gud_2b_rabah's Journal
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Below are the 13 most recent journal entries recorded in
gud_2b_rabah's LiveJournal:
| Sunday, February 8th, 2009 | | 4:16 pm |
| | Wednesday, November 19th, 2008 | | 1:16 am |
Photos ... lots of photos
I finally broke down and created a Flickr account. So far I've posted pictures of: Anime Convention attendees Barbershop Harmony Brigades Belly Dancers Mystic Fire Many of my pagan friends SCA stuff including my two protegees, Gwendolen and Robin Go to http://www.flickr.com/photos/gud2brabah/sets/ if you want to see if you are there! | | Tuesday, November 11th, 2008 | | 11:05 pm |
| | Tuesday, November 4th, 2008 | | 7:53 am |
| | Thursday, October 9th, 2008 | | 11:00 pm |
Commodore no more …
As most of you know Barbershop harmony is a big part of my life. I’m a member of the Norfolk and James River (Richmond area) chapters (aka Soundworks), a founding member of the Atlantic Harmony Brigade, a member of the North Carolina Harmony Brigade and have competed in two different quartets, “Chord on Blue” and “Way Too Feisty”. For a good eight months I have been debating with myself about my continued participation in the Norfolk chapter, home of the Commodore Chorus. On September 13th I sent the letter below to the chapter president and music director: “I wanted to let you know that I am withdrawing from the Commodore Chorus effective immediately. I will maintain my membership in the chapter and stay on as the webmaster for now but I am resigning my position on the board and as the tenor section leader. Please feel free to share this letter with the board of directors and the music team. This is a decision that I have been contemplating for months and is not a decision that was made lightly. I have enjoyed my years with the Commodores and have made many friends in the chapter, both of you included. You have both worked VERY hard to keep the chorus motivated and moving forward and I really appreciate your efforts on behalf of this organization. I am sure you want to know why I'm leaving. Simply put, the chorus is no longer meeting my musical needs and hasn't been for over a year now. Because of my involvement with Soundworks and the Brigades I have grown less tolerant of guys who are unable or unwilling to spend the time to learn the words and notes to our repertoire. Eternal Father is a good example of this. Similarly, it is depressing to me to pull out a repertoire song like God Bless the USA and not be able to sing it because half of the guys have forgotten it. Finally, I feel that our performing level is not consistent and the nights that we have problems (tuning issues, over-singing, out of sync, etc) seem to be happening more and more often. Great performances like the Sandler Center just add to my frustration that we seem to be unable to sing like that from week to week. I wish I could fix it, but I don't know how. I've tried to help with the warmup stuff I've been doing but that doesn't seem to be making any sort of lasting improvement that I've been able to hear. I wish you all the best of luck at District and on your upcoming performances. I'll see you at Joe's holiday party. Sadly, Ross” This was one of the hardest decisions I’ve ever made. I’ve been a member of the chapter since 2000, took over as webmaster in March of 2001, and finally got active as a full-time singer in March or April of 2002. I made a lot of friends singing with them and served the chapter in a number of ways over the years. Some of those friends have moved on and I knew that if I left some more would follow me out the door (and they have). I was embarrassed to ask my friends to come to the local concerts. The singing quality was noticeably going downhill and the group’s emphasis had slowly morphed from promoting quality singing and competition to being a more socially oriented group that happened to sing. The drawback to this shift is that no one was being held accountable for doing their part to accurately learn the music. Both Soundworks and the Harmony Brigades are very strong on the concept that you learn your music on your own. With the Commodores more and more rehearsal time was being spent doing sectional work because people were simply singing the wrong notes or were so out of tune that they might as well have been singing wrong notes. It stopped being fun. I love to sing and will sing with just about anybody. I don’t care if they aren’t a strong singer or if they don’t know as much as I do about vocal production. If they know the words and notes and can sing in key with the rest of the quartet/octet/chorus I’m a happy boy. I’m not interested in singing with someone who mumbles most of the words because they never bothered to really learn them. I’m not interested in singing with someone who can only sing the right notes if someone else is standing behind them singing the part into their ear. I’m afraid that the chorus will basically implode now. They’ve lost three of the four section leaders. They’ve lost most of the guys who were able to sell ads for the show programs which brought in a sizable chunk of the annual revenue. They’ve lost the person who has produced the show programs for the last 6 years. They can’t get enough people to volunteer to fill all of the positions on the board of directors. They’ve lost most of the guys who were routinely chosen for major roles in the scripted shows they are known for producing. They used to put around 30 guys on the stage for a show or contest and they only had 15 guys at the contest last weekend. They used to score in the mid 60’s to low 70’s range and would be in the middle of the pack at the District contest (between 10th and 15th place). This last weekend their score was 52.8 and they came in dead last in a field of 23 choruses. I wish the remaining active members the best of luck and hope they find a way to rise above the problems that are currently plaguing them. I’m not sure they can. Current Mood:  sad | | Wednesday, October 1st, 2008 | | 12:20 am |
Why does my freakin' foot hurt?
