Thursday, December 28, 2006

Christmas in review

We just got back from St. Louis. We spent Christmas with Nathan’s family this year. Before we went to St. Louis, I went to a band conference in downtown Chicago. I usually dread going to those things. It always seems like the people I spent four years trying to avoid at U of I are the ones I run into and the conference only has one or two lectures I really like. That was not the case this year. Every lecture I went to was great and I learned a lot. Also I got to spend some quality time with two of my favorite professors from U of I. I am so glad I went.

On Friday after the conference Nathan and I met some friends for dinner which was great fun. After dinner Nathan and I exchanged gifts. I got Nathan some dress shoes, a shirt, and Family Guy on DVD. (He is watching them as I type.) Nathan got me a pair of white gold hoop earrings and a digital picture frame. Then we headed south early Saturday morning.

St. Louis was good. We got a chance to see both sides of his extended family as well as his good buddy Andy. It was fun to run around after his little niece Anna. I had a great heart to heart with Matt, Nathan’s brother. I like Matt a lot but I have never had a serious talk with him, so I am glad we got a chance to do that. Other than that it was just your standard family fun. I will attach a couple of pictures, enjoy.





Saturday, December 23, 2006

Friday, December 15, 2006

Shopping for the Holidays

So yesterday I was determined to finish off all my Christmas shopping. I did a fair amount early online. I was feeling confident that I was well on the way to getting everyone something they wanted on my list. Then that ship kinda sailed.

I pulled Nathan’s cousin Mike for the family gift exchange. Mike is a great guy, however, he is very hard to shop for. I know that could be said about most guys, but I think it is extra true for Mike. I asked his sister for hints and after that did not work out I found myself in Borders. I was standing in the bookstore like a deer in headlights. After I accepted I was probably not going to pick the perfect book, I decided to go for the laugh. At first I grabbed a coffee table book about Tu-Pac, but that was a fair amount over the budget. Next I grabbed an orange fuzzy book about gay Muppets, but then I chickened about. Finally, I settled on a book called “Superstud.” It was written by the creator of the TV show “Freaks and Geeks.” I was smiling reading the back cover, so I hope Mike likes the book or at least gets the joke. I continued my Borders experience by finding they did not have the Civil War book I was going to get my Dad. I just asked a person browsing in that section to recommend one for me. I hope that the lady knew what she was talking about. I ended my shopping trip by buying myself two sweaters. They were not on my gift list, but aren’t those the best gifts, the ones you stumble on for yourself? Anyways, I am now done with shopping for Christmas… I think…I hope…

Sunday, December 10, 2006

Wednesday, December 06, 2006

Fighting

I am fighting off a cold. A pretty nasty flu bug is going around my school. I can not get sick before my concert on Tuesday (all are invited by the way.) So I am taking Zicam, vitamin C and Zinc to try and stay healthy. If you could keep your toes crossed for me that could not hurt.

Saturday, December 02, 2006

nephew part 2

So I gave my nephew the stupid cards he said he wanted just last weekend at Thanksgiving. Let me paint the picture at Thanksgiving. I am sitting across from him at the dinner table. Jen: "Michael, what do you want for you birthday?" Michael: "I like Yu Giou Cards and Pokemon Cards." Jen: "Which one do you like better?" Michael: "Yu Giou." Jen: "Any specific type of Yu Giou Cards?" Michael: "No, I like them all." Flash forward to this evening. Micheal opens this present and his smile immediately goes away. Jen: "Michael isn't this what you asked for?" Michael: "Sort of." Jen: "What?!?! You said Yo Giou cards any kind." Michael: "Oh."

Cindy I know you said you hate when people give cash and to be honest I do too. It takes no thought and that is why I dislike it. However, I might have to resort to giving this kid cash, otherwise I might strangle him. Nathan almost had to hold me back this evening. I was so close to blowing my top. I bought the kid exactly what he wanted. Maybe he just gets some kind of sick pleasure out of not liking gifts from me.

nephew

My nephew’s birthday was yesterday and we are going to go see him this weekend. I always dread giving him presents. Not because I am a miser or anything. He just never seems to like what I get him. I got him a really neat present last year for Christmas (well I thought it was neat). He was going through a dinosaur phase and he had recently told me he wanted to be an archaeologist. So I bought him this dinosaur replica encased in stone that you had to chisel out and then assemble the pieces. Did this not meet the two criteria of his life ambition and his favorite toy? Well he looked at me like I just gave him coal. Then he tossed the thing over his shoulder and I never saw the thing again. This year for his birthday I got him Yo Guio cards. I have no idea what these things are or even how to spell the damn thing, but he said he wanted them. I gave up trying to figure out what he would want. My nieces are so much easier. I always hit a home run and I never have to ask them what they are into. Maybe it is the whole girl buying for a girl thing. All I know is I just spent a lot of money on little things that look like baseball cards and he better not just toss them over his shoulder.

