It’s Friday! *cheers*

But I’m a musician and I’m working this weekend. *boos*

Anyway, here we are. Next week I’m full into my regular schedule…I finally got all my college students scheduled (I think, fingers crossed, knock on wood) and I’m looking forward to teaching them for the next 14 weeks. And then it’ll be summer, can you believe it, the time goes so fast?!

This weekend I’m doing a thing tomorrow out at Lindenwood, and then Sunday doing lots of opera opera opera.

My students get to hear opera during their lessons, which has been a wonderful learning experience for everybody. I’m still not teaching out of my house due to some bathroom issues/renovating, so I’m renting a space at the Winter Opera studios. It’s been a good place to teach, though I hate renting space, but it’s working well for us all, and since rehearsals for the upcoming opera are going on, my students and their parents (as applicable) get to hear some of that too. I think it’s good for them to hear it!

Last weekend at the symphony concert there was a health emergency—an older fellow had to be taken out on a stretcher. I guess we’ll never know how things turned out. It was a scary thing to watch, and I especially felt bad thinking of his companions and loved ones! It happened during Augustin Hadelich’s encore, or at least that’s when the commotion started, so it gave a different feel to the Bach D Minor Sarabande.

This Saturday we are seeing the Bad Plus at Jazz at the Bistro. It’s a little trio we’ve seen every year together, but this year they have a new pianist. I’m eager to see how things have changed.

I’ve got a lot going on, both on paper and in my head. I still feel decently relaxed and not super stressed out, but I feel like I’m just waiting for things to really explode. Sometimes I wake up and wonder how long I can manage like this, like, is everybody feeling this busy and stressed out for large portions of their year, or is this unique to me, or unique to freelance musicians? I’m not sure what I’d give up, or what I would add to make things better…sometimes I think my favorite thing to do is lie in bed and read, but I can’t do that all day long, and I can’t get paid for it…but maybe my second favorite thing is playing violin.

What are your weekend plans looking like? I’m glad our weather is a bit warmer this weekend so I think more people will be out and about.

Where is the month going?

This semester is finally starting to take shape. I’m having to make more trips to the college to teach than I would prefer, but I think it’ll mean less crazy busy days and more evenly spaced room to practice, respond to emails, and work out. We’ll see! Right now it’s too cold and icy to run so I haven’t done that in awhile, but maybe in a few days the weather will be more cooperative. (I haven’t had a gym membership in some time, and don’t really want to at this time.)

Otherwise, I’ve been practicing, organizing, planning, and reading. Louie and I haven’t done anything terribly exciting lately, but we did go to the symphony last Saturday night and had dinner with friends the night before. We’ve been homebodies and just trying to get through Game of Thrones-after the last season finished in the fall or whenever that was, we decided to start watching the whole series again, and we are nearly done! It’s been interesting watching it again-I’d forgotten many things, and some of my reactions are different knowing what is yet to come, and I like some characters better and others less.

The bathroom remodel is a little stalled, but things are shaping up for next week. I’m looking forward to picking out tile soon, and I’m REALLY looking forward to being back at home teaching again and being able to use the bathroom on the main floor of the house rather than having to go downstairs every time.

I’m already having to think about scheduling for the summer. We are planning to go to NYC over spring break, and have some ideas for the summer (Japan!) but it’s hard to specifically plan a vacation that far out, yet I need to get my summer schedule set, at least as far as accepting gigs…and it’ll be here before we know it!

I had originally been wanting to do something for my 40th bday, but the planning on that stalled and just seemed too hard at this time. What I wanted to do didn’t line up with what other people were wanting to do, and the dates didn’t work, and then hurricanes hit the Caribbean, and I just don’t know. Also I’m thinking of buying a viola, which would be an expense, and it’s just hard to get everything to work out.

But overall things are good. I feel more relaxed (January is always easier) than a few months ago, I’m staying up to date on work for the most part, it’s not tax time quite yet, and I’ve got some really fun concerts coming up this semester, so…life is good. Other than the cold, but it looks like the week will be warming up. This weekend we are going to see the Bad Plus at Jazz at the Bistro, which is a yearly event for Louie and I.

How is your year shaping up?

I had a nice trip to visit April in Atlanta—three days off work (some of you call that a weekend—I had worked for 60 straight days before that)…and it wasn’t enough. I’m back at it, and I’m exhausted! I am really looking forward to Thanksgiving break, during which I’ll get two entire days off!

