Sounds like a b-movie horror flick, doesn't it? Appropriate, I suppose, for the season.
Yes, there's going to be a return of HNT!! Don't get insanely excited though. It'll just be a one-time appearance, marking the first anniversary of its retirement.
It'll be just like it always was, complete with the "I'm ups", the blog-hopping, and insightful comments.
"But Os," I can hear some of you saying. "I don't have a blog anymore!" or "I haven't blogged in so long I don't remember my password!" or "I've become a respectable mommy-blogger. I don't do that anymore!". Not to fear. I'll post over on OHNT too, for this one-time return. And you can do it anonymously over there like the old days, or you can have your name posted so that we know you joined in but can't do it on your own for whatever reason. And if you want (need) to do both, I'm certainly not going to talk you out of it!
So circle the date--Thursday, December 27th. This gives you two months to remember how to do all this again. And be sure to make mention of it on your own sites (for those of you who still blog), as there's quite a few who don't stop by here anymore to get the word. And because many of my friends on FB allowed me to be friends over there because "HNT" would never be mentioned, I can't make a general announcement there. So spread the news!
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Long, overwritten post about politics...
I really loathe politics. I don't understand why someone would want to be President. Or Governor. Or Mayor, for that matter. Too many people that you have to play nice with. On the other hand, being a king or a dictator is appealing, since you don't have to worry about getting voted in. You either are born into it, or you kill the person and take over their position. No campaigning, no ass-kissing. Pretty much black & white. No room for shades of gray.
What we really need is a group of space aliens to come attack Earth, like in "Independence Day" or "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Nothing will bring groups of people together like a good fight against a common enemy (as opposed to each other). However, I'm not anticipating anything like that. So during this obnoxious time, I've decided to state some opinions and observations. Comment if you'd like, but don't try to sway me if you disagree. :-)
Disclaimer: I plan to vote both sides of the ticket. I've done my homework. I even have a third-party candidate I plan to vote for. Don't attempt to figure out who I'm voting for--you'll probably be wrong!
What we really need is a group of space aliens to come attack Earth, like in "Independence Day" or "The Day the Earth Stood Still". Nothing will bring groups of people together like a good fight against a common enemy (as opposed to each other). However, I'm not anticipating anything like that. So during this obnoxious time, I've decided to state some opinions and observations. Comment if you'd like, but don't try to sway me if you disagree. :-)
Disclaimer: I plan to vote both sides of the ticket. I've done my homework. I even have a third-party candidate I plan to vote for. Don't attempt to figure out who I'm voting for--you'll probably be wrong!
No one person is going to enact change at any level of government on their own. Nor can any of the woes or successes be attributed to one person. I'm tired of the ads that say "I'm going to do this" or "I'm going to repeal that". No you're not. You might lead a fight, but don't claim that you're going to actually be the one to "save" the free world.Regarding things around the state of Montana:
Negative ads have gotten so out of control that they've become fairly ineffective, I believe. Sure, the hardcore party members and the ignorant will eat that stuff up, but it means nothing. I'd much rather see ads that focus on what a candidate believes he can bring to the table. Don't dwell on the "mistakes" of the opponent's past, but focus on the traits/beliefs that make you a better candidate for the position. On a side note--the Republican candidate for MT governor has done that. His ads are so damned positive that you'll actually listen. His ideas are bunk, and his economic plan is all screwed up, but damn, his ads are a nice twist!
I'm also not a fan of the tactic of tying the name of the presidential/v.p. nominee to opponents in state or local races. Believe it or not, those presidential candidates have never heard of either of you, nor do they care.
The Republican Party has lost control. The ultra-conservative Tea Party has run amok and now is the "face" of the party. No one in the G.O.P. has the balls to rein them in. I seriously doubt that most Republicans (candidates or voters) share many of their views. The Democrats have at least splintered into smaller liberal groups that will run their own candidates, making them a stronger party.
People spend too much time looking at charts and graphs and listening to statistics, figures and polls. All of which are manipulated in such a way that it best suits the situation. Any one report can be twisted and analyzed to benefit both candidates at the same time. By the way, anyone can make a chart or graph and plug in their own numbers and post it on the internet. For God's sake, don't believe anything you see on the internet!!!
Conservative commentators seem to have a more hateful approach towards issues and individuals. To the point of focusing on nit-picky details that have no real bearing on an argument, and then not letting go of it. Sort of like the snotty junior high girl in the hallways. While Rush Limbaugh might be the biggest blowhole on the airwaves, he's far from the most offensive.
The incredibly high dollar amounts being thrown around when discussing the economy are beyond the comprehension of most people, including the top politicians. Dollar amounts have become meaningless. It's similar to a poker game. Most people will have no problem throwing a blue chip into the pot, but if they had to throw the actual cash in, they'd give it some thought.
There is no such thing as the perfect candidate. No single person will ever satisfy the characteristics of the "perfect" candidate. And because of that, too many people focus on singular issues when it comes to the candidates. Some focus on the economy. Some focus on health care. Some focus on women's rights. Some focus on immigration. Environment. Military. Education. Science. Arts. Racial issues. World domination. Whatever. Focusing so narrowly that any other issues become moot. This is no way to elect your leaders.
After saying that, I do believe that the economy is the biggest issue in this presidential election. It's a fairly no-win situation for whoever wins. (At this point, let me say that anyone who thinks that this mess could have been fixed in four years is delusional.) I think that if Obama wins again, he needs to spend more time dealing with an economic/jobs plan than he has. We could be far worse off than we are, but there's plenty of room for improvement. If Romney wins, I hope he's not so naive/narcissistic to think that he'll fix things in four years. And that he gets a mega-dose of social conscience.
While there's not really a two-party system in our government, you wouldn't be able to tell by the media. Case in point--why are the presidential debates between just two candidates? Personally, I would very much like to hear the same questions asked of some of the others. As long as other parties are treated as unimportant, we'll never have a third-party candidate make a credible run for positions in the higher levels of government.
Anyone who votes a straight party ticket simply because of party affiliation should have their votes voided. Doesn't mean that it couldn't turn out that way, but base it on research and knowledge. Stupidity and ignorance should have no place in the polling booth.
It's sad that non-Americans seem to know more about the political nuances than many "average" Americans.
I find it interesting that there are so many in Congress and state legislatures who will fight tooth and nail for the unborn, yet are just as eager to cut back on funds to support them once they are born.
I also find it interesting that, in a country based on a separation of Church and State, so many people are trying to force their faith into the process. There's a difference between believing in or voting for "right/wrong" or "good/bad", and claiming to do it as part of "God's will".
Montana passed a law over a century ago limiting corporate campaign contributions to an individual. This was because of the influence the mining companies in the state had over the political process. In other words, elections were literally purchased by mine owners. The Citizens United case that the Supreme Court ruled in favor of recently effectively overturned that law, stating that corporations are people, and money is free speech. As a result, hundreds of thousands of dollars have been spent in negative (and usually incorrect) ads over the past six months. From both sides. The sad part--these ads are made without the approval of the candidate they're supporting. The people of Montana don't need some super-PAC based in Virginia telling us whom to vote for. Let US pick the person that represents Montanans! Not who YOU want to see in D.C.!So there you go. Vote early and vote often! I refuse to say anything more. Other than this... In my family, we never discuss politics (or they do, and I'm never around, which is entirely possible). But Mom has already sent in her absentee ballot, so I asked how she voted on the five state initiatives/referendums. I'm happy to report that she voted exactly the same way I plan to (NO on all five)! I am my mother's son!
Interestingly, for a party who believes that there's too much government intrusion, the Republicans seem to push for an awful lot of completely unnecessary laws.
They also despise the federal government imposing its will on the state. Keep the feds out, dammit. Except don't cut back on my farm subsidies. And be sure that the FBI/DEA comes in to take care of them pesky pot growers.
There's an initiative/referendum on the ballot that would keep illegal aliens from receiving any sort of state services. That's scholarships, driver's licences, food stamps, etc. I'm not sure I know any illegal Canadians living here, but most of the Canadians I know are pretty decent people. Not sure who they pissed off to get this on the ballot. But it amounts to using state employees to do federal record-keeping. Funny that the party that despises federal intrusion wants to push this thing.
In 2004, there was a citizen's initiative passed substantially to legalize medical marijuana. The legislature dropped the ball and didn't come up with any decent regulation. Things got out of control. So rather than fix it, the legislature tried to overturn the citizen's initiative (a.k.a.--the will of the people). Fortunately, the governor vetoed that. So the Republicans passed over-regulation that, in effect (and admitted by their leadership) made it impossible for the law to continue. It's been sent to the people to either overturn the legislature and go back to the 2004 law, or accept the unworkable regulation. This is a Tea Party push, along with the backing of some very vocal "family values" groups.
There's a couple of other things on the ballot. All unnecessary, all hopefully losing.
