All I'm Saying...

Song! Challenge! Special! Winter! Edition!

2011-02-05T19:00:00.001-05:00

Friends, it’s well and truly winter in Central Indiana. After the thorough IceWhoopin’ we got earlier in the week, we received another 3 or 4 inches of snow just today!

In honor of all of us who’ve taken a spill while shoveling the driveway and to celebrate those of you who’ve had the good sense to just stay inside today, here’s a winter-themed Song! Challenge!

And whether you’re in a part of the country that’s as deep in the white stuff as we are or you’re wearing shorts and sandals today, you can win today’s prize -- $10 in cash. Cold, hard cash.

In this week’s Song! Challenge!, all the songs contain cold-weather-related words or refer to winter in some way. To enter, just submit a comment with your guesses for all 14 song titles. (We don’t need artists this time around.) Oh, and just to make it a bit more difficult, all the song clips are backwards this time!

The deadline for entries is Sunday, February 6, 2011, at 7:00pm EST.

Good luck, and stay warm!

How To Play

Your task is to identify all 14 clips -- TITLE OF SONG ONLY -- in this week's Challenge!. Some extra information for this week's game:

* Three TV theme songs this week.
* Clips are numbered, to make it easier for you to keep track of which ones you're stuck on.
* Each clip is worth one point.
* I will hold all entries until the deadline and wait to post them until after the 7pm EST Sunday deadline.

The Rules

Your job is to enter your song guesses for all 14 clips (TITLE OF SONG ONLY) as a single comment here on the blog. Standard rules apply: Judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah. Again, I'll be counting minor misspellings and other tiny inaccuracies as correct, as long as you're mostly right.

You can submit your comment-entry starting at 7:00pm EST tonight, but I won't be approving any comments until after the Sunday evening deadline. No help from other entries this time around. The deadline for all entries is Sunday evening at 7:00pm EST.

You may enter as often as you like -- but each comment/entry will be counted independent of your other entries; so if you get a question right in one entry but wrong in another, it only counts as correct in the one you got it right in. (Got that?) If you're reading this on Facebook, go to the blog: http://sssemester.blogspot.com to hear the quiz and enter your comment/entry.

The Grand Prize

The first person to correctly identify all the clips in a single entry -- or the person with the most points by 7:00PM EST ON SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 6 -- will win $10 in cold, hard cash, sponsored by me.

And hey! If you're cool and would like to participate as a prize sponsor by donating a prize valued at $10 or more, please e-mail me at SSSemester (at) yahoo (dot) com.

Readysetgo by clicking the player below:

Song! Challenge! Returns Tonight!

2011-02-05T16:16:00.002-05:00

Hey, so... I know it's been over two months since my last blog post. I've missed you, too.

And now, I have news...

Now, I'm not saying I'm hopping back into things... BUT!

In honor of the fresh winter hell we're dealing with, I'm posting a special Song! Challenge! Winter! Edition! this evening at 7:00pm.

You'll want to be there. You can win $10 cold, hard cash! (Get it?! "Cold" hard cash...?)

OK, see you back here tonight!

30 Days of Truth: XII

2010-11-30T22:34:00.003-05:00

Background on the 30 Days of Truth series here.

Day the Twelfth: Something people never compliment you on.

I think I am an excellent driver -- able to drive safely and defensively, efficiently and quickly -- but I don't think I have ever received a compliment on my driving.

*single tear* *sniff* (Just kidding.)

30 Days of Truth: XI

2010-11-30T19:57:00.002-05:00

Background on the 30 Days of Truth series here.

Day the Eleventh: Something people seem to compliment you the most on.

As someone who generally discounts positive feedback as uninformed or misguided, I have trouble thinking of an answer for this one off the top of my head. (Do not read that as "People compliment me on so many things, I can't pick one!" Rather, read that as "I tend not to believe compliments and, while I do appreciate them, I do soon forget them.")

This is pretty good and has gotten a lot of compliments since it went on display last week.

This, while not exactly "good," strictly speaking, brought some good feedback when performed live at Family Fuel last month.

And since I kind of had trouble with this one, I peeked at what other people had said for their Day 11 Thing -- a lot of people said they get compliments on physical traits: their smile, their eyes, their hair. So I'll say physically, it's typically my speaking voice that gets the most compliments. Unless I'm very angry. (You wouldn't like me when I'm angry, Mr. McGee.) I get feedback that the folks I talk to on the phone at work appreciate my phone style, also.

So, there it is, I guess.

Did you know there are multiple verses to the "Baywatch" theme song?

2010-11-30T10:05:00.001-05:00

Well, there are. Feast your ears on this:

30 Days of Truth: X

2010-11-30T09:47:00.002-05:00

Background on the 30 Days of Truth series here.

Day the Tenth: Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.

See, it's getting to the point where all the 30 Dayses of Truths are doing is pointing out how weird I am.

Because, as of Spring 2009 at least, I don't think I'm hanging on to anyone that I need to let go or wish I didn't know. There are certainly experiences that I need to let go, but I can't think of any relationships I'm in that I wish didn't exist.

When things like this do come up, either in friendships or work or volunteer experiences, I pretty much give up on them, and either passively or passive-aggressively let them go.

I imagine there are healthier ways to cope with stuff like that, but I never claimed to be the healthiest.

30 Days of Truth: IX

2010-11-29T07:44:00.003-05:00

Background on the 30 Days of Truth series here.

Day the Ninth: Someone you didn't want to let go, but just drifted

Oh, hello. Did you notice that I was gone for almost three weeks? You probably didn't. Either that, or you've been hanging on my every word, waiting -- no, longing -- for the day I would return to this series. Well, either way, today is your lucky day! Both of you, my regular readers, will be glad to know that I'm back in the swing of things and will be posting to this series again on a daily basis until it's all done! Here goes...

See, part of the problem with me (and probably the problem which led me to procrastinate on this one) is that I do not really dwell on the past, at least where other people are involved. I feel like there are people that I miss now, but Futuristic Optimist Me believes that I'll run into them again, or that there will be time for us to reunite at some point in the future. So, the people who have drifted away (old friends, old coworkers, etc)? I imagine they haven't drifted away forever, even though some (most?) of them have.

The other part of this one, for me, is that there's almost nobody in the world, outside of my immediate family, that I don't get sick of after about three days. In fact, when I would travel with friends every summer to one of their family's beach homes, we always knew that by the third or fourth day, I would be ready for a Scott Alone Adventure, which would entail me walking to a theater for a movie alone or hiding out for a while in the church across the street from the condo or hanging out in the condo solo while everyone else went to the beach. So, in the language of the question, "Someone you didn't want to let go..." -- I pretty much want to let everyone go after three consecutive days with them.

Waxing philosophical, I would echo my Day VIII answer -- myself. My younger self that was, I think, a stronger and more effective leader and a better planner/doer and a better role model and an overall happier person. Like, Junior Year At IU Me. I'm disappointed that Junior Year At IU Me has drifted away.

30 Days of Truth: VIII

2010-11-10T23:20:00.001-05:00

Background on the 30 Days of Truth series here.

Day the Eighth: Someone who has made your life hell, or treated you like crap

Hmm. I could say the Day Four guy(s). But I don't think I will.

Because when it comes down to it, I'd have to go with "me." (As inner self-monologues go, I'm pretty vicious.)

I believe with every fiber of my being that my decision to allow my life to feel like hell is just that -- my decision. In the times of my life when I've felt trapped, stuck, tortured, or otherwise screwed, it has, without exception, been a product of my own choices and a result of my own frame of mind.

But this also empowers me to claim my own happiness and embrace the times when I feel empowered, loved, self-actualized, or otherwise peachy.

That's a choice, too.

Sara Groves - Free Music Download, For Real!

2010-11-09T23:05:00.003-05:00

Contemporary Christian recording artist Sara Groves has released a live recording of her "O Holy Night" Tour -- a concert she and her band performed in an Illinois women's prison.

You can get it free -- it's really good -- by clicking here or clicking the image below.

30 Days of Truth: VII

2010-11-09T10:40:00.002-05:00

Background on the 30 Days of Truth series here.

Day the Seventh: Someone who has made your life worth living for

I think I would answer my family for this one -- my mom and dad and brother, and now my brother's family: his wife and three beautiful kids. I know that seems cheesy, but even with all my great friends whom I love and adore, I keep coming back to my family.

My dad is the most dadly dad out there, and he's taught me so much.

My mom is the most momly mom out there, and she's loved me no matter what.

My brother is always there when I need him, and he can always make me laugh.

My sister-in-law does such an awesome job of keeping me grounded, and she reminds me of what's really important in life.

My niece Madelynn wows me and awes me and humbles me with her intelligent observations and questions, and with the way she can entertain herself when needed.

My nephew Owen is also a quick learner and a fearless explorer whose strength and focus impress me. I also laugh whenever he eats something and instantly says, "Mmmm!"

My niece Ellie (brand new about 7 weeks ago) (whom, Grandma reminds me, I haven't really blogged about, although I have tweeted about her) encourages me to be hopeful for the future and grateful for all the many gifts that I've received.

Learning, loving, laughing, remembering, humbling, exploring, and hoping -- all things that are pretty much what I think is worth living for.

30 Days of Truth: VI

2010-11-09T08:51:00.003-05:00

Background on the 30 Days of Truth series here.

Day the Sixth: Something you hope you never have to do in your life

So, now it's 9:00 on Day Seven and I'm just posting Day Six. Whatever, I think I'll just have to Day 3 myself and move on. (Bwahaha!)

Therefore. Something I hope I never have to do in my life...

I mean, I suppose I hope I never have to hurt someone or something. But I guess the "have to" part of that means it would be justified somehow -- like "kill Person X or we'll kill a family member." Or beating into submission a home invader. Or whatever. So, that's my answer, I suppose.

I do know that I hope never to have to use these words unironically.

And I've done things that I hope I never have to do again. For example, I hope I never have to wear a red, white, and blue sequined tophat again. I hope never again to have to dress as the Cowardly Lion from The Wizard of Oz. And I hope never again to grow a vast media empire, only to die alone on my palatial estate, clutching a snow globe and cryptically uttering, "Rosebud."

(That last one might not have actually been me; I forget.)

FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE!

2010-11-08T23:19:00.004-05:00

That this is one of the defining televisory moments of my youth tells you a lot about me.

30 Days of Truth: V

2010-11-08T07:07:00.003-05:00

Background on the 30 Days of Truth series here.

Day the Fifth: Something you hope to do in your life

Well, I'm getting further and further from getting these things posted on time. (See Day 1.) (Except last night's delay actually emerged from tiredness after eating way too much pizza and ice cream for dinner and also I may be coming down with a cold or something.)

Anyway! Day the Fifth!

Again, this one's easy, and I've already referred to it. You can see all the things I hope to do on my Future Tree. I created it almost three years ago, and while specific projects have come and gone, everything pretty much fits under the umbrella of that tree. For example, remember the recital I mentioned I was considering? Looks like it's going to happen in about a year. I'm on the schedule to exhibit at the art gallery at St. Luke's for the month of November 2011, and I've committed to an opening performance/recital to go along with my show (which will probably be photography-based, unless I develop some other visual art skill in the meantime, which seems unlikely). So, you know, even though "Perform in a solo recital" is not on the Future Tree, it fits under "Use my voice for fun and for profit and for good."

It pretty much all goes back to the Future Tree on this one...

30 Days of Truth: IV

2010-11-07T03:48:00.003-05:00

Background on the 30 Days of Truth series here.

Day the Fourth: Something you have to forgive someone else for

Well! This one's easy. (Finally.)

In our last installment, we learned about that one job. It would be easy to think that the person I need to forgive in that episode is the boss, whose behavior bordered on the legally actionable. But I have grown to accept that there's probably something going on -- like, underlying, potentially treatable issues that are beyond his control which cause him to behave the way he does. I just don't think he has the capacity to behave differently, and this has made it easier for me to forgive him.

Alas, he is not the one I still have to forgive. Rather, the person I have yet to forgive from that episode is one of the leaders who purported to be supportive of me and my role but who, it became clear in the post-mortem, was only in it for himself. This is a man whose professional experience should have better prepared him to assist me in navigating the challenges -- a man who, if he had chosen, could have been a strong advocate rather than an opponent. But because of his devotion to the boss and because of his self-appointed hero/savior complex with regard to the church and because of some underlying, potentially treatable issues (which, in his case, I somehow find less forgivable than the boss's underlying, potentially treatable issues*), he chose to pick sides, rather than creating a win-win. He did not choose my "side" (it felt like no one did), and I think that, more than anything, led to the episode ending the way it did.

It's not that I need to forgive him for leading to the end of that job for me; I know that I bear responsibility there. Rather, I need to forgive him for being such an unsupportive, dishonest ass to me and for being a poor leader for his church family.

I think someday, I'll get there. Probably not for a while, though.

*And also which I have no business knowing about, because confidentiality practices should have precluded the person who told me about them from telling me about them...

30 Days of Truth: III

2010-11-05T22:35:00.003-04:00

Background on the 30 Days of Truth series here.

Day the Third: Something you have to forgive yourself for

Hmm, this is a thinker because, again, there's a lot to choose from. And I've been staring at this blinking cursor on and off for the last two hours, trying to decide what to write about. Here goes...

I need to forgive myself for not trusting my intuition approximately four years ago, when I was interviewing for a job that would become what I now consider the worst experience of my career -- worst experience of my life, really.

The job itself seemed like it was tailor-made for me, mixing my experience and skill in church fundraising with my passion for outreach ministry and community-church partnerships. The task -- raise a couple million dollars from ambiguously-defined sources -- seemed ambitious but the energy around the campaign and my enthusiasm to return to professional fundraising clouded my judgment, I think.

When I went in for my second interview and asked questions that should have been easy to answer with straightforward facts, and when those questions were answered with Yoda-like riddles and sanctimonious claptrap, my Spidey-sense went off, but still I overlooked it. And when I talked with the hiring committee members and they had no real support for the campaign other than "Our leaders met and think we can do it," and when I heard from others around town about how difficult the man who would be my boss is, the alarm buzzers went off, but still I overlooked it. When the members of this community which claims it seeks, welcomes, and values all people looked down on me and my home church, I got pissed, but still I overlooked it. And when I thought about each of the people I met during the interview process and realized that not one of them seemed interested in me as much as what I could do for them, the siren sounded and red light flashed, but still I overlooked it.

So now, when I look back over the almost-two-years that I lasted in that job and observe all the major breakdowns in communication, major breakdowns in love and support, major breakdowns in fundraising best practices, and just overall major breakdowns, I am able to pinpoint about ten distinct things that I overlooked during the hiring process which, if I had trusted my intuition sufficiently and overlooked my -- my what? enthusiasm? greed? need to be needed? -- my whatever, I could have saved myself a LOT of headaches, heartaches, and soulaches.

The way that job ended almost exactly two years ago today did some pretty severe damage to me, vocation-wise and Vocation-wise, self-esteem-wise and relationship-wise, and I'm only now feeling like I'm getting over that. On days when I get down on myself about where I am in my career and where I am financially and where I am interpersonally, it's easy to look back on the way I overlooked my intuition and, in a very real way, sold out for a good-paying, important-sounding job.

My self-forgiveness for that is a work in progress. Some days are better than others, but the long-term prognosis is good, I think. Beats the alternative, right?

The Journey

2010-11-05T07:22:00.002-04:00

It's unusual for me to find a commercial to be full of beauty and meaning, but this is pretty great:

30 Days of Truth: II

2010-11-04T23:58:00.002-04:00

Background on the 30 Days of Truth series here.

Day the Second: Something you love about yourself

Holy crap! It's 11:50pm on Day 2, and I haven't posted yet. (Please to be referring to Day 1, haha.)

So. Something I love about myself.

*crickets chirping*

This is tough, because there are times in my life when I absolutely love SO MANY THINGS about myself. And then there are times in my life when I absolutely love ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about myself. I struggle with the balance between confidence and humility, pride and modesty, Sense and Sensibility. (I do not know what that means.)

Anyway.

So, let's just go for right now, at 11:51pm on Thursday, November 4, 2010, in the year of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ, something I love about myself is my voice. And I mean that in the literal sense, in the musical sense, and in the figurative sense. One of the things on my Future Tree is to use my voice for fun, for profit, and for good, and I think I do that pretty consistently. Here's how:

Literally, I love the sound of my voice. Just today, I got a lovely compliment from a stranger on the phone; as I was scheduling an appointment for her with the psychologist I work for, she told me that I was very soothing and friendly, welcoming and caring. I think that's pretty cool, especially since I've always hated the telephone, which I think we can trace back to when I was younger before my voice changed and when I would answer the phone, people would call me "ma'am" or whatever. (Oddly, depending on the tone of voice I'm using and the person on the other end of the line, this occasionally still happens. Often when I'm speaking to African-American women on the phone, they'll hear my voice as female. You tell me.)

Musically, I'm coming into my own and learning about the power and mystery of my voice. Singing is something that I've always done (in the car, in the shower, etc.) but it's only in the last six years that I've been singing in any sort of structured environment. (Have I ever told the story of how that happened? It's a little bit mystical, so maybe there's a God component to why I love my voice. Story in the footnotes below.*) I've had the opportunity to sing solos in and around church, and I like the musical aspect of it, as well as the spiritual/emotional aspect of it.

In the figurative sense, I think it's taken three and a half decades for me to find my "voice" -- as a writer, as a leader, as a Christian, as a friend, etc. I'm not sure what has changed over the last couple years (I mean, a hell of a lot has changed over the last couple years, but I don't know what specifically to attribute THIS change to), but I've finally felt comfortable being myself -- the good and the bad that comes along with that. And I think that has shown in my writing -- what little writing I've done lately! But I also think that shows in my leadership; I feel like I know better today what's important to me...my values and priorities. And that makes me a better leader. I'm still experimenting, I think, using the words and phrases of Christianity -- my faith life until about five years ago had been a rather solitary, private enterprise. So I think that's one aspect of my voice that is in flux -- but I love that it's in flux...and I hope it's OK with both of you, dear readers, that I occasionally experiment with you on that here on ye olde blogge. I think I've also come into my own when it comes to speaking my truth as a friend. That's had some unpleasant consequences over the last couple years, but I think that's probably part of the adventure.

So, there you have it: I love my voice.

I LOOOOOOOVVVVVVVVVVVE MMMMMMMYYYYYYYY VVVVVVVVVOOOOOOOOOOOOIIIIIIIICCCCCCCCCCCCE!

* As I said, growing up, I always sang when I was alone -- in the car, in the shower, walking on campus at IU when no one else was around. But I didn't sing with a choir or anything. Until... In 2003, I was working on a consulting project in a city called St. Catharines, Ontario. I had just gotten back from my trip to Italy, Ghana, and the UK, and I was still very much in Say Yes To Any Request mode. I was attending a church event, just talking to a friend, when a woman tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Are you singing in the choir at Mountainview (the name of the church I was attending there)?" I, of course, told her "No," because (a) I wasn't, so "No" was the correct answer, and (b) I had never sung -- nor never seriously considered singing -- with a choir before. She immediately said, "You should be." I said, "What do you mean?" and she said, "You have a lovely God-given voice. Use it." So, I contacted the music director at Mountainview and got into the choir there. I've been singing with church choirs pretty much ever since then.

30 Days of Truth: I

2010-11-03T21:25:00.004-04:00

Background on the 30 Days of Truth series here.

Day the First: Something you hate about yourself

I suppose it's no surprise that this first post in the 30 Days of Truth series is coming at nearly midnight on Day One. Something I hate about myself is my finely honed skill of procrastination.

Now, don't get me wrong -- there's plenty of stuff going through my head as I contemplate the writing prompt, "Something you hate about yourself," which I have actually taken to mean, "Something about yourself that you'd like to improve." But I think the one that most vexes me is my ~~tendency toward~~ lifestyle of procrastination and its corollary, lack of follow-through. (See Kelsey's 30DaysOfTruth blog post on Unfinished Business. It's like she's writing my story.)

In my work situations, I tend to procrastinate on the non-essential stuff: filing, say, or as another example, filing. And although two trips to Africa and one to India have forever reshaped my concept of time (I am, it turns out, polychronic), I still manage to meet deadlines and keep the important tasks on the front burner.

But in my personal life, I've almost always chosen the path of the happy-go-lucky grasshopper over that of the hard-working ants. And we saw where that got the grasshopper. (Stupid ants.)

There's so much I want to do, and I've developed idea after idea after idea of things I could do, but I haven't taken the linear path on any one of them. Sure, I've made progress toward many items on my Future Tree (and in a couple cases I should have been more careful what I wished for, because come on), but I want to be the type of person with clearly articulated goals and work toward one or more of those goals every day of my life.

I am not currently that type of person.

Rather, I have kind of an "If you daydream it, it will come...someday...but first, how about a round of Angry Birds?" approach, which is very much getting me nowhere -- at least, nowhere on purpose. I've had a ton of kick-ass adventures and most of who I am is because I've been a stop-and-smell-the-roses kind of guy, rather than an achievement-at-any-cost kind of guy.

Surely, though, there must be a balance. Someday I just might find it...

NOVEMBER TO MEMEMBER: 30 Days of Truth

2010-11-02T19:00:00.001-04:00

In addition to the 29 Days of Giving, I'm adding the 30 Days of Truth meme. (Haha, I was already pretty truthful about the 29 Days of Giving, so what other truths could possibly be out there? Oh. Right.)

Anyway.

A FIHMIPY from Twitter has started a blog specifically for 30 Days of Truth, a blogging experience designed to prompt you into speaking honestly and frankly about yourself and your life, hopefully prompting self-reflection as well.

Well!

