The Din of Inequity...

Life's complicated. Work, kids, family, friends...nothing is simple. Seems every aspect in my life is in some sort of state of flux. Not all of it's bad, mind you, so I'm not fishing for sympathy, or even help or advice. Nothing catastrophic is happening yet, it just feels...weird.

Work's going through a pretty bad slump right now with the economy being in such rough shape, and my pay's been cut. The chorus annual show is coming up in two weeks and I've been cast in a character role, so that's occupying some time. My quartet's on the show, so we've been working on polishing up our number for that - more time. Liam's Cub Scout Blue & Gold banquet is next week, so there's another addition to the crowded schedule.

I've had a lot to think about lately, and since the radio in my car stopped working, it's given me time for these thoughts to grow and develop on my various commutes. I'm not sure exactly what they're developing into yet, or if these nuggets of contemplation will result in any kind of change in me or my life. I don't expect them to, as I have a history of not effecting change in my own life, but just working harder in the direction I'm used to going. Still, all of this introspection may lead to at least a deeper self-understanding of how I think and feel.

Thoughts range from what kind of slacks I'll wear at the office or coffee I'll get in the morning, to my career options & educational path, to my kids' behavior and home life, so it's all over the map. No one subject keeps me occupied for very long - which is normal - but lately it's been longer than usual.

No prayers or condolences needed. No validation of my self-esteem required. I just need to find a way to get these various, jumbled thoughts to coalesce into solid decisions or plans of action in their respective milieu.

To sum up, my brain's a jumbled mess right now and the din only grows louder in silence and solitude. Time to pick up the baton, tap it on the stand, and get this orchestra to stop tuning and start playing.

Coming up: On a Lighter Note...

Ubergeek's Alter Ego: SUPERDAD!

Yesterday, I dropped the kids at school, worked 9 hours, came home, tidied up the living room, did several days worth of dishes (by hand - we have no dishwasher) while simultaneously making a nutritious dinner for my family, then did all of THOSE dishes, cleaned the cat box, transferred the laundry, returned a DVD to Blockbuster, returned the deposit bottles, went grocery shopping, refilled the cat box, and took out the garbage.

All without the slightest prompting.

That's right, ladies. Fantasize away...

Fact is, I almost never just walk in after work and plop on the couch. I walk in and immediately start putting things away, gathering the dishes and clothing scattered throughout the house by the younglings, making dinner and/or putting away ingredients and food items left on the counter, throwing away wrappers and junk mail... I simply cannot relax in a cluttered environment, and in my tiny 752 sq. ft. house with 4 people in it...the clutter never ends.

I've tried to do great purges of unused stuff to the Salvation Army, but it's difficult in a family of packrats. Granted, I'm no angel, in that regard. I have a record collection I haven't listened to in years, books I haven't read, a drawer full of small odds-n-ends, etc., but I keep my clutter contained. My stuff has places to go. If it doesn't, I make room by clearing out stuff I don't need.

Also, I generally don't hold on to things that "may be useful, someday" - at least, not for long. I avoid starting optional projects I don't think I'll finish, to avoid more clutter. I keep 'mementos' to a minimum. I regularly go through my drawers and closet to evaluate if I actually wear what's in there and donate what I don't. I have a collection of old band/drum corps/barbershop t-shirts and 1 small box of keepsakes from my youth in the shed - that's about it. Anything else I need, I keep in my car to avoid cluttering the house. Hell, I even keep my guitar at work because there's no room for it at home!

I've often been considered by many of those close to me as lazy and disorganized. I beg to differ. Between 2 jobs, freelance learning tracks, chorus, quartet gigs & rehearsals, Cub Scouts, and keeping the house kept up as best I can, sloth & disorganization is something I just don't hve time for.

Next plan it to reverse the spin of the Earth and turn back time to fit it all in.

Radio Days...

