Hope it stays that way!

So do I! Being cold is NO FUN .

Definitely a bad week:-

Problems sorting out video-conference facilities for an exam board (but not AB);

A stone lost out of my engagement ring;

My SAD (Seasonal Affective Disorder) getting the better of me;

Too many calls on my time (upcoming competition, concert, rehearsals for concert, church commitments, exams, etc etc)

I feel as though I am on the edge of a steep precipice and am probably about to fall off. This is seriously beginning to impact on my health. OH took me out for a meal last night and then to a film. The film (my choice!) was so disturbing that by the end I was a sobbing heap.

Stressed and depressed.

Misterioso. Hopefully your SAD won't last for too much longer at least - the sun's out here today.
What was the film? Was it The Lovely Bones. I was devastated by that, despite having read the book, and knowing what to expect.

I hope you feel better soon.

That's good. Fingers crossed...

Thank you so much for replying. No, not "The Lovely Bones" but "Brothers" - not one to watch unless you are feeling upbeat to begin with.

If man can't fix it, try woman?

Aaaaargh. They've closed the road A5137 that leads from our house to the M53 Motorway, and its going to stay closed for 5 weeks ! Means the A570 Chester Rd will be horrendously busy , and it has loads of sets of traffic lights.
But the A5137 surface had got into an atrocious state so I suppose we should be thankful really

I managed to snap my E string tuning my violin today! Not a happy bunny, my spare is an old dominant E string.

Best buy a new E string ASAP this week.

E strings are notorious for snapping. If I were you, I'd buy 3 new ones, and possibly a spare A string as well.

I've always dreaded having to ask for a G string.

What makes it worse is that I have seemingly lost all ability to tune with pegs. Last week I did it fine, this week I cant even seem to get the A in tune. Don't understand at all!

Maybe I will have to embarass myself and ask for the violin to be tuned when I go and buy a new string.

Am having to return my new violin - found several problems with it, then the luthier found a whole lot more. Can't afford to get the work done so it's being returned.

Another job application rejection - I keep telling myself that it means something better is out there, but if it could hurry itself along and find it's way to me that would be greatly appreciated.

Friend thought they had food poisoning but it's a sickness bug which I've now got.

Get well soon Blackbird x

Arguments....

Rather childishly we bought a friend a g-string for her 16th birthday from the local guitar shop.


My aaaaaaaaaggghh is pretty minor but very annoying. Every so often - usually when I come back from holiday - my skin gets very grumpy. It'll be a bit bumpy and then very red and sore and a bit spotty and then a couple of days later it'll calm down and then really dry out and flake off. Lovely.
Usually I can explain it by having been out in the fresh air somewhere and coming back to the dirty air of Hertfordshire But this time that doesn't fit.
And I'm currently at the red and sore stage so I am sitting here and my face hurts and I don't like it

Maizie that sounds so painful - there must be something that would soothe it a bit - and here I'm hugely unhelpful because I can't think of anything off the top of my head. All that comes to mind is hypericum and calendular, but I think that's for cuts and bruises

Celeste, are your arguments in-house? Wherever they're taking place, I hope they're resolved soon.

and Blackbird, I hope your bug clears up quickly.

The garden centre is using a powerful petrol driven power washer to spring clean the paths and plant benches etc. The chap operating it wears ear defenders because of the noise level. Trouble is, the machine is closer to my office than it is to him, and I can't get away from the din!

It is impossible to study in this house tonight as my husband has got his music on so loud, how can he be so selfish!!!!

Tell him to turn the volume down/use headphones, I am sure he will understand.

Maizie, does Calamine lotion do anything for it?

eldatom -would he understand if you spoke to him about it? (I know how awful it can be - hence my earlier post about arguments...)

Crotchetymum - They are indeed in-house. There's this one person - I've mentioned him before - who is making it awful for everyone else. Yesterday he called one of the other girls something I wouldn't even consider saying, just because he felt like it. A few minutes before that she had lent him her key to get back in later that night, as he lost his last term(!!) He just shows no respect for anything. He's as nice as pie when any of us are alone with him, but put him in a group situation and he's.... ARGH!!! (Sorry, end of term blues I think...)

