The dreaded parent-teacher conference.

Why is it so terrifying to walk into a classroom and listen to a teacher talk to you about your kid's successes and failures?  Do I want to know? Do I want to hear it?

I can't put my finger on it...but for some reason these little meetings aren't fun for me. Maybe it's that I don't really know the teachers all that well...

But today was crazy. I went to two of these suckers back-to-back with our new schools here in Burbank and listened to the respective teachers rant and rave about my kids. Nathaniel is reading at an "end-of-third-grade" reading level, and scores high in his class in every area. Noah is also doing well in his class...

So...I guess my kids are amazing.

I guess my question is, why am I so weirded out by a gathering that has the sole purpose of informing me of the awesomeness of my offspring?

I don't know.

Last week our microwave pooped out. It started smelling like burnt electrical wire and stopped heating stuff up, so we tossed it (quite literally) out the kitchen door.

Since then, life has been interesting...I told Christy not to buy a microwave just yet (thank you, economy) but most of Noah's food is frozen and needs to be warmed up in the microwave, so we've had to be creative...we've warmed up stuff in pots on the stove (the horror!) and cooked stuff in the oven (nooooo!). It has been troublesome and inconvenient.

But today...today was the kicker.

**Keep in mind that I woke up at 3:45AM to toss the kids in the car, along with Christy, to drive home from San Diego in time for school at 8AM in Burbank...

So we made it home at around 7AM, and since Christy was feeling sick, I got the kids ready for school. We woke up, we got dressed...we packed our lunches, and then we made breakfast. Being the caring, loving, father that I am, I got out some frozen waffles for Nathaniel and frozen french toast for Noah. AND...being the RESOURCEFUL person that I am, I immediately got out a frying pan so I could heat up the waffles and french toast. I put it on the stove top and Nathaniel pipes in,

"Dad," he says, "why don't you just use THAT to heat it up?" (Points to the toaster).

"The what? Why don't I use the WHAT?!" I reply.

"The toaster!!"

(feeling like a complete dope) "oh...right...

...we have a toaster..."

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaand to boot, we were late for school.

ugh.

I'm not ready for December.

I realized that I didn't post those pictures I promised yesterday...but I did upload them to facebook. Click over and you can view them (even if you don't have a facebook profile). Just click!

Starbucks is cool. Check it out.

Or this cool video...

Happy Thanksgiving, y'all.

I'd like to start this festive holiday by saying how thankful I am for everything I have. I could seriously list about a hundred things I am TRULY thankful for...but I'll post my song instead (maybe the list tomorrow??)

This is a longer cue I worte for the end of Nim's Island (not for the real movie, but for my class). Basically (SPOILER ALERT) if you've seen the movie, you know that the big conflict is the loss of Nim's dad at sea. He was supposed to have returned from his trip a few days ago and did not. So this cue starts at the beginning of the end of the movie...here's the skivvy:

Nim is sitting on a ledge looking at the ocean. Jodie Foster comes and sits next to her and Nim starts talking about how her dad is lost at sea...she cries...Foster puts her arm around her and says (in the most tender part of the cue...listen for cello solos here) "I'll take care of it...". Which is a big deal. Then the sea lion barks and off in the disatance something is happening. The bird comes back...and during a slight swell we realize that "It's HIM! DADDYYYYyyyy" and the horns start blazing as we see him sailing back on a home-made raft. Then they run down from the ledge and we see more glorious horns as he sails some more (all in about 8 seconds total...). Nim runs down to the beach (cue running music) and then they run to meet in the shallow water...cue BIG SWELL and HUGE SOARING MELODY (you'll hear the cymbal crash RIGHT on the hug...). All is well...thank you bird for guiding me home...etc, etc, etc...and we fade out...

and that is that.

Happy listening!

Today we joined Noah and his Kindergarten class for a Thanksgiving FEAST! Everybody brought their favorite dish and the parents and kids celebrated together...we bought apples and caramel (since we figured no one else would really like what Noah affectionately calls "potatoescakeandcorn"). And hey...Noah CAN have apples...

Here are some pics from this joyous event!

Noah standing with his class, waiting for the feast to begin! (He is wearing his pilgrim outfit)

Noah with mommy...

Noah's disturbingly funny little scarecrow face...

And, of course, who isn't thankful for "their" Batman?

HAHAHAHA

My family is precious.

I'm tired.

We had a fabulous time at church on Sunday night listening to the NEWSONG choir from Cal Baptist, directed by my favorite, Al Clifft. That guy is amazing. 'Nuff said.

But here is the truly amazing thing...the excitement, energy, ministry, and worship that is happening in his choir is what I REMEMBER from being in UCO with Al as director (back in the good ole days of 1998-2001). Watching them perform brought back a TON of awesome choir memories. They were wonderful and full of life! And the coolness of it all? That same energy is infusing the entire music department at CBU...

...and honestly, I was incredibly skeptical when Doc announced that he was hired at CBU to "do for them what he did for APU". I just thought he was too old and it would take too long...and that times were different, and, and, and....and we (Christy and I) came up with about a hundred excuses as to why it would never happen.

