Category Archives: Random thoughts

Food, Random thoughts, Running

Friday news round-up

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TGIF!  What a crabby week I had.  But now it’s Friday night and I’m excited to hang out with friends and relax.

I had a workout with Mike today where I only cried once…well, by cried, I mean got super whiny because one of the moves he wanted me to do really hurt my wrist, and then the modification hurt my hand.  I didn’t run after because I am saving up for tomorrow’s scheduled 11 mile run and my right knee was feeling less than great.  Weather looks good for tomorrow. 

Then it was onto Whole Foods to get a few supplies for tonight—some cheese, wine, and veggies.  I’m going to be hanging out with some friends.  I made a fabulous dinner of Artichoke and Goat Cheese Stuffed Chicken (I used this recipe’s filling and this recipe for baking), Goat Cheese Grits, and canned green beans.  Sometimes a nice canned vegetable really hits the spot. (It’s an old family recipe.)

I have earned my upcoming weekend.  Tomorrow:  nothing.  Sunday:  a bunch of different FUN activities.  Next week is a semi-spring break (i.e. THREE of my schools go on breaks) so I get two additional evenings free and one morning free. 

Oh, and a review of Winter Opera’s recent performance was published online. 

Okay, I’m off to finish my prep for the evening.  Have a fabulous Friday!

Random thoughts

Funny searches

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I love blog visitors.   So, if you are reading this, THANK YOU and please tell your friends.

I am able to see what it is that people search for that brings them to my blog.  I don’t have any fancy way to track statistics, just the ones that come standard with a word press blog.   (Blog).

Some of the searches are pretty obvious, such as:

Hannah violin

violin teacher

hannahviolin.com (why not just type that into the address bar and see what happens?)

hannahviolin banana bread

Then there are the people searching for my friends: 

Jen Gartley

Asako Kuboki violin

Valentina Takova cello

or sort of searching for my friends:

Gina Galati violist

Or famous people I’ve mentioned:

Mark O’Connor

Andre Watts

Leila Josefowicz

But then it starts to get more interesting, and I hope the people found my blog helpful:

pf chang half marathon medal

Suzuki group class ideas

rock n roll marathon tech shirt

spassfest

bacon bread

race to cure lymphoma

Washington Missouri catholic church

nachi cocum pictures (ah, I miss nachi cocum!)

Isabel Wilkerson

pancake wrist

You get the idea.  People probably find my blog helpful on occasion, right?  But then there are the funny search topics:

Colorado Christmas ornaments

rock and roll bathrooms

stage deli cheesecake

wedding church in front view

quartet music stand table

“Louis symphony”

what classification apple kuchen butter cake belong

strawberry shake the cheesecake factory

aught two 2002

what is word for recital pieces

salads for thanksgiving sooner

weightlifting Christmas ornaments

cat cutie sad

is there 6 more weeks of winter febuary 2nd 2011

code of pork with polenta

pf chang half marathon – I had to run for 30 minutes to reach the start line!

If you have a blog, what funny search terms have people used?  Also, does anybody have a better way to track my visitors to suggest?  Lastly, what is “code of pork”?

Random thoughts, Teaching

Happy St. Patrick’s Day

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Whee!  I had to work all day, and now I’m too tired to “celebrate” but Happy St. Patrick’s to those of you who are celebrating.

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I took a variety of “self-portraits” while I was waiting for students today.  Many who did not show.  Which I am getting tired of:  not the no-shows (well, those too), but the parents who think they don’t have to pay.  I sat there for 30 minutes.  I have a waiting list.  I have other things to be doing.  If I am waiting for your child, you are paying me for it unless you canceled within the appropriate window of time.  And I am going to start making parents sign a form agreeing to that.  Once that time has passed, that time is gone for all of us.

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I also wore festive socks.  And my lovely purple shoes.

I was sitting on the front steps between students today, next to a student, and a man walked by the house with his two dogs.  One of whom pooped RIGHT in front of us, and the man just kept going.  So that’s the second thing annoying me today (1st is parents who don’t want to pay me for my time, 2nd is people who don’t clean up after their dogs).

Here’s something delightful today (so you don’t think it’s all me complaining…I mean, it totally IS, but still.)  Do you read Pioneer Woman’s blog?  Usually it’s a great blog with excellent recipes.  Today it’s “Cappuccino and the Kitty.” If you like cats (and who doesn’t????) you should check it out.

Remember my excitement about the women’s fit tech shirt for the St Patrick’s Day race? Leslie and I had been annoyed that the Phoenix RnR race didn’t have women’s shirts, even though the race was more than 50 percent women.  We had thought that perhaps for once, the race should provide ONLY women’s shirts, if that were easier.  Why should we have to wear boxy, men’s shirts?  Well, I mentioned this to Mike, and he said, well, I’d rather see a woman in a man’s shirt than a man in a woman’s shirt.  To which I replied…well, it’s not all about you.  What is my point?  Well, this blog IS all about me…so I am going to continue to write this post.

I am feeling bad because I left a message for a parent that was a little harsh re: missing lessons and expecting to not pay,(in fact, specifically canceling because they don’t want to pay) and how this is NOT okay, and they should simply drop if that’s the case.  I shouldn’t feel bad.  I should feel good for being assertive, right?

One thing I’m glad about:  I have my kindle with me at all times when teaching outside the home, and I’ve just started a fantastic book:  “A Discovery of Witches” by Deborah Harkness.  I got it after hearing an interview on Talk of the Nation, and so far I am loving it!   (I’m also loving how quickly I got through this month’s “required reading” though frankly with all the students missing, some due to sickness, some due to “forgetting their violins”, or “didn’t feel like coming to their lesson” I’ve had so much reading time).

