Summer vacation

We spent a great vacation this summer in France. Odd for me, I don’t know what to write about it.

It was just great. Relaxing. Fun. Rejuvenating is perhaps the best word I can find.

The first part of the vacation was spent with Paul, Katherine and Dylan - our local Seattle relatives. That middle part was spent with our east coast relatives: Christine and Doug, Nicole and Derek, and my dad, Red. The last week was with the inlaws: Karen and Molly, and Carl and Ginny.

Most of the time was spent in Brittany, the northwest part of France. It was July so it was hot in all of France. It was a heat wave, canicule in French. We were near the coast so there was a breeze often enough. The heat was bearable for all but a few days.

Brittany is very beautiful. Inland, it is rural France, filled with farms, old towns, etc. At the coast, it is very flat with sections of beach and rocky coast line.

Really nothing is needed from me to describe it. You can look it up. I’m not saying anything new.

We saw my good friend, Yannick, who was the kindergarten teacher for both Nathalie and Marc at the French Immersion School of Washington. Yannick is a good friend. I miss seeing him more often. I got the chance to play golf with him, Doug and Red. It was a good day but not a great round of golf for most of us. It is always a compromise to play rented clubs at a new course. The course was nice though the drought and heat made it a bit of a challenge to figure out. And, there is plenty of water on the course so we lost a lot of balls in hazards.

I played golf with Yannick another time, too, which I enjoyed for the solitude and chance to chat.

Pets

I don't really get pets. Can anyone explain to me the role of pets in their lives?

Why does anyone want a pet?

Strong Bad

Strong Bad's latest email.

http://www.homestarrunner.com/sbemail152.html

This guy kills me.

If you need an explanation about the characters just go to the main web site.

Pressure?

Playing the tuba again has been a very mixed experience. Overall, it is good but it has produced some moments of 'why am I doing this?' From the expense of lessons and instruments, to the weird feeling of sitting next to someone who is clearly judging you as you have paid him to do, it can be a bit demoralizing.

I have tried to convey to Nathalie that, in music anyway, that you are first bad then good. Despite the stories about Mozart and other geniuses (who were purportedly never bad), you have to be bad at playing something first. It's just part of the deal. Eventually you might become proficient; you will surely improve. For people who have natural talents at anything or demand that they never embarrass themselves in public, this can be non-starter. In other words, it can prevent you from trying something. This is the biggest barrier when adults learn for the first time.

I've been trying to overcome some of this myself. As I have said before, I initially repel much of the tuba music and orchestral situations that I've experienced in the past. But in a sense, I'm short changing myself. It is okay not to like that stuff. But, I don't know if it is all that simple - a negative subjective judgment.

I've tried to allow myself to have an open-mind and occasionally, I've been surprised. I've really improved in the short time I've been playing. I have some very different thoughts about playing (now versus college years) and find it very easy to practice for more than one hour. I even enjoy some of the stuff that I really thought I would hate. It might simply be that there is no pressure. Was there pressure before? I felt it but where did it come from?

I don't know but I've even considered upping the ante. I've considered getting an 'orchestral' tuba (a CC not the BBb that I have) . I'm not sure where this is going but that seems okay for awhile.