Tuesday, October 09, 2012
Reminiscing...
With the spiraling demise of social blogging (at least among the circles I used to visit on a regular basis), I've been finding myself going back to old posts. I miss it. I miss it all. I miss the different styles we each had. I miss reading about the day to day stuff. I even miss the trolls, to some degree. Hardly needs saying that I miss the half-nekkidness. I miss the comments most of all, I think. Which means I really miss the 4+ years worth of comments that were lost when I was using Haloscan and they went tits up. Ah, well...
Speaking of reminiscing... Today (Tuesday) marks the 3rd anniversary of my near-death experience and subsequent health changes. Fortunately, I haven't dwelt too much about the whole diabetes thing on here, but I suppose the three or four of you still reading might want to know how things are going. Obviously, I'm still here, so that's a good thing. And after three years, I'm still a diabetic. However, I'm learning things on a regular basis. Due to taking better care of myself (as well as support from my meds), all my tests have come back with progressively good results. Blood pressure is finally back to an acceptable level after decades of being at a high level. Not take-some-pills-and-relax high, but higher than doctors would like. My cholesterol is quite average. It's always been in the "average" range, but now I'm lower in the average range. My triglycerides are also quite normal. The blood sugar numbers have finally stabilized at an acceptable range. After a year of being on the low side, I think we've gotten things to a happy place. I still have some high spikes, but they work themselves out within 12 hours, so all is good. My only bad numbers are my weight. I've fought that for all my life, so it shouldn't be any surprise that I'm still fighting.
As for my lifestyle, I've found that I'm not going to go into a coma if I have a piece of candy. I can go out for pizza and beer (in moderation) and not have to worry about it. I've even found that I can have a meal or two without taking insulin, and not have any ill effects (though I've only done that maybe twice). All in all, life is continuing on fairly normally.
Let's talk football. It's not the year that any of my teams have enjoyed over the previous five. In fact, they've had more losses combined this season already than they had combined for the previous three! The good news--they should all end pretty well. Not sure if my Griz can make the playoffs this season though. They pissed away two close games in the closing minutes, knocking them out of the top 25 for the first time since 1998. But I think they'll come back. Gucci and I will probably still have a bet this year. I hope.
I'm a bit more interested in the high school team this year. My nephew, a junior, is playing varsity this year, and has done very well. I went to see him play last week (the last time I went to watch this team play was for the state championship in '09--they lost). I was excited to see him, as he's a kick returner and wide receiver. The short story--they got hammered, 41-7. The worst defeat since 1974 (my senior year). Happy to report that things turned around this past weekend, as they won 54-31 (taking a 41-0 lead into halftime). The nephew ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, and added two more receptions for touchdowns. I'm not going to be allowed to watch him play...
At this time in years past I would have been encouraging everyone to support the annual Boobiethon. They announce last year that it was to be their last. Well, that's not quite true. "They" were convinced to continue, but it's under a different format than before. From their site:
Does anyone have any interest in doing a one-time HNT to mark the passing of a year without it?
Speaking of reminiscing... Today (Tuesday) marks the 3rd anniversary of my near-death experience and subsequent health changes. Fortunately, I haven't dwelt too much about the whole diabetes thing on here, but I suppose the three or four of you still reading might want to know how things are going. Obviously, I'm still here, so that's a good thing. And after three years, I'm still a diabetic. However, I'm learning things on a regular basis. Due to taking better care of myself (as well as support from my meds), all my tests have come back with progressively good results. Blood pressure is finally back to an acceptable level after decades of being at a high level. Not take-some-pills-and-relax high, but higher than doctors would like. My cholesterol is quite average. It's always been in the "average" range, but now I'm lower in the average range. My triglycerides are also quite normal. The blood sugar numbers have finally stabilized at an acceptable range. After a year of being on the low side, I think we've gotten things to a happy place. I still have some high spikes, but they work themselves out within 12 hours, so all is good. My only bad numbers are my weight. I've fought that for all my life, so it shouldn't be any surprise that I'm still fighting.
As for my lifestyle, I've found that I'm not going to go into a coma if I have a piece of candy. I can go out for pizza and beer (in moderation) and not have to worry about it. I've even found that I can have a meal or two without taking insulin, and not have any ill effects (though I've only done that maybe twice). All in all, life is continuing on fairly normally.
Let's talk football. It's not the year that any of my teams have enjoyed over the previous five. In fact, they've had more losses combined this season already than they had combined for the previous three! The good news--they should all end pretty well. Not sure if my Griz can make the playoffs this season though. They pissed away two close games in the closing minutes, knocking them out of the top 25 for the first time since 1998. But I think they'll come back. Gucci and I will probably still have a bet this year. I hope.
I'm a bit more interested in the high school team this year. My nephew, a junior, is playing varsity this year, and has done very well. I went to see him play last week (the last time I went to watch this team play was for the state championship in '09--they lost). I was excited to see him, as he's a kick returner and wide receiver. The short story--they got hammered, 41-7. The worst defeat since 1974 (my senior year). Happy to report that things turned around this past weekend, as they won 54-31 (taking a 41-0 lead into halftime). The nephew ran the opening kickoff back for a touchdown, and added two more receptions for touchdowns. I'm not going to be allowed to watch him play...
At this time in years past I would have been encouraging everyone to support the annual Boobiethon. They announce last year that it was to be their last. Well, that's not quite true. "They" were convinced to continue, but it's under a different format than before. From their site:
"We are no longer pledging for Komen. If that is who you want to donate to, that's your choice. Our choice is to promote Breast Cancer Action. I think we all can agree that everyone is aware of breast cancer. Now it's time to focus on prevention and the cure."It's now also a month-long thing, so there's still time for you to check it out if you're so inclined.
Does anyone have any interest in doing a one-time HNT to mark the passing of a year without it?
Thursday, September 20, 2012
So neglected...
This poor blog has seen better days. Days when hundreds of people would stop by to read whatever drivel I had to spew. Not so much anymore. I don't really have a reason for its decline. Life was awfully hectic before that last symphony concert in early May, and then jumping right into the summer concert plans, then road tripping and getting sick in August. I'll use those as my excuses, in spite of the fact that they're pretty lame, excuse-wise. If you'll notice, my football teams are back up on the sidebar, so I'll at least be back once a week!
Speaking of football, you most likely missed last week's score updates. For the first time in at least a decade, ALL THREE TEAMS LOST!! The Griz lost to Appalachian State, which is tolerable. They are two of the most successful programs in the FCS since 2000, so it was bound to be a good game. And they only lost by a late touchdown. But Carroll was BLOWN OUT by Montana Tech, their undisputed most hated opponent, by almost three touchdowns! Hope that was just a one-time thing, since they had played quite well against Portland State in a losing effort the week before. Portland State, who plays 2-3 divisions higher than Carroll (Carroll had a realistic chance of winning, too!). Finally, Capital lost by one in triple overtime, failing to convert a two point conversion to win it all. (I'll be paying a little more attention to this team for the next two years, as my only nephew is playing varsity now. Sort of does everything!) All in all, it was a weird weekend for my teams...
Autumn is scheduled to arrive this weekend. It's going to come in awfully quietly, as the current heat wave here is expected to stick around for at least another couple of weeks. With no precipitation. Bad news for a state that's extremely dry and suffering from a blanket of smoke from fires in Idaho. But honestly, I'll enjoy every 80°+ degree day we have!
I'm working on a political post (EEK!) for sometime soon. My observations, for what they're worth. I've already mentioned on FB about the nastiness that's hit there. Friends unfriending friends, name-calling, etc. And the graphs/gifs/memes/stories from supporters of both parties putting down the other (notice none of them really build themselves up, but knock the others down?). It's going to be a long October at this rate. Be sure to check back!
Speaking of football, you most likely missed last week's score updates. For the first time in at least a decade, ALL THREE TEAMS LOST!! The Griz lost to Appalachian State, which is tolerable. They are two of the most successful programs in the FCS since 2000, so it was bound to be a good game. And they only lost by a late touchdown. But Carroll was BLOWN OUT by Montana Tech, their undisputed most hated opponent, by almost three touchdowns! Hope that was just a one-time thing, since they had played quite well against Portland State in a losing effort the week before. Portland State, who plays 2-3 divisions higher than Carroll (Carroll had a realistic chance of winning, too!). Finally, Capital lost by one in triple overtime, failing to convert a two point conversion to win it all. (I'll be paying a little more attention to this team for the next two years, as my only nephew is playing varsity now. Sort of does everything!) All in all, it was a weird weekend for my teams...
Autumn is scheduled to arrive this weekend. It's going to come in awfully quietly, as the current heat wave here is expected to stick around for at least another couple of weeks. With no precipitation. Bad news for a state that's extremely dry and suffering from a blanket of smoke from fires in Idaho. But honestly, I'll enjoy every 80°+ degree day we have!
