Missionary Impossible (Simpsons Season 11 Episode 15)

Funny quote:

Homer, the philanthropist, tries to spread God's word by reading from the book of "Puh-salms," and tries to answer the islanders' two questions about religion.

Lisa, Jr.: Amy said that there are lots of religions.  Which is the right one? 

Homer:  Well, not the Unitarians.  If that's the one true faith, I'll eat my hat. 

Ak:  If the Lord is all-powerful, why does He care whether we worship Him or not?  Ak just saying. 

Homer:  Well, Ak, it's because God is powerful, but also insecure, like Barbara Streisand before James Brolin.  Oh, he's been a rock.

Quote from Roger on American Dad

I am really getting into finding interesting quotes from pop culture these days. Movies and TV shows really can shed light on the status of society and its future. It shows both the good and bad. Really it has no judgement on good or bad and just shows what it shows.

Roger is an alien (from outer space) on the show American Dad. The "American Dad" is Stan who on this episode at Christmas about the Rapture (Rapture's Delight; season 5, episode 9) said that his wife dressed too sexy for church. Roger who is more male than female wears both male and female clothing. He came out in Amish type clothing before church and Stan stated his approval of his attire. Roger responded with this:

“Aw, I love your religion… for the CRAZY! Virgin birth… water into wine… it’s, it’s like Harry Potter but it causes genocide and bad folk music.”

This whole episode was packed with great little lines like this. It is on HULU right now but it is a trailing episode which means it will not be on there long.

Opera has lost three of its senses

At the end of the 16th century (1500's) a group of men called the Florentine Camerata decided to collect all the arts together in one big proverbial pot and call it opera.  It was wonderful to engage the ears with beautiful music and the eyes with beautiful art and dance.  This opened itself to touch the several of the senses.  Later on, a rather extensive aria by a not so important character started the opera.  This aria became known as the sherbet aria.  It was well known that food and drink were important aspects of opera.  

We have covered the sense of sight through costumes, scenery, action and dance.  We have covered the sense of hearing through the music and language.  We have covered the sense of taste, touch and smell through the food and drink consumed during the opera.

Last night we brought opera to its roots at a wine tasting and five course meal at Central Market on 38th and Guadalupe Street in Austin, Texas.  The Austin Lyric Opera proudly sponsors a group of opera singers for promoting the various productions called La Muse Bouche of which I am a member.  We sang opera arias, duets, trios, and quartets as well as some art song while the audience experienced different wines and gourmet food.  The crowd sang our praises afterwards but it was then that I realized that this would not have happened without the food and drink.  I am certainly not saying that inebriation helped the entertainment.  I am saying, however, that they were able to experience an external gift that tickled every sense.  Food and wine are an art and if you want to incorporate all art forms then these elements must be present.

Thanks to the Austin Lyric Opera, Central Market and to the beautiful and receptive audience that felt opera in its entirety.  

Unions for all; Marriages for the religious.

I had a conversation the other day with an older gay couple that helped me to stay solid and secure with my sexual ethics.  So many young people today will have sex with the first person that shows them some interest.  Some are addicted to sex and some have sex with people they don't even know.  Many people have done these things but I think we all know that it doesn't feel good.  A child will eat chocolate until he is sick and the adult will (usually) stop before that point.  As a musician I can sing a song a day and not really get deep into the music but if I have had that piece for a year, the depths cannot be taken away from that experience.  Relationships may not last forever but while they last you should take advantage of a growing and monogamous sex life.  You learn so many new things with the same person especially after the initial fear of vanities dissipates.  Once you realize that sexual beauty is a combination of energies that include respect, trust and the total opposite of fear, you will understand why people chose to get married and stay married.  This is a beautiful coexistence for people wether they are straight or gay.  Please allow me to share in a bond of trust with another human being.  Give all people a union that wants one and let the religious get married in their churches without the word keeping us from something that should legally be given.

Random Thoughts of a Recovering Divo and Enabler

Well, it has been a while since my last blog entry.  I finished my first DMA (Doctor of Musical Arts) Recital.  I have a chamber recital that will be at the beginning of the Summer that involves several people that I compile, a second DMA recital, and a lecture recital with a Thesis.  I have to complete these two classes and take 6 comprehensive examinations this semester.  If I do not pass a certain part of the comprehensive exam, I will have to take it again in the fall.  Most instrumentalists do very well with these exams because they actually perform this music.  Vocalists unfortunately do not perform this music so many of the devises that we should see are unrecognizable.  A vocalist with good piano skills does have an advantage in this area.  Although I think the exam is not exactly relevant to me as a performer, I see that it is important for me as a musician.  

I hate the gap between instrumentalists and vocalists and I think this gap is being lessened as the years go by.  One way is through "Collaborative Pianists."  This once was called an "accompanists."  I am not one for PC terms that are made for no apparent reason but this one is certainly appropriate.  I have always thought that the pianists was just as important as the vocalists and this terminology certainly helps to clarify this picture.  This term can be broadened to have a Collaborative [any instrument including voice].  I like the fact that we are now putting equal weight on any instrument.  