I like to think I can self-reflect with the best of them. But I've never really Stopped Being Polite and Started Getting Real™ here on ye olde blogge, so maybe it's time. Starting tomorrow, I'll do 30 Days of Truth, with as little [redacted]ing as possible. Just to give you a preview, here are the prompts:

Day 01 → Something you hate about yourself.
Day 02 → Something you love about yourself.
Day 03 → Something you have to forgive yourself for.
Day 04 → Something you have to forgive someone for.
Day 05 → Something you hope to do in your life.
Day 06 → Something you hope you never have to do.
Day 07 → Someone who has made your life worth living for.
Day 08 → Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like [crap].
Day 09 → Someone you didn’t want to let go, but just drifted.
Day 10 → Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn’t know.
Day 11 → Something people seem to compliment you the most on.
Day 12 → Something you never get compliments on.
Day 13 → A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough days. (write a letter.)
Day 14 → A hero that has let you down. (letter)
Day 15 → Something or someone you couldn’t live without, because you’ve tried living without it.
Day 16 → Someone or something you definitely could live without.
Day 17 → A book you’ve read that changed your views on something.
Day 18 → Your views on gay marriage.
Day 19 → What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?
Day 20 → Your views on drugs and alcohol.
Day 21 → (scenario) Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?
Day 22 → Something you wish you hadn’t done in your life.
Day 23 → Something you wish you had done in your life.
Day 24 → Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs. (Just post the titles and artists and letter)
Day 25 → The reason you believe you’re still alive today.
Day 26 → Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?
Day 27 → What’s the best thing going for you right now?
Day 28 → What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?
Day 29 → Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.
Day 30 → A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself.

So! Starting tomorrow, it will be self-disclosure-a-go-go around here! Tune back in to learn more and more!

Why We Give

2010-11-02T13:27:00.007-04:00

As part of its annual stewardship drive, my church has encouraged us to undertake a 29 Days of Giving challenge. Based on the experiences of Cami Walker, who wrote 29 Gifts: How a Month of Giving Can Change Your Life, the program encourages us to be intentional about giving and receiving, making at least one gift every day for a month.

Over 400 members of the church have committed to participate in the exercise, which will culminate on the Sunday before Thanksgiving, when we submit our ~~pledge cards~~ "gratitude cards" indicating our pledge for 2011. Some have been sharing their experiences on the St. Luke's Facebook page, while others have been blogging about it on their own. (You should totally check out that link -- Angie Six is sharp as a tack and a great writer, to boot.) (And yes, her last name is "Six.")

I've heard lots of great stories already from folks around the congregation -- how their gifts have had impacts small and large for themselves and for others. I believe that anything that can send hundreds of people out into the world with more giving hearts is good for us, good for the world, and good for God.

At the same time, though, I wonder about the way we're doing it. Sermons on the topic and the 29 Gifts book itself seem to imply (or, occasionally, outright state) that giving and receiving are a zero-sum game: I gave X, and so therefore I received Y. I personally don't believe God/the Universe works that way and if that's how things do work, I'd venture to say that everyone in the world (me included) believes that she or he is owed something. It's only human to feel like we're giving more than we're getting, right?

I think this transactional outlook on Giving misses the point entirely. Yes, Jesus told us:

Somethingsomething give and it will be returned to you even more, pressed down, shaken, overflowing into your lap or whatever.*

And when I was doing capital campaigns for the Catholic Church, I loved to whip out:

God loves a cheerful giver (so please don't make my job raising money for the Bishop any harder than it already is).*

But I don't think it is cheer or joy that motivates us when we're giving with the expectation of receiving. I'm not sure it's greed, per se, but it's definitely not the selfless act of altruism that I think of when I think of "Giving." I think that by giving with intention, we can become more attuned to and grateful for the many blessings that are already present in our lives, but I do not think we can cause them to happen by giving. (Of course, I am open to rebuttal on this.)

Rather, giving from love is part of our "spiritual DNA." Once people were around, the first thing God did was give us things: a lovely garden to hang out in, animals and plants for food and shelter (and, later, for clothes), other humans to share the journey (and to [ahem]) with, rules to follow, etc. And at the very center of our faith as Christians is the idea that God gave us something -- in this case, God's only begotten son -- because God loved us so much.

Please to be repeating: BECAUSE GOD LOVED US SO MUCH, God gave us Jesus.

Indeed, everything we have and everything we are is a gift from God. If you believe, as I do, that we are made in God's image, then surely that aspect of God's identity lives in us. Surely we are to give from love, not from expectation of reciprocity or return -- or even from an acknowledgment that giving and receiving might be related. I give because I think it's the right thing to do and because it makes me feel good. When something good happens to me, I believe it happens because God/the Universe is benevolent and wants good for all of us (and also because I worked hard for it, usually).

And I can't believe I'm linking to a Focus on the Family document (I'm as surprised as you are), but this PDF goes along pretty well with my understanding of why we should give and how giving fits in the context of our Christianity.

You should read it, and read 29 Gifts, and read some of those sermons, and let me know what you think.

*This is from the Scott Semester Paraphrase Bible, available in your local Christian bookstore sometime next Never.

Image credit or whatever

Currently...

2010-10-30T11:42:00.001-04:00

...Reading: 29 Gifts: How a month of giving can change your life by Cami Walker

...Listening To: Night Sessions by Chris Botti

...Anticipating: The premiere of The Walking Dead on AMC

...Blogcrushing On: Crimes Against Hugh's Manatees

...Remembering: What it's like not to be over-programmed and to be able to sleep in on a Saturday

...Wearing: My jammies (yes, at almost noon)

...Driving: My trusty Nissan Versa (I mean, I'm not driving as I blog this, but still)

...Smelling Like: Right Guard Clinical Strength (because it was only $2 a can at Big Lots, which is half the price I pay for the Normal -- Non-Clinical? -- Strength stuff at Meijer) and also CKFree for men, but not in a convertible in the desert (Also, check out the scent profile: top notes of absinthe, jackfruit, thai star anise, juniper berry; heart notes of South African buchu, suede, coffee absolute, tobacco leaves; base notes of Costa Rican ironwood, oakwood, patchouli, Texan cedarwood. Whatever that means.)

...Creating: A plan -- an actual plan!

...Procrastinating By: Making this ridiculous list, haha

...Longing To Go: On an adventure that will test my skills, my faith, and my heart (Wondering if that can happen close to home or if it will require travel)

...Contemplating: My votes on Tuesday

...Wishing For: That day when we can all be quiet enough to really hear each other

Heavy Rotation

2010-10-26T23:29:00.002-04:00

Here are some of the songs I'm playing a lot in iTunes these days...

Exactly, haha.

2010-10-25T09:55:00.003-04:00

From my latest favorite webfind, the CrimesAgainstHughsManatees tumblr:

Video Portrait

2010-10-11T15:31:00.002-04:00

Artist Noah Kalina has created a "video portrait" of artist Josh Ruben. It is cool and creepy. If I ever have a haunted house or similar freaky-deaky home-decorating opportunity, I'm getting one of these made of me, and I'm hanging it on the wall and running it on a continuous loop.

Hit play and marvel...

YOU SHOULD COME: St. Luke's Vaudeville Follies & Silent Auction

2010-10-10T15:00:00.007-04:00

Hey, now that "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" has wrapped, I'm gearing up for a fundraiser for the St. Luke's Chancel Choir in a couple weeks.

Two shows -- October 22 & 23 -- will feature great Vaudeville and early Broadway music, corny comedy, and a ton of fun and surprises. The funds raised will help support the choir's outreach efforts, which provide opportunities for us to perform and serve in and around Indianapolis and even further from home.

Doors open (and the silent auction fun begins!) at 6:30 each night; performances start at 7:30. Tickets are available online or you can get them at the church -- $15 gets you dessert, beverage, and a heck of a fun time. Hope you can join us!

St. Luke's United Methodist Church is located at 100 W. 86th Street in Indianapolis.

Branding, Schmanding

2010-10-09T09:27:00.005-04:00

Something something new Gap logo something something.

"You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" -- THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY!

2010-10-06T17:30:00.002-04:00

If you've been paying attention, you're already aware of three performances of “You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown” going on this weekend. But I wanted to make sure you got the information.

We’re in our last few rehearsals, and I can confidently say the show is going to be REALLY good. The cast, musicians, and crew are super-talented, and the show is a hoot -- if you can make it, you're in for a special treat. If you’re out of town this weekend, be sure to let your friends know about it – THANKS!

Here are the details:

What
You’re A Good Man, Charlie Brown: A musical look at a typical day in the lives of the “Peanuts” characters we’ve gotten to know over the last 60 years

When
Friday, October 8, at 7:30pm
Saturday October 9, at 3:00pm and 7:30pm

Where
Northwood Christian Church
4550 Central Avenue (46th & Central)
Indianapolis, IN

How Much
How much are tickets? Good question. This is a pay-what-you-like event. (The suggested donation is $10.) So bring your smiles and, hopefully, your applause. All donations to go towards assisting the music program at Northwood Church.

RSVP
Email your reservations to MusicAtNorthwood@aol.com or call the church office at (317) 283-1352. Please include your name, date and time of show and the number of seats to reserve. Although there should be plenty of seats if you just show up at the door, please know that reserving your tickets in advance will permit you access to premium seating.

My New Rules for How I Use The Interwebotron9000

2010-10-06T15:05:00.003-04:00

1. If I'm clicking more than I'm typing, I'm doing it wrong.

2. I have to create more content than I consume. (Sharing doesn't count as creating, as Persons 2 through n in the Human Centipede can tell you.)(Don't click that link if you don't want to be totally grossed out.)(Seriously, it's so gross, I probably shouldn't even have linked to it.)(I mean, it doesn't really show all that much grossness; it's mostly implied.)(But still.)

3. If the computer on my lap is so hot that I can smell burning leg hairs, it's time to turn it off and walk away until it cools off again.

4. If it's not funny, or relevant (i.e., directly applicable to my life within 24 hours), or both, it's dead to me. This goes for what I create and for what I consume. Dead to me = deleted, unsubscribed, and/or set on fire. (Usually not set on fire.)

5. If I don't create something groundbreaking and/or innovative (and profitable!) soon, I might re-evaluate my previously stated usually-not-setting-things-on-fire policy. (Luckily, I have a couple good ideas I'm workshopping, and I've set an end-of-the-year deadline for myself.)(Just, haha, stay away from flammable/inflammable things starting January 1.)

It is possible that I just figured out...

2010-10-01T21:54:00.002-04:00

...a major project for myself that could turn into a project for others, too. I'm kind of excited!

Pedal for Peace 2010 - Will you help us change the world?

2010-09-21T11:09:00.009-04:00

Friends, I need your help.

You might recall that last year, I rode in the inaugural Pedal for Peace event at Major Taylor Velodrome. I've volunteered again and will be riding with six or seven other folks, rain or shine, in the event again this year.

On Saturday, October 2, a couple hundred cyclists on about 30 teams will take turns riding in the six-hour relay event to raise money to promote peace worldwide, especially through the education of women and children. Last year, the funds went to support Mar Elias, an interfaith school in the Holy Land. This year, the funds raised will support two worthy organizations:

AWAKEN (Afghan Women And Kids Education & Necessities), a Muncie-based initiative to educate women and children in Afghanistan, and
Greg Mortenson's Central Asia Institute, which builds schools and provides other educational support in Afghanistan and the surrounding countries.

I'll be riding with Team RPM (Random Pedal-ers on a Mission) -- each team is tasked with raising a certain amount of money toward the effort. Will you please consider a tax-deductible donation to support our team as we support peace in the world?

Your gift of $50, $25, or $10 will really make a difference -- YOU can create educational opportunities for women and children! Donate online or, if you would like to mail a check, make it payable to St. Luke's UMC and put "Pedal for Peace/RPM" in the memo line and mail it to:

Pedal for Peace
c/o St. Luke's UMC
100 W. 86th Street
Indianapolis, IN 46260

Thank you so much for your support!

Willow Smith whips her hair. (Or something?)

2010-09-18T16:35:00.002-04:00

Do you know how many things I understand about this? None. I literally understand none-point-none things about this. But apparently it is a thing, so there you have it.

I think the Scientologists need to seriously re-evaluate their approach to evangelism. Though I don't get it, this song is catchy as hell.

"Name That Guy" is comedy magic.

2010-09-17T16:18:00.004-04:00

Via Best Week Ever, I share with you Jimmy Fallon's new game that's sweeping the nation: "NAME THAT GUY!" Parts 1 & 2 are in the videos below, but for my comedy dollar, you just need the second half of Part 1, when the awesome old lady brings the funny.

Come for the Melissa and Joey fanfiction, stay for the whatnow?

2010-09-15T21:29:00.009-04:00

Well!

It has become clear to me, dear readers, that while neither of you may have much interest in ABCFamily's breakout summer sitcom "Melissa & Joey," the interwebz are, in fact, abuzz about it. In fact, in just over a week, no fewer than a dozen Google users have found themselves here seeking out "Melissa and Joey" fanfiction (as a result of my joke about it in a previous post). Which is remarkable in that my only other post that rivals that, Googlability-wise, is this 2006 post entitled Worst. Lifetime Movie. Ever.

I'm intrigued by this recent turn of events, mostly because I am so clearly out of the target demographic for "Melissa and Joey" as evidenced by my answer of "Gimme A Break" in the poll on the official show page -- which only garnered 3% of the vote...probably because most of the "M&J" viewers weren't alive when Nell (about whom I previously blogged here -- and that's worth a click at least for the Nell Carter version of the "Mary Tyler Moore Show" theme) adopted little moppet Joey and his little moppet of a brother, Matthew. (I think?)

Anyway. I have no understanding of why I'm so drawn to the situationally comedic comedy situations Mel and Joe find themselves in, and yet there it is.

It occurs to me, also, that I have no idea why people read this blog. Mostly, I think visitors to this blog fall into one of the following categories:

Family, friends, acquaintances
FIHMIPYs
Random Googlers

So tell me: Whether you fall into category 1, 2, or 3, why do you stop by or not stop by here? What can I, your occasionally faithful blog host, do to make your stay more comfortable? Can I blog about anything specific? Do more of a certain type of post? Games like Song! Challenge! or Pop Culture Math? Snarky essays? Gettin' Goddy wit' it? The liveblogs, my God, the liveblogs? Videos of me dancing? (Somebody earlier tonight requested a Hammer Dance video...I'll see what I can do.)

Your mission, should you choose to accept it, is to leave a comment and let me know which of the above, if any, keep you coming back, and what you'd like to see more of. The overenthusiastic survey-taker at right is eagerly awaiting your comments. She will transcribe them verbatim and then provide them to me in an easy-to-read (that is, picture-heavy) report, which I will place in white 1" binder and never read again. (Just kidding -- that's a random image I found by Googling "survey taker" -- *I* am eagerly awaiting your responses...she's just a sight gag.) (I was serious about the 1" binder, though.)

Then and Now: Who's On First

2010-09-13T17:53:00.002-04:00

"Who's On First?" will make me laugh every time. Comedy genius, I tells ya.

Here's the classic Abbott & Costello clip:

And here's what happens when Abbott & Costello Meet ~~the Mummy~~ Modern Typography:

Twelve Random Things

2010-09-12T22:51:00.003-04:00

It's been a while since one of those random "25 Things" things came around on Facebook. Because I'd like to keep the blog in action now, I'm going to resurrect that ol' chestnut and see how many random things I can share right now:

I tangoed with a blanket tonight. You'll want to join us on 10/8 or 10/9 to see it in person.
Speaking of My Blanket and Me, I'm developing greater confidence on stage as I have fun rehearsing for "You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" and some other stuff.
Speaking of performing, I'm seriously considering that recital idea (except with maybe some other song choices).
This, while completely inappropriate and not safe for work, is hilarious to me. Especially the Angela Lansbury part.
I recently addressed the piles of stuff I'd accumulated before my move at the end of last year. Sadly, I mostly addressed them by boxing them up into fresh new banker's boxes, rather than actually, say, filing them. To the storage unit!
I'll be riding again this year in the Pedal For Peace event on October 2. Want to support peace through education for girls and women around the world? Make a donation here and enter either my name (Scott Semester) or our team name (RPM: Random Pedal-ers on a Mission) when you make your donation. And thanks!
I'm working my way through this resource, which may or may not be available to you at this time.
Today at church, our pastor challenged us to read one chapter of the Gospels each day; if we do that, we'll have all the Gospels read by Christmas. I'm going to do this. I figure if I can give up caffeine for Lent, I can read the Bible for pre-Advent.
Speaking of church, oy.
The Google search phrase melissa and joey fanfiction has (somewhat explicably, but come on) led 6 people to this blog in the last week.
I am currently watching a "Law & Order: Criminal Intent" that I've never seen before.
I want to go to Finland to vacation in an "Icebergs" home by Daniel Andersson. And then I want to find a body of water in central Indiana and build one for myself.

Just the way it is

2010-09-08T14:26:00.003-04:00

"Nothing that is worth doing can be achieved in our lifetime; therefore we must be saved by hope. Nothing that is true or beautiful or good makes complete sense in any immediate context of history; therefore we must be saved by faith. Nothing we do, however virtuous, can be accomplished alone; therefore we must be saved by love."

~ Reinhold Niebuhr

Melissa & Joey: Waving Bye-Bye To My TV-Viewing Cred

2010-09-07T19:57:00.009-04:00

I used to be on the cutting edge of televisual pop culture. I would know what was happening on all the shows, which new shows were coming out, and what the hits and misses would be when each fall season rolled around.

But no more.

This development is rooted in last year's digital switchover whatevermafloppy thing, when I decided to go sans TV. I subsisted on Hulu and the kindness of DVD-loaning strangers for filling my headholes with bright, shiny images. And I grew out of the tv-watching habit.

In fact, it's gotten so bad that now I look forward to viewing shows such as "Melissa & Joey." Intellectually, I am aware this show is an affront to my intelligence, to gender roles and interpersonal relationships, to dignity and honor and the American Way™. And yet, I cannot stop watching it. Here's an episode -- you know, in case you've got 22 minutes to kill and some brain cells to spare.

It all started when I watched -- in its entirety -- My Fake Fiancé, another blow to feminism and intelligentertainment that ABCFamily delivered earlier this year. In that there's-a-reason-it-went-straight-to-cable movie, Melissa Joan Hart and Joe ("Joe"? "Joey"? I've lost track...) Lawrence play single people who meet at a friend's wedding and stage their own fake wedding to get cash and prizes. Of course, they end up falling in love and living happily, albeit snarkily, ever after.* (And if you needed me to label that with a SPOILER ALERT, you are exactly the type of person that movie and its spawn, this show, are targeted toward.)

Apparently, America just couldn't get enough of the will-they-or-won't-they** chemistry between MeJoHa and JoeLaw. And therefore, here we are: Melissa and Joe(y), playing "Melissa & Joey," which, I'm pretty sure, are the same characters they played in My Fake Fiancé, just with slightly less dimension.

To the will-they-or-won't-they, the producers have added an Awwwww! factor with two adorable teen moppets whom Melissa has taken in, after her sister (their mother) something something. It just so happens that at the same time Melissa inherits the teens, Joe(y) needs a job because of what Melissa (or perhaps her sister?) did, and so naturally, he becomes the nanny. You know, as you do.

Toss in an inexplicably humorless, inexplicably Asian*** executive assistant and numerous one night stands for both Melissa and Joe(y), and you've got a non-stop, madcap romp through today's America.

I should hate it. It should make me vomit just on principle.

And yet... And yet.

I look forward to when the new episodes come out on Hulu. I look forward to catching it when I flip past ABCFamily. ~~I've written three spec episodes in addition to copious fanfic which honors the continuity of the "Melissa-and-Joey"-verse.~~ Let's just say it has become my favorite new show of late. I mean, it can't compete with USANetwork's "Psych" or "White Collar" but it will draw me away from "Royal Pains" and even "Covert Affairs."

So, there it is. Now you know.

My name is Scott, and I watch "Melissa & Joey."

* I call dibs on "Snarkily Ever After" as the title of my autobiography.

** "Will they or won't they sleep together?" "Will they or won't they punch each other in the face, hard, like we so desperately want them to?" "Will they or won't they partake in an elaborate murder/suicide pact designed to frame Mayim Bialik?" (Which is TOTALLY a made-for-tv movie I would watch.)

*** Which is to say, every Asian person I've ever met**** is smarter than Melissa Joan Hart's character and there's no way "Rhonda Cheng" would have to put up with MeJoHa's shenanigans.

**** Which is to say, this man cheering on Howard at the 2008 Summer Olympics:

You're A (Mostly) Good Man, Scott S. Semester

2010-09-04T12:23:00.006-04:00

Hey!

So, long time, no blog, right? Sorry about that. I've gotten all introspective and, instead of gettin' bloggy with it, I've kept it mostly inside -- except, of course, for the incessant tweeting...my God, the TWEETING!

Anyway, a number of things have happened recently. Let's get brought up to speed, shall we? (You: Oh, yes! Indubitably! May we?!) (Me: Enough. Please to be shutting up and reading quietly to yourself while keeping the mocking to a minimum.)

Thing the First: Master Thespian
Remember this and this? Well, it's happened again, only this time, it's by choice, and not out of a sense of guilt and/or obligation and/or duty!

On October 8 and 9, I will be playing the role of Linus in Northwood Christian Church's star-(except for me)-studded production of the musical, You're A Good Man Charlie Brown. Linus has a nice solo in the first act which may or may not involve dancing...you'll just have to come to the show to see it. Tickets are free, with a $10 suggested donation.

YOU SHOULD COME!

Things the Second: Phoning It In
I got a new smartphone -- a Palm Pre Plus! (exclamation mark mine, but the Plus is theirs; I'm not sure what's so "Plus" about it, but there it is). I like that I can now do the e-mail and the Twitter and the Facebook without having to be at a computer, especially since the office computer died and was only mostly resuscitated. (Fun Fact: I just spelled "resuscitated" correctly on the first try.)

