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 |   The Good Life. |
I am a professional musician  , worship leader , small business owner , songwriter , aspiring author and freelance nonfiction writer with a chemical engineering degree . But that's just my resume. My profile of qualifications is only one of the ways in which I am unique. Here I chronicle my personal and professional goals and my efforts to achieve them. Occasionally I fail. Mostly, I take daily baby steps toward all my long-term goals. Much like the stories I pen, the songs I compose, and the businesses I run, I am always a work in progress. ![Merit Badge in Music
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To a dear friend whose talent for writing music is sensational. May you have a fabulous New Year, (((Brandi)))!!! *^*Kiss*^*
Big hugs,
Sherri *^*Heart*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Music-1050.gif) ![Merit Badge in Organization
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I don't know how you do it, but I assume there's magic involved *^*Bigsmile*^* I have really enjoyed this month of planning and preparation for NaNoWriMo and I love how organized it all is. Thank you for hosting a great challenge and for your dedication to helping so many of us prepare with confidence and trepidation for National Novel Writing Month (known to sane folks as 'November' *^*Laugh*^*) at your [Link To Item #1474311]](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Organization-1150.gif) ![Merit Badge in Leadership
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For your hard work, commitment, talent and innovation in running the October NaNoWriMo Preparation each year, which helps many of us get our scattered thoughts together for November's novel-writing. And also because this badge has ducks on it.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Leadership.gif) |
Resign from Abbott by 4/4/10. In progress and on schedule.Brand the biz(es.) In progress.Business: Music Instruction Books. Stalled. I may have to *gasp* have my new students buy published books... or write as I go and not charge for it.Launch one new Praise Band song per month.  Goal met.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Goal met. http://www.michelletuesday.comAchieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 154.4 Meals: 8:30am Coffee (1) 10:00am Coffee (1) 1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) 6:30pm Bob Evans chicken/cranberry/pecan salad (?), cup chili (?), two pieces of banana bread (?) and half of a caramel mocha (?). TOTAL POINTS: What's 10% of zero, again? Write new lyrics once per week. Goal met: "Thirty" [13+]Write one new original song per month. In progress.Launch one new repertoire song per week.  Pending.Taxes. In progress.Well, it wasn't a very productive day yesterday. I did record a song ("Free," with percussion and bass tracks... I love that recording gear!), update my WordPress blog, and play bd's, which was awesome again. By request, I have to learn a Coldplay song. Any suggestions? Make it quick, and I can still meet my weekly "new repertoire song" by Saturday, which is my last Potbelly day of the week.  The rest of my day was taken up by an afternoon 3-D showing of "Avatar" with Keith. Wow. I don't even mean just the special effects, which were amazing. I'm talking plot... that writer (writers) has a hell of an imagination. Although, I do have some characterization convenience complaints. The (General? head military dude) and the whiny-ass head corporate dude were too one-dimensional. They were fully evil, blinded to possibility that the Na'vi race might be a legitimate people, and although history has shown that kind of callousness in real-life bad guys, it was too convenient. We didn't get a chance to learn enough about their characters to believe it. And even Jake took a little long to come around and empathize with The People... at one point, when he was reporting back to the General, he was already somewhat emotionally involved. I would have expected him to at least have some reservations about his reporting, or to demonstrate somehow his motivation for betraying them. Not that I think the writers should have added more characterization to a movie that started at 3pm and ended at 5:45pm.  |
| bd's tonight. Resign from Abbott by 4/4/10. In progress and on schedule. I requested a 12-month personal leave of absence yesterday. So, it's official. I've given notice.  Brand the biz(es.) In progress. I just picked up two new students. That brings me up to ten private students and one band confirmed. Meanwhile, I got an email yesterday from a student I used to teach last year, Taylor. Mom pulled Taylor and her brother out of lessons for the summer last June. The email was asking for financial support for Taylor's jump rope fundraiser. I made a donation, and then replied, asking mom if the kids ever started lessons back up in the fall. It turns out they didn't see my name on the teacher list, so they went elsewhere, and that fell through. So she's "back to square one." Hmmmm...Business: Music Instruction Books. Stalled... DAMN IT. DAMN IT. DAMN IT.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Goal met.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Pending.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight:  Meals: 9:45am Fiber toast (2) with butter (1) and coffee (1) 11:00am Sausage (3), apples (3), and coffee (1) 2:00pm Half grilled cheese (4) and two wings (4) 6:00pm bd's (I have no idea. Too much, I'm sure. 15?) TOTAL POINTS: 34? Write new lyrics once per week. Goal met: "Thirty" [13+]Write one new original song per month. In progress.Launch one new repertoire song per week. Pending.Taxes. In progress. |
