I made a huge mistake!

The Cleveland Orchestra Chorus has a rigorous schedule. During our season we sing every Monday, sometimes Sundays too and concert weeks we are at Severance every night. So when Summer comes along and we are given the choice to sing Blossom, it isn't mandatory. So this year, for the first time I decided to skip it and take some time for myself.

BIG MISTAKE!

So far, every Monday I've thought, Ugh, I could be singing tonight, and Friday is the big American Spectacular Celebration at Blossom Music Center.


 I'm not singing but I am going!
Sean, Richard and I will set up our picnic on the lawn and have a great night.

So, I'll be singing every Summer from now on as apparently I can't last 8 weeks without it.

What do Led Zeppelin, the Cleveland Orchestra and The Rocky Horror Picture Show have in common?

Well, I'll tell you....me!
I was riding through the metro parks todays, it was gorgeous, not too hot, not too cold, as Goldilocks would say "It was juuuust right".
I had my music on, as usual, I couldn't ride without it, all that fresh air and nature would overwhelm me out without something to distract me.
So I'm pootling along on the path at my own happy speed, when I see the real thing pass me, the lycra cyclist,s riding on the road ahead of me with their fancy outfits and their big huge helmets which look more suited to a bobsled run than a ride through Cleveland's parks. Ahhh, I'm in awe of their shaved legs and killer calfs (calves?). Well all of a sudden, I'm catching up with them...am I getting my second wind?

No of course not! I realized to my shock that they have LET me catch up to them....why?
As I close the gap between us, they turn and smile at me and I suddenly understand  what's going on.

I have my music cranked, and I'm singing! They are listening! and they seem to be enjoying themselves, cos they must have heard at least 3 songs now. When they saw that the gig was over, they again smiled at me and took off at light speed, leaving me in their dust, feeling quite stupid actually.

It's here, my sunny day

So a week or so ago I blogged that I would love a sunny WEEKEND! Well, ha ha it's here, and you know what I'm going to be doing? Playing with my new phone.

This thing has it all talk to text - walkie talkie mode- better camera that the one I currently own-cool maps and all the bells and whistles, oh, and it makes phone calls too, or so I've heard!

So, I guess I could sit outside and play with it...but will I?

Not likely, it's cotton wood season and that stuff seeks me out like a guided missile.

So on this lovely sunny, WEEKEND day I think I'll sit here and play with my new toy phone.

p.s call me, I'd love to figure out how to answer it! :o)

Take the time to follow through.

How nice is it when someone actually does what they say they will?

And why is it always such a suprise?

I met someone today for lunch. Not someone I knew well, not someone I knew at all really, but someone who invited me out as a "thank you".

Let me back up...

A while ago, on Q104, a radio station here in Northeast Ohio, I heard a discussion about The Cleveland Orchestra. I, of course, added my two cents worth in the form of an email to the producer saying that if they really wanted to learn about them they should attend a concert and hear for themselves why it is regarded as one of the best in the world!

I didn't think much more about it until my email was read on the air, along with a promise that the morning crew would in fact go to Severance hall and check them out.

Great! But would they really?

Yes they did, the following week. They went, they heard, they understood!

In fact, they chatted about it on air the next day. I was pleasantly suprised.

Given that they seemed to enjoy themselves, I took it upon myself to invite them to an Open dress rehearsal for Carmina Burana - which tied into our local sports team, The Cleveland Cavaliers.

Great! But would they come?

Well, one of the personalities came, Allan Fee, bringing his daughter - fabulous! Again they talked about it on air, the next day and again I was pleasantly suprised.

A couple of days later I received a phone call at work from Allan, asking if there were tickets available for the Saturday performance?

"Let me find out and call you back"

So Allan, this time came with his daughter and lovely wife.

A few days later, I was notified by Facebook that I had a message from Allan.

"Great concert, let me take you out for lunch as a Thank you"

I responded, "No thanks neccessary, but lunch would be great, let me know when you can make it'.

Thinking, nothing more of it, I went along on my merry way, working, living etc. A couple of weeks go by, and I get another notification...."When are we meeting?"

Huh.....This time I was genuinely suprised, he could have easily let it go, but instead he followed up with me. How nice!

So today we had lunch, ( I chose the place, my mistake, it wasn't great...dry omlettes and a smattering of potatoes, sorry Allan) we chatted for a while, and I thought, why do so many people just blow things off? Are we really all that busy?

So thank you Allan, for reminding me how important the little things are, like calling someone back when you say you will, or doing something you say you will, when you don't really have to.

I know this is something I can work on, I want to be the one suprising someone else by going the extra mile or doing something extra that they didn't expect.

I can do better, how about you?