It was pretty darn sweet...

Yesterday the boys visited Jenison Junior and Senior High Schools for some impromptu performances. No setlists, just a lot of fun and hopefully some learning to for the students of those institutions. We headed over to sing for the 7-8-9 Male Chorus (of about 140 students), did about a 25-minute set with a little schtick. Then, we headed back to the senior high to sing for the 9th grade women and the 7th grade women of that hour ended up coming over to hear us. Both classes had a blast, and it was just a cryin' shame we couldn't have had the boys stay for the 4th, 5th, and 6th hours as well! Thanks to the members of 12th Street Harmony for taking time out of their day to come out and sing in Jenison...it was a blast!

The boys visit Jenison Junior High 

Disney might be a fun place to work

Today is the first day of the rest of my life. I sent in a cover letter and résumé to the Walt Disney World Casting Center requesting that I be considered for a position with their "Magic Music Days" program. MMD brings performing groups (choirs, orchestras, bands) to WDW to perform for guests. Churchville (my alma mater) went their several times in the 90s. I want to work as a "talent coordinator" with the groups that come to perform for "the World." Please keep this in your prayers as I am really looking to hear back from them this week as I prepare to make some decisions. I am just hoping that my envelope gets in the right person's hands and they choose to respond in some way to me, and soon! I just feel that this has been on my heart for a long time and for good reason, so we will see what happens! Could be the most awesome thing that has ever happened to me...

Missing the magic... 

Reflections of genius... 

i feel like i can't control myself

So I took the "Super IQ Test" and...

"Andrew, your Super IQ score is 125

Your overall intelligence quotient is the result of a scientifically-tested formula based on how many questions you answered correctly. But it's only part of what we learned about you from your answers on the test. We also determined the way you process information.The way you think about things makes you a Complex Intellectual. This means you are highly intelligent and have extraordinarily strong verbal and math skills. Compared to others you are a highly conceptual and complex thinker and are able to understand information in an abstract form. You also show great attention to detail. In fact, it's hard to find something you're not good at."

It also said I should consider getting out more.

these darn Internet quizzes

According to the Personality Test at http://web.tickle.com,

"Andrew, you're a Poet!

You are complex and artistic with a rich inner life. Chances are you're a bit shy and quiet, and you enjoy peaceful, comfortable environments. You're an interesting person to know, full of insights and inspiration, even though you're sometimes hesitant to express them.You enjoy intense one-on-ones or small, intimate dinner parties. You don't always make friends easily and you relish the ones you have. You don't like to juggle too much at work and can get stressed out by major job upheavals.And that's just scratching the surface!"

Then, I got crazy and took the IQ test:

"Congratulations, Andrew! Your IQ score is 131...

This number is based on a scientific formula that compares how many questions you answered correctly on the Classic IQ Test relative to others. Your Intellectual Type is Precision Processor. This means you're exceptionally good at discovering quick solutions to problems, especially ones that involve math or logic. You're also resourceful and able to think on your feet. And that's just some of what we know about you from your test results."

What a time! And it isn't even Friday night!

sometimes you feel like a nut

Let's get serious. God had it right when he created Eve.

There Adam was, hanging out in the Garden of Eden, with little to do except name all of the animals (is that where the dinosaurs lived too?) and hang out. I expect he probably prayed a lot and thanked God for the numerous gifts he had been given. Life was good. But, Adam was probably mildly bored with not having anyone mortal to talk to. He didn't know it, but he needed a woman. This is perhaps the greatest human metaphor; that without women, men are just not the same. As always and not surprisingly, God had it right. Now, had it not been for that first woman and the forbidden fruit, Adam might still be in the garden. He'd be twelve thousand or so years old and he probably would be wishing he had some fig leaves, but worst of all, he would be alone.

Forgive that paragraph if you will, for my theology is probably not particularly sound. But I think, for the most part, I was pretty on target. So what was God saying when he snuck one of Adam's ribs while he was asleep? You can't live by your lonesome buddy, and I am going to help you out.

Adam probably treated Eve well while they were going out, or married, or whatever they were. But there were probably times when slipped up and snapped at her or something (remember that forbidden fruit thing? He was probably pissed off about that). But it sounds to me like Eve still loved him through all of that. What a sweet lady...

Men need to learn how to love the woman they love, and they can't do it without God. Steven Curtis Chapman probably has it right:

Well you know it's not the first time
And it will not be the last
When you find me here on my knees
Praying for the storm to pass
But what I am really needing
Is much more than just relief
I am crying out for wisdom
Only you can give to me'
Cause it's such a mystery
I'm a clueless man when it comes
To knowing how to love a woman

Loving a woman is a journey it would seem. Men are not born to do it perfectly.