Also, earlier tonight I stumbled across a lovely wee part time job as a pharmacy assistant (which is what I spent my gap year doing). I applied and have *already* heard back that I didn't get it. I'm sure there must be something wrong with me - nobody wants to employ me, yet when I showed my CV to a professional in-the-know, she said it was perfect.

But I don't want to complain too much, because I got some lovely essay feedback last week and today and ...

Sorry you didn't get the job. I'm sure there's nothing wrong with you or your CV; it's just that there are a lot of people around looking for jobs at the moment. Better luck next time.

Lovely to hear about the essay feedback. It's great that you've settled into your course so well.

I guess you're right - it's a tricky time, employment wise!

Thanks for your comments about my course - I can't believe how much I've settled into it in all honesty.

Ooooh, hadn't thought of calamine. Actually what I do have is a bottle of 'night treatment facial oil' which is meant for overnight mosturising, but when my skin does this it goes on 3 or 4 times a day to soothe. I actually read what it was this morning and it turns out to be almond oil and calendula, so points to Crotchetymum

Much better today anyway, not actually hurting, just still a bit red and none-too-attractive up close. I'll stay away from mirrors then I should be OK. Starting to feel a bit dry too, so tomorrow will likely be ikky-flakey-day

We have now been trying since the beginning of the year to find Chemistry graduate with 3-5 years in the industry ! Trying a differnet website now. Looks like we may have to resort to a 'rip-off' agency. Most seem to charge 20-25% of starting salary now.

Have you tried E45 moisturising cream ?
(PS in Herts this weekend)

I'm afraid not! I have asked him and our son has asked him, he appears to be trying to reclaim his youth!!

Is he playing air guitar too??

Hope you manage to study today ET!

I was going to post that, too....

I spent a couple of hours yesterday running a most character-building course (ie a tad outside my comfort zone!) for BMus students who mostly don't read music...

I am now wondering if I could get a B Mus based on all the musical things I don't know and can't do.

My grouse is the appearance yesterday in another group's lesson of a father asking me to take his very badly behaved daughter out of my nursery class and give her proper piano lessons. I like this child immensly and want to help but when you know the child has no discipline and no limits placed at home and is strung between separated and competing parents who alternatively ignore and spoil her - what can one do? She was in a recorder group but I couldn't keep her with the others as they all practised and made progress and she did nothing at all. So I suggested she repeat the nursery class where she could have another year learning to cooperate and listen. This hasn't happened.

I asked father to come and see me at a more appropriate time so we could talk this over. He said "She didn't work in the recorder class and now she's bored in the nursery class." I said that if she couldn't enroll for piano until next September , my timetable beint full - and that she would have to practise." So Father yelled down the corridor "You'll have to work - do you hear?" But his seven year old daughter was in the process of ignoring him completely and going out of the school door. ARRRRgh!!!

So I emailed the Head of Music, who went and spoke directly to the two girls with whom I was to rehearse this lunchtime. i walked the 2 miles into school, set up the piano in the hall, had a little play and run through the one accompaniment out of six that I had received - and waited.

Twenty-five minutes after the start of lunch both the HoD and 2nd in Dept passed by, through the hall, wondering where the girls had got to, had i not seen them yet? One of the girls had even been at a meeting earlier in an adjacent music room!

Five minutes before assembly was due at 2.15 pm, with Head of House coming in to make sure that everything had been set up for his assembly, still no students; so I closed the piano and locked it up!

The HoD apologised, although it wasn't her fault at all (after all we are talking Sixth Form girls here). She managed to furnish me with the sheet music to the songs I was to accompany, but I'm still waiting to see the music for two of the flautists pieces!

On the positive side, I got some exercise - a 4-mile round trip - got the opportunity to run through the Albeniz I have planned for Tuesday's concert, picked up accompaniments that I hadn't seen to date and that I can work on over the weekend and will still get paid at the end of it.