| Resign from Abbott by 4/4/10. In progress and on schedule. Brand the biz(es.) In progress. I haven't heard back from the Pastor at the church where I'd like to teach lessons. Meanwhile, I'm picking up students. I'm considering an advertising blitz, but I may wait until March so that I can start any new students picked up in April. MAYBE... because I have a teacher lined up to work for me!  Now I just have to figure out how to employ her properly and legally. I'm all about following rules. Anyone have advice?Business: Music Instruction Books. Stalled... DAMN IT.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Goal met: "I Will Rise." I picked February's new song, "In the Light" by D.C. Talk.  Post at WordPress at least once per week. Pending.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 156.6 Seriously people, one does not gain or lose four pounds of fat in two days. Meals: 9:30am Sausage (3) and coffee (1) 1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) 5:30pm McDouble (9) and hot fudge sundae (7) 8:30pm Half ZonePerfect bar (2) TOTAL POINTS: 29 Write new lyrics once per week. Goal met: "Thirty" [13+], with my thanks again to Storm Machine  for the inspirational prompt. I worried sick that I'd written a country song until Robert Waltz  pointed out that anything starting with "Woke up this morning..." is BLUES, not country. *whew* That was a close call.Write one new original song per month. In progress, actually. I've been working on a chord progression, but I haven't found the lyrics to go with it yet. And since "Thirty" [13+] is blues, my chord progression won't work on it. Launch one new repertoire song per week. Pending, and I have no idea what it will be. I do know that I plan to re-launch "February" by Dar Williams next week, for obvious reasons. Taxes. I worked on this quite a bit this morning while my computer played Spend-Forty-Five-Minutes-Updating-Windows-While-My-Owner-Devours-Her-Own-Stomach on me. Anxiety, anyone? Little pisses me off more than an update that unexpectedly takes a really, really long time to install with a big warning that tells you Microsoft will steal your firstborn child if you shut down, reboot, or cancel the process mid-update. *kicks* A little notice of the long installation time before the update would have been helpful. But, hey. I got my tax docs all in order while I waited. |
My church job is starting to get really fun again.  I miss Emily terribly, and I've made plans to see her on Friday night to chat and hang out, but I think I'd gotten callused in our co-directorship. It was easy for each of us to rely on the other, and we always had a little bit of control competition going, so I think we'd started to forget about innovation, creativity, and fun. I feel like I'm starting fresh.Resign from Abbott by 4/4/10. In progress and on schedule.Brand the biz(es.) In progress. I have another teacher lined up to work for me, if business picks up! Which means I need to make sure business picks up. Business: Music Instruction Books. In progress... if maybe a bit stalled.  I'm running out of time.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. "I Will Rise" was awesome.  Rachel, the keyboardist in my band, sang it as a solo, and the rest of us came in on the choral, "...and I hear the voice of many angels sing..." It was POWERFUL. It gave me the chills. Post at WordPress at least once per week. Pending.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 155.2 Salt, maybe. It encourages water retention. That's my story and I'm sticking to it. I'm sure it had nothing to do with all the pizza I ate Saturday night, and again as leftovers Sunday night. Well, except that the meat lover's pizza was, you know, really salty. Yep, salt.Meals: 8:30am Sausage (3) and a fiber granola bar (2) 9:00am Coffee (1) Write new lyrics once per week. Pending.Write one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new repertoire song per week. Pending.Taxes. In progress. |
| Did y'all see the Hope For Haiti Now benefit concert last night? Way cool. Who would have ever thought Justin Timberlake would sing Leonard Cohen? And Dave Matthews does a mean Neil Young. Wowsa. Good stuff. Resign from Abbott by 4/4/10. In progress and on schedule.Brand the biz(es.) In progress. Business: Music Instruction Books. In progress.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. "I Will Rise" tomorrow.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Goal met: http://www.michelletuesday.comAchieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 152.6 Meals: 8:00am ZonePerfect bar (4) 10:00am Coffee (1) Write new lyrics once per week. Goal met: "Strayed" [13+]Write one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new repertoire song per week. Goal met: "Fallin' For You"Taxes. In progress. |
