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About This Author
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La Bene Vita
I am a professional musician  , worship leader , small business owner , songwriter , aspiring author and freelance nonfiction writer with a chemical engineering degree .
But that's just my resume.
My profile of qualifications is only one of the ways in which I am unique. Here I chronicle my personal and professional goals and my efforts to achieve them. Occasionally I fail. Mostly, I take daily baby steps toward all my long-term goals. Much like the stories I pen, the songs I compose, and the businesses I run, I am always a work in progress.
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Take a nap.
Wait, where did this goal come from???  I love this goal! I'll let y'all know how it goes. So far, this is  pending.
Post at Advice for Business Managers once per weekday.
 Holiday.
Post at MichelleTuesday.com at least once per week.
Pending.
Grow MochaNotes.com blogs.
 Dabbling in Domesticity : We (I?) took off in honor of the holiday. Happy Memorial Day!
SEO: Maybe it *was* a brain fart yesterday on the Alexa rankings. MT.Com up to 1.71 million from 1.78, and MochaNotes.Com up to 1.52 million from 1.58.
Launch one new performance repertoire song per week.
Pending.
Write one new original song per month.
Brand the biz(es.)
Goal met. Did some comparative analyses of the two properties and may have made a new decision. Decisions, decisions...
Perform one household chore per day.
Goal met. Playing hostess for the 'rents.
Read a book in print 15 minutes every day.
Goal met.
Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 7/1/10.
Okay, so I had a big brekkie with a pecan waffle and bacon (BACON!), two coffees, and Mexican (chips, chips, and more chips, with guacamole, a taco, a cheese enchilada, and a few bites of refried beans) for lunch. Doing GREAT. |
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The 'rents are visiting for the long weekend. My financial adviser (mom) and I are playing with spreadsheets and accounting software. Took 'rents to see the two commercial spaces that have potential to house my music school. Mom & Dad both have feedback about the spaces, and we've been talking pros and cons since they arrived. Still haven't decided.  Gah.
Post at Advice for Business Managers once per weekday.
Weekend!
Post at MichelleTuesday.com at least once per week.
Goal met.
Write one Textbroker article per weekday.
Pending. Budget evaluating and spreadsheeting.  (where's Jedi Moose  ?? I verbed another noun. {e:proud})
Grow MochaNotes.com blogs.
Dabbling in Domesticity : Caught up.
SEO: {e:double-take} We may have stabilized. I think both sites went down (in ranking, meaning up in Alexa number) a smidge since yesterday. MT.Com was at 1.779 million yesterday, this morning is at 1.782 million, and MochaNotes.Com went from 1.575 million to 1.578 million.... I *think*... unless I'm remembering the numbers wrong, because I didn't write them down yesterday. I wrote the numbers down today (see previous sentence, if you don't believe me), so I should be able to compare tomorrow and be sure of the direction of travel. 
If they did go down, it would be weird that they both did so on the same day. The sites are completely unrelated, except in my ownership and that they're both hosted on the same GoDaddy account. I could just be losing my mind.
Launch one new performance repertoire song per week.
Goal met.
Write one new original song per month.
Brand the biz(es.)
Goal met. Spreadsheeting.
Perform one household chore per day.
Goal met.
Read a book in print 15 minutes every day.
Goal met. I've been reading one chapter every night. I'm enjoying the adventures of Perseus Jackson, who finds himself routinely mired in a muck of trouble. Rick Riordan does the protagonist conflict thing rather well and is clearly not afraid to inflict bad things on his beloved character. That, my friends, it what it takes to be a good storyteller.
Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 7/1/10.
 In progress. Weight: TBD
6:30am Coffee (1)
TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 1
Saturday: (Weight: 156.4)
Coffee (2)
Frosted Flakes (8)
Skinny roast beef sandwich (7)
Salad with croutons (2), light dressing (1), and cheese (1)
Lasagna (1.5 servings, probably 10 points)
TOTAL POINTS: 31 |
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Post at Advice for Business Managers once per weekday.
Goal met.
Post at MichelleTuesday.com at least once per week.
Goal met.
Write one Textbroker article per weekday.
