Carlee

I teach Pre-K - 5th grade music and chorus, and I use my guitar a lot in my classroom. I have an old Hohner (no idea how old, since it was a hand-me-down from a friend-of-a-friend) that I keep at school and use in my classes. I'm not afraid of damaging it so much, since I don't imagine that it cost a ton of money. Also, the climate (as in most public school buildings) is ever-changing, with a different temperature and humidity level every few hours or so. This guitar has proved to be relatively easy to tune and play and I can let my students strum the strings without freaking out. I currently keep that guitar at school.

What I'm looking for is a good guitar to keep at home, so I can play on my own time. I taught myself to play in college and I'm by no means awesome, but in order to improve I need to be able to play stuff besides children's music! Any brand name suggestions with a price range?

I don't like to run because I have terrible knees and it hurts me. The knee doctor says my joints are looser than most and they they experience more impact during normal activities than most people's joints. The fitness plan I'm on requires that I burn 500 calories at least 3 times a week. I live in a very rural area and it is at least a 20-minute drive to the YMCA where I am a member. Since I am a teacher (currently teaching summer school), I usually cannot get to the gym until after 3:30 PM, and the drive adds on 40 extra minutes to any time I budget for fitness. It makes it easier to have the option to exercise at home so I can start dinner or clean or whatever immediately following my workout.

Can anyone suggest activities I can do at home to burn 500 calories in an hour and a half or less?

I'm just kind of curious about whether most people would feel okay (morally) purchasing a home that was foreclosed on another family. In other words, do folks view it as benefiting from someone else's misfortune?