30 Days of Gratitude: Day 7

Today, I am grateful for The Sing Off. It is the only reality competition show (pretty much the only reality TV show) that I watch. And I love it.

I first saw an ad for it last November - advertising the second season of a 4 or 5 week acapella song competition. I tire of so many singers who can't actually sing, who rely on auto-tune, etc to make their voices sound pretty. I wanted pure, unadulterated human voice.

I've always been fascinated and enjoyed acapella - from Rockapella on Where in the World is Carmen Sandiego to having a few collegiate acapella groups visit my schools like Colgate 13. To an all acapella musical called Avenue X which captivated my attention in the first 10 seconds, and sent me running to the gift shop at intermission to buy the CD (which I have done once and only once in my theatre-going life).

I thoroughly enjoyed watching last season's Sing Off having been blown away not only by the amazing talent and music but by Mr. Ben Folds. I have always liked his music - but he FLOORED with his musical technical knowledge. He gave real, intelligent feedback unlike his other two fellow judges. Mr. Shawn Stockmann definitely balanced the modern vernacular with musical critique but the same could not be said for their fellow female judge - a member of the Pussycat Dolls... and was nicknamed by me, "The Showpiece". My favorite group, Street Corner Symphony, sadly did not win... but it was a very enjoyable December.

I LOVED "watching" it with my dad. Mom and I "watch" a few shows from afar together like the Tonys or the Oscars... but Dad and I had never had a show that we called each other on the commercial breaks and commented about how AMAZING that piece was or how flat or bad the other piece was. We'd try to correctly predict who would get voted off and compare notes.

This year, with it being a main season attraction, on Monday nights and me being in town(!), we've turned it into a new tradition of watching it together.

If I thought last season was amazing, then this one just blows it away. I can't believe it started at 16 groups and now its down to only 5, as of tonight.

There is one group, Pentatonix, who just continuously blows us away every week. They are phenomenal. Their arrangements are, as Ben Folds and Shawn Stockmann say, sick. They are extraordinarily talented and they have not screwed up yet. And they have definitely been singing out of their comfort zone. 4 guys, 1 girl - and the girl both easily blends in with them and comes sailing out as a rockin' solo.

Groups like BYU's Vocal Point, Howard U's Afro-Blue or the Dartmouth Aires have also consistently brought some amazing pieces and arrangements to the show.

Groups like Delilah or The Collective surprise us in turn and disappoint us in the next which keep us on our toes.

And groups like Urban Method make me appreciate rap mixed in with non-rap music. Especially at this late point in the competition, almost all of the "weak links" have been voted off and from here on out, it's going to be a Very. Tough. Competition. Tonight was the first night that I had trouble ranking the groups. Usually I can pick the top two and bottom two with fairly good accuracy... but it was so ahrd to tell.

It is amazing when you consider what they go through - not only singing and performing a piece learned within a week - but they do their own arrangements.

I won't lie - I have EVERY album of The Sing Off from Seasons 2 and 3. I LOVE re-listening to the amazing work that was done and is being done on this show. Is it all 100% perfect? No... and I like that. It makes it real. I like hearing the flaws. I like hearing them grow. I like them hearing their mistakes and fixing them on the fly.

I only hope that people who never gave acapella a chance before are enjoying hearing it now and will explore acapella listening opportunities in their area.

So thank you, Sing Off and Ben Folds, for bringing great acapella music to prime time television... even if you had to turn it into a reality tv compeition.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 6

Today, I am thankful for good colleagues. This is both in general, and specific. I have been lucky over the last several years to have had good, even great, colleagues. Many are still friends and some, close friends.

But at my current job, I have some really great colleagues, if I do say so myself. Today, three of us were hanging out at the end of a full day and just laughing our butts off at the silliest things. It was so great to share stories, crack jokes, make unintended jokes brought on by tiredness and just laugh laugh laugh.

But really, it makes work more enjoyable to have great colleagues. So for those of you colleagues in the present, and in the past, I'm thankful for your companionship, friendship, etc.

Nothing is better than having work not seem like work because you are surrounded by good people!

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 5

Today, I must give thanks to Nancy M, who taught me how to do counted cross-stitch way back in elementary school. I forget why or how we met up for me to learn. I stitched some horrifyingly sloppy thing onto a hand-towel, which I'm sure my parents still have.

That was way back in 4th or 5th grade, and somehow I've still maintained it as a hobby. Its a craft that I really enjoy for it makes me work hard, and think, and yields beautiful results. That being said, please don't look at the backside of my cross-stitch projects, they're a hot mess. You're supposed to tie things back neatly, and the back is supposed to look almost as good as the front. 'Fraid not with mine, but that's how you'll know its from me.

