When I’m experiencing the hypnopompic state–that in-between state that occurs just before waking–many of the images I receive are incomprehensible…

…and often flit by so fast that I forget them as soon as they’re gone.

However, sometimes an answer comes through clearly, succinctly, undeniably.

For Wagner, the answer was the orchestral introduction to Das Rheingold :

“After a night spent in fever and sleeplessness, I forced myself to take a long tramp the next day through the hilly country, which was covered with pinewoods…

“It all looked dreary and desolate, and I could not think what I should do there.

“Returning in the afternoon, I stretched myself, dead tired, on a hard couch, awaiting the long-desired hour of sleep. It did not come; but I fell into a kind of somnolent sate, in which I suddenly felt as though I were sinking in swiftly flowing water.

“The rushing sound formed itself in my brain into a musical sound, the chord of E-flat major, which continued re-echoed in broken forms; these broken forms seemed to be melodic passages of increasing motion…

“I woke in sudden terror from my doze, feeling as though the waves were rushing high above my head. I at once recognized that the orchestral overture to the Rheingold, which must have long lain latent within me, though it had been unable to find definite form, had at last been revealed to me.

“I then quickly realized my own nature; the stream of life was not to flow to me from without, but from within.”

This story is consistent with other stories of ideas discovered in dreams: the artists, scientists, and inventors had all worked long and with considerable frustration to solve their particular creative problems. Apparently, the unconscious will respond, but only after the conscious mind has primed the pump.

The above passage was found in Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain, by Oliver Sacks.

© 2009, Michael R. Patton
sky rope (subterranean rappel): http://skyrope.wordpress.com
taking new steps: http://mythsteps.wordpress.com

Before I begin, just a reminder: you have until November 30 to vote in the Clive Staples Award – Readers Choice for the best Christian speculative novel published in 2008 by a royalty paying publisher.

Also, you have until December 2 to vote for the November CSFF Top Tour Blogger. Lots of really, really good posts. I’ll be honest. I still have to vote because I’m having a hard time making up my mind.

- – -

Some while ago, as I prepared a post over at Spec Faith, I stumbled upon something interesting in a Wikipedia article about J.R.R. Tolkien. Some scholars claim this great fantasy writer owed a debt of influence where he claimed none.

Due to the common use of the same textual sources employed by Tolkien and [Richard] Wagner there are a large list of close parallels between The Lord of the Rings and the Der Ring des Nibelungen. Several critics have made the assumption that the novel was directly derived from Richard Wagner’s operas.

Despite the similarities of his work to the Volsunga saga and the Nibelungenlied, which were the basis for Richard Wagner’s opera series, Tolkien dismissed critics’ direct comparisons to Wagner, telling his publisher, ‘Both rings were round, and there the resemblance ceases.’ According to Humphrey Carpenter’s biography of Tolkien, the author held Wagner’s interpretation of the relevant Germanic myths in contempt.

In the contrary sense, some critics hold that Tolkien’s work borrows so liberally from Wagner that Tolkien’s work exists in the shadow of Wagner’s.

J.R.R. Tolkien, derivative? So those critics claimed.

I find that to be thoroughly ironic because the great accusation against writers of high fantasy today is that their work is derivative, a mere shadow of, you guessed it, J.R.R. Tolkien.

While Tolkien denied taking his ideas from Wagner, he did not hesitant to mention others who influenced him such as William Morris, H. Rider Haggard’s novel She, and S. R. Crockett’s historical novel The Black Douglas.

So what’s the difference between derivative work and that which has come under the influence of another?

Whether Tolkien mentioned it or not, his work bears clear markings of Finnish, Anglo-Saxon, and Norse mythology. Some think there’s even a dose of Celtic mythology, though Tolkien claimed a distaste for those works.

But “derived”? Only the similarities to Wagner seem to have stirred this accusation?

Maybe the easiest way to come at this would be to identify what did not illicit the derivative accusation.

1. Including mythical creatures such as elves and dwarfs.

2. A fictive world pitting good versus evil.

3. Similarities between Hobbits and the “table high” characters in Edward Wyke-Smith’s work.

4. Monsters apparently influenced by such works as Beowulf.

5. A paraphrased Anglo-Saxon poem as an illustration of the poetry of one people group in Tolkien’s fantasy world.

6. An adapted Shakespearean scene.

7. Intentional imitation of Morris’s prose, style, and approach.

8. Borrowed setting elements such as Mirkwood and the Dead Marshes.

If none of these earned Tolkien the accusation of derivative, what then, qualifies as such? I have some ideas I’ll share next time, but I’m interested in what you think. Thoughts?

Die Verbindung zwischen reformpädagogischen Ansätzen mit neuen Medien insbesondere dem Social Web wurde bis heute noch nicht ausreichend hergestellt. Zwar erkennen manche AutorInnen die naheliegenden Zusammenhänge, wie etwa Wolfgang Neuhaus:

„Mit dem Aufkommen von Web 2.0 und der damit einhergehenden Fokussierung auf den User bietet sich nun die Chance, sich vom E-Learning-Begriff zu verabschieden zugunsten des reformpädagogisch/konstruktivistisch verstandenen Begriffs „Lernen“ bzw. „mediengestütztes Lernen“.“ (Wolfgang Neuhaus 2007) (1)

Auf Grund fehlender Quellen kann angenommen werden, dass eine tiefere Auseinandersetzung bisher noch nicht ausreichend erfolgt ist. Die Verküpfung verschiedener reformpädagogischer Theorien zu einer gemeinsamen Grundlage für Social Web Angebote hat bisher niemand aufgegriffen. Das Abgehen von der „reinen Lehre“ einzelner ReformpädagogInnen, die Fusion der für die Zielgruppe wichtigsten Einsatzmöglichkeiten und die Kombination mit Instructional Design stellt eine neue Basis für didaktische Leitfäden dar, die bisher wissenschaftlich nicht untersucht wurden. Diesen Grundgedanken bestätigte auch Michael Wagner (2). Praktische Erfahrungen wie die der Web 2.0 Klasse (3) werden für die Diskussion herangezogen, um darauf aufzubauen.

———————————————————————————————————————

(1) Wolfgang Neuhaus (2007): Web 2.0 und der Kampf der Begriffe. http://mediendidaktik.port07.de/docs/neuhaus_2007_04.pdf (24.11.2009)

(2) Wagner, Michael am Rande des Lehrganges Educational Technology (Multimedia Leadership) im September 2009 als ich ihm die Grundidee für die Master Thesis präsentierte.

