Monday, November 4, 2013

Hits and Misses (October 27 - November 2)

It's hard to believe that I flew home at the beginning of last week and now I'm making plans for a return trip to the beautiful coast later this week. Needless to say, this week has been busy and it was very important that things got done. Unfortunately, it seemed that I hit more snags than normal.  Here's the week that was.

HITS

  • After getting re-routed to Memphis due to my flight to Little Rock being cancelled on Sunday, I was thankful that the trip to the Little Rock airport on Monday was painless. I spent only 15 minutes in the terminal getting my bag and then headed straight to my car.
  • I've heard all of the hype about the Lord of the Ring trilogy, but I've never been able to get through it. It should not be a surprise that I would try to read the books first. Since I don't really enjoy the fantasy genre, I struggled with the storyline. Since I had a long flight, I decided to rent The Fellowship of the Ring to watch on my iPad…and now I understand why everyone has such high praise for these films! They are beautifully made and the story resonates with clear moral lessons. I plan to finish the trilogy on my upcoming flights to and from LAX.
MISSES
  • It should be considered a "hit" that I didn't have to take off a day of work in order to retrieve my car and bag on Monday. That should have been my response. Instead, I was completely frustrated that what should have been a relaxing day since my lessons at Union were cancelled had to be wasted with a trip to the airport because of the airline's judgment call.
  • I've been hearing a lot of stories about people who simply are not paying their bills. Few things annoy me more. If you made a financial commitment, be mature enough (not to mention ethical) and follow through with the payment. I still can't believe that people are insulted when businesses and individuals decide to take action in order to recoup their money. I've faced bill dodgers too many times over the years in my piano studio. Just so we're clear……I don't care who you are……if you owe me money and don't pay me or make reasonable arrangements to get me my money, I will take steps to secure the money I have earned. Don't be surprised if you get reported to a collection agency or find yourself in small claims. Ugh!
  • Sometimes students need to be reminded of their role in the educational process and the professor's role. This week, I had a student openly defy my authority in class and refuse to do the work assigned. Once I instructed her to begin the work, she took it upon herself to berate me under her breath (although she was convinced I couldn't hear her). When I informed her that she needed to leave my classroom, she became very defensive and claimed that I had misunderstood. I told her I would be happy to hear her take on the situation after class, but for now, she was leaving. (Shocking that I haven't heard from her at all since this exchange.)
  • I hate changing plans. I understand that it is necessary at times, but as the project's culmination is approaching it really begins to get under my skin. There comes a point when you simply have to say that things are going on as planned for better or for worse.
  • With all of the driving I was doing this week, traffic was especially a nightmare. The drive to Little Rock would normally be a 90 minute drive; an additional 30 minutes were tacked on due to construction projects. What is most annoying is that the project effected some 45 miles of interstate although the work was confined to a 5 mile span. On Friday, an accident between two semi-trucks added an extra hour to my commute to Union. That meant that I was 30 minutes late to an opera rehearsal that only lasted an hour. I'm just really thankful that those types of traffic nightmares don't occur too often in my world.
There you have it! Now if I can just survive until Wednesday afternoon, I have a feeling my return trip to Los Angeles will be filled with "hits" that I can share next week.  Have a great Monday, everyone!

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