Hits and Misses (February 8-14)

Here's a look back at the week that was.....

HITS

• One of the highlights of the week was seeing The Lion King at the Orpheum on Wednesday night with my teenage nieces and Mom. Even though I was rather disappointed with the production as a whole (more about this in Friday's post), I love watching young people enjoy exposure to the performing arts. That's one of the main reasons I try to provide as many opportunities as I can for the girls that I adore.
• On Thursday, I finally took the chance and performed a small recital with the aid of my AirTurn. The device is a set of foot pedals that turn pages of musical scores I have scanned into my iPad through Bluetooth technology. I'm not sure that I will always rely on AirTurn, but it is nice to know that it is a viable option. The possibilities of eliminating the huge binder that is normally found in my left arm during the day is also quite exciting!
• As the week began to wind down, I had a lot of fun creating valentines for my young piano students. They were simple, but the kids seemed to enjoy getting them (contrary to snarky remarks made by a colleague -- GRRR!) so that means they did their job.
• My mother loves fresh flowers, but rarely gets to enjoy them because arrangements can be pricey. At the beginning of the month, I ordered flowers from Teleflora for Mom's anniversary. Since the big date is also Valentine's Day, I decided to have the flowers delivered a couple of days early. I was afraid it was going to turn into a big "MISS" when the local florist was calling me late on the delivery date. Thankfully, they managed to fill the order and a beautiful arrangement showed up at Mom's office just before she was leaving for the day. 
• I also celebrated my birthday on Valentine's Day. I had a lot of things to do Saturday and was trying to stay faithful to my diet (after several days of splurging), so there was not a lot of partying for me. I did have a great day in spite of my lack of chocolate and soda thanks to lots of emails, Facebook posts, and text messages from friends around the world.

MISSES

• It's never enjoyable to find yourself in an uncomfortable situation. It can be very awkward to make conversation when you are trying so hard to make sure that no one gets upset. I haven't had a lot of practice with these recently.....so I'm a little out of shape with handling them.
• Our trip to see The Lion King meant that we were in for a very long night. Mom and I got the girls home just before 11.....and that means we made it back to the Geriatric Ward at midnight. Needless to say, Mom and I were both dragging a bit the following afternoon. 
• Once again, my online class experienced technical problems associated with Java this week. I am thrilled that the issue is finally being resolved after much too long and way too many problems.
• Life has been extremely busy this week, so I've found that I have had very little time to read or write. I know that is par for the course during these crazy times, but I still don't have to like it. I'm trying really hard to carve out time for both activities......and to work on an upcoming article that I intend to submit for publication in the fall.
• My feelings toward the music of Faure have taken a downward turn this week. That's really sad for me because I have enjoyed the sounds of the French composer for many years. At the moment, I'm learning two of the composer's art songs that I simply find incredibly difficult to learn. I don't necessarily mind the hard work if the return is more enjoyable than these pieces are proving to be.

PROGRESS REPORT

• The Curious Incident of the Dog....p. 177 of 221 (108 pages this week)
• Cole Porter by William McBrien - p. 20 of 397 (20 pages this week)