Category Archives: Random thoughts

Random thoughts

Community take two #reverb10

I didn’t sleep very well last night (was suffering from some sort of stomach ailment, which ultimately led to me calling in sick to work this morning) and kept thinking about the community post.

It seems that, firstly, I am not alone in feeling without a community.  There is such an emphasis on “community” in our culture, and for those of us that live our lives on the fringe of society (or feel on the fringe whether or not we actually are) it can be difficult to find a place to fit in.  But what does community actually mean?

from the entry for Community on Wikipedia:

In sociology, the concept of community has led to significant debate, and sociologists are yet to reach agreement on a definition of the term. There were ninety-four discrete definitions of the term by the mid-1950s.

Since I’m feeling a little under the weather this morning, I will consider Wikipedia to be the ultimate source.  So nobody really knows exactly what community means, least of all sociologists, for whom you would think it would be important to know. 

Let’s be inclusive then, rather than exclusive as I was in my previous post.  What communities do I really belong to?

Well, the community of violin teachers.  I even belong to a couple of email lists!  I also belong to a variety of organizations.  Suzuki Association of the Americas, American String Teachers Assocation, that sort of thing.

I’m also a performing violinist and member of the American Federation of Musicians.  I perform in orchestras and also play for weddings—I certainly fit into a variety of groups under those umbrellas.

I belong to a gym.  Often when I go there I run into quite a few people I know-

Online I have a few different places on the internet that are mine, that I check into often, that I post in, and even exchange Christmas cards with some of the people I’ve met.

These are examples of what I thought of last night…

The fact still remains that none of this is INTEGRAL to my life, to my happiness.  These are all little things that combine to make my life more interesting, more complete, but they are all things I could easily do without.  So I haven’t made any more progress, have I?   Winking smile

Am I bothered by my lack of community?  Only since I was prompted to write about it.

Christmas, Random thoughts, Teaching

Another performance done!

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Tonight at Good Shepherd Lutheran School we had the Christmas concert for K-2.  I have three students in that age group, but only 2 elected to perform, both in 2nd grade.

They met me in the practice room where we usually have lessons to get tuned, run through their pieces, and then I asked them to pack up so I could take their violins up to the sanctuary where the concert was being held.  They returned to meet their class.

I got up to the front of the church and unpacked the violins to get set up… and realized one of the girls no longer had her bow.  She also hadn’t zipped up her case, merely velcro-ed it…which I didn’t notice until I got to the church.  (I guess she was nervous, because she certainly wasn’t thinking clearly!).  I went back downstairs but couldn’t find her bow.  I had her play using the other girl’s bow.  I asked her what happened to her bow, and she said, “oh, it’s on the second piano.” (which is an organ that needs to be plugged in, though the practice room has no plugs.  don’t ask).  Okay…why? Why is it on the organ when I asked her to pack up?  Ugh.

Anyway, the girls played very well, and afterwards I found her bow right where she said it was.  Wow.  That story is very confusing, huh?  I am too tired to fix it, but I really wanted to tell it Smile

Suffice it to say, I was proud of their performances!

In other news:

I bought a beautiful tree skirt today for the Christmas tree!  Last year I didn’t have a skirt for the tree, and the year before was just a cheap-o one that looked pretty raunchy by the end.  I was perusing Christmas decorations at Target and I saw one I really liked, so I bought it.  I’ll put up a picture later, it’s too dark now to get a good one.  I also bought a few new ornaments for the tree (it’s nice to get a few new ones each year).

I’ve done a bit of online shopping for gifts over the past week or two—and packages have been arriving at the house!  I did Christmas cards tonight (at least phase one) but tomorrow I hope to do some wrapping and really make the tree look nice.  I may need to buy more Christmas cards—I got some nice ones, but I thought I had some left from last year and it turns out I did not.  Exchanging Christmas cards seems very old-fashioned in today’s “digital age” but I really enjoy the tradition.  I think it’s important to keep that going.

Alright, I’m going to post-date publish this entry and go to bed.  Happy Wednesday, readers!  (I have been rereading the Harry Potter series and am working my way through Goblet of Fire right now.)

HBBC:  dec 7: 7 servings f/v:  1 point, 1 hour workout with Mike: 4 points, 1 mile walk: 1 point, total: 6 points

dec 8:  7 servings f/v: 1 point, 3 mile run : 3 points, total : 4 points

Random thoughts

Lack of community #reverb10

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Prompt: Community. Where have you discovered community, online or otherwise, in 2010? What community would you like to join, create or more deeply connect with in 2011?

I’ve been struggling with this one all day.  I really don’t have anything to write about—I don’t feel like I have a community nor do I really want one.  I enjoy doing things with other people, but I prefer to hang out with people in a small groups.  I enjoy reading articles and blogs about people doing similar things to what I do, but I don’t feel a real need to connect with them on a more intense level.  I enjoy chatting with people when I go to my various jobs, and I suppose there’s a sense of community there, but often I feel like an outsider.  I’m a 30 something who isn’t married with children.  I am not a home owner, and I’ve lived in various different places in my life.  I don’t like to play team sports and I don’t enjoy crowds. 

Now I’m starting to sound like a sociopath, huh?  But the truth is:  I just really don’t have a community where I belong.  I never really have, though…so I don’t know how that would feel.  I’ve spent most of my life without a community.  I’ve had strong family connections, and many friends.  Maybe that’s the same.  Maybe I’m just not using the right word.

Do I want that to change?  I don’t know. 

Maybe I’ll revisit this topic later. 

