Thanksgiving Spirit, Day 12

The daughter of Nat King Cole brings us today's song. Natalie's organ/keyboard heavy B-Side opener to her 1977 album Thankful is a lovely reminder to be Thankful. Now enjoy your Thursday!

Today's Song:
"Be Thankful"
Natalie Cole

Thanksgiving Spirit, Day 11

Thanksgiving is a time for visitors! Friends, families, neighbors--whoever! This old tune is an open invitation for all those holiday guests. It has been done by about a bazillion people, but I like this version performed by super tenor, Arlie Duff. Y'all Come!

Today's Song:
"Y'all Come"
Arlie Duff


 

Thanksgiving Spirit, Day 10

Another tune that just nails that Thanksgiving vibe—both in title and in sound.

Today's Song:
"Stuffy Turkey"
Thelonious Monk

Thanksgiving Spirit, Day 9

Today's song is an old Fats Waller tune, done by the incomparable duo, Louis Armstrong and Ella Fitzgerald. It's message is most likely a thinly veiled comment about a physically attractive women. However, in the context of Thanksgiving, it is obviously about a troubled couple who prepared only meat for Thanksgiving. Those poor people. Oh, beware, lest you do the same. Make sure someone is assigned those mashed potatoes! For me, I'm assigning my buddy Dallin. He knows his taters.

Today's Song:
"All That Meat and No Potatoes"
Louis Armstrong

Thanksgiving Spirit, Day 8

Recently, this hymn has really resonated with me. As I was driving to work, the sun just peaked perfectly over the mountain, throwing long shadows across the mountains and into the city. The "painted desert" really came alive. This hymn came to mind. This arrangement by John Rutter is one I've known a long time, but recently it's come back to me with fresh gratitude.

Today's Song:
"For the Beauty of the Earth"
Arranged by John Rutter

Thanksgiving Spirit, Day 7

Like I said, a lot of Thanksgiving music is about food. Well, here another perfect food song. James Brown gets it.

Today's Song:
"(Do the) Mashed Potatoes"
James Brown

Thanksgiving Spirit, Day 6

Most Thanksgiving music is about food, obviously. However, not every song NAILS the feeling of digging into that feast with your your loved ones around. This song really gets it.

Today's Song:
"Groovy Gravy"
Quincy Jones

Thanksgiving Spirit, Day 5

This song isn't exactly a Thanksgiving song, but then again "My Favorite Things" isn't exactly a Christmas song. I mean, it's a welcome addition to the Christmas Music Canon, but it's origins aren't really "Christmas."

Whatever. Anyway, this is a Tom Waits song, performed by one of my favorite artists, Norah Jones. It's just got this lovely feel to it. It's feels like the season, you know? Check it out.

Today's Song:
"Long Way Home"
Covered by Norah Jones

Thanksgiving Spirit, Day 4

A classic, on all counts. Vince Gauraldi Trio did some amazing things for our favorite holidays. If you have some time this Thanksgiving, be sure to snuggle up with the family and watch "A Charlie Brown Thanksgiving."

Today's Song:
"Thanksgiving Theme"
Vince Gauraldi Trio

Thanksgiving Spirit, Day 3

I'm tired of people skipping over Thanksgiving because it has no good music. Take a listen to this gem, then tell me again how Thanksgiving has no good music.

Today's song:
"Thanksgiving Prayer"
Johnny Cash

*this recording is from and episode of Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman

Thanksgiving Spirit, Day 2

Today's song is a soulful, funk-fest. Just makes me want to boogie as I baste that turkey and bake that pie. Mmmmm...

Today's song:

"Pass the Peas"
The JB's


 

Thanksgiving Spirit, Day 1

Hey all you cool cats and dogs and turkeys out there. Halloween is now over, which is totally wild. It's NOVEMBER ALREADY! I know there are many in this world, many of my closest friends, who see November 1st as the first day of the Christmas Season. And to them, I say "more power to ya!" Enjoy that special season.

