Personal Update!

Once again, I’ve been a bad blogger by failing to update you regarding all things Musicguy. It’s not that I haven’t wanted to fill you in; rather I haven’t had the time to actually sit and write a post about what’s been going on. Things are finally starting to slow down, so you get to reap the benefits!

The high school musical at the end of April was a complete success. Besides serious issues between me and the show's artistic director, the show was easily the best we’ve ever done. Our audience was much larger than previous years, the kids did a phenomenal job with a piece within their reach (unlike last year’s Kiss Me, Kate which left much to be desired), and we made some money for next year. The issue now becomes choosing a show that will continue the growth of the program, students, and the audience. This is proving to be very difficult, especially since the director totally doesn’t “get” what we have to do in order to build an audience base. Her best suggestion has been The Pajama Game which would be a total snooze for both our students and audience. This should be a fun battle of potentially epic proportions.

My Spring Choral concert was last Thursday and also went off without a hitch. My chorus managed to learn each of the selections with time to spare, which gave me time to focus on musicality more than I’ve been able to in the past. The result was a more emotional performance with actual dynamic contrast and various tone colors. They even had their heads out of their music more than usual. Now I just need to find something to do in the chorus classes for the last 17 days of school!

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My husband is also doing very well. G has started to hand craft soaps and skin care products that he plans to start selling in November. Our house is full of soaps, fragrance oils, and other materials he uses. The soaps smell very good and permeate the entire house, which is pretty cool. Our friends have all been very impressed with the moisturizers and other skin care products thus far and can't wait for the next creation. He's also been busy working on the upstairs remodel by taping and mudding the one room that's already completely drywalled. Did I mention he's just adorable??

Issues with the church job have gotten a bit easier now that the Easter season has come and gone. I need to reorganize my adult choir somehow so that I have two groups: one large with people who just “want to sing” and a smaller group of dedicated musicians (yes, singers can indeed be musicians, but they are certainly a rare breed within the ranks of church choirs!). Once our choir season officially ends (Sunday!!), I’ll send out an email soliciting feedback and suggestions from the troops. Hopefully, a viable solution will make itself visible during the summer so that we can start fresh in the fall with a clear plan of action. The only thing I’m sure of is that I can’t have another year like this one, as it’s not good for anyone, most importantly my elevated blood pressure!

Yup, the blood pressure is up once again. For those of you who don’t know, I’ve had problems with my blood pressure off and on for the last six years. At one point, I was on a water pill to keep it under control. When I started South Beach for the first time three summers ago, I also managed to lower my blood pressure. Recently, it has crept up again, averaging somewhere in the 135/85 range. I have a feeling that my more frequent indulgences in alcoholic beverages has something to do with this, so I think I’ll have to cut back just a bit. More frequent dog walks with Princeton may also help in this endeavor. Seems that we both need them- he to burn off excessive puppy energy, me to keep my head from exploding.

Speaking of Princeton, he’s doing much better a week after his trip to the vet. He just about seems to be back to his old, energetic self. Now if only I can keep him from pulling so damned much when we’re out for a walk. My shoulders are killing me from trying to keep him in check.

Other than having little expendable income and the refusal to put more than $25 of gas into my car at one time, I really have nothing negative to report. I realized that I’m very happy and content at the current time. Everything seems to be rolling along without issue, and for once, I’m not waiting for the other shoe to fall. I’m content and happy in all aspects of my life. Alright, I wish I didn’t have so much fucking credit card debt, but other than that, life is pretty good right now. With the end of the school year so close, I may even have some time to sit back and enjoy it.

Enjoy your abbreviated work week and leave me a freaking comment. It’s easy, and all the kids are doing it :-)