I'm working on a political post (EEK!) for sometime soon. My observations, for what they're worth. I've already mentioned on FB about the nastiness that's hit there. Friends unfriending friends, name-calling, etc. And the graphs/gifs/memes/stories from supporters of both parties putting down the other (notice none of them really build themselves up, but knock the others down?). It's going to be a long October at this rate. Be sure to check back!
Sunday, August 19, 2012
Picture heavy...
I've spent the past four days at home, sick. I'll spare you the disgusting details, other than to say I went through about three weeks of toilet paper in that amount of time. So here's (probably too many) pics from my trip (thank God I didn't get sick then!). Be sure to click 'em to big 'em!
Heading through northwest MT and northern ID--some of the prettiest land in the country!
The original reason for my trip--Alison Krauss & Union Station!
Coeur d'Alene Lake - my happy place
Met up with some of my very first students. From 30 years ago.
Mt. Hood - from the north, and from the southwest
Bipolar Diva and Emmy!
Sandy - bestest bud from college!
HNTers from the old days - Audra and Addict (mother & daughter)!
Cannon Beach, OR - GOONIES!
Aberdeen, WA - monstrously tall bridge
crossing the Columbia River into Washington
The beaches from a couple of locations in Washington.
I must move next to a body of water sometime soon.
One of my former college students - Kelly.
Various parts of Washington:
Early morning misty road near Everett (excuse the windshield bugs)
Parts that look like Arizona
Leavenworth - embraced an alpine theme in town years ago
Wenatchee - at the east edge of the Cascades
I didn't get a chance to take pics of Bigfoot's home turf.
Too foggy/misty/cloudy, but damned beautiful!
The rest of Washinton is flat.
Which makes it easy for the cops to catch speeders...
Congrats if you made it this far!!
Heading through northwest MT and northern ID--some of the prettiest land in the country!
The original reason for my trip--Alison Krauss & Union Station!
Coeur d'Alene Lake - my happy place
Met up with some of my very first students. From 30 years ago.
Mt. Hood - from the north, and from the southwest
Bipolar Diva and Emmy!
Sandy - bestest bud from college!
HNTers from the old days - Audra and Addict (mother & daughter)!
Cannon Beach, OR - GOONIES!
Aberdeen, WA - monstrously tall bridge
crossing the Columbia River into Washington
The beaches from a couple of locations in Washington.
I must move next to a body of water sometime soon.
One of my former college students - Kelly.
Various parts of Washington:
Early morning misty road near Everett (excuse the windshield bugs)
Parts that look like Arizona
Leavenworth - embraced an alpine theme in town years ago
Wenatchee - at the east edge of the Cascades
I didn't get a chance to take pics of Bigfoot's home turf.
Too foggy/misty/cloudy, but damned beautiful!
The rest of Washinton is flat.
Which makes it easy for the cops to catch speeders...
Congrats if you made it this far!!
Sunday, August 12, 2012
Washingtonians don't trim their bush...
Thoughts and a pic or two from the past week, in no particular order:
- With regard to the title--it was very difficult to read many of the highway signs, either on the interstate or the state highways, as most of them were hidden well behind the roadside greenery.
- Three good things about coming home--my shower's pressure (why can't motels have that same wonderful pressure you could find in your high school locker room?), my own bed (though I might be convinced it's time for a new one), and the best gas prices (easily 40¢ cheaper here than Portland or Seattle).
- Twitter--briefly considered signing up, just to keep my thoughts while on the road. Glad I didn't cave though!
- Old-growth cedar forests--particularly in Oregon. Remember the scene in Field of Dreams where the players walk into the cornfield and simply disappear? The same effect must happen if you were to walk into these forests. So dark and thick...you have no idea what's back there! (keeps things pretty cool, too!)
- Speaking of cool, part of the reason I headed west was to escape the heat of MT. Instead, I ran into the hottest weekend of the summer in Portland, along with all sorts of humidity that we don't get here. Ugh...
- The humidity did provide some interesting mornings. The clouds from the coast stick around almost all morning, and the mist and fog over the lakes and rivers was downright eerie at times.
- I took alternate routes for most of this trip, rather than interstate. I highly recommend it if you don't have a time commitment to keep. One of my routes took me directly through Bigfoot's neck of the woods. Seriously, there's no question that Bigfoot exists and lives somewhere along the U.S. Highway 2 corridor of western Washington.
- Central Washington is ugly. Not South Dakota ugly, but ugly
- Tried lots of beer that I've never heard of, including a very tasty homebrew that Emmy made!
- Rush hour traffic in Portland & Seattle--pfffttt...I'm a Montana driver. No problem! Well, other than getting lost in downtown Seattle at 5:00-ish. Only because of an errant right turn in a construction area. Finally opted for heading to the area I knew best (the waterfront), but still took 45 minutes to get onto the interstate!
- Actually, the worst traffic of all was from Sandpoint to Coeur d'Alene, ID. Two lane highway on the fastest growing corridor in the northwest. Toss in a major amusement park requiring a stop light to enter, and the northbound traffic was backed up for well over three miles. Fortunately, I was headed south, but I could almost hear my father's voice, had he been caught up in that line!
- Coeur d'Alene, ID--I wrote in my FB that, while Montana may be home, CDA is my happy place. Always has been, always will be.
- While in CDA, I met up with a couple of my students from my very first years of teaching. Pizza, beer and stories. I've learned that I have selective amnesia, and that's a very good thing.
- My reason for even setting out on this trip was the Alison Krauss & Union Station concert in Sandpoint. A fantastic concert (as was expected), and I even snuck up to about 4 rows from the stage. Most impressed, though, with the volunteer corps involved at the site. I must figure out how they do it for my concert again next summer.
- Teeth Cleaning--my sister is a dental hygienist. Short story...it's been an obscenely long time since I've had my teeth cleaned (think decades). So she scheduled me for 6:30 a.m. on Tuesday. She was mildly pissed off with me. Not because it had been so long, but because I have, as she put it, "remarkably healthy teeth". There's the lesson boys and girls. Pay attention to your oral hygiene!
- Apple Store--I have to admit, I wasn't impressed. The front line workers are as knowledgeable as McDonald's front line workers. And I had to make an appointment to see someone at the Genius Bar?? No thanks. I've got a somewhat serious question regarding the newest OS, but I'll wait to see if it's fixed in the next update.
- I didn't expect to see these, but I suppose they make sense.
- I got a speeding ticket in Washington. Driving 73mph in 60mph zone is much different than driving 80 in a 75. They don't look kindly upon it.
Thursday, August 02, 2012
OsTour '12!
That's right! I'm going on the road again! Seems like the first week of August is the time to tour for me. In 2010, I was on Long Island at BTExpress' pool party. Got to meet up with some others (Shizzle, Veronica, Hubman, Minority Report) on that trip as well. Last year was my trip to see Redneck Eskimo (and the McKnobs and Lola & Jasper) in Wichita.This year, I'm driving out west. My initial reason was to catch Alison Krauss in concert. Then I figured that since I was already on the west side of the mountains, I should just continue on. I'll be meeting up with the officially-documented 50,000th visitor to my site (oh, so long ago!). I'll also be meeting up with a couple of old college friends, maybe a high school friend or two, all of my siblings (in a bizarre twist of fate), and a handful of students from my very first years of teaching! Most of whom I haven't seen in 30 YEARS! If I get a wild hair, I might even visit a foreign country!
I'll hopefully be posting a picture or two per day (no guarantees) on FB, and I'll definitely be adding to the list over there in the sidebar. It's gonna be a great time!
Friday, July 27, 2012
So how did the big concert go...?
The 'short' report--the concert went extremely well. Easily the biggest crowd since we took it over (used to include members from all the orchestras in the state). Probably close to 17K. There wasn't a cloud in the sky all day Saturday--literally. I've never seen it like that. Temps were a bit warm for my liking. Mid-90s or higher. Cooled to upper 70s as the sun went down. Fireworks were timed with the music about as perfectly as possible. I was nex to the pyro guy to cue him. Never been that close to big fireworks before. Actually got to see them in their 3D perfection. And they were directly above us. Sort of a culmination of a 55 y.o. wet dream.
