Random Tid Bits

1. Everyone that's been reading this for awhile knows I teach at an art college. If you didn't know - there's that tid bit of information about me.
   
   This week when Trump won so many of my students were upset. I felt bad for them. Even if the tables were turned, and they were upset that Clinton won I'd still feel for them. I don't like to see people upset.
   
   I went to a grocery store during lunch time, and bought my students mini cupcakes and Reese's Peanut Butter Cups on their Halloween sale. This wasn't normal for me to do something like this, but I was in a giving mood, and wanted to lift their spirits.
   
   Later on that day I found out that about 2 students out of 25 voted. I had a mix of emotions. I too fit in their category when I was younger. I didn't vote, but would complain about the upper ups. It was so bad of me I know. Now I get it when people are pissed when people don't vote, and don't educate themselves on who they are voting for. I kind of felt annoyed that the student body was complaining, but didn't do their part to vote for who they wanted in office.
   
   Does it make you mad when people don't vote, yet complain about things? 


2. On election night I decided we needed a break from politics. I put in the last season of The Wonder Years. Our library ordered it because I requested it. I was so happy! It's crazy that the episode we just happened to be on was called, Politics as Usual. It was about Kevin's Dad liking Nixon and his Mom being a democrat. 





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3. Isaak has a  bean plant he brought home from school. He took great care of it when it was in a cup with a wet paper towel. Since I took this picture Travis has helped him put it in a pot with plant soil. I call it, Isaak and Giant Bean Salk. It does keep growing up and up. Soon Travis will help him to make something for it to climb.





4. Yesterday an instructor was sick. I had to take over her morning lecture. It went well. I filled up a whole hour, and added onto what she had written.


5. Mica continues to get better with his trumpet. I have him play in his room with his door shut. Those bad notes are just awful on my ears. He wants to come out to play in the living room to give us a concert. I recently said, "It's a concert with you in your room. I can still hear you play." Ha! 

Family Get Together

Over the weekend we got together for my Mom and Brother-in-law's birthdays. For us we celebrate August and September birthdays together, October birthdays together, a November birthday (because the October birthdays are so early and the November one is so late), December and January birthdays, March birthdays, May birthdays, and June birthdays.

For my Brother-in-law I got him this funny card:

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Later on he fell asleep.

It seems like there's always some man that falls asleep during a family function. Is it like this in your family?

Anyhow the photo reminded me of this famous art history piece Lamento sul Cristo moto or Lamentation Over the Dead Christ.

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The really hilarious thing about this get together was what Mica did. 

For a month he's been saying, "Mom can I play my trumpet at the next family get together?" I said, "I don't care." 

For a few days he's been playing, Hot Cross Buns. He kept saying that he nailed the song. Ummm....not so much. He nailed it twice, but was inconsistent with it like anyone would be when they first start playing an instrument. I kept reminding him that he's really only been playing for a month, if that. He didn't start until early September, and his teacher was gone for 2 weeks. But according to Mica he had it down. 

He wanted me to learn how to sing it. I kept saying, "Mica you're having a hard time playing it. I don't think I can sing to it just yet. You'll get there eventually."

He wanted his cousin Evan to come with his flute to play along side of him, but he forgot his flute on that day. 

The morning of the get together he kept coming out of his room in suit jackets. They were mine that I've had stuck in the back of his closet. I didn't care if he wore them, but Travis said to one, "You look like a girl Mica." To another, "You look like the kid in the movie Big when he went from an adult to a kid, and his clothes were all big." Mica was getting annoyed. He wanted to look great for his first debut. I kept saying, "Wear a nice shirt, and leave it at that." That wasn't good enough. I said, "Well wear this grey jacket over the shirt." It was a sporty jacket, not a dress jacket. He of course didn't go for that. He had on a nice shirt, and another nice shirt over that. By that time I told Travis I was done listening to the two of them argue. 

He set up his music stand right away when we got there. I said, "Let's wait until lunch is over before you play."

When he played I couldn't hold it back any longer. Tears were rolling down my face from laughing so hard. My sister was laughing in the kitchen. Our laughter was feeding off each other. The jacket, the tapping of his foot, the notes that he tried to make were all making me laugh. Even when I told everyone not to laugh. He never heard me over the trumpet sound, and he was looking at his music notes. Let's just say that I'm amused easily.

My sister kept saying, "This is the best thing that's happened all day. Please play another song." So he did. 

My two year old nephew was on the side lines clapping. He said in his little voice, "Good job Mica!" 

I said, "Good job son. I love your dedication. You need to practice more to hit those notes." He did do good for just starting. 

WW: Trumpet {Linky}

Mica told us last week, "I want to play the baritone in band. We need the instrument by Friday." The band form had no date on it whatsoever. I was kind of annoyed because he could have given strings a try last year. We have plenty of those instruments. Travis' boss gave him like 5 string instruments. Mica never told us about that. I got on him to be more informative, and to try new things. When I looked at the prices on renting an instrument I was like, "Whoa we need to make a choice here: Band or Martial Arts. I can't afford both!" Mica said, "You did tell me to try new things." So he had me there.

I looked at pawn shops, but they really only had old trumpets that looked dinged up.

Someone on facebook said they had a trumpet they wanted to sell. I said, "Sold!" It turned out that her Dad sold it without her knowing.

We gave up on the baritone at this point. Mica's like, "I want a trumpet."

I checked out Amazon, and boom they had new trumpets for about the same price as the old ones in pawn shops. They could get it to us in 2 days, we read ratings, and it came with a case, gloves, and a few other things.

Mica: Is this how I blow my trumpet?

Travis: Ya but you have to blow with your cheeks in.

It turns out that after all this Mica didn't need his instrument for a few weeks. He's super excited to have it. He watched the DVD that came with his music book, and now blows with his cheeks in. 

Mica has big plans! He wants to learn to play Peter Gabriel's Sledgehammer. He said, "Dad can be Peter Gabriel, and you can be a background singer Mom." I said, "Why don't you start with Twinkle Twinkle Little Star as your goal?"

Isaak on the other hand is living in a box. He's living in a cardboard box.

Did you play an instrument when you were a kid, or do you still play an instrument now?

Sing, Sing a Song Saturday

I started doing what I call Sing, Sing a Song Saturday.  I'm going to post one song on Saturdays that the boys or I like. 

The song may be part of a movie, a kid's video or just a song we like. I'll try and include why we like it and/or the history of the song/singer.

The artist I'm covering this week is Alison Balsom. I'm going to share a little bit about Alison.

I have a surprise at the end of this post. 

She was born in the UK. Alison first started out in acting. Later she went on to become the valedictorian of her high school. Then she earned a Bachelor's degree from Princeton and a Master's from Trinity College in Ireland. She later joined a group as a folk singer and singer-songwriter having released her first alt-rock/country album, 'FIRST.' She was a part of the group Alison and Stone. Now she is known for playing the trumpet in classical music. She plays concerts all the time.

Learn more about what Alison is up to now here. She has many classical CDs out.

Are you ready for the surprise?

Here is Alison Balsom as a child:

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Does she look familiar? She played Nancy Olseon on Little House on the Prairie. Her character on the show was not very nice, but she seems like a sweet heart in real life. It was an odd find; that I didn't expect. Her name on the show was spelled Allison, but on her CDs now it's spelled Alison. I know it's the same person I watched interviews where she talked about what she did then and what she's doing now.

If you want to see more about where stars are now on Little House on the Prairie check out my post here.