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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 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. Brand the biz.  I'm picking up my easel sign today. My first night at bd's is tonight... and I have bronchitis. It figures. I'm gonna try like hell not to call out. I'm not going anywhere else today (except the doctor) so I can handle an hour and a half of performance. I hope.  Business: Music Instruction Books. In progress and on today's agenda.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Pending: "I Will Rise" on 1/24.Post at WordPress at least once per week. Pending: after bd's.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 155-ish Meals: 3:00am Chex mix (4) (to take meds and generally feel sorry for myself  )7:30am Granola bar (3) and coffee (1) 12:00pm Lean Pocket (5) and Coffee (1) 1:00pm Chex mix (4) and Coffee (1) 4:30pm Coffee (1) 5:30pm Pretzels (1) 10:00pm Two pieces of whole grain toast (2) with butter (2) and seven reduced-fat Triscuits (2) TOTAL POINTS: 27 Write new lyrics once per week. Pending and on today's agenda. one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Pending.Wednesdays are my official "knock stuff off the list" days until I leave Abbott. We'll see how much I actually get done, if the doc gives me a strong script that knocks me out all day.  |
| Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. Brand the biz. Tony, my promotions dude, finished my easel sign art!  ** Image ID #1633090 Unavailable ** Here's the bd's poster he did: ** Image ID #1633089 Unavailable ** Business: Music Instruction Books. No activity... I spent a chunk of time de-cluttering all my notes, calendar entries, etc. from my multitude of jobs and goals. I still have a ways to go, but I'm starting to feel more organized. Work on biz plans for Michelle Tuesday and MochaNotes. In progress.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 post an update after my bd's gig on Wednesday night.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: ? Meals: 3:00am Chex mix (1) 7:15am Granola bar (3) and coffee (1) 12:00pm Sausage with peppers and onions (5?) and asparagus/squash in (butter?) (2?) 12:30pm Rice Krispies treat (4) 7:00pm Tuna helper (2) TOTAL POINTS: 18 Oh, and I'm sure I ate at least a point or two of cough drops yesterday. Write new lyrics once per week. Pending. 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. My friend Tony designed a kickass logo for my MochaNotes biz! But right now, I'm focusing on the Michelle Tuesday biz. I talked to Chase about bank account options, because I'd like bars and restaurants to write checks to my stage name. I have to open a biz account. The problem is, I have to open separate accounts for Michelle Tuesday, MochaNotes, and Tuesday Entertainment, unless I create a corporation ("Tuesday Entertainment") D.B.A. ("doing business as") Michelle Tuesday and MochaNotes. Meanwhile, I'm on Chapter 9 in "Small Business for Dummies." Wowsa. It's a lot to keep up with. It's intimidating, and it's no wonder everyone doesn't quit their jobs and start up their own businesses. You gotta really want it. Fortunately, I have a small business already - my Michelle Tuesday business is classified as a sole proprietorship - and I can apply the principles to that much simpler biz before jumping headfirst into a brick-and-mortar biz. Tony also did some promotional posters for me to hang at bd's, which I dropped off last week. Yesterday, a lady at church asked me if I played anywhere outside of church, because she'd seen a poster of a musician at bd's who looked an awful lot like me, but didn't quite have my name. I confirmed that it was, in fact, me, and that I was using a stage name. My first celebrity recognition! Business: Music Instruction Books. No activity, thanks to a two-week hiatus from my laptop and the music software installed on it.  Current real estate goal: Organize garage. Lots of activity! Keith and I have been working on it over our vacation this last week, though he gets most of the credit. It looks great! ...and this goal comes down tomorrow.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Pending. I held a planning meeting with the band, and the new song that came out of the meeting was "We Will Rise" by Chris Tomlin, launching on 1/24.Post at WordPress at least once per month. Pending, and I'm increasing this to weekly again, since (1) it's in my new website, http://www.michelletuesday.com, and (2) bd's is linking my blog on their Facebook page.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 3/31/10. Weight: 155-ish. I'm up ten pounds. I need at least two months to lose them again, so I'm giving myself three. Goals should be *attainable*.Meals: 7:15am Coffee (1) and toast (2) with butter (1) 8:30am Bacon (2) 9:30am Bacon (2) 1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) 5:00pm Coffee (1) 7:00pm Banana ZonePerfect bar (3.5) 10:00pm Chex mix (4?) 