That's the public perception of the concert. Personally, I'd grade it about an 82. The two things I didn't have control over were the weather and the volunteers. The weather was fine. The volunteers were lacking in numbers. Directly due to the girl that was hired to be volunteer coordinator (I had no say in it--she's the daughter of a friend of the conductor). Totally overwhelmed and unprepared. Figured she could get volunteers a week before the concert. Should have been lined up at least a month earlier. To her credit, she worked her bottom off (her volleyball shorts-clad bottom) on Saturday, and we got through it. Not sure if we'll use her again next year or not. Now that she's experienced it once, she might do better the next time. And she does have some assets, but there's also some liabilities with her too. We'll see. On the other hand, I was referred to a girl who just graduated HS to be my assistant for the weekend. No official duties--just to be a gofer, and be at my side at all times to take care of whatever might come up. Lordy, I hit the jackpot! I cannot sing her praises loud enough. She will be hired next year. Added benefit? She's a hottie! :-D
There were some other internal things that were problematic. Things that have been routine for years that went out of whack for whatever reason. Things that you can only shrug your shoulders at and hope that they get caught for next year's planning. But all of these things were things that the anal perfectionist in me didn't want to see. From the public standpoint, it was a fantastic success, and those higher up than me have said that this was the most well-run summer concert ever. So that boosted the ego. I hope they remember that when I demand twice the money next year.
The downside of being in charge is that I didn't have the time to take pictures at all. Which I'm bummed about. I did take my 35mm with me and took a couple of shots, but I still have pics with BFD on there from the first of the month, so I'm not sure when I'll finish the roll. There won't be anything earth-shattering on there anyway. But both the symphony and the college had photographers there, so you can see their pics:
Symphony photographer
College photographer
One of the great successes we had was the partnership we have with Helena Food Share. We started it three years ago when someone suggested that the public bring canned goods to hold down their blankets during the day (blankets start getting laid down 48 hrs before the concert!). The college doesn't allow stakes or rocks anymore, as they get left behind and ruin the mowers, or the stakes have punctured irrigation lines. Then Food Share collects the cans during and after the show. The first year they were totally unprepared, and got about 5,000 pounds of food. But they were happy. This year, they gathered 11,845 pounds!! That's almost SIX TONS!! We are their single largest collection event now. And talk about good PR for us!
Sometimes my spam is interesting...
Î Ïόσωπο ήταν που συνδÎεται με Îνα αντι-κυβεÏνητικών διαδηλωτών, αλλά η παÏουσία του Îχει γίνει ΣήμεÏα πεÏαιτÎÏω αντιλαϊκά όπως οι επικÏιτÎÏ‚ κατηγόÏησαν τους ηγÎτες της να βοηθήσουν για . [url=http://raybangreece.weebly.com]ray ban new wayfarer[/url] ÎÎα πεÏισσότεÏα Ï€Ïόσωπο στÏατιωτικοί διοικητÎÏ‚ Îδωσε νομοθετικÎÏ‚ εξουσίες, σωστή νÎα , Ï€Ïος βοήθεια . [url=http://raybangreece.weebly.com]ray ban greece[/url] Για Έχοντας Ï€ÏοεδÏικό διάταγμα του, είπε ο κ. ΜουÏσί αντικατάστασης μποÏεί ενδεχομÎνως να Ï€Ïαγματοποιηθεί 60 ημÎÏες μετά την του κάθε μας από το δημοψήφισμα, το ακÏιβή οÏίζ See more... ει ότι η απόφαση. http://raybangreece.weebly.com
That's the public perception of the concert. Personally, I'd grade it about an 82. The two things I didn't have control over were the weather and the volunteers. The weather was fine. The volunteers were lacking in numbers. Directly due to the girl that was hired to be volunteer coordinator (I had no say in it--she's the daughter of a friend of the conductor). Totally overwhelmed and unprepared. Figured she could get volunteers a week before the concert. Should have been lined up at least a month earlier. To her credit, she worked her bottom off (her volleyball shorts-clad bottom) on Saturday, and we got through it. Not sure if we'll use her again next year or not. Now that she's experienced it once, she might do better the next time. And she does have some assets, but there's also some liabilities with her too. We'll see. On the other hand, I was referred to a girl who just graduated HS to be my assistant for the weekend. No official duties--just to be a gofer, and be at my side at all times to take care of whatever might come up. Lordy, I hit the jackpot! I cannot sing her praises loud enough. She will be hired next year. Added benefit? She's a hottie! :-D
There were some other internal things that were problematic. Things that have been routine for years that went out of whack for whatever reason. Things that you can only shrug your shoulders at and hope that they get caught for next year's planning. But all of these things were things that the anal perfectionist in me didn't want to see. From the public standpoint, it was a fantastic success, and those higher up than me have said that this was the most well-run summer concert ever. So that boosted the ego. I hope they remember that when I demand twice the money next year.
The downside of being in charge is that I didn't have the time to take pictures at all. Which I'm bummed about. I did take my 35mm with me and took a couple of shots, but I still have pics with BFD on there from the first of the month, so I'm not sure when I'll finish the roll. There won't be anything earth-shattering on there anyway. But both the symphony and the college had photographers there, so you can see their pics:
Symphony photographer
College photographer
One of the great successes we had was the partnership we have with Helena Food Share. We started it three years ago when someone suggested that the public bring canned goods to hold down their blankets during the day (blankets start getting laid down 48 hrs before the concert!). The college doesn't allow stakes or rocks anymore, as they get left behind and ruin the mowers, or the stakes have punctured irrigation lines. Then Food Share collects the cans during and after the show. The first year they were totally unprepared, and got about 5,000 pounds of food. But they were happy. This year, they gathered 11,845 pounds!! That's almost SIX TONS!! We are their single largest collection event now. And talk about good PR for us!
Sometimes my spam is interesting...
Î Ïόσωπο ήταν που συνδÎεται με Îνα αντι-κυβεÏνητικών διαδηλωτών, αλλά η παÏουσία του Îχει γίνει ΣήμεÏα πεÏαιτÎÏω αντιλαϊκά όπως οι επικÏιτÎÏ‚ κατηγόÏησαν τους ηγÎτες της να βοηθήσουν για . [url=http://raybangreece.weebly.com]ray ban new wayfarer[/url] ÎÎα πεÏισσότεÏα Ï€Ïόσωπο στÏατιωτικοί διοικητÎÏ‚ Îδωσε νομοθετικÎÏ‚ εξουσίες, σωστή νÎα , Ï€Ïος βοήθεια . [url=http://raybangreece.weebly.com]ray ban greece[/url] Για Έχοντας Ï€ÏοεδÏικό διάταγμα του, είπε ο κ. ΜουÏσί αντικατάστασης μποÏεί ενδεχομÎνως να Ï€Ïαγματοποιηθεί 60 ημÎÏες μετά την του κάθε μας από το δημοψήφισμα, το ακÏιβή οÏίζ See more... ει ότι η απόφαση. http://raybangreece.weebly.com
Wednesday, July 18, 2012
Checking in...
Hey! I'm alive!
Concert is Saturday. (don't know if the link works for non-FBers, but go here!)
I literally only have the five minutes available to post this small post.
This has been one of the most rewarding things I've done with the Symphony, and more work than I've ever done for the organization. People are recognizing the effort, and frankly, that feels pretty good. Now if I can just get that translated into some more $$...
Hope to have some pics up next week!
(how the hell did I find the time to do HNT???)
Concert is Saturday. (don't know if the link works for non-FBers, but go here!)
I literally only have the five minutes available to post this small post.
This has been one of the most rewarding things I've done with the Symphony, and more work than I've ever done for the organization. People are recognizing the effort, and frankly, that feels pretty good. Now if I can just get that translated into some more $$...
Hope to have some pics up next week!
(how the hell did I find the time to do HNT???)
Monday, July 09, 2012
#55!
As mentioned last week, I took a little pre-4th road trip to meet up with a friend, former HNTer, and all-around hottie. Not much of a secret now, if you've been to either of our Facebook pages. It was the always lovely BFD! I'm not entirely sure why she's so shy here, but the picture on the map is of Mammoth Hot Springs in Yellowstone Park, where we first started the afternoon! Trust me, she looks great! I, on the other hand, hate having to squint...There was hiking, there was sight-seeing, there was driving, there was lots of wind, lots of sun and lots of laughs. Of course, it wasn't just her--the whole family was with her, so I got to meet her hubby and the kids. Took me back to the days of family vacations when I was a kid. Though I think my siblings and I were far less behaved... Anyhoo...it was a great break for me, and hopefully I didn't make too bad of an impression! Thanks, BFD and family!
I'm just over 10 days to the big concert. My only real concerns are getting enough volunteers (which I'm assured will be just fine), vendors (it really shouldn't be this hard to fill my last three spots), and the weather (which I have no control over, so why worry?). The weather should actually be hot and dry, which isn't so bad--just puts the fireworks up in the air (so to speak). If we don't get a few days of cool or rain, we might not get to do them. Fingers are still crossed though. The good part is that someone else makes that call (fire marshal), so I'm off the hook for blame!
The rest of the concert is shaping up to be pretty good. Go check out the FB page if you haven't been there yet!
Wish I had something more exciting to share. This concert prep has literally consumed every waking moment, which is why the trip to see BFD was so wonderful. Hopefully in a couple of weeks I'll get back into the swing of things!
