Blogophilia 35.15: Taming the Fear

Blogophilia Facebook group HERE

Blog Topic Parameters Right Here

Hard Bonus: Incorporate a homophone

Easy Bonus: Include a stop sign

Gotta gofer the nuts

It seems like we all have a fear of some sort, and depending on what it is, we may or may not be able to do something about Taming the Fear. In Japan, they celebrate the arts, and started doing castanets in 3 year old preschool to learn beats, rhythm, subdividing, etc. The next year, we got different pitched finger cymbals to learn those, and we did a little concert kind of like those handbell choirs. We got recorders in 1st grade, and we kept them through 2nd grade. I was even a fish once in a school play, and I remember I was scared out of my gourd for the one line I had… I came to Wisconsin in 3rd grade…

I officially joined a school instrumental program in 5th grade, and mostly have been in at least one ever since. I’m glad I’ve never been banned in band. In the 45+ years of performing, I STILL get a little nerve wracked right before a show. Even with my health conditions, I’m able to continue playing and will keep doing so until a stop sign is put in front of me.

Here is what’s up:

• RACINE CONCERT BAND: 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 27, Horlick High School, 2119 Rapids Drive, Racine. Also performing: Horlick Symphonic Band. Enter the building from the staff parking lot on the west side of Horlick High School, near the tennis courts. Standard RUSD admission fees apply: $6 for adults, $5 for students, and $4 for Seniors. Tickets will be available for purchase by credit card only at the concert box office.
• Under the leadership of Jacob Myers, the Horlick Symphonic Band performs Mars by Gustav Holst, Folk Song Suite by Ralph Vaughan Williams and One Life Beautiful by Julie Giroux.
• The Racine Concert Program features music by Pulitzer Prize winning composer Morton Gould. Jericho retells a biblical story in music: Joshua’s epic struggle to follow God’s commandment and claim the city for the Israelites. The Algerian Suite by Frenchman Camille Saint-Saëns is a fond memory of his Colonial-era vacation travels in Northern Africa. A light-hearted Divertimento by modern Czech composer Jindrich Feld, Mark Eichner’s arrangement of Handel’s Air and Variations from the 5th Keyboard Suite, and a Spanish march complete the Racine Concert Band program.
• The bands will join forces for a grand finale performance of Sedona, by Cincinnati Orchestra Pops conductor Steven Reineke.
• The Racine Concert Band Education Outreach Program is funded by the Racine Community Foundation, the Lang Family Foundation, the L. C. Christensen Charitable and Religious Foundation, the Wisconsin Arts Board, the National Endowment for the Arts, the City of Racine, and the Music Performance Trust Fund, in collaboration with the Racine Unified School District.
• Buy your tickets ahead of time online at Ticket Spicket – there will be no cash sales for tickets on the concert night.

Coming up on March 7th at 7pm will be the UW-Parkside Wind Ensemble & Community Band concert. Stay tuned for more information next Sunday in my weekly blog.

Blogophilia Week 34.15 – Just This Once

Facebook group Right Here

Blog topic parameters Over Here

Hard Bonus: Include a vintage vase and dried flowers

Easy Bonus: Incorporate an echo

Preservation Mate

I’m exploring how to write my stuff on DeviantArt. I’m not ready to share any of it yet, since I only have my intro… We’ll see how it goes, if it does or not. I suppose starting is better than not. I enjoy doing my weekly blogs here. I need to be more organized & disciplined to do everything I want to do, not Just This Once…

I have Depression Glass & Milk Glass vases, though I don’t know how to do dried flowers to put in there. The closest thing I have are 4 leaf clovers from my Hungarian great grandmother’s farm, that were pressed into bookmarks & laminated…

Time to remind everyone about the next show:

• Who: Racine Concert Band
• What: Education Outreach Concert
• When: Tuesday, February 27, 2024 @ 7pm
• Where: Horlick High School
• Why: Music is good for you
• How: buy your tickets here in advance

I know it feels like I echo a lot of concert info, yet I really think more people need to know about these things! It’s good for your health.

Ecrits Blogophilia Week 33.15 – Love is Everywhere

Blogophilia Facebook group HERE

Blog topic parameters Right Here

Hard Bonus: Mention doing something in tandem
Easy Bonus: Reflect your mood in a color

Electrifying Love

Yes, it appears Love Is Everywhere – and most people are thinking Valentine’s Day with their date, though it could be for your family on this Chinese Lunar New Year, or in MY case, today is my birthday & getting an overwhelming amount of birthday wishes. Thank you to all.

