Mostly, the rant was just venting after a long and hard week of meetings and less than ideal work conditions. Ideally, I would be able to teach a small studio of piano/organ students with one or two classes of appreciation and history. Work from 9 until 4 or 5 and have time to work on my own stuff rather than bring work home and fret about it here. Currently, I am working 9 until 7 or 9 four nights a week, 3 until 6 one night, and Sunday mornings with prep work towards classes on Sunday afternoon. I have considered finding a 40 hour work week in retail or service industries so that 8 hours a day can be filled with practice for myself and time with my wife. I play organ and piano well enough for church services, but not well enough for a concert career. So that is out. Plus, I got a chance to talk to Stephen Hough about his life when I drove him from Tuscaloosa to an airport in graduate school. Not something I would want full time. A local German baker convinced me that there has to be a balance of work and life, something we as Americans have a hard time believing. She gave up a lucrative business because it was chewing up too much of her personal time. That is where I am at. I am tired. I love what I do, but it is taking over all the important parts of my life--playing music, being with my wife, traveling. The problem I see is that all my training and focus has been on getting me to this position of being a college professor. Mid-life crisis has finally hit me. Luckily, I am into Victorian and Edwardian clothing rather than sports cars.