Harmonic Journal 12/08/15

Harmonic Journal
December 8, 2015

"Servant Song" by Sr. Donna Marie McGargill

Today, the Catholic Church celebrates the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.  This is one of my favorite songs to sing regarding Mary.  The lyrics bring tears to my eyes and make it hard to sing sometimes, but I love this song anyway.  

That tattoo?  Basically because of songs like this.

Lyrics:

1. What do you want of me, Lord? Where do you want me to serve you? Where can I sing your praises. I am your song.

REFRAIN:  Jesus, Jesus, you are the Lord. Jesus, Jesus, you are the way. 2. Jesus, Jesus, you are my Lord. Jesus, Jesus, you are the way. 3. Jesus, Jesus, be warmth of my heart. Jesus, Jesus, you are the way. 4. Jesus, Jesus, you are my light. Jesus, Jesus, you are the way.

2. I hear you call my name, Lord, and I am moved within me. Your Spirit stirs my deepest self. Sing your songs in me. 

3. Above, below, and around me. Before, behind and all through me, your Spirit burns deep within me. Fire my life with your love. 


4. You are the light in my darkness. You are my strength when I'm weary. You give me sight when I'm blinded. Come see for me. 

Harmonic Journal 01/11/15

Harmonic Journal
Sunday, January 11, 2015

"Bless These Children"

Today our church celebrated The Baptism of the Lord, and baby Mateo was baptized.  Each week, though, the priest lets the children go to Sunday school for a little while.  As they leave, we sing this song.

Bless these children on their journey,
Lord, protect them, light their way.
Guide them daily through their lives, Lord,
Bless these children, light their way.

Very simple lyrics and melody, but it seemed to be quite fitting for today's celebration.

Simple Gifts 11/02/14

Simple Gifts
Sunday, November 2, 2014

Saint songs during All Saints Day celebration on All Souls Day.  Happy Our Day, my family!

Simple Gifts 07/20/14

Simple Gifts
Sunday, July 20, 2014

Singing "It's a Gift To Be Simple" in church

Simple Gifts 05/18/14

Simple Gifts
Sunday, May 18, 2014

Seeing the excitement of a little girl in church, running down the aisle to join the other kids for Children's Liturgy.  Fr. Michael even mentioned it in his homily.  Be joyful!

Simple Gifts 04/16/14

Simple Gifts
Wednesday, April 16, 2014

St. James Episcopal Church.

If I had never joined the choir there way back when, I might not have ever met today's birthday girl, and I would have missed out on a wonderful friendship..

Happy Birthday, Linda!

Simple Gifts 02/15/14

Simple Gifts
Saturday, February 15, 2014

"This Is My Song", which I chose to sing today as fitting for the Olympics.

To the melody of "Finlandia" by Jean Sibelius

(Lyrics by Lloyd Stone) 

This is my song, O God of all the nations,

A song of peace for lands afar and mine.

This is my home, the country where my heart is;

Here are my hopes, my dreams, my sacred shrine.

But other hearts in other lands are beating,

With hopes and dreams as true and high as mine.

My country’s skies are bluer than the ocean,

And sunlight beams on cloverleaf and pine.

But other lands have sunlight too and clover,

And skies are everywhere as blue as mine.

O hear my song, O God of all the nations,

A song of peace for their land and for mine.

(one of the verses by Georgia Harkness)

This is my prayer, O Lord of all earth's kingdoms:

Thy kingdom come; on earth thy will be done.

Let Christ be lifted up till all shall serve him,

And hearts united learn to live as one.

O hear my prayer, thou God of all the nations;

Myself I give thee, let thy will be done.

--

Thank you for letting me lead you in song all of these years, Holy Angels.  My role in the music ministry is changing after today, but I'll always look on my time as cantor with a full heart.

Oversized Sombreros

Rockapella in Pasadena

Saturday, December 7, 2013

CalTech Beckman Auditorium

Pasadena, CA

I woke up early in the morning to finish baking goodies for the guys.  I needed a couple of ingredients for Calvin's share of the goodies, plus I forgot an ingredient for Geo's share, so back to Ralphs I went.  Then I got home and had to deal with much ticket shuffling craziness.  Jenn asked if I had an extra ticket, so that she could invite Mariah.  I did not, because I had already given my extra ticket to Lori, whom was using Cindy's ticket, because she was ill.  Then I received a message from Wendy that Jeff was sick, and wouldn't be able to make it.  So I tried to get a hold of Jenn before she could buy a ticket for Mariah.  Then she had to call Mariah to find out if she still wanted to go.  Oy.  I was going NUTS.  But all was well, Mariah could take JeffEvs' ticket, and I had one less thing to think about.

I finished baking, and prepared the goody bags for the Pella before going to Mass.  If any of you see me smiling while I cantor at Mass, I challenge you to figure out why I'm smiling.  Usually, it's because I like the lyrics that I'm singing and I'm truly praising God in that moment.  Other times, I've been insecure about singing that day, and I picture somebody from Rockapella sitting in the pews, and I don't want to let them down, so I smile and sing my heart out, just as they would.  (It's OK.  God's aware of my craziness).   Either way, after the Mass, I thank Him for letting me have the gift I get to share with the congregation.

So there's my confession / sermon for the day.    

I went home to change into more festive attire.  Lori was dropped off by her family, and we made our way to CalTech.  I really wanted to give the guys their goodies before the show, so that I wouldn't have to deal with having bags at my feet, so we arrived early.  Linda and Wendy arrived early, too, so we walked to the auditorium together.  We found the stage door, and got someone to open it, and we asked the stage manager dude to give the goodies to Pella.  It's so funny how I get shy all of a sudden and can't possibly knock on a door.  So Lori did that for me, but I was able to talk.  Yeah, I'm weird like that.  We met up with the rest of the Posse, and then the stage manager guy came out to the same area.  Wendy told me to look for crumbs on his jacket, to make sure he hadn't gobbled up all of the goodies himself.  I asked him, "Did you give the goodies to the guys, or did you eat them all?"  He said, "I gave them to Jeff and he was excited to see them."  Yay!  Thanks, dude!  Liz didn't even notice that I was standing behind her until I squealed and frightened Joe.  We bought Cracker Jacks.  I wished for a tattoo as my prize.  What did I get?  A MERMAID tattoo-ish thing.  Happiness!  More squealing.  More Joe being frightened of me.  Sorry about that, Joe.

We went inside the auditorium, and I went to the restroom before going to my seat.  It's a good thing, too, because the line got really long.  APPARENTLY, the place was built before there were a lot of female engineers, because there were only 4 stalls in there for the entire auditorium.  After situating stuff at my seat, I looked for my friend Mona, who was there with her family, and they were all seeing Rockapella for the first time.  I walked over to chat them up for a bit before the show started.  Then when I got to my seat, I realized that I was missing 2 members of my posse.  Where were June and her husband?  Well, I couldn't worry much about that, because the show was about to start.  I was sitting between Liz and Joe (Joe's idea), behind Jenn, Lori and Linda.  