There was a posting on the PioNet (the regional listserv for Michigan barbershoppers) that WWJ Newsradio 950 wanted a quartet to sing a bit at their annual radiothon for THAW (The Heat And Warmth fund), an organization that provides assistance to low-income households with their heat bill in the winter months. The trick is that they wanted the group on a Friday afternoon.

The original quartet they asked was unable to doi it due to work conflicts. Having Dig Dave back in town, I thought I'd look into it. As the venue is only 2 miles from where Bari Dave works, Big Dave and Lou are unemployed, and I could take 1/2 a vacation day, I threw our hat into the ring. After a bunch of exchanged e-mails with Chuck, who was the radio station's contact with the first quartet), I connected with the producer and got us the gig. It's unpaid, but it's for a wonderful cause, and GREAT exposure!! We may get a free meal at the casino buffet, too... Nom, nom nom....

We had a GREAT rehearsal last night to work out the details. The new song is sounding fantastic! We're past the building stage and into spit & polish. We have all the notes under our belts, worked out the coordination of syncopated sections, and have it sounding performance-ready. Now, we just have to iron-out the 'brain farts', fix a few phrasing issues, and work the dynamic contrast. In the Wee Small Hours is still a bit rough, but we've only worked that a couple times. We need to decide on interp and phrasing, but that'll fix most of it.

So, if you're near a radio (locally) or computer (anywhere) between 11am & noon (EST), check out WWJ Newsradio 950 or go to www.WWJ.com and see if you can hear us!

Oh...and hire us. Seriously, we got 2 guys out of work and a convention in Traverse City coming up in 2 months! We need the cash!

SUPERSTAAAH!

I have been in the front row of my barbershop chorus for about 3 years now. For the non-barbershoppers out there, this means I get extra choreography and more exposure, generally because I either look better, sing better, emote better, or at the very least, remember my shit better (most likely the latter).

It also doesn't hurt that at the tender age of 34, I am the relative baby of the chorus. When I joined, I brought the median age down from 'deceased'. This gives me certain physical abilities that necessitate me being in the front row: more vocal control, a more youthful look to the chorus, and the fact that I can kneel without breaking a hip...yet.

Another advantage to by youth is that when they are looking for a young character for the show (assuming it has a story line) I'm pretty much it. Hence, I was told on Saturday that I would be taking the lead role of 'Ted' in this year's show. Apparently, they decided to change the show design concept a bit last minute and threw together a script centered around a young man returning home from the Korean War to his home town. Being the only one even CLOSE to a 'young man' I was (ironically, given the show premise) drafted.

So, I will officially give my plug now...

(ahem)

Hear ye, hear ye!
Come one, come all to the Detroit-Oakland Chapter of the Barbershop Harmony Society's
70th Annual Parade of Harmony Show entitled
"Fabulous Fifties"!!

Revel in the music made popular in the mid-20th Century as we follow the story of Ted, who returns from the Korean War to his hometown!

Featuring 2 Amazing guest quartets, 2007 Pioneer District champs Chordiology and Several-time International finalists Storm Front!

Clarenceville High School Auditorium
Livonia, MI
February 27th at 8pm
February 29th at 7:30pm
Tickets $18 (all seats reserved, so get the good seats now!)

My quartet will be on the show as well, doing a FANTASTIC medley of 'Fly Me To The Moon' and 'Come Fly With Me'.

In know. All of 5 or 6 of you actually read this, and at least 4 of you are prohibited by cost or distance. Still, I figure if there's one or two that stumble upon this and come...

Tonight, quartet rehearsal with Big Dave! We're back, baby!!

Other stuff to catch you all up on, but I gotta get to work. In the meantime, go check out my more recent pictures on Flickr. Click on the pics in the sidebar --->

25 Random Tings About Me...

I recently was tagged on Facebook to do this, and I thought it would make a decent blog entry.
Enjoy. :)

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Rules: Once you've been tagged, you are supposed to write a note with 25 random things, facts, habits or goals about yourself. At the end of your note, choose 25 people to be tagged. You also have to tag the person who tagged you.

