This will be my last post of the year as I start my holiday season with my family. This has been a great year for me in many ways and a difficult one in others. In all though, I have enjoyed it. Since this is my last post of the year, I think I will leave you with a few brief thoughts.
I imagine many of you wondering what you will do for the next year. Will the new year bring joy or heartache? Perhaps a bit of both. Will it bring comfort or will it be overly difficult? The funny thing is it really doesn't matter. I look forward to the new year. I look forward to finding out what is in store for me. Every day is a gift I get to open one minute at a time. Sometimes that gift contains coal, other times it contains something shiny. The funny thing is, the coal will keep you warm for hours while the shiny thing may only hold your interest for a few minutes. Granted if the shiny thing is a new furnace, it might keep you warm for quite a bit longer, but I digress. I guess what I am trying to say is, open each day with an expectation of joy and the little bit of wonderment at what it will contain and you will find that most days you won't be disappointed and the days you are will be a little less painful.
With that in mind, have a merry Christmas and a happy New Year. Thank you for reading, and as always, and for the last time this year, have a great day.
Friday, December 16, 2011
Thursday, December 15, 2011
What does race have to do with it?
So my turn on graves is winding down. This has been, well, not a lot of fun. As sad as it is, it seems I have finally become accustomed to this shift. I actually sleep until three in the afternoon. Not that I feel rested. All the same, I will be glad to be off this shift. I have, however added a bit more to my story because I have had the time. If you want, check the link to the right.
I have had a few thoughts running through my head for a while and I think I would like to share them. Those of you I have talked with regularly may have heard some of these, to the rest of you this will be new. These are my thoughts on "racism" in America. Why did I put it in quotes? Not because I don't believe there is racism, but because I believe we make it a bigger problem than we ought to. Think about it. How many nations out there feel it is necessary to list race in any story not involving a white person? How many countries out there ask for race on surveys, tests, and as a measure of diversity? The fact is, that most nations don't. America leads the world in this. Think about it. How many people refer to themselves as African-Englishmen? How about Latino-french? The fact is, that no matter how much we celebrate our diversity, we encourage racism by the very labels we use.
Think of it like this. You go to work and you are labeled as a male/female-American day in and day out. Does this indicate diversity, discrimination, or simply labeling? The fact is, it is a form of discrimination. We label things so that we can categorize them. If we were to drop the extra part and just label everyone American, we would find that a lot of the discriminatory practices would go away. I am not saying racism would be eliminated, but it would certainly be on the back burner. If you eliminated all references to race, sex, religion, etc. that are used to discriminate, the only thing left is who that person is. That means that you are hired or not for who you are. When you go into a job expecting to be treated a certain way because of some label you have, you are propagating that stereotype. When you decide that you will accept the label someone else has placed on you or on another, you are propagating discrimination. The only way to reduce discrimination is to minimize the labels which breed it.
Note that I am not saying that you should not be proud of your heritage or that you should deny what you are. I am simply saying that by using extraneous labels to define people by how they appear or were born, we condone discrimination. Don't believe me? Watch the news and TV. Tally up the number of times a black man/woman is described as African-American versus the number of times they are referred to by name. I am not talking about descriptions of suspects, that is one where you can't really avoid it as it is part of an identifiable trait. I am referring to stories where the race of the person involved really has no bearing other than as to highlight/disprove stereotypical traits. You will be surprised. For instance a story about a successful business man might read something like "John Smith donated 100 hours of community service." This is how it should read in all instances. Yet when a non white man is involved, it suddenly reads, "John Smith, an African American success story, donated 100 hours of community service." By comparing the 2 sentences you find a contrast so startling, you should be offended. Is the first John Smith less successful? Is it so amazing that an African-American can be successful? Unfortunately, we are trained from an early point that this is how it should be.
If we are not allowed to discriminate in business, why are we allowed to discriminate in the press? The funny thing is, I have been castigated and called out for these views. I have been told that I am minimizing the importance of the minorities by saying these things. I have been called a racist jerk for saying that race has no part in how we describe people daily. Yes, I am white. But does it really matter? Is what I wrote any less true because of it. Or did you just read the parts that said African-American and from that decide that I was racist? Let's drop the unnecessary labels and just be Americans.
Well, that wasn't a Christmas post, but I felt it needed to be said. Thank you for reading and, as always, have a nice day.