(3) Paus-Hasebrink, Ingrid, Jadin, Tanja & Wijnen, Christine unter Mitarbeit von Wiesner, Anja (2007), Lernen mit Web 2.0, Aktualisierter Bericht zur Evaluation des Projekts „Web 2.0-Klasse“. http://unternehmen.telekom.at/Content.Node/verantwortung/sponsoring/projekte/web20klasse-evaluation-short.pdf (24.11.2009)

Wednesday 25 November 2009 at 7.30pm

Symphony Hall, Birmingham

Andris Nelsons  conductor
Kari Kriikku  clarinet

Wagner: Parsifal – Prelude 14′
Lindberg: Clarinet Concerto 28′
Bruckner: Symphony No. 3 54′

Bruckner dedicated his Third Symphony to Richard Wagner – and there’s more than a hint of the Ride of the Valkyries about this stirring, powerfully romantic symphony. Vast musical landscapes, hymns of triumph and moments of heart-breaking poetry – if you heard Andris Nelsons conducting Wagner and Strauss last season, you won’t want to miss his Bruckner. But the evening begins with the serene beauty of Wagner’s Parsifal prelude – while Magnus Lindberg’s sparky Clarinet Concerto (played by the artist who inspired it) is like a dazzling firework display amidst all this teutonic grandeur.

Review by Christoper Morley, Birmingham Post:

http://www.birminghampost.net/life-leisure-birmingham-guide/birmingham-culture/music-in-birmingham/2009/11/26/review-wagner-lindberg-bruckner-cbso-at-symphony-hall-birmingham-65233-25260873/

“Everyone take note: Andris Nelsons is destined to become one of the greatest Wagnerian conductors of the 21st – or indeed any – century” …

Review by Rian Evans, Guardian:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/music/2009/nov/26/cbso-nelsons-kriikku-review

“…Yet it is hard to imagine Kriikku giving a more gripping performance than this one with Andris Nelsons and the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra. The Symphony Hall acoustic allowed the whole fabric of the piece to emerge with unflagging clarity and vibrancy.” …

Review by Geoff Brown, The Times:

http://entertainment.timesonline.co.uk/tol/arts_and_entertainment/music/live_reviews/article6934967.ece

…”Never before have I heard such warm, veiled, ethereal beauties from these players, or indeed from Symphony Hall. In his second season as the CBSO’s chief, Nelsons continues to be a complete magician, conjuring passionate yet elegant performances through solid musicianship, delicate hand gestures, flexible knees, and a star’s charisma.”…

Saturday reminded me of the times when I used to sing, of the rehearsals and the emotions at the final rehearsal. It seemed that time wasn’t there. We were working long hours, days and nights just to feel prepared on the stage. Wasn’t the performance but the rehearsals that made those times so special. It did not always matter whether it was good or not..it just marked the end of the moments we felt so alive.

Saturday was special. I went to Nijmegen for a classical concert. During the day I had a walk in the city. Autumn there is  the most beautiful combination of grey and brown. I know it isn’t the nicest association that would come in one’s mind but it surely has a certain type of cold beauty.

The evening was getting a bit warmer with Verdi, Mozart and Wagner. The one hundred men chorus performed fragments from the composers operas. It was completely relaxing, I did not feel the three hours passing. I would like to know more about this wonderful music. It’s famous, it is easily recognisable…it is however difficult to get to its substance. It managed to make me feel like singing again…?

In the break..

Sándor Kónya fue un tenor húngaro que durante la década de los sesenta se convirtió en uno de los pilares del elenco del Metropolitan Opera, en el que actúo de 1961 a 1974. Nació en  Sarkad el 23 de septiembre de 1923 y murió el 20 de mayo de 2002 en su casa en Ibiza a los 78 años.

Kónya tenía una voz poderosa y dramática y se le ha considerado más bien como un tenor wagneriano. Sin embargo, su amplio repertorio incluía también varios de los principales papeles de Verdi y Puccini, así como el Edgardo de la Lucia di Lammermoor de Donizetti, o Turiddu en Cavalleria Rusticana de Mascagni

Aunque su Wagner fue criticado por algunos por ser demasiado apasionado, incluso verista, los admiradores de Kónya precisamente le aprecian por la tendencia hacia la fusión de las dos escuelas para las voces de este tipo, lírico spinto: del mismo modo que llevó el lirismo emocional de la ópera italiana a las papeles germánicos, cantó los roles del repertorio italiano con un sonido grande, más heroico.

Kónya inició sus estudios en la Academia Franz Liszt en Budapest. Durante la Segunda Guerra mundial cayó prisionero de los alemanes, y al finalizar el conflicto fue liberado, continuando sus estudios en Milán y en la Academia de Música de Detmold, en el noroeste de Alemania. En 1951 hizo su debut profesional como Turiddu en la Ópera de Bielefeld. Permaneció en el elenco de la compañía tres años, durante los cuales amplió su repertorio incluso cantando opereta y otros papeles más ligeros. A mediados de la década de 1950 actuó en Darmstadt, Stuttgart, Hamburgo y otras ciudades alemanas, y en 1955 se unió a la compañía de la Deutsche Oper de Berlín (entonces llamada la Städtische Oper). En Berlín, creó el papel de Leandro en el estreno de la ópera König Hirsch de Hans Werner Henze.

Kónya hizo su debut en Bayreuth en el papel protagonista de Lohengrin de Wagner en 1958. Sus actuaciones en Bayreuth se prolongaron durante trece años en siete temporadas cantando los papeles principales de Lohengrin (1958-59-60 y 67), Parsifal (1966 y 71), Walter von Stolzing (1964) y los secundarios del marinero (Tristan und Isolde) y Froh (Das Rheingold) en la temporada 1958.

Su éxito como Lohengrin lo lanzó internacionalmente, y le supuso hacer su debut, en el mismo papel, en París en 1959, el Metropolitan Opera en 1961 y Covent Garden en 1963. En 1960 hizo su debut en La Scala, como Parsifal, así como su debut en Estados Unidos con el Dick Johnson de La Fanciulla del West de Puccini en la Ópera de San Francisco. En sus últimos años, viajó a Europa, Japón y América del Sur y realizado varias grabaciones, entre ella el Lohengrin, dirigida por Leinsdorf y y Meistersinger con Kubelik.

