DO NOT sneeze immediately following the application of mascara.

It may result in foot-ball player like markings under the eye…


…which may result in people looking at you funny, while laughing hysterically.

Posted by Musicgirl at 2:26 PM | Permalink | Comments

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Posted by Musicgirl at 7:11 PM | Permalink | Comments

...So I'm at work listening to Audible.FM internet radio station. I chose to listen to the ALL Girls Chart topper format and guess what artist played after Avril Lavigne?.... Slaughter!!! LOL. Whoops. I guess they got a little confused... (Still LMFAO!!!!)

...but I can not lie...I was obsessed with Blas Elias at one point in my life. And Sebastian Bach from Skid Row.


...Who'd a thunk it ;)

Posted by Musicgirl at 9:22 PM | Permalink | Comments

I’m back from Memphis!!!! I will fill you in on some adventures, but meanwhile, while I collect my thoughts….

I’VE BEEN TAGGED!!!!

I must now list some things that bother me at work...
Nothing REALLY bothers me at my job because it is only temporary while I finish school…but if I cared more the top ten things that would bother me the most are…in no particular order…


1. Post- it notes stuck places asking you to do things…

2. The teenage boy who works here keeps peeing in the seat.

3. When the doctors wait until 5 minutes before we cut the phones off.... and AFTER all of their patients have been treated... to call and ask for PRE-authorization numbers…

5. Every time I go to get water out of the water cooler, it’s empty.

6. Every time I go to use the stapler, it’s empty.

7. The computers have no sound. How can I properly interact on MySpace without sound?

8. We process dental and vision insurance claims for Washington DC. Government employees… there are certain basic benefits that apply. A moron can learn the basics in 1 minute or less…but nooooo…there’s always one moron who ruins it for the rest of the morons…like the lady in my office who asks the same freakin’ questions everyday…”Um…how much does an exam cost?”… IT”S FREE FOR god’s SAKE WOMAN!!!!!

9. When that same woman paints her nails while the phone is ringing off the hook.

10. When the same woman goes to use the All Page system…
it sounds something like Screeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeechkooworrahisthisthingscreechon?schreeeeeeeeeeeewwhelloweeeeeeeeeeeeeeeereech?CLICK!!!!!!!!!(I also rode with this lady to an office party once. She drives a Lexus and was using her Navigation System to get us there…she managed to still get us lost…) You gotta love her though :)

These are just little things…there are way more things that I like than dislike, seeing as how my dad owns the company…


More later. I miss everyone!!!!!!





Crap!!! I just realized that the original tag from was 10 things you hate about your job/ collegues…but Tidy went and changed it. Damn you. So I’ll add a few things I like…um…

1. The business is a family one. There's nothing like family.

2. I have flex time…Lot’s of it.

3. I just pay as many claims as possible and get the money to the doctor’s. That is pretty low stress. No one is really on my back about anything.

4. The woman mentioned in number’s 8,9, and 10 above always has nail polish remover when I need it.

5. The teenage boy here is great for changing the water cooler.

:)


I tag, my best friend,Camievog, and Four Dinners...

Posted by Musicgirl at 6:57 PM | Permalink | Comments

Well. The weight of the world has finally been lifted off of me. I have successfully completed another semester of school, my band is doing wonderful, I feel good and healthy…but the most exciting thing in my life right now is the fact that tomorrow, I will wake up and get on a plane headed to Memphis. There, I will find my love, horny and desperately awaiting my arrival. Well, he better be desperately awaiting!!!

I mentioned that my Music Therapy practicum during this semester was done at The Lombardi Cancer Research Center. Since I will be away for a week, I will leave you with some of my journal entries…They are just thoughts, and not really edited, so please forgive me for that. :)


January 30, 2006:

Today was my first visit to Lombardi. I went with a classmate and Professor I had the opportunity to meet the coordinator of the arts and humanities division, Ms. M. One of the first things I noticed upon entering the building was the grand piano sitting in the main lobby. I suppose I expected to see sick people walking around everywhere or rather for the building to feel sickly. Instead, we were greeted with friendly faces and the feel of Cancer was not in the air.
Ms. M took us on a tour of the facility. The center has various sections that are used to service different patients in different ways. One floor was specifically for those individuals receiving treatments. The faces I saw were young and old. Some looked worried, while others seemed as though they were doing just fine. Another floor housed isolated patients in a “clean air” area because of their susceptibility to infection. It was the first time I had ever gone through a special entry way that filtered air and only allowed for one door to completely close before another could open. By this time I was really beginning to wonder how Music Therapy services could be best used in this environment. The Breast Cancer waiting room was extremely comfortable and cozy and felt like the office of a family doctor. The last area we visited was the children’s sect of the cancer center. It was full of toys, much like a children’s day care. But this “daycare” carried a different mood. Fluid bags could be seen sporadically around the room. And if I looked closer, I could see that it was delivering fluids to a child. The images I saw on my first day left me eager to figure out how I can help…