With this dislocated shoulder, I have to take a shower in tandem with my honey, so he can wash my hair & help dry me off. I’m glad I have help but it’s annoying that I can’t do it myself. I think dartmouth green & charcoal black combo is a good reflection on my mood… I’m hosting a dinner, and since my guys are at work, I’m making the whole thing. I hope people are hungry.

Blogophilia 32.15: WRITER’S CHOICE - bucket list

Facebook group Right Here

Blog topic parameters HERE

Hard Bonus: WRITER’S CHOICE – define successful

Easy Bonus: WRITER’S CHOICE – life accomplishment

Bath time!

Some people have a Bucket List of things they want to do/experience in their life. Other people think it’s silly… I get that. I’m not sure if it’s actually a bucket list or just dreams of wanting to do certain things, I don’t know… but when you’re part of the middle class or higher, things you want to do or experience is just part of your life, and can complete that list. I think us Gen Xers are the 1st generation since the Industrial Revolution to be financially worse off as an entire generation than our parents. It doesn’t seem to be looking much better…

I’m looking into various options of putting my life story down, and just may put it into DeviantArt, even though it’s more of a creative writing place. I’m not looking to get paid or get sympathy, but to the average person, it seems surreal that I’ve spent most of my adult life in poverty, despite trying anything & everything to improve things. A narcissistic abuser completely sabotaged my professional growth, and I’m not complaining, the life that happened for me gave me my son. Despite everything, I don’t have any debt, I have my own house (even if it’s not what I was thinking it was going to be), and making a go of things… So, what is success? Do we really need to be wealthy to be that? Many of them are corrupt somehow. I think we need to look at it differently. Successful can be defying the odds, or accomplishing something you set your mind on, or raising good people, too. Maybe it’s being someone’s sunshine in their storm. The artists, poets, musicians, actors, the creative people offer a lot of healing to the planet, even if it’s us working on ourselves, first.

Back at the 4th of July 1977 parade, I announced that some day, I was going to march in the parade with an instrument in a band, literally everyone – my cousins, aunts/uncles, even my own mother laughed… I didn’t even play anything at that point, and tended to be clumsy (I still am, I tripped on my dishwasher door a couple weeks ago & dislocated my shoulder), but I was determined. In 79, the school had an event for those who wanted to play a wind instrument, and my mother begrudgingly took me. I’d originally wanted to do trumpet, but when that instructor pointed me to a woodwind, she definitely was rank about how do I expect to learn an instrument if I can’t blow into it right… Well, that’s why I’m going to learn. We don’t get born & know how to walk & talk, it all takes time. She pointed me toward the flutes… I wasn’t interested. I wanted to play drums, she adamantly said NO! I’d seen the oboes but they seemed so delicate, then I saw the clarinet – sleek, sturdy, that’s it. I found my instrument. I was shy, timid, but I got in & was in the band. 2 years later, I wanted to join the marching band but because we were moving, I couldn’t, so I did the next year, when I told her that I’m going in, and would forge the permission slip if I had to. She signed it with the warning of she’s not going to help pay for everything. I wasn’t allowed an official job, but I didn’t mind babysitting, cutting grass or snow shoveling, plus I was one of the best candy bar sellers, so I was good. Not only did I stay in the marching band for 5 years, the last 3 were in the drumline. I also was part of a clarinet choir to go to state during high school. When I kept playing in college, I decided to start taking lessons because I couldn’t previously. Even though my sister was in swimming & soccer, she was able to get violin lessons, and weaseled her way into the marching band in the color guard, too. Here’s the thing… I still play. Semi-professionally. And my tenor sax, too, when I joined the jazz band in college. In the last few years, I’ve made some money with sewing, also – it started with hemming at a men’s specialty store, and I’ve done curtains, pants & blankets… It seems that maybe taking this alternate route might be my life accomplishment, even if the traditional paths didn’t work out… 

So, I guess my thing is, don’t count yourself out, stop comparing to other people. While it would be great to take my son to see Mt. Fuji & to tour Sicily, that probably won’t happen this lifetime, but, here we are, a family, and making a go out of life. I won’t have millions, but, he’ll always have this house, too.