take five

desmond or the candy bar, your choice...

today brings number five as more pieces fall into place. Still have to score out Columbine in time for Thursday. Have to chase down the missing permission slips and figure out the pack list for the supply kit for the 8th. and assign percussion responsibilities and send in the seating chart and you get the picture.

what I must also do is not burn the kids out on the music. tough to do when there are still some issues to address but we shall overcome.

still kinda clueless on the wife's birthday but some ideas are starting to coalesce. doing my best to avoid the larry drama but what can you do. I know two things I would like to do: 1. sleep through the night in my own bed 2. stay awake past 9:00 PM.

musing: how much is too much?

puzzle pieces

always enjoyed doing puzzles when I was younger. Never realized the skill set would become important later in life. to whit, the following:

- wife's birthday: i am clueless, i know the date, i know what she deserves, i know what timeframe i have left, i don't know however what I am going to get her or when I will have the time to pick it up.

- assessment: curse you you little sniveling bastard for committing me to this early date. the kids will be fine and we should meet standards. the problem is, i wouldn't mind getting the I just to show numbnuts up.

- assessment 2: entering that danger zone where you have to protect against burning the kids out on the music. not sure what to do there.

- adult conversations: since when did these re-enter our lives? stimulating discussions of course but there is a time and a place. and there's no time or place like the present, i know i know.

off to the land of misfits and disgruntled elves who don't realize how good they have it.

warmth, weekend and what's ahead

the mild winter continues apace, today's high will be almost 70 degrees. Just imagine what that does to a school full of hormone laden tweens and teens who just had their last day off until the end of March. Now imagine what it does to their teachers. Got that visual?

the weekend holds the usual, although if the weather holds, I may take the roaming gnomes to the playground. I need to finish up Columbine, and fine tune the schedule for the 8th. and find something for my wife for her birthday. and get new concert attire pronto.

what's ahead: number 5, 4 and 3 with a special visitor at number three. almost all of the major continuity issues have been ironed out. two rescoring issues to get one performer comfortable with and then we should be good to go. and there are interims to be done. and edline to be updated and my brain to explode and, ok no larry style dramatics from me. it will be fine...twitch, twitch.

musing: peaking versus cresting versus the optimal performance. discuss amongst yourselves

in praise of six...

So yeah, six beckons this morning. If it is half as successful as seven was, I will be happy. Two periods later, I get to babysit a class because it's sixth grade assembly day. I also have to send out the extra rehearsal announcement, finish up the expansion of Columbine and score it, survive honors band and uke day two with the low autism section.

then i get to come home to the best part of my day the Roberts Ladies in all of their glory, bubbery and such. I expect the first 'dinner thoughts' text at around 11:00.

going out of my way to minimize the Larry factor today.

sumus, AEA

in loco parentis

on the job, at mel's, you get the picture.

interesting chat with the wife last night at bedtime regarding the nature of her cousin's approach to child rearing and her husband's - seemingly voluntary - detachment from their child. made me think about what i bring to the table with regard to child rearing, discipline, etc. for all of my shortcomings - and there are many - i think i am doing this dad thing pretty darn well right now, thank you very kindly. trying to balance family and work is a bit of a stretch right now but i am doing well so far...

main st. beckons with it's usual hump day madness.

excelsior!

musing: tunnel vision often leads to a head-on collision, n'est ce pas?

sevens

kind of appropriate in a weird sort of way...

the final push begins today. hoping for a very productive morning followed by a bearable afternoon. the housecleansing yesterday was good for the soul. let's see if things can continue apace for the next two weeks.

musing: if you transcribe it, will they play it?

the climb, erm, the journey, erm...

pick your metaphor, place your bets...

inside three weeks and counting. the music has been roughed in finally - two rehearsals past when it should have been but oh well. sight-reading goes well. now comes the hard part: landing this puppy without driving me, the students OR most importantly - my family nuts.

a trip home should lighten the mental load a little bit. maybe a therapeutic trip to Menchey's on Monday will seal the deal. either way, I will be in a better place on tuesday come hell or high water.

valentine's went well, i think. dinner was very nice - even though I was a bit beyond tipsy. the girls liked their stuff and didn't require sandblasting after the fondue. mandy's birthday is next. trying to wrap my head around that one as it falls the day after assessment.

musing: if iTunes has soooo much music, why can't i find something to buy?

dia d'amour

Valentine's Day.