Thank you for looking past my flaws even when it is most difficult to do so.

top ten reasons that Christmas break equals greater frequency in posts

Fresh from "The Late Show with David Letterman" and everyone's favorite, Napoleon Dynamite...

Top Ten Signs You're Not The Most Popular Guy In Your High School (presented by Napoleon Dynamite)

10. Your yearbook photo caption reads, "Unidentified Sophomore."
9. Your only friend is the one you built in shop class.
8. School song includes phrase about how much you suck.
7. Every time you talk to a girl, the conversation inevitably drifts to your frequent nosebleeds.
6. The stupid kid who gets his tater tots stolen every day? He steals your tater tots.
5. Everyone's jealous of your tetherball skills.
4. Not only did you take your mom to the prom, you had to pay her 20 bucks.
3. You can't dance like this.
2. "Lord of the Rings" figurines-50, friends-0.
1. How would I know? I'm like the coolest kid in school.

Probably not as funny in print as it was on the program--check it out: http://www.cbs.com/latenight/lateshow/#

Have a great day!

home sweet home

And now, I will continue my trend of proper capitalization...

Good evening. It is Tuesday, December 21, 2004 (the first day of winter) and the weather in good ol' Rochester was a balmy thirty-seven degree Fahrenheit. After a wonderful homecoming weekend with family and friends, I find myself happy, but sad. On the one hand, we continue to inch our way closer to the wonderful Christmas day, but today it also meant that I had to say goodbye to the one I love. This is never easy, but I should also be thankful that in just one week, I will be able to join her in sunny Dubuque, Iowa.

On Friday, I had the pleasure of attending the so-called "dollar theatre" (it actually costs $1.50 for matinees and $2 on nights and weekends), where I viewed the film Napoleon Dynamite. It was very funny--one might even say zany--except I did not realize its hilarity until we got home and my brother started quoting it impeccably. Everyone must see this film. It will change their life.

Some things do change. My Wal*Mart. My beautiful Brockport Wal*Mart, where retail goodness and low prices abound, is not the mecca of holiday cheer that it once was. Nor is it the clean, inviting place to shop that the farm folk of Clarkson considered the destination of their annual vacation. Instead, it is now a slush-infested, cluttered, uninviting place that I probably will not attend in the near future. I consider this a real travesty, but I will surely move one with memories of what once was near and dear to my heart.

A special shout-out to a dear friend Miss Jeniffer Boone, who as of last evening, has become engaged to some guy whose last name I cannot spell. Congratulations, Booner! After five years of dating, I never would have expected this...

That is all for now I am afraid. Best wishes to you all during this holiday week and merry Christmas as well! My heart is with you, my travelling snow bunny! Be safe!

no title necessary

a throwback to an earlier may:

happy thanksgiving mariah carey all i want for christmas is you rugged man krispy kreme borders books and music i panera hy-vee exploits with the mom squanto massasoit forgot the lord's prayer who the hell is rutherford b. hayes ashley dan nicole alan morning macy's parade billy joel lp dinner time corn pudding homemade audio tapes the polar express or not the game keeping up with the jones' night time friday wal-mart hy-vee luncheon oreo fluff stop-light kisses target airplanes miguel switched coffees love best buy red-haired brian bye bye sarah happy joe's pizza the fugitive hinky hinky hinky the village inn pumpkin pie $5.00 coke float saturday grits and goodness iowa state on television montreat discussion the mall once more cookie slices diet coke kay the hunt for red october u.s. marshals culver's first presbyterian the big doors joys a and w curly mullet hugs and goodbye on the road again taco you future talk home.

stop-light kisses.

too long.

Preface: I will now attempt (in the hopes of lending credibility to this already credible blog) proper capitalization.

I have not posted to this wonderful piece of webspace in about three weeks. What follows is an unending sense of remorse, followed by the fervent hope that those who once cared about the ongoings of my life will again subscribe to what I intend to be a more frequently updated weblog.

My last post saw me at the beginning of my field placement. I now near the end of the placement not knowing where I really stand and wondering if I am truly ready for the real world. Part of me knows that I surely am, but the nature of these field placements is so very artificial, and knowing where one stands is not always clear. I remain optimistic, however, for it should become less artificial with each placement.

'Candide' opens on Friday--be there or be square! It should be an absolutely great time. We are in the midst of "teching" the show ('teching' is surely not a real verb). The process is often slow and tedious, but it allows us as actors to get our processes in line and truly understand how the show works. I am very excited for everyone that will see it this weekend! More than that, I hope the word gets out following the opening. I would not be surprised if we sold out some of the nights during the second week of the run. Maybe even this opening week as well! Get your tickets...

