Wednesday, November 28, 2007

Also

Please note an addition in the Links section to the left... My former roomie, Joe Donatelli, who is perhaps one of the most hilarious people I know, has returned to the blogosphere after a long sabatical. He posts a weekly column with a smattering of other posts sprinkled in.

Check 'im out if you get a chance.

Particularly noteworthy is his classic "Kids' Table Manifesto." (Scroll down the page to see it.) If you have ever been separated out at a folding card table for a holiday meal, you will relate.

Sing!

I had almost forgotten just how good it feels to sing as part of a group.

Almost.

After a few awkward practices with the church choir, I'm finally starting to feel a little more confident. The ability to hit the high notes is slowly returning to a set of vocal chords that have not had to stretch so much in more than 12 years. And as my sight reading improves, I'm beginning to put some support behind the notes, no longer minding if the singers around me hear.

But it's not the technical elements of singing that really bring me satisfaction--it's the sound of the full chorus--soprano, alto, tenor, bass--coming together in harmony that I love. Swallowed up in resonant chords, knotted dissonance and dancing melodies, I lose myself. I love being a part of something that fills every nook and cranny in a room in one second and carries along like a whisper floating on the wind the next.

The best part of being in the choir is that it's a full two hours every Wednesday in which my head is completely clear of mundane life details. There is no work, no stress over friends, no making to-do lists or obsessing about weekend plans. There is only music. Shiver inducing, dramatic and beautiful music.

And how could anyone forget how that feels.