I have had a few thoughts running through my head for a while and I think I would like to share them. Those of you I have talked with regularly may have heard some of these, to the rest of you this will be new. These are my thoughts on "racism" in America. Why did I put it in quotes? Not because I don't believe there is racism, but because I believe we make it a bigger problem than we ought to. Think about it. How many nations out there feel it is necessary to list race in any story not involving a white person? How many countries out there ask for race on surveys, tests, and as a measure of diversity? The fact is, that most nations don't. America leads the world in this. Think about it. How many people refer to themselves as African-Englishmen? How about Latino-french? The fact is, that no matter how much we celebrate our diversity, we encourage racism by the very labels we use.
Think of it like this. You go to work and you are labeled as a male/female-American day in and day out. Does this indicate diversity, discrimination, or simply labeling? The fact is, it is a form of discrimination. We label things so that we can categorize them. If we were to drop the extra part and just label everyone American, we would find that a lot of the discriminatory practices would go away. I am not saying racism would be eliminated, but it would certainly be on the back burner. If you eliminated all references to race, sex, religion, etc. that are used to discriminate, the only thing left is who that person is. That means that you are hired or not for who you are. When you go into a job expecting to be treated a certain way because of some label you have, you are propagating that stereotype. When you decide that you will accept the label someone else has placed on you or on another, you are propagating discrimination. The only way to reduce discrimination is to minimize the labels which breed it.
Note that I am not saying that you should not be proud of your heritage or that you should deny what you are. I am simply saying that by using extraneous labels to define people by how they appear or were born, we condone discrimination. Don't believe me? Watch the news and TV. Tally up the number of times a black man/woman is described as African-American versus the number of times they are referred to by name. I am not talking about descriptions of suspects, that is one where you can't really avoid it as it is part of an identifiable trait. I am referring to stories where the race of the person involved really has no bearing other than as to highlight/disprove stereotypical traits. You will be surprised. For instance a story about a successful business man might read something like "John Smith donated 100 hours of community service." This is how it should read in all instances. Yet when a non white man is involved, it suddenly reads, "John Smith, an African American success story, donated 100 hours of community service." By comparing the 2 sentences you find a contrast so startling, you should be offended. Is the first John Smith less successful? Is it so amazing that an African-American can be successful? Unfortunately, we are trained from an early point that this is how it should be.
If we are not allowed to discriminate in business, why are we allowed to discriminate in the press? The funny thing is, I have been castigated and called out for these views. I have been told that I am minimizing the importance of the minorities by saying these things. I have been called a racist jerk for saying that race has no part in how we describe people daily. Yes, I am white. But does it really matter? Is what I wrote any less true because of it. Or did you just read the parts that said African-American and from that decide that I was racist? Let's drop the unnecessary labels and just be Americans.
Well, that wasn't a Christmas post, but I felt it needed to be said. Thank you for reading and, as always, have a nice day.
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
The evolution of my Christmas.
Things are weird right now. I have the nagging suspicion that I am missing something. I either forgot something or am not seeing something I should. I can't help but think that it has something to do with something important, I just don't know what it is or what it is for. The worst part is, this vague description isn't helping either. Oh well, must not have been that important (how many times have I said that only to be proven wrong).
You know the holidays are near when everything you do is based on one day a week or more away. Yes I am talking about Christmas. When I was single, I really didn't think about it to much. It was just a day that the stores were closed, there wasn't much on TV and I didn't have to work. It came and went and I had nothing to worry about. Oh, I might buy a gift for a friend, but that was one day and not much else. Then I got married. Christmas got a little more complicated. I now had to decorate the house a little bit and get a tree. Then we exchanged gifts and had friends over for Christmas dinner. It was still a pretty easy thing. Not a lot of effort or time was spent on planning or set up. We didn't spend a lot of time discussing the Christmas budget, we just spent what ever was left after bills and groceries on gifts.
Fast forward about 10 years. We now have four wonderful kids and we have spent the last month trying to figure out what our budget is. We have tried to determine what we are going to spend, not only on the kids, but on us as well. We spent nearly a week discussing our families out of state and what to do for them. Then we procrastinated and didn't do much. We have scheduled Christmas and planned meals. We are running in circles trying to figure out what to do while the kids are off from school. It just never stops. The sad thing is, I haven't found any other way to make sure our boys enjoy Christmas. The kicker? We actually enjoy it a bit.
Yup, Christmas is upon us and is rapidly catching up to us. Pretty soon, we will have to start planning and shopping in October (we already should have started in November, we just procrastinated a bit to much).
Thank you for reading and have a great day.
