We hit the ground running...
I can't believe it's only the second week of December! It feels like we should be further along than this, but maybe that's just because the season has already been so unbelievably busy. So here's a quick status update:
Recorders: The Youth Ensemble played for Santa's Pizza Party (f.k.a. Breakfast with Santa) and sounded great. They were pretty much the only thing that ran smoothly that morning, although all the ensembles sounded just fine. It really makes a huge difference dealing with a small ensemble of older students who know what's going on versus a large ensemble of young children who never seem to get with the program even after you explain it to them multiple times. The next hurdle to jump will be the combined rehearsal with the Adult Ensemble, which was scheduled for next Thursday but will have to be postponed since I just found out there's a band concert that same evening. I can't move the Thursday rehearsal back any earlier because the adults can't get off work early enough, so I guess we'll have to bring the kids in on a Monday evening to join them. At least this is a simple enough glitch to work around; not like the overall scheduling snafu that's destined to take place on Christmas Eve (for details, see my previously posted rant here).
Diet: Wow, have we backslid on this one! When I came back from Thanksgiving vacation, I got on the scale and thought I was going to be sick. I gained 12 pounds! Eek! Not only did I gain 12 pounds over the single week we were gone, but my weight has been slowly creeping up so that I am now 20 pounds heavier than I was this summer - definitely not the right direction to be going in. So once again we're trying to get back on the wagon. We're cutting our meat portions back considerably and trying to eat more fruits and vegetables at each meal. We're also trying not to consume mass quantities of dairy or processed sugars, which makes this time of year especially difficult because of all the yummy Christmas goodies we love eating like spiked eggnog and gingerbread pudding and such. We need to get our weight back under control, though, because all of our other health issues depend on it. When I read comments from conservative extremists bashing Michelle Obama's initiative to combat childhood obesity, I just want to pommel them repeatedly with something hard and blunt. If Rush Limbaugh wants to die early because he isn't willing to give up his unhealthy lifestyle, so be it; the last thing we need is another bloated hate-spewing loudmouth on the radio. However, no one should criticize anyone's efforts to prevent the next generation from dealing with all the health issues I've dealt with because of my weight. I think I may even join the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award program and really try to uphold the Let's Move! initiative in both word and deed. Take that, you fat lazy ultra-conservative sourpusses!
Blackmail!: As much as I want to learn to play the piano as part of my personal career development, my desire to play in a traditional piano recital couldn't be any less if such things could actually be quantified in negative numbers. Unfortunately, I have been forced manipulated coerced into playing at the Winter Student Recital this Saturday anyhow. Ruth and Anna ganged up on me and decided that my flute students won't be allowed to play in any more recitals if I don't agree to participate myself. I don't have enough students to host a recital on my own and even if I did, I'd still have to procure an accompanist since my piano playing is nowhere near the level of most of the pieces my students are playing. So because I don't want my students to be left out in the cold and not have the chance to show off what they've accomplished, I'm stuck having to play at a recital where 99.9% of the players are less than half my age and at least half of them will play better than I will, thanks to a distinct lack of rehearsal time in my overloaded schedule. So if you want to come and watch me make a complete fool out of myself, feel free to show up at Saint Paul's around 3:00pm this Saturday. I guarantee this is going to be a real hoot.
That's all I have time for for now. More updates later. Gotta run!
Recorders: The Youth Ensemble played for Santa's Pizza Party (f.k.a. Breakfast with Santa) and sounded great. They were pretty much the only thing that ran smoothly that morning, although all the ensembles sounded just fine. It really makes a huge difference dealing with a small ensemble of older students who know what's going on versus a large ensemble of young children who never seem to get with the program even after you explain it to them multiple times. The next hurdle to jump will be the combined rehearsal with the Adult Ensemble, which was scheduled for next Thursday but will have to be postponed since I just found out there's a band concert that same evening. I can't move the Thursday rehearsal back any earlier because the adults can't get off work early enough, so I guess we'll have to bring the kids in on a Monday evening to join them. At least this is a simple enough glitch to work around; not like the overall scheduling snafu that's destined to take place on Christmas Eve (for details, see my previously posted rant here).
Diet: Wow, have we backslid on this one! When I came back from Thanksgiving vacation, I got on the scale and thought I was going to be sick. I gained 12 pounds! Eek! Not only did I gain 12 pounds over the single week we were gone, but my weight has been slowly creeping up so that I am now 20 pounds heavier than I was this summer - definitely not the right direction to be going in. So once again we're trying to get back on the wagon. We're cutting our meat portions back considerably and trying to eat more fruits and vegetables at each meal. We're also trying not to consume mass quantities of dairy or processed sugars, which makes this time of year especially difficult because of all the yummy Christmas goodies we love eating like spiked eggnog and gingerbread pudding and such. We need to get our weight back under control, though, because all of our other health issues depend on it. When I read comments from conservative extremists bashing Michelle Obama's initiative to combat childhood obesity, I just want to pommel them repeatedly with something hard and blunt. If Rush Limbaugh wants to die early because he isn't willing to give up his unhealthy lifestyle, so be it; the last thing we need is another bloated hate-spewing loudmouth on the radio. However, no one should criticize anyone's efforts to prevent the next generation from dealing with all the health issues I've dealt with because of my weight. I think I may even join the Presidential Active Lifestyle Award program and really try to uphold the Let's Move! initiative in both word and deed. Take that, you fat lazy ultra-conservative sourpusses!
Blackmail!: As much as I want to learn to play the piano as part of my personal career development, my desire to play in a traditional piano recital couldn't be any less if such things could actually be quantified in negative numbers. Unfortunately, I have been forced manipulated coerced into playing at the Winter Student Recital this Saturday anyhow. Ruth and Anna ganged up on me and decided that my flute students won't be allowed to play in any more recitals if I don't agree to participate myself. I don't have enough students to host a recital on my own and even if I did, I'd still have to procure an accompanist since my piano playing is nowhere near the level of most of the pieces my students are playing. So because I don't want my students to be left out in the cold and not have the chance to show off what they've accomplished, I'm stuck having to play at a recital where 99.9% of the players are less than half my age and at least half of them will play better than I will, thanks to a distinct lack of rehearsal time in my overloaded schedule. So if you want to come and watch me make a complete fool out of myself, feel free to show up at Saint Paul's around 3:00pm this Saturday. I guarantee this is going to be a real hoot.
That's all I have time for for now. More updates later. Gotta run!