June 30th, 2006 ~ Friday

2:44 p.m.

Odd Commercials

Really quickly, I have to bring this up.  I've had Tchaikovsky's SLEEPING BEAUTY WALTZ in my head all this week, thanks to Sargento cheese and their commercials.  Have you seen these commercials?  It has the woman and the man gliding across the cheese aisle in their shopping carts, randomly picking up cheese?  It's a little bizarre.  But it has Sleeping Beauty Waltz as the background music, and every time I see this commercial the waltz ends up in my head.

Also, have you seen the Wild American Shrimp commercials?  It has a bunch of shrimp...ers imploring us to buy American Wild shrimp instead of crazy pond shrimp from overseas (gasp!).  Maybe it makes a huge difference.  I really don't know.  But I find it amusing that the whole "buy American!" craze has hit...our shrimping industry.  Freedom fries, anyone?

7:37 a.m.

The Wee Hours Of The Morning

It is 7:37 a.m. and I'm awake.  And I've been awake since 4am.  Why?  Because, apparently, I've gone insane. 

Perhaps this is, in fact, a good sign.  Perhaps that waking up that early is signifying my body's fulfillment of sleep.  "I've caught up!"  But, unfortunately, I'm somewhere between allergies and sickness, and I'd much rather be sleeping.

And there's nothing on tv at 7:37 a.m.  Oh, nevermind!  Gilmore Girls is on!  And Lorelai just said my favorite phrase, "Oy with the poodles already!"  There's a story behind that.  But I'm not going to recant it.

I finished reading my first book of summer.  I'd start a second, but all of my books are packed up.  This might mean I need to pay a visit to my local bookstore and find another. 

As for everything else....well there is nothing else.  It makes me sad that one week of vacation has already gone by. 

June 28th, 2006 ~ Wednesday

3:18 p.m.

Nothing and Fabulous

It never ceases to amaze me how long I can do nothing without getting bored.  Maybe it's because I'm perpetually doing SOMETHING (at least on a daily basis) such as...putting a few more things in a box or cleaning a little bit more.  Every day has at least one purpose, even if that purpose is something as simple as doing laundry or going out to get canola oil. 

I have made an attempt to eat 3 meals a day.  Oatmeal tends to be my first "meal", and sliced tomatoes on toast seems to be my second.  I have a thing for tomato sandwiches.  With a little cheese and Italian seasoning...yum!

Other than that...I'm obsessing about moving.  I keep checking the website of where I'm moving and looking at pictures and floorplans.  I'm trying to decide if I want to paint and what i want to paint.  Right now I have gray walls, mostly.  My bedroom is red (sponge painted), and my kitchen and bathroom is blue with silver squiggles =D  I'm contemplating some kind of yellow for my next place.  Nice and sunny and cheerful.  I'm not sure if I can live with beige.  Beige.  It's so...blah.  At least for me.  And I'm mentally thinking about new furniture I'd like to get.  And I'm mentally crying that I'm going to be really poor after I move.  =D  Heh.  That's okay!  Some things are worth it.

Okay.  I should clean up further.  Sigh, my place never gets clean.

June 26th, 2006 ~ Monday

12:37 p.m.

Cleaning Up A Storm

Confession: I love cleaning.

Now, don't get me wrong.  As soon as somebody tells me I HAVE to clean, I don't want to anymore.  When I go visit my parents, my mother still feels the need to tell me to clean my room.  And I still feel the need to not do it.  But when you live in your own home...there's something very satisfying about tidying it up and making it nice again.

When I was a very small child, I had the messiest room known to man.  I'm not kidding.  There was SO much clutter that I needed specific places where one could step to get to the desk or to the bed.  It was pretty abysmal.  And then one day, literally overnight, I became a complete neat freak.  Everything had to be neat, everything had to be in its rightful place, and everything had to be in parallel or perpendicular angles.  (I know I know)

Suffice it to say, I did not retain that level of neat-freakiness.  I'm more a rollercoaster of cleanliness.  Things get somewhat dirty, and then I clean it all up.  It's a cycle. 

