%%USERNAME%%    %%ACCWORDS%% %%ONOFF%% |
 |   The Good Life. |
I am a professional musician  , worship leader , small business owner , songwriter , aspiring author and freelance nonfiction writer with a chemical engineering degree . But that's just my resume. My profile of qualifications is only one of the ways in which I am unique. Here I chronicle my personal and professional goals and my efforts to achieve them. Occasionally I fail. Mostly, I take daily baby steps toward all my long-term goals. Much like the stories I pen, the songs I compose, and the businesses I run, I am always a work in progress. ![Merit Badge in Music
[Click For More Info]
To a dear friend whose talent for writing music is sensational. May you have a fabulous New Year, (((Brandi)))!!! *^*Kiss*^*
Big hugs,
Sherri *^*Heart*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Music-1050.gif) ![Merit Badge in Organization
[Click For More Info]
I don't know how you do it, but I assume there's magic involved *^*Bigsmile*^* I have really enjoyed this month of planning and preparation for NaNoWriMo and I love how organized it all is. Thank you for hosting a great challenge and for your dedication to helping so many of us prepare with confidence and trepidation for National Novel Writing Month (known to sane folks as 'November' *^*Laugh*^*) at your [Link To Item #1474311]](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Organization-1150.gif) ![Merit Badge in Leadership
[Click For More Info]
For your hard work, commitment, talent and innovation in running the October NaNoWriMo Preparation each year, which helps many of us get our scattered thoughts together for November's novel-writing. And also because this badge has ducks on it.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Leadership.gif) |
| Headed to the doc for what I believe is a sinus infection. Meanwhile, in performance news, Potbelly Gahanna is closing its doors this Sunday. May I ask WDC friends to find my FB post announcing the news and comment on it? Many thanks. It would make a good blog topic. It also makes my weekly repertoire expansion a bit less urgent. I have to set my long-term goals aside for the week and focus on these shorter-term goals: * Compile mileage and receipts by Wednesday * Implement and clean up book inventory by Wednesday * Publish summer camp literature by Friday * Budget renovation - I may do this next week Peace out. See you on the other side of some strong medication (I hope.) |
| Today is the St. Patrick's Day Party and Irish Festival, planned by our volunteer teenage event coordinator, Ashley. She has great ideas! I'm not entirely sure what to expect as far as how many people will show up and how much help we'll need, so I'm hoping it all works out. I'm usually better prepared than this, but I've been sick all week. Reach 300 students at MTMS by 12/31/11: 156 or so. I had a family drama on Friday night that resulted in a severe lack of sleep, so my day consisted of teaching in a fog, taking a nap, participating in the 13-year-old's birthday party (opening presents and eating cake), avoiding the soon-to-be-10-year-old-and-cause-of-the-drama, and leading praise band. It was kind of a blur. Therefore, I didn't have the time or inclination to check our exact enrollment at any point yesterday. We may have signed someone up in the morning, but I was teaching lessons. In a fog. So who knows.Develop and market summer programs by 3/31/2011: Stalled-ish... and now an immediate priority, because after we take down Irish Carnival signage, Summer Camps is our next campaign. It's just time to put them on the schedule and start enrolling.Pick scheduling database by 7/31/11: Stalled.Potbelly: add one repertoire song per week  Yep, but I have lost mah voice thanks to a virus..  I may not sing tomorrow.Reading: One book per week.  Pending.Writing: (1) Blog at WDC daily. Yes, although I cheated yesterday.(2) Blog at MT.com weekly. Nope. I had some genius ideas in the car, too. Of course I've lost them since then.Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: Bleh. Um... granola bar, coffee, chips, tortilla, birthday cake, turkey nuggets, and two slices of pizza. |
| Apparently, Internet access on the ocean is spotty and expensive. I'm not sure whose idea this "cruise" thing was, but I'm a little nervous about getting bored. So I'm saving up a few tasks that I can do without the Internet: reading, writing blog posts, and updating my business plan. Maybe knitting. I do NOT plan on bringing my guitar, but I suppose I could work on songwriting through the use of Finale music composition software. Reach 300 students at MTMS by 12/31/11: 156.Develop and market summer programs by 3/31/2011: Stalled and getting hot.Pick scheduling database by 7/31/11: Stalled and low on the totem pole.Potbelly: add one repertoire song per week "I Cross My Heart", with "Rosemary" ready to go today.Reading: One book per week. I plan to do a lot of this on the boat.Writing: (1) Blog at WDC daily: (2) Blog at MT.com weekly: I may write a number of these on the boat.Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: Bleh. Does Nyquil have points? |
