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 |   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
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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
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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
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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) |
| After yesterday claiming to pick songs for the music first, the lyrics of my Day 2 entry actually weigh heavily in its selection. But it still comes back to the music. The delicate piano and melody evoke imagery of the tiny, fragile baby in the manger, and the overall arrangement emulates the powerful simplicity of the birth of Christ. At first glance, the song is only a lullaby, just like the Savior's birth is only a humble beginning. On reflection, both are so much more. The song is "Welcome to Our World" by Chris Rice. What you'll hear: 1. Pretty, delicate piano. 2. A single, gentle voice on a simple melody throughout. No pop flips or other frills. No harmony. 3. Strings added in verse 2 for dynamic interest, but still very simple. 4. A bit of a of a percussive moment for the strings at 1:20, the most complicated part of the song. 5. A modulation (key change) in verse 4 for more dynamic interest. 6. In the last verse, strings mostly drop out so that the song ends as simply as it started. Welcome to Our World Tears are falling, hearts are breaking How we need to hear from God You've been promised, we've been waiting Welcome Holy Child, welcome Holy Child Hope that you don't mind our manger How I wish we would have known But long-awaited Holy Stranger, Make Yourself at home, please make Yourself at home Bring Your peace into our violence Bid our hungry souls be filled Word now breaking Heaven's silence Welcome to our world, welcome to our world Fragile fingers sent to heal us Tender brow prepared for thorn Tiny heart whose blood will save us Unto us is born, unto us is born So wrap our injured flesh around You Breath our air and walk our sod Rob our sin and make us holy Perfect Son of God, perfect Son of God Welcome to our world. |
I wrote this in a forum post for "Invalid Item" , and then decided it was worth republishing in my blog. Mostly for the writing credit.  I'm barely keeping up with everything. When you stretch yourself to the max, inevitably, something new crops up. Yesterday, I was ready to quit all my writing projects, because everything else is more urgent. I define "urgency" by "people relying on me." Since my failure to meet writing goals only affects myself, but all my other commitments affect other people, writing falls to the bottom of the list. And before you cry "take care of yourself, too!" I have to be fair and point out that writing was at the top of the list for two straight months. I let other things go in the meantime, and now I have catching up to do. But looking at my goals and progress against them, I'm not doing too bad. Today, I completed "Day 1: "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen" by Jars of Clay" for "12 Days of "Christmas"" [E] and "I Write in December-January-February" [E]. I have to complete a review now, but I'll do that, because the writer is relying on me. So it's urgent.Status of my goals: 1. Editing. More than halfway there on 12/9. I'm likely to meet this one. 2. Promo. Already blew the goal out of the water. I hang out on social media, and people post things on my wall all the time, so this is like a self-completing goal anyway. I should make it bigger next month. 3. Reading. I should start giving myself credit for articles because I read those all the time. Right now, I'm sitting at 0 versus a points goal of 9,300. I do have a vacation at the end of the month, so I'm hoping to crank this one out all at once. 4. Reviewing. About halfway. Looking good. 5. Writing. Bleh. 6,700 versus a points goal of 30,000. If I fail at any goals, this is the most likely failure. I just can't stress myself out over it. The other things going on. I always forget how busy December is:  I'm a church worship/music leader, and December is Advent (hello?!) - lots of music this time of the year. End of the year, and we're generating music school budgets for 2015. Holiday marketing at the music school, at which I have failed miserably this year. Winter Recitals Dec 19, 20, 21 and Jan 3, 4. I haven't even thought about Christmas shopping until someone mentioned it in scroll recently.On top of all that, there's the usual staff meetings at work and church. I'd *like* to find a new gig, but since that only affects me, it's at the bottom of the list. Then there's all the little things, like decorating the studio, hiring another part-time receptionist, implementing the teams idea at work, cultivating relationships with clients and employees, keeping up with email, revamping the school website, learning how to use a new kind of laptop. And I took on the church website again, because I'm a suckerone of the pastors left and I'm trying to help out the other one... ain't nobody got time for that! In years past, when I complained about how busy I was in December, I pledged to get back into writing in January. But that never happens, either. January is just as busy or busier. Which is why I need to finish my NaNo novel this month, while it's in my head. Because if I don't, it will be gone. *deep breath* I need a nap. Another nap. Cheers, Michelle |
| In a site full of writers, it shouldn't surprise me that the majority of participants in "12 Days of "Christmas"" [E] are selecting songs based on and writing about lyrics. But I'm a musician first, and my selections are all based first on the music. Where appropriate, I'll give a nod to the lyrics as well. My first choice is "God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen" by Jars of Clay. Here's what you'll hear: 1. A gorgeous classical guitar riff that carries steadily throughout the piece. 2. Rich baritone vocals on the lead line, beginning with verse 1, "God rest ye, merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay..." 3. A mournful violin and ting on the TRIANGLE (your fave preschool instrument used in real, published music) kicking off Verse 2. 4. An incredibly unique chord progression created by the vocal harmonies of a high tenor through the second verse. 5. The most awesome bass walk of all time at 1:29. It's even better than "Let It Be" which is arguably the most famous bass walk of all time. 6. A wistful classical guitar and violin duet around 1:35, joined by a clarinet at 1:40 and cello at 1:47. CHILLS. 7. Another ting on the triangle at 2:12. Oh yeah, baby. Eat your heart out, Jimmy Fallon. 8. Clever vocal "percussion" on beats 2,3,4 throughout the third verse. 9. The haunting clarinet soaring over the violin, cello, guitar, and vocal awesomeness until the last note. Since I'm a writer too, I can't ignore the lyrics. Could you ask for a more poetic proclamation of the birth of Christ? Excepting, of course, the nagging sexism, which I would be remiss not to mention. But this arrangement is so musically compelling that it remains one of my top twelve favorites, and I just like to pretend us women should also let nothing us dismay. We are all saved from Satan's pow'r when we've gone astray, regardless of our gender. God Rest Ye, Merry Gentlemen God rest ye, merry gentlemen, let nothing you dismay! Remember Christ, the Savior, was born on Christmas Day To save us all from Satan's pow'r when we had gone astray. O, tidings of comfort and joy! From God our Heaven'ly Father, a blessed angel came And unto certain shepherds, brought tidings of the same: How that in Bethlehem was born the Son of God by name. O, tidings of comfort and joy! Cheers, Michelle |
| As a participant in "12 Days of "Christmas"" [E] }, I have generated the following YouTube playlist. https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLBWM2eEWNAepbqWGWruxgfaH9sfrsJ6Mg |
