Whew!  I survived my first day back at work since Thanksgiving break.  I was dreading it, but of course it was a fine day.  In fact, the kids were wonderful, probably since they were well-rested and in good moods.  We worked hard on our concert music!  In orchestra I also worked with the kids on following a conductor—I’ve been primarily leading from the piano or the violin so I wanted to focus on conducting.  We’ll do more of that in the future, as they need more experience.

My private students were great as well.  I’ve been all about keeping violins up today!  It really does make a difference in the sound   Plus watching your bow really helps keep it in one place on the string. 

My cookie party was a great success!  I am too tired to upload any of the pictures I took.  Suffice it to say there were tons of cookies and I may have sampled many.  Cookies may be the greatest food ever!  I am grateful for cookies—a portable, small, delicious dessert.  And my friends are seriously the best cookie bakers ever.

No points today for the HBBC.  Didn’t get enough fruits/veggies to count and it is my rest day.  (Stretches sore legs.)

Ah, the sweet feeling of freedom!  Three whole days off.  Tonight I’m doing a long blog post, and I’m going to cover a bunch of stuff. 

Firstly, that’s what I’m thankful for today:  vacation time!  I am thankful to have three days off from work.  I am going to be super busy though, but it’s all fun stuff like running, baking pies and cookies, getting ready for a party, that sort of thing.  And really I have FIVE days off, because Saturday’s itty bitty wedding should hardly count.  So I am VERY thankful for the awesome holiday (Thanksgiving) that gives me a long, long weekend.  I shall return next week refreshed and ready to face all of my students again..for three weeks!

Okay, so what have I been up to lately?  My weekend was good, though it didn’t turn out quite as expected—after the mac and cheese class at the Kitchen Conservatory, Chris and I were just too full to continue onto our friend’s party.  With bursting stomachs and mild regrets, we had to head home.  But let me tell you a bit about the class.

We wore these aprons… There were 12 in the class, and each couple was responsible for a different item.  The menu for the meal was as follows:

Rum & Ginger Cocktail (pictured above, in Chris’s hand)

Fennel Apple Salad with Apple Cider Vinaigrette

Ultimate Baked Macaroni & Cheese with Peas & Bacon

Orzo with Mascarpone & Butter-Poached Lobster

Souffléed Mac & Cheese with Gouda & Smoked Paprika

Key Lime Sorbet

Chris and I ended up being responsible for…the salad.  Which was a little boring, but we ended up being glad because we didn’t have to shred a ton of cheese.   We got to take all the recipes home, so we can recreate them (if desired).  My favorite was probably the Lobster Mac, but they were all pretty tasty in my book I also really enjoyed the rum cocktail, though Chris didn’t care for it.  It was a mix of Ginger Beer and Rum.

So, that was Sunday.

Monday:  Taught all day, and then went to the new Harry Potter movie!  We went to see the movie at an Imax theater, so the screen was huge.  I loved the movie!  *SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT SPOILER ALERT* I was so broken up when Dobby died…I always lose it when that happens in the book, and the movie did a great job with that scene.  Just awful!  Also, I am *scared/delighted* that we have the answer to the question nobody asked: “What sort of underwear does Harry Potter wear?” 

Tuesday:  Semi-crazy day!  I have been hanging onto a coupon for one week of unlimited Bikram Yoga for a few months now.  For those of you who don’t know, that Yoga that is done in a super hot room.  A friend of mine swears by it, but I have been pretty nervous about giving it a try.  I decided that this would be a good week to do the unlimited week.  Well, I showed up for class today, and they tell me I CAN use my coupon, or I could save that and purchase two weeks of unlimited for $39, for new students only.  So I can’t do that the other way, I must purchase the two weeks first if I want to use it.  I thought about it a bit, and decided to go all the way and really commit myself to three weeks of Bikram.  I figure, that way I’ve definitely given it a shot, and then I’ll either keep it up somewhat (probably more like one class a week or less) or chalk it up to experience. 

I had talked to enough people who have gone to the yoga classes to know what to expect.  They are pretty strict there as far as arrivals, no talking, no drinking water during poses, no leaving the room except in emergencies, etc, and I knew that going in.  Anyway, the class was TOUGH.  I would do a few poses, then have to sit/lie down due to feeling overwhelmed by the heat (dizzy, faint, nauseous).  They say that is good, however…  I was drenched in sweat (and yes, the room stinks!) from the beginning…by the end sweat was a part of me.  I made it through the class—I didn’t leave, I didn’t die…and I’m going back tomorrow for more.  I’m told the second class is easier, and the sooner you return the better. 