THE SUN BROTHERS

Whoa.  What?  They weren't at the Napa show.  The Sun Brothers took the stage, wearing their sunglasses and...hmmmm....sombreros.

The Hat I Got For Christmas Is Too Big/Feliz Navidad

This song is hilarious.  Geo sings "Cha cha cha".  I love Calvin's voice in the Feliz solo.  I think it was Karla that asked about the song later, and she was told that it was done by Mel Blanc.  I couldn't find any original animation of the song, so here's something that someone made with Blanc's vocals.

ROCKAPELLA

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day
CSL4 spied the posse.  They are already gelling better than they were on Thursday.

"I'm...I'm...I'm Scott!"

The Hope We Hold
Hi, Steve!

CSL4:  "I love this theatre, man.  What a gem.  We were in Napa Valley the other day and drove down through another planetary place.  We don't have the brown valleys in Tampa....People here don't want to go outside because it's cold.  It's not that cold.  It's 40 degrees!  You know where it's cold?  Oklahoma!  We flew out from there the other day....Hanukkah and Thanksgiving were at the same time, which won't happen for another thousand years."  <Somebody corrects him in the audience>  "Seven thousand.  Seven THOUSAND?!  Well, I definitely won't be around by then.  I was thinking that maybe I'd be here for the thousand, but not seven thousand."

Dreidel
This crowd is dead.  I mean, they seem to like it, but they're so quiet!  Maybe it's the acoustics.

Winter Wonderland
JT''s walk at the end is funny.  

Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree
Scott spun around like a ballerina in a music box.  Not really a pirouette, but kinda.

Glow Worm
Jeff's intro -- pfffttt--- had some hip action.  I like the feature of Steve and Scott with JT in the middle.

Little Mary Snowflake
YAY!  I love that line: "conquering kingdoms and hacking at dragon heads".

CSL4:  "You know what you're getting when you've got Steven, a great guy with the voice and the moves."  I refrained from yelling out, "AND FLIRTY FLIRTY EYES!!!"    

Simply Having A Wonderful Christmastime
Thank you, Scott, for making this song so much better by arranging it yourself and including Tchaikovsky.

CSL4: We didn't have VCRs or DVDs back in the day...we had to earn that thing.  We'd sit there at 3pm, waiting.  But now we have Rudolph.com.  It's a nice little page, and I spend most of my time there, throughout the day.

Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer
Calvin almost ran into SD while the reindeer were backing up.

CSL4:  "This is Calvin's first week with us.  He comes from East St. Louis, Illinois, where he was in a group called "Men of Note".  They were discovered in Illinois and brought to Busch Gardens.  Then we took him."

Merry Christmas, Darling
Uh-oh, the tenor trio intro was not working.  They needed Geo's intro before they could get on track.  

CSL4:  "Jeff has been with Rockapella for over 20 years.  He started when he was 5.  He's a child prodigy.  "

SD called CSL4 "the man with the lovely locks of gold, and the monkey legs".

CSL4: "Rockapella started in New York, made it to PBS, and that led us to Pasadena in 2013."

This Christmas Day

Don't Be Late
Geo made sure to wave at Wendy (Liz?) on the way out.

<Intermission>
I still didn't see June.  But I got a message from Geo, thanking me for the goodies.  :)  Intermission took awhile longer than we expected.  Liz blamed it on me, saying that the guys were busy eating.  So she was going to look for crumbs on their clothing.

Jingle Bell Rock
I like JT's vest.  So does Liz.  "In the frosty air" -- SD looked at me and pointed. What'd I do?  Oh, probably just smiling and swooning as usual.  It looks like Calvin got the hang of the megaphone.  

CSL4:  "Sorry, that was stupid."  (But it was fun, Scott!)

Please Come Home for Christmas
Scott tried a real pirouette this time and almost fell.  Liz said he was having a sugar cookie rush.  

Matunda Ya Kwanzaa
The audience, though quiet, did respond to "Hambadi Ghani".  CSL4: "Ooh, you're ready."
So Geo started the intro.  I whispered to Liz, "Mufasa" a la The Lion King hyenas.  Then Liz and I could not contain our giggles.  

SD checked with the posse to ask if they were here last year for the holidays.  We said no.  We're not bitter about it or anything.  He talked about Lapland.  "For those who don't go to Rudolph.com...."  When they were in the area, he said, "Jeff, we need to go to Lapland!"  JT saluted him from the wings.  Then SD talked about who he saw there, and said, "Not Elvis, the ELVES."  He then called out the name of Emma to join them on stage.

Santa Claus is Coming to Town
"I called on dear old Santa Claus" and CSL4 said, "YO!"  SD played with her hair, and tried to get her to move.  Nope.  She sang a little, but she was quiet and clearly mortified.  

Silent Night
Geo: "That one got more reaction, probably because you know the lyrics, not just the chorus...A lot of laughs out here tonight."  He tried to pitch in the key of D.  "No, that's not gonna work out."  Then we all sang.  He said, "I couldn't reach the highest 'peace' note, but that's OK."  Then he turned on us, and said, "Christmas trees, joy, happiness: that really makes my stomach turn."  

Grinch

CSL4 is a self-proclaimed "TCM Junkie" (which makes Liz love him even more now).  "I see all of the architecture here in Pasadena, and it reminds me of those movies.  You live in a lovely place."  (You're welcome to move here, Scott!)  "This next song is inspired from 'Waterloo Bridge', starring Vivien Leigh and Robert Taylor."

Auld Lang Syne
I need to watch that movie.  I so, so love this arrangement, and would like to see the source of CSL4's inspiration.

Have Yourself A Merry Little Christmas

Angels We Have Heard On High
I love this song.  The theme of my Christmas tree this year was this song, and my ornaments were angels, singing, and hearts (ooh yeah, thunder in my...).  The only thing that I don't like about this song is that it signals the end of the show.  

Encore

Silver Bells
I like how Geo caught up with the choreography.  "Soon it will be Christmas Day": JT did a hip check.  

Carmen / Billie Jean
I love seeing Geo do the MJ moves.  

CSL4: "Our first Christmas records were made for Japan, strangely enough, and Christmas in Korea makes for some strange lyics."

Hold Out for Christmas

I had texted June at intermission, and she texted back, saying that they were watching the end of the MSU game (her son went to college there).  At least they won, or I would have been more irritated.  

Meet and Greet

There were no tables set up, and they put the guys by the door, but they moved away from that.  We were concerned that they wouldn't, but they're smart and protect themselves.

JT thanked me for the goodies, said "it was very sweet of you, literally."  

SD thanked me for the goodies, and said, "What are you doing to me?  I'm trying to lose weight."  He told me his favorite one, which I made because I know that's his favorite.  I told him that he gets more than the others because of that.  Lori told him that "Feliz Navidad" is her favorite song.  He said it was the first time they performed it.  He wanted to make sure that it wasn't offensive.  No, it's funny!  He's so damn cute.

CJ thanked me for the goodies.  He already ate some, and will be up all night because of the sugar.

CSL4 gave me a hug and said that I'd been baking up a storm.  I told him that I was tired.  But they're very much worth the love I put into their goodies.

Geo hinted that I gave him goodies with special ingredients and didn't want to eat them before the show.  (Perhaps he knew that I was upset at him after Santa Clarita).  He's so silly.  He knows that I would never do that to any of them.  

The guys had a meeting to attend, so we got kicked out of there.  KP stayed and talked to Fred for a while, though, since he didn't need to attend the meeting.  

Lori, Linda and I went to Chili's, where they told us that they already had the last call at the bar, and the grill would close in 10 minutes.  At 11:00?  On a Saturday?  That's weird.  Of course, because we had to hurry up and order, I got all flustered and had trouble deciding what to order.  Or was my fluster from seeing Rockapella?  I don't know.  

More fluster awaits!

Coming up:  Pella in San Juan Capistrano

That's MY Schoooooool!!!!

Anyone who reads this blog regularly knows that I love drum corps.  It really is the Bro's fault, like many of my obsessions, because he had me watching DCI Finals on TV on Thanksgiving weekends long ago.  The love of marching, though, is not Bro's fault.  Perhaps he enables this particular obsession, but he was but a wee tyke when the marching thing started for me.  


I was in drill team in junior high, and was friends with many band members whom would eventually go to Arcadia High School and become members of the Apache Marching Band.  I wanted to try out for drill team in high school, but I just couldn't fit it into my schedule, and they didn't seem to allow violins in the marching band (something about poking other people's eyes out with the bow).  So I stayed on the sidelines and cheered on my friends, and volunteered at the annual West Arcadia Band Review (now the Arcadia Festival of Bands).  AHS has had one of the best marching band programs in the country for as long as I can remember, and every time I see them, a smile beams on my face and I feel a swell of pride in my heart.  


This November, as I was watching the Festival of Bands, I read the program and realized that beloved director Tom Landes would be retiring this year after 33 years at AHS.  Wow.  He has always been the ultimate band director to me, and tears welled up in my eyes, thinking of how many sweepstakes awards his bands have brought back to the band room.  I remember the 6-foot tall trophies from the championships in Long Beach, and I remember the metronome that would play all day in the band room during championship week, reminding the band of their discipline, and tick tocking in their heads the proper beat so that they would live and breathe it until they brought that trophy home again.  


This year would be especially sweet as AHS was again invited to be in the Pasadena Tournament of Roses parade, now its 15th time.  Back when I was a senior in high school, since I wasn't in the band, my friend Mona convinced me to try out with her for the Pasadena City College Honor Band, so that we could march in the parade, even though it wouldn't be side-by-side with our band friends.  That was an experience I'll never forget, partly because I fell down, but mostly because I got to have that feeling of marching down Colorado Blvd on January 1, 1985.  


I wish that I could have been at Disneyland on New Year's Eve to see the Apaches march down Main Street, but I was busy singing my heart out in church, so that was not meant to be.  I'm glad, though, that this video is available.  They don't actually start playing until at least 2 minutes in, and then they don't march until about 6 minutes in, but it still makes me happy.  I'm impressed that they brought the arrow banner to the resort, because there are some tight sections on the parade route, and I wonder if they kept it straight during those parts.  I'm glad that my friends got to witness their huge wonderfulness while they were there, and could share their observations at dinner.  




By then, I had already decided that I just HAD to go to the Rose Parade this year.  Landes' last year, and AHS is in the parade?  How could I not go and honor my school?  So I got up on January 2nd (no Rose Parade on Sundays), took the metro to Allen St, walked with the masses, found a spot where I could stand directly behind people whom were seated, and cheered on my favorite band.  I yelled for them, and the kind people around me helped me out because I raved about them.  "THAT'S MY SCHOOOOL!!!!"  There really is nothing like hearing the opening drum beats of the Apache Marching Band.  I also love the fact that they brought out the traditional banner for the parade (they used to march with it in competition, but now use individual letters per Apache Princess).  That's Mr. Landes in the black hat and white beard.


After they passed my area, I waited a while to see a couple more units.  Then they were far down the street, and I tried to catch up, going up and down side streets, tripping over people in the crowds, and hearing the Kinect float music over and over, which made me nuts.  I finally decided to just get to the end of the route and see all of the bands from there.  The Marine Corps, AHS, and PCC were the only ones that held their composure until the end (lucky for them, they were early performers and beat much of the heat).  I did see one of the banner gals from another school faint just as soon as they halted.  I saw another guy suffering from dehydration, too.  Sometimes the water volunteers got right in front of the bands, or in the middle of them, and it kind of annoyed me.  Maybe you should wait until they are At Ease before you attack them with water.  I know that they need the water, but it's just inconsiderate when the drum major and/or director is trying to congratulate them on their performance and get them all to understand that In N Out is to the left, and bathrooms are to the right.  The volunteers also got in the way of some of my pictures, which was annoying, but I was way too tired to stand up and take better pictures.


My favorite non-Arcadia band was the Kyoto Tachibana HS band.  I had watched their Bandfest performance live online, and they were quite entertaining with their dance-style marching.  When they were released, a few of them walked up to me and said "Happy New Year" and waved.  It was so cute!  I wish that I had taken a picture with them, but that didn't happen.

Afterward, I bought a ticket to see the floats, and ate an oh-so-nutritious breakfast of kettlecorn.  While I was seated on the grass, a vendor guy offered me cotton candy.  I wasn't going to take it, but I guess he just wanted to go home, because he told me that it was free, so I took it.  I had to wait a while until they opened the gates for the float viewing.  Even more walking.  I wanted to get a AHS pin, but they were sold out.  I got a temporary Girl Scouts 100 tattoo on my hand, though.  The floats were beautiful, and I marveled mostly at the sprays of orchids on the Thailand float.  Wow.  

Orchids made of orchids

My favorite whimsical float (La Canada Flintridge)

Another beauty:  The Year of the Dragon (China Airlines)

Then I had to somehow get back to the metro station.  MORE walking until I got to the bus stop, and then there were no seats, so I had to stand, but it didn't take that long.  Then I went home and watched the Bob and Stephanie on the KTLA broadcast of the parade, because I never can get enough of it on Rose Parade day.  I had a great day celebrating the 123rd Tournament of Roses.  Thank you, T of R, for honoring my school with its 15th invitation.  Congratulations, Mr. Landes, on yet another job well done!