Cuando Kónya hizo su debut en el Metropolitan, Harold C. Schönberg escribió en The New York Times que “es un tenor wagneriano de raza, y una valiosa aportación a la compañía… Su voz es de un Heldentenor, con proporciones heroicas”. Schoenberg describía así su canto “Puede emitir con un gran volumen sin forzar, tiene un agudo fácil y no parece que se canse. La voz es de muy buena calidad, colorido y sonido, aunque no lo suficiente en la actualidad como para acometer el Siegfried y Tristán”

Kónya se mantuvo en el Met hasta el final de 1974. Durante sus 14 temporadas en la casa dio 287 representaciones en 22 obras, incluyendo entre ellos Radamés, Riccardo en Un Ballo in maschera, Max en Der Freischütz, Eric de Der Fliegende Hollander, Walter de Los maestros cantores de Nuremberg, el papel protagonista en Parsifal, Alfredo en La Travista, Cavaradossi en Tosca, e incluso el Edgardo en la Lucia de Donizetti. Su últimas actuaciones en el Met  fue como Steva en Jenufa.

Las función que hoy os presento gira entorno a dos estrellas en pleno esplendor: el propio Kónya y la soprano Regine Crespin.

Como ya he explicado el Lohengrin era uno de los papeles emblemáticos del húngaro y oyéndolo en estas funciones se entiende el por qué. La voz es grande y brillante, y su canto es fácil, sin esfuerzo. La línea de canto está llena de lirismo y la emisión es cálida. No aparecen en ningún momento signos de cansancio o de flaqueza, en ese sentido recuerda a la facilidad en el canto de Lauritz Melchior, y aunque no se prodiga en jugar con las dinámicas sí que posee un fraseo rico y variado. Toda una creación.

Aquí os dejo el “In fernem land” de esta misma función, brillante de voz y de canto apasionado.

No me ha entusiasmado la Elsa de Régine Crespin, encuentro la voz demasiado gruesa, un poco matronil, para un personaje que yo prefiero escuchar a voces más angelicales, como la Grümmer, la Janowitz o incluso la Studer. Mejora en las frases más dramáticas del duo con su ya esposo en el tercer acto, pero en general su canto se me hace pasado en sus intervenciones del primer actro y sobretodo en el gran concertante previo al final del segundo.

La Ortrud de Nell Rankin es demasiado exagerada, a veces parece una caricatura, se esfuerza demasiado en resaltar la maldad de esta mujer de instintos primitivos, cuando la verdadera maldad reside en lo sibilino – véase el dúo con Elsa, donde le envenena sutilmente para que desconfíe de su futuro esposo -, aunque también ha de ser salvaje en las imprecaciones a los dioses ancestrales germanos. Vocalmente tiene una voz no demasiado carismática y con un agudo bastante calante. El Telramund de Cassel es monolítico en lo vocal y en lo interpretativo, sin sobresaltos ni para bien ni para mal. El rey y su heraldo están bien defendidos.

La dirección de Joseph Rosenstock tiene la virtud de la pulcritud, pero la desgracia de la falta de ímpetu y cierta sensación de rutina, mientras que la orquesta y coro del Met suenan correctamente. La calidad de la grabación es bastante buena.

Richard Wagner – Lohengrin – (CD01a, CD01b, CD02a, CD02b, CD03)

Heinrich der Vogler – Ernst Wiemann

Lohengrin – Sándor Kónya

Elsa von Brabant – Régine Crespin

Friedrich von Telramund – Walter Cassel

Ortrud – Nell Rankin

Der Heerrufer des Königs – Calvin Marsh

Vier brabantische Edlen – William Stanz – Arnold Kirschberg – John Trehy – Vladimir Chistiakov

Metropolitan Opera Orchestra and Chorus- Joseph Rosenstock

Love never dies, so they say. It has been almost 15 years since I broke up with Keren, but the relish of my one pure Love won’t leave me be. Fascinated by Time, taken over by Destiny, having cursed Love, I am finally free.

It so happens, from Time to Time, that I think of her, of Keren, were she to have changed as well, how many lover boys had she had in the course of Time. And so it crosses my mind, from Time to Time, to be wandering from the Pit once more, away from the Heavens from which I fell, and admire my works, look at my consorts, and see with a gallant air, the duplicity of change as it truly was, or if it truly were.

I have observed the world around me, fast, physical and violent, so fallen to the snares of Hell. And how would forlorn Love consumed by Times of fire, face the resentments of the spirit then and there. It is to say that one who has cursed Love would aye know its immortality, as well as its tormented power, desolate charms, and broken share.

Oh, Love that has transpired from storm and urge so vain, to have left me with the crumbs of vile deeds, no woman has yet done more than curbed me with pleasure and pain. And the wanderings, the wanderings which would never end, trapped on a galley for ever, for woe I have cursed Love, and Satan heard.

And what would be 15 more years, with the one Temptress far begone, and another fresh flower dies away in my arms, corrupted by pleasure, all but none. For there would be no flower which did not sin before, and what would be the taste of sin, if not to die for ever, and die once more.

Hear me, oh winds, hear me, oh mighty ring of gold: Your humble master is once more free, and wondrous deeds are to be told. 15 years have passed, yet the ship rushes once more to shore, as foretold by the prophets, as done before.

So apparently the team we are one, the Mike and Brandie Wagner team is quite possibly the biggest thing to happen to World Wide Dreambuilders. That comes direct from Leslie Wolgamott’s mouth to Brad Duncan. How awesome is that that a Canadian team is kicking butt in this business.  I’m so lucky and proud to be affiliated with such a great line of mentors and coaches.  It only helps reaffirm that we will build this business big and we will be free! 

Take that “Case of the Monday’s”!!

Nos próximos dias, o diretor executivo do futebol, Rodrigo Caetano, vai ter um encontro com o empresário Wagner Ribeiro para definir a renovação de contrato do volante Nilton. O único entrave é o pagamento de um valor estipulado para o atleta renovar até o fim de 2011.

A informação foi confirmada pelo próprio empresário do atleta, que vai desembarcar no Rio de Janeiro até o fim da semana para acertar a situação.

- O Nilton quer ficar no Vasco no ano que vem. Existe um pré-contrato para que ele fique no Vasco até o fim de 2011. Mas para isso ser acertado, o Vasco precisa acertar o valor acordado no início do ano. O Nilton chegou sem custo. Fizemos um investimento para ele deixar o Corinthians e agora vamos ser ressarcidos por isso – explicou Wagner Ribeiro.

It was not all about the concerts. And you know Simon: if he can spread the word, he will. Any time, any place, any crowd.  And this month the crowd was the San Francisco Symphony orchestra:

“Don’t do anything correct,” he insisted. His next command was the order of business for last Thursday evening. Play Wagner!”

Oh yeah… that is one wild direction to get from your conductor, but there is a catch:

Time and again he urged them, in a series of admonitions, not merely to play, but to exude.