Yes, I’m working too hard. But the good news is I’m finally seeing an increase in the bank balance, and I’m really trying to save. I did a little more shopping this fall than last year—mostly updating my “black” wardrobe, with a few other fun items, but I’m feeling better about my financial future than I did a few years ago. Maybe my taxes will go up, maybe I’ll never see any social security (even though I pay into it every quarter, at a higher rate than you do, unless you are also self employed), maybe the world will end in fire, but other than being exhausted and occasionally making totally boneheaded moves like having to email one student three times to get it right…and even then having the email be pretty confusing…life is okay.

I had a few realizations today. One: I spent many adult years feeling lonely. I don’t anymore, even though I wish I had a few more close friends. I feel like I know where I belong, and I have enough meaningful relationships and my romantic partner understands me. Two: I don’t recall what’s it’s like to be bored or have too much time on my hands. I know it’s only November and in August we took 2 weeks off to travel…but that too was scheduled…maybe I really need to figure out a time to focus on self-care (that’s the hot topic, right?) and be able to relax.

Or I just need to make sure I’m eating right, finding time to exercise, sleep, and maintain some relationships well enough. And then the rest is just how it is. This is 39.

We are all busy people. I might be complaining about it more than others. I might be more busy. Or I might not.

What do I mean by busy? I mean that there aren’t enough hours in the day. Do we all take on too many things? Probably, but I won’t simply work for money. I need to work a certain amount for money. And then I need to practice, and that’s for me. And I need to (I put need in my career and life aspirations here, to be clear) perform and play chamber music and other concerts. If I don’t do those things, then what is the point? The issue is when they all run together and there just isn’t enough time to get all the things done: to run a private studio, to meet the needs of my college students also, to respond to emails, to order what needs ordering, to respond to phone calls, to listen to music, to eat as healthy as possible throughout all of this and to work out several times a week…

But this week I’ve been breathing. I’m not totally sure why. Partly because I’m just used to it all now, partly because some of my students have canceled for various reasons and I end up with an extra 30 minutes here, an hour there. Partly because my practice has paid off and some upcoming performances are feeling READY and so I’m less panicked…who knows why.

Tomorrow night my friend and colleague Amy and I are playing a terrific program at Wash U. We are very excited to perform: it’s a really varied program and has been a lot of fun to put together. Amy and I approach music in a very similar way, at least as far as I can tell working with her so far, and that’s both good and bad. But she’s been really fun to work with, and I’m excited about our concert. We named our duo Duo Sirena, and plan to play some more. 

I’m also still of course working with my friends at the Perseid Quartet and we finally have our concert in November booked. It’s hard managing one’s own career and there’s an ebb and flow, and this season has been a little slower getting started, but we’ve got some great stuff planned and I’m excited to learn quite a few new pieces.

As far as my students, their needs range. I’m trying to participate in or organize some events throughout the year, and this weekend is the second year some are playing for the Arch Cup. I’m hoping they get some more trophies like last year! And then I’m working on getting some to play on the play-a-thon at the Galleria that SLAMTA runs (this is a holiday event) and have decided to push the recital back into February and maybe I’ll have a Valentine’s theme or something? College students have different needs, mostly they need to practice more (oh that’s all of them, and YES I mean you!), but they have juries and recitals and worries about the future, and I try to be as present for everybody as I can.

I know this has been a tough year. I get stressed out easily. I’ve been working too much but I feel it’s necessary. I spend too much time reading the news and worrying (what will happen when the market goes down, what will happen to my health insurance, what if there’s a nuclear war, why are people so horrible to each other?). I’ve worked for 32 days straight now (for me that doesn’t count practice or working from home, but counts any scheduled work activity like a rehearsal, lesson, concert, or gig) and the end isn’t really in sight (there’s a possibility coming up but I suspect it will get filled because there are some unscheduled rehearsals needed, and that’s okay). I can handle it. I have been sleeping a little more than earlier in the month (Opera was a challenge) and the weather is cooler and I love it and I will make it.

There’s my brain dump. I must remember to breathe.

My niece turns three soon. My earliest memory (as I recall and claim) is my third birthday party. I feel like the pressure is ON now! In all honesty, she is an adorable lucky child who feels safe, secure, and loved, and I’m trying to decide between two gifts I’ve found online and hope that she likes whatever I give her. I won’t see her until Christmas and she’ll probably pretend not to remember me.