After that I had a quick lunch with my friend at a smoothie/salad place right nearby (brilliant marketing plan—people feel that they have burned tons of calories so can eat “healthy” foods that are likely stacked with calories…), went to teach my final students before break, and then to the gym for running.  Got a Thanksgiving race coming up!  I did 3 miles running then logged six miles on the bike waiting for Chris to finish his workout.

Tomorrow’s plan:  Bikram Yoga, pick up race packet for Thanksgiving race, last minute grocery shopping, workout with Mike, BAKE PIES AND CAKE, potluck dinner…pretty busy day for my vacation, don’t you think?  Should be great fun!

So for the HBBC:  90 minutes of Yoga: 4.5 points, Treadmill Running 3 miles: 3 points, Stationary Biking 6 miles: 2 points. Total points for day (only got 5 fruit/veggie servings ): 9.5 points. I hope half points are allowed!

Today I am thankful that I had a weekend without a wedding!  Ordinarily I am happy to play weddings, but it’s definitely nice to have a weekend off–I enjoyed judging the SIUE competition and hearing some really hard-working/talented students play.  But it’s nice to have a break!  In fact, I only have a few more weddings this year, which means I’ll have a couple more weekends off (not next weekend though), so I have that to be thankful for as well.  Basically it means that wedding season is over, and I’ll have easier weekends until April!

What to do with all my “free” weekend time?  Well, obviously the time will easily be filled.  I’ll never have those weekends other people have, where they have two days stretched out with nothing scheduled.  People are jealous when they find out I have random days/mornings off during the week, but I don’t think people really realize that I simply never have weekends off. For instance, today I judged a competition for four hours.  Including my commute, that was 5 1/2 hours.  It was fun, but I’m just pointing that out to you.  It wasn’t an afternoon spent at the mall or hiking 😉

What else am I doing this weekend?  I have dinner plans with a friend tonight–I have been hanging onto a Groupon for Yemanja Brasil and Chris doesn’t really like it, so I’ve enlisted my friend Melissa.  I have been there two or three times before and really enjoy the food, and the caipirinhas are fantastic also.

Tomorrow will be very fun!  A few weeks ago I signed Chris and I up for a class at the Kitchen Conservatory in Clayton.  The class is called “Grown-ups Mac and Cheese.”  We will learn how to make three different kinds of mac and cheese, salad, and sorbet.  I am really looking forward to it.  After that we head to a friend’s housewarming party. It’ll be a big day of food…luckily I will have run six miles or so beforehand 🙂

And then…just two more days until vacation!

I am judging a student concerto competition in a few short hours.  I am very excited to hear everybody play!  It’s the SIUE John and Kay Kendall 10th Concerto Competition.  First place will win $100 so the pressure is ON.

I used to participate in these sorts of competitions all the time when I was younger–I loved competitions…and winning 😉  When I didn’t win, I would vow to work harder and longer and win the next one.

As I got older, when I didn’t win something…I felt like it just meant I wasn’t good enough and maybe I should do something else.  Weird.  When did that change?  Was it in grad school?  Or afterwards (perhaps in my first orchestral job, when somebody in a principal position actually SAID that to me?)

I do know this:  I will be the best darned judge ever!

One of my strengths as a teacher is getting the kids ready to perform.  By this I mean, after they have learned the pieces/songs (of course!) then we practice performing.  My group classes are performing in two weeks and since Thanksgiving is in between, today I was in definite quasi-dress rehearsal mode!  We practiced walking “onstage” (we are still in the classroom), we practiced bowing, we practiced being quiet, we practiced waiting to play until the piano introduction had finished, and we definitely practiced our pieces over and over again.  Afterwards, we practiced bowing and leaving the “stage.”  I love doing this, I love getting the kids ready to perform.  They seem to enjoy it too, as it makes the hard work throughout the year worthwhile (not that students should only be working towards a performance, but that’s another subject entirely).  I talk about how they should be excited to show off their hard work to their friends and families, and how to act afterward.

Is there anything other teachers do to prepare their music students?  Any thoughts?  I have two more classes before we perform so more ideas are always welcome!

I don’t have quite enough time to get to the gym and back today, so I’m going to try a new workout video I’ve been hearing about.  Jillian’s 30 day shred!  I don’t watch the Biggest Loser, but I know she is the trainer from that show.  We’ll see how the video compares to a workout with Mike!