Echoes of Flavio's Ghost Dreaming

Yesterday brought a couple of lessons and helping a mature student buy a guitar. This took only about 20% of the time I anticipated; we went to the London Guitar Studio, Steffi asked my pupil what sort of budget he had, he mentioned a figure, she produced three or four guitars in that range, he liked the second one he tried and that was that. I was expecting to spend half the afternoon pondering about the different tone, action and feel of the different guitars. Only had two lessons yesterday (itself not that good a thing, I should be much busier this time of year). One was a lad doing so-called 'acoustic' guitar. He's a Beatles' fan and we have been doing Blackbird, Walrus and a couple of RCHP things (yes, that one..). The other lesson is a young professional lady about to do a grade 3 and doing very well in spite of busy busy life. Very different and satisfying lessons in very different ways.

Also, I have dates for my pupils' ABRSM grade exams for this season. This is good: they gave me late dates so I have a little more time to make sure they're ready on the bits nobody ever wants to do. You know which ones: scales, sight-reading, aural comprehension. I have another Grade 8 this term, the aural test can be a bit of a nightmare and there are bits of it that, with my goldfish memory, I'm not sure I myself would pass without some training. All good, though.
Tags: guitar lessons, music, these music lessons...

Well, today I got up at 5:30, as I will twice a week (and once a week at 6:annabit) for the foreseeable. Second day of school was quite good, although for some reason they gave me rather few pupils this year. So I came back home in time (just!) to go to the gym, do some 40 min of cross trainer and a couple of other things, go to the swimming pool and get from one side to the other and back again a few times, then run to my next lesson. And then my two lessons for this evening both cancelled. 

So, it was looking like rather a good day until I checked Facebook. What a horrid mess. Found a temporary run-around by switching the main language to Spanish, which brings it back to how it was this morning -just a bit horrid instead of comprehensively horrid and with the Better Facebook extension helping make sense of it. Which doesn't work in the New Facebook, but did once I switched to Spanish. Of course, the Fantastic Improvements in User Experience will reach there shortly, but in the meantime I only have to learn what the menus mean. In my native language...

So, unexpectedly free evening, but no money to do anything. Looks like I'll have to read, then *. Or, perish the thought, watch telly. But there would only be telly on it so not worth it...

* Currently reading: 'The Greates Show on Earth', by Richard Dawkins. And some science fiction by Poul Anderson.