I have this app on my phone called “Timehop” which shows me stuff I took pictures of or posted to instragram or whatnot 1 year ago, 2 years ago, etc. Today I saw a picture from one year ago of a studio recital. It wasn’t actually 1 year ago to the day, so the picture must have been something else, but just under one year ago was our last student recital together, in person (I usually do one the Sunday before Thanksgiving.) I miss seeing those guys in person…I haven’t been one of those teachers who is like “I miss my students so much” because I’m not that sort of teacher. But it has gotten ridiculous, and we are looking at several more months of online at least, and it’s tiring, because IT DIDN’T HAVE TO BE THIS WAY.

In any case, I’m excited for the recital today on zoom. Most of the students are playing live, and a few have recorded videos ahead of time to be less stressful. I told them they had a choice. Life is stressful enough these days for those who find playing on a recital overly stressful. Hopefully the next recital…or at least the one after that, can be in person.

I’m tired of hearing violin over the internet though. I’m looking forward to seeing them all again in person, and hearing how they actually soon.

I’m tired of a lot of things…but I’m really glad to have a week off (mostly) ahead of me. I’m looking forward to catching up on a bunch of videos of this and that I need to watch, reading some more books, doing some cooking, taking some walks and hikes, and decorating a bit for Christmas. I don’t know if I’ll put up a Christmas tree this year, but I’ll definitely decorate some. I don’t know if I want to go all out with just two of us here, but I will put up some nutcrackers and a few other things to make it festive.

We got a meal box from Purple Carrot this week. It’s a vegan meal delivery service, similar to Blue Apron except the meals don’t contain any animal products. I made two of the recipes and Louie made one. I thought my two were easier to make than most of the Blue Apron meals, and especially enjoyed the one I made last night. It was Sesame Ginger Noodles with Stir-Fried Greens and Toasted Peanuts, and I forgot to take a picture. I would make it again, though I might add some tofu if I did it on my own. Louie thought the burgers he made were a little more involved, and we wished they had had a few more carrots, but they were also tasty. We decided we would order again and perhaps alternate with Blue Apron (we usually do about one box a month.)

Those are roasted carrots, and they were delicious, but there were very few of them. I’m greedy with my roasted veggies and always want a bunch.

In any case, if you like eating plant-based meals, I would recommend Purple Carrot. I don’t have any free meals to offer you right now, but I might in the future. (I do have referrals for Blue Apron and Imperfect Foods, so just leave a comment or email me if you are interested or if you have any more questions!)

I was supposed to get my hair done on Monday, but my hairdresser had to cancel due to a COVID exposure. Now I’m worried I shouldn’t have been going anyway, and should wait a few more months…I had felt it was okay since it was just her and me and we wear masks the whole time, but I am there for almost two hours if I do a cut and color and she definitely sees more people each day than I do. Or maybe I should just do one at a time, but that seems annoying because you end up wasting more time that way. This is my vanity speaking, of course, but I spend all day looking at myself on the computer! I will wait and decide what to do. Another few weeks won’t matter in the greater scheme of things, and I know that pandemic gray is a source of pride for some women.

I am debating if we are going to get to the Garden Glow this year. On the one hand, this is an event I have thought about doing every year for years and years and never made it due to work commitments. Perhaps this is the year to go! But yet, COVID. It IS mostly outdoors yet they still require masks and from what I’ve heard, people tend to follow the rules. Also they have limited tickets from usual years. But yet, still, I don’t want to get COVID and our community spread is terrible, and perhaps future years I will continue a similar schedule of mostly teaching with a few gigs here and there.

I spent a few years trying to take on as many gigs as possible, and it seems that that approach doesn’t help at all in the long term, as each gig disappears just as quickly as it appeared. Being a freelance musician has been the most stressful and thankless part of my career. I was thinking about how wonderful the people I teach are, and instead of a one thing here, one thing there, with the new person moving back getting the job I couldn’t do the one time and then suddenly all the jobs, I have a steady stream of young people (and older) wanting to learn…it’s a more consistent and less crazy-making career path. I would however, love to play chamber music with people who inspire me, or to play a Mahler Symphony again, but I’ve also been lucky enough in my life to have done those things many times.

I taught another Creative Ability Development (CAD) Class yesterday morning and had the most fun. Teaching kids to improvise and improvising myself has been my latest favorite thing (I looked forward to the class, enjoyed it throughout, and ran overtime) and I’m so glad I fell into it. My path to becoming an improviser has been (I think) unconventional and random, and I know I have a long way to go, but like a teacher I had recently said, the best way to really learn to do something is to teach it. (My class is open to anybody who can play a string instrument a little bit, so contact me for more information as well!).

I hope you have relaxing Thanksgiving Day plans. I hope you are being safe, and that you and your families are well. Oh, and check out this recording of The Winter’s Tale with me on violin ($6 to $9). It’s in the style of an Orson Welles Radio Broadcast and is really well done, and I helped create the music.