| Here's a summary. Discussing in scroll, but it's easier to type it up in paragraph form here, especially because I can't even clearly articulate the problem. The Oracle: Queen of the ursae (bear-like champions of the personified classical element, Earth) Bronius: The Queen's chosen assassin Molly; Mixed-breed daughter of Quiver (human, High Druid) and Midge (one of the witches, champions of Air) Dragons: champions of the personified element, Fire The purpose of the Druid Order is to maintain Balance. None of the Elements may grow stronger (or weaker) than the others. The Druids (led by High Druid Quiver) and the ursae (led by their queen, The Oracle) are already concerned because the dragons have taken steps to overthrow their own Element (Fire). Fire is growing weaker, threatening Balance. The Oracle took the information to the druids and asked for help, because that's what the druids are supposed to do, and it's not within the power of the ursae to confront the dragons (for the same reason - it might threaten the Balance between Earth and Fire.) A little about the ursae: Earth's role is the mother comforter. The ursae are healers, not warriors. That's the crux of my problem. But the Oracle is worried about Balance, and then she finds out two things: (1) Molly is a half-witch. Quiver has forsaken his vow as a druid and sired a daughter with a champion of Air. That makes the witches, and the druids, no better than the dragons (except that Molly's birth has a negligible effect on Balance, compared to what the dragons are doing.) (2) A prophecy reveals that Molly will bring about the downfall of Balance. THE PROBLEM: Two things need to happen, and I'm struggling with the characterization of the ursae: 1. The Oracle visits the druids and tries to assassinate the girl. 2. When the assassination fails, the Oracle declares war on the druids. I've got the first taken care of with some strong internal conflict and problems within the ursae nation. My reviewers may disagree later, but I think the Oracle has convinced herself that this is important enough. She's the comforter, but she's also the protector, and a threat to Balance is a serious thing. Think of the mother who would never be violent, except when her child is threatened. But the next problem is just logistical. The ursae are guests in the fortress. The Oracle hopes the assassination will succeed, but she's brought two dozen ursae with her in case it fails. When it does, what does she do next? It's about an hour past nightfall. They're in the ursae guest quarters, within the walls of the fortress. The alarm will soon be raised when the assassination attempt is discovered. Does she stay in the fortress or leave? Her plan is to demand the girl and then declare war when they refuse. She probably doesn't think they'll refuse because druids are champions of Balance, but this is Quiver's daughter. When they do refuse, and the Oracle declares war, what is that even going to look like? The druids can't attack the ursae, because that will weaken Earth, and that goes against everything the druids stand for. The ursae won't attack the druids, because it's not in their nature - unless the Oracle feels like her children are threatened. But if the druids won't attack, what's the threat? The same as with Molly, presumably - she must feel desperate about the future of Balance... Continued in the comments so y'all can start reading and thinking. |
For anyone who is not a teen but who is writing teens (such as Merry Mumsy  , I interviewed teens to get examples of what they text each other about. Here are the first of the answers. So far, I've interviewed B (male) and E (female). B gave me a generic example, and E sent me screen shots.B: (I just asked him "what kinds of things teenagers text each other about") -------------------------------------------------------- B: Do u want an honest opinion M: Of course! Want the book to be believable B: Sex, video games, people, their friends, popularity, and from what my friend says "menstrual cycle" such as periods. M: Lol, so a lot of gossip then? B: Yes, that's what high school M: Ok thanks. Appreciate it. :) B: Your welcome E: Hope this helps. My friends and I aren't incredibly interesting. If you need anything more let me know! -------------------------------------------------------- E: How long will it take to get there? A: Like five minutes A: So can I invade your house A: I'm going to go get coffee A: So can I invade your house E: Yeah sure I'm cleaning my room tho  -------------------------------------------------------- E: Well that's not too bad K: Ironic though. E: Yeah E: Where are you going at lunch? K: Wendy's E: Thank you K: Anytime -------------------------------------------------------- J: I guessed on the last 15 & got 1 E: Killing it XD J: You know it E: "Wow this class real prepares me for real life" -said no one ever E: *really XD J: Seriously J: do you have tissues? E: Yep :) one sec J: What time is the class over? -------------------------------------------------------- Any teens who catch the blog post are invited to add their examples in the comments.  Cheers, Michelle |
| My mother-in-law lives with us. Last summer, we sold her house and ours and bought a larger house. We renovated the basement so she could have a private apartment, but we could still watch over her. She'd lived in her former home for forty years and raised her children there, so moving was a big project involving sorting, organizing and packing and many tearful trips to Goodwill. Keith made the decision to consolidate our households when his mother began to exhibit signs of severe memory loss. She can tell me stories about her youth like nobody's business, but she doesn't remember that she told me the same story a month ago, or an hour ago. Every time Keith goes on a business trip, she thinks he's in Italy (this last trip was to St. Louis.) All her plans are at noon or sometime other than when they actually are, so she sits by the front door waiting to be picked up, thinking she's been forgotten. And she keeps saying she just needs to get in her car and drive herself to church or the grocery store or wherever, but even though these destinations are a straight shot from our home, she's gotten hopelessly lost the last couple times she's ventured out on her own. She has a cell phone, but naturally she doesn't remember to bring it. Ever since she moved in with us, I've been taking my mother-in-law to church. I lead worship, and on a rare occasion, I have to be early or stay late, so I either tell her a different time to be ready that morning, or I make arrangements for Keith to drive her, or for a congregation member who lives near us to take her home early. I think a routine would be better for her, but it's not something I can control. Leading worship is my job. Yesterday, we had to leave the house at 8:30 am. She confirmed with me on Saturday night: "We're leaving at 8:30, right?" At 8:32 yesterday morning, we had not heard a peep from the basement. On any normal Sunday, she would have already been upstairs to feed and water the cats and set her purse and Bible on the counter. I opened the basement door and called down to her, asking if she was ready to go. She called up, "I can't find anything to wear." My mother-in-law dresses to the nines with perfect hair and makeup to ride along taking Abby to cheerleading. She is always immaculate and always - ALWAYS - ready on time. Finding something to wear is like a profession for her. After a stunned pause, I called, "Do we need to take you shopping?" Maybe she's gained weight. We've all had those mornings. She replied, "I'm just so aggravated." Another beat later, I come up with the solution. "I have to go, but I'll wake Keith up and ask him to bring you at 9:15." That gives her an extra 45 minutes to get ready. She agreed, so I woke Keith and left. After worship, I got hit with the usual barrage of people needing to speak with me for various reasons. I apologize to my MIL almost every week for keeping her waiting, and every week she tells me not to worry, the couch by the door is very comfortable. Yesterday, she sought me out while I was asking a friend to help me load up the drum set in my Jeep, and she was distraught. She'd been waiting outside for Keith to pick her up, and he was a no-show. I realized the problem immediately: She assumed that since he brought her, he would also be picking her up. That implied she'd forgotten the reason Keith drove her. At that moment, my friend got pulled away into another conversation, so I hustled her out as quickly as possible, since she was clearly in a bad mood. I tried to gently remind her: "Why would Keith need to pick you up? I didn't have anything unusual scheduled today. Did you end up finding something to wear?" And she snapped at me, "Oh, I always find something to wear. I'm always ready and waiting for you people." *blink* It is SO HARD to take comments like that in stride. I have to bite my tongue, count to ten in my head, and take a deep breath before I reply. "Don't you remember? When I asked if you were ready at 8:30, you said you couldn't find