| Home. Sick. I'm so blessed to have such a competent staff that I can stay home without worry. Meanwhile, I'm drugged up on Sudafed and Nyquil and wasting the day away browsing the Internet for computer lab applications. And working on my long-range business plan. And planning summer camps. And blogging. Want to start your own business? Make sure you consider "leisure" activities to be what most other people consider "work." Reach 300 students at MTMS by 12/31/11: 155. Just 20 more, and we get to hire a receptionist! Oh, hallelujah. That leaves me and Chris with more time to work on long-range planning, cleaning up our processes, and hiring more people. It seems like we're interviewing and hiring every flipping month. We're up to 15 employees now.Develop and market summer programs by 3/31/2011: In progress. Pick scheduling database by 7/31/11: Stalled, because we don't have a lot of time for stuff like this. Our spreadsheet system isn't perfect, but it's working, and we're too busy enrolling new students, training our computer lab attendants, and getting quotes for a renovation. Oh, yeah. Did I mention we're renovating?Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week Actually, I launched "I Cross My Heart" by George Strait, since I happened to have the music in my folder, thanks to the wedding I sang at on Saturday. It's not a half-bad song, once you take the country twang out of it. I also have "Rosemary" almost ready. I played through it yesterday at PB and realized I have one or two trouble spots to iron out. That will probably be next week's new song.  Reading: One book per week.  What's a book? Is that something used by people with free time?Writing: (1) Blog at WDC daily: Hangin' in there.(2) Blog at MT.com weekly: Pending.Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: I have no freaking idea. I can tell you that I could barely finish my Mexican meal last night, thanks to quickly developing sinus flu symptoms. It's okay, though, because I'm sure I made up the calories in Girl Scout cookies earlier in the day. I may have to wear shorts and tank tops on the boat instead of a bikini.  |
| Reach 300 students at MTMS by 12/31/11: 150-ish and getting impatient. I want to be opening stores #2 and #3, promoting people like crazing, and drawing three owner salaries, while sitting at home with the family and writing songs. Is that too much to ask? Develop and market summer programs by 3/31/2011: In progress. Pick scheduling database by 7/31/11: Kinda stalled, actually.Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week I'm learning "Rosemary" at the (repeated) request of a PB regular. Dude, how did I never come across this song before?Reading: One book per week. No progress.Writing: (1) Blog at WDC daily: Oops. I missed yesterday.(2) Blog at MT.com weekly: PendingCount points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: Um... zzzzzzzz. Today, I've had five Girl Scout cookies and coffee. |
| Yesterday was actually Saturday. March 12th. Reach 300 students at MTMS by 12/31/11: Honestly, I have no idea where we are. Chris stayed late yesterday and caught up some paperwork and scheduling, so the numbers are probably available. *shrug* I'll check it out tomorrow. Poor dear was depressed the latter part of the week.Develop and market summer programs by 3/31/2011 3/21/2011: I still haven't ironed out summer camps. I feel like we're almost there, because I have tentative pricing, scheduling, and curricula worked out, so theoretically, I could just put the damn things on the schedule and start advertising them. We have a St. Patty's Day Party and Irish Carnival a week from today, so when I'm done advertising that, we'll roll out summer camps.I have one week. {e:sternlook} Pick scheduling database by 7/31/11: Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week  "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain, and I decided that "Cross My Heart" by George Strait isn't horrible... but now, I must learn "Rosemary" by Lennie Kravitz. A Potbelly regular has asked me twice now. How embarrassing that he had to remind me. In related news, I have a stalker. Okay, that was actually a joke, because when she introduced herself and told me, "I've been following you," she went on to explain, "but not in a stalker way."  