You know the holidays are near when everything you do is based on one day a week or more away. Yes I am talking about Christmas. When I was single, I really didn't think about it to much. It was just a day that the stores were closed, there wasn't much on TV and I didn't have to work. It came and went and I had nothing to worry about. Oh, I might buy a gift for a friend, but that was one day and not much else. Then I got married. Christmas got a little more complicated. I now had to decorate the house a little bit and get a tree. Then we exchanged gifts and had friends over for Christmas dinner. It was still a pretty easy thing. Not a lot of effort or time was spent on planning or set up. We didn't spend a lot of time discussing the Christmas budget, we just spent what ever was left after bills and groceries on gifts.
Fast forward about 10 years. We now have four wonderful kids and we have spent the last month trying to figure out what our budget is. We have tried to determine what we are going to spend, not only on the kids, but on us as well. We spent nearly a week discussing our families out of state and what to do for them. Then we procrastinated and didn't do much. We have scheduled Christmas and planned meals. We are running in circles trying to figure out what to do while the kids are off from school. It just never stops. The sad thing is, I haven't found any other way to make sure our boys enjoy Christmas. The kicker? We actually enjoy it a bit.
Yup, Christmas is upon us and is rapidly catching up to us. Pretty soon, we will have to start planning and shopping in October (we already should have started in November, we just procrastinated a bit to much).
Thank you for reading and have a great day.
Tuesday, December 13, 2011
Working at home 16 hours a week is actually pretty good.
Cast party tonight went great. We had a great time and were able to honor those who thought they were able to hide behind the scenes. OK, maybe they weren't hiding so much as serving where they were most able. Either way, they finally received the recognition they deserved. We couldn't have done it without them. As Trey said, you don't realize just how many people beyond the actors are required to pull off a successful show. We actors sometimes forget that or find a way to overlook them in our arrogance. It is humbling to realize just how much work those behind the scenes put into the show. Thanks again.
Now that I've gone all sentimental, I think it is time for me to move on to something that bugged me a bit. Today on the way to work there was an news story about stay at home dads. It would have been a half way decent piece if they hadn't ended it with statistics designed to make men look lazy and useless. The quote was that men on the average are doing a mere 16 hours of house work a week at home. They then went on to say that these stay at home dads finally understood what a stay at home mom did. Let's straighten something out here. I understand exactly what goes into a mothers day and it is busy. I have seen it and understand it. But if you want to throw out numbers here you go. Add to that 16 hours, 40 hours of work to make sure you can afford to stay at home. Add an average of 10 hours commuting to that work. Now add an average of 7 hours doing work not associated to house work. By the way there are 164 hours in a week. The average stay at home mom spends 40 hours a week sleeping. Add another 10 hours a week watching their chosen TV show. Add another 10 hours a week updating their face book and another 10 hours socializing at play dates. The point isn't to make women fell bad, or men to feel more arrogant (heaven knows we don't need that), the point is to acknowledge that sometimes spouting random numbers generates more dissent and hurt than otherwise.
The fact is that with men doing an average of 16 hours a week of house work, we are actually keeping up with our partners and helping out quite a lot. The idea that when we are apart our partner is doing nothing is ludicrous. That is what these stats would have you believe. That if your husband isn't at home doing house work, he is playing; or that if your wife is a stay at home mom, as soon as you leave the house, she sits down in front of the TV and does nothing. I try to follow a basic rule (note I didn't say I always succeed, I am not perfect), as long as my wife is working , so am I. The exception is when I work back shift, then I get to sleep for the first few hours of the day and help the rest before I go to work.
That's my 2 cents. Thanks for reading and, as always, have a nice day.
Now that I've gone all sentimental, I think it is time for me to move on to something that bugged me a bit. Today on the way to work there was an news story about stay at home dads. It would have been a half way decent piece if they hadn't ended it with statistics designed to make men look lazy and useless. The quote was that men on the average are doing a mere 16 hours of house work a week at home. They then went on to say that these stay at home dads finally understood what a stay at home mom did. Let's straighten something out here. I understand exactly what goes into a mothers day and it is busy. I have seen it and understand it. But if you want to throw out numbers here you go. Add to that 16 hours, 40 hours of work to make sure you can afford to stay at home. Add an average of 10 hours commuting to that work. Now add an average of 7 hours doing work not associated to house work. By the way there are 164 hours in a week. The average stay at home mom spends 40 hours a week sleeping. Add another 10 hours a week watching their chosen TV show. Add another 10 hours a week updating their face book and another 10 hours socializing at play dates. The point isn't to make women fell bad, or men to feel more arrogant (heaven knows we don't need that), the point is to acknowledge that sometimes spouting random numbers generates more dissent and hurt than otherwise.
