Gotta Love Josh!

Josh Groban is coming to Montreal in March 2007! I am so psyched! I saw him 2 years ago when he came and I promised myself that if he ever came back again, that I would definitely go, no matter what the price of the tickets. So, I am planning on going yet again. He is an incredible singer and all his classical training has served him well. When his first CD came out, I couldn't keep from hitting "replay" on the very first track (my mom still teases me about not being able to listen to that song only once). Talk about a very mature and developed voice for someone so young at the time (and he is still very young). I gravitated to the songs "Alla Luce Del Sole" (the first track) and "Alejate" for very different reasons since they are very different types of moods. On his second CD I found myself instantly liking "Oceano" (the first track...hmm, a trend perhaps?) and "You Raise Me Up", again for very different reasons. Now I have just bought his newest CD and will have to see what songs I gravitate to...maybe the first track? Anyways, I urge anyone who loves music to check him out to just sit back and enjoy the richness of his voice. What a treat!
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A little sidenote: I took a quick little quiz called "Which Josh Groban Song Are You?" at www.quizilla.com and it turns out that my favorite song is the one I am like.

Inside the Actors Studio Questions

I have, on occasion, caught the show "Inside the Actors Studio" hosted by James Lipton and always find myself intrigued by actors' answers to his questions at the very end. I figured, who cares if I am not an actor, I'm gonna answer those very questions myself. So here goes:

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1) What is your favorite word? Gargantuan

2) What is your least favorite word? Failure

3) What turns you on? A bright smile

4) What turns you off? Ignorance

5) What sound or noise do you love? An all-out belly laugh from a child

6) What sound or noise do you hate? Someone yelling and dragging their child because they can't walk fast enough to keep up.

7) What is your favorite curse word? Mother f$%*er (but I have to be REALLY angry to use that one)

8) What job other than your own would you like to attempt? Marine biologist

9) What job would you hate? Garbage collector

10) If there is a heaven, what would you like to hear God say when you get to the Pearly Gates? I'm proud of you.

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Simple enough...Anyone else? Again: Kawi or Daisylixxx? Some more food for thought...

5 Things People Don't Know About Me

I got this idea from the blog of someone I came across totally randomly. We have never met, so it sometimes feels like I have a cyber pen pal (I grew up loving to write to people and had lots of pen pals that I met briefly through vacations or basketball tournaments). Anyways...Let's see...what can I tell people that they don't know about me? Here goes nothing:

1) I can wiggle my nose like a bunny.

2) I have perfect pitch (and only now am starting to appreciate it when singing).

3) My stomach growls so loud that it sounds like I am harboring a monster in there! And it's genetic! (Dad is the same way).

4) My toes are so long that people tease me saying they look like fingers (but the baby toe is so small that if I wear sandals with one strap across the foot, it looks like I only have four toes!).

5) I once won a dance competition at a night club in Korea (and only after the DJ prompted me to join...even though I was red with embarrassment).

So there you go, you now know me a little bit better :) Who wants to be the next one to attack this one? Kawi? Daisylixxx?

The Age Old Question...

Vacation Destination: Florida

My week in Florida is quickly coming to a close. I must say that the constant daily sunshine has been a VERY nice change from what I left behind. This time of year is perfect for me because there is absolutely NO humidity. I love it! The nice cool breeze, lack of humidity and daily sun were just what I needed after a hectic couple of months (new job, new home). It's been nice spending time with the family as well, since we only get to see each other once or twice a year. I'm glad that they have such a good life down here, but I am quite content to stay in my neck of the woods (even if that means I have to get through conditions of -40 with windchill in January every year). The palm trees are beautiful out here, but I could never trade my autumn colors for them. Maybe when I am retired...but that's not for a very LONG time! For now Florida will just have to remain a vacation destination :)

How to Take Yourself Out of a Competition in 5 Seconds Flat!

Well, as I am sitting here in sunny Florida, on vacation now, I am looking back over the last 24 hours and the craziness that took place...

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I was in Jacksonville for an international barbershop convention and contest (IC&C), but never got to compete. I had the worst case of food poisoning I have ever experienced! After having had a horrible early morning where the bathroom was my best friend, I seemed to be doing a bit better after having been up for a few hours after breakfast time. I managed to get through physical and vocal warm-ups with the chorus and then had an hour and a half to get make-up done and get into costume. That's when I got hit...Not feeling particularly well, I rushed into the washroom yet again and within a few seconds of being in there started to feel extremely light-headed. Being the smart person that I am, I got myself down to the ground in case of any fainting spells and the next thing I knew, I was staring up at my roommates trying to get the bathroom door open because I was sprawled out on the floor blocking entry! Apparently, they had heard a THUMP! and came rushing to the door calling my name with no replies coming back. Talk about a great way to worry people...yeesh! (No worries, it seems that the sound was not my head smacking anything. It seems that my elbow took the brunt of the fall because it is really tender and I have no bumps on my head...talk about lucky!) So needless to say that I ended up in bed getting some much-needed rest and missing the whole competition. Thank goodness I didn't fly out here only to compete. That would have been a ton of money for nothing! Now I am going to enjoy the rest of my time out here visiting the family. It's just too bad that the only time they have ever been able to see what I do, I wasn't even on stage. At least they saw the rest of the chorus before we drove 5 hours to get back "home".

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Check out the results from the competition at www.harmonyinc.org and check out my chorus at www.montrealcityvoices.com.