noel

so christmas 2010 is in the books.

the tree survived, with some tasteful redecoration from the emma and claire show. the attempt at a garden was appreciated - even if the unveiling didn't go as i had planned. the girls are pros at unwrapping gifts. the wife enjoyed what i got her - although she deserves much more for putting up with me.

the family brunch at my little sister's house was nice - even if it started late and kinda petered to an ending. the family dinner at my wife's cousin's house was about what was expected - although people did seem to be holding back on the comments this year for some reason. my daughter's are progressing ahead of the curve with regard top dealing with bit crowds of people and I am sure they would have been even more impressive had they not been sick [guess who got them sick?]

today got off to a late start because the girls were exhausted from yesterday, my loving wife has a respiratory infection and shouldn't be at work but went to work because 'you can't call out just cause you don't feel good'.

some fights you learn not to fight.

today's agenda? laundry, start work on selected parts of the basement, ride herd on the climbing, careening roberts' girls and just generally keeping my spirits up.

chaconne

so the intent forms are out. my team leader is burnt to a crisp so he is seeking an out and in all probability a level change down to elementary. the other member of my team is rejoicing at this news so i had to set her straight about the possibility that he wasn't the only one who might leave. that shut her up and got her really starting to think about how much more he and I do in the building than she does.

do i stay or do i go? another dilemma - if i go, i am virtually assured that i will not end up in a comparable position. if i stay, i am the de facto team leader unless she goes outside the building for it.

there are pluses and minuses on both sides of the issue. the biggest minus for staying is the stress it would continue to put on my familial obligations.

so the ground rhythm continues monotonously as the variations unfold above. 2011 seems to be shaping up to be rather interesting.

fantasia futura

one day there will be no more concerts to interfere with my family.

that day is not today.

the end of the winter concert season is tonight.

perversely, the start of assessment season is tomorrow. or should be, i am taking a flyer on that it can wait until after the first of the year.

a very dejected and disillusioned daddoo heads to main st.

fanfare for a new day

clarity comes at the strangest times and when you least expect it. not sure what triggered the clarity but I am glad that it finally happened. now i can approach the holidays with a brighter attitude.

work should be interesting this week: high school visits for the 8th grade, the infamous nutcracker lesson in the generals, larry's concert on tuesday, the escalating rowdiness of the kids, not much beyond that. not exactly marking time but you can see it from there. add in some potential bad weather and all the ingredients are present for a truly surreal experience.

at home: doing due diligence on something for saturday, further cleaning, etc.

la vie continue, sumus

tarantella dissoluzione

the final seven days.

normally a frantic rush to get everything just right - or as right as it can be - for the holidays. went out shopping yesterday - twas a bust. played dad at home with the walker girls while i tackled laundry. after dinner went out with the wife to knock a few more things off the list. asked a straight forward question, got the answer i was dreading/expecting and then watched the plans for the last seven days get a lot more interesting/sobering/etc.

so it's off to the Masonic Lodge this morning for Breakfast with some guy and his sack. the final shopping occurs in the early afternoon and then cleaning and marking time until the big day arrives.

i love my life, i love my family.

flourish

so concert week 2010 is in the books. the tree is in and decorated - thanks to my wonderful wife who held down the fort with minimal assistance from me this week. i took a day off to rest up, relax and hopefully get this bug out of my system.

what's left to do? uhm... finish up shopping, get cards as needed, clean the basement and the rest of the house, wrap the presents for the missus, pray/seek out the christmas miracle...you know, the usual.

this morning: breakfast with the family, grocery shopping, maybe daddoo shopping.

this afternoon: uhm, good question.

tonight: new ghost adventures, more laundry, more make busy stuff.

next week: wrapping up at school, getting ready mentally for the holiday.

reverie

not feeling too impressionistic but here we go...

it's hump day. the final band concert of the calendar year. based on yesterday's rehearsals, i am not going in with high expectations. miracles do happen of course.

