April 2008 Archives

Well, I've finally gotten the recording from my recent recital, so I thought I'd post it here.  Just as a word of warning, I thought I'd only compress it to 256kbs, so the total download is close to 100 megabytes, so be patient while my server panics...

DMA Recital

Well, my parent's have officially left Kansas City.  They are now officially residing in Texas, a little north of Houston--approximately 752 miles and 11.5 hrs away.  (Yes, they moved there on purpose.)

So Carrie and I are now our own little family unit, with my sister being the nearest relative as she is at Truman State, but that doesn't really count because she'll also become a Texas resident over the summers.

Things don't feel any different yet, but then again, they've only been down there a few days and we haven't had to make the trek to see them.  Still, it's odd thinking that there really isn't any family that would make KC feel like our home town.  I'm a big fan of the city, but now the thought of moving up to Maryville, or for that matter, anywhere else in the country doesn't seem like such a big deal.

So we'll see.  Who knows, maybe I'll try to run the Houston marathon on Jan 18, 2009.  Of course, that would require training in the winter (booo!).  (Which reminds me, you can check out my run blog if you ever get bored.)

So I had my interview up at Northwest MO State, and as much as I worked this week to get ready, and as stressed as I got at times, I think I prefer the prelude to the postlude any day of the week.

I felt good about the day's interviews and performances (I was booked from 8-5), and by the end I was totally drained.  That isn't to say that I didn't have some downtime, there were tours of both the campus and of Maryville, it was just that I was constantly interacting with the people who would be determining if I got the job, so I had to stay sharp as much as possible.

And now, I wait...

The problem is that this would be a fantastic job, so I'm trying to keep my enthusiasm contained in case I don't end up getting it.  I just really liked the faculty, campus, and yes, even Maryville.  I prefer to be planning and making decisions, and my mind is already racing with thoughts about the potential move (they'd even cover moving expenses!) and job switch...

but all I can do is wait...

(and send thank you letters, which I already did, but I did that this morning)

and wait...

The chair of the search committee said that they should most likely reach a decision within two weeks, and he also said that they'd let me know either way, which I really appreciate.

so I wait...

(Carrie says it's bedtime, so I'll read, then sleep, then wait some more.)

Carrie showed me this video, and I thought I'd pass it along.



For you facebookers:

Here's the link

Well, my recital is completed, which feels great.  I think it went pretty well, and it will be interesting to hear the recording here in about a week.  I'll post it shortly after I get it.

After the recital, it was suggested that I learn all 24 of the Time Curve Preludes, which to me, seemed like a pretty good idea.  I think I may try to get them all worked up and then go around and perform it several times using the contacts that I have now and those of my friends (hint hint... you know who you are :)

Continuing with the good news, I got an on-campus interview for the staff accompanist position at Northwest Missouri State University.  Rock Chalk Bearcats?

Anyway, it'll be an all day affair, but it's keeping me busy this week getting ready for it.  So even though my own recital is done, I've another recital I'm accompanying for in about two weeks, this interview, and my continual pimping of stuff I don't use and want money for on craigslist.  Whew.

Oh, and I'm running again.  You can check out my Run Blog anytime to keep track of my progress.  I'm shooting for the KC marathon again, which is in about 27 weeks.  I wanted to start training earlier, but first my observance of Lent was not conducive to intense physical training, then I cut my foot.  Regardless, I'm back baby, and ready to roll.  For those of you who don't know, last year I made it up to about 19 miles in training before my right ankle decided to quit.  With that experience from last year, I hope to train smarter this time around and see my goal through till then end.

Wish me luck... on everything!

So, without anything particular to report, I thought I'd just give you some mini-updates.

Update 1:  Carrie and I ordered some KU gear (jumping on the bandwagon, I know).  Carrie ordered a long-sleeved tee and I added to my shot glass collection.  Don't worry, I would never purchase alcohol that is bad enough it has to be taken as a shot.  I just have been collecting them from places I've been, and now also some cool things that have happened (I've a Cardinals World Series Champs shot glass as well.)