However, on the negative 'Scream Thread' side of things, the girls could so easily have popped into the hall and apologised, should anything else have cropped up and the distinct lack of courtesy is what really annoys me.

For those who might be interested, one of the songs is by Benjamin Britten, When you're feeling like expressing your affection - which I DON'T !! Also, two songs by Manuel de Falla, Asturiana and Nana from his Siete Canciones populares Espagnolas, although she isn't very 'populare' with me at this minute!

Utterly terrible week at work. I'm silently angry and it's made me realize how people end up 'going postal' in the workplace.

It's ok, it's Friday!

"Going Postal" should surely now be synonymous with getting lost or being delayed, rather than killing people!

Rofl, in that case...I wish certain people would "Go Postal". Permanently.

Arghhhhhhh.

Just had a phonecall - I am supposed to be somewhere. I forgot. I'm stuck as the rest of the family are unavailable and I'm babysitting youngest son. Other people are having to do my shift. Oh **********. This is BAD. Have had loads of hassles today, including having to call a plumber out this evening, and was just sitting down to put TV on and relax. ****** **** **** **** **** etc etc etc.

Why does hardware have to die on a Friday evening 5 mins before I'm due to go home...

Oh dear, poor you! It sounds as if all you needed was to feel guilty about forgetting an engagement. Try to relax anyway - after all, there's nothing to be done about it now.

I was asked to run a 2-hour session on the Kodály approach for BMus (Commercial Music Performance) students.

I think 7 or 8 of the 10 didn't read music or only in a small way.

Why do trains have to be so messed up on Sundays? Now will it be quicker to go to Kingston or Richmond and take bus.... *thinks* *thinks*

And why do have to have a six hour rehearsal tommorow? I have stuff I would much rather be doing on a sunday!

I'm totally in the same boat here, ViolinHero! I have a ridiculous amount of work to be handed in on Monday, and yet I'm doing a choir competition with the sixth form choir tomorrow...which means being at school for 1.30 to arrive at the theatre at about 2pm, and then staying until end of performance at 11pm! Good luck with your rehearsal though

That sounds worse than my plight!

I wouldn't mind the rehearsal expecet we are often made to play the same few lines over and over and over. The worse thing is we have our usual monday evening rehearsal as well where we play the same music some more.

By the concert next saturday I will have had enough of Janacek and all the other Czech music we are playing to last me a lifetime.

Ha, plight, I adore that word oh goodness me, is it orchestra music? I don't think I could handle the same few lines over and over and over and over....you get the drift I say it again, good luck with that

Yes it is orchestral music. I do enjoy being a member but sometimes I think our conductor is expecting too much of us and is too much of a perfectionist. Apparently we have to provide professional standard concerts in order to maintain our reputation, a little much to ask of a youth orchestra!

I seem to have suddenly become dependent on having the score in front of me... if only as a prompt. I sat down in front of a piano today and couldn't play stuff that I'd previously memorised - I needed the score! Argh!

I feel like all my violin playing ability has suddenly disspeared after an orchestra rehearsal today. Just couldn't get any of the high notes quite right.

I hate my job. No chance of escape. Husband unemployed. Very Bad Day!

I'm sure your ability will come straight back, VH-everyone has those days, even the professionals! (Despite what I'm sure they'd like us to think )

I'm in the same boat, other forumites who know me will be surprised I haven't played a piano for over two weeks because of lost confidence. Its happened before , but I might try to have a go this evening.

Try to have some fun if you decide to have a go at playing this evening (nothing difficult, just fun, easy pieces!) It happens to everybody! We all need a break at some point! Hope you feel like playing again soon!

Hope you both feel more confident soon solari and fsharpminor.


My argh is that one of my wrists is bruised and has a big lump sticking out of it, and the other one is just useless atm (it collapses as soon as I try to lean on it to get out of bed etc...). I am sick of having this stupid illness! And I had to have a meeting today about being a disabled student bla bla bla. I'm not disabled I'm just... ARGHHH!

Poor Celeste : hope your wrists are better soon.