u/sophie1816

I have a questions for the voice teachers in the group. I have a background in choral singing and have taken a few individual lessons here and there (none recently). I am now ready to take it to the next level and commit to regular voice lessons, hopefully for a year or more.

I’ve gotten recommendations for several well-qualified teachers. However, I’d really like to take a trial lesson, possibly with two or three of them, before committing to a regular program. I don’t doubt that they are well qualified, but I just feel more comfortable getting a feel for the person, and what the lesson is like, before committing.

Is this is something that is typically done for voice lessons? I am afraid of offending the teacher by implying I am questioning whether they are good enough for me. I actually had a negative experience with this about 10 years ago when I was considering voice lessons and wanted to do a trial. The teacher got very huffy and was citing all her qualifications, as if I was doubting her competence.

What makes this even harder is that I’m in a pretty small city, so I definitely don’t want to burn any bridges in the music community by offending someone. I may end up wanting to study with them at a future point, or god forbid even audition with them for a choral group!

Any advice you could give me on the etiquette of this situation would be much appreciated!

I’m five weeks into recovery from a distal radius fracture of my right (dominant) wrist. No joint involvement, and minor displacement only. They gave me a choice of surgery or not, and I chose to treat it non-surgically.

I will be in a cast for another week, then a brace for 3-4 weeks. I’ve chosen not to drive so far because my right hand still doesn’t function well (poor ROM), and I don’t feel comfortable driving with just my left hand. It would be fine if all goes smoothly, but I worry that if I need to swerve or otherwise make an abrupt motion, I could get in an accident. And I don’t want any more broken bones, thank you!

I’m wondering when others started driving, and what it was like for you.

I’m on a food plan that specifies meals by type of food and quantities (eg, 4 ounces of protein), but doesn’t specify calories.

I have a TDEE of 1360 so I’d really like to get down to at least 1200 calories a day, and am finding it a challenge! My standard meals are adding up to about 1270 a day.

I’ve decided the main culprit is that my protein choices are too high fat. I’ve been eating 6 ounces of full fat plain greek yogurt for breakfast. For lunch and dinner I’ve been alternating grass fed ribeye steak, roasted chicken, and grilled salmon (4 ounces per meal).

I’ve learned that ribeye steak is very high calorie, so I will be switching to grass fed New York strip, which is leaner. I’m also going to switch to low fat yogurt.

Any other suggestions?

I typically don’t report neighbors for minor violations, out of a desire to have good relations with them and avoid having them feel like they are living next to the neighborhood police.

For example, I’ve ignored things like neighbors with small children leaving bikes and toys out in the common area. (The inside units in this townhouse community have pretty small yards.)

But my new neighbor has been violating fire code by using an open flame grill on a deck that has a wooden deck above it, as well as using it within 10 feet of a structure.

This seems much more serious to me than children’s mess spilling over a bit, as it is a potential threat to life and property.

I know if I report this, my neighbor will be furious. If I report it and he confronts me, would it be fair to say that reporting it is part of my fiduciary duty as a board member?

I welcome any other thoughts you have. Thanks!

Update to add: Well, that’s probably the most agreement I’ve ever seen in this sub! The overwhelming consensus seems to be that I must report this. Thank you all for confirming what my gut said, and reassuring me that I’m not being a jerk.

Also, I realized the manager could just say she observed the grill while on the property (and I can ensure that happens). She doesn’t need to say a neighbor reported it.