sc0tlas's Xanga

It's the final countdown!

Wed, 29 Jul 2009 06:51:40 GMT

... some of you know what I'm talking about, and you're singing the song. "ILLUSION, MICHAEL...."

Anyway, the wedding is fast approaching, and this has been a huge week. We talked about budget, and a lot of prayer would be appreciated, as we're nowhere close to affording a super-basic life together. God provides. *Deep breath*

Bought plane tickets today, officially requested time off today. Shopped for gifts today, and hopefully doing tuxes and rings VERY soon. We need to, so... yeah.

Work is... well, it's a lot of work. Very tough situations we're in right now, and prayer is definitely in order for APU as a whole- that upper management sees clearly and has the courage to act wisely and quickly. Also, those of us who are burning out need wisdom to know how to conduct ourselves. There are a lot of choices to be made, and some could make or break the future of the university. So yes, please pray.

The Muppets and 30 Rock

Fri, 12 Jun 2009 14:25:41 GMT

One of the funniest things I've seen in a while... and so true!

Why 30 Rock is a Rip-Off of The Muppet Show...

Of Life, Of Death, Of Love

Sun, 26 Apr 2009 08:08:44 GMT

A week from Wednesday at 6pm, I will be singing my guts out (sit a few rows back) for over an hour, in completion of my Master of Music degree.

Come hear me. Don't fear me. Or spear me. Ow.

Seriously, though... the recital is a bit darker than some you may have heard before. I like the depth of a lot of the music in my program. Interesting harmonies, depressing lyrics, cynical characters, beautiful melodies. What more could one ask for, but free refreshments afterward? What's that I hear?? Ah, yes! There WILL be free refreshments afterward. So come for the food, but come early and pretend you're listening. I'll pretend you aren't snoring.

Pre-Recital!

Thu, 02 Apr 2009 13:40:56 GMT

Well, folks, last night was quite possibly more important than my recital itself. Last night I was joined in a classroom by Andrew (my accompanist) and three rather important vocal instructors. They were there to hear my entire recital program and evaluate whether I am allowed to present my program as scheduled.

I was rather nervous, but I went for it. Some unexpected mistakes occurred, but we got through it. I surprised myself a few times with things that went well, and Andrew rescued me once when I missed an entrance. Due to his amazingness, the few measures of introduction that he repeated sounded perfectly natural. Andrew, my proverbial hat is off to you.

You have to understand- this is a STRESSFUL thing. Some of you know that verbal affirmation does not often have a very strong impact on me. However, after you have poured out your heart and energy and everything and after each one, they just write things down with only the slightest acknowledgment, a person can get a little stressed. I realized just how important applause is: it helps a performer release a little stress between songs or scenes. Towards the end of the program, I looked at my hands, and they were PURPLE! That's right. I was so stressed out, my hands were frosty-cold, clammy, sweaty, and purple. Not exaggerating here, guys. Purple.

After the last song, they thanked me, I packed up my stuff, and waited outside. They discussed, and exited one at a time. Each was very complimentary, and I passed!

I got home at 9:15, ate dinner, put Mythbusters on, stretched out on the recliner, drifted off around 10:15, woke up at midnight, and went to bed. I feel almost rested this morning, as I prepare for work. If you've talked to me at all lately, you'll realize how BIG that is. Praise God for sleep!

Come see my recital!

Wednesday, May 6th, 6:00 P.M.
Munson Recital Hall
Azusa Pacific University

***Free Admission***

The big question is out of the way

Mon, 23 Mar 2009 04:56:32 GMT

She and I have been engaged for over a month now! We have asked many questions, talked about some serious stuff, but today was the KEY conversation. The only potential "deal-breaker" that we had not yet discussed...

We have agreed- toilet paper OVER THE TOP of the roll, not coming from behind the roll.

*WHEW!* Finally, I can sleep without that weighing on my mind!

The Engagement Story (or, Fit to be Tied)

Sun, 22 Mar 2009 21:14:08 GMT

Boy invites girl to dinner. Girl says "Ok" and thinks little of it. Boy and girl eat dinner and go for a walk, strangely near the place they had talked for hours, months earlier. Boy spots car and keyboard resembling his. Girl sits in chair, boy plays and sings a song he wrote for girl. During one pause in the song, girl hears "Low Rider" wafting from a nearby concert. Boy finishes song, kneels (right knee) and asks girl to marry him. Girl says "Yes" or "Of course", depending on who tells the story. Ring box has a little light in it. Boy and girl hug, kis-- ok, it's a little mushy, but you get the idea.