10:30pm Noodles (4?) TOTAL POINTS: 28 Write new lyrics once per week. Pending. one new original song per month. Pending.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. Pending.Look into real estate for music instruction. I left voice mails with two agents who haven't returned my calls in over a week. Obviously, they're not desperate to fill their vacancies. 'Tis okay, because it'll be cheaper to teach out of my house until my volume outgrows the house (or I sell it.) We're passively looking right now. The big push here was to get a feel for pricing, so I could work on my biz plan. So I'm taking this goal down for now, and replacing it with working regularly on my biz plan. |
| My laptop is back in working order, and just in time for the first Monday of the New Year. Sure, technically the New Year starts on 1/1, for resolutions and the like, but I'm in charge of my destiny, and I've decided that I'm destined to start my resolutions on Monday, 1/4. Because I can. Which is good, because we still have cookies and candy in the house. So starting tomorrow, I'll be blogging my goal status again. It's not like I need resolutions, since I maintain ongoing goals. Meanwhile, I'm sick... cold, cough, sore throat, the works... down to the husky, almost-nonexistent voice. Which is good, because I start my bd's gig on Wednesday. So starting this afternoon, after I coach my kids' band, I plan to do as little as possible. I'll curl up in my snuggie, drink peppermint tea, take Nyquil, and snooze on the couch in front of the TV. I might try to write an article or two, since I have six direct orders in my textbroker inbox. I also may play with my budget, my business plan, my website, and other stuff I haven't had access to while my laptop dead. Peace |
| It's just not even fair that my laptop is still broken, because Textbroker is bursting at the seams with open orders. Saturday. At least, that's when the appointment is scheduled. We'll see if the part he's installing (he didn't tell me what it is) solves the problem. I just heard from the service tech about thirty minutes ago, while the email below was sent seven hours ago. *kicks the shit out of Dell* I'm going to a thing tonight anyway, so I guess I couldn't write Textbroker articles tonight even if I had my laptop. See y'all next year. "Why have I not heard back from a service technician? As you can see from the timeline I've established below, I've hardly received the "next business day, includes nights/weekends" service on my faulty laptop that I paid for with my extended warranty. I've gone TEN DAYS without a laptop, and now I'm approaching another holiday weekend, do I have to wait until Monday again? I had much work to accomplish this week, and I've been unable to do almost anything. My warranty description: Description Provider Warranty Extension Notification Start Date End Date Days Left Next Business Day, Includes Nights/Weekends QLX No 7/25/2009 7/24/2011 570 XPS Technical Support DELL No 7/25/2009 7/24/2011 570 The timeline of my repair issue: Dec. 21th: 3:00pm - I looked up warranty information and chatted online with Ashley, who instructed me to backup and run a hardware diagnostic check, and email the results to his manager. 4:30pm - I emailed the diagnostic check results to Ashley's manager. Dec. 22st: 4:00pm - I emailed Ashley's manager again, because 24 hours have gone by and I haven't heard from Dell. 4:30pm - I received a phone call from Ashley, who said that the diagnostic results indicate I need a new hard drive, which will be imaged and shipped ASAP. I was cautioned that I might not be guaranteed delivery before the holiday weekend, because it was already Dec. 23rd (due to time zone difference) where the hard drive was being shipped from. Dec. 24th: I received the hard drive via Fed Ex, pleased to have received it before the weekend. However, I installed it per instructions, and experienced the same symptoms I'd described originally: no boot, and the screen is black with vertical colored lines appearing. I immediately sent an email to Ashley's manager indicating that the hard drive didn't solve the problem. I was told by the rep that he was the only person in the office, and that I would receive a call on Monday (Dec. 28) at 9:00am my time as a follow-up. Dec. 28th: 11:00am - I still have not heard from Dell. I sent an email asking the status, and received a call within 30 minutes from Ashley, who informed me that a service technician would contact me within the next day or two, to schedule a time to come to my home and repair my laptop. Dec. 31st: 9:00am - Three days have passed, and I still have not heard from a service technician. Thanks for your prompt attention in this matter." |
