I did some googling, as I do when ever I have an issue, and lo and behold, I found a solution! Revert back to Snood version 3.52. Perfect! I downloaded the older version directly from the Snood website (the one from CNet was actually the newer version, even though it is labeled as the older), and now I can play Snood productively!

Yes, I will be boycotting Target from now on!

But here’s one of the reasons why my kids are so fantastic: they know just what to get me for Mother’s Day. Being the Aspie that I am, I tend to shun “commercial” holidays like Mother’s Day, Valentine’s Day, etc. To me, they exist just for people to make money. But my kids can cut right through that by giving me presents that they know will not “just make someone money”. Kerri got me these beautiful treble clef earrings (this is the photo from the store website):

And Katie painted her gift to me! Since I expect that most of you can’t read music, it’s the melody from Leonard Bernstein’s West Side Story song “Somewhere“. Not that the words especially mean anything to me (although they’re sweet, and Stephen Sondheim wrote them), but the melody is one of my favorites, and of course WSS is my favorite show, and it’s inside the entire ballet/dream sequence, which is my absolute favorite part of the show (on any instrument), and when done right, gives me chills.

Where in the world did this kid get her talent from? Certainly not me! I can’t even take the photo without it being blurry. I really hope Katie gets into doing more painting. As much as I’d love to see her actually sell something, I wouldn’t mind if she gave everything to me!

Unfortunately, the first time I sat down to write up my To Do list, I realized that the columns were inaccurate for me. So here is MY 4 Quad To Do list:

Yes, for me, everything is either “Critical” or “Very Important” and it’s all either “Overdue” or “Due Now”. So much for that time-management hint!

But the good news is that I am in my second-to-last class for my graduate degree! Finally!

And the other good news is that I am continuing my “one a month” (at least) streak of musicals!  I do shows all the time, but since last November, I’ve done at least one a month.

And they’re invading oceans all over the world? This sounds more like a sci-fi movie than a nature article!

• Aida
• Dirty Rotten Scoundrels
• Feeling Electric (the workshop of Next to Normal)
• The Last 5 Years
• The Little Mermaid
• Tommy

I’ll be driving down to CT for my grandmother’s birthday (91!), and it will be nice to have my iPod and iTrip all set up with great music. And I love Sherie René Scott! She has the prettiest voice, and is such a wonderful actor.

I got my week off, alright.  I hurt my back two weeks ago, and it got better day by day.  By last weekend, I was getting cocky, and pretended I hadn’t hurt it at all.  Big mistake. Monday morning I was in even worse pain, and it hurt to even take a step.  I went to the doctor Tuesday, and ended up being told to stay home the rest of the week! What a waste of time. I found out that I  do not work very well when I’m in pain. For all the extra “work” I got done, I might as well have had a full week!

And just some random things I also discovered. One is that I am never in my car a 1:11, am or pm. Monday through Friday I am at work, so that makes sense. Most Saturdays I have a music lesson, and I’m usually home by then. If I go out on Sundays, it’s for a matinee, and I’d be anywhere I need to be well before 1:11. And of course, I’m asleep at 1:11 am.  But I got to see the 1:11 Tuesday on my way to the doctor. (See, this is why I don’t have a digital watch; I’d spend most of the day trying to “capture” times like 12:34:56 or 2:52:52.)

I have also discovered Robyn Hitchcock. How can I have lived on this planet for 46 years without ever hearing of him before? He is my-kind-of-music. I have also been listening to Ralph Vaughn Williams Flos Campi over and over again; it is so beautiful. Last month I discovered George Butterworth (1885 – 1916), a student of Vaughn Williams who tragically died at age 30 in WWI. Oh, the beautiful music we lost when he died. I could listen to Two English Idylls (1911), A Shropshire Lad (1912), and The Banks of Green Willow (1913) over and over again. Actually, I do listen to them over and over again! The people at work must think I’m crazy.

But perhaps the most random thing I discovered was that Diamond carries stuffed animals in her mouth when she yowls at night!  She is a weird cat.  Old too, but she was weird when she was young as well.  She’s a tabby cat, and they are supposed to be “feisty” animals.  That she is.  Pixel is also tabby, but she was never feisty.  That is, not until we got her hernia removed, poor kitten.  Now she’s feisty, and even a bit bossy!  One night when Diamond was downstairs yowling, we brought her up to stay on the bed with us for the night. Well, Pixel didn’t like that! Not only does Pixel consider herself our “baby”, it’s her bed. She (Pixel) growled, howled, yowled, scowled, meowed, and pouted until Diamond left the room. Guess she told her.

Christmas was weird without her, but we were able to Skype most of the day.  A poor substitute, but better than nothing.

Kerr’s now busy with her exams.  Hope she does well.  They do things a bit differently there, and she has that damn memory disability.  Oh well, we shall she.  Good thing she’s a smart cookie, that helps.  Here’s how she spent a day with her “friend” Rob:

Kerri's new ring

Yes folks, that is indeed a lip ring!  Matches her red hair quite nicely, actually, don’t ya think?  …That’s our Kerri!

Of course, I would never friend my own daughter, so I moved on to ignore it.  Then what? Another suggestion, this time with both kids!

I’m not sure why I find this so amusing, but I do! I wonder if the girls do?

So now I have to work with Diamond helping me, which she does this by continually hitting the keys on my keyboard.

It’s going to be a long year.