Went to sleep last night thinking as far as this flight instruction gig goes ... I got nothin' ... spool up the platitudes. Woke up this morning thinking ... So what? I've been here before with a lot less to work with ... yeah, I'm feeling okay about everything.

Three is home, having already passed all his mandated graduation exams he is off the hook for school today until 11:00. I am used to cranking the music up after everyone is out of the house for the morning ... it helps me scoot through the daily chores. He just came downstairs and asked me to "Please turn the music down." I couldn't hear him but his eyes and counter clockwise hand gesture spoiled the fun. I can see that I have failed miserably with parts of their education ... ah well, momma tried.

Two asked me what I was listening to yesterday when we were in the car together ... my habit is to have one ear on iTunes whenever it doesn't seem impolite. I handed her the other ear piece and said, "Rock and Roll baby." After listening for a second she said, something like "The Beatles permeated that whole quarter century didn't they?" Hmmm ... I don't know quite how to take that remark ... I will have to think about that ... I follow up with, "What are you listening to Miss Smartypants?" She is quick to pull up an Amanda Blank video on You-Tube ... Yes, the music is kinda interesting ... I am appalled at how smutty the lyrics are though, and say so. "Oh, I chose this one because it is so tame. Some of her stuff is pretty out there." My eyebrows shoot up as my head tilts slightly forward. "Mom," she's laughing at me now ... on the inside ... "It's not Rock and Roll with no cuss words." ... everybody knows that! Of course, top "sit down" priority this morning was checking out the Amanda Blank vids on you tube ... I am old ... not just old school, old, really old ... the old-fashioned kind of old. (Thankfully, Three is in the shower during this little period of enlightenment) In a minute I am going to send Two a text. It will say I bet her (Amanda Blank) momma begged her not to use her real family name in the promotion of her career ... . If they would just take the words out, this might make some decent elevator music twenty years from now ... wonder what elevators will be like then?

In the meantime, I am trying to decide who I will invite to join me for the lecture; "This Is Your Brain on Music" given by Daniel Levitin next Tuesday. He is a professor of Psychology and Behavioral Neuroscience in Montreal with a couple of books and two award winning documentaries, "The Music Instinct" (2009, PBS) and "The Musical Brain" (2009,CTV/National Geographic Television). I am looking forward to this very much ... the question of why music affects us so powerfully is very interesting to me ... I am hoping for some insights in to why some of us don't enjoy music of any genre.

Well ... I am a bit behind on my schedule this morning ... due to the you tube based research ... Sammy was a mess yesterday looking for every opportunity to pull his lead and possibly break free to chase squirrels ... I think the storm the night before fried some of his circuits ... so we are back to some basics on walking together at my discretion ... he almost pulled us into a yard with a couple of black labs yesterday. They were inviting him to step over their invisible dog fence for a little scratch and sniff. I was very surprised when he challenged my NO! His adventures were cut short albeit a mile from home ... and he is looking at me mournfully this morning. Yes, breakfast dishes first then a walk.