the pattyo

… or, for non-Apple folk (hi Carolyn!), “living differently” … ;-)

Life is so different when “work” (performing, that is) stops, and my university teaching is nearly over.

And life was already different because of losing dad. Man, I miss him. But for some reason I don’t like to blog about that. Blogging about my father seems … I don’t know … as if it makes light of his death. And his life. Let’s leave it at that.

So now I”m trying to figure out what I’m doing. I can’t just sit at a computer all day, although that seems to be what I do much of the time. I can easily become the most hermit-like person ever. I like the solitude. I like the quiet. But I guess maybe that’s not the best thing for me. (Mom … you can always call me and say, “Get over here!” You know I will if I don’t have a student! I need to be told what to do, sometimes.)

Today, though, I managed to get outside. Wow. There are … well … like … things growing (including my own roses, especially the one Isabelle gave me in memory of dad) and blue sky and just all sorts of things I guess I should investigate.

AND … I’m thinking about all the things that need to be done around here …

Cut back ivy to nearly nothing*

Back Yard Massacre*

House … painting … ?*

Bathroom fan replacement*

Paint Brandon’s Room

Re-Paint hallway? (slightly golder color)

Clean garage

Repair tile in kids’ bathroom*

Plant things in the back yard

Fridge light fixed*

*means we have to hire out for this stuff if we can’t do it, which is most likley the case

So there are things to do, certainly, regarding this house that is, I’m sorry to say, in disrepair.

But then I also want to:

REEDS REEDS REEDS

Practice like a real musician!

Vacation (?) … not sure if I’m into this quite yet, as I want, first, to check out finances

I know I’ll think of more. And Dan, if you have things to add, please feel free. With no gigs all summer I think I can get a lot accomplished. I’m starting to feel energetic!

AND this just in…

WOO HOO … Jameson passed his Algebra 2 second semester distance learning class!

I’m dancing dancing dancing … he is DONE! (This was the final step we were waiting on.)
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I mean … WHAT to watch?

The Next Best Thing: Who Is the Greatest Celebrity Impersonator?
Anna Nicole Smith: Centerfold Revisited
Britney Spears: A Pop Idol Exposed
Most Outrageous Moments
So You Think You Can Dance

… and to think people say there’s nothing on TV these days. Hah!
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The ones where Johnny Cash sings “I’ve been everywhere, man, I’ve been everywhere”? Heh. It just hit me that those are for Comfort Suites. The worst place I’ve every stayed, I think. The room smelled horrible. The bathroom door wouldn’t slide shut. The sofabed was a wreck. (Jameson slept at Kelsey’s rather than sleep on it.) The TV remote didn’t work and when I told the person up front and she replied, “Oh?” Not an, “I’m sorry,” or “we’ll replace that.” Nope.

Don’t believe that ad.

But then, you don’t believe any ads, do you?
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Oh, and last month, the quarterback married longtime girlfriend Carmella DeCesare, the 2004 Playboy Playmate of the Year.

Gee … so Jeff Garcia married a playboy girl. Oops! They aren’t “girls”, but “playmates”. Hmm. Guess a lotta guys will know what she looks like, eh? I just wonder if every guy that sees her now sort of undresses her. I think the whole thing is so bizarre. But I don’t get the Playboy—or Playgirl (does that still exist?)—thing. It’s all a mystery to me. And if that’s a person’s claim to fame … just what does it mean and how does it make a woman feel?

Speaking of sports, there’s no Giants game today. You know what that means, don’t you? The Giants aren’t losing today. ;-)

Dan gets home this evening. I hope he had a great time in Seattle. And I hope he took pictures!

Now time to get a few things done, and then I’ll teach. (Yes, I do have a student today.)
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I have a recital tonight with two students from UCSC.

And yes, mom, I found a blouse! It’s not what I had in mind at all, but it works and I’m happy with it … it has long sleeves! And it was incredibly cheap. Kind of a dusty rose pink, sheer with a bit of lace around the bottom. Old fashioned looking. What a surprise to find something like this … and like it! (Then again, that was yesterday. Maybe I’ll put it on today and hate it …?!)

