I remember back when I was in middle and high school Sunday nights were often filled with dread. Here I am on Sunday and I’m in a great mood. Welcome to adulthood, I suppose? Perhaps it also helps that I’m currently in a less-busy time of year (famous last words), that I’m at the start of the school year, and that I only have 4 hours of teaching tomorrow, so, I can’t complain.

I’m hovering between 36 and 38 students…I’m behind on reorganizing my teaching binder. I have a binder with a divider and paper for notes on each student, and I’m about 9 months behind on it now. As in, there are students listed in there that I haven’t seen since 2014. I need to update it but it just isn’t a priority. I do have a few students that need to be added though, so I should make it a priority. I keep track of all my lesson payments in this binder too—all by hand with pencil and paper. Do other teachers do the same or do most of your do it on computer? I find the “old-fashioned” way works really well for tracking attendance since I already have the book next to me for taking notes and referring to previous lessons.

This was a busy weekend of social engagements. Louie and I hit up the Festival of Nations briefly yesterday afternoon, and then we rode our bikes in the Moonlight Ramble. That link goes to last year’s post about the ride—a midnight ride with 1000’s of other bikers through the streets of St Louis. This year was a less interesting route, IMO, but I felt pretty strong riding throughout. I’ve literally only ridden my bike three times this year but my legs are in pretty good shape from hiking and running and whatnot, so I’m sure that helped. I would like to bike more, but it’s hard to fit everything in! And uphills were still challenging, especially the steeper ones.

I would have used a different picture than that one from Instagram, but it was upside-down. I really need to figure out why phone pictures are often upside-down in Windows Live Writer but when I try to flip them they get distorted…but the picture looks fine otherwise. GRRR computer issues. There’s probably either a simple solution or none at all, I imagine. I know it’s the pictures I take that are “upside-down” to begin with but it shouldn’t matter, should it? And since that post I linked to from last year ALSO had a similar picture problem…I really should figure it out.

I made lemon poppy seed muffins the other day. They were tasty! I ended up taking the rest of them back to my friend Suzanne’s for brunch this morning. (I mentioned her before—she and her family are visiting this week and we are friends from Clinton, SC where we grew up). Well, actually it was at her friend Susan’s house, but nonetheless. The only downside was that I agreed to a 9:30 am brunch time without thinking it through, that we wouldn’t be home from the Ramble until after 3! Oops. But it was fun anyway. I miss so many of my old friends, so it was wonderful to catch up with Suzanne this week, after so many years…decades, really. Old friends remind you of who you used to be and where you come from, and that’s really a good thing! Dear old friends reading this, please be in touch if we haven’t been! I’ve been neglectful over the past years but I’m missing you all 🙂

New friends are important too, though, not to make anyone feel left out. And blog readers that I don’t even know, I am so thrilled you are reading!

I think I’ve mentioned that I’ve been eating “less meat.” It’s my way of thinking about it…it means that I haven’t been cooking meat at home, but I’ll eat it when served it at other people’s houses (gladly ;)) and sometimes at restaurants too. My feeling is that cutting back is making a difference, and that I’m okay with that, plus I don’t want a label.

I’m starting to feel like I’m getting back into violin playing shape. I have to say, the better shape you are in before you take 20 days off, the harder it is to get back. (duh). But I’ve got a performance of a Mozart and a Brahms Sonata in less than two weeks, so I’m working hard. I’m also trying to learn Beethoven op. 59 no. 1 for the Quartet, and I’ll tell you, that is not an easy violin part. Beethoven is so challenging, on pretty much every level, but SO satisfying! 

Other random thoughts…

I’m on the lookout for a good vegetarian taco filling recipe, so any suggestions are welcome.

Louie and I decided to subscribe to the symphony for this season—I think we have a package that includes 6 or 7 concerts. The good part is that if a conflict arises (and they will, they will) we can exchange our tickets by phone for another date. I feel strange planning to go to the symphony, for a variety of reasons (ex being a member, them not calling after officially putting me on the sublist likely because of ex being a member) but as I always say, I loved music first and so I’m not giving up concerts for that reason. I can love seeing Mahler and Beethoven and Joshua Bell without loving the organization performing it.

I’ve been watching “Bloodline” on Netflix. I don’t love it but I’m interested to see “what happens next.”

I’m still working on my trip recaps. I’m making great progress, I think, having completed 4 parts so far. My plan is to have 2 more parts and perhaps 1 final thoughts part. I still can’t believe I was on such an epic trip recently, especially after having been on an epic trip to Italy in May. This has been truly an amazing year!

And there you have it. My own Moonlight Ramblings. See you soon!