A diva attitude is just not conducive in this field.  We are still producing diva's on both sides because the teachers feel that the attitude or ego helps the performer.  I DISAGREE!!  I have been that divo before.  Mind you, I have tried not to be but you sometimes fall into without even knowing it.  I do not like myself as a divo.  We need to start adding classes to our program that incorporate Collaborative Counselors with psychiatry degrees.  They need to show us that a diva attitude is not necessary and unhealthy to ones psyche.  

I have been seeing a counselor once every two weeks and I usually end up asking him every once in a while if I am crazy.  He continues to say that I am not crazy which is reassuring.  LOL.  When you have a diva attitude, perfection is a top priority.  As a diva, worth is equated as perfection.  It is very apparent that I have some perfectionistic traits from childhood which gives me some anxiety.  This means that the diva attitude could mask some of this to conquer the anxiety.  I really think it can be done in a different way.  I haven't mastered that yet but I truly believe that it can be done.  

You know something very strange is that I really like to help people but being in the entertainment industry you sometimes feel is this really helping anyone or just entertaining someone.  I do think that music helps in many ways but I also think that it can be lacking to the type of help that I want to give.  I really like people and getting to know people.  I like helping people feel stronger and helping them to find a sense of hope and worth.  

Unfortunately, I have been doing this in my private life and couldn't understand when things went wrong.  I would like to help people universally and have more stability in my private life.  My private life should include people that do not need me to build them up.  We should be building our relationships instead.  If you build up a person that is in a relationship with you, it may backfire.  They may start standing on those building blocks and look down on you.  I refuse to get involved with anyone that has a deep seated psychological problem.  This may seem selfish but I can't fix it.  I am not a therapists and it would be best to enter into a relationship where both parties are standing on their own building blocks.  When someone says, I will change, do not believe it.  They want to change but you run the risk of enabling their behavior by accepting it.  I say separate from it and come back to it if they truly change and it feels right to do so.  This again seems selfish but I say from experience, people lie but not necessarily to you.  They lie to themselves by saying afterwards that nothing is wrong with them.  This in turn makes their self-lie affect you.  They will tell you that they have a problem over and over and then you take them back and that final time that you say NO MORE they then say that it is you that has a problem.  

I have a tendency to enable.  I see that there is a pattern of me going out with people that are addicted to something whether it is alcohol, drugs, sex, porn, food or whatever and I excuse it.  I will not do that anymore.  If I see an addiction, no matter how much I like the person, I will run away as fast as I can.  LOL.  I have met some people lately that do not have outstanding addictions and it has been very strange to realize how much I do not have to do in the relationship.  I no longer have to be a Daddy, or a therapist, or a doormat and the relationship can grow into something deep without an addiction being present.  I have no addictions right now and hope that status stays that way.  I do not take psychotropic medication which is not a bad thing but I never thought that I would be able to survive without something like that.  This has been a great thing for me because my values have gotten better.  I have become so close to my family and my old friends as well as my new friends.  I am still going through the process of not finding the addictions of others attractive.  

When I look back, I see that the stronger their addiction, the better I liked them and the more hurt I became.  I have seen a couple of my ex-boyfriends who were addicts lately and they no longer have power over me.  In fact, they are no longer attractive to me which could mean that I was in love with the addict and not the person or that I am just over them.  LOL.  I am dating someone now but if I see an element of addiction, I will RUN.  My last "boyfriend" was an alcoholic and I liked him very much but I ran and that has been a very good thing.  If we change to friends, I will be fine with that and if he never speaks to me again, I will be fine with that.  The good thing is that I am dating some nice guys.  They seem to not have addictions so if I decide to continue dating them or not, the decision will be based on something other than an addiction.  

Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve

This is the second time that I have hiked Wild Basin Wilderness Preserve on a Sunday Afternoon.  The weather was fantastic and the trail is somewhat short but long enough to have a nice Sunday stroll.  I went with a group of friends and we all went to Rudy's BBQ afterwards and pigged out.  If you like hiking, you will like this preserve.  Hope to see you out there sometime.  

SafePlace in Austin, Texas

SafePlace is a wonderful organization that is determined to eradicate violence in any form from our everyday lives.  Violence is a very hard thing to deal with, even in everyday conversation.  You cannot speak of these things to just anyone because they will try to minimize it in an effort to help you get past it and to keep their own hearts from breaking or dealing with similar issues.  The intensions of many people are good but flawed.  Education is one of the best forms of eradicating ignorance and SafePlace uses education to eradicate violence.  Some of the counselors have been there for 20 years and know the patterns that exists in this kind of lifestyle.  They are well equipped not only with recognizing these patterns but changing these patterns of thought.  

Some of their services include a 24 hour hotline, a place for battered persons and their children to stay, individual and group counseling, classes on protecting yourself and much, much more.

If you know of anyone that may be able to use these services, I urge you to let them know.  If you are looking for a tax write off, you can't go wrong here.  Please click on the first word of this post for more information on this wonderful organization.

What a wonderful goal to elevate our society to a level of peace in our personal relationships.  Only then can we start looking for peace globally.