This art, which I can put down and pick up at any time; and doesn't require maintaining a certain amount of thread tension (like crochet and knitting do) has allowed me to put time and effort into gifts such as non-religious marriage announcements and most often, baby gifts.

Too often cross-stitch is associated with religious sayings, country samplers, and other stuff that doesn't catch my interest. The more complex the pattern is, the better. I tend to steer away from cheesy and often find myself stitching Asian-inspired patterns. I did a vegetable wreath for my parents, I've done countless baby records, and a few other random pieces.

But my favorite pattern of all is the one with the Dalmatian puppy who is missing a few spots and is surrounded by dark marks on the floor. The pattern's title is "Achoo!" - I've stitched one and bought the pattern again for keeps. That is exactly my style and humor.

But another thing I love is that it is an uncommon craft for someone my age. In fact, I only know a handful (single hand) of my contemporaries that know how to, and semi-regularly, cross-stitch.

So thank you, Nancy M, for teaching me this lovely art.

Now, I've got to go finish this HUGE baby animal afghan project... I'm on letter "U" and the baby is due early January! Must get cracking!

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 4

Today, I am thankful for my iPhone. I never was one for a smartphone up until the six months or so before I got my first one. I wasn't even a huge texter at the time (in fact, I did not become a 'texter' until about 2 or 3 years ago), so a normal phone served me well.

But it was around that time that I realized I was spending all this time in a rehearsal hall, away from a computer and away from internet. Not that I was especially popular and getting mounds of emails, but I did feel very disconnected and behind the times. Especially after watching singers check their email and respond during breaks on their Blackberries or other such smart phones at the time.

Then years later, my computer had to go into the shop. It was too difficult to solve through the Apple Store, so it had to be sent off. Therefore, my only internet access was at work. Now, unlike most of my friends and colleagues, I have a domain name email versus just having a Gmail or Hotmail or Yahoo! account. And I could check my other email accounts on my slightly intelligent phone, but checking my main email could not happen. I felt very crippled by that.

Around that time was when the first iPhone came out. But I just couldn't jump on the bandwagon - even being the Apple fan I am - and I still had some loyalty to Sprint. But I learned more and more about the iPhone, and it was around the time that the 3G came out that the pull for a smart phone really really started to eat at me. In fact, my very good friend, W, was looking at upgrading to a smart phone and was trying to figure out how to make Verizon phones sync with her computer (because she didn't want to leave Verizon at the time).

We did a lot of debating and I decided that if she made the jump, I would too, contract be damned. So she did and I did. And I haven't really looked back.

I can't honestly say how I did my job to the effectiveness I have without it. There have been places I've worked where my internet/email access on my phone and/or my photo text capability have been absolutely vital for things to get done in a timely manner. There are so many appealing features that I tend not to notice its drawbacks (no Flash, sometimes questionable signal). The benefits outweigh the others - and I'm not a heavy data user and certainly don't use it to the fullest extent of its abilities.

It was the best investment I have ever made - for the benefit of my personal and my professional life. I don't regret it for one bit.

And just the same, I love the ability to put it down and walk away from it.

So thank you, Mr. Jobs, for dreaming up the iPhone, and helping make my life a little bit better.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 3

Today, I am expressing my gratitude for apple cider. I love apple cider. It is the right balance of sweet and tart, and I could drink gallons upon gallons of it. I get excited when I see the gallon jugs in the grocery store because that tells me that fall is here! And I get sad when they dwindle away because that means winter is here.

While I tend to enjoy it chilled, it is also delicious warm, and a bonus of spiced rum to boot! I'm not quite sure what would happen if I found cider year round. This gal would be spoiled!

I shall enjoy the tart goodness while it lasts and be slightly sad when it is all gone. If this is an addiction one must have, at least it is a mostly healthy one.

Have you had a mug of apple cider lately? If not, I suggest you do! You'll thank me later. Rum optional, of course.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 2

Today, I am thankful for my current job. I've had it less than 3 months (feels like longer!), but I really do love it. It's similar enough to my previous job (stage management of opera) but keeps me at home in a city I love, near my family and my dogs and still challenges me on a daily basis on one level or another.

My assignments are varied (from small to large, simple to complex) and I learn something new every day. Plus, I have really great colleagues. I really wish I could be more eloquent but its been a long day and sometimes to say it simply, says it best.

30 Days of Gratitude: Day 1

I've always wanted to do a gratitude project again - I did a version of it called the Happy List, which I might institute again soon, to help me see the positive side of things. And I have sorely neglected this blog as of late.

But since the month of November (how the heck is it November?!) has Thanksgiving in it, it seems like the perfect month to list/enumerate the things that I am grateful for.

So here goes, Day 1:

I am grateful for my family. Without them, I would not be who I am now in so many ways. They have influenced me, educated me, raised me, supported me in every way possible and are just the best all around.