How to Connect by Disconnecting

Sometimes I think the best way to reconnect to music is to reconnect with something other than work.    I become more inspired to make music by taking a step back from the analysis, the gesture, the rehearsal planning, the administrative "stuff" of music...

I have been working very hard.  And almost non-stop.  This weekend is a work weekend, but it will include things other than "work."  I hope go hiking (if the ground allows me to after all the rain we have had recently).  I will bake pumpkin muffins (and eat far too many of them).  I may watch a movie.

And after I spend time doing other things, I will work on my dissertation, write my paper for the presentation I am giving at an upcoming conference, rehearsal plan, and start preparing Winter Concert music.

I'm twenty-one pages in to my dissertation.  I now need to start smoothing out the edges of the first chapter and fill in a few holes.  I go back-and-forth with trying to decide if I want to continue dissertation writing or if I should write my presentation paper.  Both cover the same topics, but I would love to write my dissertation and then take my presentation from that.  However, I do not know if it's practical to get as much writing done in the next week as I would like.

I don't always know what is reasonable anymore, at least regarding the amount of work I do.  I would love to be done with my writing, so I'm left with doing a job I enjoy and being a human being trying to enjoy life.  In less than six months, my time will not be my own anymore.  So, there is not much time to relax if I want to get stuff done.

I think my goals need to be: Decide on the next steps for writing my dissertation and then write my presentation.  And go hiking, eat pumpkin muffins, and watch a movie.