Tuesday, February 28, 2006

Sunday's Music Recital

This past Sunday, my guitar students had their annual recital. The music school at which I teach rents out Merkin Recital Hall at Lincoln Center, in NYC, and the kids get to perform a song to show their parents their work. Like most recitals there are the requisite performances of Fur Elise, Moonlight Sonata, Minuet in G (by Bach), and so on. Typical recital fare for parents to clap wildly for their 5-10 year old.

Now I don’t mean to sound cynical there. I am really proud of all the students who performed. It is something for a four year old to get up there and perform. That said, as a musician, there is only so many times I can hear these songs over and over again. Plus, I wasn’t able to really enjoy the recital as I had to play babysitter to the young kids and transport them from the balcony to backstage when it was their time to perform.

I want to share a story about one of my students, Maya. I have written about Maya before, in the post “Sometimes I Love Kids, Sometimes I Hate Kids.” Maya has ADHD and while being a creative student, she more often than not has trouble focusing. Half of our lesson would often be wasted in trying to get her to focus on playing. I was worried when she said that she wanted to participate in the recital because I wasn’t sure that she would practice hard enough to get a song down.

Amazingly, my doubts were proven unfounded as Maya did practice a lot. After two weeks of figuring out what song would work for her, she decided that she wanted to play and sing “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain.” For the four weeks before the recital, Maya was incredible focused in our lessons. She was always anxious for me to be able to tell that she had practiced. She went from not being able to play the chords in time, not being able to keep a beat, and not getting two of the three chords needed to sounding good to being able to do all three.

This is not to say that her performance wasn’t without flaws or mistakes. However, if I was to grade her I would have given her an A, because the effort and improvement that she put forth was worthy of such a grade. Before she went on stage, she was very nervous. I tried to allay her fears by telling her that however she performed, she had made an A in my book.

Maya took the stage and performed “She’ll Be Coming Around the Mountain” with no fear. She tore right into and sang her heart out. Her parents were extremely happy, as was I.

Now here is the funny part of this tale. The week before the recital we are reviewing the song. The last verse is supposed to go, “We’ll be singing Hallelujah when she comes!” That’s not what Maya sang. She sang, “She’ll be singing Hallelujah when she comes!”

In my head, I couldn’t help but laugh loudly and think, “I bet she’ll be singing Hallelujah when she comes! And it’s been my experience that she often does!” Of course, I couldn’t say that out loud. Also, I had visions of the parents in the audience cracking up if Maya sang this at the recital.

So I said, “Maya, it’s very important that you sing “We’ll be singing. . .” for that last verse.”

“Oh, ok,” She replied, ”I was a little nervous there and made a mistake. I’ll remember that for the recital.”

Thankfully, she did.

Thursday, February 23, 2006

Playing The Famous CBGB's

My band is playing CBGB's Lounge tomorrow night. This will be the third time that I have played that famous club. I am going to make sure that this time I take pictures so I have proof for my kids, that I'll have one day.

"See kids, you're Dad was cool once and he played CBGB's!"

"Riiiiiight Dad, you were never cool!"

(Click to enlarge.)

Thursday, February 16, 2006

Musicians


















Hell Yeah!!!

Monday, February 13, 2006

Holy Abominable Snowman, Batman!

Hi Webheads,

It was just the other day that I was telling my friends that I wish we were having a real winter. January had gone down as the warmest January on record for New York. It felt like spring. I normally wouldn’t complain, but it was kicking my allergies in early. Normally, everything is dead in the winter and the cold air kills allergens. Not so this year. After some snow in December, it’s been really warm. On Friday, the weather report said we were going to have a snow storm, maybe blizzard, with 6-12 inches of snow starting Saturday afternoon and going until Sunday morning. On Saturday morning, the report had been revised to 8-12 inches with the snow starting in the evening hours.

I guess I should have known that the snow was going to be worse than expect when I left my lessons at 2:45pm and saw this cloud formation in the sky.

Not a good sign. On my drive to Jasmine’s place of work, the New York Hall of Science, the radio report said that the was going to be a bit intense overnight, particular 4am to 10pm. Again, moderate snowfall amounts. After getting to Jasmine so stuff for our band, I went over to my friend Chris’s apartment to watch ‘The Return of the King”, the last movie in an all day Lord of the Rings, extended version marathon. It was a fun evening as it the group quickly turned the movie marathon into “Mystery Science Theatre 3000” as everyone was making jokes, comments and references to other sci-fi/fantasy movies. I think the repeated Brokeback Mountain references, and referrals to “hobbit-to-hobbit love,” whenever Frodo and Sam were on screen got to be a bit much. “Mr. Frodo, I can’t quit you!” (Wrong! Just wrong!)

The snow was starting to fall heavily as I walked home at 12:30am. There was about a 1/2 inch on the ground and there was that silent tinkle sound that falling snow makes. I crossed Queens Boulevard and walked down Woodhaven Blvd towards my apartment. It was eerie out as the clouded night sky had a tinge of purple and the snow sparkled in the street lights. Both Queens Boulevard and Woodhaven Boulevard were empty traffic. And the walk home was quiet. It's never quiet in New York City, now matter what Borough you are in. There is always some audible underlying psychic chatter in the background even if there is no physical sound being made.

