R-E-S-P-E-C-T

Today was not exactly a stellar day. In fact, it ranked right up there with dark matter and other dense stuff. It all started out with less than a quartet of recorder players showing up for a quartet rehearsal. The second treble player (she plays soprano in the Mozart while I play sopranino) did not arrive for a 9:00 a.m. call until after 10:00. At this point, the rest of us had read through the Rondo movement several times and were ready to call it quits. Not only that, but she still hadn’t retrieved her recorder (technically, my recorder, the one I brought from Toronto which had recently been my mother’s) from the place where she had left it weeks ago! She isn’t doing this ensemble for credit, but the other two members are, and by being inconsiderate and unprofessional, she’s making it very difficult for the rest of us. We’re supposed to be performing on a recital in a few weeks, and I doubt that we’ll be playing any of the quartet at this point. As well, that recorder is a pretty valuable instrument, and I want it back!

Okay, so that was the first thing that put me off today. Then I went grocery shopping, something I hadn’t done in ages, it seems, and ended up spending over $300 stocking up. How did that happen?

Next, in choir rehearsal, with the singers arranged on risers, I am, for some unfathomable reason (except I know exactly why), on the second riser, in the third row, with a tall person in front of me, and I cannot see the conductor! You see, the assistant conductor, at least that’s her title, although I don’t see how she merits it, made the standing plan. It was supposed to take into account people’s heights. Hence, all the really tall people are in the back row. That makes perfect sense. The really short people should be in the front row, n’est-ce pas? I am a really short person. In fact, I am only 5' tall, perhaps a little less even, in my stocking feet. But somehow I got stuck in the third row between two women who tower over me (one of them is the scooper--God save us!) and one in front who totally blocks my view. I am not amused. I was so angry that I left the risers and the stage during the second-to-last song we rehearsed and made a beeline for the drinking fountain, then sat for the rest of the rehearsal in the hall. As far as I can see, if I am in the front row, there is so much noise, what with the band and the out-of-tune singing, I won’t stick out, and if I do, that’s a good thing.

So I came home, tired, hungry, and really pissed off. Oh, wait, there’s something else. I have a student, a tall girl who is in the back row, although that isn’t really relevant, who is a total flake. She’s sweet, well meaning and probably intelligent in some ways, but as far as my interaction with her, she’s a complete space cadet. She still hadn’t given her music to the girl who is accompanying her, who approached me earlier in the day asking if she was in fact playing for my student. So after choir I cornered her and asked her what was going on. She replied that she hadn’t talked to the department chair yet. Remember him? I asked about what. She said that she felt it really wasn’t her decision to make, who her accompanist would be. I said that it was her decision. His job was to make sure that everyone who didn’t have an accompanist was provided one by the department. Otherwise, she was free to have whomever she wanted accompany her. So, I think I finally got it through her spongy skull that she should get her music to the pianist and do it soon!

Okay, so all that aside, it’s Diversity Week at the university, even though I’m not quite sure what that means, and today was the R0ck for Respect all-day concert at the pub. Little Princess’ band was playing tonight, so I went to see them. Hubby was also playing in the theatre lobby at a reception hosted by the college, so it was very convenient for going there and returning.

And now that I’ve vented, I guess I can go to bed.

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