Today in class a student raised her hand and said...

"I have a suggestion that you should shave the caterpillar on your lip

and right there (as she points to her chin)."

My students are giving me a complex.

When Apple hits home

I don't consider myself to be a very brand-loyal person, but if there was only one product that I'm brand loyal to (other than H&M, Häagen-Dazs, Mead Top-Bound Spiral Notebooks, Starbucks, Ed Norton, this Church, Southwest Airlines, Muppets, or this animal) then it's gotta be Apple. Yes I have multiple Apple computers and iPods and I eagerly await their long anticipated tablet.

But this is the first time I feel burned by Apple. I didn't think their highly frustrating and controversial App Store approval process was that big of a deal, unlike some others, until it finally hit home. Last July I went to the Piano Technicians Guild Conference in Grand Rapids, Michigan and met with the developers from Tune-lab. It was there that I first saw a new app for the iPod Touch for tuning pianos! I no longer need to use my rickety old HP to tune pianos, just my Touch! They said it would be due out this fall; waiting and waiting I finally e-mail them asking when it comes out.

On Fri, 20 Nov 2009 13:35:54 -0500, Sam Yam wrote:

I'm just wondering when Tunelab comes out for iPhone. I eagerly await its
arrival.

We are also eagerly waiting. It was submitted to Apply on October 12th, and its status is still "In Review".

Robert Scott
Real-Time Specialties

Damn you Apple. Hurry up.

Love,

SamYam

Invictus

This sounds super lame even to me, but I feel a special affinity to Africa mainly because I have two friends who have spent a lengthy amount of time studying and serving there. Plus the fact that I want to go to Africa really really bad and hike Kili. So when I see a sweet movie preview from one of my favorite directors starring two of my favorite actors about South Africa, it makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside.

In all seriousness, this preview really touched me.

This is cool and I want one

Gone Private

I did it. I've finally decided to go private on my blog. But don't you fret, cause it's a different blog just for this purpose. Just click here to see it. Can't? Well then just shoot me an e-mail and maybe, just maybe you can.

Renewal

I uploaded a few videos of Utah's Ultimate Trombone Ensemble performance last May, 2008 in which I was proud to be a part of. Watching all these videos have inspired me to get back in shape...playing trombone. So yesterday I practiced for the first time in months. Shame on me. But I also went running for the first time in months as well. Shame on me again. I showered yesterday for the first time in a day. I have some good habits. Here's one video. Enjoy.

P.S. - Thanks Josh for recording this. UUTE is ever so grateful.

Seven more lives

I almost died today. And unlike the incident earlier this year, this one really rattled me. I'm still reeling over it. On the way to work this morning, I got stuck behind a fleet of vehicles transporting a double wide mobile home down the two lane highway. Being the speedy driver that I am, I take the risk of passing the double wide in the other lane of oncoming traffic. I thought there was no oncoming traffic, until they came up from the coulee. I couldn't merge right because of the long double wide, so I had to slam on my brakes and veer left into the ditch. Thankfully they didn't veer the same direction as well.

I was surprisingly calm. It wasn't until I pulled into town and heard the repetitive thud of my tires because the rubber was gone from slamming on my brakes that I realized I could be dead right now. Dead because of my foolishness.

So this new "lease" on life has really made me think today. I'm living as if it's my last. Although I'm genuinely not afraid of death, I realize I would live slightly differently if it were just around the corner. Life is too short; I'm glad I have another chance to really reflect on what matters and live life to its fullest all over again.

Recognize and Remember

I can't help but think of the past on this day. I remember brushing my teeth, watching the morning news when the national news interrupted showing the Twin Towers. Then, like everyone else, I spent the the rest of time trying to make sense of it all. I remember praying that night in tears asking what now? Why all this ruthlessness?

My sincere and naive wish in this world is to have world peace, just like this woman, Jehane Noujaim. And like her I feel it can begin to be accomplished through means of self expression: music, dance, art and film. I'm sad I just discovered her today. I'm even more sad I missed her Pangea Day. Because if you know me well enough, you know that I always love it when people get together for a peace loving time, and I feel the mediums that does it most effectively the vast majority of the time are the arts, such as music, dance, art and film.

Jehane gave this inspiring TED Talk and in it she says, "the biggest danger in our future is understanding the other." What would happen if we truly understood the plight of our foe, or our friend, or the guy stole from me last week? I think we would be better off. I know it may sound overly simple, but I really don't think there's much more to it.

Private?

I have to admit, it's been hard to blog lately. All for a number of reasons: School's started, I'm getting back into a routine. I want to blog about my summer escapades but just thinking about it is so overwhelming and exhausting I just put it off. And well, the biggest reason: I find myself writing posts and not publishing them because of the audience that I know I have. Students, parents of students, peers, anyone else? I'm censoring myself. And it's killing me. I'm thinking of going private, but I don't want to. And the new girl living in the basement is smoking right now and it's driving me effing crazy.

Shawty got low low low low low low low low

I have a move or two to learn from this genius.