This week on "Being an Assistant Band Director," I was observed, sternly talked to, and praised for great work. It's been a rollercoaster of a week (that's every week, but especially this week). It's at times like these, and weeks like these, where my thoughts and words can together either figuratively strangle me or raise me up to new heights. I try to reflect on every experience that happens in my life; I want to learn how I can grow from each little nugget of information. While doing this in my teaching profession is something that comes naturally, it is more difficult to do this within my personal life. It's news to literally no one at this point that I live alone (I have for the past seven months). Isolation can do a lot of things to our brains. It can be a great break from the stressors of our day-to-day life. I love nothing more than to come home to an apartment exactly the way I left it and plop down on the couch, knowing I have no one to