Yesterday I received in the mail my coupon from the government for a DTV converter box.  Now, for most of you out there, the switch from analog to digital broadcasts won't matter, but Carrie and I have been using the good old rabbit ears for several years now, and haven't missed cable too much.

Now, it's even better.  We get all sorts of channels we couldn't pick up before, the picture is clear (not fuzzy at all), and we even get info about what the show is about right on the TV.  How cool is that?!

Yes, I still miss the sports I'm not seeing, and Carrie sure did like Nick at Nite, but every time we go to a friend's house and just browse through their ridiculous amount of channels, we don't know what to do with ourselves.  Two hours later and we still haven't watched anything for more than about 15 minutes.

So, thanks FCC, for upgrading our free TV experience.

Bad News:

After maintaining a lead until the final game, I lost a friendly (thankfully no money involved) NCAA basketball pool.

Good News:

It was because KU won!

Ok, ok, it probably doesn't look well that I didn't pick my favorite team to win it all, but given the Self-era KU track record, I felt pretty gutsy picking them to go to the finals.

So why am I a KU fan?  I certainly have never attended, I'm part of the University of Missouri school system, and I've never lived in Kansas.  My dad, on the other hand, is a KU grad, and as such I was raised on KU basketball.  He was at the very first game played in Allen Fieldhouse, if that tells you anything.  I was only six in '88, so this is the first championship that I actually recall.  Boy, it feels great.

With KU down 9 with 2:12 to go, I was really starting to give up.  I'm glad they didn't.  These stats from the final minutes that say a lot:

Kansas was 1 for 10 in three pointers until this point.  They were 2 for 2 in the last two minutes (including that ridiculous 3-pointer to tie it up).

Memphis was 12 of 19 on free throws, missing 4 of the last 5 attempts in regulation.  KU was 14 of 15 for the whole game.

It really was a wild game.  I think I'll remember it for a long time to come.

What a game last night, eh?  After establishing a 28-point lead, KU managed to squander their early efforts and North Carolina managed to come to within 4.  That they managed to finish with an 18-point lead is pretty impressive.  Now to see if they can handle Memphis and play a great game for the full 40 minutes.

In other news, I've managed to cut the bottom of my right foot quite badly.  I was playing some basketball with my neighbor kid and a piece of glue managed to wiggle loose in the bottom of my shoe and stab the ball of my foot.  It's feeling better today, but after walking on the side of my foot for most of yesterday, that part is now rather bruised.  Ugh.  If only I had a cane, then I could be injured and dignified all at the same time.

Update:  Carrie just noted the irony of this situation and my blog title.  Which reminds me, the title, for those of you who don't know, comes from two things.  One, this blog sticks with me through my journeys, not unlike a walking stick, and two, I kinda look like the insect of the same name.

Well, after I finished re-reading Shōgun, I realized that I hadn't finished all of James Clavell's Asian Saga, so I started reading Whirlwind.

The novel is set in Iran in 1979, with the fall of the monarchy and the rise of the Ayatollah Khomeini.  Like the other novels in the series, it's really long (1200 pgs, approximately), and has a lot of different characters and subplots.

The funny thing is, I actually have been struggling to keep track of the names of the English characters while the Iranian names haven't been giving me any trouble.   Names in general, though, are tricky.  In looking at the wikipedia article, there are 34 main characters and 49 minor characters, for a grand total of 83.  After reading about 700 pages, though, I think I finally have most of them down.

The novel is good, though perhaps not as good as Shōgun or Tai-Pan, but it is interesting to read this fictional account of the Iranian Revolution, especially given the trouble that one Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has been giving us lately.

The Royals are now 3-0 and in sole possession of first place in the AL Central.  Now, all we have to do is hold onto that one game lead for, oh, 159 more games.

In other sporting news, I can't wait for Saturday's KU vs. NC game.  It's been 20 years since KU won the national title, so I think they're due, right?

Good News:

The Royals are 2-0 after blanking Detroit!

I have a phone interview for a position at Northwest Missouri State!

Bad News:

Carrie has learned of another pregnancy at our church.

Another of Carrie's friends just had a baby.