I am very excited for a Thanksgiving trip to Iowa, although it will be the first turkeyday in my entire life that I will not be eating my mother's pumpkin pie. With any luck, Mrs. Rev. Dr. Achtemeier will get the job done. I am sure she will! And she also said she was making sweet potatoes and they are my absolute favorite. Thanksgiving is wonderful.

With that, I am off to sing for what should surely be a receptive 'Encounter With The Arts' class where we will perform selections from the aforementioned musical. See you all soon.

Oh, and if anyone knows how to put cool links and things on the side frame of the blog, I would love to learn this process for my own blog.

i have been in the field

just yesterday i began my field placement at jenison high and boy do they have one of the most spectacular programs i have ever seen in my life. i wish i could remember as far back as high school to even get an idea of where we stood in comparison to these kids. the directors seem like really wonderful people and i am looking forward to getting to know them in the next month or so. we have had a couple of snafus, but i think we are going to be okay. tomorrow i will head out there again for some nice quality time with the mens and treble choruses. hopefully they will be really responsive to me on all accounts. i am quite sure they will ask me to lead a warm-up or two and so i am preparing to do so in the event that that does happen. i am thankful for the opportunity to be in such a great situation (dr. k called it a 'bed of roses'...we'll see about that!), but i just pray that i do not become overwhelmed by the enormity of the program. i want to be confident; after all, i have worked very hard in the last three and some odd years to be successful in these final stages of my pre-professional career. i plan on being the competent individual for whom they are looking. so that is that. no more worries regarding any troubles or traumas. ooh...that felt good. we will see you on the flip side. until then!

the funny thing is

i work in an italian restaurant. in fact, i will be working there this very evening as i struggle to earn the all-mighty dollar. well, not really struggle. my responsibilities consist of: packaging tasty looking food for customer who are willing to pay for it, cleaning off tables for customers who are unwilling to do so for themselves, and being a smiling, helpful face for anyone who needs one. i love working at the 84 east. for some reason, when i go there i can, for as many hours as i am working, forget about everything that i have to do and focus on taking care of people. i like to take care of people. and people like to be taken care of.

actually, the word "of" should never, ever end a sentence. to the best of my knowledge, the word "of" is a preposition, and doesn't like to go at the end. instead, "of" is most comfortable residing within the context of a prepositional phrase like "of the world" or "of mice and men". at any rate, periods should never go outside of quotation marks at the end of sentences, but that, friends, is a grammatical issue for another day (we will deal with capitalization as well).

i would eat at the restaurant all the livelong day if i could just afford it. but let's get real here. tuxedo chicken at $8.95 a pop ain't no bargain basement price. oh, but i would patronize that lovely establishment if only i could live with myself at the end of the day. anyway, tomorrow i will patronize the famous dave's in grandville, michigan for the first time and i cannot wait to do so. until then (well, not really until then, because you most likely will not be there, but until again i post to this blessed piece of blogdom, i bid you farewell and wonder how i will get out of these parentheses...

two more days until we all get a nice break from this thing that we call school at which we love to learn but from which four days' absence will be a

welcome change. fall break is the most wonderful time of year. no wait, no christmas is. but fall break is wonderful as well. there will be a golden ladder, tests for teacher certification, participation in a campy church production of "the phantom of the opera", lazy sundays, apple picking on a chilly fall afternoon, humongous amounts of homework, and best of all, relaxation and rejuvenation. fall break is a wonderful time of year.

i've been informed that i am to have an interview with the jenison public school "powers that be" in order to determine whether or not they will accept me for field placement and student teaching. this is absolutely daunting in a place where the choirs have produced no less than five compact disc recordings and plenty of significant concert engagments. wish me luck on that one.

what else is new? well, candide continues to go swimmingly and will no doubt be a huge success, if for no other reason than the woman choreographer that commented that i have big ears. i am still growing into them. that's all i have to say about that.

have a great day all, and be sure to check out a very special new blog at http://waltdisneywhirled.blogspot.com. see you all very soon...

it has been way too long

since i posted on this mofo. i apologize for the lack of posting in this past week. things have been a bit frantic. they continue to be, but now i find myself at work with a few minutes of downtime, wanting to expound upon those things that so fancily draw themselves to the surface of my immediate consciousness.

