Twenty-Something Resolution Week Four

I bought lipstick today.  I have never done that before.  It's not like I've never worn lipstick.  I've borrowed it from friends and my mom, but I've never had any of my own, mainly because I don't wear makeup much.  I'm too lazy to mess with it, and I just don't care.  Also, I'm so used to playing clarinet every day, and I don't really see the point in wearing lipstick when it's just going to get smudged and mess up my reeds and mouthpiece.  Now that I don't play every single day, I thought I might as well.  But this won't change my habits.  I'll still probably only wear makeup once in a blue moon.
Anyway, here's what I look like:

Twenty-Something Resolution, Week Three

I did TWO new things this week!  Does that mean I can take next week off?

First, I'll start with what happened on Wednesday that I haven't had time to write about yet.
There is a Music Therapy intervention that our team have all been trained in, but we haven't been using it, because of concerns regarding the research to support the effectiveness and validity of the intervention.  This week, my colleague and I met with the therapy team, along with a distinguished Music Therapist for extra support, to discuss beginning a program to initiate using this intervention in our hospital.  It was the first time I was able to discuss/propose a Music Therapy program, and definitely one of the first times I felt confident in what I know.  It was all very grown-up.  Afterward, we were exhausted and energized all at the same time.  There's still more work to be done, but we are excited.

Second, I went to Montgomery this weekend.  I've never been to Montgomery, but I didn't really get to explore much.  I went for the Alabama Music Educator's Association (AMEA) conference.  Since August, I have been playing in a group called Alabama Winds.  This group consists of band directors and music educators across the state (including my own high school band directors), as well as retired music educators, and the occasional member without a Music Ed degree (such as myself).  It has been an absolute pleasure playing with them, and this year, we had the honor to play a concert at AMEA.  It was an amazing concert to play, filled with much musicianship and artistry.  We even got to play with Tom "Bones" Malone, who played with the Blues Brothers and on The Late Show with David Letterman (I think, I don't really know who hosts which show...)  Anyway, it was magical and I love to play my horn, and I have been so blessed to be able to play with such talented musicians.

Hooray for music!

Twenty-Something Resolution, Week Two

Some are born great, some achieve greatness, and some have greatness thrust upon them.
Some weeks will be naturally full of new things, some weeks I will have to look for new things to try, and some weeks will have new things thrust upon them.
This week has been thrusted upon.

I've had a slow leak in my tire for a few weeks.  I asked my dad to look at it, and he didn't see anything.  He even took it to Sam's for me, but didn't have them inspect it properly (because it was a 45 min wait).  He just told me to put air in it every once in a while, and then when it's time to get new tires, all will be well.

Except he was wrong.  Which, admittedly, doesn't happen often.  I noticed on Thursday evening after work that the tire had leaked some air - about 7 PSI below its recommended amount of air.  So, I made plans for the next morning to get a bit of air in it at the Goodyear service center conveniently located on my way to work.  While I was there, the gentleman who filled it informed me of a nail in the tire.  Here's the photo evidence:

It's small, but enough to cause a leak, and too close to the sidewall to repair.  The prognosis was not good.  I had to buy a new tire.

After a stressful day of adulting, I decided to buy one new tire at Goodyear.  The next morning, when I arrived at my Goodyear appointment, I thought all would be well, just get my new tire and go, end of story.  However, NOTHING is ever that simple for me.  The men at Goodyear put a new tire on to replace the original, and while they were routinely checking the other tires, lo and behold, ANOTHER NAIL!!  In ANOTHER TIRE!!  And guess what else?  It was also too close to the sidewall to repair.  I didn't take a picture, but I did make him take me back and show me, just to be sure.  He then told me my back two tires were worn, but I trust my daddy, who said they were fine for a little longer.  Long story short, I now have two new Goodyear tires and hole the size of $269 in my bank account.

I called my parents (even though I'm adult, I like to get some wisdom!) and mom decided that the guy probably put the second nail in himself just to take advantage of me because I'm young and a woman.  I, on the other hand, am more like Dumbledore and I always see the best in people.  Either way, once the nail was there I had no choice.  So, I sat in the waiting room, knitting, mourning the loss of my money, and hoping for Peter Pan to come take me to Neverland where I won't have to grow up.

Fun times.

Twenty-something Resolution, Week One

I might be cheating a bit this week, but I'm just getting into the swing of this new lifestyle, so my future posts should get better.  And to explain why this is cheating and why this is even relevant, you need a bit of a backstory.

Last year's resolution (one of them, at least) was to stop drinking soda.  Cold turkey.  Well, not quite cold turkey, because I wasn't addicted or anything, but you get the idea.  It wasn't that difficult, just a bit tricky every once in a while because there were times when my only options were soda and sweet tea.  Being from the midwest, I can't handle sweet tea down here in dixie, so I would just go without. Anyway, I completed it.  I expected to grab a coke on the first of the year, and I intended to, but when I got up to order my lunch that day, none of the sodas in the fountain looked appetizing, so I just decided to go with water instead.  Long story short, I haven't even wanted a soda yet.  Until last night.  On my way to church for choir practice, I had to stop at McDonald's for dinner.  Side-note: I don't like McDonald's, and the thought of it makes me cringe, but it's handy when you're in a pinch.  Anyway, I ordered my measly meal, and a carbonated beverage to go along with it.

So you might already be able to tell why this week's "new thing" is a bit of a cheat.  Because it's not really new to me.  I've been drinking soda for a majority of my life.  But what was new about this, was my reaction to the coke.  I HATED it.  It was too sweet, and bitter all at the same time, it covered my throat in gunky mucous, then later dried out my throat, and it made my heart race.

If you ever wondered whether Coca-Cola is an acquired taste, let me just tell you: it is.  And it isn't so tasty once you've un-acquired it.

Typical "twentysomething" New Year Resolution

I've decided that my new year's resolution is to try new things, have new experiences, conquer fears, and have an open mind about it all.  Every week, I will try to intentionally do something I've never done before, or try something that scares me (within reason, of course, I'm not dumb enough to put myself in danger).
Even if it's as simple as eating some food I've never tried and looks gross, I'm hoping to expand my world.  I'm also going to try doing this while saving money.  Don't know how that will work, but we'll find out.
So, I'm calling on you, people of the internet.  (Except I'm pretty sure only one person actually reads this thing.)  Keep me accountable and I'll keep you updated.

P.S. This is starting today instead of the 1st.  2015 started on a Thursday.  Give a girl a break.