something to wear. That was why Keith drove you today." She didn't say anything, and I have no idea if she remembered, or if she felt bad, or if she was mad, or what, because she rarely says what's on her mind. I got her in the car and asked her to give me a minute to tell my friend we were leaving and would load up the drums another day. But then she changed moods abruptly, saying there was no need to rush, that I could finish what I was doing. All I could think was that loading up the drums would take at least ten minutes, and that's enough time for her to forget why she's waiting for me, to forget that she'd insisted on it. Sometimes it goes beyond unjustified accusations, and I get treated with mistrust. She looks at me with suspicion when some piece of mail or personal object or large stack of cash she withdrew vanishes (it turns out she hid the money under a lamp.) I used to pay her bills because she paid her mortgage twice in the same month but repeatedly failed to pay other bills, and I'm better at money management than her two children. She was aware that I took over and approved it, but sometimes she would forget and be accusatory about the status of her bank account and the fact that I had access to it. I have my faults, but dishonesty is not one of them. If anything, brutally unfailing honesty is sometimes on the "weaknesses" list. It hurts my feelings to be accused unjustly and mistrusted, especially when I'm voluntarily taking on a time-consuming task like managing someone else's budget and bills and making all the payments on time. I was hoping for gratitude, not mistrust. Luckily, cohabitation means she doesn't have bills anymore. I agreed to cohabitate with my mother-in-law because I understand that she needs looking after, and since Keith worries about her, so do I. But she is strong-willed and difficult, and we're talking about one of the nicest people you will ever meet. I can't imagine doing this with a crabby person. And I can't imagine being in her shoes. To lose my independence in old age is now one of my greatest fears. |
| If you didn't read yesterday's novel, here's the quick summary: We signed a contract with Venue to run a commercial in their local movie theatre. They secured a third party advertising agency ("Production") to make the ad, but we signed a contract directly with Production. Production supplied the first revision. Venue suggested changes to the informational "slide" containing contact information about our business. We said we agreed with the suggestions, but we made arrangements for our internal creative guy, Zach, to do the slide himself. Production agreed. Zach's slide didn't exactly match Venue's suggestions. Instead of asking us about it, Production took it upon herself to CHANGE Zach's slide so that it would match Venue's suggestions. We were only supposed to get one revision, according to our agreement. Yesterday, I closed my blog post with: "......now, who wants to bet that we get charged for a second revision?" 7:49 AM today: Michelle, Good Morning! Ad has been handed off to Venue exactly as it was sent! This constitutes an additional change. What was sent in Zachās piece DOES NOT INCLUDE Venue's comments you agreed with. We took out the changes you communicated you wanted on August 28th at 9:22 AM Production also included a quote from my 8/28 9:22 email: "We have all reviewed the video. We agree with Venue's suggestions, and we have no additional requests. Since we only get one edit request, can we see the "slide" before you incorporate it into the video, or just let Zach do it so we know we'll be happy with it on the first edit?" Chris replied with a quote from Production's 8/28 reply to the 9:22 email: "Hello! For the sake of time, let's go with what Zach creates. We can add that into your spot right away. This will get you into the theater sooner." Production replied: "Chris, Not certain why this sent but at this stage, please ensure any direction comes from Michelle to avoid any confusion! Thanks Kindly!"  ...um, yeah. So after spraying blood out of the top of my head in a laser-fine, high-pressure spray that drilled a tiny hole in my ceiling, I responded with this: "I am offended by this. If you would please refer to our contract with you, it was in fact Chris Fredenburg who read and signed the agreement with you, not me. She, Zach Garster, and Angela Heck Mueller have complete and total authority to speak on behalf of MTMS." |
| I don't know if talking about it will make me feel better or worse. I'll leave the names of the companies out of the story until after resolution, at which point I plant to plaster the name of one of the companies across as many venues as I can possibly find. We (MTMS ) bought an advertisement. We've purchased print ads and Google ads, but this was an actual video commercial, slated to run for a number of months at a local movie theatre. It seemed like a good venue, since the people who go to movies are families with children, and teenagers. But the ad is very expensive, and we're inexperienced at this sort of ad.Definitions: "Production" makes the commercial. "Venue" runs the commercial. Zach is my marketing guy. He makes things look good.* Chris is my finance manager. She pays the bills.* Angela an MTMS site manager. She is my second-in-command. *Zach and Chris do much more than this, but these are the functions critical to the story. Summary: Venue stopped into MTMS one day to drop off information and spoke with Chris. Venue is giving us a lot of perks to try this out, because they want to prove how much business it will give us. We have had minor problems with Venue, but overall, we like them. Production is a royal pain in the ass. First Quote Iteration Venue sends a quote to Chris: $3000 to run the ad for a period of time, plus $450 to make the commercial. We evaluate other options for making the video but cannot beat the price of $450. We agree to move forward. Second Quote Iteration Venue informs us that we misunderstood. $450 is the price to upload a commercial that we provide. If we want them to provide the commercial, the cost will be $800. Zach asks for confirmation that the total cost out of our pocket will be $3800, and that there will be no additional cost to upload the video. Venue confirms. Chris signs a contract and makes a $600 down payment to Venue. Third Quote Iteration Production is a third-party company secured by Venue, but we must sign a contract directly with Production. The contract arrives: $800 plus a $200 travel fee. Zach forwards contract to Venue with reminder that we confirmed a total cost of $3800. He follows up several times but receives no response for several weeks. Michelle Gets Involved I sent an email to venue asking why we have not gotten a response. Venue sends a long, very nice apology and explains she has been trying to reason with Production to agree to waive the travel fee, but Venue is inflexible. Venue offers an extra free month of run time. We accept, and Chris signs the contract with Production. It's All About the Money Production contract includes a payment schedule: a portion up front, a portion on the day of filming, and a portion upon delivery. Production asks for the first payment, and Chris asks for an invoice. After some back-and-forth and confusion, Production sends an invoice via PayPal ("request for payment") for the wrong amount, which Chris pays. Chris notifies Production that she will be out of the office, and that nobody at the filming site will have the means to make a payment on the day of filming. She requests that the invoice for the filming day be submitted early. No invoice is received on the requested date. Several invoice-related emails pass back and forth between Production and Chris in which Production seems to miss many requests and is generally lacking in attention to detail. Ad Copy Production writes the worst ad copy I have ever seen ("Invalid Item" ). Zach, Chris and Angela agree. We even question whether English is this person's first language and send an email to Venue asking for the qualifications of the advertising company. Venue does not reply. Meanwhile, I poll my Writing.com friends to help with a rewrite, and we submit something much better to Production. Production agrees to use our copy.Filming: On the day of filming, Production arrives and spends several hours filming. She seems extremely friendly, and Angela and I feel bad that we questioned her qualifications. She is very efficient and flexible about the order of activities, and her cameraman seems to be very good at