Personally, I hold off. I feel like November is home for a unique and special season called the Thanksgiving Season. It's so closely related to the Christmas Season that it is often times overlooked. People often forget that Thanksgiving has so much to offer us, even it's own music!

That is why, this year, I've decided to help Thanksgiving out a little. I'm going to be posting a Thanksgiving song, once a day, until Thanksgiving. I hope that these songs bring a little Thanksgiving Spirit into your life.

Today's song is a classic:

"I've Got Plenty to Be Thankful For"
Bing Crosby

The Next Thing

"Hey Carson, how is it going?"
"Good! Just getting everything done!"
"I know! Gosh, I have so much to do this weekend."
"Seriously, between work, school, and my show I'm not sure how it's all going to get done."
"Sheesh. I know. I'm going to be at school today until 10 o' clock tonight. I got here at 8:00 in the morning."
"I hate those days. Well, I gotta run, I'm late for class!"
"Oh man, me too! Maybe I'll see you!"

This is a conversation that I have nearly every day. Perhaps this conversation sounds similar to one you've had. I think it's a pretty common one--especially for students and theatre folk. Sometimes it seems like our success is dependent upon how much we are getting done; we aren't doing it right unless we're doing it ALL the time.

I came across this talk given by President Uchtdorf at General Conference in October 2012.

"Isn’t it true that we often get so busy? And, sad to say, we even wear our busyness as a badge of honor, as though being busy, by itself, was an accomplishment or sign of a superior life. 

Is it?" 

I think I've worn this badge my whole life. I'm always moving on to "the next thing": I finish this paper and I start my reading, I finish my reading and I go to rehearsal, I finish rehearsal and I send e-mails. I find myself parroting my favorite fictional President:

What's next?  On to the next meeting, the next paper, the next obligation. It's the way many of us, myself included, live our lives and to tell the truth, I'm exhausted. I'm drained. President Uchtdorf continues:

"I think of our Lord and Exemplar, Jesus Christ, and His short life among the people of Galilee and Jerusalem. I have tried to imagine Him bustling between meetings or multitasking to get a list of urgent things accomplished. 

I can’t see it."

I can't see it either.

President Uchtdorf goes on to make an important point that I've been thinking about a lot:

Do we listen to beautiful music waiting for the final note to fade before we allow ourselves to truly enjoy it? No. We listen and connect to the variations of melody, rhythm, and harmony throughout the composition. 

We should be enjoying what we are doing, as we are doing it. We should appreciate the beauty of this life and, I think, simplify it to make the most of it. Otherwise, we get stuck in a rut of constant complaint. I know I get there all too often, and I am quick to explain to whoever might ask how busy I actually am. I

To avoid some of the deepest regrets of life, it would be wise to make some resolutions today. Therefore, let us:

• Resolve to spend more time with those we love.

• Resolve to strive more earnestly to become the person God wants us to be.

• Resolve to find happiness, regardless of our circumstances.

I think there is much to be enjoyed in life. I think we are not as busy as we seem. I think we can find time each day to appreciate our circumstances AND, dare I say, relax a little. This is something I'll be thinking about as I continue into student teaching next fall, and ultimately throughout my life as I seek balance between the many facets of my life.

What do you think?

11 Things You May Know About Me

1. I tear up every time I listen to David Bowie's Space Oddity ("Tell my wife I love her very much." "She kno-oh-oh-ows!" etc.)
2. I think that the navel part on an orange is gross and it makes me feel weird.
3. I used to love lists of things, but with the rise of BuzzFeed and other similar list-websites, I find that I hate myself for loving lists. But seriously, I liked lists first, you big, fat, Internet-jerks.
4. Since the installment of Chick-Fil-A in the Cougar Eat, I crave it fortnightly.
5. I have cried watching the series finale of the following television programs.
• Lost
• The West Wing
• Chuck
6. Karen Carpenter's voice is butter to my soul.
7. I am constantly bothered that I have to turn my shirts right-side out after doing the laundry, but continue to take them off inside out at the end of the day.
8. I believe in the story-telling potential of video games, and I'm excited to see how we take advantage of it.
9. Claire Danes has the ugliest cry in all the world . . . and I love it.
10. I'm in Education for the money--getting paid to do what I love is kind of like stealing.
11. I have a Christmas music collection that could play non-stop for the entire month of December

