Warning! Venting ahead....

Let me just say that overall, life is going well and I'm happy with it. Today, however, I'm kind of ornery, and there are things bothering me that are bouncing around in my head that I need to get out. You have been warned. Here goes:

My grandparents are great people, but they're really annoying. On December 9th, my grandpa is turning 80. My grandma's throwing a birthday party for him, but no grandkids are invited. The only thing (besides the occasional Thanksgiving or Christmas party) that the grandkids have ever been invited to was their 50th wedding anniversary a year and a half ago at The Joseph Smith Memorial Building where they had to PAY lots of money for ALL of us to eat! They rarely come to anything to support their grandkids unless it's "worth" it. Plays, but at the Hale Center Theatre. They've been to one of my concerts that I can remember, but it's now that I'm in the top wind group at the U. The weekend before that, there is a Christmas party for my dad's cousins - no kids invited. I'm used to that one, because they do it every year, but I can't even go to my own grandfather's 80th birthday? LAME. (I probably wouldn't be able to go anyway because of work, but that's beside the point.) When we were little, we were NEVER allowed in Grandma's front room. Never mind if we were well behaved. It was just taboo.

I got a lot lower of a grade on my music theory midterm because I wrote (and didn't catch) parallel 5ths and octaves all over the place. I like music, and I think it's important, but my life does not and will not revolve around it. Snobby musicians drive me nuts. There's music snobbery, but then there's music elitism. I swear that my professors put music over everything, including family, church and real life. If something isn't perfect, the universe is likely to implode or something. Guess what!! I do not care. Well, I care about my grades right now, but teaching flute students and/or playing in an orchestra will not be based on whether or not I can correctly write and resolve Neapolitan chords, Augmented 6ths and secondary dominants or seventh chords. People! There's more to life! Get a grip!

My work is driving me a little crazy. I LOVE it, don't get me wrong, but it's just the initial settling into a new job that's tough. Trying to get days off that I *need* off, trying to figure out if I'll be able to go see my brother's new show ever at all during the run, trying to get a ton of hours between the days that I have to have off or I'll fail Wind Ensemble and be hated by my director for not showing up to the concert. I'm trying really really hard to get this Saturday off so that I can go to Colorado with my family for Thanksgiving. However, I need more hours as I have a 2-digit sum of money in my bank account right now. It's scaring me to death. I'm not trying to be difficult! I promise!! ERG!

I don't understand people and why they can't just accept the fact that I'm friendly and that I actually do care about you, even if I'm not interested in a romantic relationship! Sorry that you've liked me since July and found out last night that I've never liked you as more than a friend and that I'm dating someone. Not a whole lot I can do about it.

*sigh* I'm starting to feel better. If you're still reading this, I applaud you for putting up with my ranting. That's all for now.