Monthly Archives: May 2010

Cut the sashimi

RtB fiend Stein is getting married next month, and he was responsible for ordering the cake. I have a suggestion for a possible substitute, because I’m helpful like that:

Wedding Tuna!

Yummy. You’re welcome.

So last night, my high school ensembles had their spring concert. Don’t tell them this, but I think it ranks right up there with some of the most enjoyable performances of my career. The kids brought it in all facets: musicianship, stage presence, focus, balance & blend, intonation. Nice.

One down, three to go. I predict I will make it.

Still a bit Lost

I will be curious to find some answers, or at least read the blog rants about the lack thereof. The Thriller and I never watched a single episode of Lost until the final season. And we pretty much got caught up on lots of details, thanks mostly to the “pop-up video” help on the bottom of the screen at various times during the year. I enjoyed the show.

Still, I’m with the other millions who are left with more questions than answers (not that everything in life must have a definitive explanation). I’m amazed at the hype leading up to it, and the cult-like following the show had/has. The Lost phenomenon only comes around every blue moon. I can think of several shows that had a similar following: M*A*S*H*, Newhart, Dallas (though the last two seasons kind of fizzled), ER, Seinfeld, and others.

Of course, all of MY favorite series get the ax at some point (Dark Shadows, The 4400), but I suppose all things come to an end. I’m still processing this. But it’s all good. I’ll get over it. It’s just television. Or is it? We could have quite the protracted discussion on what entertainments say about a culture, or the importance of identifying with a specific character in a made-up story. I’d wager it goes further than just a pastime on a Sunday night.

No time to wax philosophical/sociological, however. I have a concert tonight. Y’all come.

FO

Couple of confessions

1. I think I am the only high school choral director on earth who has never seen a single episode of Glee.

2. I’ve also never seen the Star Wars prequels. I dunno…it brought in a whole new cast of characters, and I guess I wasn’t ready to accept intruders. That, and I’m not sure I really embrace the whole “before they became who they were to become” thing. Prequels seemed to be the flavor of the week there for awhile in the 90s and early 2000s. There was a long time when I thought “prequel” was just a ridiculous word made up by the film industry so they could do more movies, beat more horses, push more brands, and generate more millions in revenue by inventing backstories after running out of forward stories. Silly Fink.

[I do know that the SW stories were complete before Lucas started production on the fourth book as the first movie, though.]

But I did see all the original three movies in the theater — a great experience. This one in particular had me riveted to my chair (while pregnant with Seamus and probably wolfing down popcorn) back in 1980. Do you believe The Empire Strikes Back is 30 years old? *sigh* Tempus fugit.

I think I’ll see this when it comes out later this year. It’s not that I’m all “there’s nothing like the original,” but sometimes, well, there’s nothing like the original.

In fact, there are several movies that should never be remade. Lessee here, in no particular order…

  1. 2001: A Space Odyssey (bad astronomy and all)
  2. Gone With the Wind (because they’d muck it all up with secks and gory war scenes with limbs dangling and stuff)
  3. The Sound of Music (because it’s so delightfully breezy, easy and cheesy, and the singing is really, really good — like most movie musicals, it should just be left alone)
  4. The Wizard of Oz (I think there’d be civil war)
  5. The Godfather films (why try to improve upon perfection?)

What are your choices? What films should they never remake, or what films SHOULD be remade? I covet your thoughts this day.

Image credit: Lucasfilm Ltd.

So here’s what bugs me today.

Wait. That list would be too long. But don’t worry, as is my wont, I will end this post with good stuff. Always like to finish on a happy note.

Speaking of happy notes: there were none yesterday during my rehearsals. They were all sad, unfortunate, lonely, out-of-tune, uninspiring, boring, joyless, harmful and suspect notes, completely devoid of technique, passion, discipline and musicianship. Other than that, it was fantastic. We have one more rehearsal on Monday — that should clean up everything, ja?

Lil story here…

I was a beta tester for Gmail. I got an invitation back in 2004, when the users numbered in probably the hundreds of thousands, as opposed to the hundreds of millions today. Therefore, I got a great username: simply my first and last name together.

Now those of you who know my first and last name know that both are quite common. In fact, according to the last Census, there are 3,952 people in America who have my name. In the UK, there are 676 of me — and that makes only two of the 58 countries where English is the official language, or widely spoken. I’ll take a little leap here and say it’s likely that these ladies are mostly — if not all — adults, because of the general unpopularity of my first name nowadays. (It was, however, the third most popular name of the year I was born.)  So that’s a lot of people who want to include their name in an email address, making it basically unsurprising that I’ve received some weird emails over the last 6 years:

  • Somebody once wrote to me on the assumption of my being the mayor of a city in Canada. So I did a search, and sure enough, there she was. Even the middle initial is the same — freakish.
  • Probably twice a week, I get a notification from Gmail that someone is trying to reset my password.
  • I got a mail (should’ve saved it, dangit) from a man who wanted to know if I’d be willing to give my username to his wife for her birthday. I said sure, and quoted him a six-figure sum. He never wrote back.
  • I receive a ton of emails from the UK. Many of them are responses to requests for information, where the requestor has mistakenly given my address instead of including the numbers or extra words in her own username. I got this one this morning, from the “Over 55” people. *sigh*
  • Sometimes I receive mails of an extremely personal nature. Yikes. Then I don’t know what to do, because if I respond, they’ll know I read it…awwwwwkwaaaaaaard. Other times, I’ll read on and on about how Charles missed seeing James and me at the lawn bowling party or how much they’re looking forward to chatting with me at the next church lady get-together.
  • I’ve received confirmations of purchases and reservations — mostly from the UK — for rental cars, bungalows at the beach, estimates on draperies, etc. Some have contained personal information that I wouldn’t want to have circulating around to strangers.

Many times, I’ll send a short note of correction, and almost every instance brings a response of thanks (especially from Britain, where politeness is more of a priority). But come on already. Most online forms make you enter your email address twice. What gives here? Folks can’t remember their addresses? Hmmm. Guess they just wants to be the Fink.

But what’s the good part to offset the rant?

  1. My singers will do their best and be wonderful and sound glorious, and their parents will hopefully be proud.
  2. I have only six more days of actual classes.
  3. Today is Justin’s first birthday party. Yay!

Have a great Satlurday.

FO