She asked if we could collaborate sometime. I had a similar conversation a year ago with Potbelly patron Luis, with whom I jammed once or twice until his existing band mate flaked out. Basically, Luis wanted the three of us to become a band. But after Band Member #3 (whose name escapes me since I never actually met him) missed two out of two attempted jam sessions, we discovered that he got in trouble when his wife found out the new band member was a girl. Se la vie, but I thought of Luis again recently, because after two months or so of Cody (MTMS teacher) complaining that he couldn't find a decent drummer for his band, I suddenly remembered that I knew a drummer (Luis) who was looking for a band a year or two ago.Meanwhile, here's another musician who wants to collaborate, and she said she doesn't want to earn money, just have fun playing music. It might be really fun, but I just don't have time. I almost wish I could just give her a job or something, but we just hired four computer lab attendants, so right now I don't have a job to offer her. She does not (yet) have a degree in music. Reading: One book per week. No progress. I am stalled. I took a nap this afternoon, which is becoming something of a Sunday tradition.Writing: Goals TBD: (1) Blog at WDC daily. (2) Blog at MT.com weekly. This is my last "check" before I have to actually write another post.Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: At Robert Waltz  's suggestion, I've laid off the consumption of students (at least in the purely nutritional sense), but Sundays = church = candy and baked goods. I almost managed to sneak out the door with nothing but a little brownie bite, until another freaking Girl Scout handed me two more boxes of cookies I forgot I ordered. |
| Reach 300 students at MTMS by 12/31/11: Grr... we're going the wrong way. Develop and market summer programs by 3/31/2011: In progress. Pick scheduling database by 7/31/11: In progress. Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain, but I've made slews of prgress on cleaning up my repertoire. Meanwhile, I have to sub for a piano class today and sing at a wedding, not to mention launch a whole new lineup at Praise Band practice, since Lent has now begun.Reading: One book per week. Nothing yestereday.Writing: Goals TBD: (1) Blog at WDC daily. (2) Blog at MT.com weekly.Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: Grr... I'm going the wrong way. |
| Reach 300 students at MTMS by 12/31/11: We had a couple more end-of-month withdrawals that we should have seen coming, because they had not yet paid for the month. We dropped back down below 150 to like 148-ish. We have some work to do! In related news, I sent a resignation to Abbott this morning. Technically, I was still on a 12-month personal leave of absence, which is up at the end of the month. Develop and market summer programs by 3/31/2011: In progress. I sent a proposed schedule to two teachers involved in the summer camps. I also need a marketing strategy to boost summer enrollments. According to Chris, who has been in this business for years, February is something of a peak, and enrollments start to drop off.Pick scheduling database by 7/31/11: In progress. Chris did look at a database with a customer yesterday, but she pretty much nixed it for the inability to manage scheduling adequately.Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week Yes, by accident. Keith's niece asked me to sing at her wedding. Wednesday, I was given the title "From This Moment On" by Shania Twain, so I printed it and launched it at Potbelly yesterday. Now the bride wants to use a CD for that song and gave me a list of three other songs to choose from, none of which I've ever heard of. Nothing like the last minute! So I may have a song to launch next week, too, if I can find one I like and make it my own. They're all cheesy country songs about cliche true love, so I'm not sure they have much potential for my repertoire. I can handle the Shania song.Reading: One book per week. I did read like a page, before I passed out from yesterday's margarita.Writing: Goals TBD: (1) Blog at WDC daily.(2) Blog at MT.com weekly.Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: Another margarita last night and no exercise this morning because of the snow. And probably because of the margarita, too. Cruise! Cruise! Cruise! Sheesh. |