Tuesday, November 28, 2006

Complaints and Confessions

Nathan and I bought a living room set when we bought our house. When we made our purchase we bought the deluxe stain guard protection. The fabric was supposed to be completely covered for five years. Since then the furniture store went out of business. I used a generic Febreeze type spray to freshen the fabric but it stained our couch! Actually I think it bleached it instead of staining it. I am so mad I could spit. Of course the company that bought out the furniture store we got our stuff from said too bad so sad. So beware of fabric fresheners they can really mess up your couch.

So now for the confession... Nathan and I have been "borrowing" internet access from our neighbors for a while now. Recently the signal has been very weak. So after a couple of weeks of almost no internet access we are getting our own. It will be such a luxury to get on line when ever I want. I guess I will have to blog more.

Friday, November 24, 2006

Thanksgiving

Thanksgiving went off without a hitch. I was hosted my family this year. We did not make a whole turkey for three reasons: 1) there were only eight of us; 2) nobody really loves turkey in my family; and 3) I was afraid of cooking a whole bird. I do not like to cook anything for the first time for people. On the other hand when would I cook a whole turkey for just Nathan and me? So we marinated and barbequed several turkey breasts. I thought they turned out terrific, no dry flavorless turkey this year. One quick question though. Someone spilled red wine on my table cloth. Does anyone know a trick to get that out?

Today I went to a spin class to try and burn off a little bit of yesterday’s meal. I really like spin classes. I am exhausted afterwards but in a good way. Later in the day I did not want to join the huddled masses in the stores, but I got bored. I decided to wander over to Target. To my surprise Target was over staffed and very organized. I was able to cross my aunt and nephew off my Christmas list. I think I might try and do some online shopping this year as well in an effort to minimize my exposure to impulse shopping.

One last note, I did write a Christmas letter this year.

Friday, November 17, 2006

Should I do a Christmas letter?

Should I do a Christmas letter? I have asked myself this question for the last few years. In a way it would be like a blog about my year. I like the idea of keeping those I care enough about to send a Christmas card to informed about my life. I always read the Christmas letters I receive.

On the other hand I hate how some letters come across so braggadocios. I mean life is not all gum drops and pay raises. If I compose one, I want it to be real. Do people want “real” around the Holiday? How long is too long? Right now I am thinking one page double spaced. Just enough to give the big highlights and a few antidotes, right? Having never composed one of these little beauties, I have no idea.

Other than that I had a hard week. Nathan was gone on business, Except for today, I felt very ineffective this week as a teacher. My kids will not play with good tempo and I spent all week pulling teeth on this issue. Today I held an American Idol-like contest concerning tempo. The winning section receives a fabulous edible prize on Monday once the votes are tabulated. I had all the sections play and everyone voted on who kept the best time. The two rules were you could not vote for your own section and if I called on a student for talking during the contest, their section was disqualified. The kids really worked hard on playing with good time and keeping quiet. Although this was a nice break from the normal rehearsal, I need to get them to stay quiet and focused on tempo without playing games.

Friday, November 10, 2006

Can't sleep

So it is 12:30 on a Friday night and I can not sleep. I ate a greasy dinner and it is not agreeing with me… that will teach me to not eat healthy. I should be sleeping I need to be up early. I have an IMEA jazz festival to go to tomorrow (today). After that my fall from hell will be over! Next weekend I am free as a bird. My plan at the moment is to sit on the couch and do nothing all weekend long. I might have to modify those plans slightly since I am hosting Turkey Day this year. However I am certainly looking forward to my free weekend.

I just finished parent teacher conferences and everything went smoothly. I had rehearsals with my bands for four hours the first day of p/t conferences and we got a lot of wood shedding done on our music. As the band director I only had two parents request my presence at their student’s conference. However I go to all of them….well most I usually just catch in the hallway and give a quick up date too. My students rarely have significant issues maybe they forgot to turn in a practice chart or two and that is about it.