February 10, 2006:

Today was my first attempt providing services at the Cancer Center. This was a new experience for my classmate, Ms. M, and I. Questions surfaced such as, Where do I play? What do I play? Are the words appropriate in a given song? Should I sing or play guitar? Should I play original music or something familiar? Am I too loud? Is the patient in the mood? How do I go about asking a patient if they wish to receive Music Therapy Services? The answers to these questions started to become clear as we tried different things. The first musical experience was when I sang and played an original song on my guitar in a general waiting area. I immediately had the attention of the people in the waiting room and staff passing by. If nothing else, my playing seemed to distract individuals from their normal stressors for a short while. We then went to the Breast Cancer waiting room. Ms. M asked if we knew a song like “Lean On Me.” Although I wasn’t quite sure, my classmate told me the progression and I picked a key and we began to play and sing while sitting in the lobby. Although there were no patients in the area at the time, this was very helpful in getting an idea of what type of song material is appropriate for this type of setting. I have to admit that playing guitar and singing in a waiting room is nothing like being on stage!
My classmate and I attempted to provide services in the children’s ward. We quickly discovered that we needed to prepare more for this. We found that we were completely unsure about what type of material would be appropriate in the children’s setting, especially in a cancer center. I tried to use the guitar to play the chords of Kum-bah-ya as my classmate sang, but we just were not prepared, so we stopped. The experience was not bad, it was just new. We handled ourselves well and decided that it would be best to prepare some material appropriate for children, and try again. Next we moved to the “air tight” floor. Here I had chance to work on how to approach patients in order to offer them services. The best way to go about it seemed to be to talk to the nurses to make sure no one was extremely sick and unable to receive services. I found that the nurses often suggested patient’s rooms to try. Otherwise I gently approached the room of the patient, knocked, introduced myself with a big, sincere smile and asked them if they would like to hear some music. On this day I played an improv piece for an elderly man while he lay in his bed. He appeared to be very ill and was not moving much. As I played the guitar, he began to beat his foot in time with the music. The more energy I gave, the more I received. He tapped his foot until I finished playing… I also had the opportunity to play for a woman who was waiting to go home. She was actually there being monitored for something other than cancer. She very much enjoyed the original composition I played for her on the guitar and went home smiling...
The other interesting thing about this visit was the fact that I played for the staff in their break room. This seemed to be a nice change for them. Staff also can greatly benefit from the release Music can bring.


February 24, 2006:

Today my professor, my classmate, and I went to the Center. We prepared ahead of time on this occasion because we knew were going to be playing in the lobby, on the piano. The Disney songs we played went over extremely well. At one point, a little girl that I will call “Jane,” came into the lobby with her pretty dress on and a big smile on her face. She loved Beauty and the Beast. She just sang and danced and seemed like a “normal” child. It was hard to believe that she has cancer…
We traveled to the “air tight” floor again. This time I played for a different elderly man. I noticed that when my professor asked him what type of music he likes, his speech was nearly impossible to understand. I decided to play some chord progressions on my guitar that I felt were appropriate for the present mood. Although I was amazed to see so much movement and apparent enjoyment on his face, I was even more amazed when he described what I had played as “Moving” “It was very moving” he said, clear as day, as if his speech were perfect. Words can not explain the joy that followed.



Final Visit: March 24, 2006.

