I Love The Drums In A Marching Band

I just attended a college football game and ran by the band room before the game to see the marching band getting ready to perform. They show up early with their uniforms on, and their instruments in their cases, or if they have drums, in drum bags. Then they practice the songs in the band room, and then they line up to march to the stadium. I love the drums the best. I am a cadence freak, and could listen to that all day. And nearly have. Hearing the drums practice by themselves is like a tribal ritual. The call to arms! The call to another band performance. Their tribe. Marching bands and drum lines are the best.

Why Am I Making Mistakes? And On Such Easy Things?

I am in a precarious place now. I am self employed and I am an older adult. Not a senior citizen, of course. But not a millennial either. I am very detailed oriented. And yet, I have made very stupid mistakes the last couple of times I was in court. Not irreversible. But stupid.

Both involve me not printing out things that I need to take to court. And there I am in court, not having what I need. And that means I cannot point to the contract where it shows we should get attorney's fees, and therefore the judge did not grant them. Worse still, I am representing another attorney in court, so of course they are not happy with me.

Mistakes like this can be fixed. It just means amending the judgment and going back to court. But I can't keep making these kinds of mistakes. Who is going to want me to continue representing them, if this happens more than once? (Luckily, it happened once to two different clients.) I don't want to become the doddering old fool yet, when I am just starting out!

But this cannot happen again under any circumstance. I have to make sure everything prints out, and I have it with me. How much more basic can that be?

Catching Up With Life

I have a lot to write about. So hopefully, I will write a number of posts in the next week or so. Right now, one of the main things on my mind is catching up with life. Just everyday life. Like organizing my home, regular housekeeping, cooking again, and getting exercise. Why do things get so hectic and complicated that we often start ignoring these areas of life? I am feeling a great need to slow down a little and smell the roses. If I start paying attention to these things, and doing the best for myself, the rest of my life can only get better too.

Public Speaking Equipment Failures

I was at a CLE workshop today. It was a big room with lots of people. The subject matter was interesting, and everyone seemed into the material. And then the microphone quit working. You could not hear the speaker. I felt sorry for me. She is like me and has a soft voice. She tried to talk as loud as she could, but it did not carry well. I can empathize. It is hard for me to talk loud. It is almost impossible for me,and I am not sure why. They didn't have a backup microphone either, which would have been a smart idea. It was wireless, which is convenient, but when they quit working, they quit working. The man sitting next to me said he thought there were some websites, including guitarcenter.com, where you could find such items. I hope whoever plans those CLEs, which take backup equipment into consideration next time! Those classes are not cheap, and it is annoying to not be able to hear.

Old Friends/New Careers

I had dinner tonight with a couple of friends from college. I didn't know them that well and haven't seen them in ages. So, it was good to catch up and learn a little more about them.

It was an interesting conversation. We all graduated with the same degree and started out in the communications business. In the intervening years, we have also all broken away from communications.  I have gotten into my second career since leaving communications. Another left communications a long time ago for another field and is now retired, although looking for something new to do. The third left communications several years ago and is now working on some independent projects.

What struck me is that we are three middle-aged people who are looking for our next gig. I have my new gig but am aware I might need to look for another new gig at any time. The other two seem a little out of sorts, feeling a little dissatisfied with their current situations and wondering which way to go. I told them you never know what will come down the pike. I basically didn't even know that a job like mine existed until I got it. New and different jobs and careers, as well as ways of working, are created everyday. That might be bad for people who want their careers to stay the same. But in the same vein, it can be good for people like us who want to evolve too.

My Five Minute Foray Into Being A Banjo Player

After I graduated from journalism school many moons ago, I wanted to work in small town journalism. I took a class in community journalism my senior year, and I was hooked. My dream job (then) was to own my own small newspaper. A trip back to Mayberry maybe.

And I pursued that dream--for a while. As long as it was my dream. I got a job at a small town newspaper owned by a man who owned a number of small papers. Had I worked there for several years, I probably would have become editor of one. But I didn't work there for a number of years. (But that is a different story.)

But while I was there for a year and a half, I dove into my work. I was all about the small town. And I discovered there is news everywhere, even in a small town. And people want to know this news.

At this same time, my personal interests changed. I became more artsy craftsy. More settled. And more centered.

During this time, I became fascinated by the banjo. I loved it. Listening to it at least. I went to several live shows and saw players sporting a Gold Star Banjo and making great music. I wanted to do that!

I saw an ad for a banjo class and rented a banjo and some other gear. I even showed up to the first class. My heart was in the right place, but my schedule wasn't. When you work for a small town newspaper, you are working all the time. And sometimes that can be till 11 p.m. So, I went to that one class, and then the banjo stayed in my trunk. Lonely and sad. I never found out if I could be a good banjo player. But I know i still love listening to it.

Back in the Saddle

It has been more than a year since I have last written. And I am appalled. I love this blog and love writing and hearing back from my readers. But I have been busy with my new job and life stuff. That life stuff can really get in the way.

But the whole year I have felt uneasy. Like I should put pen to paper, or in reality, fingers to keyboard. I have a lot to say, but I haven't had time to put it down.

But I am turning over a new leaf, or starting a new chapter, so to speak. I am excited to start blogging again regularly.

Until the next time--which will be soon.