Monday, November 8, 2010

The Universal Language



Greetings Salutations and Good Morning!
Welcome to The Bumblebee Protocol
Brought to you by the nearest Band Name Generator (Story coming soon!)

Memories from my childhood lie scattered here and there like grains of sand littering the boardwalk at the beach. As I walk the boardwalk some of those memories end up stuck inside my sandals while others resettle in between the many grooves and cracks of the wooden boards that make up my mind. Of course now is the time I have to wonder what the heck I’m even doing at the beach since I don’t even like to spend time there. Let’s just pretend I went to take some photographs, and ended up having to stop and view the scenery a little more closely.

As I lift up one of my sandals and pour the sand out I notice that these grains show details of the relationship I had with my mother when I was really little. Specifically of the effort she took to install the fundamentals of music within me as I matured. My mother has several degrees/certificates in music education as well as one in music therapy so there was always music in the house when I was growing up. I can remember lots of classical, jazz, and soft rock music, and I can even remember my mother playing her grand piano. We also had a slew of rhythm instruments that I was always eager to bang on. *wink*

When I finally achieved status as a third grader it was time for me to think about whether or not I wanted to play an instrument. It wasn’t like I had any choice in the matter however, because my mother already decided that I was going to start learning. I remember I whined and complained like a typical nine year old, but my mother held her ground and said that playing an instrument would help me with my academic achievement and learning processes. Although when she told me directly it was more like, “playing an instrument will help you do better in school.” So I was left to wonder which string instrument I wanted to start learning. Of course I wasn’t the only third grader whose parental unit had forced them into learning an instrument, as I spoke with my fellow classmates I learned that several others had to make a slimier decision. Between us all I learned most had decided on either the cello or violin with the majority picking the violin. After carefully weighing my limited options I was peer pressured into choosing the violin. You see I really didn’t feel like carrying a big heavy object around all the time, because I walked to school. And everyone else was playing the violin, so I couldn’t be the only one playing something different.

The morning of the selection I sat on a bench outside the lunchroom waiting my turn at fate. Presently my name was called, I walked into the room, and over to one of the music teachers who asked me which instrument I wanted to try. Naturally I told her violin. A few minutes later she had helped me position it on my shoulder and instructed me on the art of producing sound. Scraping the bow along the horizontal, perpendicular to the fingerboard, all I heard was this cartoonish twang. After trying several more times, and eventually smoothing out the bow stroke to a somewhat manageable sound, I was then asked if I wanted to try something a bit darker. Assuming the lady helping me meant the cello, I said yes, however, much to my surprise I was then given what looked like a slightly larger violin. When I pulled the bow over the strings I was very surprised to discover a beautiful, rich, sound that was much more pleasing to the ears. Finished, I was asked which one I liked better, I immediately pointed to the instrument I just played.

“Ahh”, the lady said, “you like the mellow sound better. “ She then scribbled on a paper, presented me with it, and said that I had chosen the viola.

Viola?? What the heck is a Viola?? I’ve never heard of a Viola??

My education about the viola started as soon as I got home that day. When I walked in the door my mother was very interested in learning what instrument I had chosen. When I told her, she was very happy for me, and began to explain as only a mother could, the role a viola plays in an orchestra. It was a different story, however, when my father came home. While he did provide support, his advice quickly turned to humor and comedy. Through my parents’ nurturing and my schoolmates’ tomfoolery I quickly learned there are quite a few pros and cons to playing the viola. Through the years the positives and negatives somehow managed to fuse together into one giant double edged sword ….with sticky rosin.


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End Post 2

copyright 2010 / The Bumblebee Protocol / all rights reserved

Monday, July 12, 2010

3 + 25

Greetings Salutations and Good Morning!
Welcome to The Bumblebee Protocol
Brought to you by the nearest Band Name Generator (Story coming soon!)

When one decides to undertake a project such a blog, they face several key questions that need to be answered. The first being, what the heck are they going to write about? After figuring out that question, next is deciding on the proper audience with which to share the love, sweat, and laughter. Finally, the last question to be answered, is inevitably the most important of the three. What in the blue hell are you going to write your first blog post about? Hmmmmm ......

When I finally convinced myself that I wanted to write a blog I needed to make sure I could answer those questions, as well as a make sure a few other important details were ironed out. But that part is for another blog post. So ..... considering you are now reading my blog, obviously I've answered the first two questions. Now the only task left for me to accomplish is/was number three.

After racking my brain with a leftover plastic fork from last week's dinner I have decided to post my answers to two surveys to generate interest in the random topics that are to be subjects of my blog. Both surveys are short and have very interesting information, make sure to give me some feedback when your all finished. I'm needy like that :)

Three Things

Three things people would be surprised to find out about me:

  • I believe in ghosts
  • I've been a musician for 16 years
  • I collect elephants ... and various other things

Three people I'd like to have dinner with:

  • Robin Williams
  • Philip Breuer
  • Craig Ferguson

Three things I hate doing:

  • Shopping
  • Hospital
  • Dust furniture (allergic to dust)

Three things I love doing:

  • Listening to music
  • People watching
  • Meditation

Three television characters I wish were real so I could hang out with them:

  • Henry Fitzroy (Blood Ties)
  • Rick Castle (Castle)
  • Jarod (The Pretender)

Three favorite movies:

  • Repo! The Genetic Opera
  • The Boondock Saints
  • The Princess Bride

Three things I must have when I leave the house:

  • My watch
  • My i-pod/music
  • My wallet

Three people I would most like to meet:

  • Johnny Weir
  • Scott "Raven" Levy
  • Tuomas Holopainen
  • Alternate: MC Escher (Already met Johnny)

Three best concerts I've been to:

  • Epica
  • The Cruxshadows
  • The Trans-Siberian Orchestra

Three favorite TV shows:

  • Criminal Minds
  • Be Good Johnny Weir
  • Castle

Three favorite books:

  • Catch 22
  • Of Mice and Men
  • The 25th Hour

Three favorite web sites:

  • deviantART.com
  • imdb.com
  • songmeanings.net

Three favorite foods:

  • Tabouli
  • Most fruits
  • Yogurt

Three favorite drinks:

  • Water
  • Milk
  • Iced tea

End of survey Number 1 ---------


Start of Survey Number 2 ----------

25 Things


1. I love to learn

2. Walking is not my forte

3. I'm a fan of Xtreme Card Manipulation

4. My favorite word is nefarious

5. I revel in confounding and bewildering cohorts, colleagues, and the general public with intriguing and enigmatic vernacular.

6. I'm currently friends with 35 bands on MySpace. You might say I collect them

7. I love thunderstorms. The lightning is the best part

8. I am Very easily amused

9. I've been hit by a deer ... and various other woodland creatures

10. I have a slight fear of birds

11. I'm a fan of pro wrestling

12 My favorite band is Nightwish and my favorite genre is metal

13. My favorite numbers are 7 and 13

14. I'm not fond of romantic comedies

15. I pretty much consider myself to be agnostic

16. I'm always searching for more inspirational quotes

17. If I were a nut, I'd be a cashew

18. I'm not a fan of sweets

19. I've always wanted to vacation to Iceland

20. I tend to have a selective memory

21. My favorite artist is Vincent van Gogh

22. Coming in 2nd place is MC Escher

23. I'm a Night Owl

24. I have a very dry sense of humor. I's so dry that some people don't understand it sometimes. (See Number 5)

25. The cake is a lie!!


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End Post 1

copyright 2010 / The Bumblebee Protocol / All Rights Reserved