It Still Hurts

September 11, 2011


10 years ago today, I turned on my TV to the morning news as always, to hear the traffic and weather for the day as I got ready for work.  But that was no ordinary day, and I forgot about traffic as soon as I saw what was airing:  smoke was billowing out of the World Trade Center.  Troubled, I still went to work, where everyone was talking about the events of the morning in NYC and DC.  One of my co-workers was frantic because her son was working at the Pentagon that day, and she couldn't reach him.  The rest of us just listened to her and empathized.  Thank goodness, her son turned out to be all right.  But not everyone was that lucky.  The governor closed down all of the state offices for the day, and we went home, frightened and worried about what was to come.  


Ten years later, the world mourns those that America lost that day.  I will not be attending any ceremonies today, but I am watching the ceremony as it airs live in New York City, and I cry.  This weekend, our pastor had asked the music ministers to play "Let There Be Peace On Earth" at the end of each Mass.  I had thought of doing so when I was choosing songs last week, but it wasn't on the suggested list.  I did choose "Eternal Father, Strong to Save," which is the Naval Hymn and one of of my favorites.  But I was happy to add Father Michael's request to the list.


Last night at Mass, we opened with Eternal Father, and Fr. Michael gave us enough time that we were able to sing all of the verses, so that we could pay tribute to all of the armed forces.  Prior to the homily, he lit a candle, which was on a pedestal in front of a book of remembrance, with a small American flag draped over it, and there were beautiful yellow roses at the bottom of the pedestal.  He also shared with us his reaction to the events of 9/11.  Ever since that day, Fr. Michael has added an extra Our Father and Hail Mary at the end of every Mass, in order to pray for peace.  We sang the requested song at the end.  


Something came over me at the moment that I announced the song, and I felt the Holy Spirit working through me and allowing me to sing the song better than I'd ever sang it before.  It was like I was listening to someone else sing.  Mind you, I've been singing this song since I learned to play it on the piano as a 7-year old, and I know that the notes are in the meat of my range, so I think that I do the song very well most of the time.  But last night, it meant more to me.  Somehow, I was able to control my tears and sang my heart out.


I drove to my parents' house last night, and listened to the CBS news on the radio, where they were remembering the reaction 10 years ago.  The quote that moved me the most was that of someone from Europe (sorry, I can't remember), who said, "We are all Americans today."  I had forgotten that the whole world had mourned with us, especially Europe.  America had been there for them when war had hit their soil, and now they were there for us.  Oh, now, I'm crying again.  Yeah, it was kind of hard to drive at those moments last night.


I know that there will be a tribute today at Disneyland, which had closed on 9/11/01.  Part of me wishes that I could be there, but the other part of me needs to be with my family, so here I am.


A decade later, it still hurts.  I didn't personally know anyone that died that day, but as an American, I mourn with everyone else today.  I wish that our country was as unified every day as it is today, even though our foundation is that of being free to be different.  I pray, though, that we do find peace.


"Let there be peace on earth, and let it begin with me.
Let there be peace on earth, the peace that was meant to be.
With God as our Father, brothers all are we.
Let me walk with my brother in perfect harmony.


Let peace begin with me, let this be the moment now.
With every breath I take, let this be my solemn vow:
To take each moment and live each moment in peace eternally
Let there be peace on earth and let it begin with me."


Mary, Queen of Peace: Pray for Us.

From Bathing to Bodega to Biscotti

Girls' Trip to Napa

Day 3: Sunday, June 21, 2009

It's SPA DAY! Lo & I brought our robes from the hotel because I was confused about the whole robe situation. We ended up using the ones at the spa, which were different because they had hoods. We had arrived early for our appointments, so we took a look around, placed our belongings in our lockers, and sat in the jacuzzi outside. A water aerobics class was taking place in the pool, and we couldn't go into the special Watsu pools because somebody was receiving their Watsu massage there. We were glad that we didn't choose that particular treatment, because anyone in the spa could watch you since it's outside.

When it was about time for our massage appointments, we slipped out of our bathing suits and went into the bath house. When we got there, we were advised that do the Bathing Ritual, which included a scrub shower, then sit in the jacuzzi, then the mineral pool, then the steam room, then the sauna before our massage. Well, we didn't allow time for that, nor did we have our bathing suits anymore because they were in our lockers. I wish that we had been told about the Bathing Ritual timing when we made our appointments, but I guess we were asking way too many questions anyway and perhaps our receptionist got distracted. Anyway, this was not the place for us to walk around nude, since this spa, unlike the one I'm used to, was co-ed. So we opted to just sit for awhile & munch on a little snack so that we wouldn't starve until lunch time.

My masseuse was Soledad. Lo & I had both chosen the Personalized Aromatherapy Massage, which was on special this month. Soledad had me complete a questionnaire while my feet were soaking. The questionnaire asks how I'm feeling at the moment, as well as what I'd like to feel like after the massage. I ended up choosing "Restorative," and Soledad blended together scents of Sage, Rose & Lavender. We then went upstairs and I received my massage and aromatherapy. Aaaaahhhh. The only problem I had was that my nasal passages were acting up, and when I was lying on my stomach with my face in the face cradle, I kept thinking I needed to sneeze or something, but the feeling always went away whenever there was a break in the massage process. Otherwise, it was very, very nice. When Soledad was finished, she advised me to be careful when getting off the table, and I'm glad she did, because my legs were kinda jelly-like, and I could have really fallen down hard if I had just gotten up without thinking about it.

As I was walking down the stairs, Krina was walking up the stairs with her masseur. Mo was already in the mineral spring. Soledad had recommended that I sit in the steam room for awhile, so I went in there and almost suffocated when the lavender-scented steam rushed in. Then I was hungry and went for the snacks again, which were baked veggie snacks, and had some tea. Later on, when Mo, Lo and I went into the steam room together, and Mo had the idea of placing our faces in the chilled washcloths, which really did help me breathe better, although it was awkward to talk to each other through the washcloths. Eventually, though, I couldn't take the steam anymore, and sat in the dry sauna for awhile. Mo & Lo joined me for a moment, but I think that I enjoyed it more than they did. I then went back to my locker to put my bathing suit back on, and joined Mo & Lo in the jacuzzi and pool. I did try the grapeseed scrub shower for a bit with my bathing suit on, which was awkward. Mo left, but Lo and I stayed until K came down to join us, and we marveled at our wonderful time. We figured that Mo was probably hungry, as were we, so Lo & I went back to the lockers to shower and get dressed for the day. I should not have used whatever gloss stuff they had available for the hair. Or I shouldn't have used so much of it, because my hair was just blech for the rest of the day.

