My saxophone is back! Besides the smudged enamel on the bell, it looks perfect... and it plays perfect too... Better than it did when I first bought it :-) I am such a happy camper. Of course, playing saxophone with a lingering cough from the cold I had last week was challenging... but I played for 45 minutes nonetheless. No more slacking off... I have this beautiful instrument, no reason I shouldn't be playing it several times a week if not everyday.

This is a factory picture of the horn I play... The picture doesn't do it justice.

Tomorrow I spend all day at the park with the kiddies. Ugh. I hope I don't lose anyone. It's a big park. I'll be sure to post the causalities when I get home from work.

So the big room change is coming up rather quickly. You see, I'm very tired of sharing a bathroom with the two girls on this floor who can't for the life of them figure out how to flush the toilet. It just so happens that my roommate Erik, who lives in one of the third floor rooms, is moving out this weekend. This means that I get to have his room, complete with its own bathroom. YAY! I can't wait. The room is slightly bigger, much nicer... etc etc. Did I mention I'd have my own bathroom? Thank God.

After work today I went into the city on a Kmart run in hopes that they would have the portable AC unit I wanted in stock. But alas, they did not, so I turned around, hiked all the way back home (via subway of course) and bought one from them online. It should be here in 3 to 8 business days. We all know it'll be 8. But that's fine because the weather has decided to get back down to the 70's at night for the next few days so there will be a slight level of comfort at least.

And at this point I'm going to tell you that Kmart never ceases to amaze me with its lack of items it claims to have in stock. I can honestly see why they have to close so many stores. Who wants to go through all the trials and tribulations of getting to the store if when they get there, the item they need, and were promised, is never there? I say we kick the Kmart out of Astor Place in the city and start up a Wal-Mart. I'd be going into the city everyday for my love of that store. Just think, if they'd build a few Wal-Marts around here, it'd be sure to boost the economy in one way or the other. People have to get there somehow... so there would be more money going to public transportation, and for those people, who have their own cars and drive, they'd have to pay the metered parking in the city... and quite frankly, people would spend a ton of money at the store itself. ::shrug:: They never listen to me though.

Back on track, after leaving Kmart ::coughsuckscough:: I wound up at the Virgin Mega store on 14th street, where I purchased a VHS of Robin Hood Prince of Thieves. I can't wait to watch the non-TV-edited version. This will definitely be a good night.

Another scorcher today here in the city. It's been difficult to sleep these last few nights, and I am being reminded how miserable last summer was with no air conditioner. The building I live in currently doesn't allow window a/c units, so if we want to be cool, we have to either run up the water bill by taking many cold showers, or we have to buy a portable a/c. (Swimming pools in the living room, although a refreshing idea, are strictly forbidden.) For those of you who aren't aware, portable a/c units stand on the floor, and you can, as the name states, move them about wherever you like. They are also much more expensive than window units. But you know what, if it means being able to sleep, and keep company comfortable, it's the move to make. I have to sleep. Sleep is good.

Work was wet today, much to my dismay. Three of my children wet themselves during nap time. (This is a regular occurrence, unfortunately.) So although we had no blood, no guts, no broken bones... the bodily fluid rule was shot all to hell. At least there was no vomit. When this sort of thing happens, wet cots have to be put outside to be cleaned and dried, floors have to be mopped, clothes have to be changed, etc. It's a mess. Especially when I have one child with no clothes to change into period. Then, another child has shorts and a shirt, but no underwear. And lets not forget the child who has a complete set of WINTER clothes, but no summer wear. (Long pants and a long sleeved shirt in 90 degree weather is a good way to have a heat stroke.) Add all that onto an hour and a half long staff meeting and you get a day full of BLAH! That's all I have to say about that.

My favorite kid quote for the day: Miss Smith asks, "What rhymes with bat?" and Christion (my youngest student at age 3 and change) replies "Dinosaur!" This is, of course, his answer to every question I ask. It amuses me.

I am SO hot. It hit 91 degrees today. And me with no air conditioner. Heaven help me.

Good news! I heard from the Sax Shop, and they're sending my saxophone back home tomorrow. Yay. It's not going to cost as much as they originally claimed, which is even better than good news. I talked to Demitri, and he said he heard them playing it, and it works like a charm. But I'll be the judge of that when it gets back next week. I miss my horn... so glad it's coming home.

Not so good news. My wisdom teeth are causing me trouble again. A few years ago I had the bottom wisdom teeth removed, and it was a terrible experience. Thus, I never had the top ones out. They have been causing me a lot of grief since Friday. At one point I even contemplated removing them myself with a screwdriver and a lot of booze. No amount of Advil or Tylenol seems to be working. The agony. Ow.

I bought creamsicles today too. I'm excited.

Okay, so I've been on quite a 6/8 kick while hunting down some of my favorite songs on Kazaa. I've always loved the meter signature, but man, I can't get enough of it lately. You all probably have your favorite 6/8 song and just don't realize it, but let me help you out.