| Resign from Abbott by 4/4/10. In progress and on schedule. Brand the biz(es.) In progress. I looked up that Potbelly amp, and I'm glad I did. It's a cheaper version than the one I own, so I needed to know how much to offer. I still haven't researched music training software.Business: Music Instruction Books. In progress.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. In progress: "I Will Rise" scheduled Sunday.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Goal met: http://www.michelletuesday.comAchieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 153.0 Meals: 8:00am ZonePerfect bar (4) and coffee (1) 10:00am ZonePerfect bar (4) 1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) 7:30pm Two chicken wraps (a lot?) and homemade skinny frappuccino (5?) Write new lyrics once per week. Goal met: "Strayed" [13+]Write one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new repertoire song per week. Goal met. "Fallin' For You" went much better at Potbelly yesterday.Taxes. In progress. |
| Did I mention that I finally finished my last Textbroker DirectOrder? *whew* Resign from Abbott by 4/4/10. In progress and on schedule.Brand the biz(es.) In progress:-Buy a sound system Pending. I was thinking of offering to buy the old amp I used to use at Potbelly. I offered once before, but Rob (the manager) sort of blew me off. I'll try again. I love that thing so much that I bought my own, which is what I use at bd's, and I'd love to have another. I happen to know that I'm the only musician who's ever used it. -Clean up desktop computer Pending. I haven't even been to my house in over a week. I considered downloading the software onto my laptop, but I really don't want kids using it. I'd rather wipe my old desktop and install just what I need to teach lessons. I'm not using it for anything else.-Find uni-instrumental training software Pending... actually this is a little urgent, since I have kids starting in February. Which is soon.-Real estate? Still haven't heard back from that commercial real estate guy... and in the meantime, the agent selling my house has suddenly gotten aggressive. Not only has she decided it's time to lower the price, but she's holding an open house on Sunday. What if I sell my house? It's *good* because I reduce my monthly costs, but *bad* because then I need to find another place to teach (or teach out of Keith's house. It'll work... but it's not ideal.)A church in the area has rented space to for-profit ventures before, and I have an "in" with the church, so that's a possibility. It would be cheap. Business: Music Instruction Books. In progress, but nothing yesterday. Again, kids starting in February. Soon. Urgent. *kicks self with steel-toed boots* Betcha didn't know I was so flexible. Launch one new Praise Band song per month. In progress: "I Will Rise" will launch on Sunday.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Goal met: http://www.michelletuesday.com, with last month's new song! And while you're checking it out, I also uploaded:  Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas I realize "Have Yourself" is a little late.  I recorded it and tried to upload it the week before Christmas, but many of you will recall that my computer crashed immediately after recording about ten Christmas songs. Dell finally managed to repair my laptop, and I recovered the "Have Yourself" file. It's pretty. So it's January. Sue me.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 152.2 I'm doing something right. Meals: 9:30am Fiber granola bar (2) and coffee (1) 1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) 5:30pm Coconut ZonePerfect bar (4) 6:45pm Fiber granola bar (2) 10:00pm Leftover chicken/rice (3?), cinnamon toast (3), candy bar (2), good & plenties (1) TOTAL POINTS: 25 Write new lyrics once per week. Goal met: "Strayed" [13+]Write one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbellyrepertoire song per week. "Fallin' For You" wasn't quite a smashing success, but I launched it at bd's last night. I'll play it the rest of the week at Potbelly and get it polished up.Taxes. In progress, though I haven't done much the last few days. |