| Still no laptop... and I'm too tired to get into all that. But on the bright side, I've still managed to do this: http://www.michelletuesday.com/ Peace |
| Being in the habit of having nowhere to go, I failed to set an alarm last night. I have church this morning! Luckily (and annoyingly), I've been waking early. I need to get promotional materials - a poster for the window at bd's and a sign on an easel to display next to my performance space - ready for my new gig. I have a friend working on that, and he asked me for photos. So I pulled out my handy external hard drive, on which I managed to save the entire contents of my laptop HD before it failed. The "entire" contents... with the apparent exception of the folders in my "My Docs" directory which hold my photos, audio files, and videos. ...as in, all the promo photos I've ever taken and all the songs I've ever recorded. Damn it. *kicks stupid, broken laptop* |
| I teach no lessons, play no Potbelly, and lead no Praise Band rehearsal today. A very strange Saturday, indeed. I went ahead and wrote another Textbroker article (Direct Order #3 of 10) just for something productive to do. Textbroker balance: $27. Helium balance: about $45. We're taking the kids to Gameworks today, and then Cheesecake Factory for dinner. Highly productive stuff.  I have to wait until Monday to address my computer issue. Meanwhile, I'm stealing Keith's as often as he'll let me, but my blog template (and the running to-do list that I follow daily) are sitting on my dead laptop. So, I'm off to spend my day on fun and games instead.  |
| No laptop and no jobs today... whatever will I do with myself??? I know. I'll read my new Christmas present: Small Business For Dummies (That's me!)Here's a great quote: "Although it's true that money can't buy happiness, managing your personal finances efficiently can open up your future life options, such as switching into a lower-paying but more fulfilling career, starting your own business, or perhaps working part-time at a home-based business..." Yep, that's exactly what it does. And although I admit that I have been blessed more than many, this was my recipe for success: 1. Go to college (paid for via student loans, grants, and scholarships. I graduated with about thirty thousand dollars worth of student loan debt.) 2. Work hard, even if that meant being chained to a computer lab while roommates vacationed in Cancun over Spring Break. 3. Earn a degree.  Don't underestimate this one! Those loans need to be paid back somehow, and the degree offers the earning potential to pay it back.4. Find a job. Easier said than done, I know. Like I said, I've been blessed. But believe me, the college degree helps a lot.5. Keep living expenses low enough to afford student loan payments. That meant driving a Corolla, which was my fave little car ever. I confess that my first apartment in Atlanta was in the heart of the social district and very expensive. I quickly realized what a waste of money it was, and when I moved to Nashville, I bought a house that I could actually afford. It was tiny, but it was *mine*. 6. Continue to spend less than you earn over about a decade, and pay off debts. THIS IS NOT EASY. It takes discipline. You have to keep your eyes on a prize that may be years away, while forgoing instant gratification (e.g., cable service, unlimited texting, or that HDTV you really, really want) in favor of that prize. It helps to know exactly what the prize is. For instance, "Get a job playing video games for a living," is much more specific than, "Get a job that's more fun," which is much more specific than, "Get out of debt." The more specific the goal, and the more badly you want to achieve the goal, the more likely you are to say no to the HDTV and its instant gratification at the moment of choice, because you think of how cool it will be to play video games for a living (which is way cooler than simply getting out of debt.) It also helped when I got rid of a spendaholic leech. It is very difficult to meet your financial goals when you have a partner who does not share your goals, at least not in practice. If you find yourself in this situation, I strongly recommend keeping separate accounts, which is something I would have scoffed at a decade ago. But I recognize now that I can only control myself. So if you have your own goals to meet, and if your partner or family members don't share your goals, you have to put some money someplace where you have complete control over it. And... 7. Start saving. A decade ago, I scoffed at savings. I thought, why on earth would I put money in savings when I have all these credit cards to pay off? The interest rate math doesn't make sense. I was right, but I swear, I never thought that I would ever be completely debt-free and have extra money every month. Yet, here I am, socking away money every two weeks. It takes discipline over the long-haul, which can be accomplished only when you know what you really want. Easy as pie, right? Merry Christmas, and may all your family, career, and financial dreams come true in 2010 (or in the next decade.) Happy Birthday, Jesus. |
