Month: August 2009

Lots of things need to get back in gear around here.

It’s time to get back to work, since my job runs concurrent with the school year. Not much to say about this.

My daughter said she’s getting married next July. Hmmm.. ok, this means that I should get back to the gym. No, wait, let me correct that. Even tho there is a wedding shaping up, I need to get back to the gym, period. I’ve been given the a-ok by the doctor, but that doesn’t mean that the foot is co-operating. It’s stiff and slow, but it’s not going to get better if I don’t start using it. I’m happy the weather is cooling off a bit now.

Watched the rest of Torchwood season 1 tonight. Now I’m hunting season 2. It was better than I thought it was going to be, especially near the end of the season. Gives me something to watch while I work on my pseudo-Who scarf my son asked me for.

I guess I’m not feeling as bloggy as I thought I was…. lol… time for bed.

No, this is not about the song….

I’m a night owl if given the chance. I like to hear the chirping and peeps of the night creatures. I like the stillness of the night. I like how different the night feels.

When I was young, I used to go cruisin’ with my first boyfriend. We’d go riding around with our friends, usually ending up in a parking lot and hanging out, but sometimes we’d go riding on back roads and through the woods while we listened to music.

Years later, I had a friend that I’d go out with until all odd hours of the night. We covered a lot of miles, but we never really went anywhere. It wasn’t the destination that mattered, it was the journey that was the best part. We sure did love our Phantom of the Opera and Les Mis. Music just seemed to sound better with the cool kiss of night air on my skin and my hair being tugged by an invisible breeze.

I’m not really sure why that stopped. Maybe it was work schedules or gas prices or just a lack of time, but it happened.

This evening, I went to dinner with some friends. They toasted the upcoming annual anniversary of my birth and got me a piece of cake, followed by the ritual song. I loved it. It was so sweet of them to think of me. Perfectly simple and simply perfect! Thanks guys!

It’s a cool and clear 71 degrees here tonight, so on my way out to my car, I was flooded with memories of how I used to spend my evenings riding around and singing. The moment I got into Everett (that’s my cars’ name. Doesn’t everyone name their car???) I put down the windows, opened the top and turned up the stereo. “More Than a Feeling” by Boston came on and I was off!

The bar we had gone to is about 10 miles from my house on a road that is wide and allows for ample speeds. I could feel Everett’s engine thrumming through the steering wheel as the wind was playing with my hair in swirls and eddies. I drove along singing at the top of my lungs with the music of my youth thumping through my stereo on wheels. (C’mon, Ev has a Bose sound system in him!) The good feelings that came bubbling up turned into a smile and then a laugh as I remembered just how much I loved this.

I didn’t want to turn on to my exit, but I did. Everett had done his job in reminding me that he would be there, ready and waiting, whenever I wanted to go again.

Let me go find my keys….

While the weather was only a trifle wet in the morning for us, we later learned that in and around London it had rained more in 3 hours then it usually does in 3 months! It drenched the London opening of “Harry Potter” and caused the Queen to scurry for cover during a lawn party.

The schedule for the students was to rehearse, rehearse, rehearse. The schedule for the chaperons and staff was to shop, walk and search for Internet!

We found an internet connection at the Half Moon Inn – along with every other staff member from every other chorus! We all had one thought on our minds; update our web pages and blogs! We had met a few of the members of the Savannah Children’s Choir and enjoyed talking “shop” with them. Their chorus manager was having technical troubles, so Frank happily stepped in to help her re-establish connections back home!

While Frank and I were busy with the technical end of things and the children were rehearsing, the chaperons got a chance to see Sherborne during “working hours” and shopped at the local establishments. I saw many bags being carried up and down the main shopping area and chaperons peeking in through store fronts to see if they could bring home some kind of treasure.

As if called from all corners of the town by an unseen cue,  chaperons and staff began appearing by the cafeteria, awaiting their charges. The plan was to have dinner, have the students change into their uniforms, and attend the evening performance at Sherborne Abbey where the chorus was to perform their individual program and listen to the other groups perform.

As groups gathered on the lawn of the Abbey, the air grew thick with excitement. Our first performance in England!! The shadow tour parents had arrived and we noticed the patrons lining up to attend the festival. The smiles were wide and the adrenaline was high. We filed into the packed Abbey and an expectant hush came over the crowd.

We were greeted by John Wiscombe, the founder of Music Celebrations International, who reaffirmed what everyone had been feeling. We were gathered in a great hall to bear witness to a great love of music!It was wonderful to know that not only would we produce beautiful music that evening, but that we would be helping to support a local hospice through donations from the audience.

