The Compulsive Ramblings Of A Philotherian: lessons

I feel like such a failure right now. Words can't express how disappointed I am with myself. Luckily, I have justifiable ways to prove why I did what.

You remember that awesome Mendini violin I bought a couple weeks ago, the one that I JUST got Friday? Well... I sold it. I know, I'm a pathetic waste of human and, I'm not sure, but I think Antonio Vivaldi is turning over in his grave as we speak. Like I said, I can justify my actions, even if some may not agree with me. I'm just happy I was able to sell the violin for exactly what I paid for it.

1) I have absolutely NO idea how to handle a stringed instrument. Especially one as complex as a violin. Still, that's not a good excuse as to why I would give up so easily. I was in the same boat with the piano, although it's a much more simple instrument to learn, but I still managed to learn how to play on my own. It would have been so much easier if I had someone close to me that was a skilled violin played and could at least show me the basics.

2) Which brings me to number 2! I'm going to do things right next time around and take lessons. I know it's going to be a bitch to drive up to Saint Louis once a week, but it'll be fun and something worth doing. Since lessons are so late in the evening, LaVaughn and I are just going to stay in a hotel.

3) This is probably the most important... I need to buy a GOOD violin! Believe me, I'm no expert when it comes to violins and the quality of the instrument, but it doesn't take a genius to realize how cheaply made the Mendini violin is. After all, I got that entire package for $60. Violin, bow, case, rosin, extra strings (two of which I had to use), tuner, and extra bridge. I read all over online that you should never buy a violin that costs less than $300. I guess they were right.

So, conclusion time... lessons, violin, lessons, practice, practice, practice!! I'm going to do things right the next time around cause, lets face it, playing the violin is a dream of mind! It's something I'm not fully giving up on and something I will still accomplish.

Okay, in non-violin news, I managed to get so freakishly adorable picture of not only Margie today, but Zoe as well. I took Zoe's first, because she was just being so cute. She was laying in the glider room, sunbathing with not a care in the world. She wasn't too happy about having the camera shoved in her face, but she knows by not that it does her no good to run from me.

After we cleaned (and by clean I mean soaked and scrubbed in the bath) the bottom grates on the cages, cleaned all the wheels, zip-tied all the wheels, and changed all the pouches, I then decided to get some pictures of Margie. All of which are to die for. Not bragging, of course, but they just turned out so damn cute!

It's time to feed the crew, cats and gliders alike. Not to mention, we still have to feed ourselves, so I guess I better wrap this up. Until next time...

Love & Peace

-Megan

Zoe's close-up:

She loves exploring the glider room.

Look at that beautiful face! Black and white cats are the best!

She also looks evil at times.

She looks like Smaug.

And now for Margie's close-up:

Is this face not to die for!?

She is just too precious.

I love sugar glider joeys.

For some reason, we lost power around 2 AM. This is like prime movie watching time for LaVaughn and myself, so you can imagine how it put a damper on our night. I called the electric company just after 3 and reported the outage. That's when she began to tell me that there was some type of problem in their Annapolis hub, or something like that.

Around 3:30ish, Sadie, Chloe, and Boone all began taking turns barking. We went in the glider room to make sure everyone was okay and try to calm them with treats, but they weren't having it. They were all so spazzy, especially Chloe! She was jumping all over the place and all bug-eyed.

They barked off and on -- mostly on -- until around 5 AM, just when we were getting ready for bed. That's when everyone kicked their barking into full gear and basically started screaming. This was switching from Chloe, Boone, Charli, sometimes Tyler, and Sadie. I honestly have NO idea what was wrong with them. LaVaughn and I both had to put ear plugs in before we could sleep. I burrowed them as deep as they would go and, luckily, it blocked out everything.

The electricity came on sometime this morning, because I woke up at one point to the hum of the fan. I pulled one of my ear plugs out and went back to sleep. I ended up waking up 12:30 and getting on up, even though I desperately wanted to sleep in a while longer. I hate when I get up early (yes, that's early to me) on the days I don't have to work.

My weekend was so exhausting. I've ended up having to stay over on both shifts, which is normal for the fast pace months. I was so dead Saturday night when I got home, pretty much the same last night, except my shift was 2 hours shorter yesterday.

I've been out in the back window, or 'The Hole' as they like to call it, for the past 3 days I've worked. I actually don't have anything bad to say about it. It's quieter back there, you don't have to deal with customers as much as you do upfront, and I'm alone! I love the fact that I'm not bothered as much back there.

In music new... I finally made the plunge and bought a violin! I actually found the one I wanted with all the same accessories for $7 cheaper. I know it's not a huge savings, but it's $7! Considering there's no mail today, it wont be shipped out until tomorrow. Probably not received until next week, or at leas on a day that I'm working and can't touch it. I'm so excited to finally start playing!

I contacted a violin teacher and music school about possibly lessons. The lady I found gives private lessons for $25/30 minutes. Not too shabby. The music school I found, where the same lady originally worked at, gives lessons for $21/30 minutes. These are both great prices, but they're all the way up in Saint Louis! I would have to spend $20-$30 in gas every time I went, plus the $20 for the lessons, so you may as well say $50 lessons.

Believe it or not, there is a downside to living in the boonies.

My poor aunt has to have surgery on her hand tomorrow, in Cape Girardeau of all places. LaVaughn and I are going to take her, because she can't very well drive home with a bum hand on her own. She has to be there at like 10:30, so that's going to make us have to leave at... 8 AM!

I do not do well with mornings. The mere thought of having to go to bed early sends my anxiety into overdrive. It's not so much the going to bed part, it's the being able to fall asleep part. If I have a night when it takes me a while to fall asleep, I get anxious. I know, I'm a weirdo.

I'm afraid that's what's going to happen tomorrow. I'm just going to try and got to bed around 3 AM and hope for the best. I'll be dragging my ass all day tomorrow, but a few hours sleep is better than none. Just keep your fingers crossed for me... or shoot me a xanex.

LaVaughn and I actually have new sewing to do today, if you can believe that! We got all of our paid orders done Friday and sent out Saturday. We have Kyan's set that we still have to sew, but he hasn't paid yet, so there's no rush there. We still need to start on Taylor's stuff, but hopefully that can all be done later this week.

Oh, I'm not sure if I mentioned it or not, but our mealies came Friday! We didn't really get around to feeding everyone any, we ended up going out to eat with our aunt. Then, of course, I had to work the next two days. Hopefully we'll get around to worm snacks today.

And on that note, I believe I'm going to call it a day. I need to go outside and enjoy a little bit of the warm air. Until next time...

Love & Peace

-Megan

Here are some random pictures from the past few days: