Seriously, Nobody Tells Me Anything.

My cousin, Dan, is getting married soon, and we are all very happy about it. I have been close to Dan for years, and he is one of the people I missed most when I first moved to the Deep South. After I moved, he met a very nice girl that I am sorry that I did not get to spend much time with, but reports from my family tell me that "she's a keeper."
Our whole family is excited about getting together for the occasion. The last time we got together was for my sister Bean's wedding. That was a hoot. This time however, none of us are the ones getting married. We get to sit back and enjoy it and spend the entire time together as a big family.
Or so I thought.
Turns out that I will be singing at this event.
Not that I mind. I am actually flattered to be asked. I will be singing in the family quartet again, performing "An Irish Blessing" during the ceremony. I sung the same song with Katie and Annie at Bean's wedding, and this time she'll be joining us. It will be great.
Nope, I don't mind that at all. I'm really looking forward to it. In fact, I think it will make the event even more special.
The thing of it is, I didn't find out that i am singing until last night. My mom told me during our Father's Day phone call. Turns out she has known for quite a while. Turns out my Wonderful Wife has also known for a little while. Nobody tells me anything.
It's really not a big deal. I'm just complaining for the sake of the story. It just supports the cause of the blog, I guess. My WW was saving the news for a time closer to the event so I didn't spend the upcoming weeks fretting over how my voice sounds, what the parts were, whether or not I remember the words. And she's right -- I would. I'd hem and haw over it for days.
Bah. The bottom line is that it would be the same either way, whether or not I knew about it. I have been singing regularly for months and I pretty much know the song. I could learn about anything in a weekend, and I have way more than that to practice this one.
Funny how well my wife knows me.

I have Zombies for children

I think that in the best way possible, kids can be your favorite wind-up toy. All you have to do is just turn the little key in their back, wind 'em up, let 'em go and then just sit back and enjoy the entertainment. I think that this principle works both ways; you can program your kids to be awful little buggers, too, under certain influences. I choose to use my powers for good.
You might have read once or twice about my love for horror movies. I've seen a few in my time. There are a bunch of zombie movies that i find particularly entertaining, mostly because they are actually kinda funny, the Return of the Living Dead series. I don't watch them often, but like most of the horror movies I watch, they stick with me. These movies are filled with slow-moving undead in search for human grey matter. Yep, that's right, brains. It's not just that they are looking for brains, it's that they actually chant the words, "brains! brains!" while they are stalking after their victims.
Now imagine for a moment my two sweet kids, both under the age of three and less than three feet tall. Imagine us out in public somewhere, in a mall, at church, in a restaurant. Picture me telling my daughter quietly, "Go eat your brother's brains." Can you imagine what happens next?
After I wind her up, Big Sis will raise her arms up over her head and run after Little Bubba yelling, "Brains! Brains! I'm going to eat your brains!" My boy will run away from her, giggles pealing out of him in this nervous, high-pitched way. When she catches up to him she will actually grab him by his shoulders, put her face against the back of his head and make a "num num num" sound while she pretends to, ...um, ...well, eat his brains.
Now the best part. It's as if fandom for horror flicks is genetic!
My boy will now turn around and chase Big Sis around yelling "Brains!" until he catches her. It's as if he actually knows that once a zombie eats your brains, you become a zombie too! He's so smart. I'm so proud.
The payoff is looking around the room to see who is watching this all unfold. Some people have actually no idea. Maybe they are just trying not to notice. Others will stare wide-eyed, with half of a smile until they see me smiling. Those are the ones who really enjoy it.
The best part is that the kids are completely enjoying themselves. They are not putting on a show for me at all -- they are just playing with each other in one of the many ways they know how.

We are underway!

The Cobb Community Summer Singers has begun its 2007 season, practicing on Monday nights, building up for a concert in August. It's very exciting. The first rehearsal last week drew almost 50 voices, and we sound great already. The Director, Lynn Fowler, tells us that everyone who was expected couldn't make it, so we'll be even bigger next week. I can't wait!
Our program contains the following songs as of the first rehearsal:
Hallelujah Chorus from Mt. of Olives, Beethoven
Sanctus from Requiem, Faure
How Lovely Is Thy Dwelling Place, Brahms
Let All the World in Every Corner Sing, R. V. Williams
Hark! I Hear the Harps Eternal, arr. Parker
Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing, Wilberg
How Can I Keep From Singing, Walker
When I Can Read My Title Clear, arr. Parker
Elijah Rock, Hogan
Give Me Jesus, Fleming
John the Revelator, Caldwell / Ivory
Many of these I have sung before, so that is great nostalgia. All of the songs are challenging, and that makes the whole thing worth while -- I get enough "easy songs" at my regular weekly church choir.
The bass section is made up of mostly deep basses, and only one baritone other than myself. There are only about 5-6 tenors, so we are a little light in that section. Otherwise, they sound great. This chorus has something I haven't seen in almost 15 years -- female tenors. I haven't sung with girl tenors since college. They add a different sound to the tenor group -- I don't love it in a small ensemble, but it's great for a whole chorus.

Free Monday nights and live in the greater Marietta area? Come on down!