Fri Nov 4 - Dinner was a nice treat last night, good to just hang out and relax. Traffic was nasty, so getting home in and of itself was nice. Then I was suddenly feeling more task-oriented than I was expecting, so I really did get my bedroom significantly cleaner before Saul arrived after fighting his own traffic to get to my place. Most of the boxes are put away back on the top of my loft bed frame, again, and all the cloth scrapes and threads on the floor have been picked up and tossed out. I found a few boxes I could empty or condense, and one that I could toss out almost entirely. Yay me.

So we went wandering, walking through the business district next to my apartment. I didn't realize he's never seen how close all the restaurants and stores are, so it was a little like a walking tour for a bit. We finally decided on a local mom and pop restaurant where he could get soup and salad, and I finally picked a salad for myself, too.

We gave into the temptation of Borders bookstore and wandered amongst the shiny stacks for quite some time. Of course, I made it out unscathed, but the store did quite a bit of damage to Saul's wallet. Ah well. I got a very crème brûlée yummy latté from the deal, and got to taste a bizarrely yummy chocolate and raspberry confection that he ordered. I'll have to remember that one for later.

After Saul took off and I came inside, I found myself almost falling asleep at my computer just trying to wait for a download update to finish refreshing.

Sat Nov 5 - And so the yummy wonderfulness of sleeping in. It's been a while since I've gotten to do that. I'd missed that. I should schedule more mornings to sleep in and relax. Not sure how I'll do that, but I really ought to make that a part of my life. If nothing else, it would be be like following the commandment to take a Sabbath once a week.

Anyways. It wasn't all relaxation today. First, before I could go anywhere, I had a poetry assignment to complete. For every Crown tournament, there are some folks who keep track of every fighter and their consort, who won which round, and then recruit poets and bards to write a piece in honor of every fighter. The completed book is published and sold at the following Coronation, two months later. I try to buy the poetry book every six months, but I'm missing most of them.

But as I mentioned, Natalya volunteered me to fill in for a poet who couldn't finish their assignment in time, so I put together a poem for Jamal over my morning coffee, even before taking the time to shower and dress to go in to work. I'm quite pleased with the finished piece, and might even see if I can set it to music later. I'm sure that Eowyn will love the poem, so I'll try and see what I can do.

I did have to spend most of the day in the office, still trying to get ready for class on Monday. I got several things finished (whew) but I still have some printing to complete, and a few more introductory paragraphs to polish. I have the feeling that I'm not going to be able to meet the gal from HR for the gym at 5:30 as we decided on Friday. I might be at work at 5:30, but it'll be to get ready for class, not to work out in the gym. *heavy sigh*

But the good thing about working in the office is that we have such a great connection to the internet, and I can listen to the radio over the connection. My favorite local talk station has started saving select hours of different hosts as pod-casts, either for download or direct listening. So rather than just put up with whatever was on, I got to listen to just my favorite hosts in the background while I worked.

Finally, it was time to head to the studio. I'd missed singing with the band lately, and I wasn't disappointed. Rehearsal went really well, which was doubly nice since I'd just finished posting emails to several lists about our upcoming show last night before I headed out for the evening. Oh, and by the way, if you're in the area, come see the show and hear me sing. That would be lovely. http://www.forevertwelve.com/shows.html

I was thinking, as I left the studio, how much music is still in my life, and all the newest music that's been growing. I've rediscovered music and songwriting in a whole new way, by embracing the bardic arts in the SCA. I've been pushing myself to enter bardic competitions, have written several songs because of these, and now am serving as a baronial bard for a year.

I joined up with a fledgling community choir, and in trying to help with the rehearsal process, found myself suddenly the conductor of the choir. Now I'm running the rehearsals, conducting the music, and teaching people how to become better singers.

I'm still singing in a band that doesn't really play all that often but here we are, doing a show in a month, and writing our third CD. It's not going to get me on Letterman or SNL, but it's still performing for an audience.

And I still sing at my church, and tomorrow I'll finally have a Sunday morning free to be back in service, sharing music with my church family. I've missed them a lot, and I'll be thankful to be there again.

And now, after rehearsal I've had time to just relax and enjoy some time with the television and my laptop, and I'll be able to crash next. Tomorrow is another long day, so talk to you all more later. G'night.

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Recently Listened to: lots of archived material on KFI
Recently Watched: Firefly, Smallville, NCIS
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Today's Blessing That I'm Thankful For: My Band, for helping me keep another part of the music in my life alive, and so darn fun.