Chapel Lesson: Being Thankful in the Storm

Right before Thanksgiving Break I prepared a chapel devotional for school.  It went undelivered, as our regular chaplain returned after weeks in the hospital.

It turns out that he had a large tumor along a major artery, and nearly bled out and died on at least two occasions.  He has been diagnosed with stage four cancer, and has already begun the usual regimen of chemotherapy and radiation.  Please lift up Father Jason Hamshaw in your prayers.

While I did not deliver this message, it seemed apropos to Father Hamshaw’s diagnosis, and something we all need to remember from time to time.  Here is my message on “Being Thankful in the Storm”:

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Open Mic Adventures LVII: “Firefly Dance”

Over Thanksgiving Break, I renewed my subscription to Noteflight Premium and began fooling around with the software again.  My niece and nephews found it fascinating, and starting writing their own little compositions.

They asked me to write something, and I started with a simple theme in 3/4, which would become “Firefly Dance.”  After they left to go back to their home, I buckled down and expanded the theme into the piece I’m featuring today.

In order to have a working YouTube version available, I scheduled the video to go live this morning (Tuesday, 28 November 2023).

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Monday Morning Movie Review: Hard Rock Zombies (1985) and Hard Rock Nightmare (1988)

Ah, yes—the air is turning crisp and cool.  Stores are bustling with busy shoppers.  Christmas music is blaring across the land.

What better time of year to review two little-known 1980s flicks with “Hard Rock” in their titles?

So it is that I’m diving into a twin review of two quite different films:  Hard Rock Zombies (1985) and Hard Rock Nightmare (1988).

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Lazy Sunday CXXVIII: 2023 Releases

It’s been a prolific year for short-form electronic composing for yours portly.  I’ve released three albums and/or EPs in the past three months:  Spooky SeasonSpooky Season II: Rise of the Cryptids, and Leftovers.  They’re all available on Bandcamp, but also on Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube, etc.

Happy Sunday!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

SubscribeStar Saturday: Thanksgiving Break 2023

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It’s been an action-packed Thanksgiving Break for yours portly.  I’ve been busy with family—the best kind of busy—while also trying to snatch some time for myself.  The ankle is doing well, although I have to be careful not to overdo it.

My younger brother’s kids—my niece and nephews—absorbed a good bit of my time once they arrived at my parents’ house, and we had a lot of fun.  We built a couple of LEGO sets together, and I also got all three of them messing around with my composing software.  It’s so fun seeing them placing the notes and trying out different things.  My niece—a very gifted pianist—insisted I transcribe the theme from the Harry Potter films into the software, which was a fun challenge (originally, she wanted me to do it around 9 PM Thanksgiving evening, which I flatly refused on grounds of mental and physical exhaustion).

All in all, it was a good chance to recharge my batteries before the craziness of the end of the school semester.  Once I get back home tomorrow, it’s full steam ahead until Christmas.

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TBT^65,536: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!

It’s kind of humorous to consider that the very first “It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle” post from 2017 reflected upon my dangerous fall from a ladder, resulting in a broken wrist, as I am not celebrating Thanksgiving with a broken ankle (so far, the ankle has been going a bit better than the wrist).  I’ve been incredibly blessed throughout the entire process, as I’ve noted multiple times across other posts.

I haven’t always been grateful.  I’ve been upset with some of the lackluster response to my creative output, and have perhaps been overly vocal about it on this blog.  Part of me thinks that after five years of slogging away, I’d have something to show for this blog.  If a million words or so isn’t read, do they truly exist?

But I shouldn’t complain too much.  I did well in October with Bandcamp Friday, even if it was below my expectations.  It was actually my second best day on Bandcamp.

My personal life is in a much better place now than it was a year ago at this time, too.  I’ve lost some weight and am dating a very sweet flight attendant, which is kind of the equivalent of the nerdy liar who would claim he was dating a Canadian supermodel (but mine is real, I promise!).  We don’t get to see each other as much as either of us would like, but we’re both fairly independent people, so it works out nicely.

Murphy is doing well, too, although she’s been chewing her paws a bit lately.  Something to get checked out as soon as we can get to the vet.

All in all, I’m extremely blessed:  a good house, a good family, a good dog, a good job—all thanks to a good God.

With that, here’s “TBT^256: It’s a Thanksgiving Miracle!“:

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Giving Thanks… for Civilization VI

Yours portly had a massive burst of productivity on a lazy, rainy Saturday early in November.  I buckled down and finished my lesson plans, quizzes, tests, study guides, exams, exam review guides, etc., for the rest of the semester.  I spent the following Sunday afternoon churning out blog posts, as I’m trying to get back ahead so I don’t have to worry about writing over Thanksgiving.

One upshot to all of that hustle is that I have a rare thing now:  free time in the evenings.  I’m always working a bit on something, and I have plenty of grading to keep me warm over Thanksgiving Break, but I’ve been slamming that stuff out, too.

That’s all to say that I’ve had way more time to play video games in the evenings, usually while watching horror movies.  The game that has dominated my time the past few weeks—and which has kept me up far too late on a number of occasions—is Civilization VI.

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Monday Morning Movie Review: Berberian Sound Studio (2012)

This week’s pick is the definition of niche:  a British indie film about sound design for an Italian giallo film.  If you’re a horror aficionado and interested in film scoring and sound design, you’ll love this film, as I did.  If not, it’s still worth watching, but you’re probably not going to appreciate it as much.

That’s my basic take on Berberian Sound Studio (2012), the story of a meek British sound engineer who finds himself working in a hostile Italian sound studio on an (apparently) very graphic giallo flick.

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Lazy Sunday CXXVII: Indie Musician Rants

I’ve been in a mood lately—a mood of laying everything out there and being even more candid that usual.  That’s manifested itself in some recent posts, in which I’ve ranted and vented about the trials, the tribulations, and the smells of being an indie musician:

  • Sleep!” – A bit of a downer of a post, in which I contemplated shuttering the blog.  Only one person commented, so I suppose this cry for help and/or desperate ploy at getting attention failed.
  • Spotify Theft: Another Indie Musician’s Rant” – The main response to this post was, “sorry, I don’t stream music.”  Well, perhaps none of us should now that Spotify is stealing royalties from small artists like me (or will be starting in 2024).
  • Confessions of a Frustrated Creator” – A post detailing some of the frustrations that I and, I imagine, many artists face.

But, hey, who cares about art when we can have debates over the marginal tax credit and how much money to send overseas?

Happy Sunday!

—TPP

Other Lazy Sunday Installments:

SubscribeStar Saturday: Acceptance

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Readers are likely familiar with the Kübler-Ross model of the five stages of grief.  It’s one of those psychological models that has percolated into the popular culture.  As is often the case, The Simpsons illustrates it better than I can:

When it comes to the future of our nation, I’ve reached the “Acceptance” phase after many, many years in the other phases.

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