Monday, July 02, 2012
Getting down to the nitty gritty...
Well, as anticipated, the balcony replacement hasn't been a quick thing. After ripping out and replacing the one above me, mine has been rendered useless with sawdust and crap and nesting materials from the birds. Oh, the birds!! I've written numerous times in the past about my slut birds. Their favorite nesting place has been inside some sort of duct that sticks out from below the balcony above me. Until about three years ago when I closed up the opening. Well, as soon as the balcony had been ripped up, they came back! Didn't even take them a day to figure out they had access again! So I'll have to take care of that again when mine gets done.
The good news is that they started ripping mine apart this morning at 8:00. Should be gone by the time I get home from work. I did find out where that duct came from. My bathroom fan. Professionally referred to as the "fart fan". In case you didn't know. Anyhoo, I doubt it'll be finished by the 4th, so I'm not sure where I'll get to fire up the grill. Certainly not in the living room, where it's at right now...
Less than three weeks until the big concert, and the shit is hitting the fan, now that we're officially in July.
Not all is high pressure and sorta bad news... I'm headed on a road trip tomorrow (Tuesday) to meet up with a dear blogger friend! And former HNTer!! I had to arrange this through her hubby, so it's nothing terribly hush-hush. Though, it felt like high school all over again. So we'll attempt to meet tomorrow (we don't know exactly where this is going down yet), and of course, there will be pics! She's going to be #55!
Since I probably won't be back here to say it...have a happy and safe 4th of July! And a belated Happy Canada Day to those of you of Canadian persuasion! Don't drink and drive!!!!
The good news is that they started ripping mine apart this morning at 8:00. Should be gone by the time I get home from work. I did find out where that duct came from. My bathroom fan. Professionally referred to as the "fart fan". In case you didn't know. Anyhoo, I doubt it'll be finished by the 4th, so I'm not sure where I'll get to fire up the grill. Certainly not in the living room, where it's at right now...
Less than three weeks until the big concert, and the shit is hitting the fan, now that we're officially in July.
- The county has imposed fire restrictions due to the weather, meaning that the fireworks permit I have might get revoked. Not the end of the world, but certainly disappointing. But here's to hoping that we get about 2-1/2 weeks of rain (ain't gonna happen though...).
- The THIRD vendor I've contacted to sell beer/wine has turned me down. How do you turn down a crowd of 15K on a hot summer day???
- I'm now beginning to get anxious about the volunteers that we need (about 100). We've got a coordinator for all that, but I haven't seen anything yet. She says she's got it handled though. I'll believe it when I see her schedule for all of them...
- I have nothing to do with the $$$ side of things, but there have been a couple of letdowns, meaning that it's going to be really tight. But it'll happen! :-)
Not all is high pressure and sorta bad news... I'm headed on a road trip tomorrow (Tuesday) to meet up with a dear blogger friend! And former HNTer!! I had to arrange this through her hubby, so it's nothing terribly hush-hush. Though, it felt like high school all over again. So we'll attempt to meet tomorrow (we don't know exactly where this is going down yet), and of course, there will be pics! She's going to be #55!
Since I probably won't be back here to say it...have a happy and safe 4th of July! And a belated Happy Canada Day to those of you of Canadian persuasion! Don't drink and drive!!!!
Sunday, June 24, 2012
Exposed!
See that lower balcony? That's mine (thank you Google Maps). Soon to be gone. It's been happening for the past few weeks, but I haven't heard anything 'official'. Until last week... Between the two apartment buildings within my complex, there's 18 different balconies. And every one of them is getting replaced. It's part of an upgrade project around here, as the entire siding around both buildings will be replaced as well. I ran into the guy who who's doing the work and asked him if all of them were going to be replaced, he broke the bad news.Why is this so bad? You've seen various pics I've posted while out on my balcony. It's carpeted, sort of, with astro-turf-like stuff. It's got solid walls, so I can sit out there buck nekkid if I want and not worry about anyone seeing me. Well, no more. The balconies are all being replaced with a wrought iron thing, and some sort of composite decking. So now everyone who walks by can look up and see what's going on. I'd much rather have them spend the money on a screen door to the balcony. Or replacing the carpet inside. Or fixing the hole in the bathroom ceiling that they haven't repaired since the leaky bathroom incident from last year...
One positive thing that will happen is that the upstairs neighbors will quit doing whatever the hell they're doing up on their balcony. I think they've got a mini-garden growing up there, and don't have a care in the world about where any extra water may go. Which is through their floor, through my ceiling, and soaking my deck to the point of unusability (is that a word?). I suppose that's the reason the balconies are all getting replaced...
Four weeks until the big concert! Things seem to be going well, but I had no idea the number of off-beat phone calls I'd be getting! The big ones I'm fearing are going to be the political campaigns. Can't blame them. They'd be fools not to take advantage of someone else's crowd of 15K. Fortunately, the I.R.S. saves me. Because the college is a non-profit organization, the I.R.S. prohibits political activity, unless ALL political views/candidates are present. The penalty is revocation of the college's non-profit status. What that means for me is that I get to tell them "no" when they call. Even more fun will be telling the ones that don't call that they can't set up any tables or booths. I can't wait!
After weeks of very pleasant temps in the mid-70s, this weekend saw the temps skyrocket. It was 98° today, and might break 100° tomorrow. I'm not a fan. Like most northerners, I don't have A/C. Won't buy it for a handful of days throughout the year. Though on a day like today, I question my sanity.
With the hot weather, we've got some forest fires started. A couple within an hour from here, due south. Nothing like Colorado is experiencing right now, but I can't help that this might be Montana's year...
For those who were wondering...OsTour this year is going to be heading west finally. Target city--Portland. From there, I'm not certain how I'll get back. Perhaps north to Seattle. Perhaps south to northern California. Maybe just the regular beeline back (such as it is). Also excited about the possibility of meeting up with someone coming here! Details if/when they get hammered out!
Friday, June 15, 2012
June
June used to be one of my favorite months. The beginning of summer. The end of school. Not too hot yet. Time to figure out how to spend the free time for the next 100 days or so. Now...? Not so much. BIL2 died in June. Dad's 79th birthday would have been today. Father's Day is, for all intents and purposes, a needless "holiday" now (certainly not ever going to be celebrated for ME!).
It's not that I have any ill will towards June. It's just not what it used to be. Instead of spending the weekend doing the family thing (Father's Day and Dad's bday have always been within days of each other), I'll probably be spending most of it in the symphony office (more on that below). I'll most likely get up and greet the sunrise on the first day of summer though. Some things will never change!
There's a very attractive younger blond who works in the billing dept. at my doctor's clinic. I have to see her about once a month for diabetic stuff. Recently she got a tattoo on the outside of her left arm in a pretty script - "Imperfection is beauty". I told her it looked great, though if it had been misspelled...
Bought my ticket for a concert in August, which will be just in time for my decompression from the big summer concert. It's also the impetus for a new OsTour! No details yet, but I'll be sure to share when things get shaped up!
Speaking of the big summer concert...things are rolling along fairly smoothly so far. I've gotten most of the bridges burned in the past rebuilt. We've got a Grammy Award-winning guest artist joining us. All is good (but a lot of work!). The bumps in the road are the responsibility of others, such as getting the musicians, housing, pressuring donors, etc. My biggest obstacle right now is finding a vendor who wants to sell beer/wine at this thing. With an estimated crowd of 12-15,000, you'd think that someone would jump at the chance! And my biggest concern is something I have no control over -- the weather. So I'm trying not to think about that too much.
The current Pandora station I'm listening to at work is "Western Swing". The really old twangy country stuff from the 40s, 50s and 60s. Yet another music genre that I've had no real appreciation for. Some of it doesn't sound much different than the jazz recordings of the day. I'm certain that in a recent prior life, I must have lived in Nashville. Damn, I do love that town!
It's not that I have any ill will towards June. It's just not what it used to be. Instead of spending the weekend doing the family thing (Father's Day and Dad's bday have always been within days of each other), I'll probably be spending most of it in the symphony office (more on that below). I'll most likely get up and greet the sunrise on the first day of summer though. Some things will never change!
There's a very attractive younger blond who works in the billing dept. at my doctor's clinic. I have to see her about once a month for diabetic stuff. Recently she got a tattoo on the outside of her left arm in a pretty script - "Imperfection is beauty". I told her it looked great, though if it had been misspelled...
Bought my ticket for a concert in August, which will be just in time for my decompression from the big summer concert. It's also the impetus for a new OsTour! No details yet, but I'll be sure to share when things get shaped up!
Speaking of the big summer concert...things are rolling along fairly smoothly so far. I've gotten most of the bridges burned in the past rebuilt. We've got a Grammy Award-winning guest artist joining us. All is good (but a lot of work!). The bumps in the road are the responsibility of others, such as getting the musicians, housing, pressuring donors, etc. My biggest obstacle right now is finding a vendor who wants to sell beer/wine at this thing. With an estimated crowd of 12-15,000, you'd think that someone would jump at the chance! And my biggest concern is something I have no control over -- the weather. So I'm trying not to think about that too much.