The fact is that with men doing an average of 16 hours a week of house work, we are actually keeping up with our partners and helping out quite a lot. The idea that when we are apart our partner is doing nothing is ludicrous. That is what these stats would have you believe. That if your husband isn't at home doing house work, he is playing; or that if your wife is a stay at home mom, as soon as you leave the house, she sits down in front of the TV and does nothing. I try to follow a basic rule (note I didn't say I always succeed, I am not perfect), as long as my wife is working , so am I. The exception is when I work back shift, then I get to sleep for the first few hours of the day and help the rest before I go to work.
That's my 2 cents. Thanks for reading and, as always, have a nice day.
Christmas foods: Or how to gain 10 pounds and enjoy every minute of it.
It's a new week and time for the weekend update. To begin, I guess I have to start with the final days of the show. They went great. My sons and wife enjoyed it and in all it was a great time. The final cast party is tonight and I am looking forward to it. In all, it was a great time and I thoroughly enjoyed it.
That actually covered the weekend. Between the show, sleep and church I really didn't have time for much else. I did get to make my first batch of divinity today and it turned out awesome. I look forward to enjoying more of it at the wrap party tonight.
Now for the fun stuff. Since I didn't get any comments or suggestions for themes for this week, I think I will go themeless. Themes get in the way of free thinking and free flowing thoughts anyway. Today i think I want to talk about Christmas foods. When I think of Christmas foods, the first thing that comes to mind is the vast array of candies. Divinity is the first that comes to mind. I love it, but I only make it at Christmas time. Same thing with fudge. Why? Why do I limit myself to these treats once a year? I guess mainly because I tend to gain so much weight when I eat them. Then there is the question of Christmas dinner. The variety of what is acceptable for Christmas dinner is as varied as, well, the candies available. Some believe ham is the only way to go, while others tend toward a repeat of Thanksgiving with turkey. Still others end up with a Hodge podge of meals that would blow your mind. I lean toward the whatever is in the stocking and around the house, but I follow my wife's wishes and make a meal for supper. We've been sticking with ham the past few years, so that is probably where we'll go this year.
So what is your favorite Christmas food? What about dinner, do you go ham, turkey, or the more traditional goose? Or is there something else that you just can't do without on Christmas? Either way you look at it, Christmas is yet another holiday, that is, at least partially, defined by its food.
Have a great day and thanks for reading.
That actually covered the weekend. Between the show, sleep and church I really didn't have time for much else. I did get to make my first batch of divinity today and it turned out awesome. I look forward to enjoying more of it at the wrap party tonight.
Now for the fun stuff. Since I didn't get any comments or suggestions for themes for this week, I think I will go themeless. Themes get in the way of free thinking and free flowing thoughts anyway. Today i think I want to talk about Christmas foods. When I think of Christmas foods, the first thing that comes to mind is the vast array of candies. Divinity is the first that comes to mind. I love it, but I only make it at Christmas time. Same thing with fudge. Why? Why do I limit myself to these treats once a year? I guess mainly because I tend to gain so much weight when I eat them. Then there is the question of Christmas dinner. The variety of what is acceptable for Christmas dinner is as varied as, well, the candies available. Some believe ham is the only way to go, while others tend toward a repeat of Thanksgiving with turkey. Still others end up with a Hodge podge of meals that would blow your mind. I lean toward the whatever is in the stocking and around the house, but I follow my wife's wishes and make a meal for supper. We've been sticking with ham the past few years, so that is probably where we'll go this year.
So what is your favorite Christmas food? What about dinner, do you go ham, turkey, or the more traditional goose? Or is there something else that you just can't do without on Christmas? Either way you look at it, Christmas is yet another holiday, that is, at least partially, defined by its food.
Have a great day and thanks for reading.
Friday, December 9, 2011
A little of this and a little of that.
Amazing how time flies sometimes. I managed to finish a few things I was doing and suddenly it was 3am. That's when I realized I hadn't done anything with my blog. Oops. So here goes. First off, we did another show tonight and it went really well. Once again, we had a sold out house and a great audience. The entire cast was energized and lifted by them. We are getting this down and there are getting to be fewer mistakes and we are getting things together. In all it went well. Looking forward to tomorrow night's (I guess it is actually tonight).
