What have I been doing this past month? A month in the life of this mama musician looks something like this:
Wednesday – Bought a violin bow. It was a hot day. Zephyr didn’t want to go to the music store, but then I couldn’t get her to leave. Afterward we visited the library. Tuesday – Biked across the University Bridge and got stuck when it was up. Watched tug boats, sky and water ripple while I waited. Later on, I worked on a new song about polar ice melt. Monday – Only one student to teach today. She wanted to work on “Jingle Bells” again, even though its the end of the school year. Sunday – Played the second annual harp/piano duet concert with Josh for Mother’s Day… “Georgia On My Mind” and “Love Theme from Spartacus”… Four hours went quickly by… Saturday – Afternoon photoshoot at a bar with tons of make-up and big hair. Colors were purple and gold. I wore a gown and the men wore three piece suits, except for Soulchile who looked like an Egyptian pharoah sprayed with gold.
Photo of the year (in my opinion!) for Aham Oluo's "Now I'm Fine" (L. to R. - Monica Schley, Evan Flory-Barnes, Bryant Moore, Ahamefule J. Oluo, Soulchilde Bluesun)
Friday – Visited a friend for astrological assistance with clairvoyant tips: Words are not my strong suit right now. I should focus on non-verbal communication like playing music. Fair enough. Thursday – Motherhood at the beach. We had a picnic of hummus and bread, berries and juice. Tide was low and we collected stones and shells but threw them all back in the Sound. Wednesday – Heard an inspiring concert at The Chapel Performance Space. The moon was full of springtime blossoms. Tuesday – Invoiced clients and did paperwork. Monday – Learned the difference between a contract and an invoice. Sunday – Went on a date downtown with my hubby to hear friends play a jazz concert. The Teaching was our wedding band. Saturday – Happy Anniversary to us! Its the year of iron. We bought a new car!
Friday – Purchased new sheet music, “Mad World” for an upcoming harp/cello wedding. Thursday – Recording session on a warm day and stayed remarkably in tune most of the time. Earlier in the day, my family and I attended a school picnic to celebrate May Day. Wednesday – Edited soundfiles from a live concert last winter and uploaded them to Soundcloud.
Tuesday – Rehearsal in the living room with Anne, learning new songs and harmonies. Monday – Day job at the office. Taught students. Ate vegetarian meatballs. Sunday – Told Zephyr a “story from my head” about a lost dragon who gets stuck in a cave at high tide. A boy passing in a boat hears the dragon crying and they make friends. In the morning, they make a passage when the water is low. Saturday – Played a Catholic funeral mass. Friday – Played a Chinese Buddhist gravesite funeral, then played a gay wedding in a conservatory with the mayor officiating.
Thursday – Negotiated contracts and updated my website. Wednesday – Sent paperwork to hospital for therapeutic bedside music. Tuesday – Had the landlords over for Mediterannean dinner and guilt-free fruit dessert for our lease renewal. Monday – Woke early and journaled. Went to an African dance class and rehearsed harp/cello duets with Maria. Sunday – Took the ferry over to Bainbridge for a healing harps summit and had a glorious time eating and playing music all day. In the evening: rested.