The festival began with the phenomenal group Cantate, led by Micheal Kibblewhite. The sound from this group was very impressive and our singers loved some of the songs they sang. The Savannah Children’s Choir was next. They had a sweet sound with young voices. It was clear that great things were in store for this young and new chorus.The Phoenix Girls Chorus was a beautiful sight in their red gowns and their performance was crisp and clean with lovely harmonies. Anima, the group led by Emily Ellsworth, was energetic and animated. Their sound and showmanship were incredible. Of course, our group was superb. The children were  classically elegant and their sound was glorious to hear.

After the performance, there was a reception in the cafeteria. The students, who were starting to make friends after two days of rehearsals and fostering mutual respect after hearing each other sing, were bonding to one another through music while enjoying some much needed refreshments. It was good to see the groups mingling and getting to know one another.

Seems as though the more things change, the more they stay the same at times.

I haven’t been feeling well the last few days. It’s not something that is taking me out entirely, but something that just seems to be enough to make me tired and feeling blech.

I’ve been trying my best to get some stuff done here. I have some blogs for work I’ve been working on. Seems to take for-EVER at times.

I’m looking forward to this coming weekend. (I know we aren’t finished with this one yet!!) I’m really hoping to feel better because hubby decided to take me on a whale watching trip for my birthday. I don’t think he knows how much I love this idea. It’s perfect!

Have you ever noticed that some people live their lives in a pattern of behavior that seems obvious to you and others around you, but they themselves are totally oblivious to the fact? And if you try to point out this pattern, they still don’t see it. I wonder how many times someone has to repeat the same kind of circumstance before they realize that maybe it’s not always everyone else, and maybe some of their problem is purely their own. Everybody does it to some extent, I’m sure. In fact, I would go so far as to say I’ve even done it. I guess it’s just the way we learn. (or don’t!)

I think it’s time for a nap – again.

I spend a lot of time just staring these days. I catch myself with a fixed and unfocused gaze, looking but not really seeing things. Internally, I feel switched off. Sometimes I am deep in active thought, but mostly I feel as though I’m not really “there”. So, where do I go? Is this a bad thing or is this how I work on maintaining an internal calm? Is this a form of meditation or just going brain-dead for a bit. Am I sleeping while I’m awake or am I just wasting time, or is it a necessary “down time” for processing on a deeper level? This staring occurs at home, when I’m a passenger in a car and sometimes when I’m with people. I almost have to think to “come back”.

This isn’t quite the same thing as shower epiphanies.I don’t come “to”  with some deliciously wonderful idea or thought process about how to solve a problem like I do with shower epiphanies! (Love those) This is more like I’m in a void with no thoughts and very little memory of time passing. I don’t feel as engaged as I used to. I’m not unhappy either. I just seem to NOT BE. It’s beginning to disturb me.

Am I the only one, or is this something you find yourself doing to?

All last year it was England this and England that. Well, July came and off I went to England and POW I was home. Frank and I looked at one another and quirked an eyebrow saying, “We went to England?”

To say the least, it was whirlwind, but this blog isn’t about England, because, frankly, been there- done that- got the photos to prove it.

The aftermath of planning for something for over a year is that when it’s over, it’s–well, it’s over. I remember when I used to run a festival in town. It took hours and hours of planning and work and during the event we were all exhausted and running from problem to problem. Afterward, there was this gigantic let down feeling. A kind of strange sense that you should be doing something, yet there really was nothing to be done. It’s a loss to be finished with a large project sometimes, but that’s when it’s time to either review what you did, or —start something new!

I was feeling kinda beat up after this trip. Kids were great, some of the adults were trying and some events really flipped my lid. None of it was anything that ruined the trip for others, but it sure made me start to wonder if the path I’m on right now is the one I want to continue being on. I guess we’ll see.

I did fly out to pick up my grand daughter for a week. It was a quick turn around, but probably just enough for her. And now it’s time for the start of a new term, which includes the usual crunch of getting everyone back on track and getting the newbies put together. I thank the powers that be for the gift I have of being able to organize and mobilize a large machine that works well, but what it takes from me at times is disturbing. I keep trying to find a way to keep some of myself out of the equation, but I’m realizing that that is not who I am and probably never will be. I either have to learn to live with the huge energy drain that comes with what I do, or I have to find something new to do.

I’m so happy to have my boot off, even if my foot is very stiff and sore and doesn’t move quite the way I want it to anymore. I’m hoping that will come with time. I’m also happy (and dreading) the fact that I can go back to the gym. I’ve been a few times so far, but nothing like this time last year. Grrr… and I was doing so well. No biggie, if I did it once, I can do it again, right? I suppose the proper attitude is I WILL.

