New Things Happen Every Day

Day 152

If you look carefully over the last few weeks, you will see I've shirked my responsibilities. Only sporadic writing since mid-May. Alas, a person gets busy and some things must go by the way. This blog was the left on the side of the road as I sped past.

I have been doing new things. A lot of them centered around work or food. But mostly work. Lots of coffee meetings, lots of networking, lots of new contacts. Intermittent in that was good news and bad news, old friends and new stresses. I de-cluttered my mind and then filled it back up again.

New things are happening every day, I'm just no longer recording it. It seems more reasonable at this point to check in once a week. I will try my hand at one new BIG thing every week, and celebrate the smaller things as a week-in-review.

Through this project, I've learned a lot about myself. Looking back on this blog at the end of the year will be heart-warming and full of good memories. For that reason, I'm disappointed I could not keep up with it every day for one year. Hey, six months isn't too bad. Another six months of new stuff is bound to be memorable, as well - a more compact shape should not tarnish that. Look how cute and fantastic the Smart Car is.

Day 148 - Got published on McSweeney's

I am thrilled! My Open Letter made it into McSweeneys.net. If you are not familiar with this sarcastic literary magazine, please acquaint yourself. At the very least, read my post.

Day 147 - Visited an ENT

Ear, nose and throat doctor. My voice teacher recommended a visit, since I've been having trouble hitting the higher notes.

This very nice doctor snaked a long, thin camera up my nose and down my throat to peek at my vocal chords. Oddest feeling. Crying is a natural reaction, it turns out.

It also turns out I have a deviated septum (nothing to worry about) and nodules on my vocal chords (worrisome). The next step is to visit a speech therapist and rest my voice as much as possible. This will be a major test in patience.

I am bummed. I was just making great progress with my voice lessons and about to start practicing with a band. And I'm sad I've damaged myself this much. At least it is diagnosed so I can move forward in a healthy way. And I will take this break as an opportunity to finally learn piano.

Day 95 - Picked up E. B. White

Author E. B. White wrote the familiar classics Charlotte's Web and Stuart Little. But he was also a prolific contributor to The New Yorker magazine for almost six decades. His humorous, lively essays were brought together in Writing From The New Yorker 1925-1976 and are thoroughly enjoyable. Here's one: Travel Brochure from Jan 26, 1935

The adventure-mad travel-brochure people run a high fever all year round, deliriously mumbling of far places regardless of season. More than any other group, they arrange life for us in neat grooves. We have just this moment been skirting through a prospectus of winter and spring trips presented to us by a dutiful and precise agent. The trips are divided into "short" and "long." "There's Mexico," says the booklet. "Ten days, $180." And "there's the Mediterranean, 29 days, $485." Our fancy flits along, jog-step, taking in the sights. And then, as a sudden afterthought, the joyous booklet writer really hits his stride. "There's the WORLD," he cries. "97 days, $833.50."

We had never had the planet laid so neatly at our feet, as though dropped there by a spaniel.

Day 94 - Strolled in the snow

As a follow-up to yesterday's post, the non-spring Spring Jamming weekend continued with a snow storm. Great for skiing, bad for spring. I was not riding due to an aggravated calf so to battle cabin fever, I went for a walk in the snow. Rarely do I voluntarily venture into the cold when snowboarding or beer is not involved. It was beautiful, chilly and refreshing. Makes me wish for a longer winter season...

Day 93 - Skipped spring

This weekend was Spring Jamming at Kirkwood Mountain and for another year in the row, the weather acted like mid-February. Gray, cold, threat of snow. The band was playing, the pond was skimming, and I just called it a day. This, my friends, was no spring.

Day 79 - Watched The English Patient

Winner of nine Oscars back when it came out in 1996. One of those movies you hear so much about, you simply must watch it because. The social awkwardness of Ralph Fiennes character took a lot to warm up to - actually, I never fully did. I'm a fan of Juliette Binoche as is Mr. Sound (no surprise there). Overall, it was good. Sure, you should see it. What did you think?

Day 58 - Avoided the computer

Writing in my job and also a hobby I really enjoy. So I find myself in front of the computer almost all the time. Even on Saturdays, I write here and there, for work or myself. Not today. Had a nice lunch with my friend Diana, sitting and chatting for a while. Then we had some beers outside in a blizzard. (That actually is not the first time we've done that.) What a great day. It was freeing and something I don't do often enough.

Day 55 - Took my first piano lesson online

Way back in January, I learned my first keyboard song, then promptly forgot it. Dust bunnies called my new keyboard home for about a month, like so many exercise machines across the nation. But this is much more fun than an exercise machine, so it's time to dust it off.

I would like to take lessons with a teacher at some point, but for now, I want to learn the very basics. I found Andrew Furmanczyk's video lessons through a You Tube search. Lesson 1 and I like his sense of humor, honesty, and crazy hair. He got me excited to keep going so that's what I plan on doing.