I have been having an interesting week at work. not a lot going on, but what is going on is, critical and keeping us here. Unfortunately, this means there will probably be overtime, which means I may end up working again this weekend. I certainly hope not, but you never know. We are getting closer to the stand down which is good and I am looking forward to it.
Since next week will be my last week before I take a couple weeks off for Christmas and New Years, I plan on doing a theme next week. I would like it to me something related to Christmas and the Christmas season, I just don't know what. Thus, I give it to you. If you have an idea, please, post it in the comments. I redid my permissions so you aren't required to have an account to post (I just moderate the comments to prevent stuff I don't want my kids to read from getting on here). Or you could give it to me in person if you happen to run into me. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I really don't have much else to say. I just want to thank you as always for reading. Have a great day.
I have been having an interesting week at work. not a lot going on, but what is going on is, critical and keeping us here. Unfortunately, this means there will probably be overtime, which means I may end up working again this weekend. I certainly hope not, but you never know. We are getting closer to the stand down which is good and I am looking forward to it.
Since next week will be my last week before I take a couple weeks off for Christmas and New Years, I plan on doing a theme next week. I would like it to me something related to Christmas and the Christmas season, I just don't know what. Thus, I give it to you. If you have an idea, please, post it in the comments. I redid my permissions so you aren't required to have an account to post (I just moderate the comments to prevent stuff I don't want my kids to read from getting on here). Or you could give it to me in person if you happen to run into me. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
I really don't have much else to say. I just want to thank you as always for reading. Have a great day.
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Tired, unwired, and whatever, It doesn't have to rhyme.
Today, I found out the show is sold out. Not just a couple shows, every single one. Not a seat left. Absolutely amazing. I am really looking forward to it. 5 shows left. I couldn't be more thrilled.
Now that I have covered the news, I will continue with my regular post (not that there is anything regular about my posts). I am yawning and tired for some reason. I got a decent amount of sleep today, so I have no idea why I just want to curl up and go to sleep. The problem is, I have to stick around and go to duty section muster then quarters. At least I have a lot of stuff to keep me busy. I just wish I could figure out a better way to stay awake.
I just looked at the calendar and realized that I have 17 days until Christmas and I haven't bought a single present. What is wrong with me. I used to have my Christmas presents bought, wrapped, and hidden by this time. I guess, over the years, I have just gone shopping later and later. Next thing you know I will be shopping December 26 and celebrating Christmas on New Years. At least I finished the Christmas letter. Now I just need to figure out how many people to send it to.
Since it looks like I am starting to cover a dozen random topics to no good end, I think I will just call it a night on this post. Have a great day and thank you for reading.
Now that I have covered the news, I will continue with my regular post (not that there is anything regular about my posts). I am yawning and tired for some reason. I got a decent amount of sleep today, so I have no idea why I just want to curl up and go to sleep. The problem is, I have to stick around and go to duty section muster then quarters. At least I have a lot of stuff to keep me busy. I just wish I could figure out a better way to stay awake.
I just looked at the calendar and realized that I have 17 days until Christmas and I haven't bought a single present. What is wrong with me. I used to have my Christmas presents bought, wrapped, and hidden by this time. I guess, over the years, I have just gone shopping later and later. Next thing you know I will be shopping December 26 and celebrating Christmas on New Years. At least I finished the Christmas letter. Now I just need to figure out how many people to send it to.
Since it looks like I am starting to cover a dozen random topics to no good end, I think I will just call it a night on this post. Have a great day and thank you for reading.
The Christmas Letter (or How to torture yourself once a year)
Who knew that writing a Christmas letter could be so....you fill in the blank because I am sure it is all of that and more. As you may have guessed, it falls on me to write the families annual Christmas letter while my wife gets to "edit" it. I put the edit on quotes, not because she does nothing, but because she doesn't read it so much to find grammatical and spelling errors (that's what word is for) as she does to weed out the portions and phrases she either doesn't agree with or she considers to much information. Granted, she is usually right. If you follow my blog at all, you have probably noticed I tend to be long winded and repetitive. I tried fixing it once, but it just wasn't me.
The point here is that I write the letter, she cuts it up, I rewrite it, she approves it and we send it out. The problem is, she can't wait until I am done to edit it. As I am typing a sentence (by the way, I tend to think as I type and may end up writing a single sentence 6 or 7 times before I consider it acceptable), I will suddenly hear her voice come from behind me telling me that the sentence I just wrote doesn't make a lot of sense. I love her dearly and am thankful for her input, I just wish sometimes she would wait until after I am actually ready for her to read it.