For those of you who aren't musically inclined, 6/8 is a time signature where there are six beats per measure, and the eighth note gets the beat. Agh... What’s a measure?!? The metric unit between two bars on a staff :-P Simple, right? Try to figure it out... more often than not music you hear on the radio these days is in four. (But a lot of ballads and love you/hate you songs are done in six).

Here's an easy way to do it... Tap your foot/fingers (whatever suits your mood) to the beat of the music. Now, count along with the music as you tap... c'mon! You can do it... multi-task like a Virgo! Figure out the meter by counting how many times your foot taps per measure... When you get the waltz sort of feel to a song... you count 123 456. That's 6/8.

Another way to tell is to listen to the guitar (or whichever instrument is laying down the chords in that particular song)... usually the bass. Is it changing notes on beats one and three, or is it changing when you're on counts one and four? One and four? Then you have 6/8 meter. That might be a little harder to hear, depending on your ear training skills.

So here's a list of songs I've found (or rediscovered) this weekend that are in 6/8. I'm sure my roommates are sick of hearing them because I've played them over and over for the last two days. And this is just a small list of many.

Billy Joel - Piano Man
Bryan Adams - When You Really Love A Woman
Satellite - Dave Matthew's Band
Seal - Kiss From a Rose
Unsung Zero - Louder Than Words

I recently had a conversation with some friends discussing whether we'd rather lose our sight or our hearing. I didn't have to think twice before saying my sight. It all depends on your point of view, but I know this. I'm not sure what makes the rhythm of the music draw me in so quickly. Whatever it is, it has always been able to grab hold of my soul and take me for a ride that I've come to know and love so well. I wouldn't give that feeling up without a fight.

Long time, no post. Sorry. Things have been rather chaotic this week. Between work, and room switches, and life in general, I wasn't really in the mood. But I'm back, and I found a fun link. I have wasted many an hour taking these cute little "what are you" personality tests. Today I ran across one from a favorite 80's cartoon of mine. Ah... when I was just a child. Rainbow Brite. Which color kid am I?




Which Rainbow Brite kid are you? By Growing.

As if there was ever a question...

What a fantastic few days I've had. I spent all Saturday with my baby sister over in PA. We had such a great time. Most of her games got rained out, which defeated the purpose of them traveling here to play softball, so I got to spend more time with her than I would have otherwise. We laughed, we cried, we took pictures (which are going to be developed soon), we drew pictures on the kiddy books at Ruby Tuesdays, and just all-in-all had a ball... no pun intended. Thank you for such a wonderful time Ashley, you made my weekend. I'm beginning to crave the home environment... I can't seem to win for loosing, because I give up one set of treasures for another. Finding a balance is so difficult. I'll figure it out soon I hope.

And huge congratulations to my big little brother for be named Player of the Year in Florida high school baseball.. That's MY bubba!

Pics of the city are posted here... pics of the softball game will be posted when I get them in the mail.

Well yay. My sister made it to NJ on her very first airplane ride safe and sound. Of course, she managed to forget her sneakers, and a jacket, but I can provide those for her on Saturday when I meet up with her. She acted like she really enjoyed the flight, and was excited that they got to fly over the ocean. I can't wait to see her Saturday. I give thanks that she had a safe flight.

Let’s see what else... Tomorrow I find if I passed the teacher certification exams. If I did it will be great, because I'll get a $3/hr pay hike at the center, and it also opens the door wide for me to get a music teaching position here in the public schools. The results are going to be posted online, and I was so hoping that the Board of Ed would put them up earlier than the specified date, but so far, no luck. I keep getting that same dull message... "Scores will be posted after 5pm on 6/13/03" so until sit on your thumb and rotate. Evil.

Why is it that the scores are being posted on Friday the 13th? The irony.

My saxophone is somewhere between here and Illinois.. and I miss it terribly. I fear that it will be shaken, dropped, and banged upon. You know, just like the chocolate milk commercials where the dog chews on the box, and the mailman kicks the package around, and then proceeds to drop it down a chute where the box misses the mail crate and lands on the floor in a THUD! Good thing I created a bubble wrap barrier between the case and the box. It must have 30 feet of bubbles protecting it. ::whimper::

Today, I went into the city to shop, for the first time. I've only been into the city twice by myself since I moved here last year and both of those times were work related. This trip had a purpose but was for pleasure as well. It was time to buy gifts for my siblings to relay to my sister this weekend when she's in PA.

After making several train connections (G to the A to the 4 to the 6) I ended up in Astor Place, where the big rotating cube is nestled snugly into Goth/Punk central. There, I saw many people dressed all in black with spiked, multi-colored hair, and let’s not forget the black nail polish and the metal collars. That's St. Marks for you though. And I dressed in my Capri pants and a blue/green striped shirt. Can you say out of place? But you know what? This is New York, and no one cares.

I shopped for the siblings like a good big sister should. I bought myself a coffee from Starbucks. Yum. And looked at a bunch of rings and wondered what size Zann wears... which I quickly solved when I got back home. I'll not say what I got my brother and sister, because if they venture upon my site within the next week, I don't want them finding out.

My first taste of independence... and it was mmm mmm good.