Nathan and I saw a great movie this evening, Stranger than Fiction. I really like Will Farrell. He did a nice job although it was a bit of a departure from the goofy guys he usually plays. He just has a real likability to him, the kind of guy you would want as a neighbor. Anyways I would recommend the movie. Now I am going to go lie down and pretend to be sleepy.

Tuesday, November 07, 2006

Did you vote?

I did! I did have mixed feeling about the race for Governor. I am tired of the adage “the lesser of two evils.” I want a person who can do the job, not the least amount of damage. Although I understand why some people would react by not voting, I believe that to be the wrong choice. If nothing else, vote for the Green party. Then you are actually sending a message. Not voting is not sending a message. It is letting other people decide for you. It scares me what a small percentage of people actually decide who runs our government. Mr. Rodey would be so proud of me right now.

Sunday, November 05, 2006

Freedom

Freedom!! (In more ways than one) The big IMEA festival I was helping organize is done. That is a gigantic weight lifted off my shoulders. It’s not like I spent every waking moment doing things for this festival, but I will have some more free time now. I am glad I did my part to help the cause and now I am glad my tour of duty is over.

My student teacher is no longer with me, which is also a bit of a relief. There are many factors which contributed to this, none of which are appropriate to air on the internet. I wish things could have worked out, but I think in the long run things will be better for everyone. However, this turn of events will give me back my plan times for myself rather than coaching some one else. I am looking forward to that.

This week is my Mom’s birthday. I gave her and my dad a trip to Door County WI for a week as a present. I thought that was a really thoughtful gift. However, they decided at the last minute not to go and it was already too late for a refund. Let’s just say that will be the last time I send them on a vacation. I might have tried to use the reservation myself for at least a few days if I had not been so busy with work

Monday, October 30, 2006

Where did Jen go?

It is been so long since I posted. Sorry for the delay. I think if you have a blog, you should try and give a quick post at least once a week (I am not trying to guilt you Tony…well maybe a little.) In my defense I truly have been in over my head lately, so I am here and a lot has happened. Let’s start on a positive note shall we:

1) Nathan bought me flowers for no reason! He is so sweet, I love him.

2) In the last six weekends we have been to St. Louis four times. (high school reunion, two family weddings and this past weekend a funeral)

3) I just finished up a course for grad school which involved a semi-in-depth project and a five page paper about nothing.

4) My student teacher is taking more time and energy than I thought he would before the school year started.

5) Lastly, I am busy with IMEA stuff.

All the above things have just added up to the feeling I am overwhelmed. However, I am beginning to see the light at the end of the tunnel. We came home late Saturday night and Sunday I was a giant bum and I think that is just what I needed. I am really looking forward to this semester coming to an end. Then I will be done with IMEA stuff and my student teacher will have moved on. Then at the end of this school year I will be done with grad school!!! So for now I am telling myself, “just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” That is a cute movie.

Sunday, October 15, 2006

Work Stuff Mostly

I have been so busy with work lately. This past Thursday I took my 75 member band down to the University of Illinois. The choir and orchestra from my school also went so we had quite the caravan going down I-57. Anyway, I had two parents on each of my busses. I was going to be on one and then my student teacher on the other. However, when we pulled away from the school at 7:30 AM, my student teacher was nowhere to be found (That is a story in itself). I was afraid this was going to be an omen for how the day was going to go, but luckily it was not. My kids were fantastic. Their behavior was awesome and was only exceeded by their playing. I really feel like we got so much out of our visit, from the Sousa Museum, to working with Ken, to the kids listening to Symph. I rehearse. I do not think we could have asked for anything more.

This past Saturday was IMEA auditions. I am the band chair for my IMEA district this year. That means that I make tons of copies and the day of auditions I run around like a chicken with my head cut off for 13 hours entering scores and putting the IMEA band together along with a handful of other nuts like myself. I have to say I am so glad that day is over and that I only have a handful of responsibilities left as band chair for IMEA.

Today was my niece Ariana’s Birthday party. She is such a cutie. I have a picture of her below.




Wednesday, October 11, 2006

U of I and Gilmore Girls

I am taking my band to U of I tomorrow. I did this a few years ago and it was a lot of fun. I am really looking forward to this, my kids play well this year and I think Ken will be able to do a lot with them.

