Letting off steam is a good thing...

     OK, before I start talking about my amazing spring break, I would like a moment to rant. This blog is very handy but it has been the most frustrating thing to manage and update. If it weren't for the tutorial videos that I watched last weekend, I was going to have to come up with something else. And to top everything off, this "journal" has been due for a while and I haven't been able to get all of my entries up because of my brain farts that have been "saving-as-draft" instead of posting!!!!! (Oh, and drafts are apparently automatically deleted after however long. Thanks, Blogspot...)
     I know that it was irresponsible of me to not have this figured out in the first place, but it's taught me that even though I may be 100% sure that my post's up, it'll never ever hurt to be 150% sure.

Day Without Shoes

This year, I am attempting to organize a Toms Shoes "Day Without Shoes" at Grimsley. The scope of this task is daunting. I registered to have a Toms Campus Club in January, and recently received my kit to officially start this club. The only thing is, I don't know if I can technically start a club this late in the year or if I can pull it off. This endeavor will definitely be a test of my organizational skills (Ha!) and will force me to get comfortable speaking to and emailing people I do not really know. (Yikes!) So far, I have to print out some promo codes that Grimsley people can use to get a discount at Toms and I also have to have a meeting. But however scared I may be, I think that this will be a good thing...

It's eating my Sunday...

That's right, folks! Posting numero dos will be none other than


Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra (every Sunday, 2:00-6:00)
Peter Zlotnick


Every Sunday, come rain or snow or dark of night (not really), I trek over to the UNC-G School of Music and rehearse with the Greensboro Symphony Youth Orchestra. For. Four. Hours. I consider this to be a small sacrifice when I consider the benefits of GSYO membership. 

1. I get to spend four hours with my friends doing what I love absolutely best in this world. 
2. I improve as a musician. 
3. I stretch myself to get the most out of each minute of rehearsal. (Believe it or not, playing a stringed instrument is extremely demanding. Just look at Joshua Bell...)
4. I expand my musical horizons.

Even though I am constantly complaining about having to go to GSYO rehearsal every Sunday, I would not quit for the world.

First Project Posting!

Agents of Grace (08/29/2009)

Adult present: Rachel Velazquez

This event was a blast! At first I was not happy when I had to drag my lazy self out of bed at 7:45 in the morning on a Saturday. Sure, I'd done AoG for a few years before, but the having to get up part always gets me. After I managed to scrape an appropriate work outfit together my family and I headed for none other but Grimsley High. We were given our assignment, Hunter Elementary, and we set off after a brief orientation. 

It took one look at that school to tell that it was definitely in need of some T.L.C. There were a lot of weeds around the school sign, which was screaming "Paint me, paint me!" The playgrounds needed to be re-mulched and the classrooms needed to be organized, sanitized and a couple of them needed some minor painting done. All of this was to be done-hopefully-by 1:00 p.m. (Yeah, right...) But I threw myself into painting some cabinets a dingy color beige with some khaki-ish looking paint and soon forgot my scruples. 

OK. I'm going to just come out and say it. Working at Hunter was the highlight of my summer/start of school. Although I was skeptical and lazy at first about losing half of my Saturday, I can say that I really learned what it's like to help people wholeheartedly, and how good that feels. All of the Agents of Grace projects come at no cost to the site that's receiving the work, and I think that's awesome. What I also thought was pretty amazing was the fact that the teacher for whom I painted cabinets was so grateful for it. For painting her cabinets that ugly beige  khaki. She was so happy that I was helping her, even though all I was doing was a little painting, scrubbing and vacuuming. 

Sometimes, I really wish I'd taken some pictures to remember that day, but that's OK. I was too busy...