Making Progress...

Day 21...and the snow fall knows no bounds...


Damn the snow is relentless.  The last big storm was in '07 and it was probably just as bad if not worse.  The precipitate has been coming down for almost 24 hours.  Schools closed, major parts of the town closed or on delays, and the after school education portion of our program is still a little rocky.  Needless to say, the universe is still throwing curves and we're still swinging away.  Getting tired of base hits and need to focus on that inevitable home run...or better yet, Grand Slam!  It will come eventually.  I guess patience is all about perception and time...


The old boy has gone and a new one on the horizon.  It's a bit strange, "starting over".  Not even sure if I'm doing that.  I guess progress is change, but it is difficult to move on when you really did love someone to the point of considering them to be a part of your life.  He still is and good friends is better than the alternative.  The new man...extremely promising.  Oh, yes!  He's sweet, charming, extremely cute, a nurse, smart, and has a great sense of humor...now if I can only meet him in person.  The new world (or old depending on where you find yourself on the dating chain) of meeting people is certainly different.  I guess I should consider myself lucky to have been included in the mass communication movement, such as it were.


We'll see where this goes.  Hopefully somewhere close, and warm, and real.  Tired of the way it has been and need a change, shaking up, and a dose of reality in that department.  Updates to follow...keep your fingers crossed.

Ciao!

What's Your Dream?

Day 18...MLK Jr Day, Tri-Ethnic Community, and Salsa Music



(Yah, it was that awesome!)


It was an extremely laid back kind of day.  I was glad to know that I didn't have to be out to work right away this morning.  Spending a bit more time around the house is always a good thing and I even got to do some score/part study.  (Very cool)  Work was fairly easy with the majority of my time being devoted to working on our MLK Jr event.  We created a great wall for signing names and visions for the future.  I think we'll keep it up through February's entirety.  It will definitely speak to all who pass and I hope that they too will come and sign our "I Have A Dream" wall.  With members of our little "tri-ethnic" community coming to enjoy the center, it was refreshing to see that they were open to the idea of peace and expressing their ideas for this world's future.  Hopefully their dreams will come true and we will see a brighter tomorrow.


Salsa rehearsal was awesome.  I love playing with this group.  The key musicians are in place and the group is already on it's way to becoming something very special.  I'm definitely lucky to be playing with them and I think that the combined talent of the group is extremely impressive.  Needless to say it will be this group that keeps me sane and in check during the winter/spring term.  Loving the salsa, loving the swing...


Wishing everyone peace and enlightenment as we make our way into Tuesday...Ciao!

The Week's End And Relaxation At Hand...

Day 17 and the paint was dripping...


Not all over the place, but it was definitely rolled out onto our "I Have A Dream" wall...board...plank....thing.  I ended up back at work today, though for a short time, to paint our makeshift wall.  We are hosting an event to celebrate MLK Jr. Day tomorrow and the wall is going to be featured at the center.  Hopefully we will have many participants show up to sign the wall and write what their dream is for our future.


I guess, overall, today has been relatively quiet.  Just the way I like it!  Nothing pressing, nothing stressing me out last minute and things working themselves out as they should.  A day unfolding like today did is welcome in my book any time.  Coupled with the fact that I have been playing some of the best long tones lately, getting back on the proverbial horse with my playing, makes for a relaxing and productive end to my weekend.


So, a good night's sleep and an easy morning are definitely in order.  Can't wait to get another week started and see how much change we can make in our little youth community!!!

Ciao!

Long Nights...Impossible Odds...And Root Beer Floats...

Day 16...
Why these posts are entered so late I'll never know...maybe I like to let as much of the day transpire before I make an entry???

Anywho...

The center was "hopping" last night as movie night was a huge success.  The kids were really glad that we stayed open until midnight.  It was definitely a stretch for me.  It's been quite a while since I've worked that late.  "Paranormal Activity" was awesome!  The version I have has the alternate ending, which in my opinion was much better than the theatrical.  So, after a pool tournament, dancing in formation, a spaghetti dinner, root beer floats, and several buckets of popcorn later, the night was over.  Needless to say everyone had a great time and they were ready for the next event.  (I'm going to try and get some sleep between now and then...)

After all that I still had to wake up this morning and be in town for a workshop/seminar for work.  (insert scream here)  I know it's for the kids, but putting in my time is something of which I grow weary.  It was fairly informative.  I guess I'm not old enough to cope with "intergenerational grief".  At this point in my life I'm still more like a kid and less like an adult with all kinds of baggage.  Maybe I'm a kid with all kinds of baggage...yah, that makes more sense to me.

Oh well, I'm sleeping in tomorrow and then heading out to do some painting.  Should be a quick job and might even get a chance for some overdue practicing.  Lovin' the swing and can't wait to play with Scotty!!