Four Very Important Questions

1. The Rolling Stones or The Beatles?

2. Johnny Cash or Elvis Presley?

3. Prince or Michael Jackson?

4. David Bowie or Elton John?

I just got back from a five-day trip to the American College Theatre Festival in Los Angeles. My buddy and I alternated driving the car and driving the radio. We shouted and howled, mumbling along to our favorite songs. We listened to so much good music, made by so many different people. I'm not sure how it ended up happening, but we came up with some really challenging questions for any music lover. Written above are those questions.

You can't pick both. You have to pick one and live with it. Which would you pick?

Food Guilt

I feel a heavy amount of food-guilt this morning.

I should clarify first that when I say "food-guilt," I don't mean that I feel guilty for having eaten too much food or too little food. I don't feel guilty for having eaten unhealthy or just plain bad food. What I mean is, I feel guilty when I eat food without my wife. You might say that the food-guilt is a result of food-cheating on wife--meaning when I eat food without her that I know she would want/love OR I eat food that we had agreed to get together, I feel terrible. I should also mention that food is a very very very very very very very important part of our marriage. I fell in love with her when she suggested that we "stuff" the dinner into our bellies, rather than get a box to take it out. That was our first date. Boy, I just love her thinking about that . . . anyway.

That being said, I feel a heavy amount of food-guilt this morning.

Last night, after a very productive rehearsal, Alicia and I went out separate ways (she went with some friends to pick up some food at JCW's to take to a friend). I stayed behind with some other friends, not really sure what would be happening next. I only knew one thing--imsohungryimgonnadie. We started throwing out of places to eat at. Initially, Mongo's stir-fry came up and I explained that we couldn't go their without Alicia because she would be so sad that we ate there without her (it was the last food we ate before we got engaged--also it's really tasty). Five minutes later, the choice was between Station 22 or Black Sheep Cafe.

It was hardly a choice. Black Sheep Cafe is a fantastic restaurant, and everyone wanted to go there. Our hunger had gotten too intense. We had to go, right away.

We sit down at Black Sheep Cafe, and I get this text (mind you, I haven't told my wife anything about my dinner plans--and yes she is called "Tuna Babay" in my phone):

1st lesson learned: Your wife knows everything.

2nd lesson learned: Always check with your wife if you are susceptible to food-guilt.

3rd lesson learned: Cheating on my wife might actually be slightly less worse than eating good food without her.

Attending Live Theatre: A How-To Guide

So, you're going to the theatre? Congratulations! What an exciting and unique opportunity. Whether this is your first visit to the theatre, or your fortieth, it will benefit you to review the following "How-to Guide" for attending live theatre performances. This guide has been created from extensive personal experience and is designed to provide you--and the other theatre goers attending the performance--with the best possible experience. Review it often, as I will continue to update it.

Before the Performance
Travel to and Arrival at the Theatre - Before the day of the performance, you should take the time to research and prepare for your theatre experience. It has been said that knowledge is power. In this case, knowledge is arriving on-time and not bothering the other patrons who have to stand up to let you into your seats. Use the following suggestions as you prepare for your visit to the theatre:

• Get on Google Maps. Look up the theatre you'll be attending. Become familiar with the surrounding area.
• Get directions to the theatre. Often times, instructions for travel to the theatre are posted on the theatre's website.
• Using Google Maps and/or the theatre website, decide how long it will take for you to travel to the theatre.
• Using that estimated travel time, plan a departure time that will get you to the theatre twenty minutes early. Planning to be twenty minutes early will give you a suitable buffer should you get caught in traffic. It will also give you a chance to use the restroom prior to the performance.
• Before you leave for the theatre, confirm that you have your tickets for the performance on your person. You do not want to arrive at the theatre without your tickets.

