EDIT ADD:
Hilarious. You know when someone makes a derogatory comment about something right to your face, not knowing it was about you? Well this girl was talking about a music course she wanted to take…etc (I won’t bore you with the details, and they ARE boring) and she starts totally slamming music majors in general. Well, she finally said something about how their schedule is so busy and I looked at her and said, “I know. I was a music major.”
HAHA.
I don’t think I’ve ever done that before to someone’s face…although, it’s possible someone has done that to me…I probably blocked it out…

---

I miss school.

Working is great and all (enter sarcastic grin here), but
the skills I learned during my first year of grad school integrated into common
day application in my arranging and orchestration work. I can’t wait to get
back to school in the fall and take courses like Music Composition for Television and Film or Advanced Film Scoring, Songwriting and Music Production. I’m on a
break right now because of the immense undertaking it is to be the arranger,
orchestrator, and musical director of the Concordia GALA of Stars 2007. Not
only am I working on it every evening until I fall asleep in front of the
computer (with time out to watch Lost and The Office) and the entire weekend
(when I get most of my work done when not interrupted with a million prior
commitments), but I am also directing the musical rehearsals for the singers
and orchestra over the next 7 weeks.

Needless to say, there’s no way I could be going to school
right now, but I do miss it.

On a related note, the callback auditions I led on Wednesday
night for the GALA really fired me up. It is one thing to spend 100 hours in
front of a computer screen, (call it 200 or more once the orchestration is
done—we’re talking over 1,000 bars in Act I alone) working tirelessly to WRITE
music. It is another thing to take the music you’ve poured your creative energy
into and listen to 20 very talented college students bring it to LIFE. Man—when
I taught them 8 bars of “You Can’t Stop
the Beat” and worked with them for about 5 minutes on it, that thing exploded!
The song came alive! It really fired me up and gave me the inspiration to
continue orchestrating, and to do it better. I’m not sure how, it just did. It
was like all of those hours working were validated in that instant. Just like
that. After that was all done, we picked an amazing cast and the first
rehearsal is this Saturday. I’m looking forward to this event more than ever.

There are other instances where things like that have
happened—and for the most part I can count them on one hand. One such
experience occurred on Tuesday night during the worship team rehearsal at
Midway. There are some really talented singers in that group, and for a moment
I lost myself during The Power of the
Cross—this doesn’t happen very much. Usually I’m thinking, evaluating—my
wheels are spinning at a hundred miles an hour, but they are spinning about
musical details—generally a good quality in a director. However, in that
moment, I worshipped. My mind connected with what mouth was singing, and it was
good.

Another amazing musical experience also happened at Midway.
It was the last Christmas concert we performed in December of 2005. Things went
so amazingly that I was literally babbling between songs to the audience,
instead of saying the more poignant things I had planned. I just couldn’t
remember them; I was too distracted by the power of the choir and orchestra.
The music moved me—it was surreal. That was the best musical event I’ve
directed to date.

Side note: I’m looking forward to Musicalifornia this year.
I don’t usually say that because of the nightmare it is to arrange childcare
for it. In the past we had spent so much time driving back and forth from home
to the conference shuttling the kids from one babysitter to another that the
conference was too stressful to actually be worth anything.
This year my parents are coming down to stay with the kids
for the entire three days we’ll be in San
Diego. We have a hotel room for two nights, and I
can’t wait…

 

 

LOST
WAS
AMAZING!

I usually don’t like episodes like that (lots of flashbacks, adding stuff into previously taped scenes, etc…) but this was done SO well. I could NOT believe the last 30 seconds.
So good…

---

EDIT ADD: It’s even more sunny. Geez.
So for some reason I’d rather direct men than women (I enjoy the timbre of a dude’s voice) BUT I listen to way more chick music than dude music on my iTunes. That’s weird.

---

Well, the forecast said RAIN today, so here I am in my
sweater-vest and the sun is out. Granted, it’s a bit brisk out there, so I can
get away with it, but still…darn weather.