Ciao!

I've Seen Better Days...

Day 14 - with three minutes to spare...


Today was much better.  I'm definitely missing him, but getting up in the morning is getting easier.  Just wish he was there to hold and keep me warm.  I guess more time should pass.  It's definitely hard to judge when to get back on the horse and when to stay down for a while.


Anyways...work was better today.  Not so many hours and less paper work.  Drama club was fun!  The kids were really into it and they are the misfit bunch for which I hoped.  I can't wait to see where this little group of actors takes us.


New day tomorrow and movie night to look forward to.  Hope the spaghetti is awesome!


Ciao!

A Donation Of Time To Meetings...

Where does the time go???  Days 10 - 12 were all meetings....aaaauuuuugggghhhh!!!!  Even over the weekend it seemed like time went way too fast...*sigh*


All I can say is that if life weren't chalked full of meetings, my world would be a much saner place.  The idea behind getting together to plan and scheme makes sense.  It definitely benefits the youth which we serve and makes life more productive.  I just wish there was a way to eliminate the meetings and still be as productive.  I suppose in our profession we need them...


Single again I walk through the days...


I guess it was the best decision on both our parts.  We seemed to find ourselves running again through the same motions.  Four months in and it seemed that we were moving apart.  We ended on good terms, just like before, and it seemed to be something that once again was put on hold.  I know that one day I'll find the right one...but single is a great way to finish out my day today.  (They're just too many cute ones out there to have fun with, guess I should try and few more on for size...ha ha ha...)


Today was spent in training, paperwork, phone calls, and watching teenagers BS each other with the utmost care.  I wonder if teens will ever be any different?  Probably not, as they've been the same since I began working with them...10 years, wow...fairly intense to entertain the notion that this is something to which I'm committed.  Working with youth is awesome and the education behind it is still what drives me to this day.  I wonder where I'll be in the next 10 years.


Life is good...so far...

Sick and Truckin'...

Day 8 - Out Sick


Day 9 - Making it through an ill Saturday...


Ugh...If there is one thing I cannot stand, it's feeling ill.  Yesterday I woke up and felt horrible.  Stuffed up, sore throat and more mucus than one human being should generate.  Do you hate being sick?  Sometimes I feel like I'm the only one who just despises feeling under the weather.  Anyways, after a full work day all I could think of was a warm bed and about 10 hours of sleep.  Needless to say I didn't post and I don't think I could have had I tried.


Today was a little better.  We visited home and had a spent the day with family, showing off the baby and her Christmas gifts.  She truly is the light of our lives.  The rest of the time we visited with our parents and grandparents.  It was a full day of food, family and laughs.  I received this sweet canon camera for the holidays but the SD card that came with it either shorted out or became corrupt after putting in the reader slot in my laptop.  Today I took it back tot he store and got a new one!  Freakin' sweet!  Can't wait to take some more pics and vids of the kiddo.


Still feeling less than 100% so a short post for the day.  Think I'm headed out with the special guy tomorrow for some fun.


Ciao!

Two Days And Much Needed Practicing

Day 6 & 7 (See what I did there...???...yah, that's right....)


Yesterday was actually somewhat of a typical Wednesday.  Just made it through the day and had a really great work out at the gym.  Some much needed cardio on the treadmill and stretching felt extremely good.  Lately, and probably because of the break over the holidays, my left knee has been aching and was extremely sensitive to the running.  I'm sure that some low impact cardio is needed to help remedy this.  The stretching really helps, but I think that there is probably more of it I could be doing and just need to consult the web or a trainer to acquire some different techniques.


Today has been extremely long.  Meetings all morning and paperwork/internet work all day, then a full shift at the teen center.  Yikes!!!  Days like this are far and few between, but it seems like the work load is increasing steadily and if I'm not careful, it will creep up and overwhelm.  I've been in situations like this before and pulled through, though, I don't think I've been in this type of position before.  Managing the center has been so much fun but with the coming of the new year it seems like my schedule and calendar filled up instantly.


Practicing needs to become a priority soon.  With an upcoming festival and a major guest artist in the very near future I'm definitely going to have to step my game in that arena.


Here's keeping my fingers crossed for me...lol.


Ciao!

Exploding Deer and Huge Battles...

Day 5 and the deer fur was flying!


That's right, deer fur.  It was the first time I'd seen a car hit a deer right in front of me.  The first thing I want to say, just to preempt this portion of the post, is that I'm very lucky and completely grateful that is wasn't me hitting the creature.  Had I not applied my breaks when I did or left the gym 10 seconds later than I did, it would have been me.  The deer was one of two or three (the typical deer story enters here) along side the road and as I stepped on my brakes it ran out across the road into my lane.  I started flashing my lights and honking my horn, more to warn the oncoming traffic than to make the deer run off, and instead of running back from where it came, it moved into oncoming traffic and was hit head on.  (Can you say "Intense!"???)