Other than that I have been pondering how I feel about the TV show Gilmore Girls. I have been a faithful follower of the show from its start, however I currently have issues. I am tired of them ripping Luke and Loralie (sp?) apart. They need to pick a course of action and stick with it. I know this is a tried and true TV formula. In my opinion you only get to go back and forth so many times before you lose your audience. I think the show has hit the limit. They are currently reintroducing Christopher as her love interest and I would be fine with that, but let’s stick with this plan Gilmore Girls.

Saturday, October 07, 2006

Showcase Concert

This year is the first year that every child in my band program has only known me as the head band director. I have been looking forward to this for a while for two reasons. First, all my students know the way I teach, my quick pacing, how to read when I am angry, and the kind of quiz grader I am. Since the students are so familiar with me, it just makes everything run that much more efficiently. The second reason is that my current 8th grade class has always been very strong. We were very excited about them as 5th graders because the group was just so natural and large.

However, this year did not begin with the focused musical achievement I was expecting. I was worried about our concert last Thursday night. The kids, however, morphed into the outstanding young musicians I knew them to be. Last Thursday was really one of the strongest concerts we have ever given. A few of the kids said, “I have never seen you smile so much while conducting.” We played a wonderful arrangement of Children’s March, Country Wildflowers, and Fanfare and Flourishes 2. I hate it when a band just barely gets through a piece and then they are too ignorant to know they didn’t make any music. I was so afraid we were just going to get through the music. That could not have been further from the truth. My kids were so sensitive to the style of Children’s March, the phrasing of Country Wildflowers, and the dynamic changes in all three of the tunes that I was blown away. Now how do I get my kids to be as focused as they were at our concert all the time? This truly is my mission, although I do understand I am a little crazy for thinking I can achieve this.

Wednesday, October 04, 2006

Nothing new

Not tons new here to report, just real busy like everyone else. So, I though I would plug a new product I am now enjoying: Downey wrinkle releaser. It works pretty well. I always overstuff my drawers and then my shirts get wrinkled. I never have time to iron in the morning, nor do I think ahead the night before. So many of my shirts just sat in a wrinkled ball in my drawer but since using the wrinkle releaser I have access to a much larger wardrobe.

Saturday, September 30, 2006

General Music

So, I have spent the better part of my afternoon grading general music papers. This paper is by far my least favorite part of teaching general music. (We are actually revamping our general music curriculum this year and it looks like this paper is getting the boot. Thank goodness.) The reason I hate grading these papers is all the plagiarism. After grading ten papers two kids totally copied their papers and another two copied enough that they are losing serious points.

I go over what plagiarism is and the punishment for doing it. I teach them how to make note cards about their topic; I collect 15 note cards before the paper is due. I make them write it in first person. Still every specials rotation I have at least one kid think they will get away with it. Most are smart enough to change the He to I, to try and make it look like they wrote it. But when I read stuff like “In the mid 1920’s I began to formulate a concept I called Elementare Muzik, or elementary music, which was based on the ancient Greek Muses and involve tone, dance, poetry, image….” lets just say I smell a rat. If any students read this blog, do not plagiarize! You will get caught and then you have to do the paper again for next to no credit and your parents have to get involved.

Thursday, September 28, 2006

Reminder


Let these pooches serve as a reminder to start thinking about your Halloween Costume! I personally have a great idea but, I am still working out the logistics.


Monday, September 25, 2006

Pet Peeve

As I was driving to work someone felt the need to turn out in front of me forcing me to slam on my breaks even though there was no one behind me on the road. This pisses me off, but then what really gets me going is they proceed to go 5 miles an hour under the speed limit!!!!! Ahhh, so you were in a big enough rush to cut me off and force me to slam on the breaks, but not enough to do the speed limit? I knew I should have stayed in bed today. It did not get a lot better at school either. We had a bad rehearsal and let’s just leave it at that.

Wednesday, September 20, 2006

Instant oatmeal

I have never been a fan of instant oatmeal. The texture has always been a bit too slimy for my taste. Texture is a big thing to me when it comes to food. Anyway, in the pursuit of healthier living I bought a new kind of instant oatmeal that Quaker came out with. To my surprise it was awesome and it didn’t have a slimy texture. I took some to work today, because I was too lazy to make a sandwich this morning. However to my utter dismay my oatmeal was slimy. How could this be? Well I microwaved it rather than boiling the water in my tea kettle. Apparently that is the key to good instant oatmeal; boil the water, do not microwave it.