| My new hard drive arrived via Fed Ex today. Unfortunately, the hard drive is apparently not the problem. |
| Computer Status: I have a new hard drive coming via expedited shipping... from India. Therefore, I might not get it until Monday. What am I going to do with myself during a long holiday weekend away from work with no computer??? Weight Goal Status I weighed in at 155.4 this morning. And that's all I've got to say about that. *gets an early start on New Year's Resolution planning* Abbott/Business Status I have gigs, students, rehearsals, meetings, and Abbott vacation time all lined up. I just need to schedule them and figure out where the heck I'm going to do it all. I did get some pricing on commercial properties, but I need to get more data about what the pricing includes. I also need to figure out who my Abbott manager will be in 2010 so I can discuss "The Plan." I normally work 2nd shift at Abbott, which gets me home around midnight. At Keith's house, Santa comes on the 24th, because he comes to mommy's house on the 25th. This morning, the 11-year-old said to me: "  Santa is coming tonight, so we need to be in bed by midnight. Are you gonna be home in time?"  I told him that, fortunately, I'm working day shift today, so we're covered. |
| The laptop repair is not yet complete... but I'm squeaking in Internet time the best I can. I got a DirectOrder at Textbroker for 10 articles just after I'd decided I was too busy for TB *and* my laptop died, so I can hardly get online to post completed articles anyway. I guess I made my own bed there, after months of establishing successful client relationships. (It's a cliche. Don't read into it.) Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. Look into real estate for music instruction. Next week. Brand the biz. * My friend Tony, a high school art teacher, is working on a logo for my MochaNotes Music business. * I posted a very preliminary site at http://michelletuesday.com. Don't make fun!! I have big plans. They involve hiring someone else to do it. And, by hiring, I mean bartering music lessons for her kids in exchange for website design. Ah, capitalism.MochaNotes Music may actually get off the ground.  I have a lot of drive, true, but it all seemed like a lofty dream at first. Then I started talking about my plans to people, and suddenly, I was surrounded by friends and family willing to help me out! It's amazing. I have so many wonderful people in my life, with such a variety of talents to offer.  I can't wait to open my biz and dedicate it to all of them.The only heartburn I have is over my current boss at the music studio. I like her; I just get frustrated with her lack of organization. I really don't want to hurt her or her business. So I need to brainstorm with people how I can start my own without stepping on her toes. I mean even outside contractual agreement guidelines, which I intend to comply with. Above and beyond that, I want to be professional and courteous to her and her business. Being such a softy might make me a lousy businesswoman. *shrug* I'm not all that worried about it. I figure either MochaNotes Music will succeed, or it will fail. I got me some skillz! If this bombs, I have music performance, writing, database design, and even engineering to fall back on, not to mention a boy with a good engineering job of his own. Business: Music Instruction Books. I've been working on this quite a bit... as much as possible with, you know, no computer to do it on. I have tons of notes scribbled in little notebooks - of both the regular and music-staff-paper variety - all over the place. It's taking shape. Current real estate goal: Organize garage. Next week. Launch one new Praise Band song per month.  Goal met. And I need to schedule that first band meeting. And a new time for band rehearsals. I'm trying to find more family time for myself, but I have so many other people's schedules to work around. Post at WordPress at least once per month. Goal met: http://michelletuesday.wordpress.com. In fact, I posted again, since I've had over 200 hits in the last three days or so. I need to post regularly while I have a captive audience!Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 1/31/09. Weight: Meals: 8:00am Bfast burrito (3.5) and coffee (1) |