We had lunch at Big 3, and Lo gave me the evil eye. I can't remember why she did that, but I'm sure I said something wrong, as usual. Funny thing is that Mo, Lo and I all had some kind of eye problem during the day after that. Mo had allergies, Lo's eye was really red (we think it was the pressure on her face during the massage, but who knows?), and I had a stye or something on my eyelid. OK, maybe it wasn't so funny as it was a little bit eerie. Lo cursed us, man! K & I both had the All-day breakfast (of course, because this is Sherry we're talking about, here) and I had some iced tea with lemon-flavored syrup. That was interesting-tasting.

After gulping up all of our food, we were ready for more wine tasting. K belongs to the wine club at Chateau St. Jean, so we needed to go there anyway to pick up her wine club selections.

*2007 Pinot Blanc Robert Young Vineyard (honeydew melon, toasty vanilla)

*2007 Chardonnay Cold Creek Vineyard – I convinced Mo to buy this so I could come over & have it with her. Yes, I actually liked a chardonnay! Not enough to buy it myself, but enough to want it again.

2007 Pinot Noir Sonoma County

2005 Merlot Sonoma County

2005 Syrah Durell Vineyard

I didn't buy any wine here for myself. Something was wrong with me! Krina talked me out of coaster thong wine holders, which I thought were cute, but she just couldn't see them working for me. She felt bad that she talked me out of buying something, but friends don't let friends buy things that they'll regret as soon as they unpack them at home. :)

The courtyard had pretty arches, and we took lots of pictures under them.

Sher in her favorite pose

We then went to St. Francis winery, mostly because we were kinda feeling the Franciscan theme.

Our server, Augustine, was entertaining and handsome, so we were happy to stay there for awhile. :) Augustine joked that he built the building, painted the grape painting, started drinking at age 4, but doesn’t till the fields because he doesn’t want to work too hard. I don't think he was telling us the truth that whole time, though. ;)

Augustine & his painting

The Meat & Cheese pairing was not available that day due to private event held earlier in the day, so, of course, Mo would not stop talking about the cheese plate that we couldn't have. Mo loooovvveees cheese.

I opted for the Classic Tasting (free with Visa Signature) which had all wines available through retailers.

*2007 Rose Sonoma County (crisp acidity, honeysuckle)

*2008 Sauvignon Blanc Sonoma County (nice summertime wine with notes of cut grass, citrus rind & grapefruit pulp)

2005 Merlot Sonoma County (spicy herb & vanilla, black fruit) Winemaker Tom Mackey was named Master of Merlot

2005 Cabernet Sauvignon Sonoma County (black cherries, dark chocolate, spicy oak)

2005 Claret Sonoma County (Richness, backbone, cassis)

* Free tasting of 2003 Reserve Kings Ridge Vineyard Sonoma County (bought) YUMMMM! K bought a bottle for herself as well.

After making our purchases, we went outside on the back patio and enjoyed the scenery of our last full day in Sonoma.

K & Sher at St. Francis Winery

You can't see them very well here, but in the gardens were some Metal alloy oscillating pinwheels. I wondered if they were daisies. It was just so pretty there that I took a picture with my cell phone and it is now my new wallpaper on my phone. As we sat around and chatted, I arrived at my new pickup line: “I’ve decided there’s only one thing wrong about you. You don’t have me yet.” (Yeah, like I actually talk to people).

Out in front of the winery was a really pretty tree, which K climbed. I thought of doing the same, but chickened out. Perhaps if I had been as drunk as yesterday, I would have done it...and been in the hospital by dark.

K drove us around a little bit, and we saw signs leading to Bodega Bay, site of Hitchcock's movie “The Birds”. So we decided to check out some more scenery. APPARENTLY, Tippi Hedren is going to make a personal appearance on July 4 weekend. Darn. Missed it by *that* much.

Sher scaring away birds at Bodega Bay

Not actually by the bay, but inland, we took pics of the church & the schoolhouse shown in “The Birds”. Here is the church and the steeple, but there were no people. Except us.

After taking our pictures, we drove back toward St. Francis winery and decided to go to a nearby restaurant that was recommended to us: Café Citti Italian Trattoria. (Yes, we had thought of Sante for just one more time, but we needed a break). It was like a deli, where you order up front, and they bring the food to your table.

We all ordered Luca’s Garlicky Caesar (Slice of anchovy, lots of garlic bits). Mmmmm....garlic.

Our entrees were as follows.

Krina: Gnocchi with garlic cream sauce

Lo: Gnocchi w/Bolognese sauce

Sher: Linguini with White Clam Sauce made with wine, garlic & lemon

Mo: Mattagliati alla Citti -- Homemade Mattagliati pasta served with a tomato cream sauce w/sauteed pancetta and garlic (Mo ordered extra garlic, which I think she loves more than she loves cheese). Lo & I giggled as soon as she asked if they could add garlic to the dish when we were ordering our food.

Afterward, K and I ordered Homemade Almond Biscotti, which I had with Decaf House Blend. Mo & Lo had the Chocolate-dipped biscotti. Yes, they had chocolate, and I didn't order it. What the heck? Anyway, this was the BEST BISCOTTI I've ever had in my LIFE. I'm serious. I contemplated bringing some home to keep in the freezer, but then I'd actually eat it all, and that's just not good for me. It was soft, but not crumbly, full of almond goodness, and the perfect level of sweetness.

Y.U.M. SERIOUSLY.

We closed the place down. The busboy noticed that it was Father’s Day and only women were at the table, & wondered aloud to us what happened. We told him that the fathers were spending the day with their kids.

We went back to the hotel and packed up Krina’s stuff with the wine. Lots of wine. The trunk was drunk. Since K had to work in the morning, we said our goodbyes to her and she went home. Mo hung out in our room for awhile before going back to hers.

What a strange day. I liked a chardonnay, I didn’t buy wine everywhere, I turned down chocolate, and I wasn’t drunk by 5:00. WTF? I guess that means that our vacation was winding down. Sadness. But at least my last taste of the evening was that wonderful biscotti.

Next up: Spending the day in Burlingame

H.M.D.!

Happy Mother's Day to all of you moms out there!

My morning started off with a squirrel on my front lawn.  A dead one.  I'm thinking that he was in the tree and had an attack or something and fell out of it when he died.  I had no idea what to do with it, so I decided to deal with it after getting home from church.

