Working Woes

Overwhelmed.

I'm often at a loss for words to express how frustrated, annoyed, overwhelmed, defeated, disorganized (using the thesaurus now) in a constant state of upheaval, agitated, unhinged (that is a good description) I often feel with how much there is to do. Some of it is the nature of the job, some of it is my emotional state (combined with hormones = whiny, crying & crabby), and some of it is being in the constant stage of change or learning that makes me feel like I'm not ever enough.

I know I'm extremely capable at 75% of what I'm doing. 25% of following through isn't happening, and I had a pretty short blue line (Kolbe). Doing it for a year is just torturing me - I know that I hate it when it gets to a certain point in the details, and seeing how many things get missed because I just struggle with tracking and remembering and forgetting to remember...

I also have learned that the shifting priorities sucks. I had never lived that before and can't say I have any appreciation for it at all (can you hear the sarcasm?!).

• OGAD - an Opportunity for Growth And Development
  An excuse for ... [I haven't decided yet... any comments?]
  
  
• AGO - Another Growth Opportunity
  
  
• AFGO - Another F-en Growth Opportunity
  My favorite phrase at the moment.

Let's just sum it up to say that my commitment lessens each day because there is only more and more to do, which, after a year, it seems like things should be settling into something manageable.

Life is fragile

Please remember that.

We never know when our lives will be forever changed by the death of a loved one.

Never take for granted... always say I Love You... have the difficult conversations that begin with, "what if..."

Please send good thoughts - say some prayers... my very good friend's husband was tragically killed yesterday in a bicycle accident. A vibrant, energetic, full-of-life retired Air Force pilot turned teacher with two daughters, two grandsons and a much loved brother. Please pray for this family.

Beijing 2008

I love the Olympics. I cry when gold medallists hear their national anthem on the podium. I ache when gymnasts fall. I'm amazed at the dedication, the persistence, the pursuit of a single goal -- the focus and determination... if I could apply just 1/2 of that in my own life to one single objective I've set for myself -- how much I could achieve.

These athletes inspire me. Dara Torres - 41 years old with an amazing body and strength -- wow!
Michael Phelps -- what a cool story.

Not Much New

Where DID the week go?

It's been miserably hot & humid -- work has been a big blah for me... too much to do and too many meetings and too many people in my office... (which means very little work getting done on my part).

- - -
Today's Craft Class we're doing Memory Albums or, more accurately, Memory Pages...
There are only 5 or 6 people signed up -- but I think it will go well.

Now I have to shift my room around so himself can install my window A/C unit.

YAY!!!!

- - -

...My name is Desert Diva

and I'm an a cappella music addict.

I try to escape it. I listen to other types and genres of music, and even enjoy them. But in my heart of hearts, my soul yearns to hear and sing harmony. Normal harmony -- hearing over 6 different notes sung and my ears crack.

I spend hours on Youtube listening and watching barbershop and a cappella performances.

I try to say I'll take a break from quartet singing, but I am powerless and will be going up to Phoenix for a fun, trial sing with some serious singin' women... one of whom is the bass from the Phoenix quartet (Hearts Afire) I love(d) so much.

If you have not heard amazing a cappella, you probably have gone through life thinking you've missed something... but not really sure what that hole in your soul longs for.

If you've heard even sort of bad a cappella (not even REALLY bad), you've gone through life being thankful you don't have to hear that again. Don't let one or two or a million horrible listening experiences lead you away from the transcendence of your spirit and soul that can come from listening to the old instrument made by God -- the human voice.



Acoustix, some of the best men's a cappella you'll ever hear!


Underage, the SAI Young Women In Harmony Champs (2005). [they're older now and they've changed the name of their quartet to "LoveNotes"] at the time they won, 3 of them were 17 and one was 20 years old!! I was going to post the Youtube video of "And So It Goes", but that song is on their myspace page and the sound quality is much-o better!!

I found Sweet Adelines when I was 22 or something like that -- and I've been off and on since then.

But I'm not addicted to just barbershop... oh no.

DaVinci's Notebook (they broke up) has a very funny song called "Liposuction" - clever lyrics, good harmony, sarcasm at its a cappella best :D

The Flight of the Bumblebee... you've never heard it like this! (The Swingle Singers)

My name is desert diva and I am absolutely okay with being an a cappella music addict.

Edinburgh Fringe

It's that time again... when a city of 600,000 swells to over a million people between the participants and the audience members of the largest annual arts show... from two-seater performance venue (two actors in the front, two audience members in the back of a VW Bug was one such venue one year) to major stage productions - the Edinburgh Festival boasts a traditional Theatre Festival, A Jazz Festival, A Book Festival and a Film Festival -- all going on at once in one of the most historical and beautiful cities (IMNSHO) in the world.

As a student at Pepperdine, I was lucky enough to participate in the Fringe! We put on an adaptation of a medival morality play, "Everyman" (Brian Bremer was the star, and he's still acting today -- I just looked him up on imdb.com!), adaptation and music by Charles somebody-whose-name-I've-been-trying-to-remember...

[Brian and I took tennis together as one of my final classes... he'd bring diet coke & Milky Way Dark for breakfast and share it with me -- it was an 8am class, which required physical movement and being you know, halfway awake... and if you know anything about theatre people it is we are NOT morning people.... so--- we'd bat the ball for 5 minutes, have a Milky Way break... drink some diet coke... bat the ball around a few more minutes, then sit and talk about nothing -- that is, when he was there ;-) ]

I didn't take full advantage of the festival when I lived so close (smacks self in head), because it cost money -- but even to just go in and not pay for any show was always a fabulous people-watching experience!!

I tried to post a photo -- but my pc is so ready to crash... and the photo was taking forever to load -- so maybe another Edinburgh Fringe Anniversary.

Ohhhh -- and one time I sang a bit of opera ~ "O Mio Babbino Caro" for Eddy Izzard & friends outside in front of a ton of fringe-goers. Quite fun :D

- - -
and yesterday was the 1 year anniversary of the scaredest I've ever been.