The current Pandora station I'm listening to at work is "Western Swing". The really old twangy country stuff from the 40s, 50s and 60s. Yet another music genre that I've had no real appreciation for. Some of it doesn't sound much different than the jazz recordings of the day. I'm certain that in a recent prior life, I must have lived in Nashville. Damn, I do love that town!
Monday, June 04, 2012
Mel and Carl
I hope that when I'm their age, I have someone I can hug
with as much love as these two obviously have for each other...
I don't generally have any use for Tumblr (though there's one new site...),
but I've had this one on my list for awhile.
with as much love as these two obviously have for each other...
I don't generally have any use for Tumblr (though there's one new site...),
but I've had this one on my list for awhile.
Sunday, June 03, 2012
Why, Hello There!
I'm not even sure where to start... It's been almost three weeks since my last post. Then again, I'm sure you've noticed that. Don't really have a good reason for you. Yes, I've been busy like I haven't been in a long time. I'm finding myself in front of a computer doing symphony work for 10-12 hours/day, and frankly, spending another 60 minutes trying to come up with a post just doesn't appeal to me (because, you know me...I can't write just a sentence or two). I've neglected FB in much the same manner. And emails--well, I try to keep up with those. But I have been lurking, so I still feel like I'm sort of a part of things...
I'll continue on with bullets, 'cuz I loves me the bullets!
I'll continue on with bullets, 'cuz I loves me the bullets!
- Interestingly, the traffic TO my blog has been fairly steady and consistent. I guess people still want to see if I'm alive!
- Also somewhat interesting...the amount of spam comments has greatly increased. Where I used to maybe get 3 per day, I'm now getting almost 20 per day. Don't know if that is a result of my inactivity here or what...
- As mentioned for the past couple of months, I've been b-u-s-y! At the moment, it's working the production for the summer concert. In the past, I've just been involved in the regular concert production part of things. This year, I'm the top dog. And I LOVE it! I'm really in my element. I've even had the administration at the college mention that I've gotten more done by April 30th than any of my predecessors had done by JUNE 30th. After doing this for 13 years, I think they've finally figured out that I should have been in this position years ago. Now if I can just parlay that into a healthy pay increase...
- If you want to see what I'm up to, go check www.facebook.com/symphonyunderthestars. And be sure to 'like' it, too!
- Let's see...what else. Oh, while most of you were at the beach or otherwise enjoying your Memorial Day weekend, we had SNOW on Friday night. SNOW! That actually stayed on the ground! The rest of the weekend was spend under a Winter Weather Advisory. In my neck of the woods, that meant wind, rain and not a ray of sunshine. Still hasn't really gotten sunny yet, either. :-/
- Did you watch Hatfields & McCoys last week? Not quite as good as Lonesome Dove, as far as mini-series go, but it was still pretty damned good! I've got too many friends who are from the hillbilly vicinity to make generalizations, but it sort of answered some questions!
- Oh, my Griz are in the news. They've been there for most of this spring, but it just gets worse. For those who don't remember, the head football coach and the school's athletic director were unexpectedly fired a couple of months ago. Officially, there's still no word as to why such action was taken, but it's assumed that it has to do with the number of sexual assault accusations at members of the team, and some possible cover-up or other 'bending' of laws, whether it's reporting, or assisting the accused with legal counsel (which none of them could possibly afford). Now the University, the athletic dept., and even the police dept. of Missoula are under investigation. The Justice Dept., the Dept. of Education, and the NCAA all have investigations going on at the same time. Lots of speculation, but none of them are actually coming out to say who or what's being investigated. In the meantime, Missoula was given the nickname "Rape Capital of America". Now the entire city is under this cloud. Of course, there's problems that exist, but from what I've read by a variety of writers, it's not much different than what's found in other college towns of the same size (disclaimer: I'm not defending it...just curious as to why Missoula 'earned' this distinction). Anyhoo, GO GRIZ!
Tuesday, May 15, 2012
End of Season
This year's symphony season has come to an end. And what an end it was!
Mahler's Symphony No. 8. The "Symphony of a Thousand". The "Thousand" referring to the number of musicians intended to perform it. Though it's generally done with between 300-500. We split that down the middle with 400 -- 300 singers/100 instrumentalists. It's one of those pieces that's done so rarely that many performers consider it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And indeed, of the 300 singers, only 4 had ever performed it before.
It was a logistics nightmare, needing to house/feed over 200 singers and transport them here from Pocatello and Salt Lake City. And also be aware of cat allergies, dietary concerns, physical disabilities, etc... Fortunately, I didn't have to be involved in those areas. I'm not certain I would have survived it. My area of expertise was the physical production of it all. Where to put all those performers, setting up rehearsal areas as well as the performance hall, and making sure that everyone had everything they needed at the time they needed it.
The guests from out of town made numerous mentions about how smoothly things were running. They couldn't believe that all the glitches that could've/should've happened, didn't. Which reflected directly on me and my colleagues who organized everything. I, the devil's advocate, tried to anticipate everything that could go wrong and have a plan for dealing with it. In the end, we didn't need it. People realized that they were part of a huge undertaking and were duly patient, quiet and obedient. Even when they were being led like a bunch of 3rd graders from the warm-up area to their seats in the auditorium. You can either lead them like kids or let them fend for themselves to get there. Only one way will accomplish the task in an orderly, timely manner! But there were some things I missed. Like parking at the church where the chorus had separate rehearsals. Silly me--I figured the parking lots of the two adjacent churches would have worked just fine, but the locals feel that if you can't legally park right at the front door, they'll ignore any posted "No Parking" signs to do so. And we had some...how to put this..."larger" individuals who literally could not fit into the chairs in the auditorium. Could.not.sit.in.the.seats. Of course, there's no way I could have anticipated this without asking the visitors if any of their singers were greatly obese, which might have put them off.... But we actually worked a way around it, and all was just fine.
Oh, there was the playing I had to do, too! While this isn't the most difficult piece for the trombones, there's a lot of music, a lot of rests, and a lot of players. The only glitch for me was that the 4th bassoonist accidentally took my music home with her Friday night, and was on call (radiologist) for Saturday morning's rehearsal, so I had no music, and no idea where it went. Amazingly, there was a way to deal with that as well! The concert was totally sold out--I'm not sure there was an empty seat out of 1800. It was a great performance, and the accolades have been coming in since the last cut-off. I don't know if it was as life-changing as others found it, but it was really fun to play!! You can see a slideshow of pics here. Be sure to check out #76!
So now the season is over, and we don't start up again until September.
Except for the summer concert. Which will be taking up every bit of spare time I might have between now and the end of July. Wish me luck!
Mahler's Symphony No. 8. The "Symphony of a Thousand". The "Thousand" referring to the number of musicians intended to perform it. Though it's generally done with between 300-500. We split that down the middle with 400 -- 300 singers/100 instrumentalists. It's one of those pieces that's done so rarely that many performers consider it a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. And indeed, of the 300 singers, only 4 had ever performed it before.
It was a logistics nightmare, needing to house/feed over 200 singers and transport them here from Pocatello and Salt Lake City. And also be aware of cat allergies, dietary concerns, physical disabilities, etc... Fortunately, I didn't have to be involved in those areas. I'm not certain I would have survived it. My area of expertise was the physical production of it all. Where to put all those performers, setting up rehearsal areas as well as the performance hall, and making sure that everyone had everything they needed at the time they needed it.
The guests from out of town made numerous mentions about how smoothly things were running. They couldn't believe that all the glitches that could've/should've happened, didn't. Which reflected directly on me and my colleagues who organized everything. I, the devil's advocate, tried to anticipate everything that could go wrong and have a plan for dealing with it. In the end, we didn't need it. People realized that they were part of a huge undertaking and were duly patient, quiet and obedient. Even when they were being led like a bunch of 3rd graders from the warm-up area to their seats in the auditorium. You can either lead them like kids or let them fend for themselves to get there. Only one way will accomplish the task in an orderly, timely manner! But there were some things I missed. Like parking at the church where the chorus had separate rehearsals. Silly me--I figured the parking lots of the two adjacent churches would have worked just fine, but the locals feel that if you can't legally park right at the front door, they'll ignore any posted "No Parking" signs to do so. And we had some...how to put this..."larger" individuals who literally could not fit into the chairs in the auditorium. Could.not.sit.in.the.seats. Of course, there's no way I could have anticipated this without asking the visitors if any of their singers were greatly obese, which might have put them off.... But we actually worked a way around it, and all was just fine.
