Buckling Down
Well it's that time of the year. The last week of classes is finally here and what am I doing? Writing in my journal. Always a good way to start, right? It's ok, I'm organized as far as when everything is due. It works like this: Term paper for Anthropology due Wednesday, Methods Notebook due on Thursday, Trumpet Handbook due Thursday, Action Research Project due on Friday with PowerPoint presentation. The good thing is that I don't have a lot of hours to work at Target until I hit the weekend. So, everything will be ok.
The only thing that might complicate things is the recital I'm preparing for. The Russell Brown Brass Quintet is giving its final recital Wednesday at 8:15 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. I'm crazy excited, a little bit scared, and a little bit sad. The stuff we're playing is really some of the best rep this group's played so far. It's definitely the most challenging, but the music is just so fun and exciting to perform. I'm scared because the stuff we have performed so far hasn't gone very well, despite some really really good rehearsals. I can always bank on the fact we are such good musicians and are so "in-tune" so to speak that I don't think this is going to be a problem. Still, because of the length of the program, there are a lot of things that feel new. Yet, it can't sound new, and I don't think it's going to. Thinking on the fly, that's what this is all about. I really do hope a lot of people show up. I feel bad asking people because I had to miss just about everyone else's recital because of this, that and the other thing. But this is going to be my last time performing with Russell Brown, and like anyones last ensemble performance, you want everyone to hear the culmination of what's truly been four years in the making. I know this is going to end up being an emotional performance. My mom said she was thinking about coming with Emily, and I can't tell you how excited I am!! None of my family has ever heard my quintet, and all this time it's been the thing I'm most proud of here at Western. I usually don't have very high expectations for just about anything, but I've got a lot riding on this performance, and I have a feeling it's going to be a very special night.
So in other news, I'm moving back to Lake Orion next Friday. My transfer officially went through today to the Auburn Hills store. The HR there seemed to be pretty excited I'd be returning to their team even though I don't know anyone who works there anymore. That's ok, I've gotten to know new Target teams quickly, and it's an environment where people come and go all the time. I think this might also be one of those times with me in regards to coming and going. I find myself buying into my mothers lectures, saying I should be in a position where I make a lot more money than I am. So I think I'll begin job searching as soon as I get home. Honestly, I'll say I'm probably going to miss Target. In the past eight years, I've had three different part time jobs, and I've spent five of them at Target. It seems silly to get attached to a retail store, but I really am mostly proud of where I work and the class Target exhibits. I've learned a lot of things there that I won't learn in the classroom, which is mostly the whole aspect of working and dealing with people. I know Target is almost solely responsible for developing that talent in me, and that's a really big deal going into education. And not to mention I really know how things work and operate in the store very well, so getting to know something new is probably just going to annoy me. Who knows, maybe I'll get some obscene raise or promotion, and I'll just be set!
Everything else is pretty much normal. Ben didn't have school today cause of same crazy, detailed threat written on their bathroom stall. I guess the threat was frightening enough that they actually asked people who live in the dorms to move out.... the week before finals. That's just insane to me, and it frankly pisses me off people do stupid stuff like that. What are people really trying to prove? This whole phenomenon of threats and school shootings just floors me. How can people get so disconnected from reality that they really believe they're making a point harming or destroying perfectly innocent lives. This world has so many problems, I really don't understand why people want to continue to drive this to insanity and chaos. This makes me just think of the current state of things here in the states. I read an article today about Youngstown, Ohio. Their foreclosure rate is up 178%. How in the world is that possible? Youngstown used to be home to a massive steel mill and was a place of employment for 5,000 people. When the mill went under, a domino effect ensued and a city that boasted 150,000 residents in the 1950's has less than half that population today. It's like cities are being wiped off the map, and what's the reason? I really can't think of one really good reason people are losing jobs, but as far as I can tell it's somewhere in between the lucrative big business model and education and training. I tend to lean towards the real problem being big business and their outsourcing policies, as well as current tax incentives and loopholes, but it can't be the whole story. In general the whole idea of the ever widening expanse between the rich and the poor is alarming and major changes are needed. Tax cuts aren't a solution, or at least the ones that have been previously prescribed. Welfare is not the solution because it doesn't solve anything at all. I really hope our next president make this a priority. Stories like Youngstown are horribly depressing and I really can't stand seeing our nation sink into such despair. I do know our lives are still better than many throughout the world and everyone needs help, but America can't be running the entire the world. We've invested so much interest in other parts of the world we've forgotten about what's going on here, and people are suffering. I have hope though. The saying goes good things never last; I assume, and it's been my experience that it's a corollary neither do bad things. So, here's to the future! Hang your heads high, good days are on the way...