Anyway. The phone. Thanks to the good folks at ubergizmo.com (whatever that is), it's pictured at right in snapped-shut and snapped-open positions, respectively. And it is awesome. I haven't even explored all the apps that you can get for it, but I downloaded a couple of games and whatnot and am really enjoying it.

YOU SHOULD GET ONE!

Thing the Third: Take Off, Eh?
I took some time off from church this summer, and it was great, for a number of reasons.

It was good to sleep in on a few Sundays, instead of always being up and at them first thing in the morning. I also had the opportunity to attend worship elsewhere, which was nice. But I think the biggest step for me was making the commitment to establish better boundaries about my role as a volunteer and how much time/energy I was willing to dedicate to it.

I did decide to spend some time working with the art gallery at the church. We had a show in August and two of my pieces were on display -- one of them, featuring that one scripture passage (subversive!), is there at the right. Click to embiggen and see the pretty flowers from the Daylily Labyrinth at St. Luke's.

I think I'm still working to discern how I can use all my gifts in service of God and others, but taking July and August off from The Luke was a helpful step in that process.

YOU SHOULD ... I DON'T KNOW? ... ALSO TAKE SOME TIME AWAY AND REFRESH!

Things the Fourth through the Fifteenth
Here's a quickfire rundown of the rest of the stuff that's up with me:

I went to a couple local-food things last weekend and got really pumped about learning how to grow my own food. Mostly because it all tasted really good and fresh, but also because of that nagging voice in the back of my head saying that gardening/farming needs to be part of Plan A to Z.
I read this great article: Is Your Longing Preventing You From Actualizing Your Dreams? (Mine might be.)
A woman yelled at me for driving too fast in my neighborhood. (I was not.)
A woman yelled at me for biking in a not-visible-enough shirt. (My shirt was bright green; her sunglasses and medical marijuana clouds had simply gotten in the way.)
A woman yelled at me -- and pounded on my car with her fist -- because she lost control of her child who darted out in front of me in a parking lot.* (I was driving at a reasonable rate of speed and I braked in plenty of time to avoid her child.)
I decided not to take any crap from random women yelling at me unjustifiably and, starting with that last one, realized that any adult language that might escape from my mouth in the presence of her children was more embarrassing to her than to me. Therefore, strange women yelling at me, you are warned: You get to decide if it's more important to yell at me or to keep your children from the first class session of Swearing Like A Sailor 101.
My mom's Aunt Flossie recorded herself playing some church music several years ago. We turned it into a CD because Flossie wanted her own music for her funeral. (When you're about to turn 99, these are the things you think about, one imagines.) Here's "Because He Lives" by my Great Aunt Flossie:

In other music news, I (re?)discovered Sister Hazel, the band. Did you know you can get 20 of their songs for free on Amazon MP3 download?
I learned the meaning of "You can do it, Duffy Moon!" and took it to heart. (Well, most days, I'm taking it to heart.)
Ditto, the Manifesto of Encouragement.
I volunteered at the Best Buddies International conference down at IU. My experience as a volunteer fell under the "If you can't blog anything nice, don't blog anything at all" category, but the conference was a great opportunity for the participants, and Best Buddies is a terrific organization, which you should support.
I figured out all the things that happened to me lately by reading my Facebook status updates. Are we friends? If not, we should be!

* And my safe-driving-in-parking-lots vigilance is, by now, fairly legendary. You have to know that Me Driving By was about the safest scenario for when her kid darted out. The only thing that would have been safer was a No Car For Miles situation, which you're just not going to get at 8:45 on a Friday morning.

"He was injured...injured bad."

2010-07-28T18:40:00.002-04:00

Because I am 13 years old on the inside...

It is possible that I have posted this before. After 1,100 blog posts, I can no longer keep track. But even if I have posted it before, I think we can all agree that it's totally worth it.

Love is everything. Some butterflies told me so.

2010-07-28T14:04:00.005-04:00

Hey, so it's been a while. (Exact match for that phrase on this blog = like, a jillion.)

This weekend, I volunteered at the Best Buddies International leadership conference. It was great, and you should click that link to learn more about the terrific organization and the inspiring kids who commit so much time and energy to it.

On the way to Bloomington, a butterfly who looked remarkably like the one in the picture at right (credit: Nancy Myrland) dive-bombed my car and landed smack in the front grill. This doesn't typically happen in the city, but I figured since I was more or less in the country, it wasn't much of anything to be interested in.

So I proceeded to my destination, put in a couple hours of volunteer time, and as I was walking back to my car, I noticed something I'd never noticed before (or maybe it hadn't been there before). In the front driveway of Briscoe Quad, the dorm where I lived and worked for many, many years, there was a small flower garden. And in that garden, there were dozens of butterflies flitting from flower to flower, doing whatever it is that butterflies do with flowers -- I don't know...eat them, drink them, tell them dirty jokes, who can say?

This kind of put me on Yellow Alert because (a) lots of butterflies, man! and (b) I'd never seen that garden before, but it was a place where I'd spent metric crap-tonnes of time. But I went on with my day and visited with my friend Julie and her fiancé Matt, my hosts for the weekend. (By the way, their home is lovely; if you're ever in Bloomington for the weekend, call them. I'm sure they could arrange accommodations at very reasonable rates.)

Matt and Julie and I went to see the new Angelina Jolie thriller "Salt" (which, meh -- 2½ stars, I guess) and as we walked into the theater, there was another butterfly. This one was dead on the sidewalk just outside the theater entrance.

And then there were butterflies in the movie itself, when the main character flashes back to getting married in some sort of butterfly garden thing because her husband is an expert in spiders. Or something? (Again: "Salt" = meh.)

After those four butterfly interventions, I decided to tweet about it, because that is apparently what we do these days. A Twitter FIHMIPY, Stephen James, suggested that the butterflies were telling me to see his wife's art show on the First Friday of August. I'm going, and you should go, too, because her work is beautiful. The pic to the left there, which I've just realized I haven't asked permission to use, is one of her oil paintings.

So maybe I was putting too much thought into this and I just happened to see a lot of butterflies in Bloomington. But I couldn't help thinking there was probably a message to be gained, that the Universe was trying to tell me something. I assumed it was something about this being a time of change for me -- you know, like a butterfly emerging from its cocoon and whatever. (Because "Scott is a delicate, precious snowflake in transition" is a message that the Universe would spend time sending. Actually, haha, that may be part of the message, but the rest of the message came today.)

For, you see, today, I was driving to work with my iPod on shuffle, as I do, and a song popped up that I hadn't heard in a while. It was East Village Opera Company's "Butterfly Duet" -- BUTTERFLY, got that? -- which is based on the Love Duet from Puccini's Madama Butterfly. (You've seen me reference EVOC before here; they're known for their contemporary take on classic opera songs.) At the end of EVOC's "Butterfly Duet," after the climax of the Puccini version, they added their own part in which they repeat, over and over, the message that I think I'm supposed to take from this weekend.

Take a listen and get some culture -- three minutes of quality music won't hurt you. If you're reading this on The Facebook, you'll need to click here to listen: http://sssemester.blogspot.com

"Love is everything."

I know it sounds pretty woo-woo, but I think that's the lesson that I was supposed to take from the butterflies I met over the weekend and from the Butterfly Duet on my iPod.

Now I just have to figure out what, exactly, that means for me right now. Is that a nudge from the Universe encouraging me to spend more time with family and friends who love me just as I am and want what's best for me? Is it a glance from God saying that loving is more important than achieving -- and more important than being right? A kick-to-the-head from Karma indicating I need to realign myself with what's important? All of the above, and more?

It certainly has helped me to put some things into perspective and helped me realize that it's not about me and it's not about you. It's about us.

Love is everything. Love is every thing.

Song! Challenge! #17: Back to the Intros

2010-07-03T23:57:00.002-04:00

When the first Song! Challenge! dropped, it was an homage to song introductions -- those first few notes or those first few seconds that can instantly trigger a memory or an emotion. This week's Song! Challenge! hearkens back to that first golden Song! Challenge of 2009.

This Song! Challenge! is probably more difficult than average because of a few of the clips. I've taken the first several seconds of 18 song clips. How many can you identify?

Your task is to identify all 18 clips -- TITLE OF SONG AND ARTIST -- in this week's Challenge!. Some extra information for this week's game:

No TV theme songs this week.
But there is something that all of the ARTISTS this week have in common. If you figure out what that is, it might make it easier to identify some of the ones you do not know off the top of your head.
This week, the numbers between the clips are here to stay! I think they might even make you laugh, too.
Each clip will be worth 2 points, and there will be partial credit. If you get the title but not the artist, or vice versa, I'll give you one point; get 'em both for 2 points. 18 clips x 2 points = 36 possible points.
Seems to be working well for me to hold all entries until the deadline. I'll wait to post entries until after the 7pm EDT Tuesday deadline.

The Rules

Your job is to enter your song guesses for all 18 clips (TITLE OF SONG AND ARTIST FOR EACH CLIP) as a single comment here on the blog. Standard rules apply (Judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah). Again, I'll be counting minor misspellings and other tiny inaccuracies as correct, as long as you're mostly right.

You can submit your comment-entry starting at 7:00pm EDT tonight, but I won't be approving any comments until after the Tuesday evening deadline. No help from other entries this time around. The deadline for all entries is Tuesday evening at 7:00pm EDT.

You may enter as often as you like -- but each comment/entry will be counted independent of your other entries; so if you get a question right in one entry but wrong in another, it only counts as correct in the one you got it right in. (Got that?) If you're reading this on Facebook, go to the blog: http://sssemester.blogspot.com to hear the quiz and enter your comment/entry. And trust me, if you're reading this on Facebook, you're gonna want to hear this one.

The Grand Prize

The first person to correctly identify all the clips in a single entry -- or the person with the most points by 7:00PM EDT ON TUESDAY, JULY 6 -- will win a $10 Costco Cash card, sponsored by me.

And hey! If you're cool and would like to participate as a prize sponsor by donating a prize valued at $10 or more, please e-mail me at SSSemester(at)yahoo(dot)com.

(Almost) Everybody "Wins"

The target number for this week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" is 20. You'll need to get at least 20 points in order to get the (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize.

This week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize is a surprise again. I don't have any good ideas, but I promise I'll come up with something! Make sure to leave your e-mail address in the body of your comment/entry so I can e-mail you. (If you're worried about spambots, use the format "user(at)domain(dot)whatever" like I did above, and we should be fine. Nobody reads this blog anyway -- not even spambots.)

Readysetgo by clicking the player below:

Another kind of hiatus, for real

2010-06-24T10:22:00.004-04:00

Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you will recover your life. I will show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me -- watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won't lay anything heavy or ill fitting on you. Keep company with me and you will learn to live freely and lightly.
~ Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

So.

If you are a subscriber to the RSS feed for this blog, you know a little more detail about this than if you are not. When I published-and-then-immediately-deleted a blog post yesterday, the RSS feed picked it up and held on tight. But I think I'm content just to let it go and not dwell on the reasons behind my decision to take a two-month hiatus from church, choosing instead to focus on reconnecting with God and with Jesus and with me during that time.

Anyway, this scripture passage found its way to me via this post on something called The Bluevine Collective, a new initiative of St. Luke's United Methodist Church and its satellite church, The Garden. In his post, Rev. Stan Abell says "Theologian Paull Tillich would say we have confused our ultimate concern (God) with primary concerns (house, car, work, superfluous busyness). Houses, cars, and work have become our religion with which we really are burned out." But I know, for me, it's the institution of religion -- and its expression through human hands, voices, and judgments -- that I'm really burned out on.

My imperfection and your imperfection get in the way of my relationship with God and with Jesus Christ. There isn't really a greater concentration of imperfection within the church, but because of the number and nature of my church-based relationships, the imperfections are more obvious and more obstructive to me right now.

So I'm taking some time off: just July and August -- not that much time, really, but enough time to step out of the routine of the superfluous busyness and to reconnect in relationship with the Guy I follow and the One so many of us call Father.

Each morning for the next couple months, I'll review the scripture above. It's a great reminder that my time off shouldn't be wasted -- in fact, these two months may be fuller of spiritual growth than the last five years! There's lots to do; a lot of verbs in that passage: Get away. Recover. Rest. Walk. Work. Watch. Learn. Keep company.

Here's to living freely and lightly!

GAME SHOW HIATUS!

2010-06-19T14:20:00.002-04:00

Hey, y'all!

Just wanted to update you -- I've found myself swamped with a bunch of stuff to do, so I'm taking a brief hiatus from the games. We'll be back with a new Song! Challenge! on ~~Saturday, June 26~~ Saturday, July 3.

See you then!

"The Curse" by Josh Ritter

2010-06-17T08:14:00.002-04:00

If you like mummies and love stories and the music of Josh Ritter and the puppetry of Liam Hurley, this is your favorite video in the whole world.

Song! Challenge! #16: With An Attitude

2010-06-12T19:00:00.003-04:00

Sometimes, we experience feelings that are not exactly happy, content, or glad. Sometimes, we get angry. During an especially frustrating episode this week, the theme for this week's Song! Challenge! occurred to me. Ironically, it made me laugh so hard and for so long that I was no longer angry.

Assuming you have a passing familiarity with popular music of the last five decades and a passing familiarity with Google, this Song! Challenge! will be far easier than average -- except for MAYBE the first clip. I've taken lyrics from 20 well-known songs and read them as if I was extremely angry. How many can you identify?

Your task is to identify all 20 clips -- TITLE OF SONG AND ARTIST -- in this week's Challenge!. Some extra information for this week's game:

There's one TV theme song in this week's Challenge!. (Of course. Well, kind of "of course" -- I'd gotten away from including theme songs, but I'm back, baby!) In the case of the theme song, all you have to provide is "Theme to [NAME OF SHOW]."
This week, the numbers between the clips are here to stay! I think they might even make you laugh, too.
Each clip will be worth 2 points, and there will be partial credit. If you get the title but not the artist, or vice versa, I'll give you one point; get 'em both for 2 points. 19 clips x 2 points = 38 points + 1 clip x 1 point (the TV theme song) = 39 possible points.
Seems to be working well for me to hold all entries until the deadline. I'll wait to post entries until after the 7pm EDT Tuesday deadline.

The Rules

Your job is to enter your song guesses for all 20 clips (TITLE OF SONG AND ARTIST FOR EACH CLIP) as a single comment here on the blog. Standard rules apply (Judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah). Again, I'll be counting minor misspellings and other tiny inaccuracies as correct, as long as you're mostly right.

You can submit your comment-entry starting at 7:00pm EDT tonight, but I won't be approving any comments until after the Tuesday evening deadline. No help from other entries this time around. The deadline for all entries is Tuesday evening at 7:00pm EDT.

You may enter as often as you like -- but each comment/entry will be counted independent of your other entries; so if you get a question right in one entry but wrong in another, it only counts as correct in the one you got it right in. (Got that?) If you're reading this on Facebook, go to the blog: http://sssemester.blogspot.com to hear the quiz and enter your comment/entry. And trust me, if you're reading this on Facebook, you're gonna want to hear this one.

The Grand Prize

The first person to correctly identify all the clips in a single entry -- or the person with the most points by 7:00PM EDT ON TUESDAY, JUNE 15 -- will win anything from the DonorPoint.org Rewards Store, up to 450 points. You want four recyclable tote bags? DONE! You want an emergency crank flashlight? DONE! You want an Indiana Blood Center baseball cap AND a t-shirt? DONE. Pick one of those examples or use my 450 points however you like.

And hey! If you're cool and would like to participate as a prize sponsor by donating a prize valued at $10 or more, please e-mail me at SSSemester(at)yahoo(dot)com.

(Almost) Everybody "Wins"

The target number for this week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" is 36. You'll need to get at least 36 points in order to get the (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize.

This week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize is a link to my formspring.me page where you can ask me anything and I promise to answer. Make sure to leave your e-mail address in the body of your comment/entry so I can e-mail you. (If you're worried about spambots, use the format "user(at)domain(dot)whatever" like I did above, and we should be fine. Nobody reads this blog anyway -- not even spambots.)

Readysetgo by clicking the player below:

Pop Culture Math! #2: You must show your work. - RESULTS

2010-06-12T14:34:00.006-04:00

On Thursday, we continued the blog game that's sweeping the nation*: POP CULTURE MATH! Did you play? Did you win?! (*Not really, of course. But! I actually have an idea for a way to scale POP CULTURE MATH into a live-action game show called STARITHMETIC. Workshopping it now, will let you know when I'm ready for action.)

Anyway.

Just like last week, there was no agreement on the answer. Only three people played this week, but all three had different answers. And there can only be one winner: the FIRST one with the CORRECT answer. This time around, I asked you to show your work, and it is, therefore, easier to figure out where the different mistakes came in.

As I said, it turns out this second one was also pretty tricky...even tougher than the first one. Here's my read on it:

Phillip Drummond just built a new luxury apartment building. And he needs help selling the apartments.

The building has a number of floors equal to the number of children Steven and Elyse Keaton have, multiplied by the number of children Howard and Marion Cunningham have, multiplied by the number of children Ward and June Cleaver have.

4 Keatons (Alex, Mallory, Jennifer, Andrew) x 3 Cunninghams (Chuck, Richie, Joanie) x 2 Cleavers (Wally, the Beav) = 24 floors

Each floor has a number of apartments equal to Peyton Manning's jersey number minus the number of erogenous zones Monica Geller once mapped out for Chandler Bing.

Peyton Manning = #18, minus 7 erogenous zones = 11 apartments per floor

Therefore, 24 floors x 11 apartments per floor = 264 apartments

To help sell the apartments, Donald Trump lends Mr. Drummond his former Celebrity Apprentice winners.

Celebrity Apprentice winners = Piers Morgan, Joan Rivers, Bret Michaels

Drummond divides all the apartments in his building equally among the Celebrity Apprentice winners, for them to sell.

264 apartments / 3 Celebrity Apprentice winners = 88 apartments for each to sell

He promises them that whoever sells all their apartments first will earn a commission, while the others will earn nothing. The commission is equal to the number of apartments the winner sells, multiplied by the number of Grammy Awards Bobby McFerrin has won, multiplied by the total amount wagered by Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer in the Seinfeld episode, "The Contest."

Commission = 88 apartments x 10 Bobby McFerrin Grammys x $450 in the wager = $396,000

The one whose last name comes last alphabetically sold all of his or her apartments first.

Joan Rivers's last name comes last alphabetically.

Who sold all their apartments first, how many apartments did they sell, and how much was their total commission?

Joan Rivers sold all 88 of her apartments first, earning a commission of $396,000.

In a strange turn of events, same as last week, it turns out the first person to respond -- this time, Carol Lee -- was the only person to get the correct answer. Looks like the challenge this week was to remember Chuck Cunningham early in the "Happy Days" series and/or Andy Keaton toward the end of "Family Ties." Again, no prize this time around, but well played, Carol Lee!

Thanks, everyone, for playing! Be sure to check out another new Song! Challenge tonight. It'll go live here on the blog Saturday night at 7:00pm EDT!

See you then -- and in the meantime, keep figuring it out!*

*Still seeking the right tagline. Suggestions?

Pop Culture Math! #2: You must show your work.

2010-06-10T19:00:00.000-04:00

Hi! This is the second full week of new games here on ye olde blogge. What say you?

The name of the game is POP CULTURE MATH. Take the fun of reminiscing about the TV shows, movies, hit songs, and games you loved growing up, and add it to the non-stop excitement of story problems, and you've got POP CULTURE MATH.

This week's story problem is, I think, of average difficulty.

How To Play

Solve the word problem.
YOU MUST SHOW YOUR WORK. (At least numbers, like 288 - 36 + 6 - 36 - 6 - 99 - 93 = 24.)
Once you've figured out the solution, submit your answer to the questions at the end -- including showing your work -- as a comment here on the blog.
Standard rules apply: Judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah. In this case, however, my leniency as a judge will not apply. The answer must be correct in POP CULTURE MATH.
I'll accept comment-entries until Friday, June 11, at 7:00 p.m. The first person to enter the correct answer, wins! You can submit your comment-entry starting at 7:00pm EDT tonight, but I'll wait until after the deadline to approve/post any comments.

You may enter as often as you like -- like, if you're not exactly sure of the answer -- but each comment/entry will be counted independent of your other entries; so if you get the answer right in one entry but wrong in another, it only counts as correct in the one you got it right in. (Got that?) If you're reading this on Facebook, go to the blog: http://sssemester.blogspot.com to play the game and enter your comment/entry. Only entries on the blog count!

OK, here we go:

Phillip Drummond just built a new luxury apartment building. And he needs help selling the apartments.

The building has a number of floors equal to the number of children Steven and Elyse Keaton have, multiplied by the number of children Howard and Marion Cunningham have, multiplied by the number of children Ward and June Cleaver have. Each floor has a number of apartments equal to Peyton Manning's jersey number minus the number of erogenous zones Monica Geller once mapped out for Chandler Bing.

To help sell the apartments, Donald Trump lends Mr. Drummond his former Celebrity Apprentice winners. Drummond divides all the apartments in his building equally among the Celebrity Apprentice winners, for them to sell. He promises them that whoever sells all their apartments first will earn a commission, while the others will earn nothing. The commission is equal to the number of apartments the winner sells, multiplied by the number of Grammy Awards Bobby McFerrin has won, multiplied by the total amount wagered by Jerry, George, Elaine, and Kramer in the Seinfeld episode, "The Contest."

The one whose last name comes last alphabetically sold all of his or her apartments first.

Who sold all their apartments first, how many apartments did they sell, and how much was their total commission?

The Grand Prize -- Normally there will be one, I think.

