Lentils

I'm making lentil soup right now and the smell is killing me. It won't be done for another 40 minutes and I hope it tastes as good as it smells.

And then my microwave just stopped working in the middle of timing my soup. Weird. I tried unplugging it and plugging it back in to reset it. But it didn't work. Maybe it couldn't handle the smell either so just gave up and committed microwave suicide.

I tried to do some research today on accordions in the hopes of purchasing one, since my rental will be ending shortly, and it doesn't seem to make sense to keep renting. But they're all so pricey. I don't know that I should be spending the money on one right now but...I really love the accordion. It just has such an awesome sound. Sigh...decisions decisions. It's kind of depressing, knowing I'll have to part with the current accordion soon, even though I know it could work better if it wasn't so old.

I've been meaning to write up the trip to vegas but just haven't gotten around to it. Luckily for me, the bff did. It really was such an awesome trip in such a short time. I hope we get to do more trips like it in the future. Maybe when her kids are old enough to babysit themselves?

Holy cow, the microwave just came back to life. Guess it wants some soup.

Black and Blue

Note to self: Do not listen to Adele's new album alone, while eating a bowl of pasta. The album is fantastic, but you'll end up depressed for the rest of the week. By the way, this woman is gorgeous. Her hair and makeup is always flawless. And she's only 22. F. Kids these days.

So the accordion took an interesting turn today. I went in for a lesson, only to realize I'm paying them a lot of money to do something I can do by myself at my house, and quicker. I finished book 1 on my own the week after my first lesson. V said it takes most people 6 weeks! Ok ok sure, but, I'm already half way there. I know how to read music, play the keyboard side, it's not a huge feat to finish book 1. I spent half the lesson today showing her I can play the songs in book 1, and then the other half starting with some new tunes in book 2. But I can get these books on amazon. Go through them on my own. Without paying for an expensive lesson. First though, i need my own accordion.

It saddens me because I'm feeling like the same thing happened with skating. Taking lessons wasn't helpful anymore. I wanted more education on a faster track. Maybe I just have no patience. What if I get my own accordion and stop playing it as soon as I get it? But then again, skates and accordions are very different things. I can play the accordion any time I want, where I'd have to go to the rink to skate.

I'm having a hard time getting things done lately. I just want to veg on the couch. I blame bad reality tv. The kind that sucks you in and doesn't make you think. It doesn't help that I'm eating horribly, not exercising, getting home late from work. Yarg.

Dans mes mains

I'm kind of obsessed with these videos:

They just look so good, and the people are so jcrew pretty. The thing that annoys me is that they all kind of insinuate that you'll meet a cute boy or girl when you're in a foreign land. Not that I'm against it, just that...you're putting so much added pressure to that country! Makes me want to take up french again. I wasn't too bad.

But first I must concentrate on my Japanese. Which needs lots of work. It'll be the end of march before I know it, and I've got a lot of research to do.

When I get back though, maybe it'll be time to finally think about going to France. They'd probably have some authentic french accordion sheet music there I can get. Sure sure, I've got amazon. But I'd love to say I bought it in France.

I realized that taking up the accordion is another way to get closer to my France non obsession. I call it non obsession because I'm not obsessed with all things France, no. It's just that I, like most girls, have this unrealistic romantic idea of what Paris holds based on movies like Charade and Love in the Afternoon and Moulin Rouge and Amelie. Movies that romanticize floor to ceiling doors with knobs in the middle, berets and stripey sweaters, loaves of bread that always stick out of the grocery bag next to the bunch of parsley, the the Eiffel Tower, love.

No, I'm not obsessed. I'd just like to go and experience the country for what it really is, whatever that is, and prove to my non obsessed self that it's all made up, Paris is all in my head...and in the movies.

Also, I've learned that my obsession with romantic comedies is best experienced by myself. I went to see No Strings Attached this past weekend. I invited a friend at the last minute, she couldn't make it. Thank goodness! Because 90 minutes later, I found myself crying over a scene I can't remember now, and being really embarrassed yet relieved that no one was there to witness it. Whew. What can I say, I'm just a sucker for love stories that involve period mixes. And by period, I don't mean the Victorian type, I mean the monthly type.

Tweens

My hair is in the tweens. It's in an awkward stage. It doesn't want to be told what to do, it has a mind of its own. It doesn't listen to me or obey my orders. It made such a fuss this morning that three different people commented on my hair's behavior. It was really embarrassing knowing that I can't control my own hair in public. It was so cute back when it was short...but that doesn't last forever. Sigh...I can't wait til we're past this awkward tween phase.

Friday I'm off to Vegas with S to celebrate her 30th birthday. (haha, sucker!) No boys, no kids, just us girls. Should be a fantastic time. Neither of us have been in a while. We're gonna go crazy! Maybe.

New Dress!

This girl is killing me.

Gurrrrrrl.

Freedom

I know everyone's talking about it, but what's happening in Egypt really is so amazing. For the past few mornings, I've been waking up to historic news. One morning it was that Mubarak was going to make a speech about stepping down. All that excitement led to disappointment. Next morning I wake up to the news that he was leaving the capital, so that warranted a quick snooze. Five minutes later, I'm up as I hear he's stepped down. At work I went over to Noreen's office to discuss the good news with her and found her on the phone with her aunt in Egypt. She relayed to her aunt that I was in the office, so I took the chance and shouted congratulations over the phone. She heard me! My message reached Egypt!

Technology is amazing. Social networks are amazing. People are amazing. Huzzah!

It's been a big week. All that stuff in Egypt. Big things going down at work. The superbowl that I didn't watch. Dinner with a ginger who turned out to be chinese...

