Two cats, one dog and a flute.

Let me tell you a bit about me and stuff I like.

I like animals. I am constantly aware that I am just one sympathetic animal adoption away from being 'that crazy lady with all the pets'. I wonder if, in fact, I already am but nobody has told me. It's not really the number of pets I have that I think is the problem (is two cats and a dog too many?) but more the obsessiveness and the assumption that all animals want to be my best friend.

Reality is often more like this. 

I talk about my pets a lot. I tell my friends about what they're doing. I point out when they're being cute and I talk both TO them and FOR them. My brave husband humours me and indulges my pet habit. I am thinking about getting another dog so my dog can have a friend. He goes to daycare. In fact, he goes everwhere with me because he is so needy.

I like music. A lot. However, the world of cool people music is a bit beyond my reach. 

I am a big music nerd.

Luckily for me it's my job. Kind of. I teach children of varying ages and abilities how to 'play music' on their flutes and pianos. Maybe I would be cool if I toured with famous musicians....But sadly, I chose to play the flute. Well, it was handed to me by a music teacher at school instead of the clarinet that I wanted to play (what was I thinking?). 

I think I would have played the bagpipes I was so desperate to learn an instrument. But anyway, the flute. I didn't start until high school (age 12 in Australia) so I was a bit behind everybody else by the time I made it to university. But I was keen and I tried very hard. Sadly for me again, orchestras usually only take two flautists and it's not a very adaptable instrument. Well, there is jazz flute, but I'd rather not go there. So...teaching it is. I do actually enjoy it (except for those few painful students every teacher is burdened with). I tried being a classroom music teacher for a brief period of time but it almost made my head explode. 

 

 

I like doing stuff. I like rehearsals. I like water sports. I like learning languages. I like board games and trivia nights. I like dancing (if somebody shows me what to do - freestylin' aint my thing, unless it involves the sprinkler and the shopping trolley). 

I generally like learning new things. I like talking to people. I like travelling. I like decorating. I like eating good food and drinking wine (wine doesn't have to be good, just not be rubbish).

I have lots of ideas about stuff I want to do. I want to take up French again.

 

I want to have horse riding lessons.

 

I want to take a painting class. Given my obvious 'Paint' skills, perhaps this is not a good idea.

I want to learn to surf. I want to play netball again. I want to travel. I want to swim with humpback whales in Tonga. I want to have a trapeze lesson and other equally awesome things.

Now. Some problems.

I have a lot of ideas. What I don't have is a lot of money (because of my career choice - which at least does make me happy). I also don't have the time to devote to all these things I would like to be brilliant at. That's not completely true. I could have the time if I would just pick something and go for it. So I'll be all "I'm going to do some serious practising today" and I will for a while, but the whole time  I'll actually be thinking, "I wonder how much surfing lessons are."

 

Maybe I am ADD. My husband has wondered sometimes, that can't be a good sign.

I also have a disastrous back, the result of years of flute playing with bad posture and last year's spinal infection fiasco. The least amount said about this the better, but I am not physically able to, nor have doctor's permission to, participate in any of the physical activities I have just listed. Boo.

So I continue to try to reconcile my imaginary life (where, obviously, I am brilliant at everything) with reality (moderate abilities in a wide variety of areas). The expectations I have for myself and the world around me often have no bearing on reality. This was once dubbed 'Nicoleland'. I like Nicoleland. Can I live there please?