| bd's tonight! And that's all I have to do today, so I should be able to get my to-do list knocked out... Resign from Abbott by 4/4/10. In progress and on schedule.Brand the biz(es.) In progress:-Buy an electric piano I bought a beautiful Casio 88-key weighted electric piano.-Buy a sound system I may not need this right away... I have amps that will work.-Clean up desktop computer Pending.-Find uni-instrumental training software Pending.-Real estate? I left a voice mail with a commercial agent.Business: Music Instruction Books. I worked on this some!Launch one new Praise Band song per month. In progress: "I Will Rise" will launch on 1/24.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Pending, with plans to do this today.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: ? Meals: 10:00am Banana (2) with caramel (3), coffee (1) 12:30pm Egg, ham, and cheese on English muffin (4.5) 2:00pm Pistachios (3) 2:30pm Mint candies (2) TOTAL POINTS: 15 (with bd's stir-fry still pending! *drools*) Write new lyrics once per week. Goal met: "Strayed" [13+] (renamed)Write one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbellyrepertoire song per week. In progress. I'll be launching "Fallin' For You" tonight. Taxes. In progress. |
| Resign from Abbott by 4/4/10. In progress and on schedule. For those who read my post yesterday, 4/4 is the end of the pay period (Sunday.) Brand the biz(es.) No activity. My to-do list: -Buy an electric piano -Buy a sound system -Clean up desktop computer -Find uni-instrumental training software -Real estate? *Now* my agent wants to drop the price on my house. Nice timing. It took her so long to suggest it that I'd settled into the idea of teaching lessons there. Business: Music Instruction Books.  Fail.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. In progress: "I Will Rise" will launch on 1/24.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Pending.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 153.6 Meals: 9:00am Fiber granola bar (2) 10:00am Banana (2) with caramel (4), coffee (1) 2:00pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) 5:45pm ZonePerfect bar (4) 7:45pm ZonePerfect Indulgence bar (3.5 11:30pm Five pepperoni (1), pistachios (1), wasabi almonds (1), and chips (5) TOTAL POINTS: 31.5 Write new lyrics once per week. Goal met! "Strayed" [13+] This reads more like poetry at the moment, because it's a "The Writer's Cramp" [13+] entry, so I may add a refrain later.Write one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Pending. I also stumbled across a file I started several months ago to simplify my lyrics folder. I need to finish that and use it! It rocks. Instead of the whole song, it just lists the first line and the general chord progression, to jog my memory.Taxes. In progress. |
| I still have one Textbroker OpenOrder pending....! I didn't get anything done I wanted to yesterday. Instead, we got my oil changed, picked up the kids to birthday shop for their mother, and went out to dinner. Life interferes on occasion. Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. And because of the way my lessons are lining up, I may have enough vacation to stick it out one more month. That would put me at Friday, 4/2 (which is, fittingly, the answer), except for the fact that that's Good Friday. I have to be at church that night. So unless my boss lets me work day shift for my last day (which, he might), then my last day will actually be 4/1."Hey, boss. I'm resigning today. ...yeah, just kidding. Wahhhhhhhhh-hahahahahaha!!! No, wait. I'm really resigning." Brand the biz(es.) I put lettering in my tip box identifying my name and web address, which means I'm marketing at Potbelly now in addition to bd's. For the last week or so, I've also been setting out business cards at Potbelly. And Saturday morning, the church music leaders had a planning meeting; I told them all to start spreading my name as a music instructor. Word of mouth is a good marketing strategy in this business.More things I need to do: Buy an electric piano; buy a sound system; find training software that is uni-instrumental, clean up my desktop that I never use, and install the software; and, of course, finish my music instruction books... at least for guitar and piano, since I have both beginning in February.  Business: Music Instruction Books. Fail. I *had* big plans. I went out for Mexican instead.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. In progress: "I Will Rise" will launch on 1/24.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Pending.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: ? Meals: 8:00am 3/4 cup Frosted Flakes (2) with skim milk (1), coffee (1) 11:00am Granola bar (3) 1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) 6:45pm McDouble (9) and tall, nonfat, no-whip white mocha (5.5) 11:00pm Nuts (3), a few bites of leftover hamburger helper (1), and a few bites of ice cream straight out of the box... shh... don't tell Keith and the kids... (1) TOTAL POINTS: 33.5 Write new lyrics once per week. Fail. Oops... I forgot to complete the song I started last week.Write one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Pending.Taxes. In progress.Road to hell... good intentions... blah, blah, blah... Happy Monday! |
