As most of you know, our 2nd car blew up a few weeks ago. So we’ve been looking for another-something super cheap that will get us from A to B.

Why do I feel like our world is crazy right now? Is it me, or are you paying attention the news? (and Mike’s blog)…it just seems like things are strangely bleak, especially in regards to the way the rest of the world views Americans. They hate us. It’s not good.

iTunes just added a cool new feature that has been talked about for a long time. You now have the option to buy DRM-free songs. These songs have no restrictions for personal use and are double the bit-rate of any other song you’d buy. Normally, all songs from iTunes are protected–you can play them on up to 5 machines. But with DRM-free songs, there is no protection. These songs are $.30 more expensive ($1.29 a song), but potentially worth it. Just thought I’d pass it along…

Also–there is a fantastic new thing on iTunes called iTunes U. This is a place where schools can podcast their lectures, speeches, and assignments for students (and the rest of the world) to download. It’s pretty amazing, if you ask me. As soon as I saw it, I thought, “Duh, why weren’t we doing this before?”. I emailed our administration about it at APU. I hope we do it.

On the APU note–I have a meeting with some people on Thursday that should be neat.
Then today, I get a phone call from the assistant to the vice-provost wanting to know if I’m free to attend a meeting on Friday with the Vice-Provost and a couple other peopl off-campus. Of course I am…

I don’t know why (and I’m usually not this way) but whenever I get a phone call like that I always get nervous. The VP is such a nice person, but for some reason there is a respect that I (and many others) have for her that just makes me want to always put my best foot forward.
Needless to say, I’ll be picking up my suit jacket from the dry cleaners on Thursday, in preparation. I’m excited.

iPhone update: You will only be able to buy the iPhone from Apple for a few months w/o service plans. After a brief period, Cingular will finally carry them in their stores (and on the web) and be able to sell them along with service plans–potentially for much cheaper. I’m going to wait until that time–they say definitely before Christmas–to get mine. That way I can apply my free phone upgrade  credit towards the price. Yay!
Just thought I’d pass along that tip to those that are interested.

We just watched The Prestige with Heidi. It was AWESOME. What a great movie!
Rent it.
Or buy it–go ahead–Hollywood Video had a huge sale this weekend. I bought it for $7.50

We need a car…

I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: At Worlds End last night with Joe. Let’s just start off by saying that I’m not a big Pirates fan. I don’t really have anything against them, and I’ve now seen all three movies, but I never really got the Pirate crazies that a lot of people have (the 2nd film earned 1.1 billion dollars worldwide).
All in all, I thought it was just so-so. I couldn’t really care less. It was incredibly difficult to understand (both in plot and due to those think pirate & jamaican accents), it was long, and I really never cared what happened to any of the characters. However, there were a few redeeming scenes, and technically speaking–in regards to ILM and their job with the CGI–it was perhaps the best job I’ve seen with visual effects, to date.
I actually enjoyed the popcorn more than the movie. More on that later.

Highlights (redeeming scenes): Thar be SPOILERS AHEAD, mates!

-The scene where the East Indian Trading Co. boat is destroyed at the end. Watching the Captain (or Lord whoever-he-was) walking slowly and camly down the steps of the boat with the wood chips flying all over was freaking awesome. It was visually stunning, to say the least.

-Keith Richards’ cameo as possible father to Capt. Jack.

-The scene where Keri Knightly and Orlando Bloom get married in the middle of a huge battle. I loved seeing Geoffrey Rush performing the ceremony while they were all fighting. Hilarious.

That’s about it. I’m sure it was good for a fan. I’m just not a fan. I wouldn’t have seen it unless I had free tickets from spending $25 at Albertsons on selected products. BUT, we went to Harkins Theaters in Chino Hills, CA. This theater is amazing. It was clean, it had lots of leg room, it wasn’t overcrowded, they have a childcare center where you can drop off your kids during the movie (for $6 a kid, can you say “cheap babysitting”?) AND they have this amazing flavor station for your popcorn. Joe bought popcorn and we got Ranch flavoring, Cheddar, White Cheddar, Parmesan and Garlic, and Caramel flavoring–all in different sections of our popcorn tray. It was SO tasty. I loved it! Christy and I are totally going back there.

I also just read that NBC will be beefing up the seasons of My Name is Earl and The Office to include as many as  30 new episodes next year, instead of the normal 22 to cut down on reruns. This is amazing news! More of THE OFFICE!

Also-Nathaniel is finally riding his two-wheel bike with no training wheels! He learned yesterday and is doing a fantastic job of it!