Pending: Evaluate budget.
Grow MochaNotes.com blogs.
Dabbling in Domesticity : Caught up.
SEO: No change.
Launch one new performance repertoire song per week.
Pending, but I launched two last week, so let's call this complete.
Write one new original song per month.
Pending.
Brand the biz(es.)
Goal met. I blogged at MT.Com about Sunday's recital, set an appointment today to look at photos with the photographer, and harassed my broker about getting information I need about lease options.
I may be going back to Option #2 after all. My mother showed the lease agreement that Option #1 submitted for my signature to a colleague of hers who routinely reviews commercial leases, and the colleague compared the landlord to an 800-pound gorilla. "When you fight with an 800-pound gorilla, you never win." Option #2 is owned by a small, private owner, and she's really super nice. She couldn't beat the price that Option #1 proposed, and Option #1 does have the Dunkin Donuts and the traffic light to get into the shopping center, but if I can't get some of the bullshit stricken from that lease, I may be revisiting negotiations with her.
Perform one household chore per day.
Goal met. Cleaning for a visit from the 'rents this weekend.
Read a book in print 15 minutes every day.
 Nope.
Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 7/1/10.
7:0am Coffee (1)
7:30am Bratwurst (6)
9:00am Coffee (1)
TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 8
Honey, who shrunk the "My Blog: Quick Entry" field? |
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My recital is tomorrow! {e:excited} Between that, my pending lease agreement, and the end-of-year praise band party I'm throwing tomorrow night, I'm falling behind on other things. Keith is at Rock on the Range today, so our home and landscaping projects are in sad shape.
Post at Advice for Business Managers once per weekday.
Goal met, although Monday is pending. Judging by my schedule this weekend, it'll get done Monday morning.
Post at MichelleTuesday.com at least once per week.
Goal met.
Write one Textbroker article per weekday.
New goal: Update financial plan and dertermine minimum monthly TB earnings to meet the budget.
Grow MochaNotes.com blogs.
Dabbling in Domesticity : Caught up.
SEO: Alexa ranking up again: MT.Com at 2.8 million, MochaNotes.com at 2.1 million. 
Launch one new performance repertoire song per week.
Goal met: "I'll Fly Away" and "Blessed Be Your Name"
Write one new original song per month.
Pending.
Brand the biz(es.)
Goal met. Held a conference call. Got through maybe 1/4 of the lease.
Perform one household chore per day.
Laundry is in progress.
Read a book in print 15 minutes every day.
Nope.
Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 7/1/10.
6:00am Raisin Bran (6)
8:00am Coffee (1)
2:30pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7)
4:30pm Tall, nonfat, no whip white mocha (5.5)
8:30pm Stuffed pepper (3.5), breakfast pocked (5)
9:00pm Nuts & icing (3)
TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 31 |
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Post at Advice for Business Managers once per weekday.
Caught up through today, but still not ahead.
Post at MichelleTuesday.com at least once per week.
Goal met. I talked about getting the most out of music practice time. getting the most out of music practice time. *kicks broken link* That's not working right.
Write one Textbroker article per weekday.
Goal met yesterday and this morning.
Grow MochaNotes.com blogs.
Dabbling in Domesticity : Caught up.
SEO: My favorite WordPress plugin is called "Keyword Statistics". It counts keyword densities and reports them below the post as you write, so you can scroll down and see if the keywords showing up are the ones you're targeting. A good keyword target is 2-4%, so if I'm below 2% or above 4% on my targeted keywords, I can massage the article as I go, tossing in an extra "music lessons" here or cutting an "it's always" there. Very cool.
Launch one new performance repertoire song per week.
Goal met: "I'll Fly Away" and "Blessed Be Your Name"
Write one new original song per month.
Pending.
Brand the biz(es.)
Goal met!
1. Still working on lease review, and expecting to hear from my attorney today.
2. Contacted City of Gahanna about what's really required, e.g., if I can get away without an architect.
3. Contacted a soundproofing company.
4. I redesigned my floor plan to cut installation cost.
5. Posted a Facebook plea for labor help this summer.
6. Designed a program for Sunday's recital, which I'lll print after confirming song titles.
Perform one household chore per day.
