whither i go, i do not know.

For the next 10 days, my parents are out of the country. On Thursday my brother leaves for Jamaica. Thus, I’m the only one in the family in the US. And that means that I’ll be taking some time away from home as well. I’ll be taking some time to visit friends, to see the state, and to figure a whole bunch of varied things out, in my hobby, in my personal life, in my education.

For those 6 days, I’ll be taking day trips to Orlando (Thurs.) and St. Augustine (Fri.). Those are definite… my other 4 days are up in the air. I’ll be seeing friends those two days, seeing those who I haven’t seen over the summer so far. But I will take the most joy not necessarily in seeing everyone who I haven’t seen in months, but in driving to my destination. In driving around the state, I’ll be able to have plenty of time to think. Lots of things have come upon me of late, so to be able to think through (or pray through) all of these issues with a cleared mind and a refreshed spirit will help me to make what I hope to be the correct decisions.

Some items on my mind:

My barbershop career: Where do I go from here? I want to quartet, I want to direct, I want to hone my talents to try and do the best I can in both of these directions. How will I best do that in the next 3 years?

My friends: How are my friendships faring? Do I want to take some relationships to the next level? How will I go about doing this?

My education: What else can I do to get my foot in the door for grad school? Is biostatistics what I want to do, or is there another career path out there for me?

My music: What songs do I want to take into my new music director’s role that I haven’t already mentioned? How can I further the church music program at UF over the next year?

Don’t be surprised if I come to some of you, asking questions, asking advice, as I try to figure so many things out in the next couple of weeks. Hopefully, I can untangle myself of all this uncertainty before the start of the fall semester. Then, refreshed, I can set out to do what I have decided to do.

–jl–

extra extra innings.

So I was pleasantly surprised this evening when I curiously turned over to Channel 544 on my new cable TV back at home to see if I could watch the Red Sox-Mariners game. Turns out that I was able to get it. What a great way for me to watch my team away from Boston, now that I’ve made it back to Florida. After doing some further research, I discovered that everyone who has digital cable gets MLB Extra Innings, for free, up until Wednesday. If I’m not living in Boston in five years, I will gladly shell out the $129 extra to get my six-month baseball fix… even if my team is struggling, as they are now, what with being swept by the Angels while the Yankees swept Oakland to pull within 3 games of us.

But life is more than baseball… I start a new job tomorrow, with Precision Modelworks. I’ll be doing almost the same thing that I did at Harris two summers ago, but (hopefully) getting paid a lot more for my work. I’ll actually have money when I start back up at UF if I’m decent at this modeling job. And that is a relief.

–jl–

final days in boston.

My plane takes off from Logan International at 3pm this afternoon. I’ll return home more learned in my career opportunities, more learned in biostatistics, more learned in my social skills with other math people, more learned in things Bostonian. A quick recap of my last week here in this wonderful town:

Last Saturday was a group Harbor Cruise. The views from the harbor looking at the skyline were absolutely gorgeous… unfortunately, being on the boat with 350 other people was not that pleasant of an experience. I don’t get seasick or claustrophobic, but I wasn’t too happy on that boat. That was the only down point of the day, though… I proceeded to eat dinner (a late dinner) at a place on Newbury Street, Stephanie’s, that was phenomenal. I’ll have to try out their recipe for scones one of these days. Also, get to Jamaica Plain if you get a chance, as it’s an entirely different world from Boston proper.

Sunday was my last Red Sox game at Fenway, sitting third base side, enjoying the beautiful day, watching us pull out a nail-biting victory against Baltimore. I then went to church for the last time, singing in the little contemporary church choir, meeting up with church friends afