Tuesday, July 28, 2009

Wrap-Up

I'm so off-schedule with my blogging! It seems it's going to take me a while to get back in the rhythm of this.

I'm not even sure what my update is yet.

We did nothing exciting this weekend, which was kind of nice! It was our first weekend all summer long that hasn't had something on the schedule, so we just enjoyed our downtime. The girls even enjoyed it considering that they'd gone on field trips most of last week, ending with Disneyland on Friday. The girls went on Matterhorn for the first time ever, so it seems we get to add that to our itinerary. Maybe that means I can get them to skip Splash Mountain next time. Call me a dud, but I'm just not a fan of walking around drenched all day. Or even part of the day.

My next post will most likely be another education rant. I'm getting geared up for the new school year.

It looks like work is just going to get busier and busier, which is fine with me! The only downside is, it's getting harder to look at a computer screen at night after looking at one all day, which makes it hard to keep up with everyone in my Reader. I'll pop by when I can, but it'll be infrequent at best.

Sylvia and I had a lovely movie night on Sunday night (Riley did her own thing) watching Pirates of the Caribbean (the first one). I was surprised at how much of the movie I didn't remember, but Sylvia and I thoroughly enjoyed our evening. At the end, I was getting ready to turn it off before the credits, but Sylvia wanted me to wait until Johnny Depp's name. I had to laugh - "ooh, let's look at letters on a screen!" But we waited.

The other day when I was picking Sylvia up from the Club, she stormed out in a way that astonished me in how much she looked like a mini-me when I'm upset! (It was a fight with a friend, that quickly passed.) A small reminder in just how much they do pick up from us.

Oh, and I would love for you to read my latest Examiner article. Though it's slanted towards Los Angeles, I hope that the general tips are universal. (And yeah, that one's about education, too.)

I've been thinking a lot lately about one comment that I received from Clever Elsie where she pointed out how little of our education (no matter how far we've gone) we really use in our daily lives. Education has always been a passionate subject for me, and it's because I want it so badly to be useful.

In re-connecting with so many high school friends on FB, I realize that I got the most out of my education as a vocal student at LA County High School for the Arts. Not because, obviously, of my work today, but because of what I learned about working with others - from choir to jazz ensemble to the little mini girl group my friends and I put together. I learned there how to be a team player and share center stage. We cheered each other on, and supported one another when something didn't go well. We learned from our mistakes both in rehearsal and performance, and how to correct them for the next performance. We learned how to read between the lines of the lyrics to what the song was really saying.

Those are the skills I use today in my job. I give my drafts (my rehearsals) to the lawyer (my director), they tell me what's wrong, and then I fix it. I know who to ask what question by observing their strengths. I can leave everything behind at the office and enjoy a lunch with anyone in the group, just like no matter what had happened at the performance, we'd all want to celebrate together after an opening night.

I don't remember every song we sang together, just as I don't remember what agreement we worked on last month, but I remember the moments of humanity we shared, and the moments of humanity I share with my colleagues every day now is what make it a pleasure to go to work every day.

I know I'm very lucky. I know not everyone has the type of fantastic work environment I do. But I also know that I've learned that I don't have to do what I love to love what I do. (Okay I'm borrowing from Sondheim: "It's not so much do what you like as it is that you like what you do.")

I think, looking back, that the passion for music, for performing may have been what brought us together back in high school, but it's the people that we really came to know and love. And through our situation in high school (which, again, was a lucky break), we were able to learn how to appreciate the people in our lives.

Okay, now I'm just babbling incoherently, aren't I?

3 comments:

MindyMom said...

I do believe that the most important lessons we learned in school didn't come from books.

It's nice that you love what you do and I hope I can make what I do successful enough so that I too, can love what I do.

And I doubt you will neglect the blogoshpere too much, at least I hope not! ;)

Natalie said...

I am happy that I can finally join you in the education rants!

I do think what we learn in high school is fundamental to how we behave as adults. In fact, I blame it for my social awkwardness ;)

FreedomFirst said...

I really want to put Andy in art classes as soon as we have the money. I know he would love it.