getting great shots. This is the company's one redeeming quality, and it's evidenced in the shots they ended up using in our final commercial. However, some emails and payment information went back and forth between Production and Chris. I either was not copied on the emails or did not bother to read them on the basis that Chris is highly competent and doesn't need me rubbernecking her. First Draft: Production submits the first draft. The commercial consists of our ad copy spoken by one of our teachers, while scenes of teachers instructing our music students flash across the screen. The shots are genius, always showing the kids having fun and the teacher being very encouraging. Near the end, a "slide" (like a Power Point slide, just a graphic with information on it) flashes on the screen. The scene closes with a group of children and staff shouting our tagline, "You can't stop the music!" Venue replies before we do and suggests that the slide is too busy. She suggests limiting the information to our two locations "Polaris Campus" and "Gahanna Campus", our web address, and social media logos. She also suggests changing the background from white to the tan color we use in our marketing. Venue reminds us that we only get one free revision. Angela replies internally and says the slide is too boring. I no longer have access to it, but it was a white background with our logo across the top, and words in black listing our physical addresses, web address, and possibly some other information. Angela thinks Zach can make it much more attractive. I reply to Production: "...we have all reviewed the video. We agree with Venue's suggestions, and we have no additional requests. Since we only get one edit request, can we see the "slide" before you incorporate it into the video, or just let Zach do it so we know we'll be happy with it on the first edit?" (emphasis added) Production responds "...Please send Zach's creative content / image, and we will incorporate it right away." Zach sends this: ** Image ID #2007844 Unavailable ** Second Draft: Production sends second draft. Like the first, it is submitted in the form of a YouTube link, posted in Production's YouTube account. I reply and say, "...we would like a copy of the actual video ad file. How do we receive that?" Production replies that they will send a CD and an electronic file. I did not approve the revision, and in fact, did not even review it. Production also sends an invoice. Chris asks if she should pay it. I reply that we have not received the final product, so hold off. Deadlines: Wednesday: I was at a funeral all morning. At 2:30pm, I saw an urgent email from Venue stating they needed our final ad by noon or we would miss our deadline, and would I please follow up with Production. I apologized for the delay and explained I had been at a funeral and suggested for future reference to contact my staff for immediate replies. At this point, I realized that I became the primary point of contact when I sent an email to Venue about their three-week delay in replying to Zach. In the reply, I also copied Production (in addition to my staff) and asked if there was a reason for the delay. Production explained they were waiting for payment, and "The ball is in your court." I replied: "Nobody made me aware that we would miss our deadline if you didn't receive payment yesterday. I'm very disappointed in this news." Venue agreed to extend the deadline until the end of the day. Production asked if there was any reason I could not make payment by the end of the day. Disclaimers Because my next response was the crux of the ensuing problem, I should explain that I never saw the contract, because Chris reviewed and signed the contract. Also, Chris requested that Production send all invoices and documentation of completion to her, and yet, once I got involved, Venue and Production kept sending things directly to me. And remember, our Production lady is a bit lacking in attention to detail. Also remember, I had spent the morning at a funeral and arrived home to an email that indicated I'd already missed a deadline. At this point, I was headed out to work, and it was 3pm. One presumes that "end of day" is roughly 5pm, and I would be on the road for at least a half an hour. And, in breaking news, my Gahanna receptionist had just called out sick. I was supposed to teach in Polaris, so we were scrambling to figure out what to do about coverage. I call that "frazzled." My reply: "No, I can probably make it happen, but considering it's the beginning of the month and my staff all have high priorities on the 1st and 2nd day of the month, it's definitely not convenient. I think this is a very unusual business practice. Most of our vendors give us 30 days on invoices. We only just received the invoice yesterday. To require payment the same day as an invoice is issued is unheard of." After sending the reply, I called Chris and told her to pay the invoice. We chatted briefly about our frustrations with Production. The Nastygram: At this point, if you're still with me, you might be interested in the whole reply by Production. I have included it below. Remember that I am her customer. If any of my staff treated a customer this way, with screamy all-caps and all, they would be fired. I also can't stand all the "I pray" remarks in the middle of an obviously angry email. It's insincere and gives the church a bad name. Nastygram ▼ Luckily, I was busy with the reception problem and didn't see the reply until later. Meanwhile, Chris had read and replied to the email, and warned me that it would make me angry. Reply from Chris ▼ In Gahanna, I update Zach and Angela. They state that they never saw the revised video, and I realize that I never reviewed it, either. So we watch it together. OMFG, WOMAN!? Right in the middle of the ad, we see this lovely slide: ** Image ID #2007845 Unavailable ** Are We Done Yet? I notify Production that she used the wrong slide and referred to the email where she agreed to use Zach's slide. She referred to Venue's suggestions. This person is quite possibly the worst communicator I have ever encountered: Michelle: "...we just realized that you didn't add the slide that Zach emailed you. We need that corrected. We made it perfectly clear that we wanted the slide that Zach sent you in the video." Production: "Per the feedback and instructions Venue provided combined with Zachās image sent below, What part of the instructions did not occur? We used the image Zach sent as shown below, and incorporated the color change. Which do you prefer now? We got instruction to change color in background to your color in logo. In either case, what do you want. Please send this right away!" (bold/font size are hers, not mine) M: "Zach made the slide, and we wanted you to use it exactly the way Zach made it. Please correct this." P: "Will do! Please confirm you do NOT want the changes you stated you agreed to from Venue on 8/28." M: "We don't want any changes to Zach's slide, none whatsoever. We wanted it exactly as he sent it to you." P: "Thanks! Updating!" ......now, who wants to bet that we get charged for a second revision? |
| I've been developing characters and settings in my epic "Poor Witch" world for the last few months, gaining inspiration and motivation from "I Write in June-July-August " [ASR] and a variety of contests around the site. While the exercises are fantastic for world building, it's time to regroup and organize my story arc. On a related note, a friend posted the traits of a Virgo on my Facebook wall, since I am, in fact, a Virgo, and my birthday is approaching. I'm scientific, analytical, which makes me skeptical of astrological trends. Most horoscopes and character trait descriptions are vague enough that they can be twisted to fit. But this description was spot on, and I find that a little eerie. And it wholly applies to the exercise I'm about to do. VIRGOS: ...need to be organized in their mind, sometimes all their energy is taken from organizing their mind that they have a difficult time organizing their surroundings. They easily look too deep into an issue and over analyze what the (perceive)... When I was in college, I was a master of procrastination. I literally spent hours calculating (often the the help of spreadsheets) the minimum grades I would need to get on final exams to achieve certain overall grades in the class. Meanwhile, I could have simply been studying for the tests. And with that, I shall move on to my story arc outline, and then, hopefully, my eleventh and final Summer I Write submission. Merit Badge, here I come! And then, if all goes as planned, NaNo 2014 will be another installment of the over-developed and over-analyzed Poor Witch saga. Oh, and check this out: Out 'n About Columbus, August 24, 2014 / This show airs on the local ABC network on Sunday mornings. Michelle Tuesday Music School is highlighted at 16:40. |
