I Am a Poor Multi-Tasker

I am one of those people who can't hold a conversation and do much of anything else at the same time. If someone's talking to me while I drive, I miss exits and make wrong turns. If I'm on the phone and someone in the room starts talking to me at the same time, all I hear is white noise--zero comprehension of either conversation.

It's the worst when I'm doing something I'm used to doing in solitude, like putting together my breakfast. I like to eat old-fashioned oatmeal with cinnamon, molasses and a big handful of walnuts every morning. I also enjoy the convenience of fixing and eating breakfast in less than 5 minutes so I can sleep as late as possible. Needless to say, this requires a system. Every Saturday morning, I cook up 7 servings of oatmeal, putting 6 of them in single-serving plastic containers for the rest of the week. All I have to do is empty a container's contents into a bowl, chop it into bite-sized pieces with a spoon (it tends to solidify), stick it in the microwave for 1 minute, and voila--instant breakfast.

Yes, I have noticed the uncanny resemblance that my daily molded plop of refrigerated oatmeal has to my cat Mouchie's breakfast. The main differences are that mine 1) smells better and 2) is a bigger portion.

Yesterday morning I was talking to Paul while rinsing out Mouchie's dish and wiping it out with a napkin. I got out my oatmeal, and, I kid you not, came this close to plopping it into Mouchie's dish. Would have done it if Paul hadn't stopped me!

Sephora Splurge! (Girly Stuff)

After rehearsal, I rode my bike out to Beachwood Place to blow the rest of my tips at the Sephora store. I was already planning to get Philosophy's Microdelivery Peel, since I'm almost out. I love that stuff--I've been using it for about 3 1/2 years and it really makes a huge difference. Very pricey ($65!) but it lasts over a year. I decided to count that as money I would have spent anyway (rationalize, rationalize) so I spent the rest of my cash stash on some new, sparkly eye shadow (I got #926, "sparkly beige"--yes, even on a splurge, I'm practical!), a sealer to make any powder eye shadow waterproof, and a little set of nice shadow applicators. I'm really picky about makeup colors. They have to be not too orange, not too brown, not too blue/purple, and not overpower my coloring. That was fun!

The Most Convenient Flat Tire Ever

I've been saving my cash tips from Stages since January,and I was originally going to blow all $137 of it at the Sephora store, but decided instead to visit the bike store out in South Euclid to get some gear that would help me feel safer when riding on the 99.99999999% of Cleveland roads without bike lanes.

I got out of rehearsal early last night and rode out Mayfield road to the store (it's about 6 miles from our house). Strangely, there was no bike rack to park when I got there, so I locked it up to a stair railing, a rather awkward enterprise. I was inside, ready to buy a white mesh high-visiblity vest, some white reflective tape for my (black) backpack, and a rearview mirror that needed to be installed on my left handlebar.

When asked if I were "handy," I admitted I was not and that I would be happy to pay them the $6.50 installation fee. So we went to retrieve my bike. The guy noticed my rear tire was almost flat, much to my disbelief (I had just pumped them up), but lo and behold, it certainly was. Evidently, I had run over and embedded a metal spike right through the tire on my way there, and it was (of course) in the back wheel, the one with all those fun gears. Lucky, lucky me! Of course, this is guaranteed to happen sooner or later, and I can't think of a more convenient time it could have happened. They changed and replaced it while I waited. I suppose I should learn how to do that myself, since it won't always be this convenient.

I feel a lot safer now, and I still have $50 left over to spend at Sephora.

Yess!

I did it--just found out--I got straight A's. Yippee!! And in the English course I have the full breakdown online--an average of 96%. I worked so hard for that. I swear, 16th-century counterpoint was easier for me. I'm also thrilled to get an A in accounting--it is, after all, my major. Here's my progress so far: 16 credit hours earned. 4.00 GPA. After the summer, when I'll finally take that College Algebra class in person, I will have earned 20 credit hours out of 72 needed--slightly more than 1/4 of the way through. My goal: 4.0 all the way.

Needless to say, I have been celebrating all week with a spectacular spree of non-productivity. I went to the public library to check out books to read just for fun (I've read about 500 pages since Monday) and a daytime trip to the Cedar Lee to see Note by Note, the movie about the making of one particular Steinway concert grand piano from start to finish. Making a piano is extremely intricate--it's all handmade and takes about a year. The craftspeople interviewed took great pride in their work. Interspersed were segments of pianists, from concert artists to students, speaking with passion on what they seek in a piano and on how music connects people and takes them out of themselves. I loved it. There were only about five other people in my 2:15 p.m. Monday showing. It was fun to chat afterwards. The movie only showed for a week, and I'm glad I didn't miss it.

Well, speaking of piano, it's time for me to finally get off my butt and start cleaning up my piano arrangement of Eine Kleine Nachtmusik for the Cleveland School of Dance year-end performance that is 8 days away. I don't have the excuse of homework any more.

At Semester's End

Hi, I'm back.

Wow, has this been a tough month. But school is almost over--tonight I have my accounting final and Monday my final term paper for English is due, and that's it. I feel relaxed now because I'm ahead of the game.

For accounting, I've never missed a class, never been late with a homework assignment, participated in class probably more than anyone else in the class, and spent 6 hours studying for the final yesterday so I could let the information sink in overnight and then just review today. Underemployment certainly has its upside--my job at Case is over until the end of August, which gives me my mornings and early afternoons back, so I've had luxuriously huge amounts of time to devote to schoolwork just when all the final projects come due.

Last week wasn't too fun, as I spent at least 20 hours (not that I actually counted) cranking out the "rough draft" of my English term paper, which was due Sunday. I put that in quotes because I am almost fundamentally incapable of doing anything in rough draft form, at least if anyone else is going to see it. I go straight from nothing to final polished product. In this online class, I know that not only the professor but all of my fellow students can read and comment on everything I write, so I always want it to be my best. And in making it my best, of course what happened is that I finished it. It's even over the minimum page limit already so I won't have to add material just to make it long enough. I'm sure I'll be changing something for my final version, but I bet it won't take 20 hours.

I really, really want to get straight A's. I've worked so hard.