Got another few big weeks coming up, and then it's on to Japan! Still haven't received my passport in the mail...but I guess it's only been a little over a week.

Oh also, I wandered into the neighborhood accordion school last week just to ask some questions and look around. I ended up at home with a rental accordion! And I've got my first lesson tomorrow with Dave. I haven't played with the machine as much as I was hoping to this week, but hopefully I'll put it to some good use this weekend.

Until next time, please enjoy this video. I know I did. I hope to be able to do this one day:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XcU09xOd0aM

This morning I thought I'd do something unusual and take myself out to breakfast. That's right. On a weekday. And I had a coupon so I saved myself a few dollars. Welp. It turned out to be the most expensive breakfast I've ever had. It was all going so swimmingly until I got out to my car and saw that parking ticket. I had fed the meter and everything. Turns out it was street cleaning day...AGAIN! Zut Alors. Shit.

So my friend vonne and I went over to my former coworker, now friend's house to record some doo wops for his album. It sounded fun when he proposed it, but I wasn't sure how well it'd work out, seeing how I don't think either of us have done such a thing. I did with my violin but that's a bit different. I figured we'll do one song and see how it goes. Turns out, it turned out fantastically! We had so much fun. And we bounced ideas off each other, got each other's opinions. It's truly what making music is about. We ended up going through four songs. And now he wants us back on Sunday, to do a few more. Vonne came up with a name for ourselves: The Maestro Twins. It's funny because we look nothing alike. And it'll fit with our string duo we're trying to start (even though we've only had one practice!!).

Also, I don't know if I've mentioned this, but lately I've been on the look out for an accordion. I know, it's just going to be another toy that I might get bored with in a month, if not an hour. Which is why I'm looking to just borrow one and play around with it before I invest in one. Today I think I've got the perfect solution. And it's been in my neighborhood this whole time!! I can't believe it! Will report back on this later when I get more information.

A great question...

So, B and I were talking the other day, and he came up with this great question. A question that I'm not sure I know the answer to.

A few of our friends lately are pursuing things that I'm sure are dear to their hearts, but neither of us think they're doing it particularly well.

And so he posed this question:
When do you tell a loved one, whether it be a friend, a lover, a child...when do you tell them to stop pursuing their dreams?

Now at first that may seem a bit harsh. Of course you don't want to stop someone from pursuing their dreams! But let's say your child loves playing the piano. But he plays it awfully. No matter how much he practices, how much education he receives, he's just not good. And the music industry is VERY competitive.

At what point do you tell your child that they need to move on? And that maybe there's something else he should be pursuing?

Ok, that's a bit harsh, let's try another example.

Those kids on the American Idol tryouts. The ones who go in with so much confidence, and end up sounding like a screeching cat. The ones who leave crying and screaming, cursing Simon and Paula for not knowing a good thing when they see it. The ones who can't believe they didn't get to hollywood, because in their heart of hearts, they KNOW, they BELIEVE they are the next american idol. Even though they sound like death. Even thought the whole reason they GOT on the show is because they sound like death and don't know it. Sure some people are faking it to get on TV. But I think a lot of those people truly believe they can sing.

Suppose one of those people were your friends. Or me? Sure, you love me dearly. But would you let me go embarrass myself on NATIONAL TV and sing like a dead cat? Or would you sit me down and have a heart to heart? And at what point would you tell me about it?

I think if I was one of those tone deaf singers, I'd want a friend to tell me ahead of time, before I went on TV. If I had a big piece of spinach stuck in my teeth, I'd want you to tell me while we ate, before I go on an important interview. And vice versa, I would tell you if you had spinach in your teeth. Because good friends look out for each other.

But I've also had people tell me that I'll never be a working musician because I'm just not that good, and while it's true, it stung for a long time, and is probably why I have low confidence in my playing abilities.

Also, one time, I asked a lady how much a dress at her store cost. She looked at the dress and said, "Oh honey, you won't fit into that dress. It's got such a small waist." On one hand, she was probably right, and was just telling it like it is. On the other hand, maybe I wasn't buying it for me, maybe I was buying it for my tiny waist-ed sister, and her being honest just lost her a sale. (And don't call me honey, bitch!)

I guess it's a two part question: Would you say something? And at what point would you say something? When are you just "looking out" for that friend or loved one, and when are you butting in? (ok, 4 parts)

I want to say, everyone should reach for their dreams. But when that dream is not a reality, how long do you go before you quit? Do you never quit, because it's a dream? Or do you realize it's only a dream, and let it BE a dream, while you go on to pursue other things and live a different life?

Let's say your kid who is awful at the piano was a whiz at science. But he likes piano a lot more than science. When do you tell him that piano is maybe not the career path to take? And while that may seem harsh, you also don't want him wasting away his life trying to get good at the piano when he could be spending that time into doing sciency things and becoming a great scientist. So when do you tell him? 15? 30? Never?

Sigh. It's a big question I know. I'm not saying I have the answers. But I'd love to hear what you guys have to say.

Tard

I've taken to calling myself "Goodjob SH", modeled after the President of Nigeria: Goodluck Jonathan. Every time I nail an edit, or finish the dishes, I feel like I've turned into Goodjob SH.

Well, Goodjob SH does it again!

I got so much done this morning. Woke up early so I could get to the post office right when they opened. I shipped off my passport renewal, here's to hoping that it gets back in time!! Then I dashed to work early for the blood drive, and got it all done and was on time to my 10am meeting. It's amazing how much you can get done when you wake up early. It's just too bad I can never wake up early.

Um....had much more to say but it's late and I'm tard. (That's southern for tired)