Today was a very rewarding yet difficult day. The main focus was working with the children at the center. Going to Lombardi is always a spontaneous event. You never know who is sick that day or who is receiving treatments at any given time. Today was no different. There were about 5 children that were predetermined for us to see, but, unfortunately two were in isolation because they were possibly contagious and the others were about the ward either sleeping, receiving treatments, or just not feeling well. We were able to see “Jane”, again. We first met her when she appeared from the children’s ward as we played Disney songs in the atrium. There she was, like an angel. You wouldn’t have thought she was sick at all the way she was smiling, and dancing, and twirling about. The only possible indication was her bald head and entourage of nurses. This time, we had to travel outside of the Cancer Center to the adjunct main hospital. The entrance of the children’s ward was like wonderland. A life size playhouse and a big train greeted us. It made you want to be a child again, but as we turned the corner, the realization hit me that I didn’t want to be a child HERE. We were told that we had to wait to see Jane because she was receiving medications. As we stood outside of the door, her father emerged from the room to notify the nurse that she had vomited. I was thinking that this would be another child we were unable to see. To my surprised though, both her mother and nurse stated that music was exactly what she needed and that Jane would be happy to see us. When we entered her room, there was barely any happiness. Jane was clearly stressed as she lay in her bed quite still. My classmate and I had a completely different idea of what the visit would be like. We had prepared to play games and be interactive and full of energy with the children. We tried to sing “Old Mac Donald Had a Farm” to Jane…we even used finger puppets. But when we asked her to choose an animal when the song called for it, she seemed disoriented and unable to make decisions. Her dad tried to encourage her, and apologize for her lack of energy. It was extremely uncomfortable for me because I just wanted to cry. It makes me cry as I type this. She seemed so well the other day. The harder we tried to make her happy, the more apparent it became that she was really, really sick. I then realized that, Jane probably just wanted to rest. I started to play lullaby like chords on my guitar and hummed gently. She almost instantly fell asleep. I glanced toward the corner of the room where her father was sitting and noticed tears falling from his eyes…
We left Jane’s room and went down the hall to a six month old boy’s room. He had a virus which made it necessary for anyone who came in contact with him to wear gloves and an apron. He was so delicate and cute. Once again it was a little awkward because we weren’t quite sure what material was appropriate for a six month old baby. I started to play the guitar using chords to create a child like, happy mood. The baby, although very restricted in his movements, began to turn his eyes towards the music. When my classmate sang, he did the same thing. The nurse was amazed. She stated that he has been disengaged from his surrounding environment and that was the most interaction they had seen from him. The more we stimulated him through music, the more he moved. On the other hand, it seemed as though the stimulation was a little too much. He began to cry as if he wanted to be held and nurtured. It seemed as if the music stimulated him emotionally as well. We later found out that his mom died during child birth and his father is an immigrant who works often. “Baby boy” is in fact rarely ever held and comforted….

This was our last and most emotionally draining day at the practicum site. When we returned to the lobby area, Ms. M, my classmate, and I had to sit down and collect our selves. All three of us were practically in tears. We reflected on what we had seen and agreed that we were fortunate to have witnessed the powerful effects of music.



I do not expect my work at Lombardi Cancer Center to be over. I plan to continue to provide Music Therapy Services to this much needed environment.

Posted by Musicgirl at 2:16 PM | Permalink | Comments

...um.... OK.

Posted by Musicgirl at 11:37 PM | Permalink | Comments

Hello :) As you can see, I've been inspired by someone to make a little change... Spring does that to me anyway.

School has been keeping me extremely busy. A few days ago I had guitar juries. Because I am obtaining a degree in Music Therapy
and my minor is guitar, I am required to sit in front of a panel of professors and play two pieces for them. This is extremely nerve-wracking because the last thing you want to do is suck...in a school well known for its exceptional musicians...so you practice and practice and practice until you have visions of quater notes dancing in your head, even while you're asleep. What stinks is that all that practice doesn't really prepare you for what happens when you get even a little nervous. Try playing this...




...with shaky hands!!!! Especially the D in the third measure. I already have to muster up some extra strenghth to play that note with my little pinky...but trying to get the small surface of my finger to land on the second string, third fret, second beat, while keeping the upcoming string skip in mind, can be one heck of challenge when you're vibrating from the inside. I managed to get through Fedinand Carulli's, Country Dance (above) as well as an Etude, quite solidly though.

The Verdict...

There were some areas where the full chord could not be heard (which i was aware of because my hands were shaking like crazy!)...but apparently...

My technique was very good and my performance of the pieces was well executed.

I need to add some dynamic to repeated phrases...

I have an excellent foundation on the Classical Guitar...and

...(I swear a professor said this)...

I am much better to look at than Jim ( the guitarist before me)




Although Jim would have found the humor in the last statement...I was surprised to find that to be part of the evaluation...oh, well, i guess times are changing :/


So overall, I was found not guilty of sucking...

Posted by Musicgirl at 3:39 PM | Permalink | Comments