>It’s the end of the solo-ensemble festival season, and I cleaned out my Judge’s Bag last night. This is the bag I pack in February and leave packed until early May. On those early Saturday mornings, I just pick up my bag and hit the road, knowing I will have everything I need when I get there. A quick stop for Jo to Go coffee, and I’m on the road.

I took out:

• Twelve sharpened pencils (with assorted logos of music stores and universities)
• One pen (with a University logo on it)
• One lip gloss
• One sample sized tube of hand lotion
• One small bottle of hand sanitizer
• One package of peppermint Tic Tacs
• A handful of cough drops
• A small package of hearing aid batteries
• A reusable manila envelope, 9 x 12 size

These will get redistributed between my purse, the medicine cabinet, and my desk at school. The pencils will probably end up with students who need them.

But the bag is not empty. For next year, I left:

• Two empty folders (from music stores)
• The binder containing my Adjudicators’ Handbook
• Two thank you notes, one from a student and one from a parent group
• My Master Adjudicator name tag
• My name stamp for “signing” 40-50 ratings forms every festival
• And one pen and one pencil to get me started next winter.

And in other “bag” news, I knew there was a good reason I didn’t buy a new purse when my other one broke. Check out the MOMocrats! I may bake cookies, but I don’t stay home and have teas.