Category: Journal (Page 2 of 738)

Yesterday was my usual Sunday Grade Day. It took me longer than usual, because I fell asleep for a while. I haven’t been sleeping very well at night. I keep having really vivid dreams that make me tired when wake up.

At least I finished grading before dark. I grocery-shopped a little, then headed home. I’m sort of wound up when I get home on Sundays, so I watch some TV to relax.

It’s nice, but when 8pm rolls around, it’s time to get ready for bed.

Yesterday I had a day of leisure entertainment. I watched the new Marvel movie.

It was the first movie I’ve seen here since the pandemic started. It was so much more immersive than watching tv. Whenever there was some kind of emotion in the movie, my eyes would leak. Fortunately, with social distancing, no one was sitting near me, so I could feel emotions in privacy.

I’m switching over to non-flavored coffee in my classroom. And, looking for something that helps my stomach feel better, I’m trying medium-roast coffees. One of my new possibilities comes in a can, so now I will have empty coffee cans periodically. I’m not sure what to do with them.

I spend WAY too much time on my phone. I read Reddit and I play a silly match-three game. I do it for HOURS each day. Ugh. I hate it. But I feel so trapped. It happens automatically now.

I read a little article in the newsletter from the high school I went to. It was about teachers helping kids do less screen time. I agree. The article mentioned a book, and I was curious, so I ordered it.

I’m hoping the book will be motivation for me to do less phone time. Then maybe I can help my students do it too.

I’ve only read the beginning, but it looks like it will have some good ideas. But my big question is: Will I have the willpower to do anything it suggests?

Something weird is happening with my piano-playing abilities. My brain is filling in empty spots or my muscle-memory is taking over or something. It is especially prevalent when I don’t think about my playing.

Yesterday I was playing through some pieces in a new-ish book I have, and when I got to a hymn setting that had only one note in the bass clef, my left hand started playing two notes. It even sounded good most of the time. It was a weird sensation, but fun.

I chatted with Brent about this a week ago, because I had noticed it happening every once in a while. His hypothesis is that it’s an age thing. Age brings new musical abilities to musicians. An interesting concept…

When I talk with my students, I always strongly recommend getting older. Now I have yet another reason to tell them about.