The Steward of Gondor

Now this is going above and beyond. My short thought for this month is: 

Going above and beyond always makes whatever you have done more epic; however, is the time you spent on it used well, or wasted?

This guy was obviously bored. That amazing replica of Gondor is made completely out of matchsticks. Where do I even begin on the questions? How long did this take him? How many match sticks did he have to buy? Did anyone pay him?

In my opinion, this is awesome; but, unless he had some great purpose for it (pay, a museum, Peter Jackson is his brother) I think that this was not worth the time he had spent. I cringe thinking of the tedious hours of getting the mountain just right. This project is definitely an obsession.

I'll give an example now on the other end of the spectrum: I spent the last few days working on a Shakespeare project. It was a performance and so our group got together and decided to do a video web chat of the scenes from As You Like It. I volunteered to do the editing. So I filmed everyone, put it on my computer, and since I only had basic effects, I had to spend at least twice the amount of time making the film look good. Once the editing was done, I decided to go above and beyond. I added special effects, credits, and composed music for the majority of the 10 minute film.

Now, was it worth no sleep? Yes, it was, because it is a project I am proud of. It is not perfect, and there are so many more things I could have done to it to make it win Independent Film of the Year or something; however, I made the decision that I would go above and beyond, but only so much. There is a fine balance between an excellent product, and obsessing to the last detail for a 'perfect' product. The time I spent was well used and I don't think any was wasted.

Here is the my Shakespeare project:

She was looking kind of dumb with her finger and her thumb in the shape of an 'L' on her forehead

Smash Mouth sometimes says it best. Gotta love this song.
With my friends getting married left and right, marriage and wedding planning is constantly barraging my thoughts. I've been observing all the different styles and preferences that each girl(or guy) has wanted. Some I would really like to implement into my own wedding when that day comes. Mine will either be a Fall wedding or Spring. Winter is too cold and Summer is too hot. Plus, if you get married in Spring, you have all summer to be together and party and stuff. Music will be a big deal. I think an all out dance party would be perfect. Colors- probably blues and green, accents of red everywhere because I love that color. Food will be delicious, tons of fruit for sure. I would like something both inside and outside because I think both are great.
Now for the dress:

None of these will I EVER wear

I don't even know why anyone came up with these dresses and that they actually wore them. Gross! In any case, my wedding dress will look nothing like any of these, but I thought they were so ridiculous I had to put them up. Some I couldn't because they were pretty much naked. Who does that?! Commentary to ensue:

I've always thought of myself as patriotic, however, this has gone too far.

I hate it when you dream you're in your underwear... wait.

Two things: I don't think
this is the kind of glowing
a bride is going for. And
talk about fire hazard.

It's a garbage bag... dresses for under $5!!

Newspaper dress, fresh off the press. Get it now while it's still hot... not!

Recycled Baby Cradle

Balloon girl... I can't imagine all the time put into that dress.

Classy... I think she took her man's shirt and attached a curtain.

Poor girl, she doesn't even know she
lookes like a cake.

I want to jump on her massive train.

Mariah, who told you this was okay?

Peacock? It's the males, not the females that have those colors.

Hahahaha, no!

Worried the authorities will find you,
try the Camo/hunting wedding, a sure
fire way to make sure the wild-life
attend your reception.

I think she forgot the rest of her dress.

Last one which wins the award for 

"Classiest Wedding Dress" goes to the

politically-correct-hole-in-one-original

 

I hope to never see these dresses again. The end. Mine will look way good guys, don't worry. I have a pretty good idea already- I know what I want. Unfortunately for you, you won't be able to see what I have in mind till later. At least you know what I won't be wearing!

UPDATED! Here is my wedding dress. I think it stayed away from all of these terrible dresses and I'd like to think it's pretty classy.

Typical

Fun song by Mutemath.
Through the years, I've noticed a common trend throughout America. As I was discussing last night's concert and events with a coworker, I was reminded again of this observation and that is:

Band Directors are usually clarinet or trumpet players


Why that is, I have no idea, but one can speculate... me being that one (for Kelly.)

There are two kinds of teachers. Ones who teach because they know it the information, and ones who teach because they are good at getting people to listen/learn; one is the intellect, the other a leader. Some teachers are talented at dabbling in both, and I commend them as they are typically my favorite ones.

Now for the instrument part. As in my first official blog post, I opened up the idea that either the instruments choose the musician or vise versa. Now, if you read my observations on both clarinet and trumpet players, you would find that they seem to be completely different people. Interesting no? Clarinetists are generally intelligent for sure, which probably gives them an advantage to learning and being able to teach others to play. Trumpet players are generally confident so people are more likely to follow what they teach because of the seemingly proneness to taking the lead.

Trumpets lead because they think/act like they know it all, and Clarinets lead because they actually do.

This is definitely another generalization, but I think for the most part, it's true. The best teachers are those that can not only lead, but actually know what they're teaching and passing onto those musicians. Being truly talented in both is a rare gift and I've met a few teachers that have possessed this- two of them, I am happy to say, were my band teachers:

Mr. Depalatis (a euphonium player), Dr. Fullmer (a trumpet player.)
Thank you

Importance of Music

What makes music reach a person? There are songs that you can't help dancing to, and yet there are others that seem to say all the right words to explain how you're feeling. I've been brought to tears by some some, and seriously about the throw-up after hearing others. What is it about the grand opening melody of Star Wars that excites the audience and makes us all anticipate the awesome story about to commence?
Have you ever watched a scary movie with the sound on mute? It makes the film humorous. You laugh, because the usual atonal and nails-on-board tones are absent, and you have nothing but just visual to tell you something is scary. Music really creates the atmosphere. It takes you to a whole new level of experiencing the movie. Without the music, most films would be very average and forgettable. Does that make auditory experiences more memorable and influencial than visual? Could sound be better than image?