I still have one Textbroker OpenOrder pending.  Too many jobs.Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. Brand the biz(es.) I had some discussions about lessons at church this morning, including scheduling some students who I already have lined up, and marketing my services to others.Business: Music Instruction Books. In progress, and I have big plans to work on this today. I have two kids starting guitar in February, and one starting piano. That's... um... really soon. Oh! And I'm leaning towards using my "MochaNotes" name on the music instruction books. It would make for cool graphics and the like.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. In progress: "I Will Rise" will launch on 1/24. Post at WordPress at least once per week. Goal met.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 152.6 Meals: 8:30am Banana (2) and fiber granola bar (2) 9:00am Coffee (1) 11:00am Chocolate bread (1), cinnamon roll (3) 11:30am Handful candy corns (2) GAH! Church 12:00pm Coffee (1) 3:00pm Leftover pizza (4) and a banana (2) with caramel (3) 7:00pm Mexican... ? TOTAL POINTS: ? Write new lyrics once per week. In progress.Write one new original song per month. Pending... and I'm itching to do this. I want more original work.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Fail for this week. A new week starts tomorrow. I love that about goals... as the Bible says, you get seven times seventy do-overs.Taxes. In progress. I wonder if I made money last year. |
| Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. Brand the biz(es.) Not really. Just taught lessons at the studio, played at Potbelly, and directed Praise Band rehearsal. That kept me pretty busy all day. I'm still teaching lessons for 88 Keys, it looks like through the end of the month.Business: Music Instruction Books. No activity.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. In progress: "I Will Rise" will launch on 1/24. We worked on it at Praise Band rehearsal tonight, and it's gonna rock. Post at WordPress at least once per week. Goal met.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 151.4 Meals: 9:00am Coffee (1) and a variety of baked goods (8?) 2:00pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) 4:00pm Six squares pizza (12) and a few handfuls of popcorn (1) 10:00pm Four squares pizza (8) and an apple parfait (3) TOTAL POINTS: 40 Write new lyrics once per week. In progress.Write one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Fail. I still need to learn "Fallin' For You" by Colbie Caillat by Wednesday.Taxes. In progress, but no activity today. |
| Gah. Got one Textbroker article written, one to go... Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule.Brand the biz(es.) I spent a bit of time calculating and talking to Keith about lessons. You know what I figured out?It's all about volume, man.  Yeah, I know, that's Business 101. But when I started putting the numbers together, I was amazed. Opening a studio and hiring other teachers could really make me some money, way above and beyond teaching them myself, if I do it right. But I wonder if small biz owners ever actually calculate how much money they make per hour at any given time - during conception, planning, start-up, learning curve, and eventually, successful operation. Because right now, I'm spending time *and* money, and it hurts. It would be so much easier to stay at Abbott, where they pay me lots of money just to show up, coach my employees, audit their work, and investigate problems. Gah. Except for the part where that job's no fun anymore!So I want to pick up at least 25 students in my house for now. Business: Music Instruction Books. No activity. And I need to do this, because once it's done, it's revenue.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. In progress: "I Will Rise" will launch on 1/24.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Goal met.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 152.8 Meals: 10:00am The other half of last night's Boburrito grilled in the toaster oven, yummeh (10) and OJ (2) 2:00pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) and a tall, nonfat, no-whip white mocha (5.5) 7:00pm Ten peanut butter preztels (2.5) and a rice krispies treat (4) some granola bar! Mmm... the buttery deliciousness of a gooey marshmallowy rice krispies treat!10:30pm Golden grahams straight outta the box (2?) 11:00pm Ice cream (5?) TOTAL POINTS: 38.0 GAH. I wrote the two paragraphs below before I added my 7:00, 10:30, and 11:00 snacks. The road to hell is paved with good intentions... I'm gonna be at 19 points after my Potbelly sandwich... light dinner for me.No dinner for me! I had a Starbucks drink because my band kids' mom bought me one in lieu of leaving a tip, when she brought the kids to see me play today. Maybe a granola bar for dinner. That's okay, Keith is going out, since it's Friday night. Party boy. There's a local cover band the boys like to see called "Fat Dog." I saw them once. Pretty fun. They play "Hot for Teacher," which cracks us up, because that's our song! Yeah, most people have romantic, slow-dancy songs, but ours is Van Halen and we like it that way. (And, in case you don't know, we met because I'm his daughter's piano teacher.)Write new lyrics once per week. In progress.Write one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Pending. I have one to learn, though: "Fallin' For You" by Colbie Caillat. I played two older Colbie songs at bd's last night, and a staff member requested that I learn the newest. So, the staff is already making requests. They like me. Taxes. Grr... THAT's what I'm supposed to be doing. Well, I'd work on it this weekend, but I have lessons, and more lessons, and then make-up lessons from being sick. |