She has gotten better about it. She actually asks me if I am ready for her to read it most of the time. She just forgets every once in a while and then I hear her dancing in the background with a comment she wants to make. She just bounces from one foot to the other sighing until I ask her what is wrong then mumble the standard nothing. We eventually sort it out and the letter is better for it.
Maybe I am ranting a bit much here. I most definitely will be in the doghouse when I get home, but the truth is, without her input, the annual Christmas letter would be a short book detailing not only the events of the last year, but the emotions, and backgrounds for each event. Oh, and I would probably forget to mention how the family is doing, so there is that.
The Christmas letter is always better for her input, but writing it is a day or two of torture that we endure together (and sometimes because of each other) to keep our families informed. Currently, this years letter is at one and a half pages and I have yet to mention any event specific to a single family member, let alone how they are doing. That is just one of the tasks I have before me this night. Actually, it is pretty much the only set task I have before me tonight and I still have 5 hours to do it in. I have a feeling I will be cutting a lot out of this years letter. Better to cut things out than to have to add more. If you want one of our Christmas letters this year (and you didn't get one last year) or you have changed your address since the last card, leave your email in the comments so I can contact you to get your address.
Well, that is the post for tonight. Thank you all for reading and have a nice day.
The point here is that I write the letter, she cuts it up, I rewrite it, she approves it and we send it out. The problem is, she can't wait until I am done to edit it. As I am typing a sentence (by the way, I tend to think as I type and may end up writing a single sentence 6 or 7 times before I consider it acceptable), I will suddenly hear her voice come from behind me telling me that the sentence I just wrote doesn't make a lot of sense. I love her dearly and am thankful for her input, I just wish sometimes she would wait until after I am actually ready for her to read it.
She has gotten better about it. She actually asks me if I am ready for her to read it most of the time. She just forgets every once in a while and then I hear her dancing in the background with a comment she wants to make. She just bounces from one foot to the other sighing until I ask her what is wrong then mumble the standard nothing. We eventually sort it out and the letter is better for it.
Maybe I am ranting a bit much here. I most definitely will be in the doghouse when I get home, but the truth is, without her input, the annual Christmas letter would be a short book detailing not only the events of the last year, but the emotions, and backgrounds for each event. Oh, and I would probably forget to mention how the family is doing, so there is that.
The Christmas letter is always better for her input, but writing it is a day or two of torture that we endure together (and sometimes because of each other) to keep our families informed. Currently, this years letter is at one and a half pages and I have yet to mention any event specific to a single family member, let alone how they are doing. That is just one of the tasks I have before me this night. Actually, it is pretty much the only set task I have before me tonight and I still have 5 hours to do it in. I have a feeling I will be cutting a lot out of this years letter. Better to cut things out than to have to add more. If you want one of our Christmas letters this year (and you didn't get one last year) or you have changed your address since the last card, leave your email in the comments so I can contact you to get your address.
Well, that is the post for tonight. Thank you all for reading and have a nice day.
Tuesday, December 6, 2011
Pianos, practice, and regret.
Good news, I slept well last night..er...today. Man, being on graves really messes with your language and how you refer to the past. Anyway, while I was at work...last night, I wrote some more on my story. You can see the link to the page on the right, it's the only one there. "The Cleric's Path" is its name, by the way. Now on to the meat of the post.
I have a confession to make. I started typing this post and actually had a large amount written. It started off as a legitimate complaint I had and turned into a rant on welfare. I won't mention anything else on it, because you deserve better. Instead I think I will take a break while I clear my mind and come up with a better topic.
OK, Got it. While surfing the net, I found an incredible set of videos. They are on YouTube. They are made by a group called "The Piano Guys." I just spent 3 hours enthralled by them. As you probably guessed, there is piano playing involved. The thing that makes it really great (other than the fact that the piano is player is really awesome) is the fact that they don't just play known music, they put their own twist to it and make it better. Oh, and the second member of the group plays the cello, and makes it cool. Definitely worth checking out.
That was just an intro, you see, it got me to thinking. I used to take piano lessons. I quit when I was a teenager and was going through that period where I couldn't believe I wasn't the center of the universe. The fact is I wanted to write music and felt that I knew enough to do it on my own and that I didn't need to practice stuff other people wrote. So, now I can slowly plunk out tunes and read a little bit of music and have one song I made up that I play over and over and over (just ask the wife). So that leads me to the "thought provoking" question of the day. What is the one thing (you can have more if you really want to, like I could stop you) that you regret quitting or giving up? We all have something we either did as a kid or were made to learn that we quit as soon as we were able. A secondary question might be, what did we start that we wish we hadn't, but I won't go there.