24 SPOILER
ALERT: (If you haven’t watched the episode from 3/26/07, skip this)
I have to say that watching the brother with Autism last
night on 24 definitely struck a chord with us. As you all know by now, our
youngest son Noah was diagnosed with Autism in October of 2005. So to watch
these two brothers interact, and to see the pretty accurate representation of a
person with Autism as an adult just starts my mind spinning. I started mulling
over all kinds of crazy thoughts about Noah’s future, how advanced he’ll be by
the time he’s 30, what his living situation will be, how prominent his symptoms
will be…things like that…during this episode. It was crazy—just plain crazy—to
watch. Props to the actors and writers, again, for a great portrayal of an
adult with autism.

 

BATTLESTAR
GALLACTICA: (NO SPOILERS)
Last night we watched the last episode of 2007.
“What?!?”
“Yes, you heard me right, this season is over.”
“But, Daniel, it’s only March?”
“I know…I know. I didn’t see it coming either.”
“Well, when does season four begin?”
“They said not until 2008.”
“WHAT!?!?! That’s NINE MONTHS from now!”
“I know. It’s insane. But at least all the bums that don’t
get the Sci-Fi channel and refuse to purchase it on iTunes will get their hands
on the DVD set in the next month or two…”
“Hm…good point…”

 And scene.

Don’t ask me to explain it, but it’s true. And what an
amazing episode it was! If last season’s closing episode was a 10 (on a scale
of 1-10), then this was an 11. I don’t know how they do it, but it was really
freaking awesome. Season 3 has certainly had its ups and downs, but the last
half-dozen episodes were really strong, with this being the best of all. So I
say GO. Go out there and buy that DVD set when it comes out, and partake of
some tasty sci-fi storytelling. It’s delicious.

 
I’m really looking forward to going to San Diego today. These trips have been
wonderful. The next few months promise to be very full and exciting…Easter,
MUSICalifornia, The GALA that I’m orchestrating/directing, and so on…

 

Well, here it is. Thanks to the brilliant bloggers over at Addison Road, you now have a gigantic post to read. Props to you that make it to the end!