| Reach 300 students at MTMS by 12/31/11: 152 Develop and market summer programs by 3/31/2011: In progress. I think we're close, so I should just go ahead and get these on the calendar.Pick scheduling database by 7/31/11: In progress. Sort of.Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week Nope, although I've been listening to the 9-year-old's Taylor Swift album, and I subbed for one of the songwriting classes this week, so I'm back in a I-wish-I-had-time-to-write funk.Reading: One book per week. Nope.Writing: Goals TBD: (1) Blog at WDC daily. Still better...(2) Blog at MT.com weekly: After three months, that would be a big, fat YES.    Well, except for the "weekly" part.Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: Yeah, I blew yesterday's plan. First, I had a margarita. Then I had like 6 points' worth of ice cream instead of 3. Plus I'm pretty sure I nibbled on more snacks than I'd budgeted. And today, I didn't jog because Keith and I carpooled last night (yay for saving gas dollars) but then I had to leave early to catch a ride with him. So no exercise today, either. I suck at this game. Today's Meal Plan: 30 points 7:00 Fiber granola bar (1) and coffee (1) 8:30 Girl Scout cookies (3) 10:00 Snack (3) 2:00 Snack (4) 4:00 Snack (3) 5:30 Snack (3) 7:00 Soup (6) and one breadstick (3) at Olive Garden NO SALAD!!! 8:30 Ice cream (3) |
| Reach 300 students at MTMS by 12/31/11: 152. Develop and market summer programs by 3/31/2011: In progress.Pick scheduling database by 7/31/11: In progress.Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week Nope.Reading: One book per week. Nope.Writing: Goals TBD: (1) Blog at WDC daily. But getting better.(2) Blog at MT.com weekly. Nope.Count points: Today's Meal Plan: 29 Points 7:00 Cream of Wheat (2) and coffee (1) 8:30 Banana (2) 10:00 Girl Scout cookies (5) 1:30 Girl Scout cookies (5) 2:00 Coffee (1) 4:00 Snack (3) 7:00 One taco (4), guacamole salad (2), 14 chips (4) NO MARGARITA! No! No! No! I did walk/jog one mile again today.  |
| My premium membership is up on April 15th, and I have decided not to renew. I went through this last October, and although I need a webpage for tracking "October Novel Prep Challenge" [13+] progress, I had decided to host the page offsite. Then I realized that I can't use the {suser:tuozzo} tag on an offsite page, so in the end, I went ahead with a six-month upgrade and hosted the progress page at WDC. This year, I have decided that if you don't know your username, you aren't smart enough to play the game. So on April 15th, I downgrade to upgraded (heh... that was fun), which means portfolio spring cleaning is in my future. Reach 300 students at MTMS by 12/31/11: We cleared 150, which means Chris earned her raise to full-time status.  Next stop, 175 and a part-time receptionist.Develop and market summer programs by 3/31/2011: No activity.Pick scheduling database by 7/31/11: No activity.Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week Not lately.Reading: One book per week. No activity.Writing: Goals TBD: (1) Blog at WDC daily. Not consistently(2) Blog at MT.com weekly. Not in months.I guess I'm not sure what I've been doing the last four days. I suppose when you consider we dropped to 136 by the end of the month, then made it back up to 150 by yesterday, it justifies all the phone calls, emails, payments, enrollments, withdrawals, and related paperwork. We are also integrating four new employees. On the weight loss front, I am up to 165 pounds, which is 20 up from my rock-bottom weight of 145...which was two summers ago. I plan to start walking in the mornings, and the 9-year-old has agreed to join me. There's nothing like a 9-year-old to hold you accountable, believe me. And here's my food plan for the day: 7:00 Fiber granola bar (1) 8:00 Coffee (1) 9:00 Banana (2) and coffee (1) 11:00 Snack (3) 1:30 Lasagna (5) and Girl Scout cookies (3) 3:30 Rolls with butter (8?) 5:00 Apple (2) and piece of cheese (1) 6:00 Crackers (4) 9:00 Girl Scout Cookies (3) That's 3034 points. Tomorrow, I will eat 28. Now, 'scuse me while I dress out for the cruise around the 'hood. |
| Reach 300 students at MTMS by 12/31/11: We dropped to 138 after withdrawals, then made it back up to 147. Develop and market summer programs by 3/31/2011: We've done some research, planned our days, coordinated our rooms, set tentative pricing, and brainstormed a little about curricula, staffing, and marketing. But I still feel a long way from ready. We need to be marketing now and enrolling next month so we know which to move forward with and which to cancel.Pick scheduling database by 7/31/11: This seems like a good deadline. Summer camps will be well underway, we won't be ramping up for fall yet, and we'll have time to get it ready.Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week *thumbdown* Nope. Reading: One book per week. Oh, yes. I forgot I was reading a book.Writing: Goals TBD: (1) Blog at WDC daily.(2) Blog at MT.com weekly. I can't even keep up with summer programs, expansion projects, and other long-term planning due to day-to-day administrative tasks. Blogging is wayyyy down on the list right now. Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: I AM GOING ON A CRUISE FOR SPRING BREAK. And I'm sailing from Miami. Miami, Florida. During Spring Break. Crash diet. |