Actually, no. The boy partied last night, so I didn't even have to feed him.
Read a book in print 15 minutes every day.
Nope.
Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 6/1/10.
8:00am Coffee (1)
10:00am Coffee (1)
10:45am Triscuits (2) with summer sausage (2) and cheese (2)
1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7)
4:00pm Candy (3)
7:30pm Candy (1)
8:15pm Stuffed pepper (3.5)
9:30pm Rita's gelato (7?)
TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 29.5
Yesterday was bad. I ate at church and did not count dinner points. That's my one freebie for the week.
I haven't been mentioning it, because it's not in my goals, but church has been keeping me hopping the last week or two. We're launching a new Wednesday night outdoor worship service this summer, and I've been directing the Senior Saints (choir made up of elderly singers) in the absence of their normal director, a friend of mine who had a stroke. I'm having my doubts about keeping up Textbroker and Advice for Business Manager goals. I might need to just focus on performance and music school for awhile.
To be fair, though, I've been spending too much time playing computer games . |
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Post at Advice for Business Managers once per weekday.
Goal met, but still not ahead for tomorrow yet. Getting there.
Post at MichelleTuesday.com at least once per week.
Pending.
Write one Textbroker article per weekday.
Pending, and due at 5:48pm.
Grow MochaNotes.com blogs.
Dabbling in Domesticity : Caught up.
SEO: No change, except that I'm working to improve my social networking presence by posting more often.
Launch one new performance repertoire song per week.
Goal met: "I'll Fly Away" and "Blessed Be Your Name"
Write one new original song per month.
Pending.
Brand the biz(es.)
Goal met. Working on lease review, architect proposals, and soundproofing research.
Perform one household chore per day.
Goal met.
Read a book in print 15 minutes every day.
Nope, and this one may be on hold until the weekend. *shrug* You'll have that.
Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 6/1/10.
8:00am Cashew granola bar (3) and coffee (1)
11:00am Candy corns (1)
1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7)
2:30pm Tall, nonfat, no-whip white mocha (5.5)
TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 17.5
As an aside, I've been filling in at church for a friend who had a stroke. She directs the Senior Saints choir, which is made up of elderly singers, and when my friend went out on medical leave, I helped take over. That's been taking up my Wednesday mornings for about a month or two, but this morning was the last session. *whew* They're so much fun! But I'm just so busy. |
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Post at Advice for Business Managers once per weekday.
Pending for today, and first on my to-do list.
Post at MichelleTuesday.com at least once per week.
Pending.
Write one Textbroker article per weekday.
Pending, and my account is on hold because of a glitch.
Grow MochaNotes.com blogs.
Dabbling in Domesticity : I owe a post today.
SEO: I doubt I'll do much on this today. I have a loooooong catch-up to-do list.
Launch one new performance repertoire song per week.
Pending.
Write one new original song per month.
Pending.
Brand the biz(es.)
In progress. I got a lease draft from the landlord's attorney finally on Friday. Now my attorney has to review it.
Perform one household chore per day.
Pending. I just got home last night, and Keith and I were both exhausted. I need to start by unpacking, going to my worship planning meeting at church, and Potbelly. Then I have yardwork to do at both my house and Keith's, a ton of laundry to catch up, two
Read a book in print 15 minutes every day.
Pending.
Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 6/1/10.
In progress.
7:00am Coffee (1) and toast with Nutella (2)
10:00am Lifesavers (2)
1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7)
2:30pm Coffee (1)
4:15pm Tortilla chips (3)
7:00pm Leftover burrito (5?), pasta (2), a couple bites of pizza (1), carrots (0)
7:30pm Pudding (3) with whipped cream (2)
TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 29
I don't even want to talk about my food intake this weekend. We're moving on. |
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This afternoon, I'm leaving for a weekend-long church retreat. No technology allowed! Grr. See y'all Sunday night.
Post at Advice for Business Managers once per weekday.
Goal met, with posts scheduled through tomorrow morning. I'll publish Monday's post on Monday morning. I could theoretically find time to write one over the weekend. You know. By hand.