the good news is this is the last real concert for me to deal with during the holiday season. next week is purely a supporting role.

the bad news: when i come home there is still some residual tension.

off to main st. on a very frigid, very unfocused morning.

fugue in C

so last night went pretty darn well all things considering. the new principal was impressed with our professionalism and quality of the music performed. parents were pretty pleased also.

came home to not exactly a disaster from o and k. gave my wife a break and took care of the mop up and unloading of the forester.

this morning i was greeted with a text message saying that el jefe wasn't coming in, cue the madness

got to school hella early, unloaded my car, drove to the high school, loaded my car up with the remnants of last night, returned to school unloaded again began to prepare for the day.

went to access all of the print files for tomorrow night and VOILA no server, the county is not sure when it will be back up < turned out to be three hours later>

had two totally crappy final rehearsals with the bands for tomorrow night, followed by a mediocre jazz band rehearsal.

came home to a christmas tree that swallowed our living room, two cranky, whiny daughters and a wife who was not in the best of moods and when pressed told me bluntly that she hates me during concert season. Welcome Home!

Wife gets called into work, i have a bonus daddy night with the girls who got into everything but the kitchen sink, climbed up onto the work desk in the basement, treated the dogs like a moon bounce, resisted sippies and crashed after their bath.

Laundry and packing for tomorrow on the agenda tonight with a possible hanging of the lights on the tree.

The common thread through all the above?

a very weakened daddoo who knows how sick he is, and also knows that there is no rest for the weary/weakened so I will presevere through the above hoping to see that light at the end of the tunnel sooner than later.

the leaves are falling

the morning of the concert. weather bullet dodged. two emails about two students who - in all likelihood - will not be performing tonight. they aren't feeling well.

well, to be perfectly blunt, who the hell really is this time of year? I am so weak that I am not sure I am going to hold up through today's entire litany of b.s. that I have to cover before the first downbeat. who the hell writes the excusing email for me?

strange pre-concert weekend, never had one like it before and if it's the new paradigm - i am going to need serious time to acclimate to it.

main st. beckons for the first of two long day/nights.

c c c g a b c b a g...

recapitulation and rondo

getting ready to give the girls their bath this morning and emma is playing with star, claire has mr. quackers. two of their gifts from their first christmas. memories flood back to last years christmas - keeping my chin up as i celebrated an extension of the orange christmas and trying to provide my family with the best I could give them.

fast forward to this year: financially in a slightly little bit better shape and i find myself struggling to provide my family with, once again, the best i can give them. the girls are done - almost, i am trying desperately to pull off one last little surprise for them. shopping for my loving/tolerating wife continues apace. and tonight i tackle my first 'roberts' tree. never had one this full before...interesting to see how it turns out.

the rondo starts tomorrow am. dropping my family off at mel's for the day, second/third guessing all the preparations, delivering two loads of instruments/equipment to the high school, teaching through the school day - praying that dr. rodriguez doesn't darken my doorstep and surviving the concert and drive home in one piece.

housework beckons

fugal fantasy

diverse topics from a man in serious need of diversion.

the concert: should go well. the only potential hitch is the weather. i have pre-planned logistics to death on this one and am reasonably assured that i haven't missed anything.

the holidaze: we got the tree yesterday. the apple doesn't fall far from the tree, we picked out the 'nose training model' xmas tree. it's the fullest tree we have ever had, i hope it stays alive until the 25th. decorating begins tomorrow night.

the shopping: uhm, yeah got to get started/finished on that. my lovely wife was lamenting the fact that this was shaping up to be a 'dad' xmas for me - meaning a lack of a wow gift. i sent it right back to her with the confirmation that it was indeed headed that way and some years that's just how it has to be...not that i am not going to try and pull off a surprise of course.

the roberts girls: lulabelle and trixie went bananas at the depot as we looked at trees. this bodes well for the lifting of spirits during the holiday season.

