RNF XXXIX

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Random Neuron Firings

As the summer of 2010 comes to an official close with the first week of school now in the books, there is much to ponder. As fall approaches (signified by my sitting here in my parlor with a sweater on), I think it’s safe to say that the summer of 2010 was likely the best, busiest, and most revealing of my life. Behold:

  1. I took an amazing vacation with the Thriller (with more to come next year, yay).
  2. Mavis and I added a couple of very special people to our family. More on that at a later date.
  3. Jake and Justin spent lots of time with us — that alone could make an awesome highlight film.
  4. For the first time in my career, I did not spend several days a week at school during the summer.
  5. Spent some fabulous time with BFF Kay and Bob.

Yet, some things remain undone and unattended, as is the norm around here. Not enough time or discipline or opportunity or whatever to get thus-and-so taken care of.

This summer, I didn’t:

  1. get rid of those nasty 20 lbs.
  2. redecorate my classroom
  3. get all my photos arranged in albums
  4. do my annual eBay summerummage sale
  5. take boxes and boxes of stuff to Goodwill
  6. choreograph a single routine for Singin’ in the Rain
  7. plant a garden (not that I would have been home to see flowers and tend veggies)

But honestly. If I analyze the two lists, what I didn’t do fades into insignificance compared to what I did, ja? So does this mean all is well in my world, and everything is good?

Yep.

Do NOT go here II

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This morning I opened an email from RtB fiend (and my writing hero) Ross, asking me if I’d ever been to Sporcle.com. Well, I hadn’t even heard of it, so I went.

Big mistake.

Now I’m running completely late — as if that doesn’t happen often enough anyway. But man, did I ever nail the Beatles Opening Lyrics quiz. Still, I’m just sayin…if you do not go there, you stand a good chance of getting a timely start to your day. If you go there, don’t say I didn’t warn you.

Thanks, Ross. Sheesh…

Happy Finkday! It’s a good day (unless you’re Adam, Bando or Rae, who get to schlep bands to football games tonight).

PSA VI

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Recently, I’ve seen several emails come through Facebook and Gmail that show definite signs of hacking. It’s amazing to me how little these people have to do. But I know it’s big business, whether the snoop is ransacking government files or your Yahoo account.

That got me thinking about your password. According to John Pozadzides at Lifehacker, some people wouldn’t have to think too long to guess it. Says John:

Adding just one capital letter and one asterisk would change the processing time for an 8 character password from 2.4 days to 2.1 centuries.”

Food for thought indeed.

My passwords aren’t even in English, and they have multiple cases, characters (when allowed) and numbers. So far — knock on wood — I’ve never been hacked. That doesn’t mean the kool kiddies won’t keep trying, though, so complicate and change your passwords often. Your PSA for today, because the Fink hearts you all.

Today is not the weekend. We weep.

Scientific observations

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OK, the first day of school is over with. Behold my findings:

  1. No matter who graduates, someone is always there to step up to the plate and continue the tradition. That is a good thing in choral music.
  2. Ninety-nine percent of the students on my Facebook friend list hated the first day of school. Puzzling, since the first day is always the easiest day.
  3. Smaller can mean better (70 in HS choir this year — 20 fewer than years past).
  4. The thought of Stoney and I getting together tomorrow to face the gargantuan task of devising a rehearsal schedule for the next three months is making me feel a bit sickly.
  5. We need a follow spot operator. Any ideas?
  6. For the first time in my career, I didn’t spend the entire week before school actually at school. Does this mean I have a life?

I wonder many things this day.

Yikes — 6 a.m. and me sitting here like I got nothing to do. Hey, it’s Welmsday — we’re halfway to the weekend. Hang in there, everybunny.

FO

For the 18th time…

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…it’s the first day of school for me. Only 12 more first days. Or not. There are days when I say, “I’ll still be at this when I’m 70,” and other days when I doubt I’ll even make it to 30 years before I call it quits.

It’s not the teaching that wears me out; I love directing choirs. Rather, it’s the shows and the NYC tours and the positively insane rehearsal schedules that keep me away from my family, my fiends, my Nook, and more than five hours of sleep per night. Yet…I’m not sure I could keep my present job and not do shows. There might be lynchings.

Anyway. I think I’d be in a chirpier mood had Rousseau not decided he absolutely had to go outside at 4:00 this morning. Does he choose the Thriller’s side of the bed to nuzzle with his cold, wet snout? NooOoOOoOOOOoooo

Hey, here’s something that will blow your mind, courtesy of my awesome fiend Harold (Suzanne’s handsome husband). Harold posted a link on his Facebook wall to some fantastic color photographs from Russia and the surrounding countryside. What’s so fantastic about that? you ask. Answer: they were taken between 1909 and 1912. Unbelievable. Check it out.

Welp, off I go. Make the coffee, make the lunch, take the shower, drive the Finkmobile, start the school year. Allons! Hope your week got off to a great start.

FO