Day 52 - Returned to basics

My other blog has changed a lot since the first post in April 2009.

April-June = essays on career, posted here and there
July-August = essays on any topic + playlists, posted once a week
September = nothing at all
October = essays, playlists and website suggestions, all in one post, three times a week
October-today = daily posts with each day dedicated to a new thing: website suggestions, creative writing, essays, local cafe reviews and music suggestions

But this hobby has been getting in the way of real work. I take time during the day to write about the great coffee at a place, when no one cares, especially me. When the writer doesn't care, the work is less than inspiring so the overall blog output was not satisfactory. I had this idea that people out there were waiting every day for my posts, when in reality, my four followers just want me to be happy. My passion is about music so I'm returning back to just that. Essays and music suggestions, with some silly creative writing thrown in for fun. I feel relived and uncluttered.

The first principle is that you must not fool yourself - and you are the easiest person to fool ~ Richard Feynman, physicisct

Day 36 - Visited the snow on a weekday

If you're a weekend warrior like us, you understand the balance of enjoying your favorite sport while fighting the huge crowds. Mr. Sound and I got the rare opportunity to start our weekend a day early and hit Tahoe on Friday. We concluded that we need to find a way to make this part of everyday life because it was fantastic. We didn't see people at all on two runs. And the snow was pretty nice. It was worth the hard work to make a free day.

Day 19 - Created a music binder

I have been singing all my life, but not well. So last year, I started going to a singing teacher to learn. At the end of 2009, we talked about what my goals might be for the new year. One of her suggestions, in my quest to get organized and focused, was to make a music binder. In it I can keep notes, the songs I'm practicing, ideas, etc. And I could decorate it with things that inspire me. Here it is:
It's true I am no artist, as mentioned before, but this was quite crafty for me. There are a two stickers on the bottom, one that says, "Too much rock for one hand." The upper corner has studs that I embedded into the cover. And I freehanded the bird and branch on a full-page sticker. I also included two quotes that I love.

On the bird: "A bird does not sing because it has an answer... it sings because it has a song." ~ Chinese proverb

On the branch: "To be nobody but myself - in a world which is doing its best, night and day, to make you everybody else - means to fight the hardest battle which any human being can fight and never stop fighting..." ~ e.e. cummings

Day 16 - Caught on a cliff - twice

Feeling confident sometimes leads you to do stupid things. Now that I am getting pretty good on a snowboard, I have been getting more adventurous. Mother Nature answered with a lesson in humility.

On one of the first runs of the day, I went out exploring and found myself on steep ridge lined with rocks.
That's me. Exit strategy was hike back up and out, or go down. I chose down and executed with a long butt slide, followed by a front flip onto my head into the soft snow three feet below. Not the least bit graceful but, as one observer said, "At least you didn't punk out." Somehow sliding butt-to-head first out of there didn't feel that cool.

Later in the day, after learning nothing, I went exploring again and found myself on the edge of a cliff. There was no falling out of this one. The only option was to turn around and climb out the way I came. I hyperventilated for about 30 seconds then pulled myself together. The scariest moment was unstrapping my board, trying to get footing, and turning myself around to a comfortable spot to climb. I'm not being dramatic when I say that one false move would have sent me over the edge and to the hospital. But Mother Nature was being forgiving and provided some trees for me to hold on to. It is hard work to climb out of deep snow but I survived, and with more awareness.

Much thanks to Mother Nature for sparing me and to my husband for the photo and confidence.

Day 11 - Learned my first piano song

Santa is a great guy. I already mentioned that he brought me a Nike+ Sportsband. He also brought me a keyboard, the piano kind, not the computer kind. Super excited! I've played around on it a few times but have not really focused on it yet. So my husband suggested I learn my first song for today. So I busted out "Row, Row, Row Your Boat." Sam's reaction was "c'mon, son!"

He was right. That was a cop-out. So with his internet P.I. skills and the help of You Tube, we decided on Viva La Vida by Coldplay. Honestly, it was not that hard but it was better than my first selection. I can now play the heck out of that Coldplay song. Watch out, Rachmaninov...

Day 10 - Rode backwards for one snowboarding run

My goal for the last couple of years has been to learn to ride backwards on my snowboard. Snowboards are directional, with a definite front and back. But when you are on a long run, or need to get out of a sticky situation, riding backwards can give your front leg some rest and help you avoid obstacles. It's just a good skill to have in your back pocket.

Last year, I would try it now and again but never really committed. This year, I once again proclaimed that riding backwards is my goal for the year. I was lucky enough to get a new snowboard this season that has some new technology allowing the rider much more freedom of movement. So it seems like the best year to really give it a good, solid try.

I completed one whole run down the mountain riding backwards. It was slow-going and the hard snow did my rump no favors, but all in all, not too shabby! It was the first time I've ever done it for one whole run, through slow patches and steeper sections, just trying to feel my way through. Must add this as a regular thing to my days on the snow, but you may want to avoid Lower Monte Wolfe for a few weeks...