That's all for today. Thank you for reading and have a great day.
I have a confession to make. I started typing this post and actually had a large amount written. It started off as a legitimate complaint I had and turned into a rant on welfare. I won't mention anything else on it, because you deserve better. Instead I think I will take a break while I clear my mind and come up with a better topic.
OK, Got it. While surfing the net, I found an incredible set of videos. They are on YouTube. They are made by a group called "The Piano Guys." I just spent 3 hours enthralled by them. As you probably guessed, there is piano playing involved. The thing that makes it really great (other than the fact that the piano is player is really awesome) is the fact that they don't just play known music, they put their own twist to it and make it better. Oh, and the second member of the group plays the cello, and makes it cool. Definitely worth checking out.
That was just an intro, you see, it got me to thinking. I used to take piano lessons. I quit when I was a teenager and was going through that period where I couldn't believe I wasn't the center of the universe. The fact is I wanted to write music and felt that I knew enough to do it on my own and that I didn't need to practice stuff other people wrote. So, now I can slowly plunk out tunes and read a little bit of music and have one song I made up that I play over and over and over (just ask the wife). So that leads me to the "thought provoking" question of the day. What is the one thing (you can have more if you really want to, like I could stop you) that you regret quitting or giving up? We all have something we either did as a kid or were made to learn that we quit as soon as we were able. A secondary question might be, what did we start that we wish we hadn't, but I won't go there.
That's all for today. Thank you for reading and have a great day.
Monday, December 5, 2011
More overtime and I am still tired.
Yet another great show! And, yes, I am at work...again. So much to do and so little time to do it. maybe I can get some other things done. Then again, maybe I will just surf the web until I figure out what I am getting my wife for Christmas. Who knows, maybe I'll just take a nap. The sad thing is, I probably could and no one would care. I am so tired right now that I can't keep a single thought going long enough to write it down. How I typed this much I'll never know. Hopefully, I am more coherent tomorrow and I can actually complete a decent blog entry. The other side is that when I get tired I tend to ramble on things and I end up saying things I probably shouldn't and might regret later. With that in mind I will end this for tonight. Thank you for reading and have a great day.
Sunday, December 4, 2011
Bonus post: Overtime and more.
Bonus post! Gotta love having to work overtime. I understand the idea that as a member of the military I am to follow orders, but when you are directed to do something that ruins whatever plans you might have had while on shore duty, common sense would say some compensation is in order. While it may be true that I don't typically average a 40 hour work week on shore duty, that doesn't change the fact that my weekend is essentially ruined. Instead of enjoying time with my family and going to church tomorrow, I will be sleeping. Instead of sharing the bed with my wife this weekend, I get to share my feelings with you. Not that I don't enjoy sharing my feelings with you, it is just that I prefer my wife and my bed to being at work. Oh, well, guess I am just stuck with it. Besides, I am just complaining really. The fact is, the job really isn't that demanding and my bosses do allow me to take time off when I ask for it. They just want to nix the idea that we are entitled to it and I understand that. Once you let people think they are entitled to something, they stop asking for it and just start taking it.
Wow, I really went off, didn't I? Subject change! The play tonight went awesomely. I think we nailed what we missed and discovered new ways to improve. I'll get the notes tomorrow, but in all reality, I am happy with how things are going. We actually sold out for the second night. I also found out that we have one show with only 2 seats left and another with only 1 (both are next Saturday). Overall, we only have around 100 tickets left and 5 shows left to go. I almost think we should add another weekend. Then again, maybe not. I am exhausted. Between doing the show and then immediately working all night, I am not getting much sleep. It doesn't help that I naturally wake up when sunlight hits me. Thus, once I get enough sleep to make sure I don't pass out standing up, my body wakes me up. This means I am sleeping about 4 to 5 hours a day while on graves. Thankfully, god is giving me the strength.
Enough of a downer. If you haven't got your tickets to the show and you are in the area, better hurry up. thank you for reading and have a great day.