In other news, student council elections were announced at my school and the band has taken over. One of my trumpet players is president and one of my percussionists is treasurer…the school might be in some real trouble! We also got our school pictures today. If anyone would like a wallet size of your favorite junior high band director, just let me know. The picture is not half bad for a school picture.

Sunday, September 17, 2006

Weekend Update

After a week of battling illness and a grad school project, Nathan and I headed to St. Louis for his cousin Mellissa’s wedding. She looked wonderful and the wedding went off without a hitch.

I have been to more than my fair share of wedding these past few years. I guess it is just that time in our lives. After going to so many I have a little advice for the maid of honor and best man. Keep your toast funny and short, with an emphasis on short. Mellissa’s sister Kristin’s toast was a great example. She brought up a few funny memories that everyone could laugh at even if you were not there, expressed her heart felt love and congratulations to the couple, and then wrapped it all up. I have been to a few weddings were the toast goes on and on, they bring up inside jokes that no one else gets, and they make the toast about themselves not the couple. I get really aggravated when these things occur. Am I alone in this?

It was a fun evening and a great chance to get caught up with a lot of the extended family. I had a good chat with Nathan’s cousin Mike. We have always gotten along well in the big group gatherings, but it was nice to get to talk with him one on one. He is a good guy and single ladies if anyone is looking. I am sure he would be mortified if he new I just wrote that on my blog. I also got to get in a lot of hugs with my little niece Anna. She is a cutie with a very sweet disposition. So that is my weekend update.

Tuesday, September 12, 2006

Birthday

So, how did I spend my birthday? Well my birthday is always a mixed bag for starters it is September 11th. Apparently Channel 9 did a story about 9/11 babies, but I missed it. Also I am usually sick on my birthday. It is a few weeks after school starts and just enough time to be surrounded by sick kids bombarding my immune system. My birthday also falls just after band recruitment which requires me to help tons of fifth graders play instrument… and germs are unavoidable. I thought I was going to be in the clear this year though, the day before my birthday came and I was felling pretty good. I even celebrated with friends. But by that evening I could feel my body getting sick.

The morning of my birthday brought a myriad of systems. Putting aside my failing immune system the day had some highlights. I received lots of cards, e mails and calls from family and friends. When I arrived at school a group of my girls were decorating my door. I have wonderful kids and I am sometimes surprised at how much they me to me and I guess I to them. One of my kids bought me the most thoughtful gift a book call “It’s Not Easy Being Green.” She included such a heart felt letter that I began to cry and had to pull myself together before first hour. I ended the day by going out to dinner with Nathan. I bought the hottest thing on the menu in an effort to clean out my sinuses. It did not work as well as I hoped. I went to bed early in an attempt to kick this bug, but alas the bug has kicked me and I am home sick today.

Saturday, September 09, 2006

School stuff

Recruitment is finally over! It looks like we have just over 40% of the 5th grade class in band, so we are pretty happy with our numbers. Our instrumentation looks fairly decent too. We do have a few too many trumpets and we could use a couple more percussionists. Normally band programs are trying to drive them away from the drums ,but we have a two year piano requirement in order to play percussion. This guarantees we get kids that will be able to play the mallet instruments and helps keep our numbers on percussion from sky rocketing.

I unfortunately have nothing to report from the home front because this week was all about recruitment and my Symphonic Band Auditions. Auditions went well and there were not too many surprises. I do have three kids who are mad at me. One of whom asked “Do you hate me? Why is so and so a higher chair than me, I sat in front of them last year. Well I did not practice for the audition anyway.” I am sure the kid earned the chair placement they did because I hate them rather than the fact they did not practice

Monday, September 04, 2006

Swing dancing with friends

We had a great time last night at the Willowbrook Ballroom. However their was not so much swing dancing as chit chatting going on in our group of friends. None the less, I had a great time. I wish we were all able to get together more often…I think we should all plan to move to the same town! Who is with me? Anyways last night was great fun and Rach got me a Kermit the Frog card for my birthday!

