Hockey Thought for the Day

I wonder if Jordin Tootoo takes fighting lessons from Paul Kariya's sister?

Target for me!!!!!

You know those Entertainment discount books? They have discounts and coupons for movie theaters, tourist attractions, restaurants, etc.

Well, if 10 of you buy a book through this link, the Entertainment folks are going to send me a $250 Target gift card.

So I thought, hey, I'll give it a try.

Here's the link:
http://friends.entertainment.com/r/e1f381d8fa1010298b39

Preds nicknames

I think this is just a sports thing in general, but it cracks me up how several of the Preds have nicknames ending in "y". Listen to post-game interviews and read quotes -- they rarely call each other by their given names, preferring the "y" name most of the time. Some are pretty instinctual -- Sully, for example. But Vokey? That's stretching it.

Examples:
Coach Barry Trotz -- Trotzy (not Trotsky)
Paul Kariya -- Pauly (must be said with a Canadian accent)
Darcy Hordichuk -- Hordy
Steve Sullivan -- Sully (there was a kid at a game the other night wearing a Steve Sullivan jersey combined with a Sully costume from Monsters, Inc. -- classic)
Martin Erat -- Marty
Tomas Vokoun -- Vokey
David Legwand -- Leggy


There are notable exceptions, of course.
One exception is Jordin Tootoo, who generally goes by "Toots." That always strikes me as odd, since I have an aunt nicknamed "Toots." Tootoo really can't do the name-ending-in-y thing, though, because then he would be "Tootie," and we all would have Facts of Life flashbacks.

Other non-"y" nicknames include A-Rad, Mase, and Hammer.

I get nervous posting about hockey stuff, because my hubby is an avid fan and will know if I got anything wrong. That's okay, honey. Just let me know in the comments. :-)

Same for everybody else -- if you have any other nickname insights, lemme know.

The Immeasurable Value of Standing Still

One of the most valuable lessons I learned in four years as a voice major is the importance of standing still.

I saw several music performances over the holidays, live and televised, and they reminded of this valuable rule: just stand there and sing.

Now sometimes just standing there singing is absolutely boring to the audience. But standing still is much better than two alternatives:
1) contrived motions that don't make sense
2) unintentional movement

Contrived motions: This is a favorite faux-pas of religious music programs. Raising one hand, raising both hands, raising arms to the sky (everybody in unison, of course!) and the occasional stepping-in-a-circle all can be found at your local church at Christmastime. It doesn't matter if the subject matter is birth or death, there must be hand motions! All I can imagine is that the choreographer doesn't want to get in trouble for asking the choir to dance, so he or she designs moves devoid of any artistic sensibility whatsoever.

Unintentional movement: I got to enjoy some fine examples of this while watching a PBS special a few weeks ago. The program featured several ladies with lovely singing voices, dressed in flowing dresses and performing outside a stone castle. The scene was set for an enchanting concert, which was rudely interrupted by the bopping and nodding of the performers. This was not a rock concert, mind you -- try folk songs and opera arias.

One singer apparently decided that the best way for her to change notes was to change the position of her head. Thus, anything shorter than a half note required a toss of the hair. Another singer kept her head fairly still but was determined to keep time to the music with her body. The result? A performance more fit for the karaoke booth than an Irish castle. Both women had beautiful voices, but their performances were marred by poor performance practice.

In both cases, contrived motions and unintentional movement, I think the performers would have benefited greatly by standing still. While a bit dull at times, standing still can add dignity and professionalism to almost any performance.

New Switchfoot Album

YOU MUST GO BUY THE NEW SWITCHFOOT ALBUM.

RIGHT NOW.

At the least, you must go to Rhapsody or Napster and listen to it. The new album, Oh! Gravity., is quite exquisite.

I have been a Switchfoot fan for a long time, but I was disappointed with their last couple of albums. Too pop-focused, not edgy enough for me. I loved older Switchfoot albums for their raw-ness and honesty.

Switchfoot has now returned to their former glory. Words cannot do justice to their latest release. Go check it out.

My favorite tracks, for the moment: Awakenings, Oh! Gravity

Disclaimer: I do work with Switchfoot's publicist occasionally, but he has not asked me to review this album or given me any incentives.

[blink]

[yawn....]

[sleepy look]

Wow....has it really been that long since I posted? Gosh....

Today is my birthday, and it has been a really terrific day. In honor of my terrific day, here is a list of things for which I am thankful (just a partial list, though):

1) Family
2) Old Friends
3) Husband
4) Cat
5) Dog
6) Christmas and birthday gifts! MP3 player, DDR Supernova, etc.
7) My awesome sisters-in-law who give me cute things like "snail mail" stationery and Hello Kitty guitar picks
8) My House
9) My 'Hood (East Nashville)
10) New Friends
11) Courage
12) Blankets