Public Service Announcement

Good afternoon gentle readers.

It's that time of year where I feel it is my duty to do a little public out reach. It's like community service, except it's not court mandated. For those who are not aware every year there is a holiday that many people celebrate. Some even look forward to it. I am, of course referring to Singles Awareness Day. It comes but once a year and unlike other holidays you don't have to think of anyone else. You don't even have to make declarations of what you may be thankful for because chances are you are not thankful for much of anything. S.A.D. is a great day to just give the one digit salute to all those "happy" couples out there. Who are not happy because if they were some people who are attracted to the wedding band would never have dates, and they too would only come once a year.

But I digress, this year I would like to focus on some of the grand few of you who have graced my boudoir (I so can't believe I spelled that right on the first try) and brought me to this fine holiday.

First and foremost I would like to give a shout out to all the fuctards who couldn't even make the commitment of showing up for the one and only date that we scheduled. I hate to say that these are the extras in my love life, such as it is, and they are a cast of thousands. Though I barely knew you, I hate you.

Moving on. To those I truly hit it off with, you are cute, funny, smart and we have lots in common and plenty to talk about. I love those things about you, and your current boyfriend. Need I say more?

Next to those of you who are smart, funny, talented and live in a different time zone.

Well that just wiped out 97.5% of my past. Moving on to those who really matter.


...


Now that I have hit those who matter let's go to everyone else. To the Jackass who laughed in my face when I said "We have been hanging out a lot this last month and I have been having a great time. I would like to try this as more than friends." Your response "HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!... No" Then two weeks later when you were jealous of a friend of mine and you said you wanted to date and I said no. Who's laughing now jackass, who's laughing now? Make no mistake I am laughing so hard I am crying. Those are tears of joy and mirth my friend, not because my meds ran out last night.

To the "Happy f*#$ing birthday to me guy". We had a good month together. When on our first "date" you asked me to stay the night. Then a month later, the night before my birthday I see you out at a bar with a guy. You avoid me all night until I text and ask who was with you. You respond "It's my bf" I respond with 5 jack and cokes and "That is great, delete my number." I particularly enjoy the emails and phone calls saying that you thought we were just friends and that those weren't dates. I would still like to state for the record I do not give blow jobs to my friends especially if I had a bf. , anyone else???? That is what I thought.

To the one who lives and Chicago now and ... actually we are still very good friends and we get along great. I still think he is a good guy and miss that he doesn't live closer. So kudos to him for being a bright spot.

Moving on this is a bitter rant I can't spend time on niceties. To those under 25 and over 52 that I seem to attract I say "Your nice and all but not really what I am looking for, but thanks."

To the crazy stalker that kept IMing me online with this fun conversational style. "I hate you never contact me again." "So are you just ignoring me now?" "I said don't talk to me again." "That is so childish of you to ignore me like this, I just want to talk." Fine be a bitch I hate you just don't IM me again" "Fine I guess you don't want to talk." That of course was just one person talking I was not sending replies I was to busy reading the instructions on how to permanently block someone on that site.

And this boys and girls is why I am happy to be celebrating S.A.D. and not that other holiday that occurs around the same time.

Happy S.A.D. everyone.

Positive notes

I know sometimes I can complain about my students and today I could really go off on a long rant but instead I would like to say a big thank you to those students who show up on time. Those who always have their music, are quiet in class and do their homework and are in general great students. Thank you thank you thank you.

On another good thing. 6 weeks and I am down 10 lbs. Yea!!!!!

Is is just me?

Now I am not one to have problems with simple instructions. I have no problems with milk cartons or cereal boxes. I have even master CD cases with that damned strip of tape that never comes off in one piece. Can openers were a bit touch and go for a while but after the age of 8 I seem to not have problems. I even somehow got past childproof caps at the ripe old age of 4.

Yet...

Yet, I seem to be baffled by the instruction on the side of many packaged dinners that says "push with thumb and lift". Every time I think I can do this. I put my thumb on the perforated edge, push and crush the box. Did I manage to open the box? No. I just smash the corner of the box. Most of the time I just rip the top off, I find this to be pretty effective. I have just always wondered why give that option? I mean, for me, it has never worked. The way I see it peeling back the lid and dumping the contents where ever you may need it seems to work just fine. Anyone else have this problem? Am I alone on this one?

Anyone...?

Yea that's what I thought.

The things from college I miss.

Today I was looking over the list of music for All-State band. The one that jumped out at me was "Fantasies on a Theme by Haydn" by Norman Dello Joio. I heart this piece in a big way, it was part of the best year I ever had musically at my University. Not to say the other years were bad but looking back we played so much great music in that one year. To look at the concert listing it was like the list of Band classics.

My other years were great but for several different reasons. It was my freshman year and I couldn't think of a better time to just get sucked into really great music.

