Oh yeah, Paula Deen

So I made this recipe the other day out of Paula Deen's cookbook:

Sausage-Rice Casserole

1 6 oz. box of uncle ben's wild rice
1 pound of Sausage
2 Onions, chopped
1 4 oz. can of mushroom pieces
1 can of Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup
4 tablespoons of butter

prepare rice, fry up sausage, combine everything into casserole except butter. then dollop the butter and bake at 350 for 25 minutes

TIME OUT

I made my own variation:
First I use Thai rice, I just cant bring myself to use Uncle Ben's when I have so many Asian friends that would beat me up for using that. After cooking the sausage, I used 1 large onion and fried that in the sausage grease. I left out the canned mushroom pieces (if I had them, i would use some fresh wild mushrooms and would have fried those with the onions). And I did everything else the same.

FUCKIN CHRONIC!!!

Christmas, cooking, and new years

As you may have guessed, the pics in the previous post were just pics I found on the web of my Christmas presents. I'm not going to pose in my bicycle shorts or under-armor until I get ultimately ripped. The A's hat was given to me by Will to match my Jordans. The moccasins in this pic are the ones I got from my mom.

I'm bringing back Jello. After looking through many old cookbooks, the 50's and 60's were a time in America for Jello. This delicious fruity treat has since gone away for more trendier things like Crème bruleé. Its almost faux pas to make jello anymore. But all trends return eventually and so I am bringing back the jello salad as well as the bowtie.

As you can see my fish tank is once again beautiful and spotless. My bike is also lookin' great. Went yesterday for a ride with Steven on the fixie to OG and then to Sweet Retreat and back home. Need to get a pic of us on the bikes cause my bike is the angel and his is the devil with our opposing color schemes (his is red and black).

My New Year's resolution is to not gossip. I think this is essential in being impeccable with my word (Ruíz, The Four Agreements). When you say something bad about somebody, the universe changes so that it agrees with that. I think the same can be said for Racial Stereotypes. For Example: When we say Asian's can't drive and find evidence of it, we believe it. What if we all said Asian's are the best drivers? Then when we see evidence of it, we will believe it and that stereotype will be gone. I'm sure you all can find an example of an impeccable Asian driver equally as much as you can find a bad one. Gossiping is essentially the same thing. I don't want to be responsible for putting the negative energy about somebody into the universe. Will I break this resolution? Probably...but that shouldn't mean I can't start all over again.

My Christmas presents

Also a neck tie, some coffee, some gift cards from the kids, and a travel mug

Had a great Christmas Eve with the family. June got my mom buzzed with some of his great cosmos. Lots of fun playing scattegories and eating deep fried turkey. Went back to my place that evening and enjoyed some good times with the friends. Especially happy about Skyping with Kenny. He got to enjoy all the fun including a nice brawl between two brothers. It was hilarious because i made sure Kenny had a great view. Dennis and I just watched, Steven refereed. Good times. Unfortunatley chauncey got wounded in the face. It should be alright.

An Epiphany about my job

I figured out exactly what I love and hate about my job and it boils down to one thing...THE MUSIC!

Take for instance the case of the Illyrian Dances, I love the piece and find it interesting. It is a challenge to conduct and teach. Had all the students in band been of the ability to eventually perform this, I would have been happy about it. But when somebody gets in the way of my music making such as one section who never practiced and never learned their part, the frustration comes.

I'm currently working with the Chamber Choir on Ove Lass by Lauridsen. This amazing piece is extremely difficult. What I love about it is that it is challenging for me to learn to conduct and teach it. I get to make alot of artistic decisions about the piece and the technical aspects are difficult forcing the choir to really step up. With only one rehearsal on it, I feel confident they can learn it.

Last year I worked for months on David Diamond's Rounds for orchestra. It was very difficult and the kids didn't like it for the longest time. But I was diligent and the more and more I studied and conducted it, the better they got and the more they liked it. By May we had a great performance of it at the CMEA festival. I don't think we nailed it, but we came close. Its that kind of work that really made me love that class that year.

These pieces force me to study, do good rehearsals, and conduct well. This is what I love about music. If I could do this with every class with every piece every day, my life would be ecstasy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QMX3qv1N37s&feature=fvst

Thoughts about my concert and 2012

My concert tonight was bitter sweet. Orchestra played beautifully way beyond my expectation. It was brilliant programming on my part and brilliant playing on their part. Bravo to them! Band sucked big ballz. Its unfair to say that they all did, but there is just a level of immaturity that holds them back from playing brilliantly in the technical and musical aspects. I have tried so hard with them and I am at the end of my rope. I would rather give up on them then spend any more of my time and energy dealing with their issues.

2012
After watching documentaries and reading books on this date that marks the end of the world in both the Mayan and Chinese calendar, I am going to tell you exactly what is going to happen on Dec. 22, 2012. Nothing! You will not experience this date any differently than any other date. This date marks the end of the world as we know it and the beginning of a new world that we will live in. Let me elaborate some more:

Many of you are aware of the third eye. It is something that we all have and it is a mini portal to see the parallel dimension of the spiritual realm that goes along side us as we go through life. Time in this dimension is different and thus we cannot see it with our own physical eyes because we exist in a linear dimension. We can feel its energy and when we dream, we merge with it (hence we have dreams that may feel like days and we were only sleeping for 30 minutes). The recognition of this parallel dimension after 2012 is what is going to change in our lives.

Unfortunately for us peaceful people who can easily accept this, our evangelical brothers and sisters as well as our fundamentalist Muslims and Jews are not going to appreciate this. Atheists won't care one way or the other. These hardcore religious nuts are going to have a rude awakening and many of them will result to violence to prove that they are right. As civilized people, we need to lay the groundwork to not let them spoil our party. This is a time where the Earth will thrive, government will be unnecessary, and humans will be ready to accept each other as who they are. Commerce will not be what it is like today.

The rise of autistic children is a signal of this coming age. There is nothing wrong with these people. They are living differently in a world that isn't ready for them. Don't be afraid, just be open. The study of music, art, culture, science, and literature are the subjects we should all be studying. Eastern medicine, philosophy, and astrology are going to be the new subjects that will come to the front of education.

Concerts

So I just played 4 Christmas concerts and made some bank. The music wasn't hard, but I got this sinus infection that is killing the whole right side of my face. It feels like I got socked in the right cheekbone. Leland Christmas concerts coming up Tuesday and Thursday. I can't wait to get those done and over with. I need to spruce up my concerts more so I am inspired to make them better. I have been letting my kids get away with too much mediocrity. I spend so much time yelling at the kids who really suck and not enough time making the mediocre kids good and the good kids great.

Here are some highlights for Tuesday's Orchestra and band concert (7:00 at Leland Cafeteria tickets are $5 at the door, please pay so Justin can go to San diego):
J.S. Bach- Double Violin Concerto in D Minor with M. Akasako and R. Nishijima as the soloists
G.F. Händel- Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
A. Ginestera- Danza finale from Estancia
G. Woolfenden- Illyrian Dances
Christmas songs to include Patapan, Do You Hear what I hear?, and some others

Highlights for Thursdays choir concert(7:00 Leland Cafeteria, tickets $5 at the door, please pay so Philip can go to San Diego):
Tomorrow shall be my dancing day, A la nanita nana, Fum Fum Fum,
Willan- Hodie Christus Natus Est
Durufle- Ubi Caritas
Lauridsen- O Magnum
and some more Christmas favorites (ding! Fries are done!)

Merry Christmas Musicians