| Reach 300 students at MTMS by 12/31/11: In progress at 143. It remains to be seen what the summer will do to our enrollments, so this goal isn't in the bag yet. Summer programs may be key, and I'm frantically working on them. Customized database by 12/31/11: When I told Chris, the office manager, about my JackRabbit (music scheduling application) discovery, she flipped. She had head of JackRabbit via the business coaches her former employer had hired. So we signed up for a demo, and Chris played with the app. It has its pros and cons. But the whole demo thing prompted her to research other apps, and she found several better ones, which she is also test driving. It never occurred to her to look for such a tool. Her former employer would never have considered such an unnecessary investment. (See how, with my overwhelming political savvy, I've avoided the word "cheap"?) Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week *thumbdown* Nope. Messiah: One noteworthy accomplishment per month: I have decided to remove this goal, since I no longer feel like a complete and total slacker. I've been paying my dues this year.Reading: One book per week. I did read a little last night, but I fell asleep quickly.Writing: Goals TBD: (1) Blog at WDC daily.(2) Blog at MT.com weekly. My mom told me that I need to update my blog. I guess I need to update my blog.Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: gah. I need a new strategy! It may involve hiding in a cave for a year. |
| *stares at the WDC declaration, "BLOG - Last: 6 Days ago"* We are at 138 students, which is not as high as I wanted to be this close to the end of the month. But we have four samplers going with really good batches of students who all seem to want to be there, so we are pretty sure most of them will enroll. The last batch of samplers seemed to have kids whose parents were making them take the classes. We also have a drum sampler starting next week that has one opening left. W00t! My only worry is our adult songwriting class. Lots of people say they want to take a songwriting class. Few actually enroll. Now, if I could just get our summer camp program in order. It's a logistical nightmare, because we need teachers, but we can't let them go over 40 hours, and we need rooms, but we're currently scheduling day classes and will have to work around them, and we need space and curricula and advertising, but we need to know how many students we can accommodate first. And we need it fast, because advertising and enrollments take time. Meanwhile, we hired two new teachers and extended offers to three computer lab attendants. We are confident that all three candidates will accept our offer, so we should be officially announcing their hires by the end of the week. That makes 15 employees: 10 teachers (one of whom is also the assistant manager), 3 lab attendants, the office manager, and yours truly, a.k.a the site manager. We have the BEST employees. I only have concerns about one or two of them, and I'm just keeping my eye on the situation. For the most part, we seem to have assembled a crazy cohesive band of music lovers. We found an existing online scheduling database called JackRabbit, and Chris tried it out. It has pros and cons. It seems more geared toward a dance studio than a music studio. But we're considering signing up for a trial to really test it out - AFTER we hire a receptionist and have the manpower to duplicate our scheduling for a month. I find myself in need of an electronic drum set, two pianos, and a somewhat-major renovation to keep up with our growth, all of which I have been spending time evaluating and pricing. This is an expensive business. But I get to buy cool toys, so who am I to complain? But life is busy. Yesterday alone, I was confronted with four dropped balls (all my responsibility.) I hate letting people down. I also am keeping a close eye on cash flow, because the growth is costing us some investments, and I don't normally like cutting it so close. And I'm eating. What do you want? People gotta eat. I suppose they don't need to eat pizza, candy, and huge meals at the Japanese steakhouse, but that's a problem for another day. Specifically, tomorrow. Or Monday at the latest. You know how I love new weeks... and this one almost coincides with a new month, so perhaps refreshed goals will be in order next week. Peace out. |