Oh, there was the playing I had to do, too! While this isn't the most difficult piece for the trombones, there's a lot of music, a lot of rests, and a lot of players. The only glitch for me was that the 4th bassoonist accidentally took my music home with her Friday night, and was on call (radiologist) for Saturday morning's rehearsal, so I had no music, and no idea where it went. Amazingly, there was a way to deal with that as well! The concert was totally sold out--I'm not sure there was an empty seat out of 1800. It was a great performance, and the accolades have been coming in since the last cut-off. I don't know if it was as life-changing as others found it, but it was really fun to play!! You can see a slideshow of pics here. Be sure to check out #76!
So now the season is over, and we don't start up again until September.
Except for the summer concert. Which will be taking up every bit of spare time I might have between now and the end of July. Wish me luck!
Friday, May 04, 2012
Grrr....
Oh, hell's no!
This "new" Blogger format can kiss my fat white ass! I just spent over an hour writing a post (about time, and how I don't have any), and it just up and disappeared. No warning or anything. Fckrs.
Ooh! There's a little gear thingy over on the right that allows me to go back to the old interface. Woohoo! Still...I wish it hadn't eaten my other post.
So... instead of getting to read me waxing poetic (and it really was a good post), you'll get the Reader's Digest version.
Big concert next weekend. Four hundred musicians. Eight hour days at the symphony office (after my day job). But I'm prepared, and thanking the good Lord I work with inanimate objects, and not the flaky musicians that others get to deal with. On top of this, I'm also the project manager for the big summer concert. So I'm working on two huge concerts at the same time (and trying to keep them straight...). Which means more 8 hour days in the office. Through mid-July. But I'll quote one of the college's administrator's comment to the symphony staff about the summer concert:
Sorry you don't get to see the original post. No time to rewrite it. Might touch on some of it when I do get the time. In the meantime, Happy Star Wars Day!
This "new" Blogger format can kiss my fat white ass! I just spent over an hour writing a post (about time, and how I don't have any), and it just up and disappeared. No warning or anything. Fckrs.
Ooh! There's a little gear thingy over on the right that allows me to go back to the old interface. Woohoo! Still...I wish it hadn't eaten my other post.
So... instead of getting to read me waxing poetic (and it really was a good post), you'll get the Reader's Digest version.
Big concert next weekend. Four hundred musicians. Eight hour days at the symphony office (after my day job). But I'm prepared, and thanking the good Lord I work with inanimate objects, and not the flaky musicians that others get to deal with. On top of this, I'm also the project manager for the big summer concert. So I'm working on two huge concerts at the same time (and trying to keep them straight...). Which means more 8 hour days in the office. Through mid-July. But I'll quote one of the college's administrator's comment to the symphony staff about the summer concert:
"We had a great meeting with Scott yesterday. In all the years that we have been doing this, Scott has done more by April 30 than most of his predecessors have done by June 30. We are pleased to work with him. He is doing a great job."It's the little things like that which will keep me going in.
Sorry you don't get to see the original post. No time to rewrite it. Might touch on some of it when I do get the time. In the meantime, Happy Star Wars Day!
Sunday, April 22, 2012
Excitement In da 'Hood!
Hmmm...apparently Blogger made good with their threat to switch over to their new format. For many of you, that happened long ago. But for me, I refuse to switch to a new format if the old one is working just fine. Unless they force it on me. We'll see if this is the final nail in my blogging coffin. When FB finally forces the new timeline on me, I might go offline altogether! (I suspect not, but I had to go for the dramatic!)
Excitement in the 'hood last week! At about 10:00 PM, the fire alarm right outside my door went off. As all good alarms do, it made a very nasty racket, but even more so, since it was right by my door. I've learned over the years that when the alarm goes off, there's something wrong, and it's usually not a fire or smoke. So I do nothing. After about 5 minutes, it dawns on me that there's no one in the building who's going to turn the thing off. The couple who managed the building moved out two months ago. So I head outside to see if anyone else made it out there, and to wait for the fire department. After another five minutes, I call 911 because if the fire department was going to come, they'd have been there by now. Sure enough, they knew nothing about the alarm. Apparently, it's not hooked up to their system (wth???). But everyone had to leave the building while we waited.
It's only events like this where I actually see who my neighbors are. And dear Lord, when did this place become White Trash Central??? With the exception of the guy next door (who's about 50), I don't think there was another person above the age of 30 around. In fact, in most cases, if you added the ages of everyone living in an apartment (man, woman, 2 kids), their ages wouldn't combine to even meet mine. And I use the terms "man" and "woman" loosely. I hate to stereotype (oh hell, who am I kidding?), but there wasn't a single male that looked like he had a job higher than asst. mgr at McD's. I don't think any of the mothers had a job (too young), and probably hadn't finished high school. There were at least two sets of parents/kids who looked like they didn't actually pay rent here, as they both came out with two suitcases each and high-tailed it to their cars. I remember the old days, when there weren't more than two or three kids in the entire building. Now they're all over the place!
Anyhoo...the fire department finally shows, and asks where the fire was... Someone in the basement level had apparently burned dinner. So the firemen get the alarm turned off, and the little girl who burned dinner looked like she thought she was going to be arrested or something, and we all finally got to get back into our own places. Still wondering how long all this would have gone on if I hadn't called though...
Finally had some bday beers with my high school buds. The three of us try to get together for each of our birthdays, drink beer, play keno, and catch up with each other. These are the same ladies I've posted about in the past. And just like those times, I'm not the oldest of the three. :-)
We sucked at keno, did well at the beer drinking, and pretty good with the catching up. And I should probably note that both of them are squeezing my butt in this picture!
While I hear that the Northeast might be getting all sorts of snow tonight, we get to look forward to temps in at least the mid-80s. It's about time!
I had an interesting story about Rick Santorum to share, but now that he's out of the race, it seems irrelevant.
Do you ever get sucked into the SyFy Channel when they start showing the ultra-low budget disaster movies? "Alien Tornado". "Stonehenge Apocalypse". "Space Twister". Ad nauseum... Movies that appear to be made by film students working on their senior project. Special effects that, 30 years ago, might have looked pretty good. And the actors are either low-budget disaster movie regulars or someone who used to have a career, but hasn't worked in a decade and needs rent money. Ultimately, some major landmark or building gets destroyed by a rogue asteroid or nasty gust of wind. Last week it was the Space Needle. In general, I like SyFy's programming. But do they have to use this crap as filler??
I think this will be the last of my Pomplamoose video posts. If you've listened to/watched them, you know where to find the rest of them now. I am SO glad I found them! I leave you with a repost of my current favorite...
Excitement in the 'hood last week! At about 10:00 PM, the fire alarm right outside my door went off. As all good alarms do, it made a very nasty racket, but even more so, since it was right by my door. I've learned over the years that when the alarm goes off, there's something wrong, and it's usually not a fire or smoke. So I do nothing. After about 5 minutes, it dawns on me that there's no one in the building who's going to turn the thing off. The couple who managed the building moved out two months ago. So I head outside to see if anyone else made it out there, and to wait for the fire department. After another five minutes, I call 911 because if the fire department was going to come, they'd have been there by now. Sure enough, they knew nothing about the alarm. Apparently, it's not hooked up to their system (wth???). But everyone had to leave the building while we waited.
It's only events like this where I actually see who my neighbors are. And dear Lord, when did this place become White Trash Central??? With the exception of the guy next door (who's about 50), I don't think there was another person above the age of 30 around. In fact, in most cases, if you added the ages of everyone living in an apartment (man, woman, 2 kids), their ages wouldn't combine to even meet mine. And I use the terms "man" and "woman" loosely. I hate to stereotype (oh hell, who am I kidding?), but there wasn't a single male that looked like he had a job higher than asst. mgr at McD's. I don't think any of the mothers had a job (too young), and probably hadn't finished high school. There were at least two sets of parents/kids who looked like they didn't actually pay rent here, as they both came out with two suitcases each and high-tailed it to their cars. I remember the old days, when there weren't more than two or three kids in the entire building. Now they're all over the place!
Anyhoo...the fire department finally shows, and asks where the fire was... Someone in the basement level had apparently burned dinner. So the firemen get the alarm turned off, and the little girl who burned dinner looked like she thought she was going to be arrested or something, and we all finally got to get back into our own places. Still wondering how long all this would have gone on if I hadn't called though...
Finally had some bday beers with my high school buds. The three of us try to get together for each of our birthdays, drink beer, play keno, and catch up with each other. These are the same ladies I've posted about in the past. And just like those times, I'm not the oldest of the three. :-)We sucked at keno, did well at the beer drinking, and pretty good with the catching up. And I should probably note that both of them are squeezing my butt in this picture!
While I hear that the Northeast might be getting all sorts of snow tonight, we get to look forward to temps in at least the mid-80s. It's about time!
I had an interesting story about Rick Santorum to share, but now that he's out of the race, it seems irrelevant.
