All posts by hannahviolin

I am a violinist. I also enjoy running, working out, reading, and hanging with my friends and cat.
Grand Ideas, Hope

Polar Vortex

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Today was supposed to be my second day back at teaching, but we’ve gotten a bit of snow…so so far I haven’t taught anyone yet. I’ve got a few who are still thinking about coming later today, so maybe I’ll have to work…and maybe I won’t. It’s kind of nice delaying the inevitable, though bills must be paid and getting back to teaching would be helpful!

I didn’t do any New Year’s Resolution posts, or year in review, or any of that jazz. And I’m fine with that. I’m hoping that 2014 will be a better year than 2013, but I’d hate to throw out the baby with the bathwater and discount the good stuff that happened in 2013…meanwhile, the older I get, the more I realize a new year is just another year, and the best thing to do is to focus on the positive, and realize that negative stuff will happen, and it’s all about your approach to it.

I have a few New Year’s Resolutions, of course, but they are pretty generic and the same everybody has. I want to get back into shape, I’m running the Go St Louis Half in April and training officially starts next week. I want to get back into weight lifting as I’ve been on hiatus, but I’m definitely working on my fitness at home—I have decided I really want to get better at pushups…I’m so awful at them (and I’m talking from my knees) and I think with some actual dedication I could really improve.

Beyond fitness, my resolutions involve stuff like, trying to be a better friend to my friends. This past year I learned a lot about myself, and I also learned that I am a very lucky person with wonderful friends that I don’t feel I deserve. This year I want to feel like I deserve them, and I also want to pay it forward and be that sort of friend to them. Heavy stuff, eh?

Otherwise, I’m just trucking along. Trying to make more money doing this whole music thing, and also trying to find satisfaction from my career and from my life. You know, the usual stuff everybody wants.

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Meeting family at the airport on the way home for Christmas.

My parents on their 45th wedding anniversary. We went out for lunch and a movie.

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A beautiful wedding ceremony on Saturday for a friend and colleague.

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Lots of this guy, who I fear is gaining the weight back to my guilt feeding for being out of town and gone so much.

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There are usually stairs in front there. But doesn’t snow make everything more beautiful?!

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I will say I have greatly enjoyed my winter break, but I’m ready to get back to work. And I’m REALLY ready for warm weather and spring to be here. I fear we have a few more cold months ahead of us though…that’s what fuzzy fleece blankets and warm cats are for I suppose.

Random thoughts

Lame duck

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I feel like the time period between Christmas and New Years is like a lame duck session of Congress. People might be back to work but they’ll just be off again. You can try to eat better and get back in a routine but it’s just going to get messed up again. One almost says why bother?

Unrelated: I didn’t get these shoes for Christmas but I wish I had.

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I’m heading home tomorrow. I guess I will be getting back on a bit of a schedule. It’s been a good few says but I’m ready to get back to my place. Visiting my hometown makes me feel like my life isn’t quite real and I’m ready to get back to my reality.

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Random thoughts

Happy Christmas

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Just to be different.

I’m writing this from the airport. I think the airport is the place to be today! Everything is open but not too busy.

I’m headed to my hometown in South Carolina by way of Chicago where l will hopefully be meeting up with my sister Leslie for our final leg.

I hope you are having a good day! Thanks for reading my blog and sticking with me.

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Christmas, Random thoughts

Christmas presents from students

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One of my favorite parts of teaching is getting gifts (and most notably, handwritten cards) from students on holidays and other special occasions. Some teachers complain that students give them too many cookies and candy, or silly useless gifts, or whatever, but I love getting gifts! It makes me feel important and special to my students (who are important and special to me!)

The winning gift this year (no offense to the rest of you, rest assured I appreciated all the gifts even though many baked goods went directly into the freezer as I try to portion those out!) was a Pez dispenser collection from the Hobbit. I have a Lord of the Rings Pez collection and this student must have noticed and decided to give me a matching set. (It came with an adorable handwritten card—I love little kid handwriting…)

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(No, I can’t take a picture on the floor without my foot, why do you ask?)

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Another great (and toe included) gift was this excellent “fail” button. I can see it being used for many occasions in the future.

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This is my version of grumpy cat.

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One of my neighbors gave me a plate of cookies and these two cupcakes topped with macarons!  How beautiful are those?! I was so touched (and of course felt guilty as I didn’t make or get anything for THEM—is this a normal thing? Am I a bad neighbor?) and delighted.