| I took my laptop into a shop for repair. They thought it was a video card failure (so did I), and of course, the video card is integrated into the motherboard. So it looked like I would need a new motherboard, and since I bought the laptop around August of 2008, I was pretty sure the warranty was expired. It figures that the thing would die at fifteen months, just after the twelve-month warranty expires, right? So I asked how much a new motherboard would cost. Well, according to the shop, it would be almost as expensive to replace the motherboard as the whole computer. (My laptop was very expensive.) It turns out it's not that expensive, but he can sell me a laptop for just a little more than the motherboard would cost. So, I asked a few questions. Me: What software will be installed on the laptop you want to sell me? Shop Guy: Windows 7. Pause. Me: That's it? SG: Yeah, most of the business people we get don't want a bunch of stuff on their computers. Me: Most business people want MICROSOFT OFFICE. SG: Well, yeah, they can buy that. Me: But most people want it, so why isn't it installed? SG: Well, it is, if you buy it. Me: Suddenly, it's looking like the laptop and software might be a tad more expensive than a new motherboard. I know what you're thinking: It's a laptop! Who needs software?? (snicker) Me: No thanks, I'd rather replace the motherboard. SG: I'm not an authorized Dell dealer, so you need to contact Dell to get the mb. When you receive it, I can install it in a day (for like $120.) Me: Great, thanks, thumbs-up, see ya. Then I logged onto to my Dell account to get contact information, so I could get a price on a mb. While I'm online, I casually check my warranty information, just to be sure. OMG, I bought an extended warranty!?!?!?! Yeah, I never buy extended warranties. Because who ever actually uses extended warranties? But I seriously bought an extended warranty, somehow, and what the hell do ya know? I need it. After a long chat with a nice, helpful, English-speaking technical service rep, I have managed to get life out of my laptop again. I am to take two pills and call her in the morning. Pill #1: Back up your entire hard drive right now while you have access. Pill #2: Run hardware diagnostics and note any errors. Wheeee!! My faith in Dell is restored... for now. We'll see if the problem actually gets resolved. By the way, it's a good thing I have plenty of time for this stuff. |
| I thought my laptop was fixed, because there was a video driver update, and my issues have seemed video-related (weirdness on the screen.) So I updated the driver, and I had no crashes for like twenty-four hours. Today, it won't even boot. I hope it's because the battery is really dead; charging it now. Why isn't that stupid thing hibernating like it's supposed to? I bought the laptop in August of 2008. The warranty *just* expired. Go, Dell! Meanwhile, I had lessons, Potbelly, lessons, and praise band practice yesterday, then church and lessons today. I squeezed in a margarita at the Mexican place last night. But productivity has been low due to the crammed scheduled (well, I mean productivity of the self-employment variety.) Keith and I brainstormed some last night (did I mention how smart he is?), I had a chat with my dad via email who might be interested in investing in my business (and who, incidentally, is snowed in under twenty inches of snow with my mom in Maryland), and I'm meeting with Emily tomorrow morning to chat about how she can help with the biz. So, there's movement. It's just unbelievable how much more I need.Hey, did all y'all Facebookers "become a fan" of bd's Easton for me? Click on the link in my WordPress blog:Meanwhile, I have three new web domains to build sites for, and three others to point to the first three. Lots to do! For starters, I need to build a calendar at michelletuesday.com listing my performances, and I'd like to move my blog there (anyone know the easiest way to do that?) It would be kinda nice to be snowed in today. With Internet access. And an operational laptop. |
