… and a “what was I thinking?” moment.

I am looking at my calendar. Sometimes I look at it and get very sad, due to lack of work. Not so right now. Here’s what I have on the calendar for the next few months:

• For the remainder of this week (through Sunday): 9 private students, 3 Idomeneo performances (principal oboe)
• September 19-25: 13 private students, 5 Idomeneo performances, UCSC begins
• September 26-October 2: 15 private students, UCSC oboe students, 6 Symphony Silicon Valley services (third oboe/bass oboe), Stanford oboe students (I’m filling in for a dear friend this quarter)
• October 3-9: 14 private students, UCSC, Stanford, coaching woodwinds at UCSC
• October 11-17: 17 private students, UCSC, Stanford, 3 services (one full rehearsal, two concerts) soloing with SJ Chamber Orchestra on Tango Barroco (English horn)
• October 17-24: 15 private students, UCSC, Stanford, 6 Symphony Silicon Valley services (English horn: Stravinsky’s Petrushka)
• October 24-30: 17 private students, UCSC, Stanford, UCSC Faculty Recital

• October 31-November 6: 12 private students, UCSC, Stanford, 4 opera rehearsals (Pagliacci/La voix humane)

Do you notice what’s missing? No rehearsals have been scheduled for the faculty recital, and only one has been scheduled for the SJ Chamber Orchestra job! No reed making is scheduled either. Or personal practice time. Obviously those have to be fit in somewhere as well.

I don’t think I’ll even look at the rest of November yet, although I can tell you opera and symphony are both involved. Come December I believe I’ll have Nutcracker. The biggest issue above is making sure I can play all three instruments at the level necessary. It’s one thing to play principal oboe. It’s another to play bass oboe. And then solo English horn?

I’m hearing “What WERE you thinking?!” screaming loudly in my head right now. The only answer I come up with is “I wasn’t.”

But … yeah, have to insert this! … I’m working. I’m back to being busy (“better busy than bored”?!). And I need to remind myself of that, considering my summer of close to no work and very few students showing up. I suppose if it’s a feast or famine thing I should be glad to feast on all this work. I just don’t want to crash and burn.

Whine over ‘n out. I promise. (Especially when I know there are colleagues who have “real” jobs on top of all that I have … how dare I whine, eh?!)

And now I have to go practice! Hmm. Oboe? English horn? Bass oboe? Which to choose, which to choose …?

PS I am hoping for a vacation the minute Nutcracker is finished!