the job: nine school days left until break. when you factor in three concerts, an afterschool rehearsal and the ramping up of students excitement levels, this should prove to be an interesting end to 2010.

out, in more ways than one.

andante et allegro

three days and counting.

sixteen days and counting.

it's been a walk through leading up to Monday night. the usual crises arrived on schedule - flute instrument problems, program typos, manic bordering on psychotic team leader going apesh-- over the tiniest things - but all in all it looks to be a good concert on tap for Monday. today is wrap up day in terms of all the behind the scenes stuff that makes the night go so smooth.

then there is the elephant in the room: xmas is flying towards me and i am soooo far behind in preparations, shopping, etc. today on the way home from school we'll be picking out/up the tree. this weekend should hold some shopping and other non-concert related activities.

final 8th grade rehearsal in three hours. i hope the center holds, and my arm too.

stretto

the concert season began last night. 'twas the chorus concert and it was disappointing and maddening and a reminder that we have the best and worst teaching positions in all of education.

the disappointing: the entire concert was 34 minutes from top to bottom. and that include a massacring of Ave Maria by three 8th graders and a coffeehouse solo by a 7th grader. 26.5 minutes of chorus singing total. wtf? we would get our gluteus maximus handed to us on a silver platter if we tried to pull that stuff.

the maddening: my team leader view everything as a competition. not necessarily a bad thing, but you don't cut down a colleague in front of a group of students. especially when that colleague has saved your bacon more times than he can count.

final honors band rehearsal after school today and then the massive migration up to the second floor begins anew.

and that christmas shopping thing? still sitting at one and counting.

allegro barbaro

it's december. the 8th I think, maybe the 9th, I don't know. i have been a productive - mostly - presence at work. at home, not too much.

i hate this time of year. it keeps me from my family. it makes shopping trips like a special operations mission. get in, get what you came for - hopefully, and get out. the problem this year is a simple one: i am having no luck shopping. none. at. all.

time is running out. ideas are still there but nada.

this afternoon/evening, i have to be the supportive team member and attend the annual chorus fiasco. it looks like they are finally going to start hammering her for everything she isn't/hasn't doing/done. it may be too little, too late as my team leader is actively pursuing a transfer. where does that leave me?

good question.

my body may be in main street hell today/tonight but my mind will definitely be elsewhere.

pastorale

despite yesterday afternoon/evening's shopping fiasco, all is calm. i hope today is relatively sedate and somewhat more successful. tomorrow starts the longest week of the year: the week before the concerts. a short list of what needs to be accomplished:

finish interim grades before tuesday morning.
finish concert programs and print/fold them
assign chaperones and send out that email
finalize logistics for both nights
make sure concert attire still fits
figure out the transportation issues for concert week
hold combined rehearsals almost every single day and still have the use of both arms

... oh, and also get some holiday shopping done.

the girls are going to Valley View this morning, this should be interesting. Lights and things we can grab! oh joy.

noel nouvelle

it's holiday time again. this christmas feels more like it than last year. there is a slightly bigger budget, a begrudging acceptance of my wife's approach to gift giving and the girls are a little more aware that something special is going on. today i begin shopping in earnest - after a dry run of Thursday. what my wife deserves, i don't have the funds to provide so I find myself being creative with hopefully a surprise or two up my sleeve before the 25th hits.

the dilemma on how to handle the red guy in the suit is starting to gear up again. not sure how to handle that but i am sure a consensus will be reached soon.

still searching - in vain - for a new holiday cd to add for this year but i don't see it happening.

concerts in one week, microsoft publisher is kicking my arse for some reason this go around. I am so far behind it isn't even funny.

and the little ladies? they are adorable in their new teal peacoats. they responded well to Rudolph on Tuesday night and to Santa Claus Is Coming To Town this morning. and i am still second guessing every single action I take towards/for them.

the cold has arrived...onward to the 25th.