Hits and Misses (May 1-7)

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

HITS

• It appears that Mom continues to improve.  Although we still don't know exactly what caused the trips to the ER with her heart, I am happy to say that she is slowly getting her energy back and has had no further episodes. That was welcomed news as I went into the busy final week of the semester.
• Few things bring a smile to the face of students and faculty like realizing that the end of the semester has finally arrived. Finals and juries went off without too many tears. A new class of graduates joined the ranks of WBU alumni. The faculty defeated the students AGAIN in our annual softball game. (I, of course, merely cheered my colleagues from the stands.) Now I am anxious to start my summer vacation!
• On Thursday, I enjoyed lunch with some music alumni and current students. It was fun to sit with these incredible young people away from campus and hear their stories while laughing together. I don't get to do this very often -- this was very different from the weekly donut nights -- and definitely something I enjoyed. 
• As the semester came to an end, the WBU School of Music was finally able to announce the appointment of our new Director of Bands. Dr. Ron Montgomery will be joining our team in the fall and we are excited about the possibility that the future holds.

 

MISSES

• I try to avoid hanging around campus too long after classes are done because I don't enjoy the lull of activity that follows. When there's nothing that I need to do, I get restless. Loneliness sets in and I get ready to be with my family. I enjoy the short breaks that come in the middle of the term -- those are opportunities to recharge before returning to the frantic pace of the semester. The end of the term finds me staring at the walls, looking for something to do as I wait to head back to Memphis. Thankfully, by the time many of you read this post, my car will be packed and I'll be hitting the roads and heading east before the sun goes down! If all goes as planned, I should arrive in east Arkansas on Tuesday afternoon.
• To deal with the quiet Friday afternoon I was suddenly facing, I decided to catch a movie. Nothing was playing that I really wanted to see, so I decided to check out Tom Hank's The Circle since it had mildly caught my attention. What a horrible idea! The film's basic concept was completely presented in the first 20 minutes. The ending had me turning to another theater-goer and asking if I had fallen asleep and missed a critical plot twist. Sadly, I saw everything the film had to offer and left the theater feeling confused and let-down. Here's hoping that better cinematic experiences await in the summer months ahead.