Post at MichelleTuesday.com at least once per week.
Goal met.
Write one Textbroker article per weekday.
Goal canceled through the weekend.
Grow MochaNotes.com blogs.
Dabbling in Domesticity : I need to post this morning, and I'll be caught up through the end of this week. Again, I could write Monday's post this weekend and upload it Monday.
SEO: No new activity, but I'm not done optimizing.
Launch one new performance repertoire song per week.
Goal met: "Natural Woman" by Aretha Franklin / Carole King. I launched "You've Got a Friend" last week or the week before, so I'm obviously on a Carole kick. I knew I should have bought tix to that flippin' upcoming King / Taylor concert. I didn't because... I guess I feel like I'm too busy. Retirement is great! You should all try it.
Write one new original song per month.
Pending.
Brand the biz(es.)
A little. I did some planning for my upcoming recital, corresponded with an architect about my build-out, sent a follow-up email about the status of my in-progress lease, taught a couple lessons, and rescheduled a few more, since I'll be gone all weekend.
Perform one household chore per day.
Goal met. Lau-au-aundry.
Read a book in print 15 minutes every day.
Goal met. I'll get lots of this done over the weekend, and not much else.
Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 6/1/10.
In progress.
7:00am Coffee (1) and FiberOne granola bar (2)
TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 3 |
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Post at Advice for Business Managers once per weekday.
Goal met. I'm all caught up. I do need to schedule ahead through Monday morning, though, because I'll be offline from tomorrow afternoon through Sunday night this weekend at a church retreat.
Post at MichelleTuesday.com at least once per week.
Goal met.
Write one Textbroker article per weekday.
Goal canceled until I return from my retreat. Too busy.
Grow MochaNotes.com blogs.
Dabbling in Domesticity :
SEO: I spent my morning trying to link MT.Com from my church website, because I can, and because it's good for SEO. I was eventually successful, but I now I need to spend time revising the whole church website, because too many webmasters spoil the pot. We need some serious CSS and a stylesheet. While I'm at it, I should submit a sitemap to Google for my church site, MT.Com , and MochaNotes.Com .
Launch one new performance repertoire song per week.
Pending.
Write one new original song per month.
Pending.
Brand the biz(es.)
Goal met, completely by accident. It turns out that a handful of my Potbelly fans are local radio personalities. They've been PB regulars for months - maybe a year - and I never knew. At a minimum, I'm thinking of advertising on their station, since it's local to the community in which I'm opening my school.
Perform one household chore per day.
Goal met, but, damn. I just remembered that I need to switch over the laundry. I should probably rewash the load in the washer first.
Read a book in print 15 minutes every day.
Goal met. I didn't actually read last night, but I ready plenty while my laptop was down, and I'll read plenty while I'm (gasp) Internet-less at my church retreat this weekend.
Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 6/1/10.
In progress.
7:00am Coffee (1)
8:00am English muffin with butter (2)
1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (6) - it was odd. I couldn't finish it.
2:45pm Ice cream (3)
3:30pm Coffee (1)
5:45pm Sugar snap peas (0), refried beans (3ish), six nuts (1)
8:15pm Tuna Helper (3) and ice cream (4)
TOTAL POINTS: 24 |
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Post at Advice for Business Managers once per weekday.
I'm behind. Yesterday's post wasn't published until about 5pm, and I still need to publish one today, and schedule one for tomorrow. I will catch up today.
Post at MichelleTuesday.com at least once per week.
Goal met.
Write one Textbroker article per weekday.
Goal met. Within an hour after getting my laptop back, I wrote my outstanding article and accepted another job. So I have one to write today, as well.
Grow MochaNotes.com blogs.
Dabbling in Domesticity : Up-to-date.
SEO: Alexa rankings keep nudging up! MochaNotes = 2.5 million; MichelleTuesday.Com = 4.1 million.
Launch one new performance repertoire song per week.
Pending.
Write one new original song per month.
Pending.
Brand the biz(es.)