Wednesday, August 30, 2006

This ones for you kid

I was just wondering if anyone checked my blog and I convinced myself that no one does since I rarely get comments. Then I don’t post for a few days and I get blog guilt from Cindy…so here it goes

I am back in the classroom again. I have 73 kids in my top group this year and instrumentation is looking pretty good. I did have a tuba player move away over the summer which hurt. I would almost rather lose a toe than a tuba player. I was going to have three girl tuba players this year. We were going to have t-shirts made to commemorate such a historic event. I still have two tuba girls, but it just does not seem the same. I do have five horns this year which makes me want to do cart wheels! As always, my saxophone section is looking to be the most colorful of the group.

Why does it always seem like the saxophone kids are the colorful ones? My fellow band director at school Kim swears she is going to do her masters thesis on developing a personality test to determine what you should play. No more trying instruments out. Instead we will ask a series of preference questions to determine what you should play. I wonder what some of those questions should be? Anyway I should go and rest up. We start beginning band recruitment tomorrow and since we do not have the personality test yet, we will just have to do it the old fashioned way.

Sunday, August 27, 2006

R.I.P.

I ran over a raccoon the other day. Let’s please have a moment of silence for the fallen woodland creature. (Silence) It was an accident. He or she was crossing the road and well into the next lane when the little bugger dashed backwards in front of my car. He or she might have been suicidal, I am not sure. Regardless the sound was not pleasant for me, so I can not imagine what it was like for him. So farewell raccoon, I hope you are in a better place. (I bet when you read the title of this post you thought it was going to be about school starting.)

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

BB King is just that...King!

Nathan and I went and saw BB King this past weekend at Ravina. He is amazing! I truly hope to be like him when I am 80 years old. This man played for two hours straight that is longer than most guys half his age. He was also very engaging with the audience and had a wonderful sense of humor. He joked about all the not so funny things that happen as you get old and his inability to hit on women. I hope I have such a wonderful sense of humor about ageing when I get older.

If you do not know that much about the blues BB King is a wonderful place to start. He really has made some of the quintessential blues songs his own. This past weekend he made us wait for it but he played “The Thrill is Gone.” This is probably his best known song but he put a different spin on his live version it was much more up tempo than the classic recording of his.

As a musician and a resident of Chicago I feel obligated to tell you the blues is for everyone. The blues is not depressing or pity party music. The blues acknowledges the hard times but takes more of a life gave you lemons make lemonade type attitude. I am always in a good mood after listening to my blues play list on my ipod. Go ahead and down load some BB King!

Saturday, August 19, 2006

sneezing

I have a small medical mystery. For as long as I can remember I have had this tail… just kidding. Actually my mystery is not quite that interesting. I never sneeze just once. Lately I have started keeping track and I usually sneeze four times but not always. I do remember only sneezing once in high school, I think my friends Tony was a witness. But after my single sneeze it felt like I had to sneeze again and my nose and throat felt funny for a while afterwards. Does this happen to anyone else? Anyone have a theory on why I always sneeze multiple times? It really is a bit ridiculous anyone who knows me never says “bless you” after the first one because they know more is on the ways.

Sunday, August 13, 2006

A book review plus some

I just finished a wonderful book called “The Secret Life of Bees.” I thought the story was thoughtful and very insightful into the issues of race relations, mother-daughter relationships, and survival of the human spirit.

The story is set during the beginning of the civil rights movement and it is told from the point of view of a 14 year old girl. I love the way the author addressed the issue of racism, both the kind that is blatant and also the kind people have without even realizing it, in a very honest manner without being preachy. I believe this idea is secondary to the story line of the main character Lily struggling with the loss of her mother at a young age and feeling like she had no love relationship with an adult, or anyone for that matter. I will not give any of the story away, but I do recommend that you read this book.

I have never been a trashy romance novel kind of girl, although I do enjoy a thriller from time to time. I am mainly drawn to stories told from the female perspective that incorporate real issues. For example, my favorite book to date is “The Poisonwood Bible.” This book tackles issues such as the sometimes unwanted spread of Christianity to certain parts of the world, racism, and survival. The story is told through the point of view of all four of a missionary preacher’s daughters.