This is only the second week of POP CULTURE MATH. If I get feedback that this is kind of fun, and I decide to do it on a weekly basis* like the Song! Challenge!, then I'll start giving out prizes. Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments section -- like, if this is fun or not. I figure it's something to do for the people who aren't into music but who want to play along.

And hey! If you'd like to participate as a prize sponsor by donating a prize valued at $10 or more, please e-mail me at SSSemester(at)yahoo(dot)com.

(Almost) Everybody "Wins"

Again, if this takes off, maybe I'll also have an (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize, too.

* It's looking like the following schedule will be my plan for a while:

Sunday: MicroscoPICS
Tuesday: Parts of Speech
Thursday: Pop Culture Math
Saturday: Song! Challenge!

Finding a happy place

2010-06-09T16:24:00.002-04:00

OK, here's a palate cleanser for us. Frustration vented, and now back to some fun and games.

COME ON

2010-06-09T16:17:00.001-04:00

I wouldn't say I'm angry, but it would be fair to characterize me as frustrated.

You can't not say what you don't mean and not expect me not to misunderstand what you're not saying.

Song! Challenge! #15: There Are No Words - RESULTS

2010-06-09T15:47:00.002-04:00

Song! Challenge! remains the flagship game here on ye olde blogge, but I'm wondering how long that will last as the other games take hold. Thanks for playing last week's game. Here are the standings, 20 points possible:

Dave and Lisa: 9 out of 20
Amanda and Ryan M: 10 out of 20
Michelle and Team HCTM: 11 out of 20
Ryan R: 12 out of 20
Brooke and friends: 17 out of 20
Amy Bridges: 18 out of 20

Congrats to Amy Bridges, song identifier extraordinaire! Although she's back and forth between Indiana and Michigan this summer, I'm sure I'll manage to hand off that $10 iTunes gift card at some point. Thanks again to Amanda M. for sponsoring this week's contest!

Here are the answers from last week's quiz:

Friends
The Muppet Movie (The Magic Store, leading up to the finale)
Far and Away
Aladdin
Will & Grace
Mambo Kings
Grease
Slumdog Millionaire
Perry Mason
Phantom of the Opera
For Your Eyes Only
The Lion King
Magnum, P.I.
The Bodyguard
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants, OR Degrassi: The Next Generation, OR The Hills
The Rockford Files
Funny Girl
Moulin Rouge
Hercules
Cagney & Lacey

Tune in later tonight for the results of last night's PARTS OF SPEECH, and tune in tomorrow night at 7:00pm EDT for a little POP CULTURE MATH!

And don't forget to tune in Saturday night at 7:00pm EDT for another chance at a Song! Challenge! and a fantastic prize! And, for serious, you are not going to want to miss this Song! Challenge! for two reasons: 1) if you know how to use Google, the Challenge! will take at most a minute and a half, and 2) I think it's hilarious.

Oh! And if you beat the (Almost) Everybody "Wins" number of 12 points, then I'll have your prize for you soon -- whatever it turns out to be! Make sure I know your e-mail address and/or make sure we're friends on Facebook!

As a reminder, here's the game schedule on this here blog:

Sundays at 7:00pm: MicroscoPICS
Tuesdays at 7:00pm: Parts of Speech
Thursdays at 7:00pm: Pop Culture Math
Saturdays at 7:00pm: Song! Challenge!

Check back often -- and WIN!

Parts of Speech #2: With an Accent

2010-06-08T19:00:00.003-04:00

Greetings! And welcome to Week 2 of PARTS OF SPEECH, where I take a famous speech from history, chunk it up and mix it around, and then you have to figure out who gave the speech, where they gave it, and the date they gave it.

Last week's pilot episode was supereasy; this week's might actually require some research. The challenge comes from being the first one to tune in at the right time and being the first to enter your guess -- and tracking down the other information about the speech, too.

The Rules

Enter your guess for the identity of the clip (SPEAKER, LOCATION, AND DATE) as a comment here on the blog. Standard rules apply (Judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah). I'll count minor misspellings as correct (as long as you're mostly right), but the date must be exact. Location should include at least city and state/country; if you'd like to be more specific, feel free.

I'll accept comment-entries until Wednesday, June 9, at 7:00 p.m. The first person to enter the correct speaker, location, and date of speech, wins! You can submit your comment-entry starting at 7:00pm EDT tonight, but I'll wait until after the deadline to approve/post any comments.

You may enter as often as you like -- like, if it's between two speakers or two dates or whatever -- but each comment/entry will be counted independent of your other entries; so if you get the speaker right in one entry but wrong in another, it only counts as correct in the one you got it right in. (Got that?) If you're reading this on Facebook, go to the blog: http://sssemester.blogspot.com to hear the quiz and enter your comment/entry.

The Grand Prize -- Normally there will be one, I think.

This is only the second week of this particular game. If I get more feedback that this is kind of fun, and I decide to do it on a weekly basis like the Song! Challenge!, then I'll start giving out prizes. Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments section -- like, if this is fun or not. I figure it's something to do for the people who aren't into music but who want to play along.

And hey! If you'd like to participate as a prize sponsor by donating a prize valued at $10 or more, please e-mail me at SSSemester(at)yahoo(dot)com.

(Almost) Everybody "Wins"

Again, if this takes off, maybe I'll also have an (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize, too.

Readysetgo by clicking the player below:

* It's looking like the following schedule will be my plan for a while:

Sunday: MicroscoPICS
Tuesday: Parts of Speech
Thursday: Pop Culture Math
Saturday: Song! Challenge!

Another New Blog Game: MicroscoPICS - RESULTS

2010-06-08T00:39:00.006-04:00

Last night, we debuted another new blog game: MicroscoPICS! Did you play? What did you think?

A handful of you played, and almost all of you thought it was pretty easy. Here are the answers...click the image to see the full pic.

1. La persistencia de la memoria (The Persistence of Memory) by Salvador Dalí

2. La Gioconda (The Mona Lisa) by Leonardo da Vinci

3. David by Michelangelo

Turns out Amanda M. -- winner of Pop Culture Math! last week -- was quickest on the draw with the correct answer. Congratulations again, Amanda! I mean, no prize this time around, but well played!

Thanks, everyone, for playing! Be sure to check out another game here tomorrow night. It'll go live here on the blog at 7:00pm EDT!*

See you then -- and in the meantime, keep figuring it out!**

* It's looking like the following schedule will be my plan for a while:

Sunday: MicroscoPICS
Tuesday: Parts of Speech
Thursday: Pop Culture Math
Saturday: Song! Challenge!

** I'm pretty sure that's not the tagline for me. So if you have any ideas, now would be a good time to share them!

Another New Blog Game: MicroscoPICS

2010-06-06T19:00:00.004-04:00

The quest continues to figure out which games to include in a weekly game series to test your smarts, your guts, your eyes, and your ears.

The latest entrant into the game show extravaganza is called MicroscoPICS. I'll take recognizable images and give you a small (100 x 100 pixels) swatch of the image for you to identify.

Let's see how it goes!

The Rules

Enter your guess for the identity of the works of art that the three close-ups below are taken from (NAME OF WORK AND ARTIST) as a comment here on the blog. Standard rules apply: judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah. I'll count minor misspellings as correct (as long as you're mostly right), but the name of the work and artist must be there.

I'll accept comment-entries until Monday, June 7, at 7:00 p.m. The first person to enter the correct NAME OF WORK AND ARTIST for each of the three images below, wins! You can submit your comment-entry starting at 8:00pm EDT tonight, but I'll wait until after the deadline to approve/post any comments.

You may enter as often as you like -- like, if it's between two titles or two artists or whatever -- but each comment/entry will be counted independent of your other entries; so if you get the artist right in one entry but wrong in another, it only counts as correct in the one you got it right in. (Got that?) If you're reading this on Facebook, go to the blog: http://sssemester.blogspot.com to hear the quiz and enter your comment/entry. Only comments on the ol' blog count!

The Grand Prize -- Normally there will be one, I think.

If I get feedback that this is kind of fun, and I decide to do it on a weekly basis like the Song! Challenge!, then I'll start giving out prizes. Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments section -- like, if this is fun or not. I figure it's something to do for the people who aren't into music but who want to play along.

And hey! If you'd like to participate as a prize sponsor by donating a prize valued at $10 or more, please e-mail me at SSSemester(at)yahoo(dot)com.

(Almost) Everybody "Wins"

Again, if this takes off, maybe I'll also have an (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize, too.

OK, Here Are The Images:

Song! Challenge! #15: There Are No Words

2010-06-05T19:00:00.002-04:00

We use words to convey messages to one another, but sometimes there are things that even words cannot convey.

In this week's game -- which I am rating slightly more difficult than average -- I've taken word-less music clips from TV, movies, and other shows and presented them in almost 4 minutes' worth of 20 clips. How many can you identify?

Your task is to identify all 20 clips -- ONLY THE NAME OF THE TV SHOW, MOVIE, OR MUSICAL -- in this week's Challenge!. Some extra information for this week's game:

This week, the numbers between the clips are back! I think they might even make you laugh.
Songs in this week's Challenge! -- or other songs from the TV show, movie, or musical may have appeared in previous Challenge!s.
Each clip will be worth 1 point, and there will be NO PARTIAL CREDIT. You just need to provide the name of the TV show, movie, or musical to get the point. 20 clips = 20 possible points.
Seems to be working well for me to hold all entries until the deadline. I'll wait to post entries until after the 7pm EDT Tuesday deadline.

The Rules

Your job is to enter your song guesses for all 20 clips (TITLE OF THE TV SHOW, MOVIE, OR MUSICAL FOR EACH) as a single comment here on the blog. Standard rules apply (Judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah). Again, I'll be counting minor misspellings and other tiny inaccuracies as correct, as long as you're mostly right.

You can submit your comment-entry starting at 7:00pm EDT tonight, but I won't be approving any comments until after the Tuesday evening deadline. No help from other entries this time around. The deadline for all entries is Tuesday evening at 7:00pm EDT.

You may enter as often as you like -- but each comment/entry will be counted independent of your other entries; so if you get a question right in one entry but wrong in another, it only counts as correct in the one you got it right in. (Got that?) If you're reading this on Facebook, go to the blog: http://sssemester.blogspot.com to hear the quiz and enter your comment/entry.

The Grand Prize

The first person to identify all the TV shows, movies, and musicals correct in a single entry -- or the person with the most points by 7:00PM EDT ON TUESDAY, JUNE 8 -- will win a $10 iTunes gift card, sponsored this week by Song! Challenge! friend Amanda.

And hey! If you're cool and would like to participate as a prize sponsor by donating a prize valued at $10 or more, please e-mail me at SSSemester(at)yahoo(dot)com.

(Almost) Everybody "Wins"

The target number for this week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" is 12. You'll need to get at least 12 points in order to get the (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize.

This week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize is a surprise...because I haven't really figured out what it is yet. But there'll be something. Make sure to leave your e-mail address in the body of your comment/entry so I can e-mail you. (If you're worried about spambots, use the format "user(at)domain(dot)whatever" like I did above, and we should be fine. Nobody reads this blog anyway -- not even spambots.)

Readysetgo by clicking the player below:

Pop Culture Math! Another New Blog Game! (?) - RESULTS

2010-06-04T21:56:00.006-04:00

Last night, we debuted another new blog game: POP CULTURE MATH! Did you play? Did you win?!

Well, apparently, many of you played -- and almost all of you came up with a different answer: 18, 20, 22, 24, 26, and 28 -- six answers among seven unique entrants. But there can only be one winner -- I think? In this case, I'm willing to allow that either my math is wrong or my facts are wrong. I didn't ask you to show your work -- maybe I should have.

So, it turns out this first one was pretty tricky. Here's my read on it:

Mrs. Garrett baked two gross of her famous Cream Cheese Streusel Doodlebops at Edna's Edibles. (A gross is 144.)

2 x 144 = 288 to start

Ed Rooney bought four doodlebops for each day Ferris Bueller had been absent this semester (Niiiiine tiiiiimes), but then returned three for each of Ferris's absences actually reflected in the school's computer system after Ferris hacked it (Two times).

= 288 - (4 x 9) + (3 x 2) = 288 - 36 + 6 = 258

Carol Brady bought six doodlebops for each of her children and stepchildren older than Cousin Oliver (They all six were). Then she bought some more: two for each son-in-law or daughter-in-law she had in "A Very Brady Christmas." (Three: Greg, Marcia, and Jan were married in AVBC. Peter asked his girlfriend/boss Valerie to marry him at the Christmas dinner table, but Valerie does not count as a daughter-in-law in the continuity of the Very Brady Christmas universe.)

= 258 - (6 x 6) - (2 x 3) = 258 - 36 - 6 = 216

Nena bought one doodlebop to attach to each luftballoon in her song. (99 Luftballoons)

= 216 - 99 = 117

And Andrea Zuckerman bought a number of doodlebops equal to the last two digits of the year she and the gang graduated from West Beverly High School. (West Beverly Class of 1993)

= 117 - 93 = 24

So, how many doodlebops did Edna have left at the end of the day? 24*

* Because there were so many different answers, I'm willing to entertain the possibility that the question was open to interpretation and/or that my math is wrong. If so, please show your work and provide documentation as appropriate. (I'm serious. If this is going to be an ongoing thing -- and I hope it is -- then I need your feedback!)

Turns out the first person to respond last night -- Amanda M. -- was the only person to get the correct answer. (Or, at least, was the only person to get my answer. Again, my answer might be incorrect, and I'll be glad to hear your appeal. This one time, the judge's decision may not be final. Since there's no prize on the line, let me hear it!) Congratulations, Amanda! I mean, no prize this time around, but well played!

Thanks, everyone, for playing! Be sure to check out another new Song! Challenge tomorrow night. It'll go live here on the blog Saturday night at 7:00pm EDT!

See you then -- and in the meantime, keep figuring it out!*

*Yes? No? Any ideas for other taglines?

Pop Culture Math! Another New Blog Game! (?)

2010-06-03T19:00:00.002-04:00

Hi! Tuesday night, I debuted a new blog game: PARTS OF SPEECH. What did you think? People seemed to enjoy it. Inspired by the fun and merriment, I'm trying another new one. This one will probably take longer than Tuesday's.

But I need your help again tonight, in two ways:

Way the First: Play the game below.
Way the Second: Let me know what you think.

Like I said Tuesday, I'm considering implementing a multi-game approach to the blog, with up to 5 different games a week -- maybe even spinning it off into its own website. But before we get that grandiose, I'd like to know what you think of this one game. So, take a look -- and play along -- and let me know what you think!

Inspired by this and, one supposes, subliminally by this, the name of tonight's game is POP CULTURE MATH.

Take the fun of reminiscing about the TV shows, movies, hit songs, and games you loved growing up, and add it to the non-stop excitement of story problems, and you've got POP CULTURE MATH.

This first one is, I think, of average difficulty. Unless you're, you know, Barbie.

How To Play

Solve the word problem.
Once you've figured out the solution, submit your answer to the question at the end as a comment here on the blog.
Standard rules apply: Judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah. In this case, however, my leniency as a judge will not apply. The answer must be correct in POP CULTURE MATH.

I'll accept comment-entries until Friday, June 4, at 7:00 p.m. The first person to enter the correct answer, wins! You can submit your comment-entry starting at 7:00pm EDT tonight, but I'll wait until after the deadline to approve/post any comments.

Mrs. Garrett baked two gross of her famous Cream Cheese Streusel Doodlebops at Edna's Edibles.

Ed Rooney bought four doodlebops for each day Ferris Bueller had been absent this semester, but then returned three for each of Ferris's absences actually reflected in the school's computer system after Ferris hacked it.

Carol Brady bought six doodlebops for each of her children and stepchildren older than Cousin Oliver. Then she bought some more: two for each son-in-law or daughter-in-law she had in "A Very Brady Christmas."

Nena bought one doodlebop to attach to each luftballoon in her song.

And Andrea Zuckerman bought a number of doodlebops equal to the last two digits of the year she and the gang graduated from West Beverly High School.

How many doodlebops did Edna have left at the end of the day?

The Grand Prize -- Normally there will be one, I think.

Just like with PARTS OF SPEECH on Tuesday, if I get feedback that this is kind of fun, and I decide to do it on a weekly basis like the Song! Challenge!, then I'll start giving out prizes. Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments section -- like, if this is fun or not. I figure it's something to do for the people who aren't into music but who want to play along.

Parts of Speech - A New Blog Game! (?) - RESULTS!

2010-06-02T08:00:00.001-04:00

Last night, we debuted a new blog game: PARTS OF SPEECH! Did you play? Did you win?!

Well, apparently, many of you played -- but there can only be one winner! Some of you actually read the instructions and others did not, but it seems like most had a kinda fun to fun time, so we'll be continuing this in the future.

This first one was pretty easy. But for the record:

The speaker was Lou Gehrig, on the occasion of his farewell to baseball. (And PS -- I'd never listened to the speech before, so I had never heard the heartbreaking pause between "And I might have..." and "...been given a bad break." Wow.)
The date was July 4, 1939.
The location was Bronx (New York City), New York, USA. (Many of you got more specific and said Yankee Stadium or, surprisingly, the exact longitude and latitude of Yankee Stadium: 40°49' 37'' N 73°55' 41'' W.)

Of course, some of you didn't include a location. Or the location you included didn't contain what was specifically requested: City and State/Country. Therefore, although there were four entries before hers, including the aforementioned longitude/latitude one, the judges have declared Carol Lee to be the winner of the first PARTS OF SPEECH! (Sadly, Carol Lee, there is no prize this time around. Maybe next time!)

Thanks, everyone, for playing! Be sure to check out another new game tonight. It'll be a lot more involved, but I think you'll find it fun, as well. It'll go live here on the blog tonight at 7:00pm EDT!

See you then -- and in the meantime, keep figuring it out!*

*If I'm going to keep doing these puzzles, I'll need a fun sign-off. I'm not sure "...in the meantime, keep figuring it out!" is it, but ya gotta start somewhere, right? If you have any suggestions, drop 'em in the comments here. Thanks again!

Parts of Speech - A New Blog Game! (?)

2010-06-01T20:00:00.002-04:00

Hello, dear readers. It is a joy, as always, to welcome you (both of you!) to ye olde blogge. I need your help tonight, in two ways:

Way the First: Play the game below.
Way the Second: Let me know what you think.

I'm considering implementing a multi-game approach to the blog, with up to 5 different games a week -- maybe even spinning it off into its own website. But before we get that grandiose, I'd like to know what you think of this one game. So, take a look -- and a listen -- and let me know!

The name of the game is PARTS OF SPEECH.

The gist is this -- I take a famous speech from history, chunk it up and mix it around, and then you have to figure out who gave the speech, where they gave it, and the date they gave it.

This pilot episode is, I think, easier than average. The challenge comes from being the first one to tune in at the right time and being the first to enter your guess -- and tracking down the other information about the speech, too, I guess.

The Rules

Enter your guess for the identity of the clip (SPEAKER, LOCATION, AND DATE) as a comment here on the blog. Standard rules apply (Judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah). I'll count minor misspellings as correct (as long as you're mostly right), but the date must be exact. Location should include at least city and state/country; if you'd like to be more specific, feel free.

I'll accept comment-entries until Wednesday, June 2, at 8:00 a.m. The first person to enter the correct speaker, location, and date of speech, wins! You can submit your comment-entry starting at 8:00pm EDT tonight, but I'll wait until after the deadline to approve/post any comments.

You may enter as often as you like -- like, if it's between two speakers or two dates or whatever -- but each comment/entry will be counted independent of your other entries; so if you get the speaker right in one entry but wrong in another, it only counts as correct in the one you got it right in. (Got that?) If you're reading this on Facebook, go to the blog: http://sssemester.blogspot.com to hear the quiz and enter your comment/entry.

The Grand Prize -- Normally there will be one, I think.

If I get feedback that this is kind of fun, and I decide to do it on a weekly basis like the Song! Challenge!, then I'll start giving out prizes. Be sure to let me know what you think in the comments section -- like, if this is fun or not. I figure it's something to do for the people who aren't into music but who want to play along.

Readysetgo by clicking the player below:

Song! Challenge! #14: Hi & Bye - RESULTS

2010-06-01T18:56:00.006-04:00

This week's Song! Challenge! seemed to be MUCH easier than I had anticipated. I suppose after so many of you knew "Rock Me Sexy Jesus" a couple weeks ago, it wasn't a stretch that you'd be able to identify everyone from the Carpenters to the Runaways to the 'Hoff himself. (Although I imagine at least a couple entrants availed themselves of the Here Come The Mummies forum...I'll be removing that option in future Song! Challenge!s, unless Team HCTM decides to go stealth in some way.)

Without any further ado, here are the final and unimpeachable standings from last week. Remember, partial credit was available -- 2 points per clip, for a total possible score of 28 points.

Brooke & Linda - 21 points
Sacha - 24 points
Dave & Lisa - 26 points
Amy - 28 points third
Amanda & Ryan - 28 points second
Michelle - 28 points first

Congrats to Michelle and Team HCTM for their tireless work (and MULTIPLE entries)! I'll make sure to connect you and Amy Gunn Photography ASAP for your photo shoot and great new business card image!

Anyway, here are the answers from last week's quiz:

Hello, It's Me - Todd Rundgren
(Na Na Hey Hey) Kiss Him Goodbye - The Nylons
Smells Like Teen Spirit - Nirvana
Say Goodbye to Hollywood - Billy Joel
Hello Goodbye - The Beatles
Goodbye, Yellow Brick Road - Elton John
Hello, I Love You - The Doors
It's So Hard To Say Goodbye To Yesterday - Boyz II Men
Hello Again - Neil Diamond
Goodbye To Love - The Carpenters
Cherry Bomb - Joan Jett / The Runaways
Then You Can Tell Me Goodbye - David Hasselhoff
Hello - Lionel Richie
Every Time We Say Goodbye - Ella Fitzgerald

Don't forget to tune in Saturday night at 7pm EDT for another chance at a Song! Challenge! and a fantastic prize!

