I am lucky to be playing the flute. If I played oboe or bassoon, or even tuba or percussion or viola or a number of other instruments... I don't know where I would find any students. But little girls LOVE the flute, and they make up pretty much the entire population of my students. Thanks, flute-loving girls!

It's a dilemma when I don't want to stop listening to music to play music. Why did I pick the Beach Boys this morning? Barbara Ann is just so catchy! They just don't make music like they used to.

It's definitely a skill to be able to teach, to tell someone what they need to work on without making them feel less than adequate. Teachers, remember to celebrate the small accomplishments of your students. Remember to precede suggestions with at least one comment about something they did well or something that has improved. Students need both positive and negative feedback, because confidence is an important part of the learning process. When a student believes that he can improve, it is powerful motivation.  If he doesn't believe he can improve, he will end up thinking, "What is the point in trying?"

Be careful. Students aren't robots. They need ENCOURAGEMENT and an UPLIFTING ATMOSPHERE as much as they need DIRECTION.

A short list of things I don't like:

-bad auditions
-ASU whenever they have to process paperwork
-riding my bike in 111 degree weather
-PMS

I had a great round of lessons today! It is wonderful to come into a lesson and hear your students able to do things that they couldn't do the last week, to hear them exclaim excitedly "it's working! I can do it now!," to see their eyes light up when a slightly altered fingering can help them play better, and see that their knowledge of music theory is far beyond their peers. It's very rewarding, and it's an affirmation that I am doing something right as a teacher. I have grown so much as a teacher over these past two years, and I am of course still learning.  Now I am taking on some very dedicated, quality students, and I am excited about molding them into awesome musicians. I just wish that every day of teaching was like today!

I don't know exactly why, but I really seem to be able to interact with, befriend, and tolerate men much more than women. I do have a few close female friends, but I can count the number on one hand. The large majority of my friends are male. Maybe it's because I grew up with a brother, and I only learned how to interact socially with his type. Maybe it's because I have one or two interests which are typically "male." I don't know the exact reason, but for the past three years, I have mostly found the male to female ratio in my presence alarming. I can identify with the cries of single men around the world... "where/how do you meet women??" Beats me, guys.

Also, the concept of a bar as a place to meet people with which to engage in romance just boggles my mind.

Okay, I am procrastinating sleep. I'm so tired during the day. Why do I feel the need to elude sleep now? The world may never know. (Owl: "and a-ohone! and a-twho!" Crack!).

Okay, sleep time. For realzies.

Butterflies are white and blue
In this field we wander through.
Suffer me to take your hand.
Death comes in a day or two.

All the things we ever knew
Will be ashes in that hour,
Mark the transient butterfly,
How he hangs upon the flower.

Suffer me to take your hand.
Suffer me to cherish you
Till the dawn is in the sky.
Whether I be false or true,
Death comes in a day or two.

Wow. What an incredible week in Prescott, Arizona. Teaching, laughing, music, and new friends. It doesn't get any better than that.

I don't think there is only "one right path" in each of our lives.

My whole life, I have been thinking that I am "doing the right thing" by choosing music, or choosing the right school, or choosing a certain person to date. And so many other choices.  But I have come to realize that there is no "right path." There are only options and consequences. Life is not a treasure hunt, it's a road trip. It's not the end result we should seek, it's the journey. It's like the branches of a tree. If you follow the trunk up to a certain branch, yes, that branch may be stronger or have more leaves than the other branches... but that doesn't mean it's a "better" branch.  That doesn't mean that it's the "right" branch.  It's just a branch, and it brings its own unique attributes.

Maybe I have always thought that the right choice was the one which made me the happiest, or was the best for my career (which eventually will bring happiness), or was the best for my future. But there are so many different ways to be happy, so many different ways in which my future can benefit. How can I say that ASU was the best grad school for me, when I have no idea what would have happened had I chosen a different school? It was a choice that I made, to follow a certain path, and it brought me to where I am today: not "better" or "worse" than I would have been anywhere else, but different nonetheless. Changed in my own unique way.

I went to my grandparent's house to visit today, and the very first thing that my grandpa says to me, even before, "hi, how are you?" is about a young Marlins player who hit two home runs.  He follows up this information with, "you should make out with him!"

Also, my mom is playing angry birds.

Goodbyes make me sad.

Hat tournament today. My team made it to finals and lost, a ranking of 2nd out of 10 teams. It was a good time! It really is amazing how many Orlando ultimate people I can know by name (or... I know their face and they know my name. it's a lot of new people. give me a break.) after being here only about a month and a half.

Ultimate is cool. I really enjoy it. It's a great workout, is relatively safe, fosters a sense of community (within your team or withing the "ultimate communities" of cities), is able to be played with men and women on the same team, and is just really, really fun. I am thankful for what ultimate has done for me these past two and a half years. I feel healthy; I am healthy. I'll always have a place to make friends, no matter where I go. And I have found a hobby that I pursue for the simple reason that I love it.

For me, it's also particularly good stress relief.  When I go to the beach, I bring all my troubles with me, but I am so content that I don't care about them anymore. The beach helps me to live in the moment.  However, ultimate takes stress relief a step further.  I actually forget all my troubles when I am chasing a disc floating through the air. They disappear. Gone.

I am probably going to live longer because of this sport.

So I've been hiding away in Florida these past 5 weeks or so. I have done a lot of soul searching here and I think I finally know exactly what I want out of this crazy life. Of course, as in all things, plans can change.

I love my dad. He is an avid Yankees fan and a muscle car enthusiast. He's a Stahl, which means chicken wings and euchre all night long. He works hard for his pay, and he is upset when the economy does not allow him to work. He has just recently (in the past two or three years) started using the Internet--first on the Wii, and now on his iPad. He has the same dorky sense of humor that I have. He doesn't talk much during a conversation, but he will make stupid comments every once in a while--just like me. He has a friend named Judson, and they talk on the phone and go to car auctions together. He gave me his thin frame, his oversize nose, his straight hair, and his dry skin. He is a creative speller. He is a good son and is constantly helping his parents with chores. He wants nothing more from life than work and see his teams win. I love him for all of this, and because he is my dad. To the best dad in the world... I am lucky to have you in my life. Happy Father's Day!!!!

You may have noticed that I am not posting as much lately. The things that have been running through my mind these days are too personal, too negative, or too boring to share with the world.

The general reaction about my blog this year has not been kind. I can see that my writing has taken a turn for the worse.  Maybe I'm losing my touch.

I am going to take a break from writing for a little bit. Maybe sometime in the future I will pick it back up in full swing. In the meantime, I'll only post if I really feel the need.

I didn't really have the best day yesterday.
My flute is in desperate need of repair.
I'm graduating my master's program with a 4.0 GPA.
Two weeks till Florida.
I need chocolate. Or a drink. Or a chocolate drink.

I have a master's degree.






What the heck.

Graduation day... GO!

I heard a flute concerto on the radio the other day. Not only did I know which concerto it was (Karl Stamitz GM), but I was able to identify who was playing. I've never heard the recording before, but James Galway has the most identifiable flute sound that I know.

Flute nerd.

13 sneezes two days ago. 17 yesterday. It's 10:51 and I'm up to two already. Sick of this (pun intended).