These steps are very important. You, and the other patrons, have spent your hard earned money on this experience. I am sure that you did not spend your money so you could miss the first ten minutes of the performance. I am also sure that the other patrons didn't pay to have you step on their feet as you stumble across the aisle in the dark. You should be courteous to yourself and those around you.

During the Performance
Singing - Don't do it. Just don't. Ever. Nobody cares that you know every word to The Phantom of the Opera or every Idina Menzel vocal lick you heard while listening to the cast recording of Wicked. Nobody really cares that it is your favorite show--you should not sing along to the performance. It is also worth mentioning, it does not matter that you played the part in High School, you still can't sing along. If this becomes a temptation, please use the following check-list to effectively handle that urge to belt along with the cast:

• Location: Look around you. Are you riding in a car with three of your closest musical theatre buddies blasting Legally Blonde? No you are not. Please refrain from singing along.
• Location: Look around you. Are you at a special sing-along showing one your favorite musical films? No you are not. Please refrain from singing along.
• Location: Look around you. Is there a shampoo-beard on your face? Is the shower pouring hot water down on your naked body? No it is not. You are not Jean Valjean and you should refrain from singing along.

Please use this checklist as often as you mus to ward off the impulse to sing-along.

Talking - Akin to singing, talking should not be a part of your experience at the theatre. Believe me, nobody came to the theatre to listen to the conversation you are having with your neighbor and I'm fairly certain that you did not come to the theatre to chit and chat and discuss and what have you. If you would be so kind, please keep those lips zipped. Occasionally, in rare circumstances, something will come into your mind that you must say to your neighbor in that moment. In these cases, I would please ask you to refer to the instructions listed below regarding whispering:

• Whispering: A Step-by-Step Guide
1. Think of what you want to say to your neighbor. Then run it through the following checks:
• Is what I want to say absolutely necessary to and dependent on this moment?
• Is what I want to say fifteen words or less?
• Will the delivery of my message disrupt or distract fellow theatre patrons?
• Is what I want to say absolutely necessary to and dependent on this moment?
2. If your message has passed the checks listed above continue to the next step. If it has not passed all the steps, then forget about it and return to enjoying the performance.
3. Lean over to your neighbor and place your mouth as close as possible to your neighbor's ears. If this makes you uncomfortable, then learn sign language.
4. Carefully exhale air from your lungs in order to sufficiently adduct your vocal cords to create an audible turbulence through which you can speak at a quiet volume that only your neighbor will hear.
5. After delivering your message, return your body (and your mouth) to it's normal position. 

Friday Night Lights

Recently, I just finished a rather intense marathon of NBC's critically acclaimed program Friday Night Lights. It changed my life.

I know that this might sound like some kind of sponsorship or advertisement, but believe me when I say, I've been moved to write about this program simply because this show is fantastic and I want to do my part in spreading the good news of FNL.

I admit, I did not ever want to watch this show. There were so many people touting it's superiority which is tough considering I have a bad case of I-don't-want-to-like-things-that-everyone-else-likes-especially-if-they-are-shoving-it-in-my-face-every-time-I-see-them-itis. I was initially turned off to this show by the mere fact that everyone I knew loved it. On top of that, Friday Night Lights is about football. It's not that I hate football, I just don't love it. I couldn't imagine myself becoming immersed in a five season show that was based about football. I could not have been more wrong.

I went home for the Christmas Break and I started watching Friday Night Lights. Less than a month later, I had watched all three thousand, two hundred and sixty-eight minutes of it. Coming out the other side of this FNL tunnel, I could not be a bigger fan of this show. I have experienced first hand what this show can do for you ( or to you?), and I'd like to share three of those with you now.

YOU WILL WISH YOU WERE TEXAN AND YOU LIVED IN TEXAS

This is very strange side-effect of watching the show. After one season of this show, you might start to hear the strange drawl of a Texas accent sneaking in. Certain words creep into your conversation--words like "ya'll" and "texas forever."By the end of the show, you might even consider moving to AND living in Texas (of course that might be out of some misguided hope to meet your favorite characters from the show--it's important to remember that the show is not real life . . . I know, it gets really hard).