Oh! And if you beat the (Almost) Everybody "Wins" number of 14 points, then I'll have your prize for you soon -- make sure I know your e-mail address and/or make sure we're friends on Facebook!

Song Challenge #14: Hi & Bye

2010-05-29T19:00:00.004-04:00

What do you think of Season 2 of the Song! Challenge!? Is it as good as Season 1? Even better? Let's you and me find out together, shall we?

This week's game is, I think, average to somewhere around slightly average. I'm going to give it a Degree of Difficulty of 5.2. How many of the clips can you identify?

This week's Challenge! clips heavily feature the words "Hello" and "Goodbye."

Your task is to identify all 14 clips -- SONG TITLE AND ARTIST -- in this week's Challenge!. Some extra information for this week's game:

There are no TV theme songs. (You: WHAT?! Me: I know. Two weeks in a row!)
There are also no Broadway showtunes. (You: Scott, are you feeling okay? Me: Mostly.)
This week there are no numbers between the clips; still working on audio technical difficulties. But it will help to know that the 14 clips alternate back and forth between a "hello" and a "goodbye."
The song title may or may not actually contain the word, "Hello" or "Goodbye."
Songs in this week's Challenge! may have appeared in previous Challenge!s.
Each clip will be worth 2 points, and I will award partial credit. If you get the song title but not the artist or the artist but not the title, I will give you 1 point. Get both the song AND the artist and get 2 points.
Seems to be working well for me to hold all entries until the deadline. I'll wait to post entries until after the 7pm EDT Tuesday deadline. We'll see how well everyone can do when they don't have anyone's paper to peek off of.

The Rules

Your job is to enter your song guesses for all 14 clips (SONG TITLE AND ARTIST THIS WEEK) as a single comment here on the blog. Standard rules apply (Judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah). Again, I'll be counting minor misspellings and other tiny inaccuracies as correct, as long as you're mostly right.

You can submit your comment-entry starting at 7:00pm EDT tonight, but I won't be approving any comments until after the Tuesday evening deadline. No help from other entries this time around. The deadline for all entries is Tuesday evening at 7:00pm EDT.

You may enter as often as you like -- but each comment/entry will be counted independent of your other entries; so if you get a question right in one entry but wrong in another, it only counts as correct in the one you got it right in. (Got that?) If you're reading this on Facebook, go to the blog: http://sssemester.blogspot.com to hear the quiz and enter your comment/entry.

The Grand Prize -- It's Pretty Cool This Week

The first person to get all 14 song titles and artists correct in a single entry -- or the person with the most points by 7:00PM EDT ON TUESDAY, JUNE 1 -- will win a photo shoot with local photographer Amy Gunn. Amy's the one who took my pictures for my Facebook and Twitter profiles, and she is supercool. If you click over to her sample site, you can see some other great examples of her work!

***Details: Must complete photo shoot by 12/31/2010. Includes one hour at a location to be mutually agreed upon (your home or other public location). Photographer will offer suggestions about attire if requested. Includes up to three people within the one-hour shoot. Includes 5 to 7 edited images in a digital format that has no copyright restrictions.

And hey! If you'd like to participate as a prize sponsor by donating a prize valued at $10 or more, please e-mail me at SSSemester(at)yahoo(dot)com.

(Almost) Everybody "Wins"

The target number for this week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" is 14. You'll need to get at least 14 points correct in order to get the (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize.

This week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize is a pep talk. I'll send you an e-mail with as-personalized-as-possible motivation and inspiration, some time in the next four weeks. Hopefully, it'll be well timed and make a difference. Make sure to leave your e-mail address in the body of your comment/entry so I can e-mail you. (If you're worried about spambots, use the format "user(at)domain(dot)whatever" like I did above, and we should be fine. Nobody reads this blog anyway -- not even spambots.)

Readysetgo by clicking the player below:

Song! Challenge! #13: (Tsiwt A Htiw) !Egnellahc !Gnos -- RESULTS!

2010-05-29T10:43:00.003-04:00

Man, oh, man. I don't know what my problem is with the Song! Challenge! scoring and results-announcing this season. Ah, well. Without any further ado, here are the final and unimpeachable standings from the backwards Song! Challenge!

Remember, partial credit was available -- 2 points per clip, for a total possible score of 20 points.

KT: 8 points
Amanda and Ryan: 8 points (plus 5 humor points, but those don't count in the scoring)
Dave and Lisa: 14 points
Michelle and Team HCTM: 18 points (hooray, teamwork!)
Jim4: 20 points (hooray, AV equipment!)

Congrats to Jim4, for his tireless dedication -- and (sneaky?) use of computer technology to win this week's Challenge!

Answers from last week's quiz have already been posted here.

Don't forget to tune in Saturday night -- that's tonight, man! -- at 7pm EDT for another chance at a Song! Challenge! and a fantastic prize -- a photo shoot with local photographer Amy Gunn!

Oh! And if you beat the (Almost) Everybody "Wins" number of 8 points, then watch your e-mail for an invitation to the Cafe Orzo tasting at the house I'm housesitting on the morning of Saturday, June 12!

Song Challenge #13: (Tsiwt A Htiw) !Egnellahc !Gnos -- SOLUTION

2010-05-25T19:01:00.004-04:00

*It helps if you say this in a robot voice, since it's an automated post.*

Scott is currently at a meeting and away from his computer. But he knows the Song! Challenge! is important to you. All entries will be posted when he returns from the meeting. In the meantime, here is this week's Challenge! played in reverse (from #10 to #1), so you can check your answers.

Here's the Challenge! in reverse (with me saying "Number 10" to "Number 1" backwards and after each clip, naturally). Answers below; results to be posted soon.

10. "Dancing Machine" - The Jackson Five
9. "Come Dancing" - The Kinks
8. "Dancing in the Streets" - Martha and the Vandellas
7. "Liquid Dance" - A.R. Rahman feat. Palakkad Sriram and Madhumitha ("Slumdog Millionaire" Soundtrack)
6. "So She Dances" - Josh Groban
5. "Shadow Dancing" - Andy Gibb
4. "Dance Ten, Looks Three" - Pamela Blair ("A Chorus Line" Soundtrack)
3. "Dance Naked" - John Mellencamp
2. "Shall We Dance" - Constance Towers & Yul Brynner ("The King & I" Soundtrack)
1. "You Make Me Feel Like Dancing" - Leo Sayer

Song! Challenge! #13: (Tsiwt A Htiw) !Egnellahc !Gnos

2010-05-22T19:00:00.005-04:00

Season 2 of the Song! Challenge! continues...are we having fun yet?

This week's game is, I think, pretty tough. I'm going to give it a Degree of Difficulty of 9.2. How many of the clips can you identify?

This week's Challenge! features backwards song clips, but with an added twist. Instead of all being from a certain era, these clips have something else in common. If you figure out what the common thread is, it might help you identify the ones you can't guess.

Your task is to identify all 10 clips -- SONG AND ARTIST/SHOW -- in this week's Challenge!. Some extra information for this week's game:

There are no TV theme songs. (You: WHAT?! Me: I know.)
In response to feedback from last year's Challenge!s, I have added identifying numbers before each clip, to make it easier to figure out which song you're on. Sadly, I didn't save the master "numbering" file from last week or the week before, and I had to re-record the numbers again. On my laptop with the janky fan. So, whatever. Forgive the janky numbers.
This Challenge! features 2 songs from Broadway shows, 1 (obscure) song from a movie soundtrack, and at least one song from each of the 60s, 70s, 80s, 90s, and 2000s.
Songs in this week's Challenge! may have appeared in previous Challenge!s.
Each clip will be worth 2 points, and I will award partial credit. If you get the song title but not the artist or the artist but not the title, I will give you 1 point. Get both the song AND the artist and get 2 points.
Last week, I held all entries until the deadline. I think I'm going to try that again this week and see what happens. I'll wait to post entries until after the 7pm Tuesday deadline. We'll see how well everyone can do when they don't have anyone's paper to peek off of.

The Rules

Your job is to enter your song guesses for all 10 clips (SONG TITLE AND ARTIST THIS WEEK) as a single comment here on the blog. In the case of a song from a movie or musical, you may provide either the artist who sang it or the movie/musical it appeared in. Standard rules apply (Judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah). Again, I'll be counting minor misspellings and other tiny inaccuracies as correct, as long as you're mostly right.

You can submit your comment-entry starting at 7:00pm EDT tonight, but I won't be approving any comments until after the Tuesday evening deadline. No help from other entries this time around. The deadline for all entries is Tuesday evening at 7:00pm EDT.

You may enter as often as you like -- but each comment/entry will be counted independent of your other entries; so if you get a question right in one entry but wrong in another, it only counts as correct in the one you got it right in. (Got that?) If you're reading this on Facebook, go to the blog: http://sssemester.blogspot.com to hear the quiz and enter your comment/entry.

The Grand Prize

The first person to get all 10 song titles and artists correct in a single entry -- or the person with the most points by 7:00PM EDT ON TUESDAY, MAY 25 -- will win a $20 gift certificate* to Patrick's Kitchen and Drinks in Zionsville (Comfort Food With A Twist), sponsored by frequent Song! Challenge! winner Sacha, aka (since 2:30 this afternoon) "Cricket." I love that she's giving back to the game that has brought her so much. :) Thanks, Sacha!

*Details: Limit one per party per visit. Not good toward gratuity. No cash back. Not good with any other discounts or offers. Expires 11/01/10.

And hey! If you'd like to participate as a prize sponsor by donating a prize valued at $10 or more, please e-mail me at SSSemester(at)yahoo(dot)com.

(Almost) Everybody "Wins"

The target number for this week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" is 8. You'll need to get at least 8 points correct in order to get the (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize.

This week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize is an invitation to a gathering I'll be hosting on Saturday, June 12 -- a tasting of Cafe Orzo, which you've heard about on this blog before. Make sure to leave your e-mail address in the body of your comment/entry so that I can follow up and get you the details on the gathering -- the when and the where. (If you're worried about spambots, use the format "user(at)domain(dot)whatever" like I did above, and we should be fine. Nobody reads this blog anyway -- not even spambots.)

Readysetgo by clicking the player below:

People. What are you gonna do? 80s stand-up comic in rainbow suspenders shrug

2010-05-22T14:53:00.005-04:00

Hilarious component of awful conversation yesterday:

ME: ...and all this is after you asked me to [do this task] for you, while explicitly telling me that I was your fourth choice to [do this task].

THEM: Oh, Scott. You weren't our fourth choice. You were our third choice.

ME: That does not make it better.

B. E. A. G. G. R. E. S. S. I. V. E.?

2010-05-19T00:23:00.003-04:00

Hmmmm...

Via Dave Holmes at myyearofeverything:

A good friend of mine was feeling career-blocked last week, and he asked me for advice. I dusted off a pitch I’ve given a few times before:
Pretend you’re giving it all up and going back to school in a year. Act like you have one year to make it work before you give up and try something else. What haven’t you done? Where aren’t you being aggressive enough? Go do it and embarrass yourself with your pushiness -- after all, you’ll be doing something else in a year anyway, so who cares what people think? Push until you feel uncomfortable, and then double it.
The trick is: when you do that, good things start happening right away, and you get yourself to a point where you can’t imagine giving up, one year from now or ever.
The moment I hit “send,” I realized I hadn’t taken my own advice in years. I haven’t taken risks, because I’m content. I haven’t pushed myself as a performer, because I’m making enough to live on. I’d been spending less and less time onstage because (I swear to God this is true, and if you live in Los Angeles, you understand) parking is a hassle. Seriously. And it’s fine, but fine’s not good enough.
I won’t lie to you, I put the majority of my eggs in this sitcom pilot basket. And, instead of our show, NBC decided to go with “Friends, But A Little Bit Older,” “Law & Order: Tokyo Drift” and “Friends, But The Couch Is, Like, It’s Not Hitting You Over The Head With Shabby Chic.” And we certainly wish them the best of luck.
But for a second there, when I got the news that we weren’t picked up, I honestly thought: “What am I going to DO?” There was a feeling, for just a moment, that my career was over. Because a job I didn’t even know about six months ago didn’t pan out.
That’s just dumb. I have not yet begun to fight.
What I’m saying is that I’m about to put my own plan into action. Join me if you feel like. Let’s get just really stupid aggressive, you want to?

Song! Challenge! #12: I'm Sorry, Could You Repeat That? - RESULTS

2010-05-18T20:47:00.006-04:00

The Song! Challenge! is back! And for the second time in two weeks, the scoring has been an issue. Last week, the issue was that I just put off the scoring... This week, the judges actually were required to make a couple of judgment calls. This is, after all, their job. (Please refer to the rules that state the judges' ruling is final and unimpeachable.)

Without any further ado, here are the final and unimpeachable standings from Remember, partial credit was available -- 2 points per clip, for a total possible score of 40 points.

KT: 14 out of 40 points
Nicole: 18 out of 40 points
Brooke: 20 out of 40 points
Michelle (& her team*): 24 out of 40 points
Amanda & Ryan: 24 out of 40 points (before Michelle & her team)
Sacha & Bill: 31 out of 40 points
Lisa & Dave: 31 out of 40 points (before Sacha & Bill)

Congrats to Lisa and Dave for their tireless approach to this week's Challenge!

* And congratulations to Michelle (MMorris), who opted to crowdsource this week's Song! Challenge! You can see her team's effort here.

Anyway, here are the answers from last week's quiz:

Theme from "WKRP in Cincinnati" - Steve Carlisle
"You Didn't Know Me When" - Harry Connick, Jr.
"Sing!" - A Chorus Line (Renee Baughman and Don Percassi)
"Summer Lovin'" - Grease Soundtrack (Olivia Newton-John, John Travolta, Cast)
"I Have Nothing" - The Bodyguard Soundtrack (Whitney Houston)
"I'm Yours" - Jason Mraz
"Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)" - ABBA
"Ain't No Other Man" - Christina Aguilera
"Tall Tall Trees" - Alan Jackson
"Bang Bang" - K'naan feat. Adam Levine
"Use Me" - Bill Withers
"Short Skirt/Long Jacket" - Cake
"I Finally Found Someone" - Bryan Adams and Barbra Streisand
"Bye Bye Blackbird" - Fosse Soundtrack
"Girlfriend" - Avril Lavigne
"Burn" - Jo Dee Messina
"The Lion Sleeps Tonight" - The Nylons
"It's Oh So Quiet" - Björk
"La Copa De La Vida" - Ricky Martin
"Rock Me Sexy Jesus" - Hamlet 2 Soundtrack (The Ralph Sall Experience)

Don't forget to tune in Saturday night at 7pm EDT for another chance at a Song! Challenge! and a fantastic prize!

Oh! And if you beat the (Almost) Everybody "Wins" number of 15 points, then I'll have your prize for you soon. I'll get in touch with you via e-mail if I need your mailing address.

Song! Challenge! #12: I'm Sorry, Could You Repeat That?

2010-05-15T19:00:00.005-04:00

So, now that you've participated in one, are you actually glad the Song! Challenge! is back? Hmmm...

This week's game is, I think, slightly harder than normal. I'm going to give it a Degree of Difficulty of 8.4. How many of the clips can you identify?

This week, the Challenge! is tailor-made for the hard of hearing. Each clip contains a word or phrase repeated one or more times. Each clip contains a word or phrase repeated one or more times. (Bwahaha!)

Your task is to identify all 20 clips -- SONG AND ARTIST -- in this week's Challenge!. Some extra information for this week's game:

There is one TV theme song. (Of course.)
If you get all 20, I will be amazed. I believe a perfect score on this week's Challenge! to be impossible, unless you are me, which you are probably not.
Clip #3 is NOT "Jingle Bells."
In response to feedback from last year's Challenge!s, I have added identifying numbers before each clip, to make it easier to figure out which song you're on. Sadly, I didn't save the master "numbering" file from last week, and I had to re-record the numbers at the unreasonably loud Panera. Therefore, the numbers are kind of lame. But you're a big boy and/or girl, so I'm sure it will be just fine.
Some of the songs in this week's Challenge! have appeared in previous Challenge!s.
Each clip will be worth 2 points, and I will award partial credit. If you get the song title but not the artist or the artist but not the title, I will give you 1 point. Get both the song AND the artist and get 2 points.
We're going to try another experiment this week, and I'm not going to post any entries until after the 7pm deadline. We'll see how well everyone can do when they don't have anyone's paper to peek off of.

The Rules

Your job is to enter your song guesses for all 20 clips (SONG TITLE AND ARTIST THIS WEEK) as a single comment here on the blog. In the case of a song from a movie or musical, you may provide either the artist who sang it or the movie/musical it appeared in. In the case of the one TV show, just put "Theme from ____." Standard rules apply (Judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah). Again, I'll be counting minor misspellings and other tiny inaccuracies as correct, as long as you're mostly right.

You can submit your comment-entry starting at 7:00pm EDT tonight, but I won't be approving any comments until after the Tuesday evening deadline. No help from other entries this time around. The deadline for all entries is Tuesday evening at 7:00pm EDT.

You may enter as often as you like -- but each comment/entry will be counted independent of your other entries; so if you get a question right in one entry but wrong in another, it only counts as correct in the one you got it right in. (Got that?) If you're reading this on Facebook, go to the blog: http://sssemester.blogspot.com to hear the quiz and enter your comment/entry.

The Grand Prize

The first person to get all 20 song titles and artists correct in a single entry -- or the person with the most points by 7:00PM EDT ON TUESDAY, MAY 18 -- will win a $10 Target gift card, sponsored by me, this time around.

If you'd like to participate as a prize sponsor by donating a prize valued at $10 or more, please e-mail me at SSSemester(at)yahoo(dot)com.

(Almost) Everybody "Wins"

This week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize is a limited edition -- edition will be limited to the number of (Almost) Everybody "Wins" winners -- original photograph created by me and mailed or hand-delivered to you. Make sure to leave your e-mail address in the body of your comment/entry so that I can follow up and get you your (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize. (If you're worried about spambots, use the format "user(at)domain(dot)whatever" like I did above, and we should be fine. Nobody reads this blog anyway -- not even spambots.)

The target number for this week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" is 15. You'll need to get at least 15 points correct in order to get the (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize.

Readysetgo by clicking the player below:

Song! Challenge! #11: Change of Scene - Results

2010-05-15T14:46:00.004-04:00

The Song! Challenge! is back! But the scoring! My God, the scoring!

Sorry for the delay. Here are the standings from the 5/8/10 Song! Challenge! It's possible that I've screwed up, since it's So. Danged. Loud. in this Panera and I can't concentrate for crap.

But here's how I tabulated:

Beth 5 out of 13
Kate 6 out of 13
Michelle 6 out of 13
KT 7 out of 13
Amanda (and Ryan, who really brought it around) 8 out of 13
Brooke 8 out of 13
DG 9 out of 13
Lisa and Dave 9 out of 13
Sacha and Bill 12 out of 13

Congrats to Sacha and Bill -- for their song-identifying ability and for their (sneaky?) strategery in the go-back-and-change-to-correct-answers approach.

Anyway, here are the answers from last week's quiz:

Batman (the scene transition noise)
Wheel of Fortune (Bankrupt noise)
Blossom (where the hell Dave and Lisa pulled this from, I have no idea, but well done!)
The Brady Bunch (right after the opening theme)
Charlie's Angels (bump to commercial)
SuperFriends (the galaxy scene transition noise)
Doogie Howser, MD (big ups to Kate B for picking up on the synthesizer)
Smurfs (right after the opening theme)
Golden Girls (right after the opening theme - the clip that inspired this Challenge!)
Perfect Strangers (the harmonica is the clue in this one)
Law and Order (the Gung-Gung! noise; RIP L&O, 1990 - 2010)
Where In The World Is Carmen Sandiego? (Which NOBODY got...at least nobody who entered. I'm looking at you, Jon and Jenny. Anyway, this noise occurs at the end of every episode, between "Do it, Rockapella!" and "Hoo-wah, hooten-boobay, hoo-wah.")
Saved by the Bell (scene transition music)

Don't forget to tune in tonight at 7pm EDT for another chance at a Song! Challenge! and a fantastic prize!

Oh! And if you beat the (Almost) Everybody "Wins" number of 7 (KT, Amanda, Brooke, DG, Dave & Lisa, and Sacha & Bill), then I'll have your prize for you soon.

Song! Challenge! #11: Change of Scene

2010-05-08T19:00:00.005-04:00

It's back! It's back! The Song! Challenge! is back!

This week's Song! Challenge! is a throwback to the beginning of the Song! Challenge! when almost every Challenge! contained at least one TV theme song. This week's game is, I think, slightly harder than normal. I'm going to give it a Degree of Difficulty of 7.2. How many of the clips can you identify?

This week, each clip contains a transition sound from a TV show -- the music or sound effect that leads you from one scene to the next, or the audio that comes either before something else is about to happen or after something just happened. Your task is to name all 13 shows from which the clips in this week's Challenge! come. Some extra information for this week's game:

Some of these are stunningly easy.
But if you get all 13, I will be amazed.
If you know me personally, this Challenge! is infinitely easier.
In response to feedback from last year's Challenge!s, I have added identifying numbers before each clip, to make it easier to figure out which song you're on.

The Rules

Your job is to enter your song guesses for all 13 clips (THE SHOW TITLE IS ALL WE NEED THIS WEEK) as a single comment here on the blog. Standard rules apply (Judge's decision final, have fun, blah blah blah). Again, I'll be counting minor misspellings and other tiny inaccuracies as correct, as long as you're mostly right.