Aside from those thoughts, I personally feel a little down, and I don't know why. Life is challenging right now. I feel unbalanced and a bit like I'm shooting in the dark regarding the decisions I'm making. At least I'm aware there's a possible doomsday outcome regarding everything I have planned in the near future, and that idea has brought on the idea of contingency. It's for this reason I've taken up a position of zero expectations, or at least I'm trying as hard as I can to expect the worst. It's not really being depressed or negative, but things have the tendency to not work out as you intend, so expecting the worst in what you intend will allow for some padding for when you hit the ground. Right now, it's a free fall, and there might be a parachute, there might not; maybe there's a soft landing ahead, maybe it's nothing but cement, or maybe still in this fantasy, I can fly. There's a big target on the ground, and I'm diving in head first... pun mostly intended.
I have some final thoughts for this post. First, I'll be teaching Dutch Boy coming up in May, looking forward to that. I hope I have a hand in how this drum corps is run and I'm excited to see how it turns out. I've also decided that I'm only going to teach Reeths-Puffer. I feel like I'm half-assing Grandville, and I don't want that to be their only experience with me. When I teach, I feel the need to commit myself fully to a project, and with that band, I really just don't think I can do that, and the lack of commitment is going to lead to a lack luster experience. I have a lot invested with Muskegon, and I really think I can only handle one giant project at a time. So that's that.
So I think that's all I've got for now. It's a busy week and it's time to get to work. I hope everyone's doing well and best of luck to everyone in these next two weeks as we wrap up the semester.
God, Mahler 3 is incredible... Just thought I'd share!
SPLOOIE
joe
The only thing that might complicate things is the recital I'm preparing for. The Russell Brown Brass Quintet is giving its final recital Wednesday at 8:15 in the Dalton Center Recital Hall. I'm crazy excited, a little bit scared, and a little bit sad. The stuff we're playing is really some of the best rep this group's played so far. It's definitely the most challenging, but the music is just so fun and exciting to perform. I'm scared because the stuff we have performed so far hasn't gone very well, despite some really really good rehearsals. I can always bank on the fact we are such good musicians and are so "in-tune" so to speak that I don't think this is going to be a problem. Still, because of the length of the program, there are a lot of things that feel new. Yet, it can't sound new, and I don't think it's going to. Thinking on the fly, that's what this is all about. I really do hope a lot of people show up. I feel bad asking people because I had to miss just about everyone else's recital because of this, that and the other thing. But this is going to be my last time performing with Russell Brown, and like anyones last ensemble performance, you want everyone to hear the culmination of what's truly been four years in the making. I know this is going to end up being an emotional performance. My mom said she was thinking about coming with Emily, and I can't tell you how excited I am!! None of my family has ever heard my quintet, and all this time it's been the thing I'm most proud of here at Western. I usually don't have very high expectations for just about anything, but I've got a lot riding on this performance, and I have a feeling it's going to be a very special night.