YOU WILL LOVE FOOTBALL

Say what?! Yes. It's true. You'll wish you have paid more attention in High School. You'll wish you had gone and supported the team. It'll make you a little more fluent in "sports," making you less awkward at those Super Bowl parties you keep getting invited to by that guy at work. Pretty soon, that strange sound (something like static mixed with a lot of shouting) that blasts from your uncle's TV when you go too visit starts to sound like intelligible English. I know this sounds farfetched, but after watching Friday Night Lights, I'm getting excited for next season of High School Football. What is strange is that my TiVo says I can't get a season pass to "High School Football," as there are "no programs found" with that title. Do I need a different cable package or do I actually need to go somewhere to watch "High School Football?" Anyone? Help me out here.

YOU WILL BECOME A BETTER PERSON

You will become a better person. There is no doubt of that. The more that I watched this show, the more that I realized this show is not about football. It's about so many things. It's about love. It's about heart. It's about marriage. It's about self-reflection. It's about friendship. It's about perseverance. It's about challenges. It's about life. Through this show I have learned so much about myself, what I want, and where I am going. I know what kind of person I want to be and how I can become that person. Friday Night Lights has taken it's place amongst my life-changing experiences--right next to Lost, and right below my religion. It sounds corny, but it's true. Friday Night Lights changed my life.

Friday Night Lights is available for instant viewing on Netflix, so start watching. Be warned. It will suck you in. And you will be the better for it.

Cultural Diorama - 6 Word Stories

This lanyard and pins are a symbol of my love for Disneyland, and more than that, a love of collecting. I haven't been collecting pins that long, but this set of pins, probably cost over $100 dollars. Additionally, these are not all my pins. Disneyland is such an important place in my life, and has been since I was young. This expensive hobby is is totally justified in my mind, because it lets me show what it is about Disneyland that I love. I actually really like collecting pins!

This here is Kevin. He is a nice guy. Kevin's moms name is Prim. I received Prim from a former girlfriend. Prim looks just like Kevin, only bigger. I gave Kevin to my former girlfriend. Somehow or another, we switched cats. I take care of Kevin, and she takes care of Prim. Prim and Kevin came with us to South Africa this summer. Prim has also been to Cuba. This little cat is my buddy. He is wearing a Santa hat, which I think is interesting. I love Christmas, and I love dressing this cat up. It's September and he is ready to go. You are all probably thinking I'm so strange right now. That's okay. I thinks that is representational of me. I have this weird thing with cats. I'm not embarrassed, nor can I explain it. I think they are strange and lovely.

This is probably something that everyone in this class can relate with. This is the first file folder I bought. It's huge and it is filled to the brim. I save everything that may of be some use to me. It's extremely heavy, and loosely organized, but it is all there. I hope I never lose this folder. I would probably cry. It has everything about Theatre Ed. It has syllabuses from 30 different classes. I have lesson plans I've created, or borrowed. It is stuffed with stuff from church, stuff from music classes, stuff from everywhere. It's a big part of my life. I'm an educational hoarder.

Review: "Christmas" by Michael Bublé

Okay, I'm back. Sorry about that.


It's nearly December, thought it's felt like December since I started back at BYU in September, mostly because I've been rehearsing White Christmas since the second week of school.


With December comes Christmas, comes Christmas Music. If you've been a regular reader of my blog, you've noticed that I really like Christmas Music. I decided this year, I would review new Christmas Albums and songs, because I think that you should all know what I think. Mine is an important opinion.


I'm starting early, though not as early as my first album was released. Michael Bublé released his newest album, Christmas on October 21, 2011. That is a full two months before the big day. It's sold successfully, currently holding the 8th slot on the Billboard 200, dropping from the 3rd slot it held last night. It's at the top of the Jazz Charts, 2nd on the Canadian charts and 2nd on the Holiday charts (the 1st slot is currently held by...Bieber...BIEBER!!!!!) It's had a successful release and it will most likely enjoy a pleasant boost in sales as we get closer to Christmas.