| Reach 300 students by 12/31/11: I am waiting to hear back on a pending interview with a music instructor who has a music education degree and specializes in strings. Her specialty is apparently Irish fiddling, which, if we hire her, will be fun at our St. Patty's Day Party and Irish Festival next month. We also stumbled across a potential drama instructor quite by accident while enrolling him in upright bass lessons. I've been teaching the two drama classes since our drama/drum instructor left us a couple weeks ago. I found a new drum instructor quickly enough, but drama has been a bit of a back-burner problem. Initial impressions of this instructor are good. Customized database by 12/31/11: Design web page interface for potential form. Pending and pressing. But I'm too busy tracking down three new pianos, hanging mirrors and soundproofing, designing renovations, fighting off advertising salespeople, and teaching drama classes to actually work on it.Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week I launched "The Only Exception" by Paramore at the request of WildThing~Becoming  , and was promptly informed by our office manager, Chris, how much the song annoys her. I kinda like it.Messiah: One noteworthy accomplishment per month: Good Friday: Pending. New song "Our God": Pending. Singer rotation: Implemented and, hallelujah, a managed by a volunteer who saw the need and stepped forward. Audio System: just pending reimbursement for some of the gear. We got colossal kudos for the sound Sunday.Reading: One book per week. 80%, but seriously: I would have been done three weeks ago if the verbose author had chosen to write sentences like, "But like it or not, I had to trust my eyes," instead of, "But whatever might have been my wish, I was compelled to yield to the weight of ocular demonstration." Show off. I bet contemporaries hated talking to that dude. On a related note, Jules Verne breaks all the modern comma usage rules, which makes me wonder if he was an idiot, or if the rules were put in place after his time because of the potential ambiguity caused by writings like his. Interestingly, I understand every word of his books. He commas where a speaker would breathe, and though it strikes me that a particular phrase might be ambiguous as a result of his usage, it's really not. I know exactly what he means. It makes me wonder if grammar and usage rules are inventions meant to clarify the stupid. The purpose of language is to communicate, and if a speaker's or writer's intent is clearly communicated without following rules and conventions, then really, who the hell cares? It's a new paradigm for me.If Seisa-sleepingcatbooks.com  reads this, I'm sure she will cringe. And probably comment. Specifically about how that was an incomplete sentence. And how that one was too. And how three of the (incomplete) sentences in this paragraph begin with conjunctions.  Writing: Goals TBD: (1) Blog at WDC daily.(2) Blog at MT.com weekly: No.Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: 44 Coffee (1) Egg (2) with toast (2) Sticky bun (3) Crackers (8) String cheese (1) Jelly donut (6) Olive garden: Two plates of salad (12), two bowls of soup (6), and a breadstick (3). So much for salad being healthy. Good thing I decided to take home the 850-calorie, 47-fatgrams serving of lasagna after I filled up on soup and salad. I'll leave that for the boy. That one plate of pasta is worse than a jumbo margarita. |
| Reach 300 students by 12/31/11: Interviewing another teacher, outfitting another lesson room, looking for a couple more pianos and another drum kit, and working on moving the teacher's lounge to the back (which requires installation of electricity and kitchen cabinets), all to free up space for more students. I LOVE MY JOB. Customized database by 12/31/11: Design web page interface for potential form. Pending and puh-puh-puh-pressing! Like, I really need to figure this out. The schedule is getting so complicated, and our color-coding and Excel commenting is out of control.Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week Pending. Hm... I have a half hour or so right now.Messiah: One noteworthy accomplishment per month: Good Friday: Work To Do. Must Not Forget.Reading: One book per week. Still at 77%.Writing: Goals TBD: (1) Blog at WDC daily.(2) Blog at MT.com weekly: Not so much.Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: 46 Coffee (1) Egg (2) with toast (2) Sticky bun (3) Crackers (4) I lost track again. DAMN IT. I know I had Mexican, including a margarita (10), chips (5), guacamole salad (2), and a taco (4). But the snacking all night at work? I think I had a piece of string cheese (1) and maybe some peanuts (1), plus more coffee (1) and about (10) points' worth of trail mix. |