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1. I grew
   up in a small, mountain town named Twain Harte, and lived in the same
   house my whole life. My parents still live there and it looks quite a bit
   the same; however, they did change some of the furniture a couple of years
   back.
2. I went
   to the same school for 13 years, from Kindergarten until I graduated High
   School. Mother
   Lode Christian
   School.
3. I
   played Alto Sax in my school band starting in 4^th grade. I
   continued playing into college until my junior year.
4. I was
   the class president my junior and senior year MLCS, and a pretty awesome
   one, if I say so myself.
5. The
   first and only time I ever punched someone was in the 1^st
   grade. His name was Ryan Derrick, and he had just destroyed my newly made
   rubber-band ball (fashioned after Pee-Wee Herman’s). Ryan threw it so hard
   that all of the rubber-bands flew off. It was a spiraling hurricane of
   rubber and hate. I punched him right in the stomach as hard as I could.
6. Nintendo
   is way better than Sega, and that was probably most of what we talked
   about in 5^th and 6^th grade. There were some fierce
   fights about which was better. The banter continued on well into high
   school due to the release of the SUPER Nintendo and Sega Genesis…good
   times…
7. I
   spent many of my lunches in junior high and early high school in the
   computer lab with Mrs. Elliott. She was very sweet and let me play Oregon Trail a lot.
8. I was
   also the Editor of the Yearbook my senior year. That was the first year we
   used a computer to design the yearbook instead of doing it all by hand.
   The program was Adobe PageMaker and it was running on a MAC II-GS. I’m
   pretty sure she took the risk to let us even attempt it because I spent all those lunches in there playing Oregon Trail.
9. I
   directed my first Easter Musical at the age of 17. Choir, Orchestra and
   the whole bit. I didn’t direct the drama, just the music. My rehearsals
   were dreary, and the whole thing survived based mostly on my enthusiasm
   and passion for the play we were doing.
10. I
    learned conducting in about 10 seconds from my piano teacher. “But what if
    it’s in 3/4????”
11. I
    check the break room in my office about 30 times a day looking to see if
    anyone has brought in some new food for me to eat.
12. I
    don’t touch the bottom of swimming pools, ever. Not with my feet, not with
    shoes, not with sandals. I don’t do bottoms of lakes or oceans, either.
    I’m pretty much deathly afraid to. I’m sure there will one day be a phobia
    named after me about this.
13. My
    first email address was manlydan@hotmail.com
    in 1996. I kept it until sometime in 1998, until I started applying for
    real jobs.
14. My
    first job was at Sierra Belle Bakery. Everything was made from hand and by
    scratch. It had been in the owner’s family for 35+ years. I loved and
    hated that job because I could eat whatever I wanted while I was working.
    Unfortunately, I think it’s now a Chinese Restaurant.
15. I hate
    bugs, and spiders are the worst. This stems from a bad experience with the
    Twilight Zone when I was much too young to be watching.
16. I was
    anorexic in the latter part of high school. The things you discover about
    food and yourself during the time you have anorexia never really go away,
    they just get pushed around inside your psyche.
17. I lead
    worship at my high school during the last two years.
18. I met
    my wife in Concert Band at APU.
19. We
    fell in love during the Innermission tour of 1998. We started dating soon
    after the tour was over, and were married about 14 months later. Yeah, I
    don’t mess around.
20. My
    wife is 4 years and 11 months older than I, and I got MAJOR respect for
    that, especially from Chad
    and Matty.
21. I met
    one of my closest friends in Concert Band at APU. He was playing 2^nd
    chair Alto Sax and his scholarship was more than 3 times as much as my
    own. He’ll never let me forget it, either.
22. I
    started playing piano at the age of seven.
23. I
    can’t look people in the eye when I sing. It’s weird, but I just can’t do
    it. Ask Christy-I had a strange meltdown when she asked me to sing for
    this old dude once in his living room, a capella. I just couldn’t do it.
24. I
    thought my college friendships would last longer than they did. I hardly
    talk to anyone I was close to in college, and it’s not because I don’t
    try.
25. I
    would much rather spend $20 to see a movie in the theater than spend $4 to
    rent it.
26. I
    don’t rent movies, ever. I’d rather buy a DVD than rent it.
27. If you
    happen to come across someone among the 6 billion people on this planet
    that has the same last name (with same spelling) as mine, they are
    directly related to me by blood or marriage. There are only a handful of
    us around. Thank God I have two boys to carry on the family name!
28. I own
    many DVDs that are still on my “to-watch” list.
29. Favorite
    comedians, in order of funniness: Jerry Seinfeld, Will Ferrell, Steve
    Carell.
30. I
    watch Saturday Night Live religiously.
31. I own
    two iPods, a 3^rd Gen 20GB, and a 5^th Gen 60GB iPod
    Video (black).
32. I
    don’t download music I don’t pay for. It’s just illegal.
33. I
    believe that iTunes is perhaps the greatest invention of our time.
34. I’m a
    Trekkie, and I have a uniform to prove it (complete with medical tricorder).
35. I have
    a hard time taking a compliment. I’ve learned to do it quite graciously,
    but I never think about it after the moment I receive it.
36. In
    that same vein, I often have a hard time giving compliments.
37. The
    first thing I notice about any person is their hair and their teeth. These
    are obviously the things I’m most self-conscious about.
38. I have
    a tooth that fell out and never grew back on my right side (MY right).
    Making matters worse? The pointy tooth that consequently moved over
    directly next to my big tooth, which was then shaved down and the gap
    filled in by my dentist to make my mouth look somewhat symmetrical. This
    really bit me in the butt because now there is a giant black line
    permanently down the middle of one of my teeth that looks like a huge
    piece of spinach or something.
39. I
    watch every keynote speech delivered by Steve Jobs via the web. Those
    things are like sermons for Apple products, and I seem to come forward
    every time.
40. Oh,
    and I LOVE Apple. PCs suck.
41. If I’m
    going to watch something at home, I’d rather watch a TV show than a movie.
42. Copy and paste alert: I grew up
    believing that losing your virginity before marriage was just about the
    biggest sin any child could commit. In order of severity, it was above
    assault and battery, just below murder, tied with smoking.
43. Our
    second child was diagnosed with autism about 18 months ago. It has been
    the biggest challenge Christy and I have ever faced. It has also been
    incredibly rewarding. Go figure.
44. I
    destroy every vehicle I drive. Not by way of accidents, or abuse—they just
    fall apart after I’ve driven them for some time. We’ve donated or had the
    CHP pickup almost all of our cars unless we could use them for a trade-in.
    I’m like Goldfinger, except with cars…so, I guess that would make me
    “Unusable-Heap-of-Metal Finger”.
45. Although
    I probably went on a hundred wood-cutting trips with my dad and grew up in
    a house with a fire place as the main source of heat, I have never once in