You have to give me all the sound and passion possible … Join every note … There’s no such thing as a single note in this piece … It’s not dark enough … It’s not deep enough … They take five hours to die … Now shock the hell out of us! … You’re playing exactly what it says, but nothing that it means.Make it a whole lot more caloric … More threatening — and make it dark! … I have to understand what you feel about this! … It should never be like this building; it should be like waves … There are pebbles in the water — I want the ripples, but not the pebbles … Every single person has to play something transcendent … It’s a soup of quivering long notes … In Wagner, not sweet, but SWEET!

You are in your 20s — is this all the sound you are going to give me for the end of the world? … Use your whole body — you cannot sit there like lumps … How about a nuclear explosion? Think of North Korea.

Striving for perfection.

Go insane, let it transform you, let it alter you… now that is soooo tempting. But that doesn’t mean that you go all wild and forget your training and your skill… oh no… it means you master it:

“dynamics” …  “If you have something to say, don’t say it fast”

And these kids experienced what other musicians have experienced with this man for years:

I thought it was amazing because he was demanding that we reach the potential that I feel like we’ve always had. And I’ve never heard the orchestra play that loud, ever. And the pizzicato: When he was working on that, the cellos were like Boom! Wow! Where did that come from? I thought, “Who are these people?” And he does it in such an inoffensive way. It’s like “That doesn’t sound good. Do it again.” I’m like “Oh, OK.” He’s polite, but also demanding, which is the perfect combination to pull something out of you.

Rattle and his berliners took  San Francisco by storm. This visit was eagerly awaited since 2003 and of course, this wait was worth all the while.

Rattle leads the way..

The guys at Mercury News just melted in the luxurious music that the berliners produced in their renditions of Brahms and Schoenberg:

And in the best moments of this Brahms-based program, they played with a brand of Old World clarity and elegance that opened up vistas. To hear it was something akin to staring into an oil painting, a large landscape, enjoying the rich luster and glaze of the colors; noticing a fabulous detail or two over in the corner; and sensing the many layers concealed beneath the surface world.

Even the imperfections were part of this evening to treasure:

Not that the program — presented by the San Francisco Symphony — was somehow superhuman or even flawless. There were small gaffes: an out-of-tune clarinet, a not-quite-on-the-money trombone entrance.

But this is an orchestra to savor. Just the sight of it: Its members give themselves over to the music in a physical way that isn’t often seen in this country. At times, it was a sea of motion onstage, especially among the strings, which have a sound almost drenching in its richness.

After intermission, the orchestra played Brahms’ Symphony No. 1 in C minor, and that drenching sound, with its tremulous buildup over the timpani-driven introduction, threatened to rock the house.

Not this time: Rattle held it in check.

There was to be no revolution of the familiar, as in 2003. Only some very good Brahms: the incomparable sky-glide of the third movement; a clean explosion of pizzicato in the finale. And then Brahms’ famous melody, his tip of the hat to Beethoven’s “Ode to Joy,” performed with strength but also sweetness.

Rattle, again, kept the storm front at bay. And we in the audience settled for mere beauty, not transcendence.

Not such a bad thing.

Rattle and the Berliners go all the way..

Indeed….  But that is not all.  The Examiner valued the deep conections between the stars of the program offered by Rattle and his orchestra: Brahms, Shoenberg and Wagner:

It is hard to imagine a better program to illustrate the musical tensions of the latter half of the nineteenth century and their impact on the early twentieth than the one prepared by Sir Simon Rattle for the second concert by the Berliner Philharmoniker in Davies Symphony Hall last night. On the one hand we had Richard Wagner, trying to transcend the musical conventions of his time by serving the dramatic visions of his own idiosyncratic version of hero mythology.  That transcendence would carry him into unknown territories of ambiguous harmonies and sinuous melodies that never seemed to come to closure.  On the other had there was Johannes Brahms, clearly laboring under the influence of Beethoven but always seeking out new approaches to structure to fend off succumbing to that influence.  Brahms believed one could move forward without rejecting the past with the flamboyance of Wagnerian transcendence.

For this critic, the Schoenberg piece was a triumph:

The real analysis, however, comes from those who aspire to do this work justice through performance, caring less about each “tree of intellect” out of preference for the forest of “the music itself.”  Rattle has had this aspiration at least since his days with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, which provided his first serious “laboratory” for mastering Schoenberg performance technique.  Now he has brought that mastery to Berlin to expand the scope of an orchestra that pretty much sets the bar when it comes to performances of both Brahms and Wagner.

The result was nothing short of dazzling.  Schoenbergian passages that have left other conductors in a fog emerge in crystal clarity under Rattle’s guidance.

Oh, what a night!!!!!

So, I have a good doctor friend that sells equipment for $50k at expos. According to her, this is a great deal – other doctors and companies sell it anywhere from $70-120k.

I wonder if she actually sells it there:

DOCTOR:
All set?

CUSTOMER:
Yep, is this the last 19 you have?

DOCTOR:
Yep, we shouldve brought more. Well, your total is $950,000.

CUSTOMER:
(Hands doctor money)

DOCTOR:
Out of a million….here’s your change. You have a wonderful day now and come again. Don’t forget your receipt.

CUSTOMER:
Thank you.

DOCTOR:
You’re welcome.

THE END

I think it’s crazy how much money people have sometimes. When I go to Chipotlé, I always want guacamole on my burrito. It has to be a special occasion or I make up something to celebrate.

Thoughts?

I’m amazed at how often I use my card to buy stuff. I seem to never have cash on me.

As ridiculous as it makes me feel, I pay for soda refills with a card:
CASHIER: Ok that’s 87 cents.
ME: Put it on the Platinum…and I need a receipt too!

I’m strange when it comes to refills. I’ll walk in Circle K with a cup from 7/11. I feel like they get upset when they see that:
ME: Their cups are better, sorry.
CASHIER: (runs away crying)

I love standing in line to get a refill. 9 times out of 10 I end up finishing my refill waiting (Circle K lines are insane) and need another refill.

I drink too much soda.

So now and again I get comedians asking if they can get on my show. I usually do unless I have no control over it.

So in the email, he writes:
“…..I’ll also be appearing at the Comedy Store in L.A.”

First off, I don’t get “impressed” by credits-especially if it comes directly from an entertainer. It’s not hard to get on one of the million comedy shows that happens on a daily basis.

Second, why do people use the word “appearing?” Are you going to teleport there and surprise them?
HOST: And next we have…(POOF)…Whoa, who’s this guy that appeared out of nowhere?
COMIC: It is “I”, the one who recently appeared at the Hollywood Improv last Monday…ah ha ha ha!!!