| I have been binge watching on Netflix. Call that lazy or unproductive if you like, but I actually find myself watching subplots, story arcs, characterization and dialog with a critical eye. I'm very interested in what sucks me in, what sucks Keith in, and what sucks the kids in, and why. I'm interested in why I adore some shows while the boy hates them and vice versa. We're caught up through the end of Season 3 on "The Walking Dead" - which we both love, but which is getting a bit forced, in my opinion, particularly things like who dies and who doesn't, who's on which side, and the coincidental reunions. I tried to watch "How I Met Your Mother" and got through maybe 2.5 episodes. Then I remembered watching the show when it launched and never watching it again (I'd forgotten I did that), and now I remember why. The "no, the stripper wasn't your mother" type sidebars start to get annoying. Just get on with it and tell us who the freaking mom is. I have no interest in waiting nine seasons to find out. Good Lord, that story took almost a decade to tell. Somebody just tell me the punchline, okay? I tried to watch "Doctor Who" and got through maybe as many episodes as "How I Met Your Mother" because the show is kind of stupid. It might be more appealing if I weren't quickly approaching forty. We watched the first episode of "Breaking Bad" together. I think I could get into it, but he wasn't overly impressed. I found his reaction interesting, because it's clearly an action show, something that your quintessential "guy" would like, but I think the character is so unmanly that it just doesn't appeal to a typical guy the way "Wicked Tuna" or that crabbing show do. (Don't get me started on Pawn Stars, Storage Wars and American Pickers - no action at all, just a bunch of bartering for old crap that should be in the trash, and the appeal is wholly lost on me.) Now I'm watching "Once Upon a Time" and think I love it. I didn't bother asking Keith to watch it with me, and when he came home and found me watching and asked for a brief synopsis, and he said, "It sounds like a chick show, fairy tales and stuff." Yep, pretty much, which is why I didn't invite him to join me. As a team, I think we might try "Dexter" next. It comes highly recommended, and my premise description interested Keith. But I'm afraid it will be just like "Breaking Bad" - the protagonist is some kind of forensics analyst, I've been told, and that sounds too geeky for the boy. I suspect he won't like that character, or therefore, the show, any more than he liked Breaking Bad or Bones or CSI or any other seemingly-guy show that's too geeky to actually be a guy show. *shrug* Keith doesn't like to read, either, so I guess I shouldn't over-analyze him anyway. He (and the millions of non-reading Call-of-Duty-playing bad-old-artifacts-and-manly-boating-show-watching middle-aged men in America) are not my target market. |
| What do you do when you've been writing in first person, and then you decide to kill off your protagonist? You add a new protagonist to narrate your denouement, of course. I admit: I was surprised and devastated by the loss of Tris. When Tobias said, "Of course she took Caleb's place," it clicked with me, too. Of course she did. Of course. But up until the point where she took the backpack, held her estranged brother at gunpoint, and took his place in the suicide mission, I didn't see it coming. However, after she did, and when she said she knew she wasn't going to survive, I knew it, too. In the end, it had to be Tris, anyway. Caleb could have never pulled off what Tris pulled off. Like Tris, Caleb would not have had time to put on the protective suit, and since he was not immune, he would have succumbed to the death serum before reaching the target. Even if, by some miracle, he made it in time to type in the codes, he would never have persevered through the pain of multiple gunshot wounds the way Tris did. Her training and experience throughout the series, up until that point, taught her how to handle the obstacles she ended up facing. Only Tris could have done what she did. After I recovered from emotional turmoil, I decided that I loved the ending, and I'm not sure how it could have ended any other way. Happily ever after? Hardly. Tris was too addicted to danger to ever go back to her calm Abnegation-style upbringing. Of course she had to die. Besides, she had to make the ultimate sacrifice - both for her despicable brother who didn't deserve it and for the entire surrounding population of people, both guilty and innocent. Her sacrifice was the only possible closure for both the reader and for Tris herself, who started her story lamenting that she was "not good enough" for Abnegation. Can she be any better, after willingly giving her life for the undeserving out of selfless love? Christian overtone, anyone? Many critics complain that the romance between Tris and Tobias progressed too quickly and unrealistically. I liked the pacing of the romance, but I did have an initial creeped-out feeling because he was her instructor, albeit only two years older than she. Speaking as a professional teacher, that's a line you just don't cross, and I had a hard time swallowing it (pun intended.) It didn't help that I thought Tobias was quite a bit older initially. But after training, I settled into the romance element and enjoyed it. Some critics also complained that Tris progressed in her training too quickly. I didn't have a problem with that, either. Most of her development was mental and emotional anyway. She did strengthen her body, but not unrealistically so. The few times she asserted herself physically, I think she took her opponent by surprise and, like Tobias taught her, used her small size and speed to her advantage. It worked for me. By biggest complaint about the series was the addition of Tobias as a first-person protagonist in the third book. Up until that point, the story was told by Tris exclusively, in first-person present (the same point of view and tense in which The Hunger Games was told - new literary trend?) But in the third book, Allegiant, the reader was introduced to a new perspective, and the author identified which protagonist was speaking through chapter titles, alternating "Tris" and "Tobias." It was a huge change, and I should have recognized the signs of Tris' eminent demise, but as I said, I liked her sacrifice, so that's not my complaint. My complaint is strictly about the voice: I kept forgetting whose head I was in, so I don't think Roth did a good job of differentiating the voices of Tris and Tobias. Overall, a great series, and one I will probably read again. |
| I've spent the last several weeks reading Eragon, Eldest, Brisingr, and Inheritance, the four books that make up Christopher Paolini's Inheritance Cycle. After I finished the fourth book last night, I couldn't sleep. The ending was unsatisfying, but necessary, and the arguments back and forth kept me awake. I finally picked up my tablet and started reading a new book just to try to get my mind onto something else, and it helped, but when I woke up again four hours later, there was no silencing the "Inheritance" analysis. Therefore, I got out of bed in the wee hours and started reading reviews and commentary. I discovered that the whole 4-book series totals 2,700 pages! No wonder it's taken me so long to read. Since I've been reading electronic versions, I had no idea. I'm annoyed that I spent so much time reading it, but I don't wholly regret the experience. Reading the reviews and commentary is very eye-opening, and it makes me reconsider my style (and my skill) as an author. It's all about pacing and characterization. Paolini, the author of the Inheritance Cycle, is verbose. If 2,700 pages in four books isn't enough of an indicator, check out this passage: Eragon picked up the hawthorn staff that lay by his side. He rolled it between his palms, admiring the play of light over the polished tangle of roots at the top and the much-scratched metal ferrule and spike at the base. Um, what? Despite that, I plowed through the series without analyzing. When I'm engrossed in a book, I'm engrossed. I'm also not the kind of person to stop reading a book because I'm not