Do you ever get sucked into the SyFy Channel when they start showing the ultra-low budget disaster movies? "Alien Tornado". "Stonehenge Apocalypse". "Space Twister". Ad nauseum... Movies that appear to be made by film students working on their senior project. Special effects that, 30 years ago, might have looked pretty good. And the actors are either low-budget disaster movie regulars or someone who used to have a career, but hasn't worked in a decade and needs rent money. Ultimately, some major landmark or building gets destroyed by a rogue asteroid or nasty gust of wind. Last week it was the Space Needle. In general, I like SyFy's programming. But do they have to use this crap as filler??
I think this will be the last of my Pomplamoose video posts. If you've listened to/watched them, you know where to find the rest of them now. I am SO glad I found them! I leave you with a repost of my current favorite...
Monday, April 16, 2012
I'm 55, and Still Alive!
So. I'm now 55 years old. Gotta tell you...it doesn't feel a whole lot different! I spent the weekend doing a massive spring cleaning of my back room. It's actually the bigger of the two bedrooms here, but for years it's been the storage room. While I'm not what I'd consider a hoarder, there's just some things that I've hung on to for far too long. It was good to go through the junk and do some reminiscing, then junking most of it. I had every monthly phone bill since the fall of 1979. Don't ask me why. Years worth of bank statements. Various utility bills. Also tossed out a non-functioning electric piano, a broken executive chair, a large TV...and I still don't have room back there! It's still a work in progress, but it's far cleaner than it used to be!Did the bday dinner with all the family that was in town. Spent about an hour watching a tape that was given to my sister to transfer to DVD. It was a transfer of a 16mm film taken in 1949-1951 of my grandfather and his friends. They started a golf tournament back then which was the first tournament of the season at the country club. Amazingly, it's still going today! Whoever transferred the film to tape added some tasty big band music, and my grandfather added typewritten comments (just like silent movies!). He was smart enough to include the names of the players as they were teeing off, and I was amazed to actually recognize some of them from my childhood memories. But the best part was watching my mom's face every time my grandfather appeared. My grandfather was an incredibly handsome man, and was in his late 30s in these shots--the height of his good looks.
What was the most fun was to watch this group of men as they had their swings saved for posterity. Because this group of guys knew how to party! Prior to heading to the golf course, they met at my grandfather's for breakfast and "Moose Milk". The recipe which is sort of secret--let's just say that it was more booze than milk! Then there was the constant drinking while on the course. Some of these guys obviously had more Moose Milk than others! There wasn't a female to be seen in any of the footage (other than the pin-up girl on the back of one guy's Hawaiian shirt...). Mom, who was a young teenager at the time, told us that on Moose Milk weekend, her mom and sister and herself were to find somewhere else to spend the weekend. All sorts of secrecy involved in the old days! It was good to see that my partying ways of my youth were inherited!
I promised last week to post a list of places that offer discounts for 55+ customers. Couldn't find the original list, but thanks to the power of Google, I found another one. I've whittled it down to the ones that start at 55 (some don't kick in until 60). Some of these aren't found around here, but it's nice to know about!
RestaurantsI'll let you know how this all pans out!
● Arby’s: 10% off (55+)
● Chick-Fil-A: 10% off or free small drink or coffee (55+)
● Chili’s: 10% off (55+)
● Denny’s: 10% off, 20% off for AARP members (55+)
● Dunkin’ Donuts: 10% off or free coffee (55+)
● Fuddrucker’s: 10% off any senior platter (55+)
● IHOP: 10% off (55+)
● Jack in the Box: up to 20% off (55+)
● KFC: free small drink with any meal (55+)
● Krispy Kreme: 10% off (50+)
● Long John Silver’s: various discounts at participating locations (55+)
● McDonald’s: discounts on coffee everyday (55+)
● Mrs. Fields: 10% off at participating locations (60+)
● Steak ‘n Shake: 10% off every Monday & Tuesday (50+)
● TCBY: 10% off (55+)
● Wendy’s: 10% off (55+)
Retail and Apparel
● Banana Republic: 10% off (50+)
● Bealls: 20% off first Tuesday of each month (50+)
● Belk’s: 15% off first Tuesday of every month (55+)
● Bon-Ton Department Stores: 15% off on senior discount days (55+)
● Dress Barn: 10% off (55+)
● Goodwill: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)
● Hallmark: 10% off one day a week (date varies by location)
● Modell’s Sporting Goods: 10% off
● Rite Aid: 10% off on Tuesdays & 10% off prescriptions
● Ross Stores: 10% off every Tuesday (55+)
● The Salvation Army Thrift Stores: up to 50% off (55+)
● Stein Mart: 20% off red dot/clearance items first Monday of every month (55+)
Grocery
● Albertson’s: 10% off first Wednesday of each month (55+)
● American Discount Stores: 10% off every Monday (50+)
● Fry’s Supermarket: free Fry’s VIP Club Membership & 10% off every Monday (55+)
● Hy-Vee: 5% off one day a week (date varies by location)
● Kroger: 10% off (date varies by location)
● The Plant Shed: 10% off every Tuesday (50+)
Travel
● Alamo: up to 25% off for AARP members
●Avis: up to 25% off for AARP members
● Best Western: 10% off (55+)
● Budget Rental Cars: 10% off; up to 20% off for AARP members (50+)
● Dollar Rent-A-Car: 10% off (50+)
● Enterprise Rent-A-Car: 5% off for AARP members
● Hampton Inns & Suites: 10% off when booked 72 hours in advance
● Hertz: up t0 25% off for AARP members
● Mainstay Suites: 10% off with Mature Traveler’s Discount (50+); 20%-30% off (60+)
● Myrtle Beach Resort: 10% off (55+)
● National Rent-A-Car: up to 30% off for AARP members
● Trailways Transportation System: various discounts for ages 50 and up
Activities & Entertainment
● AMC Theaters: up to 30% off (55+)
● Busch Gardens Tampa: $3 off one-day tickets (50+)
● Cinemark/Century Theaters: up to 35% off
● Regal Cinemas: 30% off
● Ripley’s Believe it or Not: @ off one-day ticket (55+)
● SeaWorld Orlando: $3 off one-day tickets (50+)
Cell Phone Discounts
● Jitterbug: $10/month cell phone service (50+)
Since many senior discounts are not advertised to the public, our advice to men and women over 55 is to ALWAYS ask a sales associate if that store provides a senior discount. Also, please note that some senior discounts vary by region. That way, you can be sure to get the most bang for your buck.
And to end this post, I continue on with more Pomplamoose! In French!
Thursday, April 12, 2012
It's been a year...
I couldn't really let the day go by without marking this...
Having all sorts of fun with symphony < /sarcasm>. In the span of 10 days, we've lost 3 major staff members without warning. Our executive director, the box office manager, and the money person for the summer concert. Where this most affects me is the summer concert. She and I split the position of project manager, where I took care of the logistical/production end of things, and she did the schmoozing/begging/fundraising/marketing end. I suspect that I'll end up picking up the marketing, but I have a proven record that I don't play well with living human beings. I'm fairly certain, however, that any free time I thought I might have has disappeared until the end of July...
I turn 55 on Sunday. I've had AARP (American Association of Retired Persons, for those not familiar) sending me stuff since I was 48, but I've pretty much ignored it. I think there's an ego thing involved. I wasn't retired. I wasn't old. I certainly don't act old! But now, things are different. When you hit that magic number of "55", all sorts of 'senior' discounts kick in. It was a magnificent list of hidden perks at a wide variety of retail places and restaurants. I'll try to find that list and post it. I think I'm going to embrace this age! At least until my arthritis starts acting up...
Enjoy your Friday the 13th tomorrow. Hope you avoid any bad luck!
Having all sorts of fun with symphony < /sarcasm>. In the span of 10 days, we've lost 3 major staff members without warning. Our executive director, the box office manager, and the money person for the summer concert. Where this most affects me is the summer concert. She and I split the position of project manager, where I took care of the logistical/production end of things, and she did the schmoozing/begging/fundraising/marketing end. I suspect that I'll end up picking up the marketing, but I have a proven record that I don't play well with living human beings. I'm fairly certain, however, that any free time I thought I might have has disappeared until the end of July...
I turn 55 on Sunday. I've had AARP (American Association of Retired Persons, for those not familiar) sending me stuff since I was 48, but I've pretty much ignored it. I think there's an ego thing involved. I wasn't retired. I wasn't old. I certainly don't act old! But now, things are different. When you hit that magic number of "55", all sorts of 'senior' discounts kick in. It was a magnificent list of hidden perks at a wide variety of retail places and restaurants. I'll try to find that list and post it. I think I'm going to embrace this age! At least until my arthritis starts acting up...
Enjoy your Friday the 13th tomorrow. Hope you avoid any bad luck!
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