It’s really only appropriate to tell credits when needed, this particular show happened to be an open mic. I shouldve said that I needed to view his press pack and run it by the board first before I can bring him on. Self promoting is a good thing, trying to make yourself seem “semi-famous” to another comedian to get on an open mic is awesome!!!

It made me laugh and had to share the joy. Thanks for reading!

So I was at Circle K pumping gas when I hear, “Sir, blah blah blaaah!” I look over and see 3 guys in a car all staring at me. It was after midnight and in a bad neighborhood. (I was out to fill up because I have an early show and didn’t want to wake up extra early).

In the hardest voice I said, “yeah?” and my voice almost cracked. Hate when that happens. One of the guys said, “can you buy us some bottles?” I guess that means “beer” but I wasn’t for sure because I never heard it like that before.

Of course I told him no. What I shouldve done was go inside and come back out with baby bottles.
“Here you go, they didn’t have bottles but they had cool little binkies!”

I thought they were going to do a drive by egging at me. I got ready for it just in case – which I find myself doing quite often. Like a ninja or Bruce Lee or something. But when I do it, I make zero eye contact and use my peripheral vision. That way I come off as being a high speed, can’t touch this kind of prude. One day it’ll come in handy and I’ll be thankful for all the years of preparation.

O Botafogo é o clube da estrela. Ao longo dos anos, das estrelas, tamanho o número de craques internacionais que vestiram a GLORIOSA camisa alvinegra e que eternizaram o clube como um dos grandes do universo independentemente da situação lastimável do time atual.

Pois ontem, uma das estrelas mais apaixonantes de nossa história esteve no clube para desejar sorte e trazer bons presságios para a batalha de domingo: a maravilha de General Severiano, o inigualável Túlio, que ofuscou Romário, Edmundo, Renato Gaúcho e quem mais aparec eu no nosso caminho em 1995. Com ele em campo, não tinha placar em branco.

Túlio criou uma geração de botafoguenses, converteu almas perdidas por prometer e fazer gols e por ganhar títulos. Um artilheiro incontestável, simpático, como há muito tempo não se via no futebol brasileiro e como não se verá tão cedo.

Ele vai chegar a mil! Com 899 gols na carreira, Túlio almeja marcar o milésimo com a camisa do GLORIOSO

Pois bem, ontem o Maravilha esteve no Engenhão. Palco em que nunca jogou com a camisa do Botafogo, mas que admira. Conversou com o velho amigo Wagner, apostou no Flamengo para o título brasileiro (isso vai dar um azar danado para a urubuzada), citou Adriano como o melhor atacante do Brasil atualmente e, como não poderia deixar de ser, apostou que o Botafogo não vai cair este ano.

Túlio e Wágner: para qualquer botafoguense que se preze, vê-los juntos é ver a final de 1995 diante dos olhos

Acima de tudo, Túlio convocou nossa torcida para estar no Engenhão neste domingo. Túlio conclamou os milhões de botafoguenses espalhados pelo Brasil a darem um voto de confiança a este time, a apoiarem. O maravilha deixou claro que está conosco, e todos nós, botafoguenses, sabemos o que acontece quando Túlio está conosco, com sua estrela.

Túlio vence Carlos Germano, do Vasco: cena corriqueira nos anos 90 e que traz saudades nos dias de hoje

Por isso acho válido que Túlio deixe Goiânia para apoiar o grupo do Botafogo. Quem não gostaria de ser o Túlio Maravilha? Ídolo eterno de um grande clube do país. Herói de um título, referência de uma geração de torcedores. Até hoje não apareceu nenhum jogador pelo qual eu me apaixonasse tanto quanto me apaixonei por esse goiano de fala fácil, estilo matuto e faro de artilheiro.

Tem que comer grama! Túlio dá a receita para vencer o São Paulo no domingo!

Podem dizer o que quiserem: pimpão, marqueteiro, mercenário. Túlio é mito, ídolo maior e, o mais importante para nós supersticiosos por natureza: Túlio tem estrela, e o Botafogo também. Uma estrela solitária e brilhante, que nunca se apaga.

Just for fun

Wedding march under different perspectives.

* Theo Esptein is now on the record saying Billy Wagner is welcome back ….at the right price. And what is that price? Well, the market for a top set-up man is $3-4 million on a multi-year deal and I think the Sox could justify something at the top of that range if the deal is just a single year. But will Wagner accept something like that? Now Epstein seems to be under the illusion that Wagner will either decline arbitration and become a free agent (thereby netting the Sox two draft picks) or the lefty will return for less than he would make at an arbitration hearing. In the case of the latter, Epstein is hoping for an outcome that has never been recorded in baseball history. So is Epstein being played here? He doesn’t seem to think so but I can’t help but think he is over-playing an average hand.

* In the Arizona Fall League yesterday ….Luis Exposito went 2-4, Ryan Kalish slammed a double and both Casey Kelly and Jose Iglesias took four at-bat collars. Kalish is now hitting over .300 and has his slugging near .400. Don’t expect to see him in Portland past June next season.   

* If you are looking for the name of that idiot who gave Jason Verlander a first place vote in the Cy Young race, his name is Steve Kornaki and guess what, he covers the Tigers for MLive. Here is the tortured reasoning.

* The Globe tell us this morning that the Pats continue to struggle in the Red Zone? Really? I hadn’t noticed.

* So now, Pats Personal Director, Nick Caserio is out with a half-hearted endorsement of Larry Maroney. Explaining Maroney’s limited action after he fumbled at the goal line late in the third, Caserio had this to say ….

“We ended up playing in a lot of spread formations and multiple receiver formations, which brings up Kevin [ Faulk]’s strength as a football player – getting him into space as well as the passing game and some of those things,’’ Caserio said. “Offensively and from a coaching standpoint, we have a lot of confidence in Laurence and his ability and what he can do with the ball in his hands.’’

Hmm, Nick …..you don’t think the reason to spread things out was related to the fact that the coaches lack confidence in Larry’s ability to make good things happen? Do you even watch the games?  

* This was Kendrick Perkins in Today’s Globe ….

“I don’t think we’re attacking,’’ Perkins said. “I think we need to be more aggressive. I don’t want us to turn into a 3-point-shooting team. Obviously we got shooters, but we have to be a more physical team, rebounding, driving, I just think we’ve go to be more physical.’’

Not attacking ……is that finger pointed at Rajon Rondo who comes into tonight’s game with twelve free throw attempts on the year.