In other news, and also just as exciting... I got a notice today that stated I will be receiving my teacher certification in the mail within the next week. Can you say hallelujah? The NYS Board of Education is even dating it effective as of February 1, 2003, which is great. That will have a better appearance than a certificate that was issued two days ago. Also, there is a public elementary school about three blocks from my house that is in need of a music teacher. I'm going to be checking that out in the next couple of days. It seems that music teachers are in demand in Brooklyn this year... thank goodness.

Speaking of Mmm Mmm good... Steven and Joe of Aerosmith... yum dandy indeed.

I have done the most terrible thing. Today, while getting ready to practice my Selmer Paris Superaction Seris II saxophone, my horn slipped off the neck strap... (Saxophone players will know exactly what I mean when I say that stupid little clip that holds the horn to the strap turned itself inside out, which so often happens) and because I was putting on the reed, and had both hands on the ligature, the saxophone went crashing to the ground. I am upset. The bell is no longer in the shape of a circle, but oblong, because it took the force of the blow. When that happened the keys in the lower stack shifted, which makes it impossible to play the low register notes. It fell on the carpet, which is better than it falling on the hard floor, or say, down the stairs... but it doesn't matter. A broken horn is a broken horn.

So now, on Monday, I get to box up my most prized possession, take it down to the UPS office, and ship it to Illinois. There's a store there called The Sax Shop, (which is where I bought the horn) and they are well-known for their miraculous repairs of even the most ruined instruments. (In college a friend had his sax knocked off the top of a piano onto the floor, and when it came back, he said it played better than it did when he first bought it; they even say that the guys at the shop repaired a sax that had been run over by a car. Wow.)

I know that having it fall off the neck strap isn't my fault, it's not like I was just letting it hang there without holding it all. But I'll be damned if I'll ever put a reed on standing up again. When I get it back it will probably be as good as new, but man, I feel wretched. My clean record of saxophone care for 12 years is tarnished forever.

I'm really looking forward to seeing my sister play softball in PA next weekend. She's going to be there with her team, the Lady Bears, playing several games in the three day tournament. If you keep up with my blog, you'll see there runs an underlying theme of base/softball. My siblings turned out to be quite the atheletes. I, on the other hand, have no talent in sports because I lack the coordination, and the know-how.

I ended up with a lot of musical talent, though. I think after 12 years of playing saxophone I finally got a handle on how to make the instrument work the way it should. I'm by far not the best out there, but I can hold my own when it comes down to it all.

Here's a picture of my little sister, showing off her Lady Bears uniform. She's quite the character.

Wow. Where does the time go? It's Thursday already. Too bad it's not Friday night. I'm ready for the weekend.

Let’s bring you up to speed. I spent most of Wednesday at home because when I woke up that morning, it was raining in my room. Not just in my room, but on my bed in my room. How fun is that? The ceiling was leaking from all the rain we've been getting here in good old BKNY. Thank goodness it started dripping about the time my alarm went off, so the bed didn't get more than five or so drops on it. Can you guess how many times I tripped over the garbage can I had catching the water? Ha! You guessed wrong! 0 times is the correct answer. At any rate, I took the day off of work, you know, just in case the ceiling decided to come crashing into my room along with the rain.

I asked my class a simple question today. And the answers I got were amazingly cute. Now you must remember, that I teach pre-K which is 3, 4, and 5-year-olds. We were reading a story about the Oregon Trail, and the kids wanted to know why the people were shooting the buffalo. I explained that they needed it for food, which they thought was incredibly disgusting. Why people would eat something like that was beyond them. At which point I asked "Well, who knows what hamburger comes from?" About 10 hands shot up, and I got the following answers: "McDonalds," "Burger king," We just make um!” Oy. Eventually I set them straight, and taught them that food like hamburger, chicken, fish, and ham comes from animals. By the looks on their faces, I may have turned them all into vegetarians.

Poor kids. Someone has to set them straight. They'll never look at a cow the same again. (Not that there are cows in Brooklyn... which might have been a big part of the confusion.)

Well, I've made it back to NY safe and sound... I really missed being with my family, and the visit was so enjoyable that the time flew by too quickly. So quickly, that I'm planning on making another trip back in August. No more six months between visits. I'm the oldest daughter, and the big sister, and I feel I've be slacking on my duties as such lately. My brother is a man, and my sister has turned into a beautiful young woman. Too much to miss.

Other things I realized I really missed while I was in NY:
1. My babies 2. Feeling wanted 3. Always having someone to talk to who will listen showing genuine concern no matter how trivial the subject 4. Cable T.V. 5. Florida sunshine 6. Warm weather 7. Palm trees 8. Fresh air 9. Being in a place where country music is not only acceptable to listen to, but enjoyed by 95% of the population 10. Wildlife: horses, cows, puppies, lizards, birds, everywhere.

That's just a few on a long list of many... There was no smog to breath in Eustis, which was wonderful. Cookouts and bonfires under the stars... stars! yes... there are no stars in the NY skies.

It was good to be home...
I don't know who this quote comes from.. but it is the truest statement I've ever heard.

"I've learned....
That having a child fall asleep in your arms is one of the most peaceful feelings in the world."