Christmas, Random thoughts, Teaching

Christmas Decorating

christmastree2010

I want to get a new tree topper and maybe a few new ornaments.  But I’m pleased with the tree!  It’s a really nice shape this year.

I only had two students cry today.  Is this normal?  I don’t think I’m mean—usually I think the students cry out of frustration.  I just try to be kind then and offer kleenex. 

One of them cried because I took away their stickers.  Maybe I shouldn’t have, but I was frustrated.  Remember the sticker chart from before? I opted to continue using it just because…well, I got tired of the begging and pleading, and decided there wasn’t a huge harm.  And there wasn’t except for the one student who has a real love/hate relationship with the chart.  He got three more stickers for songs completed, but then in prep for the concert last week said he didn’t know one of the songs.  I told him he would lose his sticker if he didn’t relearn it (I know he was more than fully capable of doing this with minimal).  He didn’t relearn it and ended up not performing it.  Now, in my mind, the sticker chart is the songs the child KNOWS and can play.  When we play games, I take my assignments from the chart.  The same student today refused to play another song on the chart that he knows.  He said, I don’t know it.  I said, really? because the chart says you do (and I know he can play it).  He refused to try, so I ripped the two stickers off and told him he’d have to redo them.  Then he started crying.

I feel bad, but I also hope this makes him realize I am serious about my threats.  I told him he can get them back at any time by simply playing through the song, and in fact he can play with the music.  I think that’s reasonable.  Thoughts?  Did I go overboard?

My other tough love student:  the one I told last week that she needed to buckle down and learn her piece or she wouldn’t be able to play the concert this weekend. WELL!  She was my first private lesson today and she came in with a big grin on her face.  I knew this was going to be good.  She had improved EXPONENTIALLY.  Was it perfect?  No.  But I could tell she had worked hard and knew the piece much better.  I told her how proud I was of her work and how she showed me she could really perform well under pressure.  I’m glad I was tough on her, because it paid off. 

My spinning class that I signed up for (just a five week session) got canceled due to low enrollment.  The question is:  do I sign up for a Jan-March weekly class or do I wait and see what happens at my gym?  (They are expanded and adding a spinning room, but I don’t know the schedule.)  The weekly class is only about $6 per class which is quite reasonable.  But my gym would be free…but I don’t know how busy it would be? or when the classes would be. 

HBBC:  Day of rest: 0 points, 7 servings f/v (this is becoming my daily goal!):  1 point, total: 1 point

Random thoughts

Making cookies #reverb10

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Author: Gretchen Rubin
The Happiness Project
@gretchenrubin

Prompt: Make. What was the last thing you made? What materials did you use? Is there something you want to make, but you need to clear some time for it?

I am not really a craft person.  I’ve dabbled in calligraphy and origami, needlepoint and latchhooking.  I took a pottery class this year and did many art projects as a child.  I’ve considered taking drawing or painting classes.

The thing is, I don’t have the passion for arts and crafts.  I get bored and move on.  I don’t have the attention to detail in my work to make it really special.  I think learning the violin took too much out of me and I just can’t feel that much passion for another artistic pursuit. 

I am, however, a baker, particularly cookies.  I love baking (not so much cooking but baking). What is the last thing I made?  Jam-filled butter cookies!  I think cookies are my favorite thing to bake.  I love the process..mixing the dough…tasting the dough…making the test cookie (my grandmother taught me to ALWAYS make a test cookie– I don’t always make a test cookie but when I don’t I often regret it)…scooping the dough onto the cookie trays…setting the timing and waiting…tasting the cookies…putting them out on the wire racks…waiting for them to cool…putting them away in tins.  Oh, how I love making cookies!  The problem isn’t the time for cookie making, but that I eat too much of the dough plus too many of the cookies.  Otherwise I would make cookies much more often, but I would be quite overweight. 

Here’s the most recent recipe I made.  These are delicious, and no one can eat just one Winking smile These are NOT a health food.

Jam Filled Butter Cookies (from allrecipes.com, modified)

Ingredients:

1 ½ cup butter, softened

1 cup white sugar

4 egg yolks

3 ½ cups all-purpose flour

1 cup fruit preserves, any flavor (I have tried strawberry and raspberry, both were great!)

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar, and egg yolks. Mix in flour a little bit at a time until a soft dough forms. Roll dough into 1 inch balls. If dough is too soft, refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes. Place balls 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheets. Use your finger or an instrument of similar size to make a well in the center of each cookie. Fill the hole with ½ teaspoon of preserves (I usually use a ziploc bag and cut off the corner to make this easier).

Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, until golden brown on the bottom. Remove from cookies sheets to cool on wire racks.

Random thoughts

Letting go of anger #reverb10

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Prompt: Let Go. What (or whom) did you let go of this year? Why?

 

Anger.  I spent so much of 2009 being angry.  There was a lot to be angry about (or at least so I thought…but it WAS a rough year).  But it wasn’t making me very happy.  So I needed to let it go.  I found my release at the gym—working out and getting into great shape was SO much easier than being angry.  Yes, I still feel angry at times…but it’s much easier to deal with now. 

–I also got to let go (literally) of some extra weight I’d been carrying around for too long.  —

I wasn’t very much fun for awhile.  I was bitter that things in my life hadn’t turned out the way I wanted them to and I took this out on my friends and my boyfriend.  After I decided to let go of the anger, I was able to work towards what I wanted in my life, rather than dwelling on what had gone wrong.  I’m still doing that.

I am so much happier now!  I’m headed in a good direction for my life, and I can nip anger in the bud when it starts to boomerang.