I just realized it's been a month and a couple of days since the last post.  I'm sorry. I've been somewhat uninspired lately, at least where blogging is concerned.

Part of it, though, is that we're waiting right now, and posts about waiting are not that much fun.  Especially if you don't want to talk that much about the thing that has you waiting.  We're at the stage in our lives that it could be a lot of things, so go ahead, kids!  Let your imaginations run wild. 

It's a quiet Friday afternoon, and I'm sitting on the couch next to two kitties (by the way, we are currently housing two kitties) who are snuggled in the warmth of the sunlight streaming in through the window.  It's been an uncharacteristically mild winter so far, much more like the Texas winters I'm used to, so the heat is off in our apartment today.  It's beautiful, actually, and I enjoyed my walk to and from the bus station today.  The groundhog must have been wrong. 

Work is still going great.  Unsolicited hugs and kisses from tiny humans are highly recommended.  We were able to participate in Read Aloud with our buddies in the apartment downstairs (South Hills Interfaith Ministry), and it was a lot of fun.  I really, really love these families. Check it out:



Yeah, it's awesome.  I am so fortunate!

I've been practicing a little more (i.e., at all) lately, too.  It's funny, though.  In a lot of ways, the time away from my instrument has relaxed my playing, so I feel like it's actually easier to play in some respects, even though I'm pretty badly out of shape.  I think it's removed some of the anxieties I have about my own playing, and a lot of the negative self-talk that so often came into the practice room with me isn't an issue at the moment, because I can count it a success that I'm behind the instrument at all.  The result, then, is that I can focus on dissecting my playing to make it better, which allows me to be more clinical about it than emotionally driven. Pros and cons.  Interestingly enough, though, this is probably the first time in my life that I have ever practiced willingly, without any attached (outside) expectations.  Maybe not having those expectations is good for me, at least for the moment.  The sad thing is that I don't always have time to practice, so even when I want to, I can't always act on it. The allure of the unobtainable, I suppose, may also add to the appeal.

Anyway, all this talk about practicing is making me want to . . . you know . . . practice. Bye.