So in other news, I'm moving back to Lake Orion next Friday. My transfer officially went through today to the Auburn Hills store. The HR there seemed to be pretty excited I'd be returning to their team even though I don't know anyone who works there anymore. That's ok, I've gotten to know new Target teams quickly, and it's an environment where people come and go all the time. I think this might also be one of those times with me in regards to coming and going. I find myself buying into my mothers lectures, saying I should be in a position where I make a lot more money than I am. So I think I'll begin job searching as soon as I get home. Honestly, I'll say I'm probably going to miss Target. In the past eight years, I've had three different part time jobs, and I've spent five of them at Target. It seems silly to get attached to a retail store, but I really am mostly proud of where I work and the class Target exhibits. I've learned a lot of things there that I won't learn in the classroom, which is mostly the whole aspect of working and dealing with people. I know Target is almost solely responsible for developing that talent in me, and that's a really big deal going into education. And not to mention I really know how things work and operate in the store very well, so getting to know something new is probably just going to annoy me. Who knows, maybe I'll get some obscene raise or promotion, and I'll just be set!
Everything else is pretty much normal. Ben didn't have school today cause of same crazy, detailed threat written on their bathroom stall. I guess the threat was frightening enough that they actually asked people who live in the dorms to move out.... the week before finals. That's just insane to me, and it frankly pisses me off people do stupid stuff like that. What are people really trying to prove? This whole phenomenon of threats and school shootings just floors me. How can people get so disconnected from reality that they really believe they're making a point harming or destroying perfectly innocent lives. This world has so many problems, I really don't understand why people want to continue to drive this to insanity and chaos. This makes me just think of the current state of things here in the states. I read an article today about Youngstown, Ohio. Their foreclosure rate is up 178%. How in the world is that possible? Youngstown used to be home to a massive steel mill and was a place of employment for 5,000 people. When the mill went under, a domino effect ensued and a city that boasted 150,000 residents in the 1950's has less than half that population today. It's like cities are being wiped off the map, and what's the reason? I really can't think of one really good reason people are losing jobs, but as far as I can tell it's somewhere in between the lucrative big business model and education and training. I tend to lean towards the real problem being big business and their outsourcing policies, as well as current tax incentives and loopholes, but it can't be the whole story. In general the whole idea of the ever widening expanse between the rich and the poor is alarming and major changes are needed. Tax cuts aren't a solution, or at least the ones that have been previously prescribed. Welfare is not the solution because it doesn't solve anything at all. I really hope our next president make this a priority. Stories like Youngstown are horribly depressing and I really can't stand seeing our nation sink into such despair. I do know our lives are still better than many throughout the world and everyone needs help, but America can't be running the entire the world. We've invested so much interest in other parts of the world we've forgotten about what's going on here, and people are suffering. I have hope though. The saying goes good things never last; I assume, and it's been my experience that it's a corollary neither do bad things. So, here's to the future! Hang your heads high, good days are on the way...
Aside from those thoughts, I personally feel a little down, and I don't know why. Life is challenging right now. I feel unbalanced and a bit like I'm shooting in the dark regarding the decisions I'm making. At least I'm aware there's a possible doomsday outcome regarding everything I have planned in the near future, and that idea has brought on the idea of contingency. It's for this reason I've taken up a position of zero expectations, or at least I'm trying as hard as I can to expect the worst. It's not really being depressed or negative, but things have the tendency to not work out as you intend, so expecting the worst in what you intend will allow for some padding for when you hit the ground. Right now, it's a free fall, and there might be a parachute, there might not; maybe there's a soft landing ahead, maybe it's nothing but cement, or maybe still in this fantasy, I can fly. There's a big target on the ground, and I'm diving in head first... pun mostly intended.
I have some final thoughts for this post. First, I'll be teaching Dutch Boy coming up in May, looking forward to that. I hope I have a hand in how this drum corps is run and I'm excited to see how it turns out. I've also decided that I'm only going to teach Reeths-Puffer. I feel like I'm half-assing Grandville, and I don't want that to be their only experience with me. When I teach, I feel the need to commit myself fully to a project, and with that band, I really just don't think I can do that, and the lack of commitment is going to lead to a lack luster experience. I have a lot invested with Muskegon, and I really think I can only handle one giant project at a time. So that's that.
So I think that's all I've got for now. It's a busy week and it's time to get to work. I hope everyone's doing well and best of luck to everyone in these next two weeks as we wrap up the semester.
God, Mahler 3 is incredible... Just thought I'd share!
SPLOOIE
joe