    my life been able to start a fire that lasted more than 60 consecutive seconds.
46. I
    don’t like going to doctors for small and common ailments. It seems to be
    a waste of time and money, especially when they just tell you it’s a virus
    and give you some cough medicine. I actually called in a month ago and
    told the doctor to prescribe me some eye drops because I had pink eye. He
    did. It’s better. Problem solved.
47. I love
    pop and rock music, although film music is my favorite genre to listen to.
48. I hate
    country music.
49. I have
    three goals that I want to accomplish by the time I’m 30. Finish my
    Master’s Degree, work on a film/TV score, and run a marathon. I’m pretty
    sure I’ll do the first two.
50. I once
    had to play Jesus in a 20-minute drama/pantomime. It was the most humbling
    experience of my life to attempt to portray the savior of the world.
51. I am a
    workaholic, and have to work very hard to overcome that tendency. HAHA,
    the irony…
52. I am
    very stubborn. My wife or my mother will gladly verify that.
53. I am
    not a quitter.
54. I am
    horrible at sports, but I love to play soccer.
55. I
    watch the Superbowl every year, but mostly just the commercials. During
    the actual game I’m usually getting more food and/or yakking away.
56. If it
    were healthy I would eat dessert for breakfast, lunch, and dinner. I have
    a pretty massive sweet-tooth.
57. I
    don’t like steak. The only steak I’ll eat is from Ruth’s Chris steakhouse,
    and we only go there once every couple of years. 
58. I tend
    to be pretty passive-aggressive.
59. I’m
    very competitive. Funny that I’m horrible at sports…
60. My
    dream job is arranger/orchestrator for film and TV.
61. I
    think I am technically working 5 jobs right now (see #51).
62. I
    don’t believe that my wife and I will ever actually afford to buy a house
    in Southern California, but I don’t know
    that we’ll ever move out of the area, either.
63. One of
    the most fulfilling (if not THE most fulfilling) and satisfying things in
    my life is hearing music that I’ve written performed live by good
    musicians.
64. I’ve
    never seen The Sound of Music, West Side Story, or Fiddler on the Roof
    (see #26).
65. I get
    pretty stressed out if things aren’t clean in my surroundings.
66. My
    favorite beverage is water. I don’t really drink much else.
67. I have
    a very obsessive and addictive personality. This is why I don’t drink or
    smoke. I’d surely be dead by now.
68. I
    think I’m an excellent driver. My wife does not.
69. I
    never really kissed anyone before I started dating Christy. I tried one
    other time, but it didn’t really go well. There’s way too much pressure in
    high school to do these things.
70. I had
    only one other girlfriend when I was a sophomore in high school—but she’s
    not the girl I almost kissed. I was 15 years old. We rode the bus
    together. Her favorite movie was The Lion King, and I bought us Simba and
    Nala stuffed animals—those ones that have magnetic noses that makes it
    look like they’re kissing. We never kissed, and eventually grew apart over
    summer break…
71. If I
    had to get another degree, it would be in business. I have a small
    obsession with leadership, and that way I could work for Apple or
    Starbucks at the corporate level.
72. I
    prefer orchestral music to vocal. However, I conduct choirs way more than
    orchestras. I also like it when vocalists sing with orchestras.
73. I
    dislike confrontation. I’ll have it when I believe it’s absolutely
    necessary, but I’d prefer to avoid it.
74. I hate
    listening to music in the car. I can only do it if there is complete
    silence. When I’m driving alone, it’s usually just silent. Me and my
    thoughts. No radio.
75. I once
    went to a band camp in the summer after my 6^th grade year. It
    was one of the worst experiences I can remember. I was way too immature
    and delicate to be in that kind of a situation. They kept having to move
    me from room to room, and then half-way through the week they discovered
    that they had placed me in the wrong band and I wasn’t going to get to
    play the music I had been rehearsing all week. I think I left early.
76. I gave
    blood two or three times at the beginning of college. I haven’t had the
    courage to go back. I like my blood, and I kinda want to keep it.
77. I’m
    very quiet when I’m around people I don’t know. Otherwise, I’m not.
78. I
    don’t value loyalty as much as people 20 years older than me do. I value
    commitment and passion to a cause, but not blind loyalty to any person.
    People fail and are flawed.
79. I
    don’t mind making hard decisions if I believe it’s the right thing to do.
80. One of
    the most valuable things I’ve ever learned from reading a book is how to
    have clarity as a leader in times of uncertainty. That principle spills
    over into many aspects of my life, and has drastically changed me.
81. I had
    two semesters of voice lessons with Mrs. Reinebach that changed my voice
    forever.
82. I hate
    T-Shirts. I only wear them when I’m jogging, or underneath a sports coat
    with Jeans—and even THAT has only been in the past month or two.
83. I look
    at the time probably 400 times a day. (Based on being awake 18 hours a
    day, that averages out to once every 2.7 minutes, which is probably pretty
    accurate.) Additionally, I get antsy and uncomfortable if I can’t find a
    clock somewhere and/or I forget my phone. Henceforth, I don’t like
    casinos.
84. I value
    my time, and I value yours. If I’m supposed to meet you somewhere—barring
    a death in my immediate family, or some absurd circumstance that I for
    some reason have not been able to predict—I will be early. Time is a gift,
    and it is something that once you take away from me, I can never get back.
    Don’t waste my time.
85. I have
    absolutely horrible penmanship. My wife can’t even read it.
86. I will
    communicate with you via email more quickly and effectively than by any
    other means. If you want to talk, email me.
87. One of
    the coolest experiences I’ve had in the recent past was watching the 50^th
    Anniversary fireworks show at Disneyland.
    The first time I saw that show I was flabbergasted. The creativity and
    innovation in creating it blew my mind. I truly worshiped the Lord during
    that show.
88. I
    don’t think I dream. I can remember only one time in the past couple of
    years that I had a dream during a night’s sleep. I don’t know what this
    means, but it has to mean something.
89. I
    prefer to over-communicate rather than under-communicate.
90. I was
    a cub scout for a short time. They started my pack too late for me to get
    the wolf patch, and was shut down right before I got my Webelos. I really
    wanted that darn Webelos. I cried for a long time when I found out they
    were shutting down my pack, good ole Pack 560.
91. The
    vacation we had in New York City
    a few years ago was by far the best vacation I’ve ever had.
92. I’m
    not a hard-core Broadway fan (much-less a buff) but I do think that WICKED
    is the best musical ever written.
93. I
    don’t like to make fun of other people, and I don’t like listening to you
    making fun of other people. However, I will make fun of you to your face if you’re my good friend and I think you’ll find it funny–all in good fun. I’d never do it in seriousness or with malicious intent-never.
    
