Practice Makes Perfect

In the past few weeks, I have been trying out this new concept.

It is called "practicing the piano."

Quite honestly...this is something I am terrible at.

I'm not sure I ever really learned how to actually practice.

Learning a piece has always meant "running through it a few times"....or, for a really tough piece, "running through it lots of times."

If there is a particularly difficult section....I will run that part a few more times.

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Well, I am finally forcing myself to actually practice.  And I am discovering something interesting.  It works!

To tell you the truth, the reason I never take the time to do this is because I am too impatient.  It is a long process....and I am a girl who likes instant results.

Today's project was George Winston's "Carol of the Bells."

(Christmas is coming...right?)

I LOVE his music, and this arrangement is fantastic, but horrible to play.  You have to literally get your left hand to go on automatic pilot while your right hand plays these ever changing 16th note runs.

This should not be that hard.  But it is. :(

This mess is way easier! Crazy, right?

Anyway....my point is....for once, I slowed down, figured it out, worked on it, and now I can play the stupid thing.

Perhaps I should apply this technique to other aspects of my life....as opposed to the "all or nothing" approach I typically take?

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Day 3 of healthy eating is still on track.

In fact, I decided to talk to the little woodland creatures about eating healthy.

You know....not digging through garbage cans and such.

Apparently, they are very good listeners.

However, there is a thief among them.

After painstakingly sawing off a stem (and somehow managing to not lose any limbs) and pound in a nail for my cute "stacked pumpkin" display....one of the furry bastards decided to do more than dine on my pumpkins.

He just pulled the thing right off the top, and took it with him!

See the nail?  And it was a cute white pumpkin on top too. :(

There is one rebel in every bunch.

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Mark and I went to Wal-Mart yesterday (no, I wasn't wearing leggings as pants....even though I would have fit in nicely if I had.) to buy some supplies for my disaster of an office.  This may come as a surprise, but I am slightly disorganized in my church office.  There may (or may not) be several (hundred) piles of music strewn (everywhere) that could really benefit from being labeled and filed.  (I bought labels and file folders) 

While perusing the office supply aisle, it occurred to me that we have never owned a pencil sharpener.  How is that even possible?  I teach piano lessons, every person who lives in this house is a musician of some sort...and everyone knows you never write on your music with pen....so, obviously, our need for sharpened pencils is high.  If we don't actually have a pencil sharpener....where do these sharpened pencils actually come from?

I guess it will always be a mystery.

I bought an electric sharpener.

I thought I might be welcoming my first grandchild by the time I got the damn thing out of it's package.

WHY do companies feel the need to make it impossible to open pretty much any product you purchase anymore?

Here is about the half-way point....so close...yet so far.

Is this ^^^^really necessary?

Are they worried that some sneaky pencil sharpener crook is going to walk by, inconspicuously slip that top of the line $9.99 sharpener out of it's packaging and into their purse in the blink of an eye?  So, by making the packaging completely impenetrable....absolutely human proof....they will never have to worry about pencil sharpeners being stolen again?

I guess that must be it.  I can see where this item would be a hot commodity on the black market.  

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One more thought before I go.

If you are super pro-active, and you pay your 2nd car payment just a couple weeks after you made your first, and get yourself a month ahead of your payments, you will, indeed, consider yourself pretty money savvy.

If you choose to bask in your glow, and enjoy the fact that you are sooooo far ahead on your payment, and don't pay any attention to the date, when you DO choose to peek at your payment booklet, you WILL realize that you are no longer ahead, and if you don't write that check out immediately, and mail the bill TODAY, you will actually have to pay the late payment fee.

Moral of the story:  You will never be money savvy.  Deal with it.

And while you are at it....order some more checks.  You just ran out.

Happy Tuesday!