Happy happy, joy joy. Went to the podiatrist today (thanks to my sweetie who made the appt for me). It seems that the pain in my left foot has a name - Plantar Fasciitis (Fashee eyetis). The quick layman's description is the ligament that connects my heel to the ball of my foot and supports the arch is inflamed, over stretched, or in some way damaged. The doc glued an arch support to the bottom of my foot and then taped it all up to help support it so it will heal. Can't get it wet, so no hot tub for a month (major suckage!) and showering will require plastic bags and tape. Blah. The good news is I can still wear my shoes over the tape so I don't have to wear some funky boot or splint and I don't have to use a cane. I'll have to go back once a week to get it all removed and retaped. This process should be entertaining - they say they can get the tape off without pulling out all of the hair on the top of my foot by the roots. Good luck with that. Once that is over I'll have foot exercises to help keep it from recurring. Yay. Current Mood:  annoyed | | Tuesday, August 19th, 2008 | | 10:26 pm |
Birthday Boobs
Subject line grab your attention? A buddy of mine asked me what I wanted for my birthday and in my usual flippant manner I told him, "Boobs, of course!" "What are you going to do, ask for them on MySpace or something?", he replied. So what the heck, here's your chance to put a smile on a dirty old man's face and make his birthday a breastastic one. Send me a pic of your boobs. Email it to gud2brabah@cox.net or send it from your phone to (757) 450-8238. Man boobs or girl boobs. Everyone can play. They can be fully dressed, covered but with plenty of cleavage, covered only by lingerie, in a wet t-shirt, nude but tastefully hidden behind something, full-on in-your-face naked, or covered by a cardboard sign that says "In your dreams, you pervert!" Be creative. Have fun with it. Surprise me. All contributors shall remain anonymous and none of the pictures will be shown to anyone other than my wife. Let the picture taking begin! Current Mood:  mischievous | | Friday, March 3rd, 2006 | | 11:59 pm |
We have a new car!
The deed is done. We are now the proud owners of a brand new 2006 Toyota Prius. Yes, we've gone green and bought a hybrid. I've never been in a car that only had 2 miles on the odometer, let alone owned one like that. What a trip! We got the package 2 version which doesn't have the GPS navigation system or the 6-CD changer. Jeanne and I can both read a map and how hard is it to put in a new CD, eh? There are two new features in the 2006 that we did get. It has a camera mounted in the rear of the car that displays on the dashboard when you put the car in reverse. It also has a jack built in to plug your mp3 player into the car's sound system. Pretty sweet! We still have Jeanne's old New Yorker for Gwen and Brianna to learn how to drive in, and may sell it to Gwen if she wants it. I'll post a picture or two on myspace once we can take some when the sun is actually out. | | Sunday, November 20th, 2005 | | 11:39 am |
Thanks to All of You...
I must add my thanks to whoever sent me the one about rats in the glue on envelopes cause I now have to get a wet towel with every envelope that needs sealing. Also, I scrub the top of every can I open for the same reason. I want to thank you who have taken the time and trouble to send me your chain letters over the past 12 months. Thank you for making me feel safe, secure, blessed, and wealthy. Because of your concern I no longer drink Coca Cola because it can remove toilet stains. I no longer drink Pepsi or Dr Pepper since the people who make these products are atheists who refuse to put "Under God" on their cans. I no longer use Saran wrap in the microwave because it causes cancer. I no longer check the coin return on pay phones because I could be pricked with a needle infected with AIDS. I no longer use cancer-causing deodorants even though I smell like a water buffalo on a hot day. I no longer go to shopping malls because someone will drug me with a perfume sample and rob me. I no longer receive packages from UPS or FedEx since they are actually Al Qaeda in disguise. I no longer shop at Target since they are French and don't support our American troops or the Salvation Army. I no longer answer the phone because someone will ask me to dial a number for which I will get a phone bill with calls to Jamaica, Uganda, Singapore, and Uzbekistan. I no longer eat KFC because their chickens are actually horrible mutant freaks with no eyes or feathers. I no longer have any sneakers -- but that will change once I receive my free replacement pair from Nike. I no longer buy expensive cookies from Neiman Marcus since I now have their recipe. I no longer worry about my soul because I have 363,214 angels looking out for me and St. Theresa's novena has granted my every wish. Thanks to you, I have learned that God only answers my prayers if I forward an email to seven of my friends and make a wish within five minutes. I no longer have any savings because I gave it to a sick girl who is about to die in the hospital (for the 1,387,258th time). I no longer have any money at all, but that will change once I receive the $15,000 that Microsoft and AOL are sending me for participating in their special e-mail program. This of course is over and above the money that a relative I didn't know who recently died in Nigeria has left behind that I can claim. Yes, I want to thank you so much for looking out for me that I will now return the favor! If you don't send this e-mail to at least 144,000 people in the next 70 minutes, a large dove with diarrhea will land on your head at 5:00 PM (EDT) this afternoon and the fleas from 12 camels will infest your back, causing you to grow a hairy hump. I know this will occur because it actually happened to a friend of my next door neighbor's ex-mother-in-law's second husband's cousin's beautician! | | Thursday, November 10th, 2005 | | 12:40 am |
Tell them that you love them ...