But now that I'm moving, I feel the need to organize and clean.  Except...well have you ever cleaned out your closet?  And in the beginning/middle stages, when you've taken everything out, suddenly the rest of your room is a horrible mess?  And you think to yourself: how on earth did I stuff this much junk in one small little space??  I'm taking solace in the fact that I know that it must get worse before it gets better.

In the meantime, I'm watching food network.  I don't know why.  I rarely actually cook what they do.  But on occasion I do.

Okay.  I'm off.

June 22nd, 2006 ~ Thursday

7:10 p.m.

As We Go On...We Remember...

I had to hear the Graduation Song TWiCE today.  There is no justice in the world =)  I've actually realized why everybody loves this song so much: it's associated with good things, a.k.a graduating.  And there is only one graduation pop song.  Therefore...I have decided that I need to write a graduation song.

So this is both a wonderful and sad day.  I'm so glad it's the last day.  I need to sleep SO bad.  I need to...eat some cheez its, as it is my last day of school tradition.  I need to...eat some spaghetti later.  Did I mention the sleep thing?  But it's sad that 8th graders are going away.  I've really enjoyed this year's crop.  You guys have been really quite delightful, and I'm going to miss you. 

I think it's wrong to have graduation on the last day of school.  It makes me sleepy. 

I think I will try to arrange Pomp & Circumstance for next year.  Or at least find a more interesting version.  I'll see what I can do.

Okay.  Spaghetti.  Then sleep.

June 15th, 2006 ~ Thursday

11:25 p.m.

A Proud Mama

Okay, so I know I'm not old enough to be any of your "Mama"s, but I think it still applies.

I think everybody sounded AMAZING tonight.  Truly truly amazing.

4th Grade : Okay, let's face it.  4th grade is usually the same.  But I think 4th grade played with great accuracy, rhythm, pitch, and a very nice sound.

5th Grade: What can I say?  Magical, as per usual.  5th Grade...you just blew everybody away.  Mr. Machesky said that in all the schools in all the years he has been doing this, he has never heard a 5th grade as good as this one.  And I whole heartedly agree.  5th grade, you ROCKED.  And the first row dance with me = )  That's awesome.

Concert Orchestra: DANG can you scream!  I had people say that even though they knew it was coming, it made them jump.  I thought all 3 pieces, but really Harry Potter and COTREZFOS was the best I've ever heard it.  1sts sounded awesome on the Quidditch part, and the oom-pas stayed together.  And COTREZFOS...huge hit, I'd have to say.

Symphonic Orchestra: You guys have set the bar.  You've set the standard and the ideal for what Symphonic Orchestra should be.  Sometimes I have to stop and stand back and remind myself that you're just...12 year olds.  Because really, you're not.  I think I get to see the best part of you guys: the focused, quirky, expressive part.  I'm going to miss the music we made.  And of course I'm going to miss our group.  It was something special.

June 11th, 2006 ~ Sunday

10:08 p.m.

Learn Your Part, Out On A Ledge

* YAWN * good morning.  As I sit on my couch, watching the food network and The Witches of Eastwick (one of the characters plays cello!) and the home and garden network, I wish I were still sleeping and am wondering why I am awake.

Last night was the final UCI concert.  Mr. Ramos has pointed out that I have played every single concert with them this season.  I hadn't realized that, but that is very true.  Fortunately, this time I got to be a stand hog and sat by myself.  But during part of the dress rehearsal, I stood with the stand hog girl from last time.

Now...here is my beef.  We were playing the Mouret Rondeau that Concert Orchestra at Plaza Vista played for their first concert in September.  And she couldn't play it!!  I was completely speechless.  I SO wanted to lean over and tell her how I had two cello players who STARTED playing cello in August, and by September could play this piece.  It was challenging for THEM, having played for not quite two months, but come on!  If you're older than I am, YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO PLAY THIS.

Lame.

She's nice and all, but she plays really quietly or not at all...unless she's out of tune.  And I don't mean to be mean...but...come on.  It makes me feel good that, hopefully, I'm teaching you all good habits so you don't become that annoying girl who sits next to me.

