Category Archives: Life

Long time, no post

Life

Wow, I can’t believe I haven’t posted since March! As usual, I’ve been a little busy. In one of my classes, we watched the video on Time Management given by Randy Pausch (you can find it by googling “Time Management Randy Pausch”). One thing in it in particular I really liked was the notion of a 4-Quadrant TO DO List. The premise is pretty simple. Fill out your tasks according to the importance and when it’s due.

4quadToDo

Unfortunately, the first time I sat down to write up my To Do list, I realized that the columns were inaccurate for me. So here is MY 4 Quad To Do list:

my4quadtodolist

Yes, for me, everything is either “Critical” or “Very Important” and it’s all either “Overdue” or “Due Now”. So much for that time-management hint!

But the good news is that I am in my second-to-last class for my graduate degree! Finally!

And the other good news is that I am continuing my “one a month” (at least) streak of musicals! I do shows all the time, but since last November, I’ve done at least one a month.

A Sherie Ren? Scott Day

Family, Life, Music, Reviews

I’m going to have a Sherie Ren? Scott day! I had one of her songs from The Last 5 Years stuck in my head, and I decided that I would listen to all of the Broadway shows that I have on my iPod that she’s in. I know she’s been in more than this, but these are all I have:

  • Aida
  • Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
  • Feeling Electric (the workshop of Next to Normal)
  • The Last 5 Years
  • The Little Mermaid
  • Tommy

I’ll be driving down to CT for my grandmother’s birthday (91!), and it will be nice to have my iPod and iTrip all set up with great music. And I love Sherie Ren? Scott! She has the prettiest voice, and is such a wonderful actor.

Careful what you wish for…

Animals, Family, Life, Music, Reviews

How many times have I said that to my kids! “Careful what you wish for, you just might get it.” I have been so backed up with work, WWD work, practicing, music, school work, Corn Allergen emails, brushing the dog’s teeth, filing papers from 2008, and putting my music room back together, that I have often found myself wishing I could just have a week off to catch up with everything. HA! It doesn’t work that way.

I got my week off, alright. I hurt my back two weeks ago, and it got better day by day. By last weekend, I was getting cocky, and pretended I hadn’t hurt it at all. Big mistake. Monday morning I was in even worse pain, and it hurt to even take a step. I went to the doctor Tuesday, and ended up being told to stay home the rest of the week! What a waste of time. I found out that I do not work very well when I’m in pain. For all the extra “work” I got done, I might as well have had a full week!

And just some random things I also discovered. One is that I am never in my car a 1:11, am or pm. Monday through Friday I am at work, so that makes sense. Most Saturdays I have a music lesson, and I’m usually home by then. If I go out on Sundays, it’s for a matinee, and I’d be anywhere I need to be well before 1:11. And of course, I’m asleep at 1:11 am. But I got to see the 1:11 Tuesday on my way to the doctor. (See, this is why I don’t have a digital watch; I’d spend most of the day trying to “capture” times like 12:34:56 or 2:52:52.)

I have also discovered Robyn Hitchcock. How can I have lived on this planet for 46 years without ever hearing of him before? He is my-kind-of-music. I have also been listening to Ralph Vaughn Williams Flos Campi over and over again; it is so beautiful. Last month I discovered George Butterworth (1885 – 1916), a student of Vaughn Williams who tragically died at age 30 in WWI. Oh, the beautiful music we lost when he died. I could listen to Two English Idylls (1911), A Shropshire Lad (1912), and The Banks of Green Willow (1913) over and over again. Actually, I do listen to them over and over again! The people at work must think I’m crazy.

But perhaps the most random thing I discovered was that Diamond carries stuffed animals in her mouth when she yowls at night! She is a weird cat. Old too, but she was weird when she was young as well. She’s a tabby cat, and they are supposed to be “feisty” animals. That she is. Pixel is also tabby, but she was never feisty. That is, not until we got her hernia removed, poor kitten. Now she’s feisty, and even a bit bossy! One night when Diamond was downstairs yowling, we brought her up to stay on the bed with us for the night. Well, Pixel didn’t like that! Not only does Pixel consider herself our “baby”, it’s her bed. She (Pixel) growled, howled, yowled, scowled, meowed, and pouted until Diamond left the room. Guess she told her.