Supposedly, this paper clipping reads the following:

“The body of John Lantham of New York was found shortly after 4 am in
the 4300 block of Grand Avenue. Ted Worden, a doorman at the Tower
Lofts complex, heard loud noises coming from the victim’s loft.
Concerned for tenants’ safety, he entered the loft and found the body
hanging from a beam in the living room. According to Jaime Ortiz, a
police spokesman, the incident was deemed a suicide after medical
tests. Latham (sic) is survived by one teenaged son. Memorial services
will be held at the Hoffs-Drawlar Funeral Home tomorrow evening.”

I can’t vouch for its accuracy.

Hoffs/Drawlar is an anagram for flash forward

Blake Lewis was robbed. Jordin Sparks is childish and nothing new under the sun.

Did anyone catch Blake’s beatboxing song about halfway through the finale? It is crazy and inhuman–the sounds that boy can make with his mouth. I mean, I know that they will both get deals and everything (and we all know, thanks to the incredible success Daughtry, that it doesn’t matter if you win or not) but I still think it was super lame that JS won. I’m disgusted with her.

Nathaniel got punched in the eye today at school. Now he is a real boy. I gave him a high-five when I got home from work. He has a little laceration below his right eye and a little bruising. I was proud of my little buddy to take a punch in the face. I’m sure he cried a lot and all, but there is something that just feels manly about being punched. My little boy is growing up so fast!
I punched a kid in the first grade for ruining my rubber-band ball–right in the stomach. Ah, back in the day…

That vitamin energy drink made me crazy. I didn’t end up going to sleep until after 3:30 AM last night, and even then I think I was only half-asleep. When I woke up this morning, it was with a start and a quiver. I felt like I had been in a cold sweat all night, and felt an extreme amount of angst in my veins. I was totally still feeling the effect of the drink at work until about noon, after drinking a good 7 to 10 cups of water (this helps to flush stuff out). I will never ever get one of those drinks again. It was wrong. No one should be drinking those, or any drink like it. Stay away! Just regular coffee for me! It’s gobs less caffeine…

I can’t wait to watch the LOST finale. Just a little while longer….

EDIT ADD:
Dang. Never drink one of those things…even if you’re driving home late from San Diego. I didn’t even finish the whole thing and it’s 1:47AM…I just did the dishes, put my black pants in the dryer, and Lord knows what else I’m going to clean or organize in this time I have where sleep is not an option.
OH NO! I’ve become Monica!

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If Jordin Sparks wins American Idol, I may have to go shoot a small forest animal. Ugh. I have to say that she annoys the begeezus out of me. She is so immature and childish that I want to pull out my chest hair and throw my shoes at the television set. I just can’t stand her. Not for a minute. Blech.

This is my favorite brand of beverages. These guys are witty, smart, creative, and make delicious drinks. I highly recommend vitamin water and smart water. However, tonight I had one of these:

It tasted a little bit like cough syrup and made me a little crazy. So stay away from it, but have the others, they’re tasty.

EDIT ADD:
I thought this was highly appropriate:

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First off–a huge thank you to all of you that came down and supported me by watching the Gala dress rehearsal. I was blessed to have so many of you there, and it was really sweet of you to come! THANK YOU!
Honestly, I can’t say thanks enough. I don’t even know how to express it–and usually it’s not enough when I do–so just know that it meant a lot to have you there!

Secondly–the show itself was amazing. I really had the best seat in the house because I got to hear everything. The orchestra played amazingly, and the singers sounded like they had a lot of energy (although I really couldn’t see them, and only heard them slightly). The only thing that wasn’t spot-on perfect was the sound. Sometimes the microphones didn’t quite get on in time, and the balance in the house had far too much piano and vocals and not quite enough of the rest of the orchestra–but that’s only my opinion, and I didn’t get out in the house to hear stuff as much as I should have.
That said-the event coordinator was incredibly happy with me, and said it was the best event they’ve had yet (this is the fifth year). So that’s good…

All that aside, this is definitely the largest event I’ve been musically responsible for in my professional career. It was a blessing from God that it went as smashingly as it did. If any of you had a question about what the term “Commercial Music” means–that was it. That was exactly it.

