was I wrong? ...I don't think so.

Why do some people feel the need to be right all the time and others don't? Does it give the righter satisfaction to know that the wrongers are wrong, in turn, making themselves feel better? When right, does the righter rub it in the wronger's face, and if so, does that really help matters?

I don't think that anyone likes being wrong, but I do know that a lot of people don't feel the urgent need to state their case about why they are right and just bite their tongue, perhaps choosing to pass on that particular battle.

Others are always vocal about any wronging that may be occurring, justified or not.

What is this? And, why? And how does one stop this madness?

According to Debbie Mandel,

- Develop a good self-concept. Focus inward on your specific and special contribution. Cultivate a personal identity; then you won’t need to assert it.
- Try not to interrupt while other people speak; pay attention to your body language. For example, don’t roll your eyes.
- When you disagree with an opinion, summarize the other person’s point of view first. Make sure you understand his perspective before you present your own.
- Don’t be afraid to make a mistake and be wrong. Learn from being wrong.
- The truth is fluid. What is right today may be wrong tomorrow. Just look at the history of medicine!
- Observe your feelings with family, friends and colleagues. How does being right make you feel and how does letting other people be right too make you feel?
- Keep your emotional communication limited to two minutes; otherwise you risk preaching and venting.
- Align your actions with your words so that people can evaluate your points and trust you. Walk the walk.

long distance sucks

Matt and I work much better when we're together in person. After a few weeks of being apart, we decided that it was necessary to see each other. So, in a very spontaneous decision, Matt jumped on a plane and came to visit me.


Right now I'm performing in Don Giovanni and last week had an exorbitant rehearsal schedule. Matt flew into Buffalo and I picked him up there at 1230am. We got back into London around 345am. Yuck. We spent 2 gloriously peaceful days being together and then I drove him back to the Buffalo airport at 2am after about an hour of sleep. I got back into London at 830am. Note to self: Driving to Buffalo during these hours really sucks. Try to avoid this in the future.


I'm counting down the days until I get to see him again, as always. 12 more days and I'll be in NYC for "spring break."

meow.

Oistrakh!

I love this man.

Happy Birthday Matt!

I love birthdays! I know that some people dislike the attention, but birthdays are such a good time to celebrate someone! Unfortunately, I couldn't be with Matt today, but he had some good company and I got him a pretty cake and pie from Magnolia Bakery. I even got to be there (on Skype) for the cake cutting! :)

Knit, Purl, Knit, Purl, Knit, Purl...

One reason that I love art (painting, drawing, etc) is the physical, tangible nature of it. One reason that I love music is because it has a certain unpalpable, unexplainable quality that cannot be replaced with anything else. One of my friend's blogs is really inspiring to me because you can see how much work she puts into her projects and she sometimes shows the progression of her work. That being said, I wish that I had a hobby that I could share with you all. Unfortunately, with music, no one really wants to hear a half worked on Violin Concerto so I will not be sharing anything I'm working on until it's basically completed.

Because of this, and also because I think that hobbies are important, I thought I'd give knitting a second chance. You may have remembered the first square that I made. The last day or two I've been doing a couple more to work up to my first attempt at a scarf. It's super cold here so hopefully I can get the scarf done in a few days. Wish me luck!

Fear less...

“...hope more; Eat less, chew more; Whine less, breathe more; Talk less, say more; Love more, and all good things will be yours.”

I am trying to remember to keep positive as 2010 is trying to kick me and keep me down. I've been really sick and kind of depressed and have been feeling confused as I make the transition into becoming a non-school attendee.

BUT.

All that ends now. The 2010 Gods are testing me and I am rising to the challenge. I refuse to be an unhappy Debbie Downer so I'm not going to be sad anymore. That's just lame.

I leave all of you lovely people with a picture that always makes me smile... Chri Unger caught in a moment of pure joy. :)