Tonight was Sonja’s junior recital…we had been anticipating tonight for several months and it has come and gone. We were really excited to shoot this recital because 1) it’s Sonja (doesn’t get any better than that) and 2) it was our first shoot with new audio equipment. I must say, I am pleased with the results.

The recital was amazing, as to be expected. Sonja’s voice is just perfect. I’ve known her for many years and it’s so cool to see someone grow musically. It was a really great recital. And of course, she looked amazing. But it was great hanging out with old friends. I really miss some of those people and it was really nice to be in the same room together.

I am excited to start this project…I haven’t been this excited in a long time.

In other news, I’m waiting for some software to install. I decided to reformat my hard drive tonight because it’s been running pretty terrible. It was sort of a spur of the moment thing, so hopefully, I didn’t inadvertantly erase anything I needed. I also chatted with Keri tonight…I was thinking about her, so I randomly gave her a call and we talked for a bit. It was nice.

Alright, back to my project. More later.

Long-term mortgage rates fall over past week
Declining borrowing levels boost sales of new and existing homes

MSNBC – A new era in banking begins

No, really…say hello to him.

I think Cyndi has officially named him Floppy Dog…because as you can see, he is floppy and he is a dog. Sort of. I know what you might be thinking…”what an uncreative name!” Well I’ve got news for you, bucko…we’re too busy making loans to be creative.

So there he is in all his glory…Floppy Dog. And me, sporting my new Fannie Mae polo shirt. And that, ladies and gentlemen, was the highlight of my day. Playing with Floppy Dog and processing loans. I can only hope that tomorrow is just as exciting.

Nothing like a little sushi between friends.

I was so thankful that today was Friday. The weather is starting to clear up, just as work is starting to pick up…and there is nothing but weekend ahead. Really nice.

I met up with Brian today for lunch…we hadn’t done that in a while, so it was good. We hit up Boll Weevil, which is always a good choice.

Tonight, I went to On Broadway with my friend, Marissa, from work, Liz (another girl from work), and Marissa’s friends Tanya and Lauren. It was Marissa’s birthday today, so we all had sushi and drinks and hung out downtown. I have to admit that I was pretty much feeling like the pimp since I was with four women. *grin*. But it was a really nice, kick back time. I like hanging out with Marissa…I pretty much find excuses to bug her at work…so it was nice to chill outside of work. The Zen Cafe is a really sweet place…cool music, lights, atmosphere. Definitely will hit that place up again. After hanging out for a bit, I decided to take off while the girls went to Martini Ranch. I walked around the gaslamp for a bit before heading home…but it was a really nice time.

I don’t have much planned this weekend. I have the place to myself while the guys are out of town…so it will be nice to clean (yeah right) and hang out.

I saw this place on the news tonight…crazy!

Ice Bar – Stockholm – Europe for Visitors

Just add water.

It’s amazing how a little rain can make Californians stupid. All of a sudden, people have lost control of their legs and feet, causing them to push on the gas and brake pedals at random intervals. It is the most annoying thing.

Perhaps we forgot what rain was? It has been 182 since we have last seen this phenomenon…so we could have forgotten what it looked like.

Whatever the reasons for this recent outbreak of stupidity, I can tell you this: it’s wet.

She’s back on the market…time to make my move?

MSN – News – Hilton Mulling Annulment?

Actually, it wasn’t…it was pretty hilarious. It takes me a little while for me to catch on to things, and the same is true for how long it took to get my butt to a theater to see Napoleon Dynamite. Very funny movie. I was laughing all the way through. I think I just might see it again. It is proof that stupid movies can be entertaining…I just need to keep at it. =)

I also got a few new albums in the mail today from my friends at Grassroots…Kristy Starling is an artist that reminds me a little of Jewel, a little Crystal Lewis, and a little bit of the POG Girls. Very cool sound. Actually, Danny’s girlfriend, Susan, told me about her and so I checked out her website and listened to a few clips. She will be in San Diego at Copley Symphony Hall, so I might go check her out. I also picked up Bethany Dillon’s “Beautful Sessions”. There is some awesome acoustic versions on this 6-track disc…including For My Love (one of my favorite songs) and Beautiful. =) <– aww, look at that…it made me smile.