I went to church and thought of Mama, and how hard it must be for Mom and Auntie Milda today, as it is their first Mother's Day without their mom.  I had sung some Mary songs in church yesterday, and got a little bit emotional when I thought of Mama, but I got through it.  Today, I could almost hear her voice recite prayers in the sing-song way that she used to at every Mass, and I smiled.  It was a teary smile, but still, I got through.  I'm sure she was watching over me and giving me strength.  Thanks, Mama.

I'm now waiting for the family to get here so that we can go to brunch at Acapulco. I'm wanting a margarita or a sangria or something, and now I'm getting really hungry, so it's good that they have a buffet where we're going, or I'll be drunk before the main meal. 

I called Animal Control, and they said that if I was comfortable with doing so, I could place it in a plastic bag and leave it out on the curb for them to pick up later on today.  My brother is concerned that the neighbors are going to think that I'm weird for just littering on my curb, so I labeled it to make him feel better.  Never mind that he lives all the way in Tempe and shouldn't care about what my neighbors think, but he's just being brotherly.  This is the same Bro, though, that at first had suggested that I make bird calls to have the crows come peck at it.  Yeah, THAT won't make the neighbors wonder about me, just the littering thing.  He's insane.

Anyway, he had happy news for me:  Brady is going to have a little bro or sis soon!  We don't have a due date yet, but it might be January of 2010, maybe around my birthday. If so, I hope it's a girl, so Bro could learn what it's like to raise a Capricorn Girl of his very own. ;)

What a nice day to receive the news!  Hope everyone is having a wonderful day today.  I certainly hope that, like mine, it gets better as it goes. 

Merry Tuba Christmas 2008

December 14, 2008

Tuba Christmas at the Alex Theater

My family doesn't really have many traditions that we follow at Christmas anymore.  Our big Christmas parties with other families stopped happening many years ago once they started to get too big due for a variety of reasons.  I'm so busy singing at Christmas Masses that my family doesn't even really get together on Christmas Eve, but sometimes we all see each other at one of my cousin's houses, to celebrate Christmas and a bunch of kids' December birthdays.  For several years in a row, we either had a pregnant family member at our Christmas Day dinner at our old Arcadia house, or there was a newborn or two.  I'm convinced that the Santos side of my family is most fertile in the months of February and March. :)

Jen, one of my former roommates, has made a tradition of going to Tuba Christmas every year, and we go to the one at the Alex Theater in Glendale to see a hundred or so different types of tubas on stage, playing Christmas carols.  The sound of all of those tubas playing together is really cool to hear.  They play one verse and refrain, then the audience sings along.  For some reason, the flyer that they distribute always has 3 or 4 verses of each song listed, which really doesn't make sense because we never sing more than one verse.  They also don't seem to proofread the paper EVER, because I'm pretty sure that this wasn't the first time that I'd seen "Hark the Harold Angels Sing" and "Angles We Have Heard on High" on the program.  We have fun, though.  We like to see how some of the musicians decorate their tubas with tinsel and lights and ribbons.  They even have a contest among themselves every year for the best decorations.  

Most of the time, we go out to dinner beforehand somewhere on Brand Blvd., then go to the Alex for the festivities.  This year, we went to BJ's, which was fine except for the fact that one of our plates got dropped on the floor and the kitchen didn't bother to tell the server, so when she wondered what was up, they finally told her that they were making another pizza for our table.  Larry never worries about being late to Tuba Christmas because it's not really his thing, so he didn't mind if he would have to wait for his food and just meet up with us later.  He got it in time, though, so he reluctantly came with us.  (Larry does enjoy the portion of the program with the professional quartets/quintets.  We don't sing during this portion, but I don't think that's the reason that he enjoys that part more than the rest of the program.  At least *my* singing can't be the reason!).  

This year, it was Jen and Larry and their girls Rebecca and Danielle, our other former roommate Jennifer, and me attending.  It had been raining quite a bit, and our organizer was really busy, but we're the core group that is required to attend, anyway.  I think that I've only been excused when the event coincided with a Rockapella concert somewhere on the West Coast.   

The concert is free, and seating fills up rather quickly.  We ended up sitting in the balcony, about halfway back.  Rebecca was very tired, and I think she lasted maybe one or two songs before she fell asleep.  We tried to wake her up for Jingle Bells, but she was completely out.  Danielle, the younger sister, decided that she would dance instead of sing.  There she was, doing little ballet and modern dance moves to the music in front of her seat, and it was quite entertaining.  Jen was worried that her daughter would inadvertently knock into one of the other audience members.  Rebecca eventually woke up after Larry had taken Danielle outside (and subsequently missed the professional portion of the show), so she didn't completely miss everything.  At least I don't think that she missed seeing Santa, but I'm pretty sure that Danielle did.  Or maybe they both missed him.  It didn't matter.  There were no elves throwing candy canes at us upstairs in the balcony this year.  Bummer.  

We went to Starbuck's afterward, and then walked by the petting zoo to feel sorry for the cold animals for a little bit.  Danielle really wanted to walk with me for some reason, even though she never referred to me by name.  (She just called me "HER" when she talked about me).  She had insisted on wearing her pretty shoes from the party that they had attended earlier, and liked to skip around instead of just walking.  At one point, she slipped and fell, and I thought to myself, "See, we learn at an early age that pretty shoes can hurt us."  Rebecca asked us questions like "Is Aunt Sherry my aunt?" and we told her stories of our college days when Jen had decided, long before she even met Larry, that her kids would call us Aunt Jennifer and Aunt Sherry.  

We had a good time, even with the moodiness of some people that aren't me, and I was a little jealous that Jen was going to the Tuba Christmas at Downtown Disney, which would have over 500 tubas playing.  Then I remembered that on the same day as the Rockapella shows in Rrrrancho Cucamonga and didn't care anymore.  Perhaps I should have just gone, since we all know now that Rrrrrancho was an Epic Fail.  Oh well. 

Merry Tuba Christmas to you and yours!  

The Filipino Family with a Southern Flair

It's fun to be in a family who, even on the saddest of days, still manages to find hilarity somewhere...especially from my Auntie Milda's boyfriend, Allen, the Arkansan.

Today was a really difficult one, as we laid my grandmother to rest.  We had a very nice viewing and rosary last night, led by my mom's friend, Linda.  My friend Rudy sang a cappella "Ave Maria."  If only those cell phones hadn't rung during his song.  I was surprised by my dad speaking about Mama, because we hadn't really discussed that he would do so.  His story was funny and emotional, and, of course, I cried many tears when he thanked her for being his second mom.  Uncle Johnny (Jenn's uncle) also said some nice words, starting with the fact that he only that night learned that her name was "Maria," since he only knew her as "Mama."  Mama's makeup was done beautifully, and her hair was in the bun that she liked to wear for special occasions, with a pretty cream-colored dress.  She was holding a rosary, and had her coin purse at her side, which contained her prayer book and some money, presumably to buy herself a broom on the way "upstairs," as Allen calls it.  I was hoping that Allen would be able to share a couple of stories with everyone because I love the way he tells them, but I guess he was too emotional to do so.  Papa's sister-in-law closed the ceremony with a rendition of "Amazing Grace" on her harmonica.  I had forgotten all about how she used to play for us when we used to visit them in Santa Barbara.  That was really nice of her to pay tribute to Mama that way.