I need to start collecting big fat boxes for moving.  The biggest pain?  Trying to pack all of my video tapes.  I'm old school, and I record everything on VHS.  I'm talking HUNDREDS of VHS, because I've been recording stuff since...The Cosby Show.  i have that, A Different World, Caroline In The City, ORIGINAL Friends episodes, Mad About You, 3rd Rock From The Sun, Winnie The Pooh, Blossom (I went through a hat phase)....too  many to count.

Okay, that's all for now.  I should practice...

June 10th, 2006 ~ Saturday

4:37 p.m.

Must Not Leave Bed

Nothing like 11 hours of sleep to refresh someone.  I had a weird dream involving a relaxing foot massage, which is REALLY weird because I've never had my feet massaged because...well, I don't want people touching my feet, I find that slightly creepy.

And now I am watching Gilmore Girls (don't judge) and working on my telekinetic powers.  Unfortunately, I don't think I will be able to get a glass out of the cupboard, open the refrigerator, pour myself a glass of water, and bring the glass back to water with just the power of my mind.  But it doesn't hurt to try.

I have another concert tonight.  Another 185 measures of tremolo. 

And I'm starting to mentally plan.  I'm moving.  Not jobs, mind you (so don't freak out or cheer or whatever your reaction would be), but residences.  I'm moving from my Costa Mesa place to Aliso Viejo.  I'll have a big  bath tub =)  And a washer and dryer and crown molding and...a bigger kitchen, and a double sink and...a view of a parking lot.  woo!  And a vent that actually vents smoke from cooking instead of pushing the smoke toward the smoke detector.  It takes so little to make me happy.

June 9th, 2006 ~ Friday

10:22 p.m.

My List, Rant, and...etc.

Today I am the 13th Dwarf: disgruntled.  I'm tired.  I'm really tired.  I've been exhausted all week because I haven't been sleeping much and when I have slept it hasn't been a very good sleep.  And I've had a lot of rehearsals/concerts going on the last couple days, which I normally love...but right now, considering the complete and utter lack of any cello love whatsoever in ANY of the pieces...and the 185 measures of consecutive tremolo...no.

So I've decided to make a list of qualities I love about students:

Enthusiasm (there's nothing  better than teaching a kid who wants to learn), a good work ethic (laziness is seriously the only thing that gets in the way of not reaching your potential, and a hard worker is SO much more successful in anything he or she does...I can't stress that enough), attention (paying attention to what I'm saying), following directions (the ability to put instructions into action), retention (the ability to remember and consistently follow previously stated directions), open-mindedness (I love when students are open and willing to try new things  and new music and deal with new people and composers and all that good stuff)...hmm, I think that's really my top 6.  Oh, and good naturedness, because mean people are lame.  I like when my students aren't jaded just because...it's more fun to be around people who are supportive of each other and cheerful and people who want other people to do well.  Maybe that's because I'm like that.  Oh, and honest, because I can't stand a liar.  I can't respect a liar.  I may not like something you've done or said, but if you're honest about it at least I can respect you.  Geesh.

This is really probably my top list of qualities I like in people.  Well, except the following directions, just because I usually don't have to give my friends directions.  But when I do...I do indeed get annoyed if they can't follow them, because I am usually very clear.  =)

I'm blue today.  I started out all right...and the day just got lamer and lamer.  I'm just not feeling the love.  Instead...I'm feeling the ignorance, laziness, and closed-mindedness of LAME people, and it's making me all grumpy and discouraged and wanting to crawl under a rock and go to sleep.

Where's Moose?

Blah.  I will conclude with this: I work really hard (harder than you probably realize) and I care a WHOLE bunch about my students.  I care about them both as musicians and as people.  And because I care so much, at times I get sad when you don't do what you're capable because of laziness or closed-mindedness.  But when you try hard and are enthusiastic, and truly use your brains and ears...it's seriously magical.  It makes me beam, and I brag about you to all my friends and family.  Many of you are magical every time we meet, and it absolutely delights me.  And for the rest...I wish you'd realize you have magic in  you, and all you have to do is let it out.  It makes me sad when I see you ignore it, or be content to be average because it's easier and takes less effort.  Don't settle for average when you could be magical.  It's a waste of magic.