I had a Deja Vu moment while I was conducting the show. Ten years ago, I took on the role of music director/conductor for an Easter musical at my church. I was seventeen years old–ambitious, passionate, prayerful, and it didn’t hurt that our church had done that musical 3 or 4 times before and I basically had it memorized (and LOVED it). I did a miserable job in choir rehearsals, since I basically just spent the whole time pounding out parts (poor choir), but we DID have a small orchestra for the show. I vividly remember conducting the song “A Promise is a Promise”. The beginning of it had some simple chords and beautiful string parts. As I was conducting one of the performances, I thought to myself “Yes. I could do THIS for the rest of my life…” It was such bliss.
As I was conducting the GALA orchestra on Friday or Saturday, I remember feeling that exact same thing–10 years later. Only this time, the feeling was compounded by the fact that I wrote the music. However–it brought me right back to that time and place, and reinforced that feeling. Wow. I love conducting…

Well. I did relax a little bit yesterday, and we even got away to take our kids to see Shrek the Third. It was good–I had a hard time focusing because the theatre was packed with little ones (what you get for going on a Sunday afternoon) and they were loud. Not to mention this one lady that walked in front of me to get in and out of our aisle about 20 times (no exaggeration). I couldn’t hear very well–it wasn’t at regular movie theatre loudness–so that was annoying. But that aside–NOAH actually sat through the WHOLE THING. This, my friends, is a miracle. The last time we tried to take Noah to the theatre was for Curious George–and he couldn’t do it. Anywho-it is a miracle that Noah hung out and didn’t fuss. What a blessing!

Kids, it just goes to show, you can do anything with enough popcorn and juice.

Here are some directions to Concordia, along with a re-posting of what I posted earlier this week and put out as a bulletin on myspace.
Thanks to all of you that are coming–I think it will be great!

These directions are assuming you are coming from APU.
You can always use google or mapquest…

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210 East
57 South
5 South

Exit
JEFFREY
it swings around to the right…turn LEFT ONTO JEFFREY. You’ll be
heading towards the 405. You’ll pass Irvine Valley College and after a couple of miles go over the 405…

Turn Left onto
RIDGELINE, and then make your first RIGHT into Concordia Univ.

Drive up
and park next to GRIMM HALL.

Walk into the heart of the Campus (kind of
back the way you came, between Grimm Hall and the Library). The Gym is straight
ahead in front of you.

I’m also including a link
to the college website, and a link
to the map page.

Hey Friends:

Next Friday, May 18 at 8PM I will be
conducting a Broadway revue-type show for which I arranged and orchestrated all
the music. It’s about 45 minutes long, and this one night is the FREE dress
rehearsal.

You are all invited!

This is undoubtedly the biggest
amount of music I’ve written for any single venture, and will be pretty awesome.
I’m conducting an orchestra containing rhythm, strings & brass. There is
also 15 singers/dancers that will be singing selections from Broadway musicals
that were turned into movies, including the following:

Oklahoma
The
Music Man
Annie
The King & I
My Fair Lady
The Sound of
Music
Phantom of the Opera
Evita
Rent
The Producers
and about two
dozen more…

The show is at 8PM on Friday May 18 at Concordia
University, Irvine.  It will be held in the Gymnasium. You should park in one of
the lots marked visitor parking.

This artcle explains some incredible groundbreaking steps NBC is taking in entertainment, specifically in regards to The Office and Heroes–the network’s highest rated shows this year. Personally, this looks really exciting–and I think will set the precedent for a completely new level of TV viewing and entertainment.
This is the way to do it folks! If you are going to succeed in a changing culture, you’re going to half to think outside the box and take risks–HUGE ones.

I think this one will pay off.

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Can someone please help my find a GOOD dry cleaners in my area?

I’ve probably tried about 5 different places, and they are all horrible. Ugh.

I will be in GALA rehearsals all week.

I’ll be working as normal during the daytime, so if you need to reach me, that is the best time to do so. Otherwise, I’ll be in Irvine every night until Sunday.

It’s a bit of a relief to think that this event I’ve been working on for 6 or more months is finally going to be over after this week. I’ve learned a lot, and it’s been a little while since I’ve written THIS MUCH music for a small/full orchestra, so I rediscovered a few things I had forgotten. However, I have a great group of musicians that comprise the orchestra I’m fortunate enough to direct this week, and an enthusiastic group of college students all singing and playing the music I arranged and orchestrated. It’s quite fun. And as much work as it has been, these are the times that I live for–the time that one works hard for and looks forward to–the time where you stop rehearsing and you start DOING. That is the really fun part.

I’m tired. I’m pretty sure after this week is done with I’ll just sleep all day on Sunday. I need to stop staying up to the wee hours of the morning…it’s not good for me!!

I’m glad that Nathaniel will be coming to the performance on Friday night. I think it’s good for him to see and hear what I’ve been working on for all this time. He doesn’t necessarily get why I’m working on the stuff I’m working on. I think it will be good for him to go see me and hear the music I’ve written so that he gets what I’m doing working on my computer for all that time. He loves music, and he loves singing/dancing, so he’ll love the show–I just hope he can put it all together. And if he can’t now, hopefully he will another time–and hopefully I won’t have to work so long on something like this ALL the time…just sometimes. I don’t want to neglect my children forever…

My dad went sky diving this week. Crazy.

The Office finale is this week.