Cool guy Chad? Nerdy Verizon?

Fri, 30 Jan 2009 05:37:18 GMT

Remember this commercial?

All these commercials making all the major cellular providers look like wimpy little dorks, while Chad, the Alltel spokesman, is so cool it makes you wanna slap your momma (follow the link- I love my mom).

I never liked Chad, and not just because my cell service is represented by one of the geeks, but because he's cool and trendy. In general, cool guys weren't nice to me growing up, and I tried a trendy haircut once, only to get chronic headaches. Stupid Chad and his stupid face.

So apparently Verizon is acquiring Alltel. BOO-YAAAAHHH! Can I get a what-what? Ohhhh smack! This is the bomb-shizzle.

Eat THAT, ya little blond shrimp!

Don't be disappointed...

Wed, 21 Jan 2009 08:15:46 GMT

...just because it's my first blog in a while doesn't mean it'll be any good.

Anyway, here are a few updates:

Work is getting tougher. Many know that I've been involved in a special project for nearly a year, keeping me out of my regular office. The closer we get to the end, the more stressful it gets. I couldn't ask for a better team to work with, though. We have upwards of 21 pages of funny quotes in the project trailer so far, and we have gotten to know each other very well. They are delightful people, and they make this project far more tolerable.

Charmaine is a gift from God. I am so blessed to have her in my life! Did you know we've known each other for over 10 months already? Wow! We are reading through some great books about relationships and understanding each other and stuff. There are some really good ones out there! (If you want titles, I'll be glad to supply them.)

Last Chance Harvey is a good movie. Go see it.

I decided to try my hand at songwriting. I would really like to do some solo gigs after I finish up with my Master's degree, but I'd prefer to have more than just cover songs in my rep. For those who know that I write music may be surprised to know that I have never successfully composed an entire original piece or completed an original song. All my stuff has been arrangement or parody. That said, I am working on my "first" song ever. It's kind of a mid-90s Steven Curtis Chapman power ballad knockoff, but I feel like it's pretty solid for what it is. More details later. Maybe.

I'm still working on my recital (date still TBD). I might be having a string quartet in the mix for a few songs, and I'm trying to find someone(s) to write stuff for me. Now if I only had the moneys...

Truth be told, I need to finish my Master's degree sooooooooon. I've turned down gigs and ignored auditions because I need to focus on the recital. Once I get my MM degree, I qualify for a small raise (yay) and I am more likely to qualify for teaching jobs (yay?), but most importantly, I will have more peace of mind to pursue other musical... pursuits. And this I need. Badly. I also need money if I'm ever going to be a responsible adult with... responsibilities.

I guess I should end this blog with an... ending.

Facing the music

Sat, 06 Dec 2008 16:05:00 GMT

Music has been working its way back into my life, and I'm pretty ok with that. This includes some weird nostalgic times, some trying times, and some exciting times. I haven't written in a month, and I don't think I'm gonna get too deep on this one, but it's something to say, so that's an improvement.

Celebrate Christmas- I went last night with Charmaine, her parents, her brother and his wife, and my parents. This was the first time our families had met, and it went well, I think (I hope). While the school of music is already very different than just a few years ago, I still greatly enjoyed the concert. UCO did "I Have Seen the Light", which Rod and I had thought was permanently laid to rest a few years ago, but they had a great trio lead the group in an excellent performance of it. The highlight of the concert for me, however, was during the song that the Symphony Orchestra played. It was a medley of several well known Christmas tunes, including Jingle Bells. I was watching my friend Moses playing violin when they got to "Oh what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh..." and Moses and his stand partner quietly interjected "HEY!" at the appropriate moment. It was not planned by the conductor, the arranger/orchestrator, the school of music, or anyone else in authority... it was a simple outpouring of joy and goofiness that couldn't be stifled by the formality of the evening. This, friends, is just what makes music worth doing.

Jury- This, friends, is just what makes music a pain in the snarfblatt. Two weeks ago, my voice teacher mentioned that I need to choose the songs I will claim to have prepared for my vocal jury. Last time I had a jury was two years ago, and I was certain I'd never have another. Well, folks, I'm filling out jury sheets in octuplicate as soon as I finish this blog posting, then scooting off to APU to practice for a time when I perform before a panel of folks who are my coworkers every other day of the year. People I hound for turning in registrar paperwork and guide to their seats at commencement. These are the people that will evaluate me.

