Couldn't wait to write tonight because I had a musical high like no other. My youngest, Conn, a jazz singer, told me earlier today that New York Voices was in town at Salt Lake Comm College tonight and would I go with him. I wanted Colleen to go, but she was too tired and wanted to stay home - and so I almost stayed home with her. But Conn wanted to go so bad and not alone. And although I had seen them before a few years ago, I wondered if I should go. I'm so glad I did and so wish I could have shared the experience with Colleen and more of my kids!
I can't describe the feeling of watching and listening to vocal group jazz perfection like these guys. Even though Conn and I listened to their latest Album, A Day Like This, on the way up, having them sing some of the same songs live was too much!! Heavenly harmonics, jumpin, jivin upbeat swing and soft but powerful vocal ease. They've been singing for 23 years and I just heard of them a few years ago on nighttime jazz on KUER-FM here - and then the ensuing Christmas concert at Abravanel. And this time they were again amazingly amazing - especially from just three rows from the stage. Their musicianship is incomparable!
And wonderfully unexpected was what preceded them - 45 minutes of SLCC jazz choir, and then some selected choirs from high schools and colleges. It had been a day of workshops for many kids from around the state, with NYV giving classes and adjudicating performances. So this was the culmination of all that too. And I was frankly knocked out by the talent and ability to sing jazz and modern chords by these young people.
Yes, I was doing it when I was 15 in a jazz quartet with Buck Farley, Russ Marriott and Margie Benson. But no one else was doing it in school. That was my intro to it all and I'm forever grateful to Buck for teaching me chords and singing that must have been with me from my former life - it was like an epiphany and a revelation. I had music in me always from childhood, and then it went full bloom harmonically. I would never be happy singing straight chords again. And tonight made me feel musically young again. Haven't really sung any real jazz since Buck died in the early 90s', although my kids have all the talent and ears to do it. Just need another Buck Farley who can hear all the parts and teach them as well.
Well, and to top it all off, Egypt's Mubarak resigned today! How's that for a segue'? But there's so much to be resolved there, and who knows where it will all lead. But it was sure all over the news and making history for another oppressed people in the Middle East. I am dubious when I see people celebrating that much. I know I can't appreciate their oppression and lack of freedoms over Mubarak's reign. Just hope all their celebrations aren't for naught and that no radical leaders take over and create more problems for Israel especially, though we all know that things have to happen there before the Second Coming. So we want peace on the one hand, but we know it can't come till Jesus ushers it all in. What a quandry!
And of course, it is the end and aftermath of Super Bowl week, another nice segue'. Know what happened to me? We got home from blessing our little granddaughter Elizabeth last Sunday - nice job Shane by the way. I knew Colleen would take a nap, so I went down to watch a little of the big game - though it's really not that big to me, not on my calendar, not a signal for me to go out and buy wings and other party food. In fact I was alone. And after the first touchdown, the next thing I heard was "And that's the game, the Packers win." What???
I had dozed off and missed the whole thing. But I did see enough of the celebration that I questioned again, what's the big deal? Why do people get in such a frenzy and think that this is the greatest event in the world and they are obligated to throw their whole selves into worshiping it and the players, as if it should be the most joyous experience on earth? I don't buy it, sorry. It's a game, and I'm not investing one iota of false emotion or happiness into it. The musical high I'm on right now can't compare to any athletic contest - well, maybe a BYU or Utah Jazz win...maybe. Thank's again, NYV! You're in my will!
February 11, 2011
January 31, 2011
On turning 69, the Challenger and Eqypt...
Ok, on turning 69, not much to say about that, except the day didn't turn out as I had wished. It was Friday, Jan 14th, by the way, and I was tired of too frequent bladder issues, so decided to go to the Instacare and check my blood sugar. It had been normal a few months ago, but I had a too sweet Christmas and I didn't trust some offshore generic meds I had gotten because my American made ones were too costly lately.
Turns out I had a lot of glucose in my urine and my blood sugar was 457! Yikes! What's going on? The doc gave me some brand name Actos samples, my most important diabetes med, and told me to call my regular doc on Tuesday. He started me on insulin when he tested me again at 428. So it's been a week of much testing and at this point, I've gotten the sugars down to 268. I'm doing a major food overhaul and weight loss again to try to fix this if possible. Not a great birthday present, but obviously a necessary attention getter.
And speaking of space shuttles, Thursday was the 25th anniversary of the Challenger blowup on lift off. Yes, I remember it too. I was laid up in a hospital in Kahuku Hawaii, trying to recover from a strep infection in my lower right leg, which I since have identified as cellulitus from several recurrences of it here in Utah this past decade. Very painful and thank goodness for antibiotics! But lying there watching that amazing take off and then seeing that explosion take a dozen dedicated lives so soon after heading into space, was a wrenching and numbing experience. It has since made me wonder if our incessant quest for outer space is worth it in lives and dollars over so many years, something we are told is important and in our national interest, until we experience such a loss. Or whether we had such a loss or not.
