Friday 5

Others do this, so I’m just jumping on the proverbial bandwagon . It’s an excuse to be less descriptive…or something.

In no particular order of importance:

1. The customer who threw a towel in my face emailed a complaint into customer service admitting that being unhappy with service, she threw towels in the barista’s face.

2. I am excited because not only is it going to be a beautiful weekend weather-wise, but my good friend S, a chi-town Smithie, will be visiting AND I don’t have to work on Saturday (although I have to work on Monday). There’ll be lots of outdoor play involved

3.In a week, I’ll be on a flight to Smith. This is exciting, because I miss the East Coast and I will be surrounded by many intelligent, fascinating women for a few days.

4. Last weekend, I bought a kayaking PFD (life jacket) in one step towards purchasing a kayak. Next, I’ll buy a paddle. It is my dream to own a kayak, but I can’t afford it right now. I also don’t know if it’s smart for me to buy one before I know where I’ll be if I get into grad school for next fall. It’ll turn into just one thing to schlep across the country.

5. A year ago this weekend, I found myself on the road to and arriving in Portland, Maine where I explored the world of documentary writing and labradoodles for 3.5 months while living a block from the ocean. Last year at this time, I wouldn’t have predicted that a year later I would living back in Madison with my sister, working as a barista, preparing to teach 4th grade religious school and 7th grade Hebrew, and freelance writing (this wouldn’t have been so surprising).

A No Good Day

Ok. So that’s an exaggeration, but yesterday was certainly eventful in some small negative ways.

I didn’t wake up at 4:30 AM (for my 5 AM shift) thinking that it was a bad day. I easily got out of bed and on the road. But, first, watching the sun rise was a strange experience. It was quite blue outside, because of the dense cloudcover and even somewhat green.

All was pleasant until it started to thunder and lightening, when water started coming in the drive-thru window, especially when inconsiderate customers neglected to turn off their windshield wipers. I served one women coffee-someone who I don’t recall serving regularly. And, she spilled it inside her car. I handed her lots of napkins and a fellow barista went to the back to get some towels. I waited at the window for the towels, watching her clean up the mess (she blamed the lid, which is a possibility). Then, as she finished, she threw the towels in my face (literally covering my eyes), said, “here you go” and drove off.

Needless to say, I was shaken and unfortunately, nobody else was in the drive-thru bar at that moment–taking advantage of the lull to restock. Although she only threw towels, it was a violent act. I continued on without expression, but I was shaking. Eventually, after some laughter with my co-workers about other things, I recovered, but it stayed with me throughout the day.

I went home, ate, napped, and went to my audition for community band (which went reasonably well, I will be playing with them this season), and ran into two people I knew at various stops (small town) for extended chats.

After dinner, my sister and I put the bikes on the rack and drove into Verona to bike a bit of Military Ridge State Trail. We enjoyed the flat, easy ride that made us feel like we were in the middle of nowhere, instead of right outside Madison. The sunset was stunning against a red barn in the distance. As we turned around (tired and unable to go on because of the flooding on the trail) I took a long drink of water and apparently inhaled simultaneiously. Soon, I was stricken with a bad case of the hiccups. I’ve never ridden my bike and hiccuped before. What a challenging endeavor! I tried walking, but the mosquitoes and slow pace made it impossible. I biked the trail one pedal cycle at a time, trying to coordinate my breathing, hiccups, and legs. My sister rode ahead (slowly so that I didn’t feel too bad about myself), laughing as she heard me croak behind her. After a couple of VERY SLOW miles, nearing our car, I finally was able to ride hiccup-free, and with a little more speed.

Jumping on the bandwagon

UW Madison is opening a Kosher kitchen. Smith (my alma mater) opened one (Kosher/Hallel) a couple of years ago, and from what I know it’s going well. I think it’s a great service. And, honestly, it’s about time. There are so many Jewish students on campus here. What I wonder is whether the newish Kollel/Chabad on campus in town has something to do with it or if it’s just dietary progress…

Practicing

I’ve been playing the Euphonium (Baritone Horn) since sixth grade. I played through middle school, high school, college, and now in community bands. I’ve complained before (on livejournal) about my most recent stint of community band, where I played a lot of marches and old pieces for old people in nursing homes. I didn’t enjoy the 2 weeks of sight reading followed by less-than perfect performances for audiences that fell asleep during even the most peppy of songs. Well, I found a replacement group and hopefully it will satisfy me. I was already promised a minimum of marches and “good college music”. That sounds good. And I’ve been led to believe that the people will be younger.

However, I have to audition. The conductor did apologize, saying “I feel embarrassed to have people of your caliber audition.” But, auditioning makes me nervous. I’m shocked that I have a caliber. I love playing music, it’s like breathing. It’s relaxing and meditative. I relish the opportunity to make music with a group. But, I’m just a recreational player…(no caliber!)

I started preparing a piece for the audition. And, with all my complaints about the previous community band, I must give thanks for one thing. I’m a much better sight reader than I used to be. It’s a smooth transition to move beyond working on just the notes to those little extras like dynamics and tempo. I’m still extremely nervous about the audition (I have a bad case of stage fright). Right now, though, with the audition 5 ish days away, I’ll enjoy practicing, work on those high notes, and hope for the best.

Fall is coming

After a hot, dry summer, it’s so nice to be able to sit on my couch wrapped in a blanket drinking hot tea and listening to the rain fall. My windows are so swollen from the humidity that I can’t shut them myself, so I feel partly exposed to the elements. Here in Madison, we haven’t experienced the typical summer swarms of mosquitoes, but they’re back! When I sit outside on the deck, I’m attacked from head to toe. Two mosquitoes flew into my car and attacked my face and head while I drove to my parent’s house this morning.

I was supposed to participate in prairie restoration (eliminating invasive species) at the JCC campus this afternoon, but it was canceled due to all of the rain. Although it would have been fun, I’m not disappointed. This has been a busy week, with lots of early working mornings at the end and interviews for articles scattered throughout. I spoke as a representative “young voice” at a social action Shabbat potluck on Friday night and organized a Smith alumnae/current student ice cream social yesterday. Both events were fun and full of interesting people, which made for a good experience. I’m happy to sit here today and enjoy a quiet Sunday before another busy week begins.

Testing! Testing! tap tap tap

I’m switching over to Phrankly Phred in order to be a little more professional in my blogging. With apologies to my livejournal readers, you’ll find me here from now on! (unless I’m querying the Madison, WI community)

Looking forward to seeing you here!