Got a chance to watch Brian bowl a little today…took some pics and shot some video, so that was fun. I gotta say it was good hanging with “the boys” a little today. It’s been forever and a day since the nice guys were able to get together and do stuff. We used to do stuff all time. It’s funny how work and girlfriends unintentionally get in the way of stuff sometimes.

Hey…just made some changes to my main site page…just makes things a little easier to read and fit nicely on the screen. I wanted to add the random link…so now I have links and quotes pulling from the databases. I like it. =)

MSNBC – 30-year, 15-year rates fall over past week

It came today, and now I’m immersed in the sounds of Caedmon’s latest. I have been looking forward to this album for several months…because it is something familiar and yet something totally different. In this project, as I mentioned before, the band visited several different countries to create something that was a reflection of these people. It’s touching, powerful, and inspiring to hear about people who literally have nothing, yet no matter how beaten down they are, worship with everything they have. The band talks about the Dalits, or broken people. These people are literally treated like nothing…like less than nothing. Yet, their passion is so strong. Why can’t I be like that?

An excerpt from the CD reads:

In many towns, Dalits are not allowed to draw water from a well. They must go to the well to beg for a higher caste person to share, and often no one does. Hinduism tells them they are worthless, with no hope for change. and the caste system only reinforces these lies. so, when they hear the truth about God — that He loves them, He made them in His image, and that Jesus came to die so they could be with Him — they are overcome. In John 4, Jesus breaks social taboos and drinks after the Samaritan woman at the well. And then He offers her the living water. “A well of water springing up into everlasting life.” At first, this may seem like a call for social justice, and as followers of Christ, we are commanded to look after hte poor and weak, but in the end, it is a call to evangelism. We are bearers of the well that will never run dry…will we share the well?

I encourage you to give the album a listen. I think you will be touched. When I saw them back in July, they performed Share The Well and Mother India (Danielle really shines in this one)…and that was awesome. I think you will like what you hear.

Well, I didn’t quite do that, although I did wake up at noon (partially clothed, anyway) and I drank water instead of coffee. It was a nice start to my 5-day weekend, which I strategically planned way back when. It will be nice to sit around and do nothing for the next few days.

For a while now, I have been wanting to post some sound clips on here, so tonight I decided to slowly start putting some up and eventually I will create a little space for them. For now, I will post them sporadically. The first clip I thought I’d share is from the 2002 performance of Handel’s Messiah at Point Loma. I was asked to sing one of the tenor solos and ended up singing all three sets since the other guy got sick. Unfortunately, the week before, my own throat was having technical difficulties and eventually, I got sick too. With a sore throat and weak voice, I was popping throat drops like candy and drinking a lot of hot tea. During the concert, the first two songs were a little shaky, but alright. The second two (which I usually always nail) were sort of weird…my voice felt like it was going to give out and I had no vocal strength at all . I went back to my seat praying my voice would come back for the last two songs (the most difficult, I might add). I almost motioned to the conductor to cut them…but in the last second, I decided to go through with them. And they ended up being the two best ones.

So here is a clip of of that set, He That Dwelleth in Heaven/Thou Shalt Break Them…the audio is a little weak because it was copied from a cassette tape (yes, I still have a few of them around).

…and If you know how the rest of that line goes, you know that it’s from the musical The Music Man. That’s me. The Music Man. I don’t think there is a minute in the day that I’m not listening to something, and it’s really quite pathetic. I realized that at work, I’m either listening to KLOVE or MoonTaxi online…but mostly, I have my iPod plugged in.

I love my iPod. I’ve almost walked into the bathroom with it on! When I’m driving home, I’m usually blasting a CD and singing at the top of my lungs. At home, I have iTunes or Media Player going when I’m working or I am playing my guitar or keyboard. I don’t know what I would do if I didn’t have my tunes. Very often, one will stick out, so I have created a little section on my blog sidebar dedicated to sharing the “song in my head,” if you will. I will update this every so often with a song or album that has inspired me, cheered or pumped me up, made me think of someone, made me feel like crying (even though I don’t cry ’cause I’m a dude), or any other human emotion that music seems to have an effect on. And you may see some repeats as I do tend to listen to the same stuff a lot. So there you have it. Enjoy.

This week is something new…a CD by Watermark called The Purest Place. Great tunes from that one. Ironically, found it from surfing Pixelgrazer (yet again) and heard some of their stuff on KLOVE online. Give them a listen.