It seems that life for the freelancer, which is the work category Julia and I have now solidly placed ourselves in for a while, can be a bit of a battle with the to-do list.  I'm probably not blowing anyone's mind with that assertion.  Still, I think I've been in "to-do" mode for around 16 solid months, at least.  That would be around the time that Julia and I started putting together the initial launch content and design for our ArtistShare project that would ultimately become "Vertical Voices: The Music of Maria Schneider."  Anyway, keeping that project running on time while still doing the kind of work that would keep us financially afloat meant staying organized, at least in terms of all those tasks.  

I've noticed, in that time, that when people would ask something of me, a common reply from me would be, "Alright...let me throw it in the iPhone, because if I put it on the to-do list, it'll happen, and otherwise, it won't."  One thing that hasn't been on my to-do list, because, for a few solid months, it was a daily exercise, has been updating this blog.  I left the CD release promo video up for a week or so because I wanted to give people a chance to see it, but the fact that I broke out of my routine was key.  I didn't make a to-do item for resuming the blog at some point, so it didn't happen, and I only put in one entry after that (the one below).  

I'm not automatically a skinny guy, as you probably know, and I'm constantly either in weight loss struggle mode or not-thinking-enough-about-it mode.  When I was in my routine, leading up the CD release, I was doing pretty well, steadily losing fractions of a pound daily.  But stopping the blog and travelling to North Carolina and Utah took me out of my routine, and you'd think that Spring Break would be the ideal time to get back into the routine...but instead, I've spent the whole week focusing on knocking out to-do items, some of which have been pretty big undertakings. More below about that, in the "Catching up with Kerry" segment.

But suffice to say that I've decided to go through another kind of reorganization with my to-do's.  I'm checking out the mind-mapping software for the iPhone, and I'm going to set up a map to which I can refer daily that includes not just to-do items but everyday routine reminders.  These don't have to be competing concepts, I think.  I think I've got it figured out this time...

So...Catching up with Kerry...

Here's what I've been up to over spring break, in no particular order:

• Rewrote my charts on "Virtual Insanity" and "Don't You Worry 'Bout a Thing," because they're very popular and the notation and some of the arranging choices have been bugging me.  This, though, has added the to-do item of re-recording demos for those two charts, one of which is in a new key and the other of which has a bunch of new figures added.  Both will be released in their refreshed forms in my *June* new charts release promo.  (That's right, I'm pushing that back to June now, because I want to make sure all to-do items have a chance to be met before I kick the new babies out of their nest).
• Wrote a new commission on Boyz II Men's "It's So Hard to Say Goodbye to Yesterday" for Fife High School in Seattle, directed by Karl Sorensen.  Also recorded the demo on it relatively quickly.
• Sent out big mailer of the CD to radio stations across the country.  We'd already done our press mailer and our "thank you's" mailer, although we have a supplemental one of those to do, as well.
• Did some study and tutorial training on Final Cut Pro 7, as Julia and I are planning on doing much more video production starting ASAP.
• Gave an interview to Jazziz magazine with Julia, for a "Prelude" section feature about the CD to come out soon.
• Had our first press photo shoot for the album at Sac State with a State Hornet photographer, and did an interview with another Hornet person for a story on our participation on the Monterey Next Generation Festival.
• Got caught up, then behind again, then caught up again, and now behind again on email correspondence.  That's on my to-do list for today.

And this one isn't an accomplishment, I'm afraid, but just a sad milestone:  My beagle, Nosey, who has been living in Great Bend, KS with my folks for the past five years, had to be put asleep when she had a large growth on her spleen that was painful and inoperable.  She was only about nine years old, and we were pretty devastated to lose her.  If you've been a dog owner, of course you'll understand, but she was very much a part of our family and our lives, and she was extraordinarily sweet and gentle.  Something about losing a being that loves unconditionally is very, very difficult.  Many of my students and friends around here know her, even though she's been out of the state for five years.  She is very much missed.

So what's up for the rest of spring break (about 18 hours left) and beyond?  If I wrote it here, I wouldn't be compelled to come back and write more tomorrow, would I?