A full day of madness to be sure. Not too much on the plate other than finishing pulling together the girls' first real valentine's day and getting a teaser for my wife, hoping Thursday comes off without a hitch.

Looking for new music to download but nothing is, pun unintentional, singing to me.

time to sit back and watch the foolishness of youth.

musing: can it be done without jeopardizing my sanity and convictions?

weekend, weak end?

yes, it's that time of year: valentine's and assessment. trying to wrap my head around valentine's day for all of my ladies and am coming up with a dearth of ideas and very little time and opportunity to get the deed done.

as to assessment, i find myself with an extremely talented and responsive group that does amazing things. there are a few stumbling blocks but there are also twenty rehearsals to finish the job. if i only knew how to - psychologically/emotionally get them there without burning them out. i refuse to come up short this time.

we have started using the nook for it's intended purpose which has been a nice change of pace. a weekend of laundry and roberts girls wranglin' is on tap. beyond that not much other than watching the second nonexistent weather event in a row take place.

it is about the journey, not the destination...isn't it?

no musing this morning, just a slightly unsettled middle aged man coming to terms with his limitations

mia culpa

no, not an oblique reference to an attention seeking once was on her way to obscurity, more an admission that I didn't take care of me and as a result I went missing on Super Bowl sunday to the extent of laying in bed all day weaker than hadrian's hounds after a full day of noshing. run on sentence much? anywho...

work continues apace. the new methodical approach is working wonders on my work backlog. the library reorganization looms large in the near future and assessment is still on track to be at least a meets standards kind of year.

my fabulous wife did the single parent thing on sunday as i was a quivering lump and got more done in less than a day than i would have in two full days. the woman is nothing short of amazing.

satori has indeed been reached and others are starting to notice the change. now if i can just keep things in perspective.

to my incredible 8th grade band: thanks for dealing with grendel yesterday morning, you shouldn't have had to.

to my beautiful daughters: keep developing and growing an experiencing at the phenomenal rate you are currently. Your daddy loves you more than you know.

to my wife: what can I say? you are the rock that holds this house of hoberts together, i am truly honored and humbled to be your husband.

musing: sweet dreams turn to nightmares when reality rears it's ugly head. so do nightmares turn to sweet dreams when reality vanishes?

main st., possibly snow, la vie continue...

ragnarok

or something pretty flippin' close to it.

Jazz Night was amazing. The kids stepped it up and really impressed the audience and the high school director. The day after was amazing as the ensembles had a great day, moving closer to finishing the teaching of the assessment pieces. hershey trip is a go.

and the first haircut is looming for my daughters. that unnerves me most of all. not sure why. they aren't babies anymore but inside my mind they are still the two delicate little flowers that we brought home under three years ago. guess i just have to deal with it and accept it.

the weekend holds not much beyond being dad and cleaning up around the house.

musing: satori is a scary and powerful thing.

machine/powerhouse

i used to care. i guess i still do to some extent, but lately work has become something that i have to do, not necessarily want to do/be there for. i go in, punch the clock and for the next seven hours or thereabouts, i am a monomissioned drone who is focused on one thing and one thing only: getting out of dodge as soon as possible.

don't get me wrong, i love my career/profession. it's just that, there has to be more. doesn't there? it always seemed in the past like there was more to it than that.

who knows? not me, for now at least.

Jazz Night tonight. kids are psyched for it. their director is seizing his aspect one more time and doing what needs to be done.

sumus.

cue up the soundtrack....