But we were wrong.

WAY wrong.

I actually saw his UCO the first year at CBU. It was pretty rough. The kids weren't buying what he was selling, and, as you may know, transition is tough. Undoubtedly there were a lot of skeptics like myself that first year. I thought Doc was doomed to fail.

But then came year #2. Doc had been recruiting...which he does OH SO WELL. The level of talent was better and the kids were new and fresh, so they didn't know any different--it was working. UCO was better that year.

And year #3????? It was phenomenal. Doc had done it...and proved all the skeptics wrong. He recruited great singers from all over the country. The kids were polished. There were tons of repeats from the previous year so they "knew the drill", and the talent overflowed.

I was a man and admitted that I was wrong. Doc succeeded.

Not only had he formed a great UCO, he had also hired his son Judd to direct Male Chorale, hired a guy (named "Guy") to direct a ladies choir...and then the next year hired Al to direct ANOTHER ladies choir!!! More ladies!!! Holy smokes! So many ladies in choirs at CBU!!!

All that to say...this NEWSONG concert we had at Midway was fantastic...And the music that is happening at CBU makes me happy (which is why we keep sending our Midway kids up there).  Truthfully, I spent the first 30 minutes of the concert crying...(I know,
it is quite shocking)...not just because it brought back incredible memories from my choir days with Al, but because I knew what these ladies
were experiencing at CBU, and I KNEW that their lives would be changed
forever because of Al Clifft. 
Ugh. I'm getting teary just thinking about it right now. Darn you, Al Clifft, for always making me cry!

AND...and, I have to be honest--there is JUST NOTHING ON EARTH LIKE CHOIR. Seriously--singing is something that is incredibly vulnerable. That thing that comes out of your mouth is a part of you. It can be changed and altered (just like a lot of things), but it is still YOUR voice. It is your anatomy...and singing is vulnerable. You are just putting yourself out there...so it is difficult to do (unless you are uninhibited, like my 5 year-old). So...maybe it is a bit easier in a group...and maybe when you put a bunch of people together, singing notes and words...everyone using their own personal voice to add to the multitude...you get this unique thing. You get something special, something you can't duplicate with anything else. Then, take that sound and add some movement, good musical and lyrical content, smiling faces, and you get a PRESENCE that is can't be reproduced no matter how good your sampler is.  (oops, sorry, I got a little bit "space age-y" on ya there...)

Choir rocks.

Al Clifft rocks.

CBU rocks.

My choir rocks.

You rock, for reading this.

Now, come sing in my choir.

(Oh, and sorry for those of you that thought that this had anything to do with Arrested Development. It doesn't.)

Dear Walt Disney and Co.:

I understand that Hannah Montana is a
gift from God to y'all, but please don't cast her as the voice of a 12
year-old. She sounds like a 30 year-old that has been smoking for 15
years...seriously, that girl does NOT sound young, in the least.

And her voice.

Just.

Bugged.

Normally I ALREADY know I will like a movie by
the time I go see it. I already know I'm going to love Star Trek when
it comes out on May 8th, 2009--hands down. I knew I would like Indiana
Jones and the Crystal Skull of Weird Aliens, even the most of the
populous thought it was lame. I usually have a pretty good idea of how
a movie will fair with me before I see it--USUALLY.

For BOLT,
I didn't have any preconceptions going in. It had a clean slate...and I
was ready to be impressed by a non-Pixar, computer animation, Disney
movie.

I was not.

The movie just...frankly...fell a
little flat. You already know how I feel about the leading girl
(Sparkles Montana), and John Travolta (playing Bolt) felt like he was
asleep through most of the movie...his performance was disappointing
and hardly what I would expect from one of those "big name" types.  He
probably should have had a couple of Red Bulls before doing the session
or something. Ugh, for low energy from a leading man.

I was also disturbed by the animation. Some scenes (I can recall the
opening of the movie, as an example) were incredibly detailed and
magnificent. It felt similar to the amount of detail and computer
animation finesse that we saw in Cars or Wall-E. HOWEVER,
some of the shots--especially as the movie progressed--looked
incomplete. Some of the backgrounds and far-away shots were literally
sketches...they weren't very detailed and looked like pencil sketches in color. I was surprised to notice this...
What happened here, Disney? Did you add in scenes late in the game? Did
you not have enough animators? Did you run out of time? Can we blame
even THIS on the economy??
 
Other animators, please take note. You cannot mix animation styles and/or not finish your movie...it looks off-putting.

The up-sides:
Amidst the annoyances, there were some funny parts. Although the
writing was not as good as Toy Story or the comedy as good as Nemo,
there were a couple of scene-stealers. The dude that plays the girl's
agent was funny--the hamster in the ball was great--and the
pigeons...the pigeons were hilarious. They did a really good schtick
where Bolt ran into 3 pigeons all over the place...3 in New york, 3 in
California...and there were some others...the New York pigeons were
great but the CALIFORNIA pigeons were amazingly hilarious!! I laughed
SO hard when they started doing their thing...it was sooooo
Hollywood...ahhhhhh I love it...