Do you remember the last time you told someone close to you that you love them? I'm not talking about your lover, your boy or girlfriend, or your spouse. I'm talking about your mother/stepmother/mother-in-law. I'm talking about your father/stepfather/father-in-law. I'm talking about your grandparents. I'm talking about your siblings. I'm talking about your children and grandchildren. Don't ever take your family for granted. One day they may not be there anymore. Remember to hug them when you can and make it count. Don't give them that tired one-armed I don't have time for you kind of a lame hug, but wrap both arms around them and hold them like you may never get to see them again. Kiss them on the cheek/forehead/whatever and tell them that they are special to you and that you love them. You might be surprised at how good it makes you feel. I know it will make them smile, even for a little while ... even on a bad day. Feel free to share this with your friends and family, but don't forget the hug and to tell them that you love them. Ross/Rabah | | Sunday, October 30th, 2005 | | 10:31 pm |
Let's try this again :)
Post an ANONYMOUS comment with the following: 1. One secret. 2. One compliment. 3. One non-compliment. 4. One love note, but it does not have to be for me. 5. Lyrics to a song. 6. How old you are. 7. How long we've been friends. 8. And a hint to who you are. 9. After you do it for me, put it in your LJ and see who does it for you. | | 10:29 pm |
Two
Two Names You Go By 1. Ross 2. Rabah Two Parts of Your Heritage 1. Norwegian 2. Welsh Two Things That Scare You 1. The thought that my kids may never move out! 2. Dying alone, unloved, and forgotten Two Everyday Essentials 1. Hugs 2. Music Two Things You Are Wearing Right Now 1. Wedding Band 2. Clothing Two of Your Favorite Bands or Musical Artists (as of now) 1. Gas House Gang 2. Blue Man Group Two Things You Want in a Relationship 1. To be loved for who I am, not what I can become 2. To be trusted enough to have my freedom, knowing that I stay because I want to, not because I feel trapped. Two Truths 1. I value my integrity and prefer to be viewed as a man of my word. 2. If you are female, attractive, and wear revealing clothing around me I WILL LOOK! I'm married, not dead ... Two things You Hate 1. Hypocrites 2. Fundamentalists - Muslim, Christian, Pagan, whatever Two things that appeal to you in the opposite sex 1. Beautiful hair 2. Full, kissable lips Two of Your Favorite Hobbies 1. Singing 2. Drumming Two Things You Want Really Badly 1. Be out of debt, once and for all 2. 1957 British Racing Green MGA Two Places You Want to go on Vacation 1. Norway 2. Istanbul (can you say Topkapi museum? I knew you could!) Two Things You Want to Do Before You Die 1. Win a barbershop quartet competition ... Division, District, whatever. 2. Escape from Virginia Two Ways that you are stereotypically a Chick/Guy 1. Gadget Geek 2. Classic Cars Two Things You Normally Wouldn't Admit 1. Things that might get me arrested 2. Things that might get me slapped Two people you would like to see take this quiz 1. Cathan 2. Ana Two of your favorite foods 1. Mexican 2. Oriental (Chinese, Korean, Thai, whatever) | | Tuesday, August 23rd, 2005 | | 12:37 am |
Might as well join the crowd, eh?
Post an ANONYMOUS comment with the following: 1. One secret. 2. One compliment. 3. One non-compliment. 4. One love note, but it does not have to be for me. 5. Lyrics to a song. 6. How old you are. 7. How long we've been friends. 8. And a hint to who you are. 9. After you do it for me, put it in your LJ and see who does it for you. |
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