Ah, the never-ending quest for organization of our desks. Or our computers! There is a “new” program out there (it’s been around for several years, but is now really taking off) called BumpTop. It is a 3D virtual desktop for your computer that just overlays your current Windows desktop & allows you to organize information in a more intuitive way. For those, like me, who like to pile, it’s PERFECT!!
Have you always hated to manually organize your files into separate folders? Haven’t you wished you could sort by TYPE of program rather than name? What about an easy way to search through all those icons cluttering your desktop? BumpTop does this.
I ran across BumpTop a few weeks ago when I noticed a tweet on Twitter saying that Mashable (follow @mashable for really good tech news!) was giving away 200 free copies of the pro version (the basic version is free! Pro is only $29.99). A 3D desktop where I can organize quickly & easily with just one mouse movement? I thought it sounded intriguing enough that I entered – and I won a copy!! Interested in this? Well, they’ve created a YouTube video that shows it off.
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 7:00 pm. 7 comments
I care what you DO want.
Why do we spend so much time worrying about what we don’t want in life (& singing)? I learned SO much from my three days with Shirlee Emmons at an Arizona NATS workshop two years ago that it is still influencing my thoughts of how I approach life and teaching. Her book Power Performance for Singers, co-written with sports psychologist Alma Thomas, focuses on how to think so that we perform better.
One of the biggest thoughts I learned from Shirlee that I try to focus on, in singing, teaching & life in general, is that “We don’t care what we don’t want.” Basically, let’s not focus on what went wrong, let’s focus on what went right and how to repeat it. To that end, I ask questions of both myself and my students: What happened? What worked? What could you do to make it better? Where did the sound go? How did it feel? How did it sound? What were you thinking about?
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 12:28 pm. 0 comments
Chris Brogan wrote a post yesterday on “How Not to Learn.“ It really brought to the forefront of my mind my philosophy of life & learning, & how some of the people I know seem to actively RESIST information that may induce them change their mind on a given subject.
If I am to be successful at any endeavor, I need to find information so that I can make an informed opinion. Once I have that opinion, I need to keep learning so that it can evolve & change. Maybe this is because I’m a reference librarian’s daughter. Maybe it’s because both my parents were life-long scholars (three ABD’s [All-But-Dissertations] & three Master’s degrees between them). Maybe it’s because I have 45 boxes of books in my voice studio. Maybe all the boxes is because of my quest for learning. I know that my overly full pantry & extra freezer are from lessons learned at my mother’s side.
There are people in my daily life who I love dearly, but with whom I cannot discuss religion, politics, or other potentially inflammatory subjects. If I want to keep my relationship with them intact, I cannot speak my mind. These beloved people listen to one news source. They seem to seek information that only reinforces their current opinions. I just don’t understand.
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 6:32 pm. 0 comments
My oldest is on Easter break. I promised her piano & violin teachers that she would practice every day this week (it normally doesn’t happen daily as she has a long school day & then homework). So, we’ve been creative with practicing.
First, we made a deal for the week. If she’d practice, I’d practice (something that too often gets put last on the list). Today she practiced piano while I sorted the laundry (& kibbitzed from the other room – suggesting she try it slower in order to get a hard part).
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 1:28 am. 0 comments
I started off today planning on cleaning house really well in preparation for some dinner guests tomorrow night (right now, my house is full of piles everywhere and there IS no dining room table). But, I got sidetracked.
It all started when I took my daughters to my youngest’s Easter Egg Hunt this morning (the oldest is on Easter Break right now).
Egg Hunt in the Rose Garden
It was a BEAUTIFUL day on the Scottsdale Civic Center Mall today and we just had to stay and do more. So, we went to the store, bought kites, bread & meat and sunscreen and stayed longer.
While eating lunch, we ended up seeing the “Native Trails” concert that is presented on Thursdays & Saturdays that I’ve wanted to see – Native American singing and dancing in a very information & respectful way. It was wonderful.
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 10:33 am. 0 comments
Well, I have a new student beginning lessons today. What I generally do in the first lesson is talk about my three “rules” that I have in the studio.
1) You have permission to sing. This means that even when we’re insecure as to exactly WHAT to sing, we still need to sing with our best vocal ability. If not, then we’re sending messages to the voice that say “sing” and “don’t sing” at the same time. Since the vocal chords are part of the automatic nervous system, what we THINK about making sound is more influential than trying to MAKE the voice sound the way we want it to.
I’m losing students & those lessons that I’ve had to cancel are being refused a make-up. The financial crisis has hit me. Part of the reason I started this blog is so that I’d be able to reach out & improve my web-presence. I’ve just found www.ashburymusichall.com (through twitter: @dgottesman) – a new website that will help me to teach students via the web. I’ve signed up to try it out – I’m not sure exactly how it will work, but right now I’m trying just about everything I can figure out to try to both obtain and help students. I really care about helping people to find their voice & to use it to the best of their ability. Perhaps this will help me reach previously unavailable students (as well as continue to let me set my own schedule so I can be the best mom possible!). There’s a YouTube video about it that has some very good information. I’m excited.
I’m home this morning instead of teaching Music Together,
Posted 1 year, 3 months ago at 7:50 am. 0 comments
Well, I’ve been having problems with my computer – I can’t re-dock it unless before I remove it from the dock I turn off all my items docked to it (external hard drive, DVD-writer, printer). Plus, the PCMCIA port died (I get the blue screen of death when I plug in my SoundBlaster 24-bit sound card into which I attach my surround-sound speakers). When I tried to get service on my extended warranty from Gateway, I found that my warranty was sold to another company. I contacted them & they scheduled service (in October!), but it didn’t happen because the part was “back-ordered.” Then, three weeks after that, the company was going through bankruptcy. Now, it’s liquidated & I can’t get any service even though I have a year left on my warranty.
Posted 1 year, 4 months ago at 6:15 pm. 0 comments
I’ve got a sinus something going on that’s giving me a low-grade fever. My husband’s still not feeling well. But, I have a smile on my face – my 4-yr. old is giving me a private preview of her dance recital that’s coming up in May. She’s singing & dancing & being beautiful. So, everything’s worth it for moments like these.
Posted 1 year, 4 months ago at 3:43 pm. 0 comments
My husband is home!!! YAY! I am SO glad to have him back.
He is still basically under “house arrrest.” The doctors don’t want him to go back to work until at least Monday. He’s definitely not 100% & will probably have to have surgery within a month or so. But, surgery, plus a diet change, should solve the problems he’s been having for the past year.
We don’t know what’s going on with his job – as a school administrator is is precariously close to the cut-off line for not having a job next year. He’d do well back in the classroom, but that’s a large salary cut & would wreak havoc on our budget.