* Are the Celtics in on King Forward, Andres Nocioni? Two bad shooting nights and now the Celts are shopping around? Guys, Glen Davis is what …..three weeks away? This one doesn’t pass the smell test.

Years ago, my buddy and I had friends that would go to SkyBox Bar & Grill in North Glendale. It was a restaurant that turned into a bar scene at night. Always a great place to hang out, not! Seemed okay at the time but now that I think about it, it really wasn’t that cool. It was actually gross most of the time.

OK…here’s what was gross on one occasion I was there.

If you were there at night, when it became a bar, you would see things that you couldn’t understand. I remember going into the bathroom stall only to find nastiness. There was not only puke all over the toilet and ground but there was also crap, as well. Here’s what I want to know….which came first?? Was it so bad when someone walked in that they just had to throw up? Or, was it the opposite – did someone see the throw-up and not care and sat down to go anyways? Or, is there a 3rd option – was it one person who did both??

Extra gross….

There wasn’t even any toilet paper in the toilet, the holder, anywhere!!! How gross can we get, really, how gross? It’s probably the same kind of person that doesn’t wash their hands and walks out the door back into the world. Be careful to shake hands at SkyBox – or any night time venue for that matter.

Sorry for all the grossness – I typically don’t share stuff this gross.

Any gross stories to share, feel free!

This is the first of a multi-part blog on Wagner – spawned in part by the recent production of Lohengrin at Houston Grand Opera.  I know I have said over the past few weeks that we would be discussing Wagner, but as I wrote about it, I realized that there was no way I could do this in one or two blogs.  I’ll try to get the next segment on Wagner up each Tuesday for the next few weeks.  The Thursday/Friday blog will cover other topics.

As a trombone player (previous life), I always looked forward to playing Wagner.  When you play trombone in an orchestra, you spend a good amount of time playing softly, so you don’t cover up the strings.  When you do play loud, it’s at the end of a piece.  (I am speaking in generalities, of course).  It’s one of the reasons that trombonists enjoy playing Wagner.  It’s challenging, and we get to play loud!  I never gave performing Wagner a second thought – it was just great music.

The first time I met my first mentor, William Henry Curry, it was when he was delivering a speech on performing Wagner – not the performance practice – but whether we should perform Wagner at all.  Wagner was without a doubt one of the most influential composers in the history of Western music.  Much like Beethoven, every composer who came after had to confront Wagner – composers either respected or rejected his ideas but nobody could ignore them.

As Bill Curry said in his speech – in 1988, he checked with the Library of Congress about a statement that he had heard on TV, and they verified it:  The most written about person in human history was Jesus.  The second was…..Wagner.   Where does this fascination come from?  For composers, he was one of the most innovative musicians ever, so that explains why music historians study him and his music, but to be the second more written about person in history after Jesus?

In Mozart’s time and to a lesser extent in Beethoven’s time, the musician and artist were treated as yet another servant in the coterie of royalty.  (This is one reason that orchestras traditionally wear tuxedos – it’s an outgrowth of having come from the “wait staff.”)  Wagner was born into a time when musicians and artists were gaining more notoriety and respect.  The Enlightenment had created a society that was well versed in the importance of freedom and individuality.  Beethoven was perhaps the first musician to be treated as a genius and more than simply another servant.  Wagner became a composer in this world that had greater and greater respect and admiration for the artist, and after Beethoven’s death, Wagner began working to take over Beethoven’s mantle of the grand visionary composer.

Much of the challenge that Wagner confronted musically was due to Beethoven.  (This was also the challenge faced by Brahms, Bruckner… ok, all the composers post-Beethoven).  Beethoven had been so innovative in his expansion of the symphony that most composers post-Beethoven believed that the symphonic form was dead.  In other words, Beethoven had done everything that could be done with the symphony, so why try?  Wagner and Brahms each decided to approach this problem in different ways.  Brahms put off writing a symphony for many many years because he felt that anything he wrote would be measured against Beethoven.  He experimented quite a bit with symphonic forms and structure in his early works without actually writing a symphony, so he could “get it right” when he finally wrote his first symphony.  I think that in the end, he did.

Wagner, however, decided to take a completely different tack.  Since Beethoven had already done everything possible with the symphony, Wagner decided to turn his eyes to opera.

In some ways, Wagner saw opera as a continuation of the symphony – after all, even Beethoven included voices in his most amazing work, the ninth symphony.

By the way, my personal website has undergone a number of changes.  You can see it here.

here is an entry from my personal blog the little lion written earlier this fall, entitled, “i choose to mourn the artist”, a sort of conglomeration of feelings regarding the passing of michael jackson and musings on problems of art versus artist. it belongs here, though i wrote it before this blog existed and it’s a good way to finish the “Music in Crisis” section i’ve been dealing with in MH4. hope you guys like wagner.

it would be completely unnecessary for me to rehash the last seven-day news cycle for you, so i won’t. i will say, however, that all of the talk, on TV, in the streets and online has caused me to take a hard look at michael jackson and not just that but our artist culture. the title of this blog came from an incredibly inspiring comment found on, of all places, livejournal’s favorite gossip community, Oh No They Didn’t!. to summarize, the comment stated that we have to make a choice whether to mourn the person or mourn the artist in their passing. but why are we forced to make this choice? well, because doing one is not as simple as doing another. to mourn michael jackson the person means mourning all of the baggage that comes with him: the prescription drugs, the weird behavior, the loss of childhood, the possible molestation, etc. and let’s just say that makes most people uncomfortable, let alone reverent. mourning the artist is much easier: recognizing the genius of someone who was able to create music that has stood the test of (pop) time and influenced, touched and inspired so many people across the world for so many years. now for many, the existence of the “person” just gets too much in the way of the “artist” and we come back to square one. what to do? ah, if only there were other instances like this…

Gesamtkunstwerk
wagner is not a subject easily broached in musical academia. the study of wagner is fraught with problems: do we read wagner’s prose? how do we address works such as Die Meistersinger and Parsifal? do we acknowledge the effect of wagner post-wagner and, if so, do we speak of it musically, extra-musically or both? but no matter how you slice it, it’s always staring you in the face (unless you’re a wagnerite and choose to ignore it, which i do not recommend). this dilemma stared at me earlier this spring when one of my colloquia centered around Die Meistersinger and the ideal man. when discussing the opera, the question arose: do we say that the work is filled with musical subtleties, poignant and witty or is it all about “the jews”? for many in the class, it was hard to reconcile themselves especially after watching scenes from the opera and having the “jew” problem be pointed out. you would laugh at one part, which was admittedly funny, staged well, witty and humorous and then someone would say “but he’s caricaturizing and denegrating jews!” and then you feel bad. but on the side you say, “well that was still kind of funny and brilliantly sung”. wagner’s feelings towards jews (along with frenchmen, britons, christians and those trying to destroy art) is well known. the part its plays in his musical creations is more problematic. the point of all of this is, how can we respect and admire someone with such racial hatred and vitriol and someone so easily co-opted by the like of the third reich? for some there is no respect and admiration. from its founding and inception, the nation of israel has made it illegal to perform wagner’s music within its borders. there is no separating the “person” from the “artist”. but for others, myself included, it’s not that easy. and though it might not be as pertinent to some and may seem blasphemous to others, like wagner, the tale of the two michael jacksons are os strong, each, on their own, that it seems impossible to ignore one for the other.