it was a wonderful weekend. after enjoying the princely players and the second of three presidential debates ("that's news to me...need some wood?"), i attended what some might have thought to be an ill-fated homecoming hoedown that turned out to be a blazing success! i was most delighted to be in attendance, however there were no doughnuts.

saturday was splendid, a little alumni service rehearsal in the morning, followed by a jaunt along the homecoming parade trail in a chrysler sebring convertible with my good friend and fellow education student amy huizen. we spend the better portion of our trip waving ecstatically to those whom would give us the time of day and not those who would make comments like "who are these people on the homecoming court?" then the game. a little twelfthstreet, a little football, some homecoming declarations, and the alma mater. that brings me to a great issue; i suppose at my roommate's parents' place of education they would call it the "alma alma mater". just a thought.

then, dinner at jimmy carrino's and a homecoming ball. it was a wonderful evening for all. thank you for coming. and thank you for a special time.

that's all for now...until again we meet.

monday morning

thank you for making me work out this morning. it felt very good to get the muscles moving and the blood flowing today. now i take a few minutes to expound upon my current thoughts on this brisk, chilly monday morning in which the sun is shining wonderfully.

i had an unfortunate incident with a water bottle today. having only carried water for the last month or so, one wouldn't think it could get really gross or anything, but it began to carry a sort of unsettling stagnant water type smell, so i thought, let's wash that. went to the sink, used a little soap, rinsed, and dried her off. i then proceeded to fill it for my consumption. i had not taken one full sip when i got a mouthful of soap. i was instantly hearkened back to that fateful day in my seventh or eighth year of life when i told shelly passinato (i'm not sure that was her name) that girls were very dumb and very stupid. mother was not pleased. i feel ill.

anyway, that was that, and i've recovered nicely. have a wonderful day friends...

no school

there is no school today. however, it remains a busy type day for all of us, i feel. the critical issues symposium is going on today and i had the good fortune of seeing Cheryl and Linda Brown (of Brown v. Board of Education) at a keynote session this morning. they were both extremely eloquent and the session itself was quite powerful.

later, i will be singing with the chapel choir in a mid-afternoon worship service. should be a great service. i also found out that i will most likely be doing my secondary priniciples and student teaching placement at jenison high schools, so i am very excited about that. they have an incredible program, a place where choir directors actually team teach classes. for those of you who aren't hip to the choral teaching world, that is pretty darn remarkable. i am very excited!

i'm off. have a splendid afternoon. until...

it has been many days

since i have posted in this fine personal forum we call 'scenes from an italian restaurant.' i am really not sure why. as i have said before, this place is incredibly therapeutic. i get to tell you all about my day and hope that you care. don't worry, i know you do.

today has already been a day and it is only 11:33 a.m. i decided i should get the oil changed in my car since it was about one month overdue. due to the new cottage parking restrictions, i had to turn around in the backyard of our neighbor's house. i am not sure that it was a completely kosher move, but i wasn't getting out any other way. we got the oil changed, and stopped by college east apartments for the purposes of mid-morning salutation when it was realized that my wheel and hood were mildly smoking. we opened her up, and still didn't know what was going on, so we called dad. he assured me that the 10W-30 that jorge and juan put in my car would indeed keep the engine block from melding to the pistons, so that was good. we also decided that the smoking was probably burnoff from sort of spill that occured during the oil change process. great. good to know.

i finally obtained a device that would allow me to extract the pictures from my digital camera. as i went to make the extraction, i had the good fortune of losing all of the pictures i had taken at the george w bush rally. thankfully, i did not lose the ones i took during orientation. that would have been a travesty and a tragedy.

so, it has been quite a day. but we're just going to pick up the pieces and have a great day because the sun is shining and god is good! have a blessed day, y'all!

two very cool things

have happened to me in the last two days.

first of all, i got to see president bush in person at the ottawa county fairgrounds on monday. i was a volunteer and part of the so-called 'rally squad'. i can't even say anything funny about the day. it was just flat-out impressive. i don't care what anyone says, he commands attention by the way he speaks. the media does a great job of painting this picture that he can't speak english or doesn't know what he's talking about. simply not true. his speech was just solid. he's the man we want running our country for the next four years. oh no, he's not perfect. but i think he's the right choice.

secondly, i was cast as the title role in hope's production of bernstein's 'candide'. i consider it to be on of the greatest honors i have received at hope and i cannot wait to completely immerse myself in the role. it is going to challenge me more than anything i have ever done on stage, but i just want to do it and give it everything i have inside. this is such a special opportunity. music rehearsals start tonight (that'll larn 'em, darn 'em) with our good friend kerri daab. should be a wild time.

and now, for something completely different. until...