Thanks to all of my friends who joined us that evening and shared in the delicious food that people so generously made for us.

Today it was my turn to sing, and I made it through 3.85 songs before just losing it on the last one.  I did almost laugh during the psalm, when I heard certain Filipinos responding "shepherd" with an "f" instead of a "p."  I gave a little smile to Rudy, because I thought he might know exactly why I had a twinkle in my eye at the moment, since it was one of the things he would do to try to make me laugh in church choir.  Bro told me later that one of those people using the wrong consonant was my own mother.  My cousin Marie and my Bro did a nice job with the readings...and then the deacon proceeded to recite the same reading that Bro had just finished.  I don't know why he didn't choose to read from oh, say, the *Gospel* from Matthew, Mark, Luke, or John, but whatever.  I guess he just wanted to reinforce what Bro said.  Then he started to recite the Prayers of the Faithful, which was supposed to be Jenn's portion of the program.  He saw me wave to her to go up to the podium, though, and let her continue what he started.  Veronica's eulogy was beautifully done, filled with bits of humor and memorable stories.  I especially loved it when she quoted Allen as saying, "When you say 'no' to Mama, it's like telling her 'yes' twice."  After the  ceremony in the chapel, we went outside to Mama's gravesite.   While we were seated and the deacon was sprinkling the casket with holy water, my godmother leaned over to my mom to ask where my grandfather's grave was.  My mom responded, "Over there, being stepped on."  

Thank you to those of you that were able to make it to the ceremony.  I know that many of you had to take time off of work, and I really appreciate the gesture, and I am thankful to have such supportive people in my life.  I sure did pick the right friends. :)

Thank you, also, to our funeral directors, especially Allison, and to all of those at Oakdale for being so pleasant to my family.

If you would like to see Mama's obituary and the slide show that was presented at the viewing, or you would like to leave a written or verbal message, please go to the Making Everlasting Memories site.

(If the link doesn't work, you can go to mem. com and search for "Maria Rojas."  There are 3 of them listed, and you can find her by the sepia-toned picture of her with my grandfather).

After the funeral services, we had a lunch reception at World Buffet.  They had a big selection of food, and I especially liked their sesame balls because, as V put it, "they had the right ratio of outside to inside."  Brady was digging on the fact that he had edamame on his plate.  He loves that stuff.  He ate half a package the other day at lunch, too.  

When our guests left, several of us went to the Tokyo Living shop, where Brady decided that he wanted a mushroom guy.  I found stuff for myself and one of my friends as well.  We then went to Tapioca Express and were overwhelmed by all of the different choices of drinks.  I ordered a Honey Green Tea with tapioca, and let others have a taste.  So here comes my favorite moment from today....

I told Allen to taste what I ordered, and after he did so, he said, "That was good.  I got one of Them Chew Balls."

So there you go.  Boba has now been renamed.

Excuse me while I go finish my drink with Them Chew Balls.

Mama, Mama

There are times when one is forced to think about the people in their life, and the kind of impact those people had in the course of that person's history.  I tend to think about that stuff a lot, actually, but wanted to share this one with you.

My grandmother came to the USA a little while after my younger brother was born.  Mama took care of Bro while my parents worked and I was at school.  She liked to remind me of the days that she would take Bro in the stroller to meet me at the bus stop after school, and Bro would yell out, "Ata! Ata!" as soon as he saw me getting off of the bus. (He didn't say Ate correctly {A-teh} for awhile).  Of course, being the brat of an older sister I was, I tended to ignore his cuteness, but Mama never let me forget how much my brother looked up to me back then.  

Growing up with Mama in the house was quite different than before she had arrived.  I was no longer the pseudo-latch key kid, and there was now always someone home, cooking her wonderful dinners and snacks.  Mama made the best cascaron, and she also made other goodies like pechy-pechy and palitaw.  Many of those dishes consisted of freshly grated coconut, and I can still picture her or my grandfather using a special coconut grater.  Nowadays they could just buy the stuff already grated, but this was made from scratch, and with all the love that good cooking entails.  My friends loved it when Mama would cook pancit and lumpia, too...especially Angela.  Angela lived across the street from us, whom Mama also watched over after school, and Mama absolutely loved to cook for her, because she loved to see everyone eat her food.  Mama also loved cooking for Bro, and always insisted that I should like the dishes she made because "Ryan likes it."  Ah, the Bro.  The Golden Boy.  The one who now doesn't really eat Filipino food unless you trick him.  He was the light in her world.  Well, until Brady came along, and became Platinum Boy. ;)  Today I emulated Mama when I heated up my food on a frying pan instead of in the microwave, because that's how I learned to do things before the microwave came to fruition.  Fried spaghetti, anyone?  Mama was a home economics teacher in the Philippines, and she made play clothes for us.  Unfortunately, her sewing skills did not transfer to me, but Bro might make you a duffel bag if you ask him nicely.  

Mama raised us to be kind and polite.  She'd remind us to say everything respectfully to ou elders, and wonder why we didn't like whatever or whomever it was we didn't like at the moment.  She always saw the good in everyone, which kinda made me feel guilty because I knew she was right.  She was a wonderful model of a Christian, always generous with her self, her money, her cooking, and her ear.  When I got older and wasn't at my parents' home anymore, I'd still spend time with Mama and she'd ask about my friends.  She liked to hear my stories about them, and wanted the latest update on everyone's boyfriends, just like everyone else.  I think that I probably owe some purses to people because I told Mama some stuff, but not to worry.  I don't think she ever repeated anything I told her, unless she thought it might help me and my mom get along better.  Daughters and mothers always have a special kind of anxiety in their relationships, and Mama was always there to help smooth things out between my mom and me.   

Mama was also very devoted to God, and always had an offering out in front of the house's Santo Nino on special days.  Whenever I'm at mass, I can hear her voice during the different responses, because she would say them with meaning in every word.  Anyone that tells me that the Catholic responses are just words being parroted out of our mouths obviously never met Mama.  When she said "Thanks be to God," you could hear that she meant it, and she'd make you feel it, too.  Today was the first day that I went to Mass since the event of last week, and I had to struggle to keep from falling apart when I imagined her reciting the congregational words.  I remember her telling my grandfather that he needed to go to church with us, so that he could see "Sherry singing in front of hundreds of people."  She was one of my champions when I decided to sing.  I thought of her face in the congregation today, and wished so much that she was there these last several years.  (She hasn't lived in the area for awhile, so she couldn't attend my masses).