You can submit your comment-entry starting at 7:00pm EDT tonight, but I'm going to wait until at least Sunday evening to approve and post any entries, so as to cut down on the help you might get from other contestants' entries. The deadline for all entries is Tuesday evening at 7:00pm EDT.

You may enter as often as you like -- but each comment/entry will be counted independent of your other entries; so if you get a question right in one entry but wrong in another, it only counts as correct in the one you got it right in. (Got that?) If you're reading this on Facebook, go to the blog: http://sssemester.blogspot.com to hear the quiz and enter your comment/entry.

The Grand Prize

The first person to get all 13 show titles correct in a single entry -- or the person with the most show titles correct by 7:00PM EDT ON TUESDAY, MAY 11 -- will win a $10 Starbucks gift card, sponsored by me, this time around.

If you'd like to participate as a prize sponsor by donating a prize valued at $10 or more, please e-mail me at SSSemester(at)yahoo(dot)com.

(Almost) Everybody "Wins"

Last year, I kind of got overwhelmed with an (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize for each player, but I'm going to give it another try. This week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize is a small original piece of art created by me and mailed or hand-delivered to you. Make sure to leave your e-mail address in the body of your comment/entry so that I can follow up and get you your (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize. (If you're worried about spambots, use the format "user(at)domain(dot)whatever" like I did above, and we should be fine. Nobody reads this blog anyway -- not even spambots.)

The target number for this week's (Almost) Everybody "Wins" is 7. You'll need to get at least 7 of the show titles correct in order to get the (Almost) Everybody "Wins" prize.

Readysetgo by clicking the player below:

It's baaaaaaack! SONG! CHALLENGE! This Saturday at 7pm Eastern

2010-05-04T13:31:00.004-04:00

Hear ye, hear ye. Be advised that the Song! Challenge! returns to this blogspace at 7:00pm Eastern time, this Saturday, May 8, 2010 in the year of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

You may remember the game from last year. I put a collection of music clips together and you have to identify them. I'm working on some good prizes to go along with some challenging Challenge!s.

This week's comeback episode will see the Song! Challenge! return to its roots. It will be television-based, but NOT TV theme songs...

In fact, if you'd like to explore the Song! Challenge!'s roots and bone up -- and get some insights into the type of music in my collection, which may or may not turn up in a future Song! Challenge! -- why not take a trip down Memory Lane and try your hand at each of the ten Song! Challenges! from the 2009 season:

Song! Challenge! #1 and Answers

Song! Challenge! #2 and Answers

Song! Challenge! #3 and Answers

Song! Challenge! #4 and Answers are nowhere to be found

Song! Challenge! #5 and Answers

Song! Challenge! #6 will drive you insane and Answers

Song! Challenge! #7 and Answers

Song! Challenge! #8 and Answers

Song! Challenge! #9 and Answers

Song! Challenge! #10 and Answers

So check back here at the ol' blog on Saturday, May 8, at 7:00pm Eastern time, and play the Song! Challenge! Play big, win big, and have big fun!

From the concert this weekend

2010-04-27T16:34:00.002-04:00

This is our performance of Psalm 23 from Paul Basler's Songs of Faith, recorded at the concert at Broadway United Methodist Church on Sunday. If you're looking for versions of the 23rd Psalm to sing at my funeral in (hopefully) 50 or more years, this would be a good one.

YOU SHOULD GO: Mudsocks Grill

2010-04-24T23:24:00.004-04:00

I had an opportunity to dine at Mudsocks Grill in Carmel/Noblesville recently. It was kind of like a solo Tastecasting adventure (here's what that means, full-disclosure included), and you should TOTALLY go.

Although my folks live pretty much right around the corner and Mudsocks has been there for a while, I'd never been there before my trip last month. On my way there, I called my brother (who also lives around the corner), and asked if he'd ever been there. He said he'd been there several times and had some recommendations. In fact, JJ is such a fan of Mudsocks, we're going there for his birthday dinner tomorrow.

I was excited to get there and was delightfully surprised to find a warm and comfy hang-out with fantastic food and great atmosphere. I met Jessica Mitchell, a new Twitter friend who is also a Mudsocks manager, and talked with her a little about the restaurant before ordering. Some stuff to know:

Bring your appetite. Portion size at Mudsocks is pretty huge.
A jazz band performs every Wednesday. (Editor's Note: They're good, too. I was there on a Wednesday night and they really were good.)
A big outdoor patio is open for seating when the weather's nice. I was there a couple weeks before the patio opened, but I'll definitely be back to enjoy dinner in the open air some time soon.
There's also a banquet room with snazzy techno-plugins and whatnot. You can have a business meeting there, and it's available for rent any time of day. There's a group that regularly meets there in the early morning once a week.
Fishers used to be called Mudsock, Indiana. The name originated with the farmers who kept their horses in the fields. When the fields got wet, the horses would have mud up to their knees -- as though they were wearing "mud socks."

The place itself is very cool. It looks like they spent a lot of money to create a unique design/architecture look. The restaurant occupies a wedge of a circular strip mall building, and I would say it's about 30% sports bar, 70% family dining. There are TVs freaking everywhere. This is a very good thing -- even if, like me, you're not into sports. (The TV directly in front of me was tuned to Entertainment Tonight. Goooooooooooooal!)

One of my brother's recommendations was the jumbo pretzel appetizer. And holy crap, what a treat. A yooooge fresh, hot, salty pretzel served with a big bowl of queso for dipping. You could totally make a meal out of that appetizer in itself. Another meal-worthy appetizer would be the pulled pork nachos, which Jessie told me are pretty popular, too. I almost tried the deep fried pickles -- spears, not chips -- but decided to leave that for next time.

The menu is one of the more extensive I've seen in the area. LOTS of options -- almost too many! (I seriously wrote down six menu items with "next time" right next to them in my notebook.) It looked to me to be a pretty American menu (steaks, burgers, chicken, pasta, etc.), and it all sounded fantastic. I think the "next time" item I'm really going to go with -- when we're there tomorrow for birthday fun -- is the fried cheese ravioli. (My mouth is watering already.)

On this first trip, though, I ultimately opted to build my own burger, with pepper jack cheese, avocado, and bacon. The burger arrived perfectly cooked, and it tasted great. I got the mac-and-cheese as my side, and while it was fantastic, it was a little rich to go with the burger. Next time, I'd probably stick with the homemade potato chips or creamy coleslaw.

While the food was fantastic, probably the even cooler thing about Mudsocks is the atmosphere. There were tons of BIG groups of people hanging out when I was there, and everybody looked to be having a great time. The owners were hanging out with friends and it seemed like every time someone walked in, they were either greeted by name or walked right over to someone and started talking to them. It was great for people-watching -- seeing all kinds of people celebrating their own celebrations in their own way. Very cool.

Mudsocks Grill is the type of place you would want to open if you were going to open a restaurant. The food is awesome, the atmosphere is friendly and cozy, there's live jazz on Wednesdays, the staff work their butts off, and you'll find friends new and old just a table away.

You should go.

Amen.

2010-04-05T22:56:00.000-04:00

A Light Exists in Spring by Emily Dickinson

2010-03-17T09:27:00.001-04:00

A light exists in spring
Not present on the year
At any other period.
When March is scarcely here

A color stands abroad
On solitary hills
That science cannot overtake,
But human nature feels.

It waits upon the lawn;
It shows the furthest tree
Upon the furthest slope we know;
It almost speaks to me.

Then, as horizons step,
Or noons report away,
Without the formula of sound,
It passes, and we stay:

A quality of loss
Affecting our content,
As trade had suddenly encroached
Upon a sacrament.

The Heart-Breakingest Song in American Musical Theatre

2010-03-16T10:14:00.001-04:00

"You Should Be Loved" from 1997's Side Show

Some background:

Daisy and Violet are conjoined twins who make a change from being a circus act to becoming famous stage performers in the 1930s. They start out as part of a freak show (where they meet their African-American friend Jake -- and where Jake falls in love with Violet) and later, under the guidance of Terry, a slick promoter, and Buddy, his number two, they hit it big on the Vaudeville stage or whatever. All the while Daisy longs for fame and Violet longs for a family of her own.

At a fancy New Year's Eve party, Buddy tries to cheer up Violet and ends up proposing marriage. In an onstage number, Buddy, Violet, and Daisy offer an upbeat invitation to their wedding. But backstage both Daisy and Buddy separately express doubts as to how the arrangement will work.

Jake loves Violet and when he overhears the doubtful Buddy, he confesses to Violet (with Daisy right there, naturally) that he has loved her (and, one presumes, not Daisy) for years. ("You Should Be Loved" in the video above or, if you're reading on The Facebook, here.)

At which point Violet, who has spent her whole life dealing with curious glares and snickering strangers, tells him that "the world won't let us" get married ... because they're different races.

So, Jake is willing to overlook a second entire adult human permanently attached to the love of his life and put up with a lifetime of whispers and stares, but Violet can't possibly imagine what others would say if she married a Black man. (I honestly don't know why the dialogue isn't, "Woman?! You have two heads!" but I guess that's not the characterization they're going for.)

Therefore [Major Spoiler Alert, but come on, you're not likely to find Side Show being produced near you any time soon], on the Big Day, for which they've sold a bunch of tickets and there are tons of people in the audience to see this wedding, Jake announces that he's leaving, and Buddy confesses he's not strong enough to marry Violet. Daisy tries to get Terry to marry her, but he can't do it, so Daisy kicks him to the curb and insists that Violet and Buddy go through with the ceremony...which will at least benefit everyone's career. As the wedding proceeds, they go ahead with the full understanding and acceptance of who they are and what they are doing...

So, like, NOBODY ends up happy. I mean, the twins have this song at the end about how they'll support each other forever and whatnot, but man! Heart-breaking, right?

A Prayer for Forgiveness

2010-03-12T21:25:00.003-05:00

Hi! It's been just under a month since my last post. (Lots going on, etc.) I am sorry for the delay in posting...maybe this will lead you to forgive me?

St. Luke's is hosting mid-week services through Lent (12:00 on Wednesdays), and I get to be a part of the next one -- March 17, 12:00pm, St. Luke's UMC, 100 W. 86th Street in Indianapolis, you should totally come, etc.

This Wednesday's service focuses specifically on forgiveness. My role? I get to pray (the draft of my prayer is below, but trust me, it's way better spoken) and do the benediction (which, if I do it the way I think I'm going to do it, you'll want to be there for that, too*). So, again: you should totally come.

Anyway, this is my prayer-in-progress. Most of it is mine. "Our Common Prayer" at the end is one of the many versions of The Lord's Prayer we've been using in this special series of services.

God with us, here and everywhere, now and always:

How we complicate forgiveness. How easily our human-ness gets in the way of your divine light flowing in us and through us out to the world. How often our broken-ness disconnects us from our communion with you and our fellowship with one another. How quickly we forget that even when we’re less than we know we can be, we’re more than we ever dreamed possible, through you.

Remind us to seek your love and teach us to forgive ourselves. Grant that we might heal ourselves, so that we might become healers of others.

Help us to celebrate your love and enable us to forgive and be forgiven by those closest to us. Let us embrace the vulnerability of the open hand and open heart, so that we might feel your Spirit flowing freely between us.

Lead us to live your love and encourage us to forgive and be forgiven by our neighbors. Reveal in us the courage to reach out, the humility to start over, the trust and trustworthiness to commit to real relationships with those in our community.

Guide us to share your love and empower us to forgive and be forgiven by our enemies. Challenge us to be role models for the world and help us see past war and other acts of aggression, so that we might catch more and more glimpses of your Glorious Dream for us – your Vision of peace, of light, and of love among all people, where forgiveness pours down on all people like a summer rainshower and where forgiveness is cherished by all people as a precious jewel.

And we ask you to be with us, God, as together we pray Our Common Prayer:

God, you are life for us,
Holy be your name.
Your new day come,
Your will be done,
On earth as in heaven.
Give us this day our bread for the morrow;
And forgive us our sins, as we forgive those who sin against us.
Strengthen us in the time of test,
And deliver us from evil.
For the power and the splendor and the fulfillment are yours,
Now and forever. Amen.

* UPDATE: Never mind. My musical benediction got vetoed. I mean, the benediction I've written is pretty good, but it's not going to be as fabulous as it might have been.

Liveblogging the Opening Ceremonies

2010-02-12T19:05:00.084-05:00

Hi! And welcome to my liveblog of the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Winter Olympics. If you're new here, welcome! And if you've been here before, welcome back!

You may have previously joined me for liveblogging the 2008 Emmy Awards, (most of) the 2008 Summer Olympic Opening Ceremonies, the 2008 Oscars, Super Bowl XLII, and a 2007 meeting of the Longmont, Colorado, City Council. As you are aware, I'll add stuff LIVE AS IT HAPPENS! at the top of this post, so if you just got here, start at the bottom of this post and read up. Then, frequently refresh this page to get my latest insightful analysis and/or merciless snark.

God bless you, and God bless America.

10:51 In fine liveblogging tradition, I decide to call the time of death of this liveblog as 10:51. The tapdance-fiddle-kilt-nightmare is the final nail in the coffin. I hope you've enjoyed it. Maybe more later if there's some sort of surprise last guest or cool torchbearer, but done for now.

10:48 There are no words. This fiddle-fueled autumnal nightmare is just bad.

10:46 "This is awful." One of us said it; the rest were thinking it.

10:40 Bill also hopes they will trot out Anne Murray.

10:39 Bill wonders if Terrence and Philip will be there.

10:37 Sarah McLachlan, ladies and gentlemen! At least it's not the dog-abuse commercial.

10:33 Good use of overhead projectors, to be sure.

10:32 The Venus DeMilo polar bear. Do not be fooled by the majesty.

10:31 This opening ceremony cost $30 to $40 million? Don't tell Haiti.

10:30 "So THAT'S where the Ark of the Convenant is."

10:27 How do they make it snow inside?

10:26 The disembodied voice of Donald Sutherland is creeping me out.

10:24 As we go to commercials, the three-story tall ice [marital aids] manage to stand at attention.

10:23 Lisa downloads the Bryan Adams/Nellie Furtado Olympic song as her ringtone.

10:22 Break it down, First Nation!

10:20 Nellie Furtado and Bryan Adams are reanimated from Prom 1991. "We'll never forget tonight!"

10:19 Here we go.

10:17 "Oh, this is just the beginning of the ceremony?" "Sweet merciful Christ."

10:17 And, your host, Canada!

10: 13 USA! USA! USA! USA!

10:11 Ukraine, get out of the way, please!

10:01 Portugal disappoints me...AGAIN. This time, it's because they only have 1 athlete.

10:00 Sacha goes back to the jello mold from earlier and tries the orange part, proclaiming it to taste like "an intense creamsicle." Bill points out that Intense Creamsicle is performing at Bonnaroo this year.

9:58 We're only like halfway through. We're going to die watching the Parade of Nations.

9:54 Lauer tells us 38 of the 82 nations here have never won an Olympic medal.

9:53 Aaaaand, we're back. Liechtenstein!

9:43 - 9:50 CUPCAKE BREAK!

9:42 Lisa loses her mind when Great Britain walks in; she is also very opposed to the Brits' berets.

9:41 Ghana's first Winter Olympian ever. Pretty awesome.

9:38 Here comes the delegation from Georgia, mourning their teammate who passed away in a training accident earlier today.

9:35 "Did I ever tell you the 'Jager sucks' story?" - Sacha

9:34 NBC redeems itself by showing us Colombia.

9:31 Bob Costas gets a potty break, as we take in some commercials. (Bill: "If we miss Colombia, I'm gonna be pissed.")

9:30 "Chili" is French for "Chile."

9:26 Azerbaijan rocks the Zubaz. Bermuda rocks the shorts.

9:25 "Doubles luge gold medalists"? Yikes.

9:22 We're on Andorra. The ~~Indians~~ First Nationers are going to be dancing for a while.

9:21 PARADE OF NATIONS!

9:20 The First Nations of the East!

9:19:30 The First Nations of the Prairies!

9:19 The Inuit! (We are totally inuit!)

9:18 The Trappers and Hill People of Canada? Oh, the First Nations of the Something...

9:17 We collectively call bullcrap on the blonde Indian.

9:16 And now their gigantic pulsing drum thing.

9:15 The people of the First Nations welcome us to Vancouver with their gigantic ice phalluses.

9:12 Oh, shoulders.

9:09 Lipsynching another mashup: O Canada in English AND French

9:08 L'hymne nacional du Canada

9:07 "I didn't realize their pants really look like that; I thought that was a joke on Dudley Do-Right!"

9:06 God Save The Queen + O Canada = A mashup of international proportions

9:02 Yes, yes, we get it. Canada is lovely.

9:01 "There's no way this can be better than Beijing."

9:00 Mesdames et Messieurs, bienvenue a blah blah blah, hon hon hon...

8:59 100% of us hate that it takes twice as long for any announcements to be made, so that they can be made in both French and English.

8:52 25% of us were touched by We Are The World. The rest of my co-viewers are heartless bastards.

8:48 We Are The World -- download it, man!

8:44 "There's a lot of pretty intimate touching in pairs skating."

8:43 Dramatic music underscores another preview of the epicness of the upcoming games. "An action-filled menu this weekend..." indeed.

8:40 A commercial for The Palladium, a venue at The Center for the Performing Arts. Watch this blog for more info -- I got the hardhat tour today!

8:39 Hmmm, "butt pads." Also: Lindsey Jacobellis is a flirt?

8:38 Chris Collinsworth creeps out Lindsey Jacobellis. And us.

8:35 An interesting conversation unfolds among us watchers regarding Alcohólicos Anónimos. They have meetings at Bill's office building.

8:32 Apolo Anton Ohno earns his sponsorship money from 8zone, whatever that is.

8:31 A Clarian commerical puts us to sleep.

8:26 "Al Michaels looks not human."

8:25 Let us trace the path of the torch, a la Billy in "The Family Circus."

8:22 Something's a half-hour away. I'm tired. Amy comments in to let NBC know that the preschool demographic is fading fast. So much for Sara's enjoyment of the Parade of Nations...

8:20 Dan Patrick interviews icedancers Ben Agosto and Tanith Belbin about their "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles" adventure getting to Vancouver.

8:19 SunChips is about to release a chip bag made of plants. It's compostable!

8:16 More commercials! But first, ridiculous dancing athletes.

8:15 "I like her hair." "She's pretty." "She is pretty."

8:13 Al welcomes us back to his Broadcast Booth of Solitude to tell us about Lindsey Vonn. Her shin is injured, but her dream is alive, with her shin. Shinshinshin.

8:12 Apparently-122-year-old Al Michaels sends us back to Whistler for some skiing. Bode Miller is an American skier.

8:11 "Are you kidding?! This is an AllState Commercial?!"

8:08 "How do you feel about Dan Patrick, Bill?" "He's good."

8:07 My chocolate is appropriately tepid. Mmmmm.

8:06 We learn that all of Bill's broadcast nemeses are being featured in NBC's Vancouver coverage: Chris Collinsworth, Brian Williams, Tom Brokaw, etc.

8:04 Chris Collinsworth introduces us to a beautiful young woman, I mean man? The Flying Tomato, Olympic gold medlaist snowboarder Shaun White, ladies and gentlemen.

8:03 Matt Lauer and Bob Costas welcome us to Beijing, I mean Vancouver.

8:01 The feature on the Saga of the Winter Olympics seems a little over-dramatic.

8:00 I complain that my cocoa is too hot. Sacha helpfully explains, "That's why it's not called 'tepid chocolate.'"

7:55 Lisa offers Shirley Temples. I decline, opting instead for a cocoa.

7:54 Aaaaand, commercials!

7:53 I take this opportunity to share that my co-watchers are Lisa, Sacha, and Bill. Sacha, Bill, and I are exponentially snarkier than Lisa, but I imagine she'll give it a go.

7:52 We look for our annoying cowbells to ring in support of our favorite ski jumpers, such as Peter Frenette, maybe?

7:51 Apparently the ski jumpers have already started with their competition.

7:45 We're done with dinner (including the part where Lisa's cat, Zoey, partook of the bread) and watching Tom Brokaw's "Canadians are like this, and Americans are also like that" report.

7:05 We're watching the Jeopardy! College Tournament Finals right now. Dinner first, then Opening Ceremonies. Check back in 20!

It's Bubby's Birthday!

2010-01-31T20:08:00.004-05:00

One year ago today, the newest little Semester was born -- my cool nephew Owen!

It is said (even by me) that he and I look a lot alike. Here's another look:

We'd probably look more different if we quit dressing so danged much alike.

Because you want to see this, that's why...

2010-01-23T10:35:00.004-05:00

Closing night for Smoke on the Mountain is tonight! Saturday, January 23, at 8:00pm, at Broadway Church: 609 E. 29th Street in Indianapolis. Doors open at 7:30pm, performance is presented free of charge as part of the Broadway Presents Artist Series.

You should come!

A friend is a friend is a friend...?

2010-01-20T10:38:00.005-05:00

I just posed a question on Twitter...

Is there a word yet for people that you consider friends

but have only met internettily, never in person?

...which is interesting for the conversation it seems to have generated, but also because before I started using Twitter, I would never have believed that I would consider someone a friend if I had never met them in real life.

Going all the way back to the Early Common Internet Era (the 1990s), I had college friends who would spend hours upon hours on internet chat things like ICQ, talking with people from Chicago to Australia, most of whom they had never met in person. And when those friends decided to meet these internet contacts in person, I thought it was a Very Bad Idea with the potential ultimately to be made into a Lifetime movie starring Annie Potts and directed by Joanna Kerns.

