staggering back to good health

OY. SUCH a time as we have had!! (said with best Jewish accent I have).

This influenza lasts and lasts. Praise be to God that I never got a full dose of it, thanks to the drug called Tamiflu. I still have a secondary, lingering ear infection, though. I"m on day 10 of the antibiotics (like, the last dose is today) and my left ear is still plugged up.

A. keeps joking about our having a "deaf-mute" household: he still can't speak well due to his lingering who-knows-what (Flu? bronchitis? sinus infection? probably all of the above) - so between his sotto voce and my one working ear.......we're practicing for our dotage years!

Spring break wasn't entirely a break in our home. We used two days to get caught up in Science - now the online school "progress bar" is in line with History. I am a compulsive "box checker" in tracking the kids' progress on K12.com. I love seeing the completion bar move ever closer toward the finish line= 80% is required to move ahead to the next year's coursework; we'll make that just fine. Lord willing and no more illness.

Tonight was another group piano lesson at Mimi's. These are always fun, but challenging. She gives difficult homework. For tonight, we had to analyze a Landler by Schubert; compose our own Landler; prepare all scales in 8's to the metronome click of 88 (I am SO NOT THERE. It's a worthy goal, but not one I'm willing to bust my rump for at present); and also compose a 16-bar melody using one of the scalar modes (Dorian, Lydian, Mixolydian, Phrygian, etc.) Well, of the 5 people in the class, only two had done the homework. (yes, I was one of the two).

After we go through the homework together, we move on to performances - play, from memory (if at all possible), something we're presently working on. It's always nice to hear other people play, especially at the adult level. But, only two people were really prepared for that. And I was one of them.

Rereading this, it sounds like I had an "I'm all that" evening, but in reality, I hadn't done the homework until this afternoon when I had an unexpected 2 hour block of time in which to do it. And the performance piece I HAD to do, because I didn't play at last month's meeting, so I was rather obligated to do so.

After the evening class was over, I did some sightreading duets with another lady in the class named Kari. We'll be performing a Mozart sonata together in June sometime.

I came home tonight to find the kids' piano books scattered around on the floor. This is actually a good thing: it means they practiced when I wasn't standing over them with a bullwhip.

A. just came in from his office. He's looking gaunt, pale, and exhausted. I must put him to bed. Come to think of it, I belong there too. I'm whipped!

And if this silly ear of mine doesn't unplug soon, I'll.....