Can you believe we're already about 3 months into 2009?
Where has the time gone?! Oh yea, work, school, work, church, school... Hi everyone :)
Things are going well I think. I'm really frustrated with Crane (Surprise, Surprise!) because I'm really feeling that I'm not learning anything this semester. I'm taking 3 graduate classes: Russian Masters- taught by a Russian Fullbright and we can barely understand what he's saying and he can't answer our questions. Everything is lost in translation. I'm taking Curriculum Development- which is moving along at a snails pace to develop a K-3 Curriculum (BTW I'm leaning towards elementary school :) ) And Rep & Ped- which I'm taking with David Pittman Jennings who thinks it's appropriate to drop names on a repeated basis in our class of 3 students. If I hear another "When I was singing at La Scala under Maestro blah blah blah..." I get so annoyed in that class. Just let us SING and maybe you could teach something about vocal pedogogy!?
The certification classes I'm taking are... Practicum @ St. Mary's in Canton. OK So I like this one :) I'm teaching Kindergarten once a week on Tuesdays with two other students and It's always such a great experience! I'm taking Secondary Choral Practices with Peter Durrow- DISASTER. Common Sense 101. Kill me now. Not only do I dispise the way the class is run- "lets read over what you read last night..." THANKS I know how to read! How about letting us teach or conduct or THINK- but I'm also starting to dispise every student in there. Stupid, egocentric, petty, lazy, jaded, sophomores and juniors. I don't CARE that you had SUCH a hard day so far and still have so much to do! Drop one of your things you don't get credit for- an acapella group or MTO- and stop thinking that I CARE! We ALL have hard days. I'm 25 and in class with a bunch of petty CHILDREN, and you don't hear me audibly complaining in class! And what makes me the most angry is that I feel it's a complete waste of 2 hours of my week that I could be productive. I'm taking Literacy- with Marta Albert. I really enjoy that class and I find it interesting most of the time. But I don't always feel engaged. Sooo I think that's it for school. Over the summer I'm taking Child Development and Comprehensive Musicianship. Should be good. :)
Work: ONNY is ONNY. We're having immigration issues due to the terrible economy. The american border patrol are REALLY being difficult letting Canadian musicians through to play with us. "Aren't there Americans who do what you do?" 4 of our musicians were stopped a the boarder last week and couldn't get through. :( We had to get last minute fill-ins and that was a lot of stress. The job is a job. It's part time so I make it part time, but really I wish I could work longer on everything and do a better job. I'm hoping I'll be able to develop things and restructure some things over the summer when I don't have to worry about classes and assignments at the same time. I'm working hard to NOT over extend myself, however some weeks I really wonder if that's possible for me...
I LOVE my church job. I love my church. I'm starting to wrestle with the idea of leaving here because I really want t keep that job and raise my children in that church. It's tough. being hours away from my family isn't a possibility and I don't think that anyone is thinking about moving to upstate New York.... so :( I have a lot of Questions about what's going to happen Next Year. Right now we're hoping to move somewhere S of 'cuse, north of Binghampton. However, we'll go where the jobs are... What if there are no jobs? What if we can't find a community that we love as much as we love the North Country? What If I can't find a church like the one on the Park? I just have to have fait that when the time comes- everything will be as clear as it was when we moved up here.
About me: I'm on spring break, YAY which isn't really a break, but it's a break from classes so I can work more. Boo.
I'm doing a week long detox and juice fast and working through yoga an pilates to center my body for the rest of the semester. The caffiene withdrawal was more annoying than I thought it would be- I'll have to remember not to get so addicted to coffee after this... but I got to stock up on all organic Veggies and Teas from the co-op and I purchased a juice extractor which will mean a lifetime of fresh fruit and vegetable juices for us! If I can get Rob to stop buying pasturized juices I can make juice here in the house that will be so much more nutritious!
ALSO- and this is what I'm excited about the most right now, this summer I'm doing an apprenticeship at a local organic herb farm. I'll be training and learning how to identify different herbs how they can be used for medicinal purposes, how to make products and teas using the herbs and how to wildcraft- gather herbs in the wild for use, which will be very beneficial for our hiking trips. I'm going to learn the healing properties of herbs from a natural organic herbalist and I'm excited because this long forgotten art is something I can bring back and share with my family and friends. I'm really opposed to running to the medicine cabinets for a quick fix if I get sick- I'm interested in learning more about wholistic medicine practices for a lifetime of good health. :)
Um, in other news- my older sister is finally,.... pregnant! :) She's 12 weeks right now and I'll see her in May, July, and August. Then whenever the baby is born!
Rob and I are good. There's the financial stresses as usual about not knowing about next year but hopefully we'll be able to view locations for the wedding this summer. There's a place in Groton that I'm really leaning to because I just love it and I love that it's not a 'Wedding- factory' Feel. Summer 2011- we still have no date- it'll depend on the location I think...
Ok, I'm going to go strain my potassium broth from the stove so I can drink it as I begin this weeks fast :)
Love to you all!