My bed and room were warm. Fleece pajama bottoms and cotton flannel sheets made for a toasty slumber. I awoke briefly around 8:30am, and looked outside. The wind and snow blew heavily. My bed called me back and I slept until 11:30. It wasn't until my father called late in the afternoon that I learned just how much snow had fallen. You see, I don't have television, or cable. I mean, I do have physical television to be able to watch DVD's, but it has no interaction with outside media. In Central Park in Manhattan, they had a record breaking 26.9 inches of snow!! That's 27 inches my book! Damn!

Now I know my friends are saying to themselves, "27 inches of snow is nothing! Wait until you get 1.21 meters, my friend!" (See, I know you guys use the metric system up there.) However, that's a shitload of snow for NYC all in one shot. (For those interested, a shitload is a whole lot more than a buttload.) You're not supposed to cross country ski in the streets of NYC!














It is quite uncommon to see snowmen in Times Square!












They look cute in Central Park with skyscrapers as backdrops, however.















For one day the City becomes magical as it is blanketed in white. There's no traffic, people are outside having fun. Sure the next day the streets and sidewalks turn to a nasty slush, but for the day of the snow fall, it's beautiful.

That said, the next time I think we can do with some snow I am KEEPING MY BIG MOUTH SHUT! Y'all can thank me as I suffer through allergy induced congestion headaches for keeping away the next 27-inches-of-snow-dumping storm Where's my Allegra-D?

(Side note: Rented "Napoleon Dynamite" and "The Incredibles" through Netflix to pass the time on Sunday in bed. I have to say "Napolean Dynamite" has to be on of the worst movies I have ever seen. I'd rather watch Ishtar again! That is 1 hour, 26 minutes of my life that I will never get back! I was so looking forward to "The Incredibles" to make up to the other movie, but it was so scratched it wouldn't play. Wooden Duck! End side note.)

Wednesday, February 08, 2006

Juror Z-2143, Please Come To The Juror Box

So today I had to partake in my required civic duty as an American citizen and sit in the boring hell that is Jury Duty. Ok, so I haven't sat on a case yet. I just went through day one of jury selection. I have a feeling that after today's I won't be on any criminal trials. Today's case was a drug related case. A mother and daughter allegedly caught with herion and paraphenalia with intent to sell.

Judge: Is there any one here with members of family in law enforcement? This includes all federal, state, and local law enforcement, court officials and U.S. Military.

I raise my hand.

Judge:
Mr. O'Gara, who in your family is in law enforcement?

Me:
Well, there's my sister. She is a Staff Sergeant in the Army, recently returned from the 467th Engineering Batallion in Iraq. 8 years of total service. My father is a 25 year veteran of the police department of Rockville Centre on Long Island. My mother work as a court drug counselor in the drug court of Hempstead in Nassau County, Long Island. And my best friend of 20 years works is NYPD in a precinct in the town that this case takes place.


Yeah, I knew after I said that the defense lawyers wouldn't want me. The Assistant District Attorney, who was quite cute I might add, though, asked me further questions. Questions like did I think my mom's experience in drug court would color my opinions on drug case and my decision making capability on this case in particular.

"Well, yeah," I said,
"my mom's experience has color my view of drug cases. Will it effect my ability to make a decision in this case based on what the judge says about law and whether you prove or not beyond a shadow of a doubt? No."

The Assistant D.A. ask further clarification. I reply, "The law is the law. That is what I have to make a decision based upon. Whether I believe that an addict will get the help needed in jail, that's a different story. That is how my mother's experience colors my view."

She seemed to like that. The defense didn't. What I didn't share was that I thought the whole drug court system over in Hempstead was fucked and that my mom had a shithead idiot for a boss and that most of the people going through there were going to get revolved around in a shit storm of a system. Sorry for the run in sentence.

What suprised me was that they didn't ask about my father's 25 years as a police officer sergeant. I would think that would color my views more, don't you? I mean, I disagree with my dad on a lot of points, but I know he's dealt with more scum that he probably wishes to remember. And I heard stories, saw stuff that most kids didn't get to hear. I loved what my dad said about racism and I'll combine it with what George Carlin says. So dad said, "I'm not a racist, I just hate everybody equally!" And he applied that to the mutts he dealt with. The mutts weren't all black or hispanic or white. There were fuck-ups of every breed. And you'd be amazed at the stupid shit they did. Ok, no you wouldn't. You're educated readers, you've been to the site
The Darwin Awards.

Now I combine that with George Carlin and what he says about "innocent bystanders." There's no such thing. You were born. Your birth is proof of guilt. End of story. So the whole "innocent until proven guilty" thing. . .yeah, as much I am a liberal, I don't buy it. You get caught with by the police with herion, needles and other stuff. . . you had possesion of it. It wasn't planted. I mean, a crooked cop is going to plant a bag of weed of coke, but not a whole swarth of drug paraphenalia.

So yeah, I have a little bias, but who doesn't. And I can be impartial towards the Law. It is what it is, and the D.A. has to present the case, and prove it according to the law. That is what were are judging. I am not there to judge that whole system has failed, from the ground up.

I'm there just to be more bored and frustrated than at the D.M.V. And tomorrow I have to go back and sit in the general juror pool. At least they let me bring a book.

Friday, February 03, 2006

Oops, I Fell In The Gutter!

I have a number of written posts in the work, but I have been way too busy to finish them. But I don't want to leave you, my faithful readers, un-entertained. So here are some funny videos I have found or people have sent me the past few months that will make you laugh. Well, laugh if your humor occasionally runs in the gutter, like mine always does.

God, these made me laugh when I needed it the most!


1. Ring My Bell



2. Flamethrower




3. Farting Preacher Part 4
(For information on this nut of an televangelist, read this Article.)