| I got three out of five of my Textbroker articles written yesterday. I'll complete the other two tonight. {e:determined} Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. Brand the biz(es.) I added a favorites icon to my website. You know, that little graphic that shows up to the left of the address in the address bar? Mine's a tiny version of my photo from the website: http://www.michelletuesday.comI also calculated how many private music students I need to pick up to justify keeping my house and teaching there. The answer: 18 students is the break-even. It would be easier (and cheaper) to teach from Keith's house and sell mine, but mine has more space for it. Business: Music Instruction Books. No activity.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. In progress: "I Will Rise" will launch on 1/24.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Goal met.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: I forgot. Meals: 7:30am Coffee (0.5) and a granola bar (3) 2:00pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) and a tall, nonfat, no-whip white mocha (5.5) 7:00pm Granola bar (4), ten peanut butter pretzels (2.5), and three caramels (2) 8:30pm Half a meat lover's Boburrito (10) and an order of bacon (3) - yeah, I wanted meat. TOTAL POINTS: 37.5, yikes. But I got to see my man for dinner, so that was nice. Write new lyrics once per week. In progress-ish. (Meaning I haven't touched them since inspiration day.)Write one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Pending. I have one to learn, though: "Fallin' For You" by Colbie Caillat. I played two older Colbie songs at bd's last night, and a staff member requested that I learn the newest. So, the staff is already making requests. They like me. Taxes. In progress, but nothing yesterday. I was too busy writing Textbroker articles and farting around with my websites. |
| Today, I complete my five pending DirectOrders at Textbroker. My poor client has been more than patient with my illness. Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. Brand the biz(es.) Progress! I updated my website to include a booking contact link, and a link to inquire about private lessons. You know. Since I'm not teaching them through 88 Keys anymore. http://www.michelletuesday.comBusiness: Music Instruction Books. No activity.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Pending: "I Will Rise" on 1/24. We did start learning it last week.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Goal met. I may blog about 88 Keys next week, but my next post should really be a recording, since my most recent recording is about to fall of the bottom of the blog.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: Meals: 9:45am Granola bar (3) 11:00am Breakfast burrito (3.5) 12:00pm Brussel sprouts in butter sauce (3) 2:00pm Cheesecake (6) 3:00pm Three lowfat Triscuits (1) with summer sausage (2) ...and, of course, bd's for dinner tonight. I'm meeting my boy. Write new lyrics once per week. In progress. one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Pending.Taxes. In progress. I gathered my mileage records. If I have time after my Textbroker articles, I'll compile them. Baby steps. |
I'm finally done being  , and I'm back to work. I played Potbelly today, and my voice sounded crystal clear, which only goes to prove that the cure for bronchitis is a wicked stomach virus. It seems that spending two or three days not talking and barely breathing for fear of imminent hurlage does wonders for bronchial health. Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule... but I still haven't ruled out 3/31...Brand the biz(es.) In progress. I've been working on the money piece, like how to make it.  Business: Music Instruction Books. No activity.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Pending: "I Will Rise" on 1/24.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Pending. Nothing yet on a final date for 88 Keys.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 155.4 Meals: 8:00am Coffee (0.5) and a fiber English muffin (1) with butter (2) 11:00am Granola bar (4) 1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) 6:30pm Granola bar (4) and peanut butter pretzels (2.5) 12:00am Fiber Pop Tart (3) 12:30am Ice cream (2) TOTAL POINTS: 26 Write new lyrics once per week. In progress.Write one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Pending.NEW GOAL: Taxes. Pending. It had to be mentioned. I need to start by compiling my 2009 mileage. |