Wow, I really went off, didn't I? Subject change! The play tonight went awesomely. I think we nailed what we missed and discovered new ways to improve. I'll get the notes tomorrow, but in all reality, I am happy with how things are going. We actually sold out for the second night. I also found out that we have one show with only 2 seats left and another with only 1 (both are next Saturday). Overall, we only have around 100 tickets left and 5 shows left to go. I almost think we should add another weekend. Then again, maybe not. I am exhausted. Between doing the show and then immediately working all night, I am not getting much sleep. It doesn't help that I naturally wake up when sunlight hits me. Thus, once I get enough sleep to make sure I don't pass out standing up, my body wakes me up. This means I am sleeping about 4 to 5 hours a day while on graves. Thankfully, god is giving me the strength.
Enough of a downer. If you haven't got your tickets to the show and you are in the area, better hurry up. thank you for reading and have a great day.
Friday, December 2, 2011
Opening night: Full house and an awesome performance
Great show tonight. Lots of energy and a full house. It would have been the perfect night. Then I came to work and found out I have overtime this weekend. So, now instead of going home after Saturday and Sunday's performances, I get to go to work. Such is life and it just keeps going. It could be worse I suppose, I could work with people who aren't willing to let me show up a little bit late. At least I still get to do the show.
Well, I really don't have much else for tonight, just hope that I can get through these next couple of weekends without to much trouble. We shall see. I really need to arrange some help for the guys I do the table with so he isn't stuck doing it by himself every night. I feel so bad about it. Oh well.
Just want to give a shout out to my fellow cast members, make up and costume personnel, backstage help, and orchestra members. Great show with 6 more to make it even more awesome. Look forward to it.
Well, time for me to end this as I see I am starting to repeat myself. As always, thank you for reading and have a great day.
Well, I really don't have much else for tonight, just hope that I can get through these next couple of weekends without to much trouble. We shall see. I really need to arrange some help for the guys I do the table with so he isn't stuck doing it by himself every night. I feel so bad about it. Oh well.
Just want to give a shout out to my fellow cast members, make up and costume personnel, backstage help, and orchestra members. Great show with 6 more to make it even more awesome. Look forward to it.
Well, time for me to end this as I see I am starting to repeat myself. As always, thank you for reading and have a great day.
Notes on our first full dress rehearsal.
Wow, What a high!! That was a great rehearsal. True, there were a few minor, and I mean minor, hiccups, but nothing we can't fix for tomorrow's show. Even the audience we had was awesome. So much energy in one area. I am so looking forward to the actual show tomorrow night. The only downside is how fast I have to get out of my costume and make up to go to work. I am still buzzing from it. Now opening night jitters are a coming down the road. Bounce, bounce, bounce. Wow, what a ride!
I know I have a few minor things to work on, I missed one line and was a tad late on a cue, but otherwise, things went well. I am so amped up, I can't even think straight enough to write on anything else. Guess that's a hint that I should stop writing for tonight and let you all go. Enjoy yourself and have a great day.
I know I have a few minor things to work on, I missed one line and was a tad late on a cue, but otherwise, things went well. I am so amped up, I can't even think straight enough to write on anything else. Guess that's a hint that I should stop writing for tonight and let you all go. Enjoy yourself and have a great day.
Thursday, December 1, 2011
Short and .... what was I saying?
So close and yet so far, that is how this musical is feeling right now. We are so close to having a complete show and yet it feels like we are so far away. I am nervous and a bit anxious. The bugs to work out are fewer, but we still have them. Tomorrow is essentially our first show even though we are calling it a rehearsal. We will be in full make up and costume and we will have an audience made up of all those who will be serving during the shows and thus be unable to attend as members of the audience. I guess I have just learned how to hide my nervousness. Hopefully I can work through it. I do have to give a shout out to Mr. Warbucks as he has been an inspiration and source of strength to me through out this.
On a different note, work is going well. Not much going on so I have time to catch up on some training and other work I haven't been doing. It is amazing how things tend to pile up when you aren't paying attention. For some reason I just don't get, I seem to be falling behind again. Oh well.
I think my posts will remain short for a while longer, I just can't seem to get the show out of my head. Not that I am complaining about it. It's a good thing to have in my head at this point in time. I will write as I can, but don't expect anything witty or longer for a while. As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
On a different note, work is going well. Not much going on so I have time to catch up on some training and other work I haven't been doing. It is amazing how things tend to pile up when you aren't paying attention. For some reason I just don't get, I seem to be falling behind again. Oh well.
I think my posts will remain short for a while longer, I just can't seem to get the show out of my head. Not that I am complaining about it. It's a good thing to have in my head at this point in time. I will write as I can, but don't expect anything witty or longer for a while. As always, thanks for reading and have a great day.
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