| I'm having a great day. My kids are all being overachievers, blowing me away with how much they practiced all week. And two of them gave me Starbucks gift cards for Christmas! Being a teacher is so much fun. The week after Christmas, I'm on vacation all week. That's when I figure out The Plan. To what day(s) do I move my students? Can they move? How do I free up my weekend time for family? How many days a week should I take off at Abbott, and which days, to get it all lined up for the permanent switch? With all this to figure out, how am I supposed to start a business??? Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. Look into real estate for music instruction. I may assign this one to Keith. He's into that sort of stuff, and he wants to help. At a minimum, I'd like us to drive around target neighborhoods the week after Christmas, while we're both on vacation. Brand the biz. I am meeting with my friend Emily Monday at a coffee shop to scope out the biz and talk about ideas. And Keith and I talked extensively last night. Basically, I need to stop dreaming so big and get a bit more revenue-centric. (He's so smart.) So we're both on vacation the week after Christmas, and we're going to spend time together working on a plan. The conversation already has my brain reeling, of course, and I've been writing ideas in my little notebook all morning. And Keith pointed out that I may be rushing the biz idea. I do have a lot on my plate and want to be successful, so we should take it one step at a time.  Okay, but I at least need to figure out when and where I'll teach all my students, including the new ones starting in January.Business: Music Instruction Books. In progress, and this is definitely revenue-centric. Which should I finish first? I have a little guitar student (I believe he's six) starting private lessons in January, so I should target getting that book ready. I have two other students (maybe eight and ten?) beginning in January, but neither the lessons nor the instruments have been finalized. Last I heard, they hadn't decided yet. Sounds like me! And... I'm in talks with another family about potential drum lessons for a (six or seven?)-year-old. Yeah, so... guitar it is. I'm adding a songwriting workbook to the guitar, piano, bass, drums, and voice books. Current real estate goal: Organize garage. No activity. Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Goal met. Post at WordPress at least once per month. Goal met: http://michelletuesday.wordpress.com. Not only is this goal increasing back to weekly in January, but I am also reinstating my monthly songwriting goal.Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 1/31/09. Weight: ? Meals: 8:00am Coffee (1) and granola bar (3) |
| In lieu goals today, I plead your assistance. Will you please click on my music blog link: In the most recent post, you'll see a link to bd's Mongolian Grill at Easton. Will you please click on the link, and if you're feeling super generous, become a fan? In this way, you will help show bd's Easton that they made a good investment in my entertainment, because they'll see evidence of store promotion via my music blog. I would be most grateful. |
| Potbelly was cute today. A little boy, maybe four years old, was playing peek-a-boo with me from behind his booth bench. As they were bundling him and his little sister up to leave, I played "Santa Claus is Coming to Town." At the end of the song, he said: "Hey, Music Lady! Santa's already here! I just saw him!" Everyone in the store heard him! Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. In progress and on schedule. I just landed a regular gig at bd's Mongolian Grill. They want to launch a Student Night on Wednesdays to drum up mid-week business, and they hired me to provide live entertainment every week. It pays much better than Potbelly and it comes with free dinner and drinks, so, woot! I just requested vacation time at Abbott for every Wednesday during January and February. That's Step 1. Step 2 is Talk to Boss, which will happen the first week of January. After that, I should have a pretty good idea of timing. Although, it depends on who Boss is at that time, because there is an org change coming very soon. I expect to see an announcement by the end of the week (i.e.tomorrow or even this afternoon.)Look into real estate for music instruction. Not so much, but I picked a name: Mocha Notes Music Instruction and Mocha Notes Music Cafe. I reserved all the domains, etc. Woot squared. Progress. Brand the biz. Keith suggested looking into coffee franchise opportunities for the cafe part of the biz. Any recommendations? I want to make sure the coffee is tasty and delicious! Because I lurve coffeh! While I do realize this might affect my biz name, a franchise would provide me with the tools and expertise to run that part of the biz successfully, so I'm open to it. Business: Music Instruction Books. In progressCurrent real estate goal: Organize garage. No activity, which conveniently provided plenty of nice hiding places for unwrapped Christmas gifts. Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Goal met. Post at WordPress at least once per month. Goal met. However, I'll be posting again soon to plug my bd's gig. Likewise, they're going to plug my blog on their Facebook page, so, holy crap, I need to start updating that thing regularly again! In particular, I need more upbeat recordings. They want upbeat. Oh, I also need promotional materials - like, signage for the wall, maybe some sort of sign on an easel to set up next to me, that sort of thing. Woot cubed! I have plenty of time to take care of that while I'm on vacation the week after Christmas. Everything is falling into place. Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 1/31/09. Weight: Meals: 7:00am Three strips bacon (4) and coffee (1) 11:00am ZonePerfect bar (4) 1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) 3:30pm Chai (1) |