The sad thing is that I haven't had that level of emersion since then. I teach music yes but I am not surrounding myself with what I would call the best the music world has to offer. I recently have just been craving the ability to sit in the middle of music. I miss being in an ensemble. Listening is one thing but to be there in the middle of it all, I can't think of anything better. When you hit that moment when all the parts come together in perfect intonation and it's a great chord to begin with... It's the closest thing I have ever come to a religious experience. If there is a god this is what that god wants us all to experience. A moment of complete contentment and a rush of excitment, that burning in your chest as you are hit by a wave of sound so wonderful you want to cry, laugh and shiver all at once. If ever I could get back to those moments.... It may also be that part of my life is over. But it is something that if I can make happen I will.

Ah good music.

Sunday afternoon

I get a text from FN saying he was at Metro with some friends if I was bored to stop by. At this point I have done one thing that day moved from my bed to my couch. So I hop in the shower and walk on down. Mind you I have yet to eat today. I get there an I have a rum and coke, then a rum and coke, then a rum and coke, then a rum and coke... you get the point. I decide before this gets worse I need to leave. I really need to go to the store and get some groceries since I have been super bad about my diet this last week.

As I am walking back to my apartment I think I could get in my car and drive the two blocks to the store or I could just walk it. I walked it because really the temperature has climbed considerably since the beginning of the week. So really why shouldn't I walk. The real point of this is that I noticed while checking out that I am a little tipsy and everything seems a little swayie. I know why I am like this my question is why are the people working at the grocery like that. I swear all the employees where just stumbling around like they were drunk. Not really paying attention to anything they are doing. Which would explain why my loaf of bread is only two inches wide in the middle. I just shake my head at the people and move on.

Almost there

The weekend that is. I have been so tired this last week. I feel like an old man. Reason for that are the fatigue and the arthritis. Yes I have arthritis, I have had it since I was 10. It flared up when I was young so bad that I couldn't walk for 3 days. I remember it very clearly because it was so weird. It crept up on me during the day and by lunch I couldn't walk and the teacher had to carry me to the bathroom. To make it worse she was a nun. The same one that damned our class to hell. Anyway I have lived with arthritis mostly in the hips and when it gets really cold it gets worse but this week my hands have really started hurting more and more. I am sure there are several factors one of which I have started practicing the piano more. I have also been knitting and the general cold of the winter is just making every joint in my body ache. I will get over it all a few pain killers and I will be well again.

Easily distractible

I am easily distracted and this is a fact that many people are aware. None more keenly then my students. I know this and work very hard to avoid. They know that if they don't want to go over homework that they can get me on a topic that has nothing to do with class and I could go for days. Some days I go with it because I too do not what to talk about what is at hand. Sometimes the conversations are relateable to the class I am teaching but many times it is not.

Today was one of those days. I sit down for music theory and start a discussion about talk radio. It saddens me when speaking on this subject. Why? Well it gets me to thinking of the stupidity of the social collective in this country and how easily we buy into things. It's also disheartening to think that we are also so inflexible to accept an alternate view point. I am just as guilty as anyone else and I know this. However many people are not. For me Talk radio is guilty of more than one treason against it's listeners. Let me preface all this with one thing, when I speak of talk radio I don't just mean right leaning I also lump lefties in there too.

First they very rarely hold rational debates. A rational debates allows all sides to be heard whether they are right or wrong whether we agree with the speaker or not. We can challenge a point and by challenge I don't mean petty name calling and "I know you are but what am I" is not what I would call an intellectual debating style. When you can not have a good question to follow their point or fact to prop up you side of things you just shut the hell up and concede the point. Just because you "feel" a certain way does not me that it is right. I "feel" Capri's are stupid and of the devil, that doesn't mean they are.

Second, when you have a producer that only allows calls through of people who agree with you or are so stupid and crazy they couldn't argue there way out of a paper bag that is not being honest with your public. This is my "pick on someone your own size" argument. It's not fair for me to challenge a student who has been playing the sax for one year to a contest of playing abilities. I don't think it is fair that many of these host never actually have a fair fight. How do I know? Because I do listen to these guys, I like to know what bile and stupidity is being shot into the airwaves. I cringe most of the time and I want to yell at the callers because many times they can't string two thoughts together and that is the opposition? Sad days.

Third, why are these people allowed to say what they put forth as news. You are opinion, just because at the top of the hour you read a story from the AP or the weather report that you are all news all the time. This is false and purposely misleading. This is where the collective stupidity of the public comes into play. People believe this to be true. We allow these people to lead us down a path of opinion and call it news. If it were news it wouldn't be one person yelling for two hours they can't possibly do enough research to fill two hours everyday by themselves. It's just not possible. So again if this were a court of law their arguments would be through out because it is pure speculation and rumor. This is also my problem with "news reporters" these days who don't get more than a source or even fact check.

The fourth thing that just pisses me of is that we allow it to happen. We let these people get away with it. I am not news here I am an opinion. This is all about my observations. This is why I have a blog that no one should read or take seriously and not a column in the Washington Post. I don't propose that I am. But some people in large forums say they are, imply they are and let people believe they are. I would be appalled if someone thought what I was writing was something well researched and thought out. People there is no thought here just a crazed teacher that didn't get enough sleep last night and his students aren't doing their homework so he is going on crazy tangents and tirades.

In conclusion Capri's are dumb they aren't shorts they aren't pants they are just lame.

Thank you