1) My dad has always been one of my biggest heroes, but I'm more proud of her now than I have ever been.

2) My sister and I have grown a lot closer over the years, and I think that's aaaawesome.

3) I'm not nearly as lazy and unorganized as everybody thinks.

4) I bite my fingernails...a lot.

5) I don't stress about much. Concerned, perhaps, but not stressed. Think about it - when was the last time you saw me freak out about anything?

6) I smoke. I should stop. I know. But I REALLY don't need more people to tell me how or why I should quit.

7) I have a love/hate relationship with unsolicited advice. I love and appreciate the concern shown by those offering it, but it annoys me, demeans my efforts, and underestimates my ability to handle my own situations. I'm a very proud and independent person. Wanna stay on my good side? Avoid any statement that begins, "What you should do is..."

8) I...CAN'T...STAND...CLUTTE

R!! I'm not perfect, but I'm usually pretty good about putting things back where I got them, taking dishes to the sink, putting ingredients in the fridge when I'm done with them, and keeping my pack-rattish keepsakes to a minimum.

9) I love my car. No matter what I happen to be driving at the time, I love it. It's my Fortess of Solitude. In it, I can listen to MY music, keep MY stuff, and escape the world at large.

10) I'm enough of a beer snob that I won't buy beer from most of the domestic "big bottlers", but rarely have the budget for much better. Labatt Blue is generally as low as I'll go if I'm buying.

11) I LOVE being able to catch up with and re-connect with so many of my friends on Facebook. I just wish I had more time to actually SEE them. I've met a TON of cool people on Facebook and MySpace that, if we lived close, I would probably try and hang with all the time.

12) Regrets, I've had a few. But then again, too few to mention...
...but they're biggies.

13) When I say I'm a Comic Book Geek, the inevitable question follows, "are you Marvel or DC?" I'm neither. I follow some of both, but if I were pin myself down to a favorite publisher, it'd probably be IDW.

14) I have a number of useful talents. Unfortunately, none of them are developed enough to make a good, steady living at. Ideally, I'd love to make a living recording learning tracks, writing drill, arranging music, teaching marching bands/drum corps, and directing a barbershop chorus. Unfortunately most of those are freelance work that require a quiet office to work in.

16) I have an extensive collection of California Raisin figurines and Series 2 Garbage Pail Kids .

17) I have almost every band, barbershop, and drum corps T-shirt I have ever bought/received.

18) I cannot function as a human being until I have had a HOT morning shower.

19) I am a reasonably decent speller, but a piss-poor typist. For example, I proof-read this note 3 times before posting it and still found extra letters. Damn stubby fingers...

20) I blog because it's a great non-invasive way of getting my thoughts and life updates out to those who (for some odd reason) have an interest in my thoughts and my life. No other agenda. Surprisingly, some people even enjoy what I write.
http://pauldkeiser.blogspot.com

21) I'm a shutterbug. I find art and beauty in nearly everything, that's why I'm SO glad I finally have a camera of my own again. Plus, I want plenty of documentation of the kids to remind me how young they were once.
http://www.flickr.com/photos/pauldkeiser

22) I'm a glutton for digital media. My hunger for movies and music has necessitated the obsolescence of 2 drives so far. I'm hoping my new 500GB drive will be enough for a while.

23) I'm great about forgiving, but not so good at letting go of the past. Generally, I hold on tightly to the good and let go of the bad. (Probably resulting in #5 above)

24) I have a motto: "With true friends, you will NEVER hit rock bottom." It has saved my psyche more than once. I'm very lucky to have many MANY good friends I could call on if I was ever in dire circumstances, and I'm eternally grateful - every day - to be blessed with so many good people in my life.

25) I spend ENTIRELY too much time on Facebook...

