Friday, finally

Well, it looks like we (that is, the UM campus and all its peoples) made it through the first week of classes. That did not seem very possible as of Tuesday, for some reason. But as busy and frustrating and tiring as the first week of classes can be, we always seem to make it through. At this point, it shouldn't be much of a surprise. But here we are, waiting for Friday to end with plenty of energy (ha) to make it through the weekend.

Some things I've learned this week:

-I suck at practicing. When it's not on my schedule, or if I have to use my lunch hour to talk to professors or run errands, I just don't make the time to practice. One of my favorite teachers suggested to me this week that I mark off the time I would have been in class and spend it practicing. A good idea. There's a reason she has a PhD. So, my practice time can't exist on a generic "to-do list." It needs its own special spot on my calendar.

-My combo sucks at practicing, too. I mean, we only have an hour or so to get all of our shiznit done. And we often spend about 30 minutes or so talking over things that, while important, take time away from playing music together. So, I think we'll need to get a bit more organized and go into practice sessions with an idea of what we need to do. Maybe I could even make a list. Because that's how I do, yo.

-I get more done when things are busier. I never notice (in the moment, at least) that I slow w-a-a-a-y down during the break. But I definitely do. Something that would take me 30 minutes during the semester can take days when no one's around. I am not very good at self-discipline (see first point). I guess this is just something I need to be aware of so I can manage it better.

-I have the best professors ever. I was hesitant to talk to them about my decision to move to New York. But every single one I've talked to has been surprisingly supportive. The ones I'm taking classes from are trying to find ways to help me achieve my goals. It's pretty fantastic, this.

So. I think it's about time that I buck up and get excited and maybe slightly more motivated to get some of this jazziness done. I've been on break for long enough. Now it is time to move my patootie.