94. I
    believe that words are more powerful than we give them credit for. We
    either speak life or we speak death. And we also speak when we say nothing
    at all.
95. Christy
    and I took our N64 on our honeymoon. We loved playing Tetris and Super
    Mario Kart. I remember one day specifically, Christy was off getting a spa
    treatment and massage for a couple of hours, and I pulled out the 007 game
    (GoldenEye, I think?) and called my ex-roommate for help on one of the
    levels. He turned around and told the entire University Choir and Orchestra that I was playing Nintendo on my Honeymoon, and they all clapped and laughed at me when I returned…I learned two things from this: first, don’t ever call anyone on
    your honeymoon; second, two hours is not enough time to actually
    accomplish anything on that game, even if you have plenty of grenades.
96. I
    don’t like excuses. If you say you’re going to do something, then do it.
97. My
    first few cars were stick shifts. Everyone should learn how to drive a
    manual transmission vehicle, ‘cause what if there is an emergency and you
    have to drive me in my hypothetical stick shift vehicle to the hospital or
    I’ll bleed to death? In related news, Christy does not know how to drive a
    stick shift. Another reason why I’m a much better driver.
98. I
    stink at writing. I’ve used the backspace button on this single line about
    five times. I just can’t organize my thoughts into any sense of coherency,
    especially if I have to prove something.
99. The
    best gig I ever did took place this past fall. I played piano for a
    private cocktail party in Long
    Beach for a lawyer. I played for about 3.5 hours
    straight, with a few breaks for grabbing some food (provided at the
    party). I got paid my full rate, and the guy rented the brand of piano I
    asked him to. I feels good to have somebody pay you your full rate…
100. My
     college buddies had some strange nickname for me based on a type of fish
     that goes around eating the remains and/or leftovers of other fish’s meals.
     They called me this name because they said I always made jokes on the
     heels of other dudes’ jokes. I don’t deny this (indeed it happened all the time) nor did it affect me all
     that much…I can’t even remember the name of the fish.
101. BONUS: I’m somewhat philosophically opposed to the fact that a portion of my income comes from a church. I mean, this is other people’s tithe money we’re talking about. As a professional musician I’m used to getting compensated for my artistic services, however, since this has to do with serving the Lord it just rubs me the wrong way to negotiate salary…It’s completely normal for music pastors to be paid-it’s a huge thing in churches all over the country. Someday I truly hope to be in a place where I can serve God the way I do without getting my salary from the offering plate.
102. BONUS: My parents made me sign a dating contract when I was 15. I don’t remember exactly what it said, but I can tell you that it didn’t really matter since I didn’t actually go out on dates…