-TC
Things are going well I think. I'm really frustrated with Crane (Surprise, Surprise!) because I'm really feeling that I'm not learning anything this semester. I'm taking 3 graduate classes: Russian Masters- taught by a Russian Fullbright and we can barely understand what he's saying and he can't answer our questions. Everything is lost in translation. I'm taking Curriculum Development- which is moving along at a snails pace to develop a K-3 Curriculum (BTW I'm leaning towards elementary school :) ) And Rep & Ped- which I'm taking with David Pittman Jennings who thinks it's appropriate to drop names on a repeated basis in our class of 3 students. If I hear another "When I was singing at La Scala under Maestro blah blah blah..." I get so annoyed in that class. Just let us SING and maybe you could teach something about vocal pedogogy!?
The certification classes I'm taking are... Practicum @ St. Mary's in Canton. OK So I like this one :) I'm teaching Kindergarten once a week on Tuesdays with two other students and It's always such a great experience! I'm taking Secondary Choral Practices with Peter Durrow- DISASTER. Common Sense 101. Kill me now. Not only do I dispise the way the class is run- "lets read over what you read last night..." THANKS I know how to read! How about letting us teach or conduct or THINK- but I'm also starting to dispise every student in there. Stupid, egocentric, petty, lazy, jaded, sophomores and juniors. I don't CARE that you had SUCH a hard day so far and still have so much to do! Drop one of your things you don't get credit for- an acapella group or MTO- and stop thinking that I CARE! We ALL have hard days. I'm 25 and in class with a bunch of petty CHILDREN, and you don't hear me audibly complaining in class! And what makes me the most angry is that I feel it's a complete waste of 2 hours of my week that I could be productive. I'm taking Literacy- with Marta Albert. I really enjoy that class and I find it interesting most of the time. But I don't always feel engaged. Sooo I think that's it for school. Over the summer I'm taking Child Development and Comprehensive Musicianship. Should be good. :)
Work: ONNY is ONNY. We're having immigration issues due to the terrible economy. The american border patrol are REALLY being difficult letting Canadian musicians through to play with us. "Aren't there Americans who do what you do?" 4 of our musicians were stopped a the boarder last week and couldn't get through. :( We had to get last minute fill-ins and that was a lot of stress. The job is a job. It's part time so I make it part time, but really I wish I could work longer on everything and do a better job. I'm hoping I'll be able to develop things and restructure some things over the summer when I don't have to worry about classes and assignments at the same time. I'm working hard to NOT over extend myself, however some weeks I really wonder if that's possible for me...
I LOVE my church job. I love my church. I'm starting to wrestle with the idea of leaving here because I really want t keep that job and raise my children in that church. It's tough. being hours away from my family isn't a possibility and I don't think that anyone is thinking about moving to upstate New York.... so :( I have a lot of Questions about what's going to happen Next Year. Right now we're hoping to move somewhere S of 'cuse, north of Binghampton. However, we'll go where the jobs are... What if there are no jobs? What if we can't find a community that we love as much as we love the North Country? What If I can't find a church like the one on the Park? I just have to have fait that when the time comes- everything will be as clear as it was when we moved up here.
About me: I'm on spring break, YAY which isn't really a break, but it's a break from classes so I can work more. Boo.
I'm doing a week long detox and juice fast and working through yoga an pilates to center my body for the rest of the semester. The caffiene withdrawal was more annoying than I thought it would be- I'll have to remember not to get so addicted to coffee after this... but I got to stock up on all organic Veggies and Teas from the co-op and I purchased a juice extractor which will mean a lifetime of fresh fruit and vegetable juices for us! If I can get Rob to stop buying pasturized juices I can make juice here in the house that will be so much more nutritious!
ALSO- and this is what I'm excited about the most right now, this summer I'm doing an apprenticeship at a local organic herb farm. I'll be training and learning how to identify different herbs how they can be used for medicinal purposes, how to make products and teas using the herbs and how to wildcraft- gather herbs in the wild for use, which will be very beneficial for our hiking trips. I'm going to learn the healing properties of herbs from a natural organic herbalist and I'm excited because this long forgotten art is something I can bring back and share with my family and friends. I'm really opposed to running to the medicine cabinets for a quick fix if I get sick- I'm interested in learning more about wholistic medicine practices for a lifetime of good health. :)
Um, in other news- my older sister is finally,.... pregnant! :) She's 12 weeks right now and I'll see her in May, July, and August. Then whenever the baby is born!
Rob and I are good. There's the financial stresses as usual about not knowing about next year but hopefully we'll be able to view locations for the wedding this summer. There's a place in Groton that I'm really leaning to because I just love it and I love that it's not a 'Wedding- factory' Feel. Summer 2011- we still have no date- it'll depend on the location I think...
Ok, I'm going to go strain my potassium broth from the stove so I can drink it as I begin this weeks fast :)
Love to you all!
-TC