To make a long story short, there was a loud crash, a brief explosion of fur (which was all over the place), and oncoming traffic slowed to help.  I hated that feeling of there being nothing I could do to stop it from happening.  I guess when you live in this part of Colorado with all these fields and farms surrounding the main highway between two towns, it truly is something that is a regular occurrence.  I hope everyone was OK...


The work load is already increasing and it's going to take quite a bit of organization to make sure the goals we have set in the work place are accomplished.  There are so many things to accomplish....*aaaaauuuuggghhh*....the time will be there, the resources are in place and the people are willing.  The local area youth will benefit from our efforts and we will make progress!  (Hell yah!)


On a more twisted note:


This evening I found myself typing this post while watching "The Biggest Loser".  (For those who have no idea what this show is about, check it out online or try and catch in on NBC.)  The sick thing about it was, when the commercial break would occur, we would switch over to the travel channel and catch a portion of "Man Vs. Food".  A show dedicated to following a man who stuffs his face with food of titanic proportions.  These "challenges" are arranged, and at times grotesque, battles between a restaurant's famed feature food and some guy who basically eats FOR A LIVING.   Ahhhh...America, what a country!


The irony is extremely prevalent and I hope that there will be time to eat something deep fried between posts on how to diet properly.

Ciao!

Back At It...

Day 4 was spent reacquainting myself with the proverbial grindstone...damn you work!

Despite a great night's sleep I was more than a little reluctant to come back to work.  You know how it is, "...just one more day, just one more day...".  It seems to be the only thought rolling around up there once the holiday season is over and the limited vacation time comes to an end.  I hope that the next one gets here soon.

The day was filled with paper work, calendar planning and lots of talk for future events.  I guess there is something to be said for making sure that the local area youth have a secure environment in which to spend their after school hours.  With a small drama program starting next week, teen nights, a family night, and ski trips to plan, the month is definitely going to be busy.  2010 is most certainly beginning with a bang.

Hope there's time to practice...will just have to make some!

Ciao!

What It's All About...

Day 3 and I love my family more than ever.  I think that the love I have for them grows exponentially.  It is something with which I've been very fortunate.  They are me and I am them...


A bit cryptic, albeit sweet I guess, but it really is a great thing to have, family love.  The more I see them the better I feel about who I am and from where I come.  My parents came and visited today and it was really special.  I guess every time we have the opportunity to visit is special, but this felt new and more vivid for me.  They were here, and they played the roles of parents and grandparents simultaneously.  Their children, grandchild, and even in-laws were all present at the same time.  It truly was one of the happiest days that I'm keeping for me.


We talked about the women that have climbed K2, discussed snow tires for my car, and shared some pepperoni, cheese, avocado, and apple slices.  Mom tended to the baby and we sat around and just talked.  Simple, yes, but it was something that I'm really going to treasure.  A memory for me, and a great one to start this new year.  Needless to say I'm happy to sleeping warm in my bed and I'm counting my blessings.  It could all change in the blink of an eye and I don't want to miss anything.  So, I'm thankful, and humble.  Remember those that are close to you and thank them, for anything, for everything, for nothing at all and know that it too means something in time.

Ciao!

Too Sweet...Damn It All...

Day 2 and the year truly is just beginning.  The day has been spent relaxing and enjoying some much needed time off.  Sleeping in has been great but I think that my back is starting to suffer.  I think it's about time to start getting up right away and get it moving earlier than I have been.


Far too quickly is the new baby learning to manipulate to get what she wants.  (Damn that crying...ha ha ha....)  She's too sweet and the change in lifestyle has been epic to say the least.  Testing the limits everyday she serves as a constant reminder that every day is an adventure.  We are spending the weekend at home and it seems like life is moving forward in this new year.


Taking it one day at a time....Ciao!

2010

The new year begins with a post, a few simple words, and a reminder for myself that time is indeed rushing by.  I suppose that the world is filled with people making resolutions.  Some will do their best to keep them, others will inevitably falter.  Into which category will I fall?  I hope both.  I have come to realize that it is in both that we are truly human.  Mistakes will be made and goals take time.  Each day is new, each day is a chance to accomplish these goals and each day is a chance to make mistakes.  And it is through these mistakes that we truly grow.


That is my goal, my "resolution".  To keep growing, to make progress, and to make the time to accomplish my goals.  I think that I will refrain from listing them here as I know what they are and they are for me.  Just as your goals are for you, mine will fuel my drive to make that progress.


On a broader spectrum, a goal for the year will be to blog, without restraint, here on The Ultimate Gig.  I hope this outlet will serve for another of expression.  Time to take the next step on the journey ahead...


Ciao!