I’ve been seeing a lot of folks on Facebook talking about being done with Christmas gigs. I guess they don’t play Christmas Eve services! I’ll be done soon, and then I’ll have a little time off for visiting family and relaxing. Today and tomorrow friends, and then I have some breathing time.

Random thoughts

Feeling like Cinderella

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Last night I went to the Veiled Prophet Ball with my friend April. Her boyfriend Joe had to work at the ball and she had an extra ticket for a guest (not for dinner after, but just for the ball and festivities until dinner.)

I knew a few things going into the ball: I needed to wear a long gown, and I needed to wear long white gloves. And that there would be rich people doing those weird crazy things rich people do, like having balls at all, presenting their daughters into society in that weird debutante way (and of course, the organization has a history of racism and obviously classism, and sexism…), but that it would be a fun night with my friend April.

Posing in front of the ironing board is always a good place!

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No, the axe didn’t belong to Gimli. But it might have.

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My friend Sarah did my hair. Before and after—it held up pretty well!

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It is always important to wear white gloves when yielding an axe. Easier to wash the blood stains out after the carnage, am I right?

What did we do other than take pictures? Well, we sat and watched the grand spectacle of the ball. The girls were paraded out accompanied by live music (I recognized several friends in the orchestra though didn’t get a chance to say hell0…maybe another year I’ll be asked to play!) and the members of the secret society did all kinds of weird things, dressed in costumes, covered by veils, and all that good stuff that accompanies being a member of a secret society. I didn’t even know what was going on most of the time, and just enjoyed the show as a fashion show—so many gorgeous dresses, hair, and jewelry! The lights were terrible for taking pictures from my seat so I didn’t get any good ones.

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After the ball there was champagne and a receiving line for the girls (women?) who were presented. There was a dinner later, but I didn’t want to buy a ticket for it (hundreds of dollars—I think it was a little out of my budget, ha!) so I left…exhausted, hungry, and covered in eyeliner! It was a fun night.

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Running

I am probably lame but I don’t care

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Some people blog to hold themselves accountable. I blog for the sheer embarrassment of it and to have a place to put all my thoughts and words down for eternity. IMG_8545

I was excited about the Hot Chocolate Race, and even when I got the first “extreme temperature advisory” email I wasn’t going to let it phase me. But then on Saturday I did some walking around outside in the cold, and then Saturday evening I was outside in cold temperatures that weren’t even as cold as they would supposedly be Sunday morning, and I just started freaking out. I remember running a few times in extreme (well, extreme to me, it’s all relative, I imagine) cold and one time in particular that I ran a 5k and honestly, the entire time it just really sucked. My legs were frozen, my feet were basically numb. And that was old Hannah. I used to be way more hard core.

So much to the disappointment of many people, and with the full support of others, I decided NOT to run the race this morning. It isn’t, as other races have been, because I didn’t want to run, because in fact, now that it has been light for many hours and the temperature is back up to a normal winter temperature, I will be running…but because the idea of getting up and being cold and running (at my current slow pace) for a long time…I just wanted to tear out my hair and cry. Plus the idea of dealing with the ice and snow getting to my car and the race…just everything about it made me say…not today.

If that makes me lame, I’m fine with it. At least fairly fine. You can totally call me lame in the comments.

I hope the race went well for those that ran, and I definitely applaud those of you who were far more hearty and determined than I am! I think for me, I’m just going to focus on my next plan, which is…the Go Half Marathon in April. I spectacularly failed last year at training for it, and this year is going to be very different. And I know it won’t be cold—it’ll probably be unbearably hot, but at least that doesn’t make me cry. (Okay, it might make me cry, but that’s just me.) I want to do the half again to give myself a new goal and a focus. I’ve been floundering for awhile, and it’s been a very tough year (for reasons I haven’t outright said on the blog especially, and I’m sorry for not being more open), but I know that I need to pull myself back together, and a spring half marathon will help. Blah blah blah. Really, I just want to dream of the days where I come here and complain how HOT it is outside and how awful that is. I should bookmark this blog post to read then that happens 😉

So that’s it. Me rationalizing my lame behavior. Eh. *shrugs*. It’s just a race. I did pick up my hoodie and travel mug, so I did get something for my entry fee at least!

How was your weekend? What did you plan to do and then bail on? Or even more impressive (perhaps)…what did you achieve?