Of course, it all worked out fine, though I refrained from such internet relationships. But then I started this blog in 2006, and in 2008 I hopped on the Twitter bandwagon. Now, 1,000+ blog posts and 13,000+ tweets later, I realize that I think you can really make friends with someone without ever having met him or her in real life.

Por ejemplo, I have a [whatever the word is for Internet-Only Friend] named Clif whom I consider a chum, even though we've never met in person and, on paper, we have very little in common. I'm 36; he's 160, apparently. But we both like goofy church stuff and Lawrence Welk, and if I recall correctly, we met some time in 2007 when Clif commented on one of my blog posts. We've traded e-mails occasionally, and I consider him a good friend -- the internet-savvy yet charmingly old-timey and nostalgic great-uncle I do not have. When I sent out an invitation to our upcoming performances of "Smoke on the Mountain" (you should totally come), Clif replied with a reference to a song sung by Patsy Cline back in the day. Turns out this song is one of my solos in the show, so it was a pleasure to e-mail back and forth to get a little more in-depth with Clif on the differences between my version and the Patsy Cline version, etc. We've had a few back-and-forth exchanges over the years and, while sometimes I feel like we're using language in a slightly different way, I do consider Clif a friend-I-haven't-met-in-person-yet. (Or -- do I dare attempt to coin an answer to my question above? -- a "FIHMIPY.")

Caso en punto número dos: West-Coaster Megan Maria and I connected online after I made a funny (to me and to her, at least) comment on BestWeekEver.tv and she started following me on Twitter. We exchange jokes, indictments of workplace violators, and reflections on popular culture via tweets and the occasional blogpost generated through such tweets. Again, on paper, Megan and I share little in common -- she's a she, and I think she's far younger than I -- but our similar senses of humor and shared appreciation for Betty White and unicorns have led me to consider her another FIHMIPY.

The conversation on Twitter hasn't really reached any resolution regarding what to call friends you haven't met in person yet. Nichole just calls them "friends," Robby refers to them as "contacts," and Elizabeth suggests, "Um... stranger?" (And all of a sudden, I understand why the Television Without Pity forums have a rule about not starting any post with "Um...")

Because there doesn't seem to be any consensus, and I trust that at least someone on Twitter would have told me if there was such a word already, I propose we adopt "FIHMIPY" as the official internet acronym for "Friend I Haven't Met In Person Yet." I further propose that it is to be pronounced

fĭm' ĭ pē

as though it rhymes with "finicky." A quick Google search indicates that no one else has ever before put that combination of letters onto the internet. So, FIRST! Or whatever the kids are saying these days.

I fully understand that you might not have any FIHMIPYs in your life, and that's OK. But I've got a good handful that I've met through Twitter and this blog and others, so I'm going to go ahead and make that my word. You may use it if you wish, without attribution.

And maybe, just maybe, you can be my FIHMIPY someday, too.

The Art of Carmel

2010-01-09T14:07:00.007-05:00

I don't have all the answers (in this case, at least), but I do believe the Carmel Arts & Design District could have done a better job of convincing me today that the retail fine art scene in central Indiana was thriving.

I saw a note on Twitter* about the Second Saturday promotion happening at the local galleries and shoppes in Carmel's now-three-and-a-half-years-old Arts & Design District. And I hadn't really explored the District since its inception, so after a lovely brunch with church friends at Tulip Noir (86th & Ditch, Indianapolis, you should go), I parked at the catchily-named "Hamilton County Welcome Center - Carmel," used their convenient restrooms (well, just the one), and then headed out onto Main Street.

I headed west toward the action, stopping first in one gallery, then the next. The work was OK, overpriced in my humble estimation, but it is possible my perspective may have changed since the good ol' days. Now that I am, shall we say, less-than-optimally employed, my concept of money is more Depression-era and less Elation-era.

Anyway.

I made it into Evan Lurie Gallery, which was cool -- great artwork, mostly abstract and at the high end of the priceyness continuum, so I made it clear to the gallery manager that I was not qualified to make any purchase and so relieved her from any sales-type activities targeting me. I looked around and found some cool small bronzes by Ted Gall and asked the manager about them. We got to talking and I guess a number of galleries used to be in the District but are no longer there, victims of either poor business plans or the art-business-chilling economy, or both. Which is disappointing, because this idea of an Arts District in Carmel has a lot of promise. The challenge, I believe, is figuring out a way to educate and train Midwestern art consumers -- if we all buy a little bit, the District will be in super shape. Only problem is, at $10,000 a painting, there's not a lot of us who can do that right now.

Upon leaving I walked in the frigid temps down to the next gallery, which was closed, for lunch or something? (Thanks for nothing.) And then I walked down to the other gallery, which was also closed. (See you in Hell.)

I Google-411ed Carmel's crime-fiction bookstore The Mystery Company (233 2nd Ave SW, Carmel, you should go), which used to be somewhere but is now somewhere else...somewhere near the Arts & Design District, I'd heard. After decoding Carmel's unnecessarily complicated (but once you figure it out, really quite straightforward) road-naming system, I ended up at Jim Huang's store. (I think he lives in my parents' subdivision. Seen him walking his dog a couple times.) Anyway, I bought a book and then high-tailed it back to my car, because it was freezing, with a capital F. Et oui, j'ai l'intention de double entendre.

So, a bunch of the galleries were closed, there wasn't really anything special about Second Saturday going on as far as I could tell, and I was pretty much the only one in any of the galleries (except in Evan Lurie Gallery). Not stellar. On my way back to the car, I started thinking about how today's foray into the District had disappointed me, and what maybe could be done to pump up the Arts & Designiness. In addition to "Make the temperature more than 10ºF" and "Turn this mother-humping economy around, already," I came up with some actual workable** suggestions:

Figure out what the District really is and should be. It seems to me that it should position itself as the destination for visual arts (and fashion?) in central Indiana. Which is going to take more than 5 galleries, two of which were closed at 1pm on a Saturday. (Maybe more are in the plans? But apparently some that opened years ago have already had to close...)

Embrace snobbery. Have I ever told you what happened to me the first day I went to IU? I was moving into Teter Quad for the Intensive Freshman Seminar program, and someone asked where I was from. "Carmel," I said. "Oh," was the response, with a facial expression that said, "Oh, so you're a jerk." Well, you and I both know that sometimes, yes, I am a jerk, but that has nothing to do with Carmel. My point is this: Carmel has a reputation around central Indiana; we're not going to change it. The people who matter -- the people who will be spending the money on fine art in the 46032 -- are the ones who either fit the stereotype or who work for/with the people who fit the stereotype. The District has done enough to foster "accessibility" to art, now it needs to play up the "exclusivity" of its offerings. To have world-class art -- art that you would see in the galleries of New York, LA, Chicago, and Miami -- just down the street is a big deal; it's OK to act that way. Oh! And! Avoid promoting Second Saturday with the phrase "The January event will feature a chili cook-off!" -- three reasons: (a) "Chili cook-off" should never come with an exclamation point after it, (b) Come on. If you're looking to big-city up the place, a chili cook-off is not going to do it, and (c) Not gonna lie, there was no chili in any of the galleries I visited; this displeased me.

But it has to be priced right. If I had any money whatsoever right now, I'd open a gallery in the District. I would sell mid-sized abstract oils and mid-to-large-scale abstract photography priced under $1,000, and we could probably sell the hell out of it, creating a viable business and training buyers who could then work their way up to other galleries' offerings. As long as it wouldn't violate anti-trust laws, I'd work with the owners of the other galleries to find out what they're selling and funnel prospective clients to them, if the clients didn't like what I had. The work in Mr. Lurie's gallery was probably priced about right, but the stuff I saw in the other galleries struck me as very aggressively priced, for what it was. The average person browsing in a gallery is accustomed to thinking, "$3,900 for that?!" but when someone who's worked in the field (i.e., me) thinks that, there may be an issue.

The Carmel Arts & Design District is a wonderful idea, and perhaps when the economy turns around and when people believe the economy has turned around and when the economy has turned around to the extent where people really, really, really believe the economy has turned around, the District will be in better shape. In the meantime, while I'm reluctant to call Monorail! on the whole endeavor and I hesitate to Lyle Lanleyify the civil servants and consultants*** who led the charge, I will say that, today, there was an air of "meh" about it, lo these few short years later.

Maybe by next month's Second Saturday, we'll have something better to report?

* OK, I actually clicked a link I didn't intend to click, but what the hell, it worked out fine.

** Take this all with the grain of salt labelled, "What The Hell Do I Know?"

*** I especially hesitate to Lyle Lanleyify Mr. Lurie, who seems to have sunk ("to have sunken"?) a whole lot of money into the District, what with his gallery building and the associated condos. (Whether he is, in fact, inciting fury, I can't really say, although I will tell you that I, myself, was not infuriated in the least on my visit.)

It's not your grandma's opera

2010-01-02T23:33:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure how I stumbled across East Village Opera Company, but I'm glad I did. They are a group of musicians who take old-timey classical music (instrumental, opera, whatever) and turn it into rock-pop that is compelling, whether or not you know that it's based on centuries-old tunes.

Por ejemplo, whether you think you do or not, you know "La donna e mobile," but you've never heard it like this. If you're reading this on Facebook, ya gotta click the link, since FB doesn't allow embedded videos in auto-sucked-in blogs.

What I think is cool about this is two-fold. First fold, I think the music rocks on its own, and is very cool to listen to. Second fold, I think it's cool the way this music traces its heritage back hundreds of years, and even if Bach or Mozart or whoever could never have imagined me embedding a video in a blog to showcase a song based on their work, I think they'd be pleased by the enduring nature of their song AND they'd be honored by this creative, yet sensitive, contemporary interpretation of it.

Oops, I did it again. Again.

2010-01-01T22:34:00.004-05:00

Hey, remember when I was in Fiddler on the Roof? And I had to step into a more involved role because someone else dropped out?

Good times.

And it's happened again.

A couple weeks ago, I sang with the choir at Broadway UMC, the site of so much vocational and personal turmoil and associated whatnot for me. It was a great piece that they were singing and it was a joy to be a part of it. And my experience with the choir had always been entirely turmoil-free, so I figured it would be a positive experience, which it totally was.

Anyway, the music director at Broadway got in touch a few days ago and told me that someone had to step out of their upcoming musical production and asked if I would be willing to step in.

Because ah'm jist a boy who cain't say no, I said yes and picked up my script and score this evening. I will be portraying Dennis Sanders, the youngest (by 4 minutes) member of the Sanders Family Singers in "Smoke on the Mountain." Here's a rundown of what the show -- an old-timey country-gospel tour de force -- is about:

The play takes place in the sanctuary of the Mount Pleasant Baptist Church in Mount Pleasant, North Carolina, located just west of Hickory near the Blue Ridge Mountains. It is a Saturday night in June, 1938. The United States is in the last years of the Great Depression. Organized religion is at its peak.

Mount Pleasant's principal industries are farming and pickle production. The Mount Pleasant Pickle Plant has lately begun laying people off at an alarming rate due to the economy. The factory makes everyone and everything in Mount Pleasant smell of vinegar and dill.

Mount Pleasant Baptist has a membership of 63 -- 64 when Becca Robinson gets baptized next Sunday. Saturday Night Sings by families of gospel singers have become the much needed and highly appreciated entertainment of the time. Gospel-singing families traditionally sing at one church on Saturday night, then do a few guest appearances on Sunday mornings at other churches in the area. The Sanders are appearing tonight after a five-year hiatus from the hospel-singing circuit. They travel in an ancient bus with "The Sanders Family" hand-painted on the side.

There doesn't seem to be so much of a plot other than "This quirky gospel-singing family is showing up at a church (the audience is the congregation) and sings a bunch of loosely-connected country-gospel-type songs," many of which are familiar to the churchy and non-churchy alike. (Although it's unlikely you've heard my breakout number, "Christian Cowboy.") (And I am not kidding.) But it looks like a lot of fun, and I'm looking forward to being a part of it.

So, since I'm already two rehearsals behind and we're rehearsing at noon tomorrow, right now I am mainlining the soundtrack CD I got earlier this evening, reviewing the script and the score, and trying not to get overwhelmed by the fact that I don't know jack about bluegrass gospel music.

If you'd like to come -- and I think you'll like it, so you should totally come -- here are the details:

SMOKE ON THE MOUNTAIN
Part of the Broadway Presents Performing Arts Series

WHERE: Broadway United Methodist Church / 609 E. 29th Street, Indianapolis

WHEN: Friday, January 22, 8:00pm & Saturdsay, January 23, 8:00pm

HOW MUCH: Open to the public and presented free of charge; donations accepted

2009: Like I Need An Excuse To Get Introspective

2009-12-30T21:29:00.006-05:00

Hey, it's that time again -- looking back on 2009~~, spitting on its grave, and moving on~~!

1. What did you do in 2009 that you’d never done before?

Hugged my new nephew. Took sole responsibility for the life of an infant (neither my niece nor my nephew) for 6 to 8 hours at a time. Sang as a "hired gun" specifically recruited for singing. Made my American musical theatre debut in "Fiddler on the Roof." Auditioned for a reality TV show. Saw a Deer Woman. Discovered two podcasts which have since become my favorites: Comedy and Everything Else, and Jordan, Jesse, GO!

2. Did you keep your new year’s resolutions, and will you make more for next year?  

No idea. Let's look back. Huh. Sort of! Haven't really been cooking at home as much, but I did find a physical activity I enjoyed; namely, yoga. So, that's something. I'm in the process of discerning my goals for 2010.

3. Did anyone close to you give birth?  

Yep. My sister-in-law had an Owen, aka Bubby! (The exclamation point is part of the pronunciation of "Bubby!")

4. Did anyone close to you die?  

Yes.

5. What countries did you visit?  

The USA, and I think that's it.

6. What would you like to have in 2010 that you lacked in 2009?

A full-time permanent job, or the means not to need a full-time permanent job.

7. What dates from 2009 will remain etched upon your memory, and why?

I can't do dates, but January 31 is a good one. (See #3, above.)

8. What was your biggest achievement of the year?  

I'll say the same thing as last year: accepting what is, and planning for what will be.

9. What was your biggest failure?

Giving in to the inertia of underemployment.

10. Did you suffer illness or injury?

I had a cold a couple times, about 10 days each time. Thankfully, nothing major.

11. What was the best thing you bought?

I know what I will probably say for 2010, but that's not for another week or two, and who knows, maybe something else will be even better. For 2009, I'm going to say nothing, really, because I didn't really buy anything all that memorable.

12. Whose behavior merited celebration?

Mom and Dad, totally. Oh! And Madelynn and Owen, who consistently surprise me and astonish me with their new tricks and learnings.

13. Whose behavior made you appalled and depressed?  

Me. And a friend who decided to end our relationship after nearly 20 years. And a former employer. And politicians of all ideologies.

14. Where did most of your money go?

Jesus, if I knew that, I'd be in a much better situation than I currently am, wouldn't I?

15. What did you get really excited about?

Finding my voice -- learning to sing and perform. Yoga. [TOP SECRET THING I'M NOT ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT].

16. What song will always remind you of 2009?

"I Believe In You" by Il Divo and Celine Dion. (I know.)

17. Compared to this time last year, are you: 

– happier or sadder? Hmm, about even.
– thinner or fatter? About the same.
– richer or poorer? Just about the same.

18. What do you wish you’d done more of?  

Time with Madelynn and Owen. Time with JJ and Beth. Time with Mom and Dad. Time in prayer. Exercise.

19. What do you wish you’d done less of?  

Negative self-talk.

20. How did you spend Christmas?  

Semester Family Christmas was 12/20, with gift exchange and a delicious meal. Semester-Ehlert Family Christmas was Actual Christmas, with a delicious meal and time with the kidlets. And then a nice two-hour nap.

21. Did you fall in love in 2009?

Nope.

22. What was your favorite TV program?  

Nip/Tuck, Glee, and Modern Family.

23. Do you hate anyone now that you didn’t hate this time last year?  

No.

24. What was the best book you read?

I just read "Chasing Vermeer" by Blue Balliet. It was really good -- reminded me of "The Westing Game," the book that set my heart and mind on fire for mysteries.

25. What was your greatest musical discovery? 

The Reigning Monarchs

26. What did you want and get?

Silence and health.

27. What did you want and not get?

Discipline and diligence.

28. What was your favorite film of this year?

I don't really remember what I saw in the theater this year. So, meh. My favorite movie I saw this year, even though it was made a few years ago is Tarsem's "The Fall" -- aMAZing.

29. What did you do on your birthday, and how old were you?

I think it was just another day, maybe a special dinner? I turned 36.

30. What one thing would have made your year immeasurably more satisfying?

A full-time permanent job.

31. How would you describe your personal fashion concept in 2009?

Casual preppy.

32. What kept you sane?  

Lots and lots of alone time. (Also:"alone time.") Singing. Quiet. Driving.

33. Which celebrity/public figure did you fancy the most?

Toni Braxton, on account of my long-standing fascination and her recent divorce proceedings? I think?

34. What political issue stirred you the most?  

Healthcare, I guess; war, maybe? But I don't really get stirred all that much.

35. Who did you miss?  

Hmm. I kind of keep in touch with the people that I would "miss."

36. Who was the best new person you met?  

I think I met Sacha and Bill just this year, so I'm going with Sacha and Bill.

37. Tell us a valuable life lesson you learned in 2009.  

Do it, and do it now.

38. Quote a song lyric that sums up your year.  

"[Despite all manner of horrifically bad important stuff or, you know, whatever], it is well with my soul."

A Little Night (Or Day, Depending On When You Read This) Music

2009-12-25T23:05:00.000-05:00

So. This year, with my finances being what they are (or, perhaps more accurately, With my finances being what they are not), I had to get creative with my gift-giving. One of the gifts I gave my parents for Christmas was a CD with a few songs I sang myself. I had to rig up a recording studio in the basement and I don't have actual recording equipment for singing, so the audio quality is not so hot, but I thought I'd share a couple of the songs from the CD with you here.

This first one is my favorite hymn, Great Is Thy Faithfulness. I figured, instead of just singing the melody, I'd sing it as a three-part piece. So, here is Great Is Thy Faithfulness, sung by me, and me, and me:

This other one is also a churchy song, but a more contemporary one. I've been listening a lot to K-LOVE on the radio lately (101.9FM in Indianapolis, which used to be something else I was pre-set to, but then it changed and I have so many damn pre-set buttons that I never really got around to changing it and it turns out I don't need to change it because I like it.) Anyway, they play this song a lot. It's Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus), by Chris Rice, only this one is Untitled Hymn (Come to Jesus) by me and a karaoke track:

In conclusion, if you think my performances suck, please to be keeping that to yourself. If you enjoy them, please feel free to smother me with compliments.

Oh, hey, if you're reading this on Facebook, the audio embeds might not make it through the auto-import process. Click here to hear what all the fuss is about.

¡Feliz Naviblah!

2009-12-25T10:23:00.001-05:00

It's an oldie* but a goodie. (*In fact, it may be a duplicatie; have I posted this here before?)

But I'd like to wish you all a very Merry Christmas! Or, en español, ¡Feliz Naviblah!

Lookin' good, part 2 (Cutest niece & nephew EVER!)

2009-12-16T14:42:00.003-05:00

Got some more pics of Madelynn and Owen from their dad today. Madelynn actually took the two of Owen on the right. Pretty cool, huh?!

Click to embiggen, etc.

Lookin' good

2009-12-15T08:43:00.002-05:00

Madelynn and Owen had some professional photos done recently. Here's a couple samples:

D'oh! A deer, a female...woman?

2009-12-14T23:06:00.012-05:00

OK, this is weird. Please stick with me.

You know those little ripped-from-my-headlines character-development stories I've been writing lately? I was writing one this evening, based on an experience in Chicago this morning after my [TOP SECRET THING I'M NOT ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT]. What's below is how far I got before doing some research. After you read the story, which maybe still needs an ending, check out what I just learned.

The woman in black stood out on the platform precisely because she stood perfectly still. As we all waited for the train, she was in her own quiet time zone, utterly, effortlessly.

She didn't fuss with her make-up, or a book, or a text message. She didn't pace back and forth like the rest of us, looking for the lights, listening for the brakes, straining not to taste the wind of the oncoming train. She wasn't waiting for the train at all; she seemed to have been assured the train was coming just for her.

We boarded the train -- we, on the train's schedule; the train, on her schedule -- and headed north toward Howard, although I doubt many of us actually went all the way to Howard. I certainly didn't, and just as certainly neither did she, for we both got off at Clark and Division, just two stops up from where we started. Hardly worth the $2.25, but better than an $8 cab ride, I guess.

I'd been watching her quite guilelessly for about five minutes. Either she didn't notice, or she didn't care. I guess, looking back now, 12 hours later, I remember that she had long blonde hair, but can you believe that's all I remember? Well, that and her shoeprint.

This beautiful young woman with long blonde hair exited the train in front of me, and I followed her up the escalator, around the corner, and up the grimy, snow-dirtied steps to the sidewalk on Division Street. I trailed, curious and entranced, a few steps behind. As she glided up the steps two at a time, her shoes left the most remarkable pattern in the wet urban muck. I swear to you, it looked like deer tracks. The footprints she left in the mud and the dirt and the grit on the subway stairs looked exactly like the tracks of a doe.

I don't remember which way the blonde woman walked, because I was trying to figure out what kind of shoes could have made those prints as she bounded up the steps.

But she sure was memorable.

OK, so, like, nice story, right? Even though it needs an ending, maybe.

BUT! This is where it gets superweird. I thought to myself, "I need to know more about deer -- and more about women, for that matter -- to finish this story." And then: "I wonder if there's some sort of mythical 'deer woman' creature in, like, Greek mythology or Native American tradition." So I Google "deer woman" and holy ess, you guys, it's a real thing! (Or, at least, a real legend.)

