This is the Title of an Uncreative Violinist.:)

Yesterday, my students' performances went well, and I really enjoyed accompanying them all on the piano (minus the student who played the Allemande from Partita No. 2 by Bach).  They're all still pretty young, so I'm very excited about where they're headed and all the repertoire we'll be learning along the way. Other than that, a pretty mundane weekend:  after the recital, I went home and then headed out again for lunch at Northstar Cafe with the hubby.  He really liked what he got, although we both thought it was really overpriced, and I wasn't able to order what I normally get because I forgot that on Saturdays, they serve breakfast items and leave other stuff off the menu until a certain time.  Balls.  So I got a turkey and sweet potato hash, which was alright, but I got pretty sick of the sweet potatoes after awhile.  Hubby wasn't very impressed with that place, and after our visit (my fourth time) I liked it less.  Their gimmick is that everythi...

I'm a little late on the bandwagon for this one, but I picked up "Eat, Pray, Love" from the library yesterday and am currently reading about the author's adventures to the three 'I's':  Italy, India and Indonesia.  If I were single, heartbroken and lonely, this would be the perfect pick-me-up book to read.  But I'm still enjoying it, nevertheless. Today, I met my husband and a coworker for lunch; we all tried a new place together called Mr. Sushi, and it was alright.  I wasn't unhappy with my meal, but I much prefer Chinese and Thai over Japanese cuisine.  I'm not sure what it is, but I'm not very inclined to Japanese flavors (or lack of?).  Afterwards, we crossed the street to Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams (I say this is one of the crown jewels of Columbus, OH.) where I got a small dish with half a scoop of the coffee ice cream, and another scoop of their goat cheese with cognac figs ice cream.  Jeni's has very unique flavors and th...

With the smorgasbord of electronic reading devices out there--not to mention the one that started it, the Kindle--it's been easy to forget about the physical book.  I received a Kindle myself two Christmases ago, and while I was initially very excited about it, I found it a little deflating that I had to buy most books that I was interested in reading at an alarmingly high price.  Yes, there are a good number of e-books available for free, but most of them are classic titles that I've already read (from high school AP English, thanks). I will still sing the praises of the Kindle, because it's very convenient for traveling, for storing multiple books at once in a device so slim, I can slip it into my purse or violin case and take it out on the occasion a student cancels or I'm waiting in the doctor's office. But I also see the point of some who say they just like the feel of a book in their hands.  The smell of the pages, the ability to mark passages, to flip th...

Some time ago, I was in a Starbucks store where I used to be a former employee, and was approached by a regular customer who wanted to see how I was doing.  We chatted about what exactly I do and how the teaching was going, and I made some remark about how I couldn't really complain about anything since I had a good number of students in my studio.  This person said, "Well, no matter what number of students you have, I can't imagine one can exactly be a millionaire doing what you do".  At first, I wasn't sure how to respond, because I couldn't tell if he was trying to be empathetic in these strange economic times, or if he was degrading my profession; I think I said something like, "well, no, but things are fine.  I'm fine." I shared this encounter with my husband and I wish I had had the same response he immediately had:  "So? Do I need to be a millionaire to be happy and fulfilled?" This person made me feel a little worthless afte...

Last night, I read an article about a schoolteacher who had been suspended recently because some students (or their parents) dug up her blog and reported her for being "unprofessional" in scant posts that vaguely alluded to her students and teaching.  This was her personal blog that she maintained outside work hours, she kept it pretty private (mostly friends read it), and she never used students' names.  Most of the time, she just wrote about everyday regular life.  After being suspended, she was unapologetic about her blog and what she wrote throughout the year.  I find myself inching towards her side because, obviously, I have this blog, and from time to time--although I try very hard not to-- I occasionally vent about my occupation or frustrations about what's going on with the world today.  I, like her, find writing therapeutic; I may not be the best, most prolific or profound writer in the world, but I still enjoy it, regardless of whether one person or a ...