Anyway, my students are quite nervous. Which makes me totally NOT nervous. Isn’t that funny? You’d think nerves would be contagious, but it seems that I’m immune. Nice.

So anyway, I have to be ready before I get Jameson, which is pretty darn early, and then after dropping him off at home I charge over the hill. I have to leave incredibly early because you never know what sort of traffic you’ll find on the hill and of course one cannot be late to a performance!

Ramble ramble ….
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I can see that someone from symphony called me (on my cell phone) this morning. No one left a message.

What I’m wondering is why I immediately think, “What have I don’t wrong?”

Really. That’s my first thought. I assume I am in trouble for something. Always.

I wonder why that is. And why I feel guilty even though I don’t even know what I’m supposed to feel guilty about yet.

Is this sick? I think maybe.
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When I go to get my hair cut I really don’t want to talk. I don’t want to hear about American Idol. I don’t care what any stars are doing. I really don’t want to hear conversations about other women’s sons sleeping with girlfriends they really don’t have any passion for any longer, trips to Disneyland, and recently purchased shoes.

I don’t care about any of that stuff!

Somewhere out there is a hair dresser who would sense this. And a salon that understands that silence is pretty darn okay.

Or am I merely dreaming?

Too many people have my name. Really.

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 2,601 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

Brandon does better:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 633 people with Brandon Mitchell’s name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

And Kelsey? Well, she’s even better off:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 58 people with the name Kelsey Mitchell in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

But Jameson? He simply doesn’t exist:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 0 people with the name Jameson Mitchell in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

I should have stuck with Patricia Emerson:

HowManyOfMe.com

There are 211 people with my name in the U.S.A. How many have your name?

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Because I was proving to Dan that Paris Hilton really DOES have a CD out and isn’t merely a designer handbag maker, Amazon.com now thinks I want all things Paris Hilton related.
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Jameson sent in his SIR (Statement of Intent to Register) to UCSC last night. LATE last night. He had a bit of research to do first; he had to choose his top 5 colleges at UCSC. Odds are (or so they say) that he’ll get his first choice, but I guess they still require the five just in case. He selected “College Nine” as his first choice. Creative name, eh? Stevenson is his second choice. We’ll see what happens next!

I was rather shocked to see what it’s going to cost per year … Kelsey had a rather substantial scholarship, and of course things were “cheaper” (if you could call it that), when Brandon was at UCLA. We qualify for no need-based money, and barely any loans. We won’t opt for the loans as long as we can scrimp and save. I’d prefer to just bite the bullet, save money, and pay for college without loans. I’ve found that I really don’t spend as much money these days (I have no interest in clothes like I used to, I hate shopping, and I need next to nothing!), so I think we can make this work.

It’ll be interesting next year. We’ll have no child at home, but I’ll be teaching at Jameson’s university. My plan is to be invisible unless he wants to see me. (What kiddo would skip a free lunch now and then?!) I’ll be curious to hear about his experience at a place where I teach; because I’m so part time (three hours a week is all I do) I know very little about most of the university.

Kelsey began her full time job today! Yay Kelsey! I’m anxious to see her new office, and meet her coworkers. I’ll be taking a visit down to UCI from June 8 to June 10. I’ll catch a show and a university symphony concert, and move a bunch of stuff down for her. By then we are hoping she’ll have a new place to live. It’s annoying to me, but the place she lives now, whcih is only for students, kicks the kids out very quickly. You’d think they’d give them a week after school is out, but that’s not how it works at all. Sigh.

I’ve heard from Brandon too, and I’m thrilled that he’ll join us on June 17 for Kelsey’s graduation! Wow. We’ll have two UC graduates in the family. Cool eh? Initially we were thinking about a D-Land trip while we were down there, but that’s going to wait. For now.
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