 

 

Can we just say that LOST last night was awesome? Yes, we can, and it was–possibly the best episode this season. Check out Mike’s blog for more on this subject…

I just bought this T-Shirt. You have to have played NES back in the day to really get it. If you have never entered the code below to get 30 lives on Contra or Life Force, then you’ll have no idea…I like the website I got it from. They have shirts geared towards college-age folks, most are made up of movie quotes or other pop culture things. Don’t be suprised if you click over there and see some weird shirts–I mean, I wouldn’t buy just ANY of them, GEEZ. However, some of them are pretty cool. Like “I love lamp”. It’s an Anchorman thing…

I have this weird discharge coming out my left eye. I can’t explain why it’s happening, but it makes my vision all blurry, and is just plain annoying. I hope it goes away soon.

Very busy.

I’m almost finished orchestrating Act 2 of the GALA. Then it’s on to Act 1. Auditions were last night, rehearsals are coming up…it’s going to be a very full next 7 weeks. Not to mention Easter…but cool news about that–I have really professional strings coming in to play for that show. I’m talking the guys that play on a regular basis on all the film scores in Hollywood…it’s going to be AMAZING. I’m really excited about it.

I’m going to do one of those “100 Things About Me” lists, under inspiration from the many people that have done it over here. It’s really interesting, actually, to read random facts about people. So look for that to come.

EDIT ADD:
Food will not control me. Neither will Starbucks. I thought that I really needed coffee in the morning to be awake, but it turns out I don’t. Hm. Go figure. I haven’t had coffee in like three days, and I’m fine. This morning I had an apple for breakfast. Yum. I love granny-smiths…
 

---

Christy just wrote an awesome post on her visit to Skid Row. Go read…

I’m telling you, folks, the world is changing. I’m the kind of person that is going to change with it, so watch out, because it’s coming. I don’t know how yet, I just know what–but I never know the how before I know the what. The how will come.

Well, frankly, I barely know the what–but here’s the deal: I’m not going to lock myself in my house and attempt to freeze frame my life and family how it is right now. I believe that would greive the heart of God. I’m going to find a way to make my faith real, and not just a footnote on the autobiography of my life. I don’t know how, or really what, but something needs to happen.
soon.

I’ve been meaning to post these things for a while, I’m not sure why I kept forgetting.

The first is this envelope I received at work from another university.  Man, if I worked at the post office, I would have actually delivered this to the Pacific Ocean, instead of the Pacific University. Just saying…

The second is this collage of pictures that Nathaniel drew a while back (like the first month of Kindergarten). They’re all adorable, I really just think that the drawing for HOP is the best. I’m not exactly sure HOW this dude is hopping, but apparantly, he is.

We just saw PREMONITION. It was pretty good, up until the end. Ugh. Awful ending.

Is it me, or is American Idol just retarded? The judges tell people to take risks and be themselves, and when the contestants do that and the judges don’t like it, they criticize them for being horrible. So dumb. I just don’t get it. How can they be so two-face about this? PLUS–just because you don’t PERSONALLY like a music style (like, a contemporary rock style, let’s say) don’t be a jerk about the song choice. That’s your personal preference dude. Wow. Now I feel like I’m talking about hymns and choruses. Geez.  