I've been thinking lately about quality versus quantity and how recognizing the difference can be applied to so many things in our lives.  Initially, I started thinking about it again when a parent voiced a concern over how she didn't think her son was practicing enough compared to other kids his age.  This student of mine entered his first competition this past weekend, but didn't win, and he also recently performed badly for his seating auditions in the youth orchestra he's in.  His mother emailed me and said that she'd never want to be the kind of mother that forced him to "practice an hour a day", but that she didn't think 25 min. was cutting it anymore.  Sheesh!  That was the first time I was aware (that they openly admitted) he was practicing so little.  This whole time, I thought they'd been practicing an hour a night, especially with his first competition coming up. And then I thought, is it really only just about the time?  On the one ha...

Just a tiny post about a giveaway Ginger Girl   is having for a  gorgeous Shabby Apple dress: Make sure you visit and enter this awesome giveaway!

Well, I thought 2010 was a fast year, but 2011 is proving to be even faster-- I can't believe it's practically the middle of February already! I'm pumped for this weekend because my Dad is visiting and I consider it a special visit as he officially retired earlier this week.  I'm so incredibly happy and excited for him because he's been yearning to retire my whole life.  He's actually still pretty young compared to the average retiree, but he's worked hard for most of his life and I really think he deserves this.  On his last day of work, I called him and the joy in his voice was contagious; he couldn't believe that from here on out, he didn't have to go to work anymore.  The idea of waking up in the morning and doing whatever you please on that particular day thrills him.  Makes me look forward to retirement, too:P Anyways, I'm sure my dad will have plenty to do, as he's always working on some project (he's a mechanical engineer, so h...

I set out to write a much longer post in the form of a short story, but I'll have to finish it when I have more time.  Right now, I'm just trying to get as much done with what's left of the weekend.  Our electricity went out and was out for several hours, so that resulted  in my waking up late this morning.  We still had some time to make it to the Easton shopping centre, where I found a cute denim jacket at Anthropologie.   Afterwards, we grabbed some burgers from Five Guys and now we're back home where I'm prepping to make a chicken pot pie. Yesterday, I accompanied a flautist for her solo/ensemble performance at a high school, and walking through the halls seeing all the nervous high schoolers standing around waiting for their turns, I remembered what it was like doing auditions, competitions and recitals when I was their age;  I almost made the mistake of telling myself that I was so glad that phase of my life was over--but then I had to remind m...

1) Cooking good, healthy meals 2) Exploring new foods 3) Listening to beautiful music 4) Playing chamber or orchestral music 5) Accompanying other instrumentalists/vocalists 6) Playing piano alone, all day 7) Running in the spring, summer and fall while listening to my fav. music 8) Having a good laugh with friends 9) Having friends over and cooking for them 10) A spotless house 11) Waking up to warm puppies 12) The smell of a warm puppy's paws (it varies b/t smelling like cedar chips and popcorn) 13) The occasional, indulgent afternoon nap 14) Having alone time with nowhere to be and nothing to do. 15) Shopping and having everything you try on look good (doesn't happen very often!) 16) Taking road trips 17) Spending time with my family 18) Receiving warm notes or cards in the mail 19) The color purple 20) Curling up with a latte and a good book.

Yesterday, I left the studio early because there were reports that the weather would be getting worse.  I kind of now wish I had made the decision to cancel all the lessons so then I wouldn't have fallen down my front steps in the first place!  I only taught two students, and the rest either canceled first or just double checked with me and I decided I was going home early. In the end, the highways and roads were perfectly fine....it's just the areas where I had to walk on that were a bit of a pain.  I checked the weather and cancellations again today, and it doesn't seem that dire, so I'm going to still head out.  Besides that, I have to anyways because of a rehearsal I have for the Poulenc. Still waiting on my new strings.  I'm getting so antsy, because I need to be practicing and I don't have a whole lot of time left.  But I'm not going to panic or stress about anything.  I just need to do what I have to do and do it one day at a time.  ...