anyone in musical scholarship who tells you that they have a definitive point of view on wagner is lying to you. my dealings with jewish musicians, scholars and performers who tell me about the utter disdain they have for wagner don’t seem to have completely closed the book on him, meaning, they are still willing to discuss him. and again, it’s never about the music. they have every right to their opinion as does anyone else. for me, i’m always conflicted about wagner and i’m actually happy about that because i am constantly rethinking my feelings about music in general.

Mein liebes Kind, komm, geh mit mir…
thinking about all of this also made me think of someone in whom i have invested a lot of time researching, benjamin britten. in my dealings with many, it seems that britten’s relationship with young boys may have overshadowed the genius of his music. a dear friend of mine had the privilege to work with britten as a young boy, singing as a male alto in premieres/performances of works such as the War Requiem and Noye’s Fludde. in talking with me, he explained how pained he was that, when recounting his stories to others, the first thing they ask is “did britten have an inappropriate relationship with you/did he ever touch you” or make some kind of snarky comment. he loved his time working with britten and his ilk and he calls it one of the greatest musical experiences of his life but feels like he can’t share how much these events have shaped him because of this. whenever this discussion arises, he becomes very defensive. for those who aren’t aware of this part of the composer’s history, britten struggled for quite some time with his need to be surrounded by teenage boys. to him, they were an inspiration and “boy as inspiration/muse/representation of another life” appears in many of britten’s operas: Peter Grimes, Turn of the Screw and, most notably, Death in Venice. these muses represent the part of britten’s life that britten was reticent to leave behind. ahead of him were the adult representations of life that britten had trouble acknowledging: an adult relationship with partner peter pears, dealing professionally with those who stood by him and cared about his well-being, etc. auden, who collaborated with britten on some of his most well known works, wrote in a letter to britten that he needed to forgo these relationships with boys. it was shortly after britten received this letter that britten did what he did to so many before: he dissolved his ties with the poet (it should also be known that auden also encouraged britten to reconcile himself with his homosexuality, another adult aspect of britten’s life with which the composer had great difficulty).

the role that these relationships play in the creation of britten’s music is undeniable. and it is worth asking the question whether or not some of these works would have even existed with out them. again, the separation between the man and the artist is difficult. while there is no proof and no real allegations that britten ever did anything illicit with any of these boys, the rumors still remain and cast a cloud over his musical achievements. is it on the scale of the molestation charges placed before michael jackson? most likely not but the comparison remains. in my scholarship of britten, this question will always arise no matter how much i choose to focus on the music and i am faced with the decision of whether or not to deal with it. while i feel this adds a fascinating layer of depth to him, for many, its more of a hinderance.

Epilogue
now is the accusation of molesting boys as bad as a glaring hatred for others? for some, yes. for some this behavior is irreconcilable. for some, no matter how genius the music, no matter how large the impact, there is just no getting around this. the personal acts of one’s life can sometimes, and often, get in the way of one’s contributions to society. yet for some reason, artists never seem to be forgiven. for great political figures who have committed indiscretion after indiscretion in their personal lives, history forgives. however, the good that art does, the way it changes and shapes our lives, the profound impact it has seems to not be enough to forgive any artist, no matter how great. is that because the lives of our great geniuses are filled with so much turmoil and discrepancy? people tend to forget that these all-too-human failings motivate genius. are their actions excusable? most likely not. does revering that genius mean that we have ignore, forgo and block out those actions? not by any means. if anything, it is the human element that gives insight to the creative one. i don’t know whether or not “man” and “artist” can ever be separated or if they should. michael jackson’s loss of childhood and indescribable young life motivated him to write the music that is not only biographical for him but has proven to be biographical for so many, so many without childhoods, for those who have felt lost and alone and for those who have just experienced any type of hardship in their lives. wagner’s view on total art pushed him to create works unlike anything that had been seen up to that point and just like the end of Götterdammerung, the fiery demise of the musical gods of the pan-austrian empire in the destruction that was the end of WWII, paved the way (unbeknownst to wagner) for a new musical rebirth. the struggle between childhood and adulthood, what one wants and what one realizes, our dreams and our base nature manifested itself in the darkness of britten’s most autobiographical operas and allowed for a new direction in opera, one that is being, slowly but surely, rediscovered. i am saddened that these human elements have taken over and claimed the lives of those who lived and experienced them. i, for one, ask that we not forget the music, for it is important. but what i really ask, of all of those who encounter this dilemma, is to let the music and the life speak for themselves, and after considering both of these things, that you make your decision or at least try to. don’t ever let it be as simple as choosing between the “man” and the “artist” because, in reality, those two things are never really separate. they are a part of each other and need each other to survive.

O povo é, no fundo, a origem de todas as coisas belas e nobres, inclusive da boa música! [...] Tenho uma grande fé nas crianças. Acho que delas tudo se pode esperar. Por isso é tão essencial educá-las. É preciso dar-lhes uma educação primária de senso ético, como iniciação para uma futura vida artística. [...] A minha receita é o canto orfeônico. Mas o meu
canto orfeônico deveria, na realidade, chamar-se educação social pela música. Um povo que sabe cantar está a um passo da felicidade; é preciso ensinar o mundo inteiro a cantar.

Heitor VILLA-LOBOS

Há exatos 50 anos morria, no Rio de Janeiro – cidade onde nasceu, a 5 de março de 1887 – o maestro e compositor Heitor Villa-Lobos. Considerado o maior expoente da música do Modernismo no Brasil, destacou-se por ter sido o principal responsável pela descoberta de uma linguagem misical peculiarmente brasileira, compondo obras que enaltecem o espírito nacionalista, com a incorporaçao de elementos das canções folclóricas, populares e indígenas.