I really did see a beautiful woman whose shoes left honest-to-God deer-track prints in the dirt today. And she was kind of hypnotic and seductive without really seeming to try.

What do you make of this? Not enough sleep? Too much emotional roller coaster, thanks to [TOP SECRET THING I'M NOT ALLOWED TO TALK ABOUT]? Just a coincidence?

All I'm saying is, I know what I saw...or at least I think I remember what I think I saw...

Holiday Magic, indeed.

2009-12-12T08:51:00.005-05:00

My friend Lori Ecker was the headliner in "Lori Ecker's Holiday Magic" last night, and she did a wonderful job presenting a variety of holiday/inspirational music that delighted the ear and touched the heart.

The show took place at the Indianapolis Liederkranz, where I'd never been before. It is a kind of social club/arts organization founded in the 1800s by Germans who started a men's choir. (A ladies' choir was added in the late 1900s.) In keeping with the heritage of the place, there was lots of German food on hand, as well as many Teutonic peoples in the audience.

One such Teutonic person was one of Lori's special guests, a striking woman of a certain age named Anne LaPorte. She took the stage in a black dress with bright red sash and introduced the song she was about to sing, Ihr Kinderlein Kommet. The way she sang, slowly and sweetly and duskily and, at first, in German, communicated the Christmas carol in a different, somehow more meaningful way:

Ihr Kinderlein, kommet,
O kommet doch all!
Zur Krippe her kommet
In Bethlehems Stall.
Und seht was in dieser
Hochheiligen Nacht
Der Vater in Himmel
Für Freude uns macht.

And then she sang the first verse in English:

O come, little children,
O come, one and all,
O come to the manger
In Bethlehem's stall.
And see what our Father
On this holy night,
Has sent us from Heaven
For our pure delight.

And then, something happened. Something which, before I witnessed it, I would have said was the worst thing that could possibly happen to a performer: she forgot the words.

She had continued into the third verse in English. But after a few words, Anne LaPorte was silent. A couple beats later, she said, "What." Not a question, really, but rather a command, as if to say, "What. Words, come back to me." Only they didn't come back.

The pianist trailed off elegantly, and Anne LaPorte admitted she'd forgotten the words. A few seconds of silence seemed like a lifetime.

But what happened next truly astonished me.

I don't know if it was the fact that she was on her home stage among friends, or if German camaraderie has magical powers, or if it was a Christmas/Hanukkah/Festivus miracle, or what. People started clapping, and someone in the back shouted "Sing it in German!" and then people clapped even more, and she did. And then she went right back into the verse she'd started in English, and all the words were there.

It was a wonderful rendition of the song, heartfelt and lovely, full of meaning and grace.

The weird thing is, I'm not sure it would have been as great if she hadn't forgotten the words. If she'd been perfect all the way through, it would have been a nice song. Perfectly...nice. But our shared experience of imperfection, support, grace, and celebration made it something even bigger.

Not to turn this into a sermon or anything, but I really think (and desperately hope) that our failings -- or, rather, the ways we support each other through them -- are our best opportunities to show the best of who we really are.

May we not simply forgive each other's failings but, indeed, celebrate each other through them, in spite of them -- because of them! -- this holiday season and throughout the year.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes!

2009-12-10T15:26:00.004-05:00

It's been too long since I've been regularly posting, so I'm going to try to get back into the swing of things, even if it means relying on the Imagination Prompt Generator for blogging topics.

I hit the button just now, and here's what came up:

Make a list of five ways you've changed in the last five years.

What changes do you wish to make in the next five years?

I believe, of course, that if you asked my family or friends that question about me, they might come up with a different response to Part A, but here are my answers:

I think probably the clearest change in me over the last five years would be a stronger connection to church. I am more churchy now than I've ever been, and also more connected to God. (I know for a fact that those two things aren't necessarily the same.) I spend a lot of time volunteering at St. Luke's (check the new website!), and I spend more time in prayer and meditation than I ever did. This has led me to build many strong relationships with new friends; unfortunately, it seems also to have cost me a friendship or two.
I've discovered the joy of singing. It was 6 years ago that I was sitting at a church event in St. Catharines, Ontario, when a woman I'd never met before tapped me on the shoulder and said, "Excuse me, do you sing in the choir at Mountainview [the church I was attending at the time]?" When I said, "Um, no," she said, "Well, you should be." So I joined the choir -- which I had been thinking about doing -- and singing has been a fun and fulfilling activity I've enjoyed ever since. In fact, I may even get back into voice lessons at some point and maybe even have a recital.
I've become less and less uptight about time & deadlines. Considering I'm kind of in a job search right now, it may be unwise to share this, but it's a noticeable change. After my first trip to West Africa, deadlines and timelines and the associated stress pretty much slipped off my radar. This is more vexing for others than for me, but I'm trying to be sensitive and not be too, too, too laidback, time-wise.
I'm not sure whether this one's associated with #1, but I think I've become more judgmental -- or, perhaps worded better, I'm the same level of judgmental, but I've become less apologetic for it. I'm more willing to call idiotic behavior "idiotic" -- whether in others or myself.
I've become WAY more kid-friendly. If you had told me 5 years ago that I would be mannying for an 18-month-old boy (including diaper changes!), I would have told you that you were clinically insane. But now, with Madelynn and Owen and Auggie (and Harmony, who is a four-year-old story for perhaps another time), I've become a ton more comfortable around kids.

The second part of the question is trickier. Here are some of the changes I'd like to make over the next five years:

Develop a healthier lifestyle, fitness- and nutrition-wise. (There may be some developments in the coming weeks that could address that.)
Get a handle on my relationship with money, and figure that out so I'm a better steward of everything I've got.
Grow into a habit of writing every day.
Mature into my relationship with God in a way that includes daily prayer and devotional time.

Huh.

I just realized that all of those things have to do with developing better discipline. Maybe I ought to declare 2010 The Year of Discipline. (Sounds like a lot of fun, right?) But seriously -- I'm DONE with 2009; this has been pretty much the suckiest 12-month period of my life. If I can enter into 2010 with an appreciation of discipline -- what I will be able to do by specifically NOT doing other things -- I think I'll be able to make some good progress toward those positive changes.

How are YOU preparing to say goodbye (or see ya, or good riddance, or get the hell out) to 2009, and what are YOU looking forward to in 2010 and beyond?

How time flies

2009-12-08T14:40:00.003-05:00

It's been a while since I've shown you the awesome and adorable Madelynn and Owen. Therefore, here they are:

Madelynn

Owen

NOW what are you tweeting about?

2009-12-08T11:47:00.000-05:00

I just happened across this old blog entry, which showcased a word cloud based on my tweets (from Twitter) about eight months ago. The things I tweeted about more are bigger:

So I decided to do another analysis, and here's what I found:

I'm unclear on the different time frames -- like, how far back the tweets go -- but what do you think about the comparison? What differences do YOU see?

Recital Dreams

2009-12-06T14:07:00.006-05:00

My friend Maria is awesome. Here's proof:

If you're playing along at home (what game that would be, I don't know -- "Name! That! Opera!" maybe?), that's "Laughing Song" from "Die Fledermaus" -- the backstory is that Adele (whom Maria is portraying) is a chambermaid crashing a ball unauthorizedly, and in the course of the evening she is introduced to her employer and must explain away her striking resemblance to his maid. (Which she is.)

Maria's recital yesterday was great, and it showcased her talents in a range of genres. She sang ten songs total (I was able to stay for 6 before heading to be a part of the concert at St. Luke's), with some upbeat and some more ballad-y, some Broadway, some opera (English, French and Italian), and some folky, jazzy stuff. You can see more of Maria on her YouTube channel. (Maria and I met when I was in "Fiddler on the Roof" at St. Luke's.)

As these things are wont to do, Maria's recital got me thinking it would be fun to have a recital of my own. Here are ten songs I would sing at my recital, with my selection criteria being:

They sound good in my vocal range;
They match my worldview;
I know all the words; and
I tried to pick a variety so they're not all the same style.

Here goes:

Ave Maria (Bach, not Schubert)
Let It Be
Love Letters
His Eye Is On The Sparrow
Grow Old Along With Me
Contigo En La Distancia
Time Heals Everything from Mack & Mabel (probably in a lower key and with less cleavage than Bernadette Peters)
A New Life from Jekyll & Hyde
I'm Putting All My Eggs In One Basket
Major-General's Song from Pirates of Penzance

So if I ever pull a recital together, you're invited. I'll keep you posted!

One Step at a Time

2009-12-01T22:17:00.002-05:00

"Attention, ladies and gentlemen. It is now 9:00. The library is closed."

I grab my computer and stuff it in my bag, toss my jacket over my shoulder, and head down to the car.

At the top of the steep stairs, I glance down and see a man -- about my age, about my height, about my weight -- already halfway down to the first floor. He's taking the stairs one at a time, with both feet on this stair before moving on to that next one. He doesn't seem to be favoring one leg or the other, just taking his time down the stairs.

Two steps per stair: right foot, left foot. Right foot, left foot. Right foot ... wait for it ... left foot.

I don't know if he has a long-term injury, or a chronic medical condition, or a physical disability, or a mental impairment of some sort. But his approach to the stairs is just different enough to knock me out of my head and -- I don't know why -- it rocks my world.

I'm curious why somebody so like me would do something so unlike me. In light of recent events, I decide not to strike up a conversation with him, but since I'm following him out to the parking lot, I watch and try to figure out more of his story.

He takes short and quick, but careful, steps in the long lobby hallway, and when he gets to the exit, he uses one of the manual doors, not the Automatic, push-button-operated one. After pausing on the sidewalk to let a couple cars drive past, he ultimately short-quick-careful-steps his way to a sensible, nondescript sedan parked in a non-Handicapped spot.

His passenger seems to have been waiting for him for some time; she can barely contain her excited yips and enthusiastic barks when -- at last! -- he opens the car door.

I'm watching from across the parking lot, so I can't see his face, but when he greets the dog, his whole body is smiling; if he had a tail, it would surely be wagging as much as hers.

He pats her head and runs his hand down her golden fur, from her collar to her wiggling butt. Pulling something from his pocket, he invites her into the front seat, where she sits patiently, until the deal is sealed with a treat.

As they drive past me, I can tell that he's talking to her, though I've no idea what he's telling her.

Probably a story about the weird guy who just followed him out of the library and into the parking lot.

An Ankfulness of Thankfulness

2009-11-24T05:00:00.005-05:00

I'm over "an attitude of gratitude" as the Thanksgiving catchphrase. Help me spread "an ankfulness of thankfulness" as the new cliche, won't you?

It’s 4:30 on a busy afternoon, but I’m between meetings, so I duck into the church to ~~steal~~ reallocate some wi-fi and get some work done. The wi-fi I ~~steal~~ reallocate is down the hall from the Children’s Wing, so I grab a seat in the big, comfy chair (which, for me, is the slightly-smaller-than-comfortable, comfy chair). I glance across the way and see a large cartoon turkey in front of the words “WE ARE THANKFUL!” On the turkey’s many-colored feathers, kids have written the things they’re thankful for. It looks like this:

“I’m thankful for my brother and sisters,” says one feather. “I’m thankful for candy,” another honestly asserts. “Blue,” says another – creatively, yet somewhat cryptically. “I’m thankful for my bike,” “I’m thankful for my family,” and, hilariously, “Ester, Dad, Tron and Mom.” (I can only guess who Tron is, but bravo for naming your child/pet/whatever “Tron.”)

One of the cool things about kids is that gratitude comes so easily to them. If you ask a kid what he’s thankful for, he’s got a list as long as his arm, because everything is special. Dinner at McDonald’s is the Coolest. Thing. Ever! A trip to the park is an adventure in the making. A hug can mean the world.

But too often, we adults let things get in the way of that enjoyment. I, specifically, allow all kinds of distractions to get in the way. Lately, one major distraction has been regret about things that I’ve done and haven’t done that have led me to hurt others.

So, even though I’m not adding my own feather to the turkey on the wall at church, I am, right here and now, sharing that what I’m most thankful for this year is the forgiveness that is so freely given by family and friends, who love me in spite of the things I’ve done or not done. I hope that I am as forgiving and loving as the parents and brother God gave me and the tons of awesome family and friends that I’ve met along the way.

I’m still working on the whole “forgiving myself” thing; that’ll take some time. But I guess I’ll need something to be thankful for next year, right?

This post is part of the "Indy Tweetsgiving 2009: Change the World with Gratitude" collection of blog posts aimed at two things: (1) celebrating what we're thankful for and (2) raising money for worthy causes.

You want to learn more, and therefore you will click here.

Here are some more folks from Indy who have participated:

Scott Wise
Angie Six
Robby Slaughter
Nila Nealy
Lindsay Manfredi
Michael Reynolds
Jon Speer
Pamela Reilly
Nancy Myrland
Kenan Farrell
Douglas Karr

Amy Stark

Nicki Laycoax

And if you want to make a donation to support a dormitory/orphanage, library, school, cafeteria and additional classrooms for a school in Tanzania and future change makers and social entrepreneurs in less fortunate conditions, you can DONATE NOW BY CLICKING HERE.

Bottom line:

Be thankful for something.
Donate at any time here or by using the fancy widget below.
There will be a tweetup (that is, a meet-up of Twitter folks) on Tuesday, November 24, at Scotty's Brewhouse downtown from 5:00 to 9:00pm. You can make a cash donation in person AND Scotty's Brewhouse will be donating 10% of sales that evening to the cause.

Running on Empty

2009-11-17T14:31:00.002-05:00

Is an individual's leadership a renewable resource?

This has been a crazy few weeks, with events at church, and stuff going on with Freewheelin' Bikes and stuff going on with Motus Dance Theatre, and just life in general. I feel like I've been on a treadmill, playing catch-up while also balancing work and all the other things going on.

I recently made the decision to end my term on both Freewheelin's and Motus's boards of directors at the end of December. This will be the first time in almost five years that I won't be on the board of directors of a community not-for-profit. And while it was a difficult decision, it was clearly the right one.

Lately, I've felt like my ability to contribute to the two organizations has been compromised -- time-wise, certainly money-wise, and enthusiasm-wise. I've found it harder and harder to sit through board meetings as I've lost touch with the original reason I decided to support the orgs, and I've felt increasingly out of phase with the rest of the board members, like they knew something I didn't, or their vision for the future was different from my own.

But all this has really led me to wonder: Is leadership like a fossil fuel? Do we, as individuals, ever run out of leadership? Or is it always in us, just differently focused at different times in our lives and in different circumstances?

Am I all out of leadership? Am I all out of leadership for now? Or is it just time to focus on other things for a while? I mean, I'll still be showing leadership at church (as the chair of Member Care, leading us through this whole discussion), so I hope I'm not completely leadership-dry.

But what do you think? Do you think leadership comes and goes? Is it "once a leader, always a leader" or do we have a finite quantity within us? Or is that even the right vocabulary to use in talking about leadership?

Publically Conversing: Spirit & Place and Me

2009-11-15T22:17:00.003-05:00

This afternoon, St. Luke's hosted the closing event for the Spirit & Place Festival, a ten-day series of events designed to encourage collaborations and other programmatic intersections of the arts, humanities, and religion. The 2009 theme for Spirit & Place was "Inspiring Places."

Today's public conversation, heralded as the climax of this year's festival, sounded great in concept: bring together two nationally known public leaders -- former four-term mayor of Indianapolis Bill Hudnut and current mayor of Braddock, PA, John Fetterman -- and have noted Indiana author Scott Russell Sanders lead them in a discussion about "place." Then, engage in a "sonic exploration of space" with a half dozen local choirs performing sacred music in a variety of settings.

Unfortunately, the pay-off was only about 50% -- from my perspective, the conversation part was "meh," but the musical part was really very good. (Full disclosure: I was an active participant in the musical part.)

Mayor Hudnut is smart and articulate, and he did a lot of good for the City of Indianapolis, but I found him to be arrogant and dismissive, prone to oneupsmanship and name-dropping. Mayor Fetterman is innovative and committed, and the people of Braddock are lucky to have him, but I found him to be surly and inaccessible (although, to be fair, if I had to share the stage with Mayor Hudnut, I might shut down noticeably, too).

But I did learn a lot today. Want to hear it? Here it goes:

Events with three VIPs never run on time, especially when two of the three VIPs like to hear themselves talk.
I would not be interested in dinner or drinks or coffee or whatever with any of the three men engaged in this afternoon's public conversation.
As I get older I have a much lower tolerance for pomposity than I used to.
As I get older I have a much lower tolerance for surliness than I used to.
As I get older I have a much lower tolerance for arrogance than I used to.
If you've told a joke more than 1,000 times over the last 40 years, you still have to tell it right if you want people to laugh.
If you're trying to be folksy, you are not actually folksy.
Neither Mayor Fetterman nor Mayor Hudnut thinks highly of Facebook or Twitter, and they shared their opinions freely and derisively, despite the repeated mentions of a "Twitter section" at the event.
I am either far less smart than I think I am or far more smart than I think I am, and I will probably never, ever stopping asking, "How did I get myself into this?"

Squeeee! a little bit -- a celebratory update in two acts

2009-11-12T22:59:00.002-05:00

ACT I

Yeah, so. Remember this? Well, excitement is brewing. More later, as I'm able, which may or may not be ever. But still.

Therefore, Squeeeee! the first.

ACT II

Also, remember this? I came in 41st out of the Top 50 Blogs in Indiana! Here's the proof:

I actually came in tied for 40th with the awesome, strategic, entrepreneurial Lorraine Ball, but because of the scoring, she got 40th, and I got 41st. Regardless, I'm very much like Mike Wazowski in Monsters, Inc: "I'm on a MAGAZINE COVER!"

Therefore, Squeeeee! the second.

Couple of pics: Owen & Madelynn

2009-11-11T01:21:00.006-05:00

I visited with my awesome nephew, Owen, and my awesome niece, Madelynn, on Halloween.

Owen was a dinosaur:

Madelynn was a jack-o-lantern:

And here's a freebie of Owen playing ball, if by "playing ball," you mean "mercilessly, yet adorably, gnawing on the ball."

All I'm Saying...

Song! Challenge! Special! Winter! Edition!

Song! Challenge! Returns Tonight!

30 Days of Truth: XII

30 Days of Truth: XI

Did you know there are multiple verses to the "Baywatch" theme song?

30 Days of Truth: X

30 Days of Truth: IX

30 Days of Truth: VIII

Sara Groves - Free Music Download, For Real!

30 Days of Truth: VII

30 Days of Truth: VI

FIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIIRRRRRRRRRRRRRRE!

30 Days of Truth: V

30 Days of Truth: IV

30 Days of Truth: III

The Journey

30 Days of Truth: II

30 Days of Truth: I

NOVEMBER TO MEMEMBER: 30 Days of Truth

Why We Give

Currently...

Heavy Rotation

Exactly, haha.

Video Portrait

YOU SHOULD COME: St. Luke's Vaudeville Follies & Silent Auction

Branding, Schmanding

"You're A Good Man, Charlie Brown" -- THIS FRIDAY AND SATURDAY!

My New Rules for How I Use The Interwebotron9000

It is possible that I just figured out...

Pedal for Peace 2010 - Will you help us change the world?

Willow Smith whips her hair. (Or something?)

"Name That Guy" is comedy magic.

Come for the Melissa and Joey fanfiction, stay for the whatnow?

Then and Now: Who's On First

Twelve Random Things

Just the way it is

Melissa & Joey: Waving Bye-Bye To My TV-Viewing Cred

You're A (Mostly) Good Man, Scott S. Semester

"He was injured...injured bad."

Love is everything. Some butterflies told me so.

Song! Challenge! #17: Back to the Intros

Another kind of hiatus, for real

GAME SHOW HIATUS!

"The Curse" by Josh Ritter

Song! Challenge! #16: With An Attitude

Pop Culture Math! #2: You must show your work. - RESULTS

Pop Culture Math! #2: You must show your work.

Finding a happy place

COME ON

Song! Challenge! #15: There Are No Words - RESULTS

Parts of Speech #2: With an Accent

Another New Blog Game: MicroscoPICS - RESULTS

Another New Blog Game: MicroscoPICS

Song! Challenge! #15: There Are No Words

Pop Culture Math! Another New Blog Game! (?) - RESULTS

Pop Culture Math! Another New Blog Game! (?)

Parts of Speech - A New Blog Game! (?) - RESULTS!

Parts of Speech - A New Blog Game! (?)

Song! Challenge! #14: Hi & Bye - RESULTS

Song Challenge #14: Hi & Bye

Song! Challenge! #13: (Tsiwt A Htiw) !Egnellahc !Gnos -- RESULTS!

Song Challenge #13: (Tsiwt A Htiw) !Egnellahc !Gnos -- SOLUTION

Song! Challenge! #13: (Tsiwt A Htiw) !Egnellahc !Gnos

People. What are you gonna do? *80s stand-up comic in rainbow suspenders shrug*

B. E. A. G. G. R. E. S. S. I. V. E.?

Song! Challenge! #12: I'm Sorry, Could You Repeat That? - RESULTS

Song! Challenge! #12: I'm Sorry, Could You Repeat That?

Song! Challenge! #11: Change of Scene - Results

Song! Challenge! #11: Change of Scene

It's baaaaaaack! SONG! CHALLENGE! This Saturday at 7pm Eastern

From the concert this weekend

YOU SHOULD GO: Mudsocks Grill

Amen.

A Light Exists in Spring by Emily Dickinson

The Heart-Breakingest Song in American Musical Theatre

A Prayer for Forgiveness

Liveblogging the Opening Ceremonies

It's Bubby's Birthday!

Because you want to see this, that's why...

People. What are you gonna do? 80s stand-up comic in rainbow suspenders shrug