to a head again. The good news, if you can call it that, is I was taken from a 9 to a 6. The bad news is we're on the OS split permanently. I bid on 3 internal jobs that night. If none of those pan out and I can't find something else, I'll start looking elsewhere. I'll probably wait until after the cruise in February to make a move outside the company but I'll still be looking. I am not a phone monkey and I won't work for someone who thinks that's all that I am.
I was off Friday for my violin recital. The concrete guys were back to pour the slabs in the basement and in the bathroom. It's a relief to have that out of the way.
The violin recital was a mixed bag. As the time approached I was getting more and more nervous. I tried to practice and that was a mixed bag. I managed to settle down some by the time we left but as it came closer to my turn, I became more nervous.
When it was finally my turn, I thought I sounded horrible! The bow bounced on the strings during string changes, every retake was met with a crunch as the bow hit the strings. It was pure torture. Afterwards, the accompanist said I sounded good on it, I wondered what she was talking about. DJ said she never heard the noises I was complaining about. I guess they weren't picked up by the pick-up and thus never went out the amp so only I heard them. Phew! Afterwards, my teacher said that at least half of her violinists were going to want to go to electric violins. I guess they really didn't hear my flubs. I'm glad I got through that, now I need to do it again and again until I get used to playing in front of an audience.
I've pretty much got "Colors of the Wind" down now and have started working on "You'll Be In My Heart." YBIMH has a key change in the middle of it and has it's own challenging rhythms. I enjoy these pieces a lot and what's more, I'm learning new things by playing them in addition to my regular practice.
I talked to my teacher about next semester lessons. What I'd like to do is go every other week for an hour instead of once a week for 45 minutes. 2 weeks in between lessons gives me more time to prepare and an hour gives me more coaching at each lesson. My teacher is receptive to the idea so I think that's what I'll do.
I need to find more opportunities to play. I'm hoping to start at church in February. I don't know that that's the only venue or even my preferred venue but it'll give me experience and motivation for now. I think I'd really like to play at assisted living facilities and nursing homes. The experience with my Grandma and my mother-in-law has given me a lot of sympathy for residents of those places. I hope I can play well enough to help lift their spirits. In time, in time...
A little flying on Sunday afternoons helped to settle me down.
Den is supposed to be coming on the 29th and leaving on the 15th. I've arranged for the time off with a co-worker who does the scheduling and haven't bothered to ask permission from my manager. As far as I'm concerned, he's made himself irrelevant with all the crap he's come up with. I'm just going to do enough to keep him at bay until I can get another job.
Tuesday was supposed to be concrete but the concrete company's compressor broke down and they had to let it slip a day to get the compressor repaired. They need the compressor for the jack hammer so they can tear out a messed up slab in the basement.
The concrete guys showed up on Wednesday and tore out the slab. I stayed home from work until they left because DJ had a Dr. appointment. I managed to get VPN for work working and at least got caught up on my e-mail before coming to work.
Wednesday the OS split crap came to a head again. The good news, if you can call it that, is I was taken from a 9 to a 6. The bad news is we're on the OS split permanently. I bid on 3 internal jobs that night. If none of those pan out and I can't find something else, I'll start looking elsewhere. I'll probably wait until after the cruise in February to make a move outside the company but I'll still be looking. I am not a phone monkey and I won't work for someone who thinks that's all that I am.
I was off Friday for my violin recital. The concrete guys were back to pour the slabs in the basement and in the bathroom. It's a relief to have that out of the way.
The violin recital was a mixed bag. As the time approached I was getting more and more nervous. I tried to practice and that was a mixed bag. I managed to settle down some by the time we left but as it came closer to my turn, I became more nervous.
When it was finally my turn, I thought I sounded horrible! The bow bounced on the strings during string changes, every retake was met with a crunch as the bow hit the strings. It was pure torture. Afterwards, the accompanist said I sounded good on it, I wondered what she was talking about. DJ said she never heard the noises I was complaining about. I guess they weren't picked up by the pick-up and thus never went out the amp so only I heard them. Phew! Afterwards, my teacher said that at least half of her violinists were going to want to go to electric violins. I guess they really didn't hear my flubs. I'm glad I got through that, now I need to do it again and again until I get used to playing in front of an audience.
I've pretty much got "Colors of the Wind" down now and have started working on "You'll Be In My Heart." YBIMH has a key change in the middle of it and has it's own challenging rhythms. I enjoy these pieces a lot and what's more, I'm learning new things by playing them in addition to my regular practice.
I talked to my teacher about next semester lessons. What I'd like to do is go every other week for an hour instead of once a week for 45 minutes. 2 weeks in between lessons gives me more time to prepare and an hour gives me more coaching at each lesson. My teacher is receptive to the idea so I think that's what I'll do.
I need to find more opportunities to play. I'm hoping to start at church in February. I don't know that that's the only venue or even my preferred venue but it'll give me experience and motivation for now. I think I'd really like to play at assisted living facilities and nursing homes. The experience with my Grandma and my mother-in-law has given me a lot of sympathy for residents of those places. I hope I can play well enough to help lift their spirits. In time, in time...