So, I’m looking at being back in the grind and not really looking forward to it, can you tell? Lol. I guess I need to focus on something that makes me feel good about everything and go with that. At the moment, I’m just a bit blue and having troubles getting my stuff together and rollin’ for the new year. Sigh… doesn’t help that my husband has been working late and will be away all next week. Bummer.

One good thing about it all, I’ll be back to my bloggin’ self, so if anyone has missed my blustering and blather, be assured I’ll be back in here wondering at the weirdness of the world once more.

The world of twitter and face book have sucked the life out of me as far as blogging has been concerned lately. Not that I like these places better than Multiply, ’cause I don’t really think that I do, but honestly, I am not the happiest puppy about the new interface here.

Ok, I know it ain’t so new, but I’ve been BUSY and outta town. And I’m sure you’ve all heard that already as well.

I need to write the next installment of my trip. When it was me writing it for my own benefit, it was fun and interesting. Since I posted it on my work blog – as I was requested to do so – I realize that the next installment has become more difficult to write. But write it I will, I suppose, and now with more musical interludes.

Took my dog to the vet today. She has a growth in her mouth that they really aren’t too worried about, but she will have to have surgery. She’s shedding SO BAD that every time she moved, all I could think of was Pig Pen and his little dirt cloud. That’s about what the Piper fluff cloud looked like.

I saw the trailer for the new teen vampire movie today. Hubby called me in to watch it, saying that my new pet phrase from this new movie will trump my old pet phrase from the first movie.

Wondering what it was/is?

Ok, here we go. First movie: {close up of girl with open mouth and trembling lips (her only acting style)} ” v v v Vampire”

New Movie? {close up of girl with mouth hanging open, holding her finger and staring at it } ” pppp Paper Cut”.

And there you have it. A small glimpse into the myriad of strange thoughts that race across my mind.

Before I leave you today, let me tell you just what I did that was silly.

My son called me to chat. We were having a very nice conversation. The dog began to bark. I asked him to hold on, since she wouldn’t stop. I went out to get her, which means of course she launches off the back deck to bark even more at the neighbor. The neighbor says hello. I get the dog in and she knocks the screen door off it’s track. Sheesh. So I fix the door and reply to the neighbor about the new neighbor moving in tomorrow. Once it was decided what we were each going to bake so as not to step on any toes, the foreman for the construction crew that is working on neighbor 2’s yard asks me if I want to go see what they are doing. Being friendly I said, sure!! How many of you remember that by this time I’ve left my son on the phone for at least 20 minutes. I came back inside and you guessed it. There was the most obnoxious sound emanating from my phone. Sorry, Jr.!

I went to the track last weekend to bet on some ponies and enjoy the re-opening of the course for it’s short summer stint before the state fair. Horse racing in Maryland used to be a great industry, but sadly it’s going down fast, and with the most recent ruling by the idiotic powers that be concerning slots, I’m not sure the track that’s been near my my entire life will survive. That’s why I try to go as often as I can. { About slots.. they are considering putting slots at a huge shopping outlet mall deep inside the county that wanted them the least and not at the horse track where the infrastructure pretty much exists and property nearby is ripe for the pickin’ to help build anything more, AND is located on the farthest little tip of the county that didn’t want them in the first place. Idiots} There are usually promotions at the track to up the attendance and last week it was cheap frozen drinks and a band and cheap food and in between all of that, horses would run. A great way to spend the afternoon, tipsy. I thought it odd that they’d seemed to lower the drinking age considerably, but this little girl knew her stuff and was ordering a Guinness.

We have new neighbors moving in today so what is it you are supposed to do to welcome them? You BAKE! I’m going to spend my morning in the kitchen baking what I call, Zoom Zoom cookies. They are a decadent chocolatee chocolate chip cookie and the amount of cocoa in them is kinda like having a cup of coffee laced with sugar. My kids used to say they made them feel like they were flying around the house, hence the name.

Later this evening, a group of friends and I will be going to the drive-in theater. I think it’s one, if not THE last drive-in on the East Coast and we LOVE it. Where else can you find 3 first run movies for $8.00?? (Have you gathered that we love to do simple things that are cheap? Ha!)

So, off I go to create chocolate goodness, and I’ll be back soon with a continuance of the travel blog, along with more music and maybe even a blog or two about my upcoming stay-cation visit with my grand daughter.

Toodles!