WCHS- For those who don't know, I played piano at my old high school choirs for two years post-baccalaureate-ly. At that point, it was time for me to move on. The thing is, no staff accompanist has been a regular since I left 2 1/2 years ago. Thus, I have been called several times to play for their concerts. This is far more fun than the average rehearsal, but it's a mite strange to be back and have audience members assuming that you've never left. Oh well. Anyway, I'm playing again this year for their Christmas concert. Yay! (yay?)

NewSong- I am on the band rotation at my church. This means that I play keyboard for the Sunday services once a month. I love this. I have grown a lot as a member of an ensemble and in many other ways. It's fun. I even start next week as a mentor to another young player... should be fun. Lately, though, I seem to have become the guy that they call first when they need something extra. It's not a problem- I love doing that stuff. I just find it funny, because a little over a year ago, hardly anyone knew that I played, or even who I was. Suddenly being in demand is probably not great for my ego. So please pray that the swelling of my head decreases. :)

Seven- The worship band that my boss and girlfriend both sing in is called "Seven". On many Sunday evenings (I'll let you deduce what time the service is), they lead music at a local church. Let me tell you, this band kicks some serious boo-tay. I quickly became a fan of the group when I started dating Charmaine, and not just because she's in it. Seriously, they are GREAT. Once they were missing a sound guy, and their leader asked me to sit in. It was fun. Once they were missing a tenor, and again Perry asked me to join them. Once they needed a keyboard player, and I got a call to come fill in. Since then, I've had a standing invitation to join in, and I've been going. My role is a small one, but it's a thrill to be a part of something with such quality. I'd play in that band every day if I could.

I like music.

Chuck versus the Registrar's Office

Thu, 06 Nov 2008 07:19:33 GMT

Chuck Bartowski is an accidental secret agent. I'll spare you the details, but he stumbled across all kinds of top-drawer intel and is now an asset to the US government. Previous to this discovery, Chuck was part of the tech support at the local Buy-More retail store. As part of Chuck's cover, he retains this job and thus his life appears to have stalled.

In a recent episode, Chuck's sister (who knows nothing of his double life) is concerned that he has abandoned his goals and pursuit of the final 12 units of his Stanford bachelor's degree, which has been on hold for some time. Chuck's "girlfriend" (who is really just a CIA agent protecting Chuck) is cornered by his sister about his apparent lack of ambition. As a cover, the agent contacts Stanford to work out something to satisfy Chuck's final 12 units with experiential credit- this credit is common for many degree-completion programs. She presents Chuck's sister with his just-mailed diploma, and Chuck, his sister, and the viewers are all surprised to find out that it's a real, legitimate diploma.

The registrar in me thought, "Ok, this show is built on totally implausible but fun scenarios... but is it even legal for a school to post a degree when the last 12 units are taken entirely off-campus? Doesn't that violate residency, and thus threaten the school's accreditation?"

So I looked it up. According to Stanford's registrar policy website, the final quarter (a minimum of 12 units) must be spent at Stanford. "Aha," I thought, "the Chuck staff screwed up their facts!" and then I kept reading:

In special cases, students who have earned at least 90 units in resident work may petition for a waiver of the last quarter-in-residence requirement.

Because a total 135 units are required for graduation from Stanford, this means Chuck had 123 credits completed. If we assume that Chuck completed at least 90 of those on campus, it is entirely plausible that the waiver was granted for Chuck's "special case".

I'm going to just ignore the part about how long the average petition takes, the necessity of student signatures and Chuck's right to privacy under FERPA, the amount of time it would take for an Academic Progress Counselor to review his record and post the degree, as well as the time it would take to order the diploma, have it printed and mailed. We'll just assume that the CIA has a certain capacity to expedite processes like this and that Stanford's registrar office is almost as awesome as APU's.

Thank you, Chuck, for entertaining whilst making me think about work right before trying to go to bed. And then making me research. And then making me excited to figure out the truth and share it with a bunch of people who don't care and will just add it to the list of reasons why sc0tlas is so dang messed up in delightfully quirky ways.

Thank you, Chuck versus Tom Sawyer!