Yesterday’s list? Not so good. I did get four of the 16 things crossed off, though. And it turned out that the bathrooms weren’t the biggest “thing.” I did a complete revamp of my choir website, and theme/code issues took me all day and most of the evening to solve.

A Thunder win over the Heat took down a big list item, too. Heh. Sorry, Bron-Bron. While he’ll likely rear his enormous head and win the next three, last night’s victory was worth staying up until midnight to watch.

OK, I’m off to insanity for the next three days, then a weekend to start getting things ready for the Odyssey. Revised itinerary looks fun. Exciting times! For my private sector fiends — you’re halfway to Friday night.

FO

Y’know…

I made a list today (*gasp*! I can hear my sister falling off her chair from across town), and it has 16 items on it. And here I sit, unwilling (I almost said unable, but that wouldn’t be honest, would it) to tackle it.

Need some righteous ambition this day. I looked for sympathy on Facebook, and the only response I’ve gotten so far is from RtB fiend Will, who said he was having trouble with his own ambition, so I was out of luck.

Dangit.

Can no one stop the incessant whining in my head? I say it’s in my head because the Thriller is gone today, so there’s nobody to listen to my mewling, except Rousseau. And you. 

What do you do when you can find no motivation? I mean seriously — what gets you up out of the chair? My nephew just posted a reply on Facebook, saying, “Starbucks, Auntie. Starbucks.” Ha — it just so happens the Thriller bought some yesterday, so I am rinsing down a mug at this moment. Somehow, I don’t think that’s going to be the ticket.

Help, Mr. Wizard(s). Help.

Mama Bear's cub, swingin'

It’s been a great week for mia famiglia.

Last night, I enjoyed hearing #1 Son play some mean drums in a jazz concert at the park. Boy was kicking that band.

It got me to thinking — and I struggle with how to say this without it sounding tired and cliché — how much music has meant to me and mine over the years. I’ve been performing since shortly after a man named Mr. Roberts came to my classroom in 1967 and demonstrated the violin. It’s pretty much been nonstop; I can’t think of a single time when I wasn’t knee-deep in some music thing. My boys were immersed in it growing up, and it’s gratifying to see them both become fine musicians.

On my bucket list is to play with them in a band again. I will do this before I croak.

All right, time to git bizzy. So much time, so little to do…

In the wee, small hours of the morning… Great song. It’s not really the wee, small — it’s 5:55 as I write this sentence — but after an awesome night of playing ball, goofing off in the sand, and running around the back yard with Jake and Justin in hot pursuit (“We’re gonna chase you now, Grammie!”), it feels like the wee, small hours. Just ask my creaky spine and joints.

Everyone’s still asleep, so I’m stealing some quiet time. My reverie was shattered, of course, upon opening Google News and reading about the Heat/Celtics score. Cripes. And the Indians lost, too.

The world is as it should be. Onward.

I try to never get all old-lady on my younger fiends who read RtB. I don’t feel old, so therefore I try not to act it. However, I have some crystals of advice for anyone who would take it this day. As I lay in bed at around 4:30 this morning, bemoaning my aging, aching bod, several thoughts came to mind — some of which were of the “wish I’d made this a priority years ago” variety. But if you’re inclined, heed the words of experience:

1.  Stay active. You have no idea how important that is until you hit 50. I’m serious.
2. Avoid the sun. Many youngins will ignore this advice now (and some of my aging pals will, too), but believe me when I tell you that your face will illustrate the life you’ve lived. The number-one concern is melanoma, of course, but the leathery face look will have you wishing you didn’t worship that tanning salon so much in your youth. Trust me on this. I’ve not experienced it (for some reason, I was spared — sun avoidance mixed with my mother’s genes, I guess), but I have seen it on other women who now regret the thousands of hours spent in useless tanning and “laying out.”
3. Eat well. This is a biggie for me. I was raised in an era when sugar was given absolutely no second thoughts. Do a search on “1960s breakfast cereal commercials” and marvel at how many times “sweet” and “sugar” were used in the media and on packaging. All of that has come back to haunt my generation with extreme prejudice. Remember: white sugar and white flour are fake foods. They are more processed chemical than cane and grain. Think about that when you rinse them down your gullet. Your body will thank you in your old age.
4. Quit smoking. I cannot tell you how heartbreaking it is to see the effects of 40+ years of tobacco use on people I love and have loved. Emphysema and lung cancer will bring you only suffering, believe it. It’s not worth it.