enjoying it. For example, even though I could see where the ending of the final book was headed, and even though I passed the climax and still had 100 pages of denouement left to read, I kept going, like a loaded freight train with no brakes heading for a ravine at the end of the tracks. I... just... couldn't... stop... myself. SPOILER ALERT... I'll be honest. I didn't notice the glaringly obvious Star Wars parallel until it was pointed out to me on blog post after Goodreads review after comment after entire webpages dedicated to the topic. How could I have been so blind? Strong-willed and dedicated princess and member of a rebel force opposing the evil empire and its evil self-appointed emperor is ambushed by minions of said emperor while transporting Something of Value to the Rebels, which could be the undoing of the Empire. Just before capture, said Princess sends said Something of Value out of the hands of her captors, toward an elderly and only remaining representative of a formerly thriving peacekeeping order made up of individuals with special powers, who have since been overthrown by the evil Emperor, but the Princess "misses" and accidentally sends said Something of Value to a humble farm boy of unknown parentage who lives with an uncle in a tiny, overlooked corner of the Empire. Uncle and farm are destroyed by the Empire, who wishes to retrieve the missing Something of Value, and Farm Boy, with his newly acquired Something of Value, in his grief, stumbles across said Elderly Representative who trains Farm Boy in the ways of the Order and helps Farm Boy hone his own Special Powers, the most powerful of which includes the control of minds. Farm Boy joins the rebels (and is attracted to Princess), but takes time out to travel to a distant, forested land where he trains under a more powerful mentor from the former Order. Both the Elderly Representative and Powerful Mentor perish before the end of the series, leaving Farm Boy feeling all alone and vulnerable. Also, Farm Boy must leave his training incomplete to go fight and defeat the mighty and all-powerful Emperor against all odds. Meanwhile, somewhere in the middle of the story, Farm Boy learns his true heritage during a dramatic reveal of a Secret Relative who happens to be one of the highest-ranking minions of the Emperor, which makes Farm Boy question his own inherent Goodness. Secret Relative gets redemption in the end by turning on his master and helping Farm Boy defeat the Evil Emperor. Yeah. That glaringly obvious Star Wars parallel. It's a good plot, so I'm not complaining, but I can't believe I missed the parallels. What I *am* struggling with is the characters in the books. For all the words that make up the four books of this series, one might think that the characters would be very well developed. But, like many of the critics, I kept noticing things that didn't make sense and seemed like a cop-out, even deus ex machina in some cases. I agree wholeheartedly with the criticism that the characters were not only underdeveloped, but at times, contradictory. I also agree with the other primary complaint of critics, that the majority of Paolini consists of detailed description, side plots, eloquent dialog (in some cases inappropriate, such as for an uneducated Farm Boy), and purple prose consisting of ridiculous and unnecessary flaunting of an extensive (and possibly superhuman) vocabulary. But... so does Tolkien. I understand now why the majority of critics call this work "derivative." It reminds me of Glenn Close performing the part of Norma Desmond in the musical Sunset Boulevard. Whereas most Broadway actors have their own style and sound, Glenn's performance sounds like a faded carbon copy of Patti LuPone's original performance, and let's face it: nobody, and I mean nobody, is Patti LuPone except for Patti LuPone. Paolini is no Tolkien. All that said, I still enjoyed reading Eragon as much as I enjoy listening to Glenn Close singing Norma Desmond (admit it: y'all didn't even know she sings, did you?) HOW IT ALL APPLIES TO MY OWN WRITING: I suffer from one of Paolini's afflictions: scope creep. He planned the "Cycle" to be a "Trilogy" but realized halfway into the third book that he would have to split it into two books. That created two problems: (1) He'd been referring to his project as a "Trilogy" up until that point, and two out of three books were already published and bestsellers, and (2) he needed to come up with a sub-plot for Book 3 (Brisingr) with a satisfactory conflict and resolution. In my opinion, he did okay, because I didn't finish Brisingr feeling cheated, but many critics complained about it. And I did have to admit that Eragon's search for a new light sabersword after his original weapon (given to him by Elderly Representative during his initial training) was confiscated by Secret Relative was overly long and annoying. I got to a point where I really didn't care if he ever found another sword. I feel like the extended search for a sword was invented as a plot to carry Book 3, forced into being by the need to split the last book in half. My current project is in a similar state: It started out as a book, which turned into a trilogy, which has since morphed into a four- or five-book series (at a minimum.) I find myself having to re-evaluate each book and decide what story I'm trying to tell, because my original story idea has turned into a story arc. I need subplots that stand alone to carry the individual books. The difference between my project and Paolini's is that mine isn't published yet, so I have the freedom to adjust the project. I also suffer from Paolini's tendency toward the verbose (case in point: this blog post), but that's not always a bad thing and can be a matter of opinion. I've read varying opinions on whether the side plots or even all the plot points in the primary plot were necessary. For instance, some critics claim the story would have a more exciting pace if all the scenes featuring Roran (Eragon's cousin) were removed. Other critics claimed that Roran's story was the most interesting part of Brisingr. Also, Books 3 and 4 chronicle the path of the Varden (the rebels) from battle to battle, as they conquer one city at a time in their quest for the capital city. Some critics claimed that chronicling each and every battle might not have been necessary. I find that ironic since so many of the same critics complain that the characters are underdeveloped, while the majority of those scenes helped build the characters and relationships. But the problem with Paolini's characterization has more to do with the paradox between what he shows and what he tells about the characters. Eragon ("Farm Boy") turns into a vegetarian and becomes physically ill when he takes the residual energy from the corpses of dying livestock, and yet he kills soldier after soldier - hundreds at every battle - without even flinching at the deaths. Arya ("Princess") has repeatedly said she does not want her mother's throne, and she withstood unspeakable tortures at the hands of the evil king's minion without giving him what he wanted, proving that she is incredibly strong-willed; yet she agrees to take the throne upon her mother's death after only a week of pestering by her fellow elves. This second example demonstrates how Paolini has grown as an author over a decade of writing the series, because I think the problem is not in Arya's decision to take the throne. I think it's in her initial proclamations that she had no interest in the throne ("I walk alone"). She shows a sense of duty throughout the series that makes it hard to believe she would not ascend the throne for the good of her people, unless another viable alternative was available. The "I walk alone" refusal is more out of character. But Paolini had already created the conflicting characterization by the end of the fourth book, he had not introduced the reader to a suitable alternative, and he was in the middle of another problem: trying to tie up loose ends in his already-100-page-denouement. Arya had no choice but to take the throne. However, it felt unsatisfactory because her "I walk alone" proclamation was weakly explained. That's all Paolini had time for. As it was, he left several ends untied. THE BOTTOM LINE: Paolini's mistakes in characterization and plot (the need for deux ex machina) highlight the importance of Prepping your novel, trilogy, or epic series BEFORE writing it. (See "October Novel Prep Challenge" [13+]). Also, hire a good editor before you publish.I can't believe I read all 2,700 pages in a row, but I'm glad I did. Not only did I enjoy the books, but I learned a lot about what works and what doesn't work from reading all the analyses. I might incorporate some new ideas into this year's Prep, not to mention my own epic projects. I learned some pretty impressive vocabulary words, too. |
