Tuesday, February 26, 2008

Winter blues

I think it is normal for this time of year to be a downer for everyone. With spring right around the corner I'm definately feeling the winter blues. Fortunately I have a lot of things to look forward to in the next 3 months, but also a lot of work to do.

The paper I was supposed to be writing on Sunday did not happen...surprise surprise...I absolutely must be started before next Saturday or I am screwed. The poster is done and has even been presented to a college level class. The presentation went really well and I think I actually know what I'm talking about. Its so much easier for me to talk about this subject than to sit down and write about it. It seems stupid for me to say that but it is hard to sit down and actually write it. I need some good music, good tea, and comfy clothes and last but not least nooooooooo distractions. My life seems full of distractions these days. On the upside I did practice on Sunday and the third movement of the Gershwin is definately coming along. I need to play it for some people I think to test the waters.

My sweater is coming along nicely, I'm still working on the top portion and have just started the 2nd skein. I plan to knit on it more tonight while watching a movie from my mailbox.

So to cure my winter blues I'm doing and looking forward to the following things:

1) the Opera I'm going to see at the Met on March 15th! I'm beyond excited for this. I bought a new dress yesterday, its FABULOUS! I'm in love with it and I can't wait for Matt to see me in it. This weekend should be fantastic because it happens to be our 1 year mark of dating. This is a huge milestone for me...it may seem pathetic to some people, but its a big one for me.

2) Shopping! So I bought a new dress for the opera and today I ordered some layering turtlenecks for my Norwegian sweater and the sweater I'm knitting. But for those of you who know me, know that I got everything on sale! I also bought concert tickets to see Chris Thile and the Punch Brothers. I really want to buy his new album that came out today, but I think I will restrain myself for now. Perhaps I'll buy a copy of his album before the concert, so he can sign it!

3)Knitting! Ever since discovering the wonder that is Ravelry I've become OBSESSED! Knitting is definately
my outlet, gives me something to look forward to when I come home from work and something to do in meetings. As I've been advisor to my local college sorority chapter I go to a lot of meetings. The girls are very impressed with what I'm currently knitting. I hope it turns out so I can wear to a sorority function.

4)MTNA Conference in Denver! As I've already mentioned I have a lot of work to do, but I'm really looking forward to sharing my work with other music teachers.

These next couple months are going to keep me very very busy but that is the best cure for the winter blues.

Saturday, February 23, 2008

Unpredictability

So everything that I had planned this weekend got changed...so why do I even bother planning?

The snow predicted for Friday came as expected and my school was closed causing me to call all my students personally and reschedule their lessons and I got half of them made up this Saturday.  I plan to teach again next Saturday making up more lessons.   So teaching on Saturday wasn't that bad and it makes me feel good to have some of these lessons taken care of.

On another note, my original plan was to drive to NJ to see my love after work today.  However, I got a call from him saying I shouldn't come because he was sick and his sister was coming for the weekend.  I cannot afford to get sick and I'm a little nervous about meeting his sister.  I talked to him at least 6 or 7 times today to check on him, but he has the flu and bronchitis, poor guy.  He's resting up so we can spend next weekend together.  

I cast on my first sweater yesterday and so far I think it is turning out.  I'm making the Dahlia from the winter Knitty.  I got some sound advice from my sister about negative ease and gauges.  I post some pictures when I get further along.  I also may be giving up the on the lace mohair for now until I find a pattern I really like.  

So tonight I went to Cosi with my friend Dan and we shared lots of funny stories.  I told him about when I was waking up this morning and reaching for my laptop on the floor beside my bed.  As I grabbed my laptop to swing it up to my bed, my face was in the way and I hit myself quite hard in the chin with my laptop.  I'm fine and no bruising (yet)  but it's still quite tender.  Ohhhhh, I'm such a clutz.  Dan told me about some of the children at his daycare including the little girl that said that the lion from the Wizard of Oz wanted Carrots from the wizard.  When Dan corrected her and asked the children what courage was, another little girl said "vegetables."

Tomorrow I must work on my paper for Denver as well as practice the Gershwin Preludes for Piano, I'm playing those on a recital in April.  I will let you know how that goes tomorrow...

Thursday, February 21, 2008

Mohair, makeups, and moving....

So I started a lacework project that I mentioned in my last blog. However, mohair is really frustrating and slow to work with. I think that I may need to have a couple projects going so I don't get completely frustrated with this one. I've already had to start over once, but I hope to make some good headway on this weekend. If it works out, I'll post some pictures. I emailed my sister about the gauge issues I was having so hopefully she will be able to give me some good advice.

It is supposed to snow here tomorrow, much to my chagrin. Snow= no school=not being able to teach my scheduled students= having to reschedule people= time I don't have! But if there is snow I could have a lazy day at home knitting, which would be the only upside. I already have so many makeups to do from last week when I was sick that I'm teaching some on Saturday. With Denver coming up I really can't get behind in making up lessons. This is why summer teaching is easier, because we aren't required to give any makeups...oh well I will make all of them up eventually.

I'm currently in a long distant relationship. We're about 2 hours apart and have been seeing each other for almost a year now. The distance has been bothering me for a while now...not a lot but a little. I'm jealous of all my friends that live with or live close to their significant others. I covet my weekends and get upset when my friends don't understand that I may not be able to do something because I want to see my boyfriend. I always think that they don't understand because they just saw they boyfriend for dinner on Wednesday which is never an option for me. I've thought about moving but I guess I need to know the level of committment we have for each other before that step is taken. The thought of moving to a place where I don't know anyone is scary and then there is the issue with jobs. I have not thought too seriously about this but it may come up sometime soon.

PS I love alliteration

Tuesday, February 19, 2008

the beginning

So I'm stuck at work for an hour and a half and I've never blogged, ever...so I thought why not try it and see how long I stick with this.

So today in addition to do my work, yes I did do some today, I found a pattern to use some yarn that has been lying around my stash for several years. In fact I had started the Branching Out scarf with this yarn, but it was definately frogged a long long time ago. But I found something that will be easy, hopefully, as well as look nice. Plus I will have something nice to wear to the Opera in March over one of my standard black cocktail dresses! I'll update the progress on here, but I will most likely start it tonight while watching the next movie in my Netflix queue.

I have a couple other projects I'm working on, but nothing has been started seriously yet. My best friend has requested Christmas stockings for her family of 4. The pattern I have is not too tricky but deciding on the colors is the tricky part. Hopefully we can get together soon so we can buy the yarn together. I may have to take a trip down to see her and her cute kids!

I also want to start my first serious sweater, but I'm having gauge issues. Because of my gauge issues I haven't started this for fear it will turn out way too big or way too small.

On top of all of that I am presenting my poster to Patricia Powell's Piano Pedagogy class this evening. I finished it last night...down to the wire. But it is for a Conference in Denver that isn't until the end of March, so really I'm ahead of things. My poster displays the artwork of my Piano Students. I know you're thinking why do I have my piano students artwork when I'm their music teacher. Well that is precisely the point of my poster to prove how interconnected art and music can be when approached in the right way. While the poster is in it's first draft, the paper has not been started. I wrote the abstract first....who does that...oh wait I do. My deadline for the first draft of the paper is March 7th. I can handle that.

So I hope my first blog post wasn't too terribly boring.