AI has so permeated our lives that even before I start to read an email, AI gives me a summary of its contents. And look what I got when I typed, “excuses for being too busy!”

Effective, professional, and believable excuses for being super busy include stating you are “swamped,” “tied up in meetings,” or “have a lot on your plate”. Other strong options are mentioning you are “against a tight deadline,” “prioritizing current projects,” or “dealing with unexpected urgent matters”

Professional & Polite Excuses

• “I’m currently swamped/buried/slammed.”
• “I’ve got a lot on my plate right now.”
• “I’m tied up in meetings all day.”
• “I don’t have the bandwidth for new tasks.”
• “I’m currently prioritizing my, and can’t take on more.”
• “I’m on a tight deadline.

Situational & Personal Excuses

• “Something urgent came up.”
• “I have a prior commitment.”
• “I’m juggling a lot, I’ll need to pass.”
• “I’m actually double-booked.”
• “I need some downtime to recharge.”

Common Phrases to Avoid Sounding Rude

• “I’d love to help, but I’m spread thin.”
• “Can we reconnect in a couple of weeks?”
• “I’m in the middle of something, let me get back to you.”

Take today for instance. It’s Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent in Western Christianity, marking a 40-day period (excluding Sundays) of prayer, fasting, and repentance. The first thing I did after getting up and reading my emails, was to practice Spanish and French with Duolingo and Busuu. After showering and eating breakfast, I had a 7:40 am appointment with my retinal specialist, and I’m disappointed to say that my eyes have regressed and I’m going back to putting in eye drops four times a day before she decides to perform surgery to “remove the debris” from my eye infection. I told her my vision is still hazy which is preventing me from seeing the music clearly, resulting in my making mistakes. Horrors!

In addition to two online Spanish sessions today, I also will be playing two Ash Wednesday services: one at noon at Nuuanu Congregational Church, and the other, tonight at 7 pm at St. Mark’s. For the first time ever, I will be playing the same prelude for each service, Gerald Near’s setting of ABERYSTWYTH, “Savior when in dust to you.” Tonight’s service is a full-blown High Mass, although I get a break on not having to improvise an accompaniment under the psalms. And — no postludes during Lent at St. Mark’s.

Oh, and did I mention that I also have a mammogram scheduled this afternoon?

My neighbor, Bonnie Moore, has composed four new songs plus a whole mass to listen to and transcribe plus I’ve started working on my taxes, never a small job.

And tomorrow, I have the first of my three houseguests arriving, meaning I’ve just come back from the car wash and the grocery store, in anticipation of his visit, David Lawrence from Cleveland. We’ve also been working on the arrangements of the visit of concert organist, Joy-Leilani Garbutt, who will be giving two concerts, one in Kauai and the other in Honolulu. I’m managing her schedule, and arranging for members of the AGO Board to treat her to lunch and dinner, and arranging for her transportation to the church to practice. And yes, she’ll be staying with me. Good thing my housekeeper will be coming in between the two visits! Last week a bunch of us on the American Guild of Organists Executive Board got together to affix labels on postcards I designed:

Hey, last night I finally had a moment to look through the latest issue of The American Organist magazine. Lo and behold, a picture on page 63 caught my eye:

Nashville: Following dinner was the evening’s recital: “Nine Meditations on Christ in the Words of the Nicene Creed,” assembled and played by co-host musician Joey Fala. The program included works by Bach, Messiaen, Alain, and Tournemire, each chosen to illustrate a section of the Creed. Accompanying the music were nine works of art, projected onto the ceiling of the nave. Attendees were invited to stretch out on the pews and look up at these while letting the music wash over them — a true multimedia experience. The final juxtaposed works were Bach’s Piece d’orgue and John de Rosen’s Christ in Majesty mosaic, illustrating “He will come again in glory to judge the living and the dead, and his kingdom will have no end.” The evening was most engaging, even quite moving, and an impressive exposition of the breadth of Fala’s impeccable playing and handling of the church’s Beckerath organ. (Carl W. Berg)

Joey, you make us proud!

How’s your Ash Wednesday going?