| Reach 300 students by 12/31/11: Working it, Baby. Have several full samplers, which could be good for enrollments in four weeks. Customized database by 12/31/11: Design web page interface for potential form. Pending and pressing.Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week Pending. Ooh! Ooh! But I had a guitar lesson with Cody yesterday. And I've been practicing my new hand position. Messiah: One noteworthy accomplishment per month: I committed to some serious work on the Good Friday service. I may even compose some music. Because I'm insane.Reading: One book per week. 77%Writing: Goals TBD: (1) Blog at WDC daily.(2) Blog at MT.com weekly: Nope, nope, nope.Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: 28 Coffee (1) Granola bar (1) Sticky buns (8) Crackers (4) Peanuts (1) Thin Mints (8?) Goulash (5?) |
| Reach 300 students by 12/31/11: No new enrollments since yesterday, seeing as how we're closed on Sundays. However, recitals were a blast, and we got lots of compliments, videos on Facebook by our customers, and even some new FB likes (perhaps by students who noticed our new "Find us on Facebook" sign?) Bring on the PageRank! Funny thing about PageRank. Before we opened, I was pushing rank with everything I had. I was blogging religiously, updating and changing the website content frequently, and hawking over my Alexa number, since that's the one that actually moves. My Google PageRank has been 1/10 since the days when the website exclusively hosted my performance information. So the Alexa rank was steadily climbing, and it peaked at about 450,000. Then I stopped watching, and somehow it dropped back down to around 750,000. There it has hovered ever since. And yet, more people than ever are actually viewing the website. People walk through our doors, sign up for lessons, and say not only did they find us on Google, but they really like our website, finding it helpful and informative (implying that they browsed around for awhile, clicking on the various links.) Existing customers check frequently to find our snow day status, pictures of their kids at the latest recitals, and when the next drum sampler will be, because their children are cycling through all the samplers to try everything out. Meanwhile, my Google PageRank hasn't moved from 1/10. And yet, we get more hot leads from Google than any other source except our two exterior signs. These days, a web search on "music lessons Gahanna Ohio" and related keywords places MTMS on the front page, in the top three or so listings. I no longer have much faith in Alexa and Google ranks. In fact, I am starting to believe that by checking my own website for Alexa ranking daily, I was somehow elevating my own Alexa ranking. Now that I don't care, it's no longer climbing. But Alexa ranking doesn't bring my business revenue. Customized database by 12/31/11: Design web page interface for potential form. Pending.Potbelly: : Add one repertoire song per week Pending.Messiah: One noteworthy accomplishment per month: I delegated checking and finalizing of the Power Point and created a Music Team for selecting, sorting, and organizing praise band music. The weekly team meetings start this Saturday. I also compiled a spreadsheet for the church treasurer to organize and cover our sound system overhaul expenditures, provided ongoing input to the pastor's podcasting dreams, and... well, actually, failed to launch our new song, "Our God." But I'll do that this week.See, this is what I do. I feel neglectful and guilty, so I get on a kick. I'll overcompensate for my neglect until I can turn around and neglect the job for awhile again. This is how I keep variety in my life. Heaven forbid I should ever get bored. Reading: One book per week. Um... still 7X%-ish.Writing: Goals TBD: (1) Blog at WDC daily.(2) Blog at MT.com weekly: pending.Count points: TOTAL POINTS YESTERDAY: Tall, nonfat, no-whip white chocolate mocha (7) Three cookies (10) Veggies and dip (3) Crackers (4) String cheese (1) Two jumbo margaritas (30) A basket of chips (8) with bean (4?) and cheese (4?) dips One beef taco (4) Guacamole salad with pico de gallo (2) I should probably stick to the taco and salad and skip the chips and margaritas. I found the Weight Watchers points for the margaritas - 5 points for 4 ounces - and I have a hard time believing it. I'm estimating the ounces of the two jumbos, of course, because I get them on the rocks, and they don't skimp on the ice. Somebody debunk my WW calculation, please!!! I really don't want to give up margaritas, but good gracious, I can't consume those kind of calories. |
View Portfolio
Visit Notebook
Send Gift Points
Awards
Badges
Send Email
Community Newsfeed
General Discussion
Sponsored Items
Book of Trinkets
Static Items
Books
Groups
Interactive Stories
Audio
Campfire Creatives
Community Notes
Crossword Puzzles
Documents
Folders
Images
In & Outs
Madlibs
Photo Albums
Polls
Product Reviews
Quizzes
Survey Forms
Web Pages
Word Searches
. 