On that note–Chris Sligh’s song was freaking awesome! Yes! I like Coldplay, and not so much Diana Ross…so when you make Diana Ross sound like Coldplay, I like it much more! I actually like the arrangement a LOT, and thought it was really bold. Which brings me back to the fact that just because you’ve heard a song one way for 30 years, doesn’t mean that if somebody changes it, it becomes bad…man, I really feel like this is a church worship conversation. How weird.

Sanjaya…what can I say? He looks like a woman and needs to go home. Yikes.

Also, an unrelated note–today was my one-year anniversary for working at APU. Haha, how funny that I took a half-day. But at least now Heidi gets a watch or something…
So how do I feel? One year. Hm. I feel fine. My office-mate is leaving on Friday, so that will be weird to get a new person in there in a little while. I hope he/she doesn’t smell. But I do like my job–I love the people that I work with, and the atmosphere all around is great. I’m very thankful for it.

Good times in San Diego tonight.

I really can’t wait to see Blades of Glory. I love Will Ferrell, but you know that already…Blades of Glory, coming March 30th.

We’ve had probably 5 vacuums in just as many years. This last one we bought at Christmastime, and it already broke. Stupid cheap vacuums. Anyways, we had friends coming over on Saturday and our house really needed vacuuming. I evaluated the situation, and after several months of trying to fix the dumb vacuum that we just bought, I said “forget it!! I’m going to BUY A DYSON!”

And I did.

And it rocks.

I don’t know how many of you out there care about your vacuums. I certainly didn’t until now…I went to Target at like 8AM on Saturday, bought it, brought it home, put it together, and the most amazing vacuuming experience of my life ensued. This thing is crazy. It got up SO much dirt! We vacuumed over about 2/3 of the house, and the tank was almost filled up with the dust/dirt. I was completely flabbergasted that our carpets would be that dirty, AND that this thing would clean so deeply.

I seriously almost vacuumed again tonight for the fun of it. Seriously. This is perhaps one of the best purchases we’ve made in a LONG time. I highly recommend without reserve!

And, in other news, I’m sick. Ugh. Back to work on Tuesday, though. This week is my office-mate’s last week before she moves to Merced. We’re ALL going to miss her a TON around the UG Registrar. Bye Erin!!

I’ve set myself on an arranging schedule, since I have 55 days left until my first orchestra rehearsal for the GALA (Concordia Univ, Irvine) and about 40 songs to orchestrate. I just put one of them each day on my calendar, leaving my some time to do copy work at the end and a little bit of a buffer zone in case I fall behind. It’s going to work perfectly–I’m very excited about my calendar, and this will help me stay on track.

Battlestar Gallactica is getting really good again. It went through a weird phase towards the middle of this season, but is getting back to its roots. The last few episodes have been GREAT.

EDIT ADD:
For all you dense people out there! The Nathaniel comment about TV was a joke…

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For years I’ve loved Sci-Fi. I’m not sure when it started, but it was early. It could have been when I watched the actual premiere of Star Trek: The Next Generation in 1987 (as a 7-year old) or earlier when I…I…I can’t remember anything before Star Trek: TNG…OH WAIT! Amazing Stories! I watched that in 1985…and I remember a lot of the episodes very clearly. Weird (and totally creepy, too).
Well, anyways-I totally grew up with it. Sci-Fi was everywhere in my house. Star Trek (pick a version, any version), Star Wars, Krull, Total Recall, The Running Man, Terminator 1 & 2, Dune (never actually watched it), The X-Files, Quantum Leap, Amazing Stories, The Twilight Zone (original and both new versions), The Outer Limits (new version), Labyrinth, The Dark Crytsal (also incredibly creepy), Ewoks: The Battle of Endor, and so on…
Fast-Forward to the last couple of years, and the DVD’s on my shelf include a lot of the above (including full DVD box-sets of all seasons of X-Files and ST:TNG, Voyager, & DS9), plus Firefly/Serenity, Roswell, Galaxy Quest, Stargate, and I’m sure some others that I can’t think of right now.

Take the above, mix it up in a pot with the rest of the Fantasy and/or Adventure movies I’ve seen (like Indiana Jones, LOTR, Aladdin). Throw a pinch of Stephen King in there, and a fistful of Seinfled & Saturday Night Live, and you get this email I wrote to my office-mate (along with the rest of my office) yesterday in response to her request for boxes to move with. In fairness, it was the verbiage in her email that brought this all up.