| On the agenda for today: Christmas shopping! Resign from Abbott by 6/1/10. In progress and on schedule. I did finally order business cards under my stage name as a music instructor and live entertainer. Also, the manager from bd's Mongolian Grill requested a meeting for Thursday to discuss gig scheduling in January. I'm waiting on that conversation to start planning out what my January is going to look like. The OCD in me is going crazy at not having that month lined up yet. I have blank pages in my Franklin planner all throughout January. Look into real estate for music instruction. Nothing yesterday. My "Plan B" was to just teach out of my (Keith's) home, but Keith made a good point: Where will parents sit during the lesson? It's not like we have a lobby. Fortunately, we have two sofas and a chair in the basement, where the instruments are, but some of my kids don't want their parents in the room. Keith suggested teaching at my house, but then I would have to move my piano back!!! after paying $100 to move it from my house to Keith's. I could also invest in an electric piano, because I need one anyway (heh... "need"... along with a Gibson Les Paul), and set it up at my house. On the other other hand, I could sell my house at any moment....hence the need for real estate. I need more amplifiers, too. And another mixer, and some decent PA speakers, maybe a couple monitors, lots more cables, gear, gear, gear... and actually, for my business, I'll need computers, software, and another piano or two. So I need affordable real estate, because I'd rather spend my money on gear! Business: Music Instruction Books. In progress, but no recent activity. Today will be honkin' busy, what with the shopping and all. Have I mentioned that I hate shopping?? I hire people to shop for me.Current real estate goal: Organize garage. No activity. Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Goal met. Not only that, I published bulletins through 1/3/10, which made the church secretary about jump for joy. And with Emily gone, I'll need to recruit some volunteer help from among the band members. When I suggested monthly voluntary planning meetings, I'm pretty sure I mentioned the word, "margaritas." Post at WordPress at least once per month. Goal met. Last night, I posted upcoming appearances: http://michelletuesday.wordpress.com. I need to put my appearances in a calendar. Does Wordpress have a calendar?Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 1/31/09. Weight: 152.6 Meals: 8:00am Breakfast burrito (3.5) and coffee (1) 1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7) 6:00pm Ten peanut butter pretzels (2.5) and a large Rice Krispies treat (4) Last night I ate a ton of junk that I didn't write down. It was like an obsession: four or five fresh nuts (1), then canned nuts (1), then wasabi almonds (1). None of that kicked the craving, so I ate leftover Johnny Marzetti (4) and a couple cookies (5). I haven't done that in a long time... I gotta stop using the holidays as an excuse or I'm going to fall back into some very bad habits. |
| Resign from Abbott by 6/1/10. In progress and on schedule. NEW GOAL: Look into real estate for music instruction. I could not find a one-site-fits-all master listing of commercial properties, like Realtor.Com is for residential listings. Robert Waltz  suggested Craigslist, and the one space I found there that might suit my needs was so expensive that I about had a heart attack - it was about four times the cost of a residential property for the same square footage. I decided my best bet is to just drive around the area and write down phone numbers from the "For Sale / Lease" signs I find... and I hope to find that that pricing is not the norm. NEW GOAL: Brand the biz Still taking ideas for a name. As far as branding goes, my music instruction will be easy, fun, and accurate. In a laid-back, informal environment, you or your child will receive a quality music education and be able to successfully perform music. There are incentives for practicing and regular performance opportunities. Education is available in one-on-one instruction or classroom formats. ...or something like that. That's a rough draft of the concept fighting its way out of my brain. Business: Music Instruction Books. In progress.Current real estate goal: Organize garage. No activity... maybe when I'm on vacation the week after Christmas. I need to do some Christmas shopping. Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Goal met. Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 1/31/09. Weight: Meals: 9:00am Four cookies (6) and coffee (1) Ugh... Why do I feel  ? |