Joy, Elation & Confusion

Joy:
My computer was fixed EXPERTLY by my old friend Ralph last weekend. Vista go bye-bye! He got it all set up with the current drivers and a handful of new programs I absolutely adore. I could drag my kudos to Ralph out for pages, but I have to be at work in 15 min. Suffice it to say, his awesome dial goes up to '11'!

Elation:
Greatest American Hero. Issue #1. Variant cover...
...AUTOGRAPHED BY WILLIAM KATT!!!!!
SQUEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!
Been waiting on this one for about 4 months and it finally arrived yesterday!

Confusion:
We finally have our new bass housebroken, and our old bass comes, quite unexpectedly, back into town. Not quite sure how to handle this. Lots of issues surrounding Big Dave's personal life can make organizing the quartet stuff tricky. Not impossible, just tricky. On the other hand, he's a great bass, learns quickly, has our more exclusive songs under his belt already, and is generally an all-around great guy. New Dave won't be a poor sport if we have to let him go, I know. He's got another quartet already, and was basically doing us a favor by joining. This is a bit awkward, but will reduce New Dave's stress level a bit and it not like we're telling him "You suck" or anything.

Yes, a bit awkward, but I don't expect problems.

Okay...as the man says... "Time to make the doughnuts..."

Bass initiation, and a sad good by to a real hero...

Our first gig with our new bass (New Dave) was Saturday and it couldn't have gone better! We headed out in the heavy snow and bitter cold in our tuxes to sing for a birthday at the Grosse Pointe Club - a very ritzy and exclusive yacht club in one of the richest neighborhoods in the metro area. The wonderful lady that hired us had everything timed to a tee and the small gathering was VERY appreciative and responsive. We started out in the club's bar singing for the patrons. To my great joy and surprise, we were ringing more chords than any group with a band new member has any right to! Our banter (as we almost never script any) was fresh and off-the-cuff, our sound was tight, and the patrons were attentive and smiling.

The small group of close family to the birthday girl was even more engaged, chatting with us, joking, and laughing between songs (which was good, as we weren't sure our set list was long enough to do the whole gig). With all the friendly chit-chat aand occasional breaks as we moved from bar to dining room, we easily made it through the hour and a half engagement nd recieved some WONDERFUL compliments! We were even asked for busniess card a few times, which we were more than happy to provide the well-to-do folks who never seem to flinch at price. ;)

We have rehearsal tonight and plan to work almost exclusively on our show tune, the Flying Sinatra Medley. This one's a bear of an arrangement by Ed Waesche, but has some great transitions, a great tempo, and a KILLER tag. I can't wait to get this one polished up!

On a sadder note, my mom's friend, Charlene Pushman died last Friday. She was a wonderful woman and my mom's roommate for several years. She struggled with her weight, like my mom, but was always more motivaated to do something about it. She was a great driving force in getting my mom to go to the Y and swim, get moving, and always a friendly listening era. She was sweet, but honest, a joy to be around, and - quite simply - saved my mother's life.

A few years back, after she moved out on her own, I got a calll from Charlene at about 11:30 at night. She had just gotten off the phone with my mother and was concerned that she didn't seem particularly lucid. She asked me to go check on her, as my mom only lived a mile from me. When I got there, she was barely conscoius, lips bluue, and gasping for breath - she was havving heart failure. I callled 911 and she spent the next 3 weeks in the ICU at Beaumont. Scariest point of my life, bar none. If Charlene hadn't called me, my mom wouldn't have made it through the night.

I was gooing to take my mother to the viewing last night, as I'm working today durring the funeral. I got to my mom's and she was up, dressed, ready to go, but had just attempted to get down the first step of her hoouse on her new walker with the assistance of her physical therapist and had a lot of trouble. I commended her sincere effort (along with the coroboration of the therapist), had dinner with her, and went to the viewing alone. I shared my condolences with her friends and family and shared my story. They needed to know.

I'll always be indebted to Charlene for my mom's life. She will be sincerely missed.