Hits and Misses (October 2-8)

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

HITS

• It's always nice to get unsolicited feedback on my posts. It makes me feel good and encourages me to keep writing. After all, I like to know that people are actually reading....even if I am primarily writing for my personal enjoyment and benefit. I received a couple of comments this week from people in passing here in Plainview that were nice to hear. I especially enjoyed an email I received from Memphis about some recent posts; they went on to tell me that they had shown the posts to my parents who were surprised and touched as I recounted stories about them. The best present was the attached photo of the Geriatric Patients. If you've been following at all recently, you've probably picked up on the fact that I have really been missing home lately. The picture was just the boost that I needed to get me through until I get to go home for Thanksgiving break.
• On Thursday evening, Dr. Anthony King and I presented our faculty recital featuring works for marimba and piano. It was a lot of fun to put the project together and we were both thrilled with the number of people who came to hear us play and the positive responses we got. Both of us have been stopped while running errands around town by random people who simply wanted to tell us how much they enjoyed the recital. What's most funny is that in almost every case, we had virtually no idea who we were talking to! Now, we begin looking forward to our next performance together and the fun of selecting new repertoire.

MISSES

• I've not felt terribly good for much of the week, but the annual bout of the crud didn't catch up with me until early Friday morning. Now that I look back over the week, I see that many of my responses to events were colored by the fact that I simply did not feel good, but had too much to do to stop. (You've had fair warning.....read this week's "misses" with the understanding that I'm horribly cranky when I don't feel well.)
• The week started with an offertory at CHBC. That's nothing out of the ordinary and I played fine. What was annoying was the "Chatty Cathy" who sat in the front row and felt it necessary to carry on an elaborate conversation throughout the morning service -- including the worship, offertory, and sermon. For those of you who have never been to CHBC, the piano sits on the floor instead of on the stage with approximately 8 feet between me and the Motor Mouth! I chuckled when a member of the team shot her a look during the morning's songs. While I was playing, I tried to control the "glare".....but I don't think I succeeded. Really? Is it that difficult to wait a few hours to tell your story? If it is that important, maybe you should consider taking it to the hallway instead of disrupting everyone else in the sanctuary. (Rant over....)
• It's been said that there is no such thing as a stupid question. I agree with that. There are, however, annoying questions. These are questions that have been asked -- and answered -- repeatedly and are also written prominently in various available documents. I found myself attempting to patiently answer questions this week when I really wanted to scream to do a little careful reading before asking the question.
• To bring the week to an appropriate culmination, Thursday was the day of my recital. It was also the day that the construction workers decided to make repairs to the roof of my apartment complex. I had a busy day scheduled, so I made sure to lay out clothes for the evening before leaving the apartment. When I returned home to change, my carefully arranged clothes were covered in pieces of the popcorn ceiling that had been knocked free by the movement on the roof. Not only was there stuff on the clothes....it had also stained my black shirt and pants with streaks from the white powder. Fortunately, I knew I had another set of concert blacks in the closet.....so I searched throughout the mounds of hangers until I found what I was looking for. The new wardrobe was fine......I was just frustrated that the apartment was now more of a mess than when I left it. Oh well.....I told you that I was cranky this week!