I'm almost officially on Spring Break. Since I manage the new location (Polaris, which is only open Mon-Thu so far) and not the original location (Gahanna, which is also open Fridays and Saturdays for lessons), then I have a bit of choice in the matter. I'd like to declare Spring Break ON, but I haven't written my six evaluations yet.  Enrollments: That's another thing. I need to put some more online enrollment options on the website. Reception gave me options for Polaris but not Gahanna. We need to be on auto pilot next week, since we're closed. Minecraft: Yes.  I even spent some time reading online tutorials yesterday. Every time I think I'm an "expert" at this game, I discover new, more complicated things that I can do.Weight: No comment. Poor Witch: Here's a quick status update on the saga: Book 1: In the edit stage. It's been through a comprehensive plot edit. Next comes voice/characterization. The final edit will be for grammar/usage/spelling/typos. Book 2: NaNo 2012, and only partially written. I "won" that year but didn't finish the story. Also, the story that I did write needs a lot of tweaking to align it with Books 1 and 3. Book 3: NaNo 2013, and I actually finished this one, so I have full draft, though a rough draft. Book 4: In the concept stage and fodder for the "October Novel Prep Challenge" [13+] at some point. I *think* this will be the book that resolves the story arc, but the stupid story keeps growing.I've decided it's time to work on Book 2. I'm not sure if I'll be writing or editing or both, but I'll need to start by reading - the draft as it stands so far and the outlines and other development notes. Reading: Finished Eragon. Checked out Eldest and started reading. Will probably read a lot next week, due to Spring Break. Violin: Been practicing, but stalled. I'm struggling with something, and it frustrates me, so I only practice for ten or fifteen minutes at a time. I have a lesson today. Evaluations: Approved all Gahanna reviews. Must write my own Polaris reviews. Youth Praise Band: Three songs in progress, so I'm good here, because we haven't completed the three songs. I won't need another new song for at least a week or two, if at all. |
| Enrollments: - posted a handful of new classes on the web today - responded to a math tutoring business who wants to hold a joint music & math exploration event for kids - approved artwork for a print ad to run over the next three months Minecraft - none yesterday! ...today is another day, however Weight - finally stepped on the scale, after months and months of neglect: 182.3 - set a goal to drop below 180 by the end of the week  Poor Witch - one WDC review in progress - arranged for a fourth-grade teacher friend to read it to her class and provide me with feedback - still interested in trading novel reviews! Gigs - added several songs to my setlist, but no "Let It Go" yet, because I don't think it will translate well to acoustic guitar - landed a few more gigs than normal by sheer luck (well, and prior networking and impressing of manager-types) - completed an online profile for outdoor Columbus gigs (required this year by my regular farmer's market gig) I'm removing this from the list because it sort of runs itself; people contact me to perform, and I accept and go play. I don't solicit gigs because I couldn't handle performing more often than I already do. Reading - still reading Eragon, and in fact, my library check-out period expired (?! Is it possible that 21 days already passed?!) I checked it out again, and Kindle remembered where I was in the book. I read for two hours last night. - waiting for Storm Machine  to link me to the project she wants me to reviewViolin - none for the last three days because of extensive guitar gigs on Friday and Saturday. My fingers needed some healing time. Today would be the day to pick it up again, so I should do that before getting sucked into the Minecraft vortex. Teaching - new teacher Molly is fantastic and officially taking over my Tuesday lineup, except for one at-risk drum student - new teacher Lane worries me. I gave him several choices for orientation, and he picked today (Tuesday) at 11am. Then last night, he emailed to ask if he could have additional choices because a rehearsal came up that he couldn't get out of (although, the way it was worded, the rehearsal was already scheduled, and he assumed he could get out of it, and supposedly at the last minute "found out" that he couldn't get out of it after all because of an upcoming performance.) Not the best way to start out on your first day. I emailed him immediately back with new options, including 9am today (40 minutes from now), and he has yet to reply, so he must not have checked his email again last night after sending the request to reschedule. It doesn't feel like a high priority. Evaluations - Finished reviewing all the evaluations written by three managers and sent feedback. Now I just have to write my own, which will be six evaluations: two teachers, a computer lab attendant, a reception lead, a finance manager, and the Gahanna site manager. Accountability - I truly believe that the "Invalid Item" has inspired me to start monitoring these goals in my blog again, establishing and tracking my priorities. I've been very productive in the last day or two. But that may just be the ADD meds talking, which I stopped taking for about a month because I was taking sinus meds. Whatever the reason, I'll take it and hope it continues.Youth Praise Band - The kids are learning really quickly. They range from 2nd grade - 10th grade, and after just four rehearsals, we have one song completely down and two additional songs started, and they sound fantastic. We have nine total rehearsals, so I anticipate we'll be able to squeeze out one or maybe two more songs. ...and that's all she wrote for Tuesday. |
| Sometimes I wish I had a job with defined hours, so I could spend my leisure time doing fun things without guilt. By now, most of my friends and readers know that I have a crippling Minecraft addiction. I play for hours and hours and hours. It takes that long to complete building projects, mine enough ores to build railroads, travel long distances to find missing resources, and explore a world that is, at least in the PC version, unending. The designers of this game are truly brilliant people. I wish I could figure out how to make practicing your instrument this addictive. Most of the time, I have my life's priorities very well defined. But sometimes I wonder why I have the priorities I have. Am I trying to leave a mark on the world? I have my name in lights in two Columbus suburbs, I lead worship every week for the broken and imperfect, and more than thirty people have jobs and hundreds of kids are being shaped into hardworking, responsible, creative adults, thanks to the business I started, so: mission accomplished. Am I trying to carve out a living with my life's passions? I don't earn a lot of money doing what I do, and frankly, I don't use half of what I earn, so there. Am I just trying to have a little fun before I die? I do have a pretty awesome life, setting my own schedules, playing gigs, and doing whatever I want most of the time. But something in me remains unsatisfied.I graduated from college with a woman who went on to earn her MD and PhD in biomedical engineering and now serves as a faculty member, assistant director, and assistant dean at Harvard University. We used to study together as undergrads, and I always thought she was ridiculously studious, up before dawn and to bed after dark year-round, in the study lounge pretty much constantly. But I have to admit, she obviously knew what she wanted, and she got it. I admire that. I think many of us think we know what we want. Some of us are better at achieving those goals than others. For some, goals never make it past the "dream" stage. We "dream" of publication. We "dream" of a corner office. We "dream" of independent living, sufficient income, passionate romance, strong families, happy lives. We dream of these things, and in our minds, they never become reality, because we always want more, and we forget that we once had a lower goal. People don't step back and look at their lives thinking, "Check it out, I got the publication