Winding Down

The sun is shining, the birds are singing...and there's a cacophony of recorders playing variations on Beethoven's "Ode to Joy". But not any sort of variation that Beethoven himself would have ever imagined. Yep, it must be the end of the semester. This was my 19th year on staff here. Good lord has it really been that long? I'm sure I pontificate on this far too much, but I am as ever reminded that I'm really well past halfway in my career. I have 7-12 years remaining. Sounds like a prison sentence for a petty felony. 7-12 years, depending on good behavior. Where does all this time go? And what do we have, really, to show for it? Sigh.

Well I'm tired, but the last few weeks of the semester with it's 8-10 or more events can do that to you. Perhaps I can steal away a little early today. I'll say it's to do something productive, important. Likely it will be to go home and take a nap.

Last weekend was Mother's Day weekend, and I actually got to play two shows of Hairspray at the Woodland Opera House. And why not, my mom was on a cruise in Alaska anyway. While I have seen that show several times, I'd never played it before. It's actually a really fun book to play, and it was nice to pick up the ol' electric bass after such a long time. I mean I also played a show of Urinetown a few weeks back at a Catholic high school in Vallejo, but that was on upright.

So now here we are, the Tuesday of finals week. Things are winding down, as they do at this time of year. Juries are in progress, some students have finished and some are busy practicing away their last few minutes. I often wonder what they think their ultimate outcome of college is. I think there's going to be a trend soon in our country to go back to trade schools. For many years the push was for everyone to go to college. But to what end? We see so many struggle through here for four, or five, or six years, then graduate with thousands of dollars in debt. And then they get a job at Target. Or as a server at a restaurant. Seems like college, for some, is a complete waste of time and money.

Oh well. We're winding down this semester, then we'll take a little break, and then we'll do it all over again come August. Maybe the cycle will never end. Well except for me, I've got 7-12 years left.