| Yesterday just pissed me off. I showed up for my regularly scheduled band lessons, only to find that the sound system had been removed; the studio owner was using them at recitals and forgot to mention to me that it would be gone. You can't run a band rehearsal without a sound system, period. But at that point, my first band was already there, and I called my second band and gave one-hour notice that practice was canceled. When I texted the owner and told her that the bands were feeling ignored, and that she might consider some kind of refund for the first band, since rehearsal was really a waste of time, her reply was: "I'm going to need the sound system for recitals next year." ? Okay, is that your idea of giving me notice for next year? And did you ignore my suggestion? I'm sorry if you're tired of giving people money, but you can't ignore your clients and expect them to stick around and keep paying. Her expertise is piano, and therefore, her focus is piano. Guitar, bass, drum, and band students get none of her time, and they know it. I have learned from her mistake: never engage in a business venture that you know nothing about. Of course the textbooks already say to stick with what you know, and I've seen billion-dollar companies like Abbott acquire business only to spin them off later as utter failures, because they just didn't fit the portfolio. It's Business 101. My boss knows classical piano. She needs to stay away from rock music. She wouldn't know a Linkin Park song if it slapped her in the face. And so the order of goals have switched with my priorities... again. My mother reminded me recently that the only thing you can count on is that things will change. Wise lady. Resign from Abbott by 3/1/10. On schedule. Note the new target date, which is an absolute not-to-exceed. It will likely be sooner. Current real estate goal: Organize garage. No activity. And I am not in a huge hurry to sell my house again, because I may teach lessons there for awhile. But the garage is a big deal, in case I do find a buyer at my house and need to move lessons to Keith's, because I need the space. Meanwhile... NEW GOAL: Look into real estate for music instruction. This is very, very serious. I like my boss a lot, but it gives me a headache to work for her. And I think I can do better... well outside of the geographic radius established by my contract, of course, because not only do I have no desire to be sued, but I also have no desire to hurt her business. I just want to do it myself. The next question is: do I stick with rock, classical, or both? Obviously, rock is my forte. I play modern music at Potbelly, not Chopin, and even as Praise Band director, we're singing Christian rock, not the Bach you find in a hymnal. But at least I know classical. I grew up on it. I trained on it. I *know* it. As an example, I was brainstorming with some friends. One suggested biz name was Signature, which to me, sounds formal. It implies classical. Another name was Jammin' with a Joe (because I'm thinking of opening a small cafe in lieu of a lobby), which sounds fun and easygoing. It implies rock. See my dilemma? How do I find a name that implies both? Business: Music Instruction Books. In progress, and this is growing in priority.Launch one new Praise Band song per month. Goal met. Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 1/31/09. Weight: Meals: 8:00am Three cookies (5) and coffee (1) I've eaten a lot of cookies the last few days. I lost count. Post at WordPress at least once per month. Pending... and I'm thinking about shutting it down, because there's nothing worse than an inactive blog. And I see myself launching and keeping up with a blog on my biz website, once I find a damn biz name whose domain doesn't have to be scalped.Launch one new Potbelly song per week. On hold until after the holidays. one new original song per month.On hold indefinitely, to be removed until further notice. Read a book in print for fifteen minutes every day. Fail, and on hold indefinitely, to be removed until further notice. Bear with my utter busyness. I suddenly find myself with a lot to do... a lot more than usual, that is. On a lighter note, today starts my last FULL week at Abbott, thanks to holidays and vacation days. |
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