Month: November 2024

Bake Sale Boogie

The Portly Politico8 Comments

Yesterday my Middle and High School Music Ensemble students hosted a bake sale fundraiser.  We’re hoping to get some sweet new drum heads for the two kits we have in our classroom, and possibly update some cymbals.  With two classes and six energetic drummers (they have to rotate around between the kits), our heads are dented and dimpled, and our cymbals are looking pretty forlorn.

Shockingly, I’d never done a bake sale before in all of my years of private school teaching.  We’re constantly begging for—uh, I mean, fundraising—for money, as we’re a private school, and tuition only covers about 75% of the cost of a student’s education, and I have never been one to grovel for handouts (except for on this blog, where I do it constantly; but it’s the Internet, so does that really even count as Reality?).  As such, I try to keep requests from parents to a minimum, even though many of them do donate generously when we need certain items.

One of my seniors proposed the bake sale, which she took on as an unofficial class project (and college application booster).  She did the important legwork of clearing it with the administration, and put together a nice flyer.  I coordinated with parents and students about obtaining baked goods, and to be sure to list allergens, etc.  I mean, I don’t really believe in peanut allergies, but somebody does, so I have to do my due diligence (to be clear, I do believe in peanut allergies, but I doubt they’re as widespread as everyone claims).

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Open Mic Adventures CV: “Promenade”

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I’ve released nine albums and/or EPs of instrumental music this year, with a tenth, Leftovers III, hopefully releasing the day after Thanksgiving (I need to sit down and write some music).  I have really enjoyed composing and publishing so much music this year, but there is a downside:  some releases can get lost in the shuffle.

That seems to be the case with Math: And Other Delights, which popped out into the world in early September.  Sandwiched between the provocatively-titled White Boy Summer and my personal favorite, Spooky Season III, I don’t think I promoted Math as thoroughly as I should have.

Well, better late than never!  This week’s selection is an upbeat little selection from the album, its penultimate track.

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SubscribeStar Saturday: In Search of Power Plugs at Universal Studios

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Today’s post is a SubscribeStar Saturday exclusive.  To read the full post, subscribe to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more.  For a full rundown of everything your subscription gets, click here.

Yours portly recently returned from one of his many trips to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida.  It was a fun-filled trip with my family.  We rode all the classic rides, ate all the classic foods, and bought all the classic souvenirs.  It was a testament to middle-class frivolity and excess, which is what vacation is supposed to be here in the United States.

Readers will know all about my prior excursions to Universal Studios; indeed, there’s an essay or two about my trips there in my poor-selling second book, Arizonan Sojourn, South Carolinian Dreams: And Other Adventures (that’s an Amazon Affiliate link; I receive a portion of the proceeds from any purchase made through that link, at no additional cost to you; I also get royalties if you buy the book!).  There’s not much that I haven’t already said about the vaunted theme park and its many fun attractions.

So I thought I’d focus a bit on a side quest, of sorts, that I embarked upon during our visit.  I have an aging iPhone SE.  The phone possesses a battery that is well past its prime and in need of service.  As yours portly does quite a bit of business (and pleasure) via phone, I haven’t taken the plunge to send it off to get replaced.  The idea of being phone-less for a week is rather daunting, my past anti-cellular rants notwithstanding.  Yes, I’m a hypocrite, dear reader, and a proud one.

At this point, I am essentially going to use the phone until I can easily obtain a replacement, and seamlessly port my service to a new phone—no need for that painfully long period of disconnected existence.  Of course, the downside is that I wandering in this world with a phone battery with less charge than a hand-turned jack-in-a-box.  Couple that with a niece and nephews hungry to the fast-paced world of mobile gaming, and you can see the kind of low-battery predicament yours portly found himself in this past weekend.

So, the side quest:  I was on a constant, vigilant hunt for power outlets during our trip.  It may surprise you, but Universal Studios does not exactly have easily accessible power outlets thrown out into the world on full display, eagerly awaiting the powerful connection of a pronged interloper thrusting into its sockets.  As such, I quickly learned the subtle art of eagle-eyed socket detection.

To read the rest of this post, subscribe to my SubscribeStar page for $1 a month or more.

Phone it in Friday LXXII: YouTube Roundup XXVIII: “The Star-Spangled Banner”

The Portly Politico4 Comments

It’s been a patriotic couple of weeks, and yours portly has fallen woefully behind on uploading hot new content to YouTube (and this blog).

The solution?  Phone it in with an impromptu, live rendition of “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the National Anthem of the United States.

My school had a home [American] football game on Friday, 1 November 2024.  Yours portly had neglected to recruit a student to sing the Anthem, as is my school’s Friday night custom.  I decided instead to play it on my sax once I realized my mistake.

When I got to school that night, it hit me that I’d made a terrible mistake:  I’d left my beautiful blue Slade saxophone at home!  But yours portly is the king of the last-minute solution, and I remembered that I had a student’s horn in my classroom.

Fortunately, the kid had some good reeds (I owe him one), and after a little warming up, I was ready to roll!

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TBT^4: Resist the Black Pill

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What a difference a year makes!  Trump is back—and America with him.  What a time to be alive!

It is, perhaps, a good reminder that the vagaries of the American election cycle are too unpredictable and short-term for us to pin our hopes and dreams on any one election.  I’d argue, however, that this year’s presidential election is the exception.  It was, in many ways, the culmination of many years of struggle and torment, even pre-dating the first Trump administration.

Regardless, it’s worth remembering that things are often darkest before the dawn.  And it is morning in America, baby!

With that, here is “TBT^2: Resist the Black Pill“:

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Back to Reality

The Portly Politico2 Comments

Yours portly has been out of town for a few days and is behind on the blog.  Today is my first day back to Reality, so I’m going to do some adjustments and come back strong tomorrow with some fresh content.

Here’s hoping everyone is having a great week.  Thanks to everyone for leaving such great comments on Monday’s post; I’ll be catching up and responding to those soon.

Happy Hump Day!

—TPP

Open Mic Adventures CIV: “Heavy Metal Mummy”

The Portly Politico4 Comments

Yours portly is on his way back from a family trip to Universal Studios in Orlando, Florida, where I very likely rode The Mummy, an exceptional indoor rollercoaster based on the 1999 film of the same name.

As such, it seemed appropriate to feature the first track from Spooky Season III, “Heavy Metal Mummy“; it’s a really fun jam to kick off the album, and I particularly love the spaghetti Western vibe it has, especially in the B section of the piece.

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Memorable Monday^2: Veterans’ Day 2018, Commemoration of the Great War, and Poppies

The Portly Politico12 Comments

After the ultra-patriotism of last week, it seems only fitting to take a day to honor those who were the ultra-ultra-patriots:  the men who fought and sometimes died for their country.

I don’t have much to add here that hasn’t already been said, but I am thankful for those who gave their service and even their lives so that we might be free.  Nothing is more quintessentially American.

With that, here is “Memorable Monday: Veterans’ Day 2018, Commemoration of the Great War, and Poppies“:

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