Biografia

Filho de Noêmia Monteiro Villa-Lobos e Raul Villa-Lobos, foi desde cedo incentivado aos estudos, pois sua mãe queria vê-lo médico. No entanto, seu pai, funcionário da Biblioteca Nacional e músico amador, deu-lhe instrução musical e adaptou uma viola para que o pequeno Heitor iniciasse seus estudos de violoncelo. Aos 12 anos, órfão de pai, Villa-Lobos passou a tocar violoncelo em teatros, cafés e bailes. Paralelamente, interessou-se pela intensa musicalidade dos “chorões”, representantes da melhor música popular do Rio de Janeiro, e, neste contexto, desenvolveu-se também no violão. De temperamento inquieto, aos 18 anos sai de casa e passa a percorrer o interior do Brasil, em suas primeiras etapas de um processo de absorção de todo o universo musical brasileiro. Em 1913, Villa-Lobos casou-se com a pianista Lucília Guimarães e fixou-se no Rio de Janeiro. Em 1915 realiza o primeiro concerto com obras de sua autoria.

Em 1922, Villa-Lobos participa da Semana da Arte Moderna, no Teatro Municipal de São Paulo. No ano seguinte embarca para Europa, regressando ao Brasil em 1930, quando realiza turnê por sessenta e seis cidades. Realiza também, nesse ano, a “Cruzada do Canto Orfeônico“, no Rio de Janeiro. Seu casamento com Lucília termina na década de 1930 . Depois de operar-se de câncerm em 1948, casa-se com Arminda Neves d’Almeida, a Mindinha, uma ex-aluna que, depois de sua morte, se encarrega da divulgação de uma obra monumental. O impacto internacional dessa obra fez-se sentir especialmente na França e EUA, como se verifica pelo editorial que o The New York Times dedicou-lhe no dia seguinte a sua morte. Villa-Lobos nunca teve filhos.

Obra

As primeiras composições de Villa-Lobos trazem a marca dos estilos europeus da virada do século XIX para o século XX, sendo influenciado principalmente por Wagner, Puccini, pelo alto romantismo francês da escola de Frank e logo depois pelos impressionistas. Teve aulas com Frederico Nascimento e Francisco Braga.

Nas Danças características africanas (1914), entretanto, começou a repudiar os moldes europeus e a descobrir uma linguagem própria, que viria a se firmar nos bailados Amazonas e Uirapuru (1917). O compositor chega à década de 1920 perfeitamente senhor de seus recursos artísticos, revelados em obras como a Prole do Bebê, para piano, ou o Noneto (1923). Violentamente atacado pela crítica especializada da época, viajou para a Europa, em 1923, com o apoio do mecenas Carlos Guinle e, em Paris, tomou contato com toda a vanguarda musical da época. Depois de uma segunda permanência na capital francesa (1927-1930), voltou ao Brasil a tempo de engajar-se nas novas realidades produzidas pela Revolução de 1930.

Apoiado pelo Estado Novo, Villa-Lobos desenvolveu amplo projeto educacional, em que teve papel de destaque o canto orfeônico, e que resultou na compilação do Guia prático (temas populares harmonizados).
À audácia criativa dos anos 1920 (que produziram as Serestas, os Choros, os Estudos para violão e as Cirandas para piano) seguiu-se um período “neobarroco”, cujo carro-chefe foi a série de nove Bachianas brasileiras (1930-1945), para diversas formações instrumentais. Em sua obra prolífera, o maestro combinou indiferentemente todos os estilos e todos os gêneros, introduzindo sem hesitação materiais musicais tipicamente brasileiros em formas tomadas de empréstimo à música erudita ocidental. Procedimento que o levou a aproximar, numa mesma obra, Johann Sebastian Bach e os instrumentos mais exóticos. (Ref.: Wikipédia)

Em homenagem à nossa maior expressão musical, postamos alguns videos emprestados do Youtube. O primeiro, o Choro N° 1, composto em 1920 para violão solo, é executado pelo exímio violonista brasileiro Turibio Soares Santos (arquivo Raíssa Amaral & Sergio Napoleão).

No segundo video, Eduardo Lopes conduz a Orquestra Nacional de Lyon (França), que executa o Prelúdio da Bachiana Brasileira n° 4.

E, finalmente, o famoso Trenzinho Caipira (ou Trenzinho do Caipira), parte integrante das Bachianas Brasileiras nº 2, que se caracteriza por imitar o movimento de uma locomotiva com os instrumentos da orquestra. No video, a música é interpretada pelo conmjunto Boca Livre, em gravação de 2007. Mas a homenagem não acaba por aqui. Como estamos em um blog de poesia, transcrevemos a letra do Trenzinho Caipira, criada pelo poeta Ferreira Gullar.

Choro n°. 1, executado por Turíbio Santos

Prelúdio da Bachiana Brasileira n° 4 – Orquestra Nacional de Lyon, conduzida por Eduardo Lopes

Trenzinho Caipira – Conjunto Boca Livre

________________________

Trenzinho caipira

Letra de Ferreira Gullar

á vai o trem com o menino
Lá vai a vida a rodar
Lá vai ciranda e destino
Cidade e noite a girar

Lá vai o trem sem destino
Pro dia novo encontrar
Correndo vai pela terra
Vai pela serra, vai pelo mar

Cantando pela serra ao luar
Correndo entre as estrelas a voar
Luar, no ar, no ar, no ar

So, I live in an apartment complex and I get to see all kinds of interesting things. Today, I saw 3 guys hanging out in the jacuzzi – just chillin’ I guess. I think that’s an odd place for 3 guys to agree on to hang out, especially in public. They were all college aged too. I thought maybe they were waiting on girls to come but none showed up. Strange.

Maybe this is how it played out:

Guys 1 & 2: Bro, we have something to ask you.

Guy 3: What, bros?

Guys 1 & 2: We want to know if you want to go fly a kite? One kite but 3 strings, what do ya say, bro?

Guy 3: Bros, bros, bros – how could you think of such a thing on a bodacious day like today?

Guy 1 & 2: (In sync) What are ya sayin’, bro?

Guy 3: K, look, bros. It’s nice out, we don’t have to work tomorrow, and, bros…no chicks. We need to go hot tubbin’!

Guy 1 & 2: BRO!!! That’s single handedly the most brilliant suggestion you’ve said all year! Let’s all get our trunks on, grab a few brewskies and skip down to the jacuzzi.

Guy 3: Bro!? Brewskies? There’s no ladies, we can bring our cosmos instead.

(All three jump and high five and giggle like girls)

The End

Ideas on this…I’m old school – I don’t hang out in the jacuzzi with my friends like that. We can go to the gym or eat or something that guys do prior to 2008 or 09 or whenever this strange boom hit.