Please do not take my thoughts on literature as me saying men are incapable of thoughtful commentary on tough issues or they are not aware of the world around them. I think I love female driven stories written by women because I am one and I find it easier to relate too. Although I will admit I have more than once found myself angry at female characters in stories written by men. For example, almost every female penned by Shakespeare is weak in some way whether it is Ophelia losing her mind or Hamlet’s mother marrying her husband’s brother after his untimely death. Yes, you can argue that it was the time that those plays were written and females are not portrayed like that anymore, but I still see it as a problem. Just look at Memoirs of a Geisha by Golden. Although this book is very well written and the main character does display moments of great strength, in the end her whole life has been about being with one man.

I guess I have just done so much reading about women who need to be saved or shown the way by the men in their life that I need a break. Wow, I really meant this just to be a book review not a rant. I am always open to reading suggestions, no matter who the author.

Thursday, August 10, 2006

Ode to bread

I am a total carbohydrate addict, and sandwiches are one of my favorite things to eat. However in the interest of healthy living recently I have started making wraps instead of sandwiches. Wraps are ok but I do miss the bread. Until now however I could not find a bread that was low cal, high in fiber, and tasted good. Drum roll please………..Healthy Life Rye Bread meets all three criteria! It is only 80 calories for two slices, yes that it is right two slices not one, 7 grams of fiber (hmmmm fiber) and it really does taste like rye bread not cardboard.

In the interest of full discloser this bread does have a lighter texture than normal rye bread and no it is not as good as my favorite full loaded sourdough. But Healthy Life Rye is a tasty everyday bread. They also have a wheat bread version, but I have not sampled it as of yet and can’t comment.

Now I must go eat a sandwich and maybe take a nap!

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

Tall Ships

This past weekend my husband, a few friends and I went to see the tall ships at Navy Pier. It was nice but not worth the $12 to board the ships. If I had to do it again, I would go and just walk around and not pay the $12. Maybe if you knew something about sailing or were a huge history buff you could justify the cost. Otherwise kids take my advice and just enjoy walk along the river/lake front and save your money.

Another attraction that is not worth the extra money is the Hover Dam Engine Room. Earlier this year we went to Las Vegas and took a day trip to the Hoover Dam. The trip itself was fun and worth the time and expense. However once you get there they charge $11 to see the engine room and you have to wait in line for a half an hour or so. I did not think that little extra was worth the time or expense.

Saturday, August 05, 2006

Grrrr Irish!

I am angry with my heritage! As most of you know my heritage is as follow: 75% German, 25% Irish. And I have found over the years that I look and tend to act in more of a German manner. I am a fairly serious person with a strong work ethic (very German.) The couple of times I have been to Germany, I looked like everyone else there. My maiden name means something about running in German. Do not even get me started about how German my married name is. Now for the most part, people of German decent tan fairly well, my husband being exhibit A.

Unfortunately my ability to tan is not traced back to my German roots, it is directly tied to my Irish heritage. In other words I burn badly with only limited exposure to the sun. Every so often I forget how Irish my skin tone really is and yesterday was one of those days. I spent the afternoon outside. Although I did spend a fair amount of time in the shade and put sun block on before I left the house, it was no use. I literally match my pink pajamas right now. Why is that the one Irish trait I get? Why could I not be good at writing poetry or enjoy whisky? These Irish traits I do not have, but being pasty is the one I get.

I am ok with the fact that I will never be really tan. In fact, I do not go out in the sun a lot. I don’t want my skin to be the texture of shoe leather when I enter my 40s or worse yet have to deal with skin cancer. I wish I could however be able to spend a day outside every so often without looking like a lobster the next day.

Wednesday, August 02, 2006

The Closer

I feel obliged to give five stars to TNT’s police drama The Closer. I am a huge Law and Order fan; I do not discriminate between the original, svu or criminal intent. During the summer I go through a bit of withdrawl. Not that I can not see a rerun of Law and Order six times a day, however I have seen most of them. Yes that is right I have probably seen nine out of ten Law and Order episodes since the shows inception, but I digress.

Last summer I stumbled upon The Closer to help fill the void that no new Law and Order’s had left me with. I enjoy the show because it is a bit like my beloved Law and Order, only with more of a southern personal twist. The main character is deputy police Chief Brenda Lee Johnson, played by Kyra Sedgwick. She is an Atlanta native who was brought in to run the Priority Homicide Division of the LA PD. I love watching her deal with her detectives sometimes eloquently and other times not so much, but always with a large helping of southern charm. The character is very good at her job while still struggling with her own quirks and neuroses. If you get a chance check out The Closer, it airs Monday night at 8pm in the Chicago land area. Now I must run and take a drum set lesson.

