Monthly Archives: March 2011

Running, Teaching

Pumped for Saturday!

My friend Jen and I are becoming annoying to our friends with our excitement over the race on Saturday.  Well, I’m not entirely sure we’re becoming annoying, but I’d say there’s an 80 percent chance.  We’re both playing for Winter Opera and I am just psyched to have somebody to run a race with!  I enjoy the solitary aspect of running, but I also enjoy running with friends. 

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Jen and I at our last race together. 

Anyhow, I’m exhausted now—I taught a bunch of students (though several were sick, poor guys!) and had our last opera rehearsal.  Tomorrow I have a dentist appointment that I had totally forgotten about until the dentist called to remind me, followed by a workout with Mike, and tomorrow night will be for carb-loading (not really) and the SLSO concert (Shostakovich 1st Violin Concerto, Rachmaninoff 2nd Symphony). 

My last post received some comments regarding my thoughts on women’s rights. I just want women to be taken seriously.  Well, not seriously all the time, I mean, where’s the fun in that, but simply as seriously as men take themselves.  We’re all people, right?  Feel free to add your thoughts and join the comment conversation!

Random thoughts

Wordy Wednesday

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A few blogs that I read have what they call “Wordless Wednesday” where they just post a bunch of pictures.  I get annoyed by this.  I enjoy pictures, but I prefer the words…so I’m instituting Wordy Wednesday on my blog!  (Okay, not actually, as this is a quick post.)

I finished Sense and Sensibility the other day so I’ve moved onto my next book for the month, The Warmth of Other Suns: America’s Great Migration by Isabel Wilkerson.  So far it’s a fascinating read.  I found a little article on the book and the author that you might find interesting.

Growing up in the south in the 80’s racial divides were still very strong and it’s awful to think of how much worse people were treated not that long before.  I know our country has come a long way, but we are not out of the woods yet.  I also think of the various other ways we divide people—not just black and white, but by religion, by income, by GENDER, by sexual orientation. 

I capitalized gender because I feel that is a great divide that still isn’t given enough attention.  As women: We are treated as sex objects first and human beings second more often than not.  We aren’t trusted to know what is best for our own bodies.  We are paid less for the same work…we are still expected to do most of the childrearing and housework yet also work full time outside the home…for less pay.  We are treated as if there is something wrong with us if we aren’t married with children.  We rarely have leadership positions in companies or in the government…probably because we are considered to be less intelligent than men.  Or perhaps because we are then looked down upon, if we don’t spend enough time with our families.  I know we women have it better now that our mothers did, but I get worried sometimes that things will be taken away from us.  Anytime you take something for granted or forget history you risk making mistakes and taking steps backwards.

That’s just some of the things I was thinking about…

Oh, and I finished my 10 mile run!  Just around 2 hours 15 minutes…nice and slow.  Now my ribs and hamstrings hurt from yesterday’s workout and my legs are ridiculously tired.  Good times!

Random thoughts

Tuesday Re-do

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I was feeling a bit “poopy” earlier, but now I’m feeling a bit better.  So you can cancel all of your “cheer up” bouquets and boxes of chocolates you ordered for me…I’m cheered up enough for now Winking smile

I’ve got tomorrow morning off due to a field trip at the school, so I’m looking forward to sleeping in a bit and then doing my long run—10 miles on the docket.  My long run has migrated to the middle of the week, and will migrate back to the weekend next weekend.  But tomorrow shall be slow running for a great distance (all my running is slow actually…)

Hopefully it will stop raining by then…

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Looks pretty good, right?  Remember, Saturday is the 5 miler. (I haven’t raced since Phoenix RnR, so I’m pretty pumped, if you couldn’t tell.)

 

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I saw this on the internet and thought it was wonderful. 

Tonight’s dinner:  shrimp, couscous, broccoli.  Life is good.

Running

Ugh, dreary day

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It’s raining all day, and I’m tired of it.  I also got some news today (nothing serious) that makes me feel very dreary on the inside as well.  Sometimes the unfairness of life just really kicks you in the face (or stomach), you know?

On the bright side, the SLSO got a good review in the New York Times for their recent Carnegie Hall concert.  Though it’s a very short review, it’s still a positive one.

I picked up my race shirt for this weekend’s race, and was pleasantly surprised that is a tech shirt (made of special fabric to wick sweat away) AND that it came in a “ladies’ fit”.  It’s funny that the normal shirts are known as “adult” and then you can have a “women’s” or “ladies” fit, as if we aren’t actual adults.  Then again, with some of the politics you hear these days, women aren’t adults, and are treated as if they can’t make adult decisions.  I’m finding that I have to turn off the news more and more lately because it just makes me angry, and I don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel.

That said, the race should be great fun—5 miles with my friend Jen, wearing awesome outfits…

Teaching

Things I love about teaching

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When you realize that “pancake patrol” has finally succeeded in helping your students have straighter wrists…and they sound better!

When you realize that your pre-teen or teenage student needs someone to listen to them complain about their day or their asshole classmates as much as they need somebody to help them work on their shifts and double stops.

When your student gets that happy face when they finally “get” something tough or tricky.

When your students learn a new piece that they really love.

When you play an example for your students and they are blown away by how awesome the violin can really sound…

 

On a serious note, I lost one of my favorite students today—he was my first student here in St Louis, and now the family has decided not to continue.  I’m sad.  I absolutely loved teaching him, and his mom was awesome too. I will miss them!

On another serious note, does anybody else have the situation in which your adolescent students sometimes confide things in you that aren’t super serious, but yet you think maybe the parents should know?  One of my students seems to be having trouble getting along with classmates at school and there might be a little bit of bullying going on (him being bullied, perhaps)…I try to just chat it up with him and make him feel like a normal, good, decent person, and hopefully to help him realize that IT GETS BETTER but I don’t know if I should do more?  Basically he’s a bit nerdy and socially VERY awkward but has a great heart.  And I think some kids might be very mean to him at school and maybe pushing him around a bit?  Thoughts?  Suggestions? 

Performing

Opera this weekend!

Come see Winter Opera perform Cavalleria Rusticana this weekend at St. Ambrose Catholic Church.  Saturday, March 12 at 8 pm, Sunday, March 13 at 5 pm.  Tickets start at $20, and you get to see me play as concertmaster.

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We started rehearsals this afternoon.   The singers have been rehearsing longer, but for the orchestra, we’ve got today, Wednesday, and Thursday, and then we perform.  Crazy, huh?   In any case, the singers sound FANTASTIC as usual for this company and the orchestra is working hard. 

What else did I do this weekend? 

Saturday I had two weddings—one at a Catholic Church in Maplewood, one in the basement of Herbie’s (I love Herbie’s so much, though sadly didn’t get to eat Lobster Mac n Cheese this time).  The second one was great fun as we got to play over an hour of quartet music after the ceremony.  I also think I’ve figured out what song I want for my processional! (I’m not telling you.)

After the second wedding we walked across the street to Pi and had some wine, salad, and pizza.  Interesting thing we noticed there:  it seemed that all the bartenders looked approximately the same.  Weird, huh? 

Sunday was rehearsal, spinning class, and a 4 mile run outside—it was very sunny though pretty chilly.  20 miles so far this month.

Here comes another week of March—spring is SOOOOOOO close…..