A year ago (approximately) my friends and I were out and I remember making a joke that Chris and I were getting married on 11.11.11.  This must have been in November last year, or who really knows.  I know that we were at Robust Wine Bar, I know that Chris and I were not engaged (yet) and I remember telling everybody (jokingly) to save the date, and I remember that my friend Jon thought I was being serious.  Sorry Jon!  It’s 1.2.12.

So, happy 11.11.11 everybody!  And Happy Veteran’s Day.  I’m playing a service this morning for Veteran’s Day.  I’m not sure exactly what it is, but Ashokan Farewell (from The Civil War series) is most definitely involved.

I may be a pacifist but that doesn’t mean I can’t respect those who have served. 

Okay, a few business items:

1.  It’s been awhile since I’ve done promotion of my facebook page.  Come "like" me on facebook if you haven’t already!  Puh-lease!  It’s almost like having friends.

2.  Also feel free to follow me on twitter @hannahviolin.

3.  I got my Christmas cards today!  If you are a faithful blog reader (you know who you are) who wants to exchange cards, email me your address!

30 Days of Thanksgiving:  Today I am thankful for quite a few things:  that I didn’t embarrass myself on National TV like Rick Perry the other night, that I am not involved in the Penn State scandals, and that I haven’t had to serve in the armed forces (with my depth perception you should all be thankful for that.) 

Playing at the Tavern of Fine Arts on Friday night.  I should really sit up straighter!

Here’s some of the best searches for my blog in the past 30 days: (Honestly, I don’t know if you care at all but this stuff really amuses me! Also this fits in well with my 30 days of Thanksgiving Theme.)  These will be presented without comment.  Add your own comments in the comments!

trainer in short, short headband

running turkey

humorous wedding invitations funeral

marathon poop runner

hates music cat

stretches to hurting shoulder

funny searches to my blog

pancake cushions

real life amazon woman

unsuccessful in violin orchestra audition give up?

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wedding gnome

how tough was your workout

scatter+your+heart+october+2010+violin

i am open at the close

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hello i am a cat

when i workout i tell facebook

"do you like my tanlines"

"violin blogger runner who knows an awesome wedding photographer

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a tukey running track

80s gym rat outfits

make sure everyone knows i’m at the gym facebook

ms paint cat

cheese

kitten wearing a hat

fear of failure cat

funny advice for worrying worry

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All time searches for my blog:

1. hannah violin blog

2. cheese

Today I am thankful for google and the ability to find anything you need to know online, quickly and easily.

I am generally a giant classical music nerd.  I listen to classical music or NPR generally in life, never any other music.  Except for some reason I got introduced to Ben Folds in the early 2000’s and LOVE his music.  I have all his CD’s (albums? what do I even call them?) and have been to a concert in Cleveland.  So when I heard the St Louis Symphony was playing a concert with him this fall, I jumped on those tickets. 

That’s tonight! 

You can read an article from the St Louis Dispatch about the concert here.

30 days of Thanskgiving: I’m thankful for the opportunity to go to the concert tonight!  I hope it’s awesome!

Disclaimer:  A couple years ago I got asked to play with Ben Folds with the Columbus Symphony and had to turn it down due to a prior commitment.  So this is better!

Note to readers:  The concerts with Chamber Project St Louis went really well. We could have used a bigger audience on Thursday night but Friday night was packed.  I don’t play with the group for a few months but there is another performance coming up soon.  Check out the website and come out, support local arts!! 

Who used to watch Full House?  It was the highlight of the week, right?

The concert last night went well!  I was very crabby because it was freezing in the Chapel, and I don’t like the cold.  I also don’t like the heat.  Call me a first world girl, but I love temperatures between 68 and 75 or so…especially 72.  My feet and hands get cold fast and take forever to warm up, so that makes it particularly challenging to play (hands, not feet.)

We repeat the program tonight at the Tavern of Fine Arts at 8 pm.  If you are looking for a relaxing activity for the evening, come out and hear us play!  (Chamber Project St Louis)

Mike said I was acting like an 82 year old woman in our workout this morning.  I was crabby and kept complaining that the weights were heavy (they totally were heavy, darned weights).  I was also tired.  I told him I needed to act 82 on occasion to average out the days I act like I’m 5 years old.  Besides which, he should know by now that Friday is my whiny workout day.  I’m usually tired, and often annoyed by the whole “Friday” mentality everybody gets except as a musician I usually have two more solid days of work until Monday morning (my weekend!).  (Yes, I’m still crabby.)

So today’s crabbiness certainly makes the 30 days of Thanksgiving a bit tougher.  Perhaps more important though?  What I am thankful for today?

I’m thankful because:  the sun is shining!  It’s cool but sunny.  Perfect running weather (and is supposed to stay all weekend, Sunday forecast is 68 and sunny!).  Some of you may recall I have one more half marathon to run this fall, and it’s on Sunday.  I’m looking forward to stuffing my face afterwards.

I know we probably sent out our invitations too early, but still, people could go ahead and RSVP for the wedding, right?  They do have about a month until the deadline.  I’m simply impatient. 

But still.  Less than a third have replied. 

It’s fine.  You give people a deadline, they will definitely wait until that deadline.  I do it all the time.  Sometimes I even ignore the deadline entirely!

We’ve finished our honeymoon plans!  Hotel, flight, cruise, all booked and paid for.

I’ve also got all my wedding day jewelry planned out and purchased.  I got two things on etsy…of course.

Next week I’m doing my hair trial with my hairdresser.  I hope my idea works out!

Should the guys wear bow ties for the wedding?

Today: I’m thankful that my wedding will be done in two months, we’ll be married (!), and YOU can be thankful that I won’t be talking about wedding planning anymore!  Two months to go…

Because I haven’t.

We went to see “In Time” the other night.  The premise looked really interesting and fairly unique.

It wasn’t good.  It started strong, but became predictable and poorly acted.  Oh well!  And I didn’t like JT in the Social Network either, just for the record.

I had an argument with somebody yesterday over whether Titanic deserved all those Oscar nods.

Regular readers of my blog (and friends) know how I feel about this.  (Titanic is the greatest movie of all time.  Or at least up there.)

I hear that “Moneyball” is good, and also “The Ides of March.”  Here’s something awkward:  I haven’t seen “The King’s Speech” yet…it doesn’t seem to be available on Blockbuster on demand, and that’s the easiest way for us to get movies (through the tivo)…anybody want to lend me the DVD?  I also have a netflix movie “The Frisco Kid” sitting on my tv from a friend, that I really really need to watch and return.

On the entertainment note:  Burn Notice and Covert Affairs are new this week.  I also watch Parenthood, Psych, Dexter, and the Office.

What about you?  Seen any good movies lately?  What’s your favorite (current) television show?  Want to send me a copy of the King’s Speech?