Goal met. I attended an Ohio Music Teachers Association luncheon and not only promoted both my performance and music school business, but I may have also found another teacher. I'm not sure what she's looking for, but I plan to meet her for coffee. She teaches piano, and based on her title on her business card, she has a doctorate. I was hoping to land a "Piano Master Instructor" for whom I can charge more. I would obviously pay her more, too.  But she's already teaching; I'm not sure if it's out of her home, and she wants to supplement somewhere else, or what.
Perform one household chore per day.
Goal met and exceeded. I watched the kids all night so Keith could play golf after work. I have also spent the last three days trying to breathe life into his desktop computer, which was top of the line in 2004 or so. It's still a decent computer, but needed some TLC. I finally got the thing to maintain an Internet connection right about the time the Dell dude showed up to fix my laptop.
I did dishes and laundry, too. What the hell else was I gonna do? I had no computer.
Read a book in print 15 minutes every day.
Goal met. Not only did I blast through more than half of "The Lightning Thief", but I also read about seven chapters of "Hatchet," so I could quiz the 12-year-old on what he read. Again. No computer.
Achieve a weight of 145.0 by 6/1/10.
In progress.
7:00am Coffee (1)
8:00am English muffin (1) with butter (1), coffee (0.5)
11:00am Lifesavers (3)
1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7)
6:00pm Bowl bean soup (5ish), rice (2), sugar snap peas (1)
6:30pm Ice cream (4) with marshmallow (1), whip (1), and cherries (1)
TOTAL POINTS: 28
I was bad yesterday. 25 points today! |
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| ...I think the laptop is fixed... *tiptoes around trying not to upset the delicate balance* |
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Dell. Sucks.
Yesterday was a freebie day. As in, one day per week, I don't have to count points. And I'm back at it today:
7:00am Coffee (1)
8:00am Coffee (1) and a Krispy Kreme donut (4)
12:30pm OMTA Luncheon (10-ish)
4:15pm Half a leftover pork chop (3), six nuts (1), and twelve gummy bears (2)
7:00pm Chicken soft taco (4), beef soft taco (4), refried beans (1), marshmallow fluff (1)
TOTAL POINTS SO FAR: 32 |
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This is ridiculous. I'm addicted to my laptop. I need it back!
Goal: Achieve a weight of 145 by 6/1/2010.
7:30am Coffee (1) and a fiber granola bar (2) |
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My laptop is dead again. The warranty technician should be calling me Monday or Tuesday to schedule repair.
And apparently social media is the new SEO.
Achieve a weight of 145 by 6/1/2010.
6:00am Coffee (1)
7:30am English muffin (1) with butter (1), half a piece of bacon (1)
8:00am Coffee (1)
8:45am Coffee (1) and two pieces bacon (3)
11:15am Frosted Flakes (5)
1:45pm Skinny roast beef sandwich (7)
2:45pm Gummy bears (3)
8:30pm Grilled pork chop (5?) and baked beans (3?)
9:30pm Chocolate (1)
TOTAL POINTS: 33 |
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Even better if she can whistle to the tune of Mozart or something. 
Comment • View 1 comment 
, also known as Michelle Tuesday, is a musician, educator and writer hailing from Columbus, Ohio.![Merit Badge in Music
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To a dear friend whose talent for writing music is sensational. May you have a fabulous New Year, (((Brandi)))!!! *^*Kiss*^*
Big hugs,
Sherri *^*Heart*^*](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/genre-Music-1050.gif)
![Merit Badge in Organization
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I don't know how you do it, but I assume there's magic involved *^*Bigsmile*^* I have really enjoyed this month of planning and preparation for NaNoWriMo and I love how organized it all is. Thank you for hosting a great challenge and for your dedication to helping so many of us prepare with confidence and trepidation for National Novel Writing Month (known to sane folks as 'November' *^*Laugh*^*) at your [Link To Item #1474311]](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Organization-1150.gif)
![Merit Badge in Leadership
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For your hard work, commitment, talent and innovation in running the October NaNoWriMo Preparation each year, which helps many of us get our scattered thoughts together for November's novel-writing. And also because this badge has ducks on it.](https://images.Writing.Com/imgs/writing.com/writers/badges/general-Leadership.gif)