Saturday, July 29, 2006

Thoughts on teaching band

Anyone who listens to me talk about teaching has heard me make a few obligatory comments such as, "I took my first drink while students teaching," or, "I love being a teacher during July." Although both of those comments are true, I am just kidding. The morning period for summer has ended and it has been replaced by laughter and crazy kids. Do you remember how fun band was in high school and college? How interesting all the characters were, both friends and acquaintances? Well I am teaching the next generation of those kids. I think that is why I love teaching band so much.

I am sure this is no surprise to anyone but all my friends growing up were made through band (except my husband). I think I have some of the greatest friends around for many reasons but one that stands out is their independent spirits. I find most people who stick with band for more than two years have a bit of this in their personality. I love spending time with people who have a sense of themselves and do what makes them happy. Lets face it, band is not exactly a class to take to be voted homecoming queen. However, I will believe this until the day I die: it is one to take to make life long friends.

The kids I teach are no exception. This past Friday we had summer jazz rehearsal. Summer jazz is very basic. We learn jazz articulation and blues scales. However, I throw one tune into the mix just to keep them happy. One of my kids has been bugging me to play Soul Bossa Nova (Austin Power's Theme) for two years now. I decided it might make a good summer jazz tune. This one guy convincied everyone this was the best song since sliced bread and we have just been having a great time. If you know the song I am referring to, you know it has a high pitched vocal part in the beginning which our arrangement does not have. This upset our ring leader and he asked if he could sing the part. I said he could only if he promised to sing it at the concert into a microphone. He accepted my challenge and we shook hands on it. Once we started rehearsing again, our vocalist was singing in full force. We all broke down in laughter unable to continue, myself included. Ahh it is good to be back.

Thursday, July 27, 2006

Back to the grind stone

Well summer band began for me this past Monday. I am always a little sad before I head back to work. Please do not confuse this we me complaining about the amount of time I have off because I am not. I just morn the loss of my care free summer life style. However once I get back into the band room and start interacting with the kids I forget all about my blues and get excited about what we are doing.

Summer band is unusual because I play lighter selections that we never get to do during the school year. My top group is doing 25 or 6 to 4, Themes from Jurrasic Park, the Pink Panther and last but certainly not least Illinois Loyalty!!! Actually they are doing a bang up job with U of I's school song. Feel free to join us at our summer band concert, Thursday August 17th.

Sunday, July 23, 2006

Mini-Road Trip

We just returned from visiting Nathan's family in St. Louis and Columbia, Mo. I have to say I did luck out in the in-law department. Nathan's family is so friendly and inviting, it makes me wish we lived closer to them. The only down said is the car trip. I really hate driving. First my car is not built for long hauls. The seats are terribly uncomfortable and I have no cruise control. Please learn from my mistake, never buy a car without cruise control! I always get the worst leg cramp after we finish our trek across Illinois. Another reason I hate car trips is the way you eat. We do our best to avoid fast food, but I still always feel like I eat terribly on the road. Maybe it is the fact that you eat and then just sit there for hours. Anyway, we are back and I start teaching summer band tomorrow (more about that in future posts I am sure.)

Wednesday, July 19, 2006

Some favorite pics



Two of my favorite pictures from our wedding in 2004!



























Christmas 2005 with the Haselhorst Family.















Christmas 2003 at the Renner compound.















Jen and Nathan braving the rapids, June 2006.

Tuesday, July 18, 2006

My first posting

Hello all this is my maiden voyage into posting on my own blog. I got the idea from a couple of friends of mine Cindy and Tony. They are both friends from high school that as kids we would share any little thought that came into our heads. But since adulthood has taken hold we no longer get the chance. Since I started checking in on their blogs’ however I feel like a bit of that has returned.

Just a couple of program notes as we get going. I am a terrible speller and my grammar is substandard (just ask any of my English teacher friends.) I promise I will do the best I can but please do not heckle me about this. Everyone needs a short coming and this is mine. It could be worse I do not drink or do drugs…I have never even gotten a speeding ticket (knock on wood.) So please be kind and remember I am doing this in an effort to stay a little closer with my friends. Also I am still trying to figure this blog thing out so my apologies if mine is a bit lack lust in the beginning. If anyone can tell/show me how to change the links on the side of my page I would be most grateful.