Like any good teacher, I've got stickers to put on my students' piano assignments. I use them as an indication that they've passed that particular song. The problem? The stickers are a little too affirming for what I'm trying to convey. While "Terrific!" "Fantastic!" and "Way 2 Go!" are definitely nice sentiments, I'm looking for something more honest. Something along the lines of, "Well, at least you hit most of the notes." Or how about, "I'm feeling generous today." Even better: "I have some unidentified feeling that could be generosity but could be laziness or even apathy. Here, kid, have a sticker." Maybe, "Wow, you must have practiced at least once this week!" Perhaps the most honest of them all could be, "I'm tired of this song, let's move on for my sake." I think my personal favorite (as it is my mother's outlook on housekeeping and I therefore apply it to life in general) would be, "Better is good enough!"
Where are the honest stickers? Oh well, this is the post modern world, right? Everyone's a Terrific, Fantastic, Number 1, Way-to-go Winner with a gold star on top!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
ThanksTAKING
This has been one of those days that just takes all the gratitude right out of me. I don't mean it to be that way, and if I thought about it, I could count my blessings.
I've had a migraine since Saturday. After being in bed for two days straight I couldn't fall asleep last night until 3 am and proceeded to sleep through my alarms this morning. This made me extra late to work and I didn't get a shower. Because I was extra late, my coworker was extra grouchy. Also, my headache is not gone.
I had to leave early from work to go the doctor. I had directions, sort of. But there are two locations in close proximity and it was very confusing. I called the main line to try to find out if I was in the right place and they thought I was... but then I wasn't. So I was very late for my appointment, which I really couldn't afford to be. And I was trying hard not to cry because that would only make my headache worse. The doctor was very nice but I was totally overwhelmed by all "help" available to me. I managed to have time to go get a hot chocolate which tasted funny (it always does from that Starbucks) and was expensive (they charge extra for a peppermint hot chocolate this time of year because now it's a "holiday drink"). Also I got a tough, crusty bagel. Yum yum.
Anyway, after several more hours of engagements, I stopped at the grocery store. Mistake. We are two days away from Thanksgiving. Apparently that's when people do their shopping. I just wanted milk. Oh, and flour. Oh, and... so I was there for a while. I piled up stuff in my arms. They didn't have the oatmeal that was on sale. They didn't have swiffers. They didn't have small blocks of Velveeta (obviously the only reason you would buy Velveeta is if you were so poor you couldn't afford real cheese so you buy gargantuan blocks of yellow goo... but wait! the price of Velveeta is so high these days, that doesn't make sense either. I give up.) I finally got in line. No express lanes open, no. That would make too much sense. The nice couple in front of me let me put my stuff down on their cart. And then just as they finished checking out, I saw the cashier bag a carton of milk for them. MILK! Nooooo! I didn't pick up the milk! Whatever. I so don't need milk. Who drinks milk anyway? (whimper) I can totally do without milk till after Thanksgiving (lord knows I'm not going back there till then). (Aaaaaack, I need milk!) How did I manage to remember a freakin' red pepper and not milk? Man. Oh well. I paid my $15 and change, shoved my inherited cart into some other semi-returned carts and grouched my way back to my car which was carefully parked between three non-returned carts.
Here at home I've been gnawing on, no, nomming down in quick succession, lemon Starburst. Lemon are only third best, which really means they are second to last. I was eating them quickly to get them out of the way for the one pink one that turned up. How annoying.
And though this rant has been sort of satisfactory, I know it does not measure up to some of the past. See? Even my ranting is below par today. Ugh. Did I mention that it is cold and my neck is tighter than... something really tight? But it's not as cold as at home, in WA. So I can't even complain properly about that.
Whatever. I think I'll go to bed. And maybe even wake up for my alarm in the morning. Time shall tell. (insert something witty about time shall tell and alarm clocks).
Goodnight.
Oh, and somewhere in there I might have eaten three doughnuts. Oops.
I've had a migraine since Saturday. After being in bed for two days straight I couldn't fall asleep last night until 3 am and proceeded to sleep through my alarms this morning. This made me extra late to work and I didn't get a shower. Because I was extra late, my coworker was extra grouchy. Also, my headache is not gone.
I had to leave early from work to go the doctor. I had directions, sort of. But there are two locations in close proximity and it was very confusing. I called the main line to try to find out if I was in the right place and they thought I was... but then I wasn't. So I was very late for my appointment, which I really couldn't afford to be. And I was trying hard not to cry because that would only make my headache worse. The doctor was very nice but I was totally overwhelmed by all "help" available to me. I managed to have time to go get a hot chocolate which tasted funny (it always does from that Starbucks) and was expensive (they charge extra for a peppermint hot chocolate this time of year because now it's a "holiday drink"). Also I got a tough, crusty bagel. Yum yum.
Anyway, after several more hours of engagements, I stopped at the grocery store. Mistake. We are two days away from Thanksgiving. Apparently that's when people do their shopping. I just wanted milk. Oh, and flour. Oh, and... so I was there for a while. I piled up stuff in my arms. They didn't have the oatmeal that was on sale. They didn't have swiffers. They didn't have small blocks of Velveeta (obviously the only reason you would buy Velveeta is if you were so poor you couldn't afford real cheese so you buy gargantuan blocks of yellow goo... but wait! the price of Velveeta is so high these days, that doesn't make sense either. I give up.) I finally got in line. No express lanes open, no. That would make too much sense. The nice couple in front of me let me put my stuff down on their cart. And then just as they finished checking out, I saw the cashier bag a carton of milk for them. MILK! Nooooo! I didn't pick up the milk! Whatever. I so don't need milk. Who drinks milk anyway? (whimper) I can totally do without milk till after Thanksgiving (lord knows I'm not going back there till then). (Aaaaaack, I need milk!) How did I manage to remember a freakin' red pepper and not milk? Man. Oh well. I paid my $15 and change, shoved my inherited cart into some other semi-returned carts and grouched my way back to my car which was carefully parked between three non-returned carts.
Here at home I've been gnawing on, no, nomming down in quick succession, lemon Starburst. Lemon are only third best, which really means they are second to last. I was eating them quickly to get them out of the way for the one pink one that turned up. How annoying.
And though this rant has been sort of satisfactory, I know it does not measure up to some of the past. See? Even my ranting is below par today. Ugh. Did I mention that it is cold and my neck is tighter than... something really tight? But it's not as cold as at home, in WA. So I can't even complain properly about that.
Whatever. I think I'll go to bed. And maybe even wake up for my alarm in the morning. Time shall tell. (insert something witty about time shall tell and alarm clocks).
Goodnight.
Oh, and somewhere in there I might have eaten three doughnuts. Oops.
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