Okay.  That’s enough complaining and randomness for one night, I think?   Enjoy your holiday!  (Chris says it’s not really a holiday since he had to work…I said, it’s not all about you!  That is my new  mantra.)

Edit:  Here’s a fantastic article about makeup lessons.

Random thoughts

The Ides of March

I’ve decided (after yesterday’s post) that there are still good people in the world, people who care about others and all that good stuff, regardless of religious affiliation.  I’m just being overly sensitive.  It also helps to turn off the news—I love listening to NPR while I’m driving and I love watching CNN at the gym, and not doing those things really helps with my mental state.  I’m going for CD’s in the car and something else at the gym (I like to listen to my ipod while watching tv, a bit of overload, but it distracts me from the treadmill pain.)

I had an awesome day: 

First, a workout with Mike during which I wore my new St. Pat’s Day shirt.  He was totally jealous since he didn’t get one even though he claims he ran the race in 30 minutes or so.  Whatever, if I don’t see it, I don’t believe it Winking smile We also discussed poo, weather, the 80’s 5k in May that I am hoping to get a group of friends together to run and dress up, if you can bring anyone’s child to the gym’s day care (free to members), and some woman who likes to do crunches on the stretching table…I also ran a bit before and after the workout.  Go me!

Secondly, I met my friend Melissa at California Pizza Kitchen for lunch.  I had the fish tacos.  We had a great time.

Then I went grocery shopping at a different store than usual (on my way home from lunch) which made grocery shopping a new and exciting experience!  There were different brands and a different layout (okay, yes, I lead a fairly mundane life.)

Next was the work portion of my day, during which I had to teach.  Today’s students were delightful.  (Actually it was just one student.)  Everybody was considerate of everybody else.  I love my Tuesday student!

I came home and ate some delicious enchiladas—beef, mushrooms, a bit of cheese, tortillas, and enchilada sauce.  Yum!  With a side spinach salad—gotta have those green vegetables.  Hmm.  That makes today a very “mexican” day.  (fish tacos, enchiladas). 

Now I am heading out for a quick catch-up with friends at a local pub.  Two more workdays left!

My friend Sarah posted this on my facebook wall today: http://theoatmeal.com/comics/cat_vs_internet.  If you haven’t seen that cartoon, and if you are a cat owner or a cat lover, you should definitely look at it.  If you don’t like cats (or worse, fear cats) you will NOT want to click that link as it will just reaffirm your dislike or fear.

 

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Random thoughts

A case of the Mondays

I’m actually writing this on Sunday night, but I can assume I’ll be a little annoyed to get back to work Smile

The weekend was a great success, but exhausting.  I even skipped my spinning class to sleep in, but the time change is TOUGH at my age.

What did I do all weekend?

Winter Opera—two performances of Cavalleria Rusticana

Ran a race:  St. Patrick’s Day 5 Mile Race in downtown St Louis (just a few short miles from my house, though we drove, rather than running there, which my trainer was planning to do)

Taught a group class at St. Louis School of Music

Went to Herbie’s and Café Mochi for dinner and  Trattoria Marcella, and Sasha’s on Shaw with friends for drinks.

Went to the SLSO concert—fantastic performance of Shostakovich’s 1st Violin Concerto—one of my favorite concertos.

Ran 9 miles—I’m at 43 for the month—working towards 93, and I just might get there at this rate…

But now it’s back to Monday, and I’m sure regular blog readers are tired of me saying this, but I NEED SOME TIME OFF!  I’m exhausted and overworked.  What’s weird is that this is how I used to work every week in Cleveland—all the time.  Strange that I’m so much healthier now, huh?!?  I don’t know how I kept that schedule, but I do know I don’t want it ever again.

Next weekend though…I am OFF.  Starting Friday—no work at all.  No opera.  No teacher workshops.  No students.  No teaching.  I can’t wait! 

Then I get into spring break season. 

Spring break season, you ask?  Well, since I teach at four different schools, the spring breaks don’t overlap, so there is a series of weeks where here and there things are canceled.  I can’t plan a real vacation or anything, but it’s nice to have a bit more time to think.  Plus the house is a mess—maybe I’ll get some cleaning done, or start on my taxes, or run, or “hit the gym”, or perhaps drink more coffee…(I do love coffee).

So this week is the last full week before spring breaks start, and it’ll be fantastic to have the weekend off.  I’m hoping to go for a run in Forest Park with my friend Jen and maybe have some friends over to the house for drinks and dessert.  One of the donors/good friends of Winter Opera gave me a bottle of “bubbly” after the concert tonight and I need to share it with another lover of the “champagne”. 

Plus March Madness…I haven’t been watching as much basketball as I have in the past, but I still like to see Duke win Winking smile 

All right.  And now we’re off.  Here’s to another week!  *raises glass*

Random thoughts

Japan

I have wanted to say something about the events in Japan on Friday and continuing through the weekend, but haven’t known what…it’s just so utterly awful and tragic, and I feel so terrible for the people of Japan.  Having been lucky enough to never experience something like that in my life, I find I am completely unable to wrap my brain about it.  There just aren’t enough words. 

Remember you can text REDCROSS to 90999 to make a $10 donation to the Red Cross.  There are countless other charities to give money of course, but I do like the Red Cross personally—they are a trusted organization with international connections.