What do I think of it? Here is my track-by-track review:


1. It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas: 


This is, I think the second strongest track on the album. It's exactly what I'm looking for when I turn on any Michael Bublé album. It's a very nostalgic track, that will remind you of some the classic Christmas records recorded by Bing Crosby or Nat King Cole. It's a great album opener. The strings are nice too.


2. Santa Claus Is Coming to Town


I like Big Band, and I like Big Band Christmas. This driving recording is a welcome addition to my regular Christmas listening. It's spunky,and the horns sound great. In my mind, it's a fun production number from some big gay Christmas musical.


3. Jingle Bells (Feat. The Puppini Sisters)


Another reminiscent track featuring the Andrews-Sisters-esque Puppini Sisters. I like the girls a lot. I just have a problem with the first twenty seconds of the song. Michael wishes the sisters a Merry Christmas: "Merry Christmas Ladies." They respond, "Merry Christmas Mister Bublé!" in a strange chorus-girl fashion. It doesn't sound right to me. Picky, I know. I like the rest of the track after that.


4. White Christmas (Duet with Shania Twain)


I have big problems with this track. I'm pretty sure it's sampling the actual Drifter's recording of White Christmas. It's lame. Michael and Shania sound great, but it's unoriginal, and it's nowhere as good as the original recording.


5. All I Want fo Christmas Is You


This track is a hard one for me too. There is only one version of this song in my opinion and that is Mariah Carey's. Whenever I hear another version of the song, I just think of hers. Also, I find Michael's voice be very produced on this track.


6. Holly Jolly Christmas


After that brief rough patch, we get a short and sweet recording of Holly Jolly Christmas. I don't have much to say about this track. It's pleasant.


7. Santa Baby


All I can think of when I listen to this recording is Michael Bublé in nothing but garters, stockings, a skimpy piece of lingerie, stripper heels, and a santa hat. He lies patiently with a slightly hungry smirk on one side of his face, the room carefully lit by the fire and the lights on the tree. This is not the image I want to see when I listen to Santa Baby.


8. Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas


A lovely recording of one of my top 5 favorite Christmas songs. It's not super memorable, but it's a beautiful recording and a great arrangement.


9. Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)


Another cover of a 1960's Christmas Hit. It's a fun track, but it doesn't stray to far away from the original recording. Also, it's not really a sound that I'm looking for when I turn on Michael Bublé. It's a song I would skip when I pops up on the shuffle.


10. Silent Night


Michael Buble + Children's Choir + Beloved Religious Christmas Hymn = Beautiful song that your Mom listens to in the Car. Also, the horn intro doesn't fit.


11. Blue Christmas


Of all the covers of well-known Christmas songs that Michael Bublé has on this album, this is the strongest one. It makes me thing that he has had a little to much to drink from a jug marked with a "XXX." Mostly because he is just sad. I really do like this recording, especially the instrumental break.


12. Cold December Night


Not my favorite song. His voice sounds produced again. I don't like that sound a lot. Also,  he harmonizes with himself. The sound is peppy and I like the poppy arrangement, but not what I'm looking for. I admit however, it's catchy.


13. I'll Be Home for Christmas


Top three favorite christmas songs ever. How is Michael's recording? Great. The gentle guitar combined with the warmth of Michael's voice sucks you straight into this fairly simple Jazz Ballad. I'd be comfortable putting this on my Annual Christmas CD.


14. Ave Maria


Meh. I've heard better.


15. Mis Deseos / Feliz Navidad (Duet With Thalia)


I really only like the José Feliciano of Feliz Navidad, but I really like Thalia. I could listen to her sing Mis Deseos all day, though I'm not crazy about Michael's Spanish in Mis Deseos. Interesting that this is the final track of the Album.


The final word: It an album that get's confused in some places. It has many really wonderful tracks, though only a few are truly memorable. It makes you nostalgic, almost to the point where you stop listening to MIchael Bublé and you turn on Frank Sinatra's christmas album. It's a solid album that any Michael Bublé fan would like. I'm sure it will make regular appearances at many of this season's Christmas parties.


Grade: B-


Favorite Track: I'll Be Home for Christmas.