I always wanted!" or "I'm finally in the corner office!" Instead, they lament that the book isn't selling enough, that the office isn't on a high enough floor or in a big enough city. This is why we love fiction. We dream of closure, of satisfaction, of living the life of a protagonist who finally gets exactly what he wanted - nothing more and nothing less. I'm a fairly driven person, but it's not because I want more material wealth. I think encouragement, acceptance, and maybe admiration are my motivators, but I'm honestly not sure, because sometimes I get annoyed with people's expectations of me, which implies that I'm tired of pleasing people. I have an addictive personality. I get fixated on something, and I focus on it almost exclusively for months at a time. That's why I've built a successful business, written several complete novels and extensive outlines for several more, and composed dozens of original songs. That's why I've read scores and scores of literature ranging from classics to modern popular fiction. And that's why I have several full sets of enchanted diamond armor, thriving livestock and crop farms, and vast, elaborate structures that tower over a cubic digital world, all achieved in "survival" mode. But these fixations, even the ones that might be praised by the general public (i.e., all of them except the Minecraft addiction), are all unhealthy, because I focus on them at the expense of everything else. So I think what I really seek is balance. And I think I've spent my entire life striving for it and failing. I admit that having a regular 40-hour job was good for balance. I was able to go home and leave my work behind, where I could focus on chores, family, and leisure without guilt. But even when I had those "regular" jobs, I filled my extra time with reading, writing, gigs and part-time jobs, like the church position I've held for thirteen years, and yes, a variety of video game addictions. So I don't know why I'm whining, except to lament the hours I wasted on that stupid game yesterday. |
| 1. Enrollments: Being handled. Could be better. We haven't had promotional enrollments available online for a month. 2. Minecraft addiction: None today, except for Minecraft-inspired novel idea... 3. Weight: Uh... I finished off a bag of Chili Cheese Fritos and then ate a giant Oatmeal Cream Pie. Lunch? 4. Poor Witch: EDITED through the END! Hallelujah. Next revision will be edited for voice and characterization, but I am READY TO TRADE NOVEL REVIEWS. 5. Gigs: Hired to play for St. Patty's crowd this Saturday at Max & Erma's in the town where most of my church peeps live, in addition to my regular weekly Friday gig at the Mexican place. Luckily, my cold symptoms seems to be subsiding. 6. Reading: Reading Eragon and SEE #4. 7. Violin: 20 minutes today (so far) and definitely improving. 8. Teaching: Molly is working out great. Sent an offer to another instructor and waiting to hear back. 9. Performance Evaluations: About to read them now, since I'm obviously experiencing a productive streak. 10. Monthly Accountability Forum: See #4. 11. (NEW) Youth Praise Band: Nothing today, but putting this on the list because it's a high priority right now. We started rehearsals three weeks ago and have until 4/27 to prepare the worship service that the kids will lead. They sound great so far and are learning the two songs I've assigned, but I still have some arranging to do on both songs and 1-3 additional songs to pick and arrange. |
| <whine>I tried to give up Minecraft for Lent. Then I proceeded to play it all afternoon Saturday and Sunday. Under normal circumstances, this would be acceptable behavior. It's the weekend, after all, and I'm very productive during the week and on weekend mornings. But I'm sick! Again! Head cold, congestion, meds and morning Nyquil hangovers. And I have to sub again tonight. </whine> Back to The List: 1. Enrollments: We have a talented reception staff handling all that. "Handling" - they could use a little help. 2. Minecraft addiction: But it's educational and fun! 3. Weight: Scale at the doctor's office revealed not quite as bad as I thought, but still sort of bad. So I'm giving up overeating for Lent. Right after I finish this cookie. 4. Poor Witch: Still need to edit chapters 30-35, and then go through the whole thing again for characterization and voice and possibly to massage for my target market (once I pin it down). Then (or during that phase), I exchange peer reviews with WDC peeps. After that...? Like I have time for a book launch. Maybe submit to agents. It's going to have a lot of potential. But I have a bit of local clout in my (roughly defined) target market, so it might make more sense to go for a local indie launch. 5. Gigs: Added a few songs to the rep recently, but I would still like to modernize a little. Much as I hate to do it, I think my target market would appreciate an acoustic rendition of "Let It Go" *shudder* 6. Reading: Finished the Hunger Games and working on Eragon. Expect to exchange peer reviews soon. 7. Violin: Still practicing every day, 20-60 minutes. 8. Teaching: Hired one teacher to take over my Tuesday lineup. Interviewing another instructor later this morning, but he only teaches percussion. I need at least one more instructor. 9. Performance Evaluations: I have have have to do this. Every year, I blow this off until it "falls" off the list, but the three managers reporting to me finished theirs, so I need to review those AND write my own. I can do it if I just set aside a chunk of time and freaking do it. They don't take that long. 10. Negativity: Scratched from the list. I have my own things to take care of without letting myself get bogged down by other people's stupidity. 11. Monthly Accountability Forum: Keeping up with reading. Keeping up with promotion by default, because I'm just good at it. I'm not keeping up with editing like I should. I'm giving myself permission to "Let It Go" (see what I did there, hee hee?) until I get my health back on track. But that better only be a week or two, because every time I stop editing, it takes time to get the details of my story straight. I do a better job when it's all fresh in my head. Peace. |
| I'm the queen of procrastination. I can come up with insanely legitimate excuses not to work on something I dread. For example: "I had to practice guitar and piano and voice and violin for four straight hours this afternoon." Owie. My fingers hurt, and I still haven't written any performance evaluations. |
| I forgot one: Somehow, I've become single-handedly responsible for the quality of the church website, even though I've always been a volunteer, and even though I told the pastors a year ago that I don't have time for it anymore, and I even went so far as to move the design to Wordpress and simplify it so that it can be more easily maintained by new volunteers who may or may not know web code. Through a series of unfortunate events, starting with the terminal illness and eventual passing of an elderly church member who owned the web hosting service we used, and ending with an accidental transfer of the web domain without first backing up the website contents, the church website became suddenly broken a few weeks ago. And even though we have several new volunteers who have stepped forward to take over maintenance of the website, I am somehow responsible for getting the content back up and running. I'm trying not to be resentful of the pressure being placed on me, and I'm trying even harder to find the time to get the site back into shape, squeezing that in among all my other responsibilities. The site is usable now, at least, with pages full of accurate content and a restored church calendar link, and the site is ready to take new content by the new volunteers, as well as the pastors and videographers who upload weekly sermons and videos of the worship services. Yet somehow, I am being called out on Facebook when people ask what happened to such-and-such a sermon they can no longer access. I didn't break the website, and in fact, I provided explicit instructions about how to properly transfer the website, starting with backing it up. I'm not pointing fingers, because the website was broken by accident, but I'm not responsible, and I'm getting a little annoyed at being called out as if I personally broke it. I'm just the person trying to fix it, the only person who is apparently capable of fixing it, and coincidentally, the person who has less than zero time to do so. |
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Aw, thanks, 