I seriously laughed out loud for a good twenty minutes after I emailed this.

But first: Her email to our office:

---

I am searching for boxes. Any ideas? If you know of
anyone that has any they are willing to donate, let me know. I am willing to
drive whatever distance…

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So I replied with this:

---

I have a zillion
boxes…or I did. I can’t remember. I think I have a lot.

BUT

You will have to drive
a great distance…to find the great Ring of Abathon somewhere in the sands of the
Desert of the High Horse. Only then, when the cat’s mouth has been removed, and
the sun has shone on the pedestal at day’s break, will the Ring of Abathon be
shown to the purest of heart. You must retrieve the ring, at any cost. It is of
the highest value to all who seek it, and only when it is finally in my
possession will I be able to unlock the secrets of The Great Parthex.

Then you will get your
boxes.

But beware. Many who
have gone before you have yet to return on their great journey. For the path is
filled with vermin and vixen who feed on the souls of the
weak.

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I don’t know what happened to bring that all on…and yes, it’s all made up, and yes-it’s freaking ridiculous-but I just couldn’t help it.
Maybe it’s too much caffiene, or maybe I’m just a weirdo.

It’s up to you to decide.

A completely unrelated note: Nathaniel will no longer be allowed to watch TV.
Ever.

EDIT ADD: I cannot tell you exactly why I am fascinated with this book-but I am. I’m on Chapter 8. Eight chapters in less than 12 hours for Daniel is quite astonishing. All the rest of you avid readers out there just shutup.

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Take a seat.
You’re about to get your socks knocked off.

I’m reading a book.

No, I don’t read very often. In fact, I can probably count the number of books I read last year on one hand-and I’m not talking about novels, these are small books-devotionals and such. But today is different. Mark it on your calendar.
Today, Phil Vischer-creator of Veggie Tales-spoke at an APU chapel and did a book signing for his new book “Me, Myself, and Bob”. We happened to accidentally have lunch on West Campus where the book signing was, and took Nathaniel in to see Phil…and consequently purchased a book for him to sign. That was pretty cool. Well, not buying the book, but Nathaniel talking to the dude that made and voices Bob the Tomato was neat. Except he didn’t really get it…I mean that’s a hard concept to grasp for a Kindergartner.
“Hey Nathaniel! That cartoon you love is really just THIS dude talking in a funny voice. See! He can do it right now!”
So, it went a little over his head, but it was cool for us to see them interact. Phil asked Nathaniel what his favorite VT character was, he answered Larry Boy (atta boy). And when Phil followed up with “What is your favorite Larry Boy movie?” Nathaniel answered “All of them”. Haha!

So why did I pickup the book? I don’t know, but I was a little curious, and after reading a couple of pages I was totally hooked. I am on chapter five, but I’ve got to watch LOST…priorities, priorities…but I love the book. Highly recommend it, and partly is because I can identify with his artistry and somewhat wacky brain. He seems like a really nice guy, and I’m going to watch his chapel when it gets posted online.

—————————————–

OK-Just watched LOST, and that episode was much better than last weeks. I don’t need mythology and all of that, I just need the story to progress. This episode was great, and reminded me of LOST in the days of yore. Like, the LOST glory days…and the preview for next week also looks cool.

Side note: we found out last night that a friend of ours that we have been praying for is now following Christ. It was really great to sit down and hear how God has been working in his life, and to reconnect after not really talking for a year. We sure do love our San Diego peeps! Oh, and the orchestra rehearsed together with the choir last night, and although it was a little chaotic, it was very fun. Frank P was back with his posse of instrumentalists. The orchestra grew exponentially in number and in quality! It was quite exciting!

The GALA OF STARS at Concordia University in Irvine is coming up in mid-May. I need to finish orchestrating that show…not to mention auditions for vocalists is in the next couple of weeks. Additionally, I have most all the orchestra for the event already contracted. So all in all, the project is coming together nicely.

That, along with the rapid changes that are happening in the staffing in my office at APU (goodbye office-mate <sniff> ), along with the two Easter programs I’m directing in San Diego and Covina, and the responsibilities of being a husband and father, is what is going on folks.