Wheeee!

I found a choir that I can join without taking up too much additional down time.  It's the University Chorale and it meets at lunch time (12-12:50 on Tues/Thurs).  There is one concert in March. (maybe another but I'm not clear).  This makes me very happy.  I've been looking for a choir for a couple of years but all that I have found have exorbitant membership fees, they take more time than I can give, or meet at a time I can't come.  As a community member/staff member, I don't have to pay for the class but can volunteer.  It didn't hurt to get a personal invitation from the class instructor, with whom I work on technical issues.

This term we are singing the entire Vivaldi Gloria (all 76 pages), Pengyou, Ting!, E Oru O, Al Shlosha D'Varim, Niska Banja, Cancion de Cuna, Duermete Apegado a Mi, & Bonse Aba. It's supposed to be a world tour of music so we have Chinese, Nigerian, Spanish, Serbian, and Zambian along with the Latin. This is going to be fun!

We had our first practice today and I'm really out of practice reading this kind of music.  We have student conductors too and they are just learning to give the cues, which makes it more challenging.  I can't blame them much, though when I'm head down in the music and not watching them.  The vocal part of it is not a problem but I'm going to need to run through it at home on the piano to understand how it all connects. This is another challenge since I haven't been practicing on the piano in years either.  There seems to be a few students who have sung many of the songs before so they help a little.

Still....Yeah!  FUN!

Question of the day: Work Life Balance...

Do you think you're good at maintaining a healthy work/life balance? In your ideal world, how much of your time, energy, and resources would be devoted to your personal life versus your work life? What are your personal tips and tricks for making sure your work life and personal life don't intrude on one another too often?

Since my change in status at the University, I've gotten much better at maintaining a work/life balance.  I have turned off my work email on my home devices and I only check it at work or if there is an issue, like inclement weather.  So, once I go home, I'm done.  I also, by contract cannot work overtime so I don't stay late and I don't come in early.  I put in 8 hours a day, take an hour for lunch that is AWAY from my desk and go home.  Sometimes I fret a bit at home about issues or undone tasks but most of the time now I just try to put it aside, recognizing it will be there tomorrow and nothing is really that important.  Almost anything can wait another day as long as general deadlines are met. I always do every task to the best of my ability but my "give a damn" is pretty busted at this point.

The reality is, if I didn't have to work, I wouldn't.  But I would love to do some volunteer stuff that I just can't seem to make time and energy for while I'm working.  There are so many elderly in care facilities that have been forgotten and ignore or that have no family that would just love to have visitors.  There are animals that need care and attention; Children who need foster homes, mentors, and big sisters. But I am too weary most of the time to put in that extra effort. None of these things work as a job in my current situation because they don't pay enough to pay the bills and they have other ugly bits that I don't really want to deal with and am not sure I could deal with, emotionally.  Besides, I don't have the background to get most of these jobs without additional schooling.  I'd like to make a difference to someone- be an advocate and someone that cares.  I don't really make a difference here.  It's just paperwork day in and out without any real care. Someone has to do it, but anyone could learn to, with sufficient time. There are times my specific knowledge is needed but I acquired that knowledge with time and experience.

With this new position, I don't need tips and tricks, I just follow the contract to the letter and I'm protected from such intrusions. I'm learning to take my vacation time in spite of the people who whinge on about it when I'm gone.  It's my right and I have 156 hours even after this month's leave time.  That means I haven't really been taking much time.  This is something we American's are really bad about and American workplaces tend to discourage taking leave. We are viewed as irresponsible when we take our leave but we'd be a much healthier workforce if we did.  I also am trying not to come in if I'm sick.  I do have to be careful of this one because sometimes, I'm just sick of work.  When I was faculty, I took a water aerobic's class three days a week over my lunch break.  I could flex my time a little to have enough time to shower and change.  As classified, I can't flex my time so I can't take the class but I've found a choir class during lunch two days a week and I'm working to arrange exercise outside of work hours.