I think if I had to give an overall grade, Bolt would earn a C-

If you don't have kids, you could probably skip it...but then again, this is coming from a guy that hates Wall-E.

We got our suit and dress...hired a babysitter...and I'm going to drink plenty of coffee before I go so I'm in a networking mood...because, man...these opportunities don't come along too often!!

Is anyone else going to this?

------------------
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: Hollywood Music Awards – November 20th, 2008
November 6, 2008 – Hollywood, CA:  The Hollywood Music Awards (HMA), the most anticipated music awards event of the fall, will take place on Thursday, November 20th at the Hollywood Highlands in the world-famous Hollywood & Highlands/Kodak Theatre complex (Hollywood, California), featuring live music performances, award presentations, celebrities appearances, an exclusive VIP reception and dinner banquet catered by Wolfgang Puck, Inc.
 
Tickets to the event are limited and going fast, but there is still a chance to get in on the fun!  Visit the HMA store page for ticket information.
 
The most renown music composers, music artists and music supervisors will be honored for their outstanding contributions to music in film, TV and video games. In addition, independent music artists from around the world will be recognized for individual music accomplishments.  Live performances include Elan Atias, lead vocalist of The Wailers (Reggae/Roots nominee), Will Champlin (Soul/R&B nominee), Marching Band (Original Song-Film nominee) performing music from the film "Nick & Nora's Infinite Playlist", to name just a few.  An Outstanding Career Achievement Award will be presented to Chuck Negron, the legendary vocalist of super-group Three Dog Night.
 Hosts, presenters, nominees and invited guests include Gilby Clarke (Guns&Roses), Phil Varone (Skid Row), comedian Russell Peters, TV host and entertainment correspondent Kayrn Bryant, media host Scott Austin, Stephen Baldwin ("The Usual Suspects"), composer James Newton Howard ("Michael Clayon"), composer Sean Callery ("24"), model Mia Taylor, actor Rob Mays ("American Mall"), actor Juliette Lewis ("Natural Born Killers"), Steve Ferrone (Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers), R&B icon Howard Hewitt, Tara Reid, Kristin Cavallari, Kate Del Castillo, Brittany Daniel, Ana De La Reguera, Ali Landry, Liza Lapira, Mams Taylor, Chad Rogers, Kelly Monaco, Kym Johnson, Raul De Molina, Echocell, Tommy Davidson and many, many more.  
The Hollywood Music Awards, hosted by eWorld Music, is the first red carpet event of its kind to celebrate music of mainstream and independent artists in popular and new visual mediums. Contemporary artists and composers whose music is used in film, television, video games, commercial advertisements, movie trailers, web-based videos and other new visual media will be honored. Additionally, the professionals who are responsible for choosing, placing and licensing music in visual mediums will be recognized and lauded, including music supervisors, publishers and producers. In addition to the visual medium categories, separate categories will honor a variety of music styles from independent artists around the world for original works.  A diverse line up of live performances and celebrity appearances will highlight this star-studded gala.
 
The Hollywood Music Awards will be shot with multiple HD cameras for digital and cable televised broadcast in 16 countries (120 Million households)
 

A while ago, I really botched a job.

Not just a little mistake or a small blunder...I caused a pretty freakin HUGE problem for the composer...and it was one of those situations where it was too late for me to "fix it" or do anything about it...basically the composer had to go and REDO all of my work. Ugh.

Of course I was extremely embarrassed about the whole thing.
Daniel doesn't like to do a poor job...at anything. Daniel also doesn't like to attempt things he isn't certain he can do. And Daniel was certain he could handle the job...but he couldn't. He could just talk about himself in third person...

So after being sufficiently chewed out by the guy that hired me, my insides told me it was a lost cause and to never talk to him again...out of sheer and utter embarrassment...I mean, who wants to face someone that you've totally let down??

But, being the responsible adult that I am, I reluctantly called him after a week or so. We talked, and he said something that stuck with me...

"Daniel," he said, "I don't take back any of the nice things I said to you before this happened. You're not any less of a composer or any less talented than I said previously. You just need to be more thorough, and more diligent in your work ethic."

In other words:

DON'T BE A LAZY-BUTT

Ironically, this is usually not my problem...I usually am a pretty hard worker...my dad taught my brother and I well...but lately I've allowed things to take my focus off of my work. Sitting in front of a computer can do this to you.I catch myself checking my email every minute or so. The application is always open and when I reach any point in a project that requires some thought (or get stumped), I'm always scrolling down to my dock to see if I have any new messages.

This is a bad, bad, bad habit...and just one of many that I've developed that need to be UN-developed.

If I'm going to succeed as a self-employed-type-composer-dude, I need to work harder and be less lazy.

So I will.

So from now on, if I'm going to work on a project, you'll probably catch me turning off my phone and shutting down the email for a time.

But don't worry...I'll resurface after an hour or two to tend to your needs...but I just need to take the time to focus...and be diligent in my work ethic.