And speaking of challenges, Colleen had accepted an assignment to direct a youth choir for our Orem Stake Conference Sunday meeting yesterday. It took four weeks of rehearsals once a week with some fairly challenging kids, good volunteers but some not good singers. So we had to get the good singers to sing louder than the weak ones without the weak ones singing too loud too. Confused? As it turned out, they sounded good collectively - a little soft, but able to finish out well. I had a little gliche with some of the hymns, some late changes I never got, so had to push the panic button and alert the music people last minute. Colleen is still mentally and phyically worn out from that and work this week and sleeping 12 hours a day since.
And our conference speaker Kevin Pearson of the Seventy, was riveting in his rhetorical strength and spiritual depth. As he especially talked about Lehi's Dream and the Tree of Life Saturday night, one of the most important things to remember was just to..."stay close to the tree", which symbolized the love of God. That was his theme on Sunday too, to remember all the many ways our Father shows he loves us - individually.
And now to the Middle East, starting with unrest in Tunisia, and then all hell breaking loose in the streets of Eqypt this past week. There they were, some of my favorite pyramid builders' children's children, taking out their frustrations from 30 years of dictatorship under Pharaoh Hosni Mubarik and his military machine. Some rioters even looted their own museum and tore off the head of a mummy. Man, that's cold. Eventually people will rise up when oppressed too long though but seemingly some democratic process might come out of it - or another despotic regime, who knows?
But it raises a lot of questions about that geo-political area, especially among the Israelis, who do not want another "let my people go" moment with Eqypt. How will it all end? Is there anything about this and other events that signals the great second coming of the very Jesus these people rejected there? That's my main focus and am always looking for signs of that event - so I will stay riveted on cable news, as they monitor that as well such mundane things as another predicted crippling winter snowstorm from the midwest to the east coast this week and whatever will be its aftermath. Might even seem apocalyptic for a few days. And I love snow a lot, but would I feel the same way after so many big white dumps. All I can say is...YES! I'm old man snowman and never ashamed to admit it.
Turns out I had a lot of glucose in my urine and my blood sugar was 457! Yikes! What's going on? The doc gave me some brand name Actos samples, my most important diabetes med, and told me to call my regular doc on Tuesday. He started me on insulin when he tested me again at 428. So it's been a week of much testing and at this point, I've gotten the sugars down to 268. I'm doing a major food overhaul and weight loss again to try to fix this if possible. Not a great birthday present, but obviously a necessary attention getter.
And speaking of space shuttles, Thursday was the 25th anniversary of the Challenger blowup on lift off. Yes, I remember it too. I was laid up in a hospital in Kahuku Hawaii, trying to recover from a strep infection in my lower right leg, which I since have identified as cellulitus from several recurrences of it here in Utah this past decade. Very painful and thank goodness for antibiotics! But lying there watching that amazing take off and then seeing that explosion take a dozen dedicated lives so soon after heading into space, was a wrenching and numbing experience. It has since made me wonder if our incessant quest for outer space is worth it in lives and dollars over so many years, something we are told is important and in our national interest, until we experience such a loss. Or whether we had such a loss or not.
And speaking of challenges, Colleen had accepted an assignment to direct a youth choir for our Orem Stake Conference Sunday meeting yesterday. It took four weeks of rehearsals once a week with some fairly challenging kids, good volunteers but some not good singers. So we had to get the good singers to sing louder than the weak ones without the weak ones singing too loud too. Confused? As it turned out, they sounded good collectively - a little soft, but able to finish out well. I had a little gliche with some of the hymns, some late changes I never got, so had to push the panic button and alert the music people last minute. Colleen is still mentally and phyically worn out from that and work this week and sleeping 12 hours a day since.
And our conference speaker Kevin Pearson of the Seventy, was riveting in his rhetorical strength and spiritual depth. As he especially talked about Lehi's Dream and the Tree of Life Saturday night, one of the most important things to remember was just to..."stay close to the tree", which symbolized the love of God. That was his theme on Sunday too, to remember all the many ways our Father shows he loves us - individually.
And now to the Middle East, starting with unrest in Tunisia, and then all hell breaking loose in the streets of Eqypt this past week. There they were, some of my favorite pyramid builders' children's children, taking out their frustrations from 30 years of dictatorship under Pharaoh Hosni Mubarik and his military machine. Some rioters even looted their own museum and tore off the head of a mummy. Man, that's cold. Eventually people will rise up when oppressed too long though but seemingly some democratic process might come out of it - or another despotic regime, who knows?
But it raises a lot of questions about that geo-political area, especially among the Israelis, who do not want another "let my people go" moment with Eqypt. How will it all end? Is there anything about this and other events that signals the great second coming of the very Jesus these people rejected there? That's my main focus and am always looking for signs of that event - so I will stay riveted on cable news, as they monitor that as well such mundane things as another predicted crippling winter snowstorm from the midwest to the east coast this week and whatever will be its aftermath. Might even seem apocalyptic for a few days. And I love snow a lot, but would I feel the same way after so many big white dumps. All I can say is...YES! I'm old man snowman and never ashamed to admit it.
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