We all have great stories about the way Mama would make us laugh.  Like the time that she was making banana rolls (turon) at a family get-together, and she was so busy laughing with her friends that she didn't notice she was using powdered creamer instead of sugar.  That was some odd-tasting turon that day!  There's also the time that we went camping and it was so windy outside that we all ended up huddled in one tent, listening to the wind whipping around everything outside.  As we all discussed how strong the wind was, Mama decided to put in her 2 cents and said that it was also windy.  OK, that's what we were talking about, Mama!  She just wanted to be a part of the conversation, I guess.  We called her "Echo" a lot because of stuff like that, and also because she tended to pass the time away by saying people's and dog's names twice, like, "Ay, Cadence, Cadence."  This confused the dog because she'd wonder why Mama kept calling her and didn't do anything once she got to her.  

Mama was also quite the dynamo.  She never could sit still, except maybe to watch game shows or basketball.  She was always sweeping up something, or cooking, or doing laundry.  The reason she broke her hip was because even though she had been told not to do any housework once she became more frail, she walked outside to try to bring in the empty trash barrels, and fell while trying to pull one.  Even after her surgery, she would sneak outside when nobody was home, and sweep up the patio.  The family's love of basketball was not lost on her, however, and she'd sit down and watch games with us.  To the rest of the family's chagrin, she became a Chicago Bulls fan during the Jordan era, and rooted for them even when they played the Lakers.  And they called ME the traitor when I loved MJ so much and I was still rooting for the Lakers!  But I'd always go to where she was watching, and Mama and I would talk about the wonders of MJ. :)

One of Mama's proudest moments was when she became a US citizen.  She went to class at the community college, and I quizzed her before she took the test.  She was 80-something years old then, and I was really proud of her when she came home, waving her American flag.

Most of all when I think back on Mama's effect on me, I think of that smile of hers.  Even when she didn't have her dentures in, I loved to see her smile.  She found such joy in everything (well, except for when Papa was irritating her),  and I loved to see the light in her eyes.  That light was never so bright, though, as the days that she spent with her great-grandson.  We're all grateful that she was able to meet him, and I hope that even as he grows up, he'll still remember Mama.

Mama passed away last Sunday.  It's been a difficult week of preparation for our final goodbyes, but at least she's not suffering anymore.  We've been comforting each other with our funny stories, and I'm thankful to have a family that is supportive and caring.  She's the last of my grandparents to go, and the one to whom I was the closest.  On Monday, I'll be singing as my tribute to her.  I hope that God grants me the strength to sing well. 

I don't know if I'd be the person I am today if Mama had stayed in the Philippines.  I owe much of the kindness in my heart to her.  I like to think that I get my smile from her, and I hope that I get the chance to touch people's lives in the loving way that she did ... so they can catch the contagious smile, too.

Goodbye, Mama.  I love you, and just like you never forgot who I was even in this last difficult year, I'll never forget you.

When did I stop being a Christian?

I was talking to someone the other night, and they asked me, "Are you Catholic or Christian?" I went off on a rant, and they explained to me that they just meant to ask if I was of a certain denomination or not, but it still bugged me.

This is not the first time that I've heard someone make this distinction. When the question is asked in this manner, it hearkens back to a time that someone told me that some people think that Catholics are not Christian. I think it had to do with the fact that we emphasize the importance of Mary, but I just don't buy it. I guess they're just ignorant or whatever, but I was never taught in Catechism that Mary is God. We just ask her for help to pray for us, as we do for the other saints. (Hey! Saint! That's me!) :)

Anyway, my rant included the fact that Catholics follow the teachings of Jesus, and we actually depict Him on the Crucifix, so where did the aforementioned people get the idea that Catholics aren't Christian?

I'm not going around telling people which church is best. What I believe is my faith. But don't tell me that I'm not Christian. You'd just be as wrong as wrong can be. I sing for His glory every week. I read the lyrics that I'm singing, you know. I've been told that when I'm up there leading the congregation, my love for the music and for God shine through and that I'm clearly happier up there than any other time they've seen me.

So don't downgrade me and tell me that my faith ain't real. These days, I need that faith more than ever.

It Makes All the Difference

Holy Week has begun. We had Palm Sunday mass last night, and like the Church does every year, the Gospel of the Passion of the Christ is read in script format, so that we have a Narrator, Speaker (whom plays the part of different individuals, like Judas and Peter), Chorus (played by the Congregation) and Jesus (whom is always played by the Celebrant/Priest).

Last year, our narrator was a young guy that obviously didn't do his research about pronunciations, nor, apparently, does he listen during the weekly Profession of Faith. He pronounced "Pilate" wrong, which we say every week, and other mistakes, but for some reason he did pronounce "Sanhedrin" correctly. It totally distracted me from the meaning of the Passion story. At least we hear it twice during Holy Week (it's also done on Good Friday), and I didn't have to hear that narrator until a regular mass, which he messed up as well. Come to think of it, I haven't seen him at all this Liturgical Year. Perhaps he was guided to do something else. Hmmm...

Anyway, last night, my favorite lecter was the Narrator, so I could actually concentrate on the meaning of the passage instead of pronunciation. He speaks at a good pace (unlike some whom pause every 3 or 4 words, thinking that this brings more meaning but actually makes it needlessly longer), speaks clearly, and pronounces words correctly. Imagine that. Bruce is the best.

So my Holy Week has started as a nice spiritual one wherein I can actually focus on what He's done for us. What a novel concept. It also helps that I'm finally back in good voice after weeks of yuckiness, so I'm ready for the many hours of singing that are coming up this week.

May your week begin and continue to be as satisfying as mine.

I Guess I'm Not As Anonymous As I Thought

So last night, I went to a local Filipino fast food place to check out their food for possible catering. The woman at one of the booths kinda stared at me as soon as I got out of the car, and when her husband took my order, I heard him say to her, "Holy Angels." It turns out that she had recognized me from church, which was funny because I kept looking at the guy and thinking to myself, "I know him from somewhere...where is it?" Well, they attend the mass that I cantor every Saturday night, and I think he serves communion. I then realized that their 9am - 3pm hours of operation for Saturdays must be due to the fact that they go to church on Saturday, since they serve breakfast in the morning. Note to self: try out their breakfast one weekend, because their food was tasty: http://www.jojosfilipino.samsbiz.com/



Today, I called them to place my catering order. The gentleman whom took my order asked, "You've been here before, right? Your voice sounds familiar." I told him that I was there last night, but he didn't remember until I told him where I sing.



I guess my voice gets familiar to people when they hear it every week. Maybe they're actually paying attention!