| Guess I'm about due for a blog post. Despite the fact that I've left the house exactly three times since Thursday , I have news. Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. I'm toying with staying until 3/31/10. I know, I know. I keep changing it. But I have no choice but to leave by 4/30/10, because I'll be out of vacation by then, thanks to my weekly Wednesday bd's gig. And it looks like I may be picking up students on (Thursday? Tuesday? another day - NOT Wednesday), so I'll have to burn through more vacation to keep up with that. And I need to ramp up my students, because... The owner of 88 Keys and I failed to reach agreement on the new contract this year. So, it looks like I'm resigning. Brand the biz(es.) Now that I'm leaving 88 Keys, I need to start focusing on MochaNotes. I have this idea for a summer day camp... how many months do I have to plan that? Hmm... Business: Music Instruction Books. Nope... if my stupid brain would have functioned properly during the last week, I had plenty of time. So, we start fresh with a new week. Yay for Mondays and fresh starts! It's like New Year's Day every week! (You all think of Monday that way too, yes?)Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Pending: "I Will Rise" on 1/24.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Pending. I'll probably blog about 88 Keys, once we iron out when my last day will actually be. Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 154.something Meals: 8:00am Three leftover chicken McNuggets w/honey mustard (6?) 12:00pm McDouble (10? maybe more) 1:00pm Ice cream (5) 4:30pm Baked Lays (3) and wasabi almonds (3) 5:00pm Ice pop (1) ...strange cravings. Oh, I'm a GREAT patient. Comfort food, all day, now that I can finally handle food.Write new lyrics once per week. In progress. I started lyrics based on a Cramp prompt. I didn't enter, because my brain was befuddled in a fevered frenzy, but I liked the prompt. So I may finish the lyrics this week. one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Pending, and FAIL for last week. But I played a grand total of one day last week, so at least I didn't bore the staff with the same old repertoire. |
| What a waste of a week. I can't do anything. Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. Brand the biz(es.) Business: Music Instruction Books. Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Pending: "I Will Rise" on 1/24.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Goal met.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: ? Meals: 7:30am Coffee (1) 8:00am Ham (0.5) and cheese (1) egg (1) with toast (2) and butter (2) 11:30pm Pizza rolls (8 4) 1:00pm Mints (2) Write new lyrics once per week. Goal met: "Winter's Escape" [E] one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Pending. |
| Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. Brand the biz(es.) I have a meeting scheduled with my boss at the studio this morning. At the recommendation of her accountant and attorneys, she is converting teachers from contractor (1099) status to employee (W2) status. I have to meet her to sign a new contract, as a result of the change. But she mentioned in her email: "Because I have to pay as an employer costs above what I will deduct as taxes, I will need to adjust your per lesson fees slightly." She asked us to come to the meeting "open-minded" about alternatives. Now, normally, when an employer incurs new costs, the costs are passed on to the customers, not the employees. Pretty good incentive for picking up more private students? Business: Music Instruction Books. In progress... but I probably won't get back to it until next Wednesday. I need to finish my Textbroker DirectOrders first.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Pending: "I Will Rise" on 1/24.Post at WordPress at least once per week. I have been sleeping. Almost literally since I blogged yesterday. I did wake long enough to go sing at bd's, which was a blazing success! They loved me... except for an elderly couple who complained that I was too loud. I adjusted down a little. I need to find the right amp settings for that space, and it doesn't help that my ears are clogged with sinus pressure. But they asked for upbeat, and I gave them upbeat. The "grillaz" were singing along here and there. I offered to hand over the microphone, but the manager didn't think that was a good idea. I love that restaurant. It's like Southwest Airlines: the definition of a fun place to work. Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 155.2 Meals: 4:30am Chex mix (4) 5:30am Mints (1) 7:30am Coffee (1) Write new lyrics once per week. Goal met: "Winter's Escape" [E]. I'm not entirely pleased, but I was (legally) stoned when I wrote it. I'd call it a WIP, but then I wouldn't meet my goal. It's in the repertoire. It will probably get an overhaul when and if I ever set it to music. one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Pending.Sure enough, the codeine knocked me out cold yesterday. I took it at 11:00am, then tried to crank out that Cramp entry. I still have five TB articles to write, and I didn't touch my music instruction books. Stupid virus. *kicks* |
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