(re-run) Jim earned his bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He took a job with Proctor and Gamble in Cincinnati, which had just started buying up food brands, like cake mixes and peanut butter. Jim’s job was to put the crunch in the new peanut butter, Jif. One machine chopped the peanuts into… Continue reading Hold the Crunch
Category: singing
The Conflict Within
I am usually quick at decisions, and I am happy with them. No, I will not jump out of an airplane. No, I will not go on that upside-down roller coaster. Yes, I will dance with you. Yes, I will come to your party. Every now and then I get myself stuck between the little… Continue reading The Conflict Within
Sparkle Hands
Tonight, at chorus rehearsal, I was surprised to see the risers set up in the country club ballroom where we rehearse. The concerts aren’t for another month, so it seemed too soon for a riser rehearsal. But as the director pointed out, we are taking off the week of Thanksgiving, and that holiday is late… Continue reading Sparkle Hands
Tone Deaf to Tone Deafness
I’ve been singing my whole life. I went to school when music programs in elementary schools still existed. My grandma taught me to play the piano. I would sing along as I practiced. I sang in the 6th grade chorus and sang in an octette at the Iowa State Fair. It never occurred to me… Continue reading Tone Deaf to Tone Deafness
It’s the Little Things
(re-run) A morning sunrise, skies streaked pink and blue. A warm dog cuddled under the afghan throw as I read a book. A hot cup of fake mocha coffee and a Madeleine cookie. A bunch of texts from an adult child 3000 miles away. A photo of my smiling grandson in his high chair. The… Continue reading It’s the Little Things
An Ode to Tenor Ed
Last night the chorus director mentioned a past member who passed away two weeks ago. Who wanted to speak about him? My hand shot up, but the director looked to the men and picked one of them. I used to be in that group when I sang tenor (the new director moved me to Alto… Continue reading An Ode to Tenor Ed
Breaking Bad in Blackhawk
(re-run) My right ear was plugged up, and I had a two hour singing rehearsal in front of me. I grabbed my chorus bag, my iced tea, some recycle bags and my jacket and headed out the door. I’ll stop at CVS on the way and pick up some Sudafed, so I can hear tonight.… Continue reading Breaking Bad in Blackhawk
Breaking Bad in Blackhawk
(re-run) My right ear was plugged up, and I had a two hour singing rehearsal in front of me. I grabbed my chorus bag, my iced tea, some recycle bags and my jacket and headed out the door. I’ll stop at CVS on the way and pick up some Sudafed, so I can hear tonight.… Continue reading Breaking Bad in Blackhawk
Back in my Fat Pants Again
(re-run) It sounds like a country western song. “Well, my true love done left me. He mosied ‘round the bend. It makes me sad that I’m heading back to my fat pants again!” In the winter, when I can hide under many layers, I am thinnest. Maybe it’s all the no-calorie tea and hot water… Continue reading Back in my Fat Pants Again
Cut Loose on a Saturday Afternoon
(re-run) “I like the way you dance,” he said that Saturday afternoon. Margo and I had gone to Vino Godfather, a cool little winery in an old Victorian house on Mare Island in Vallejo. The island used to be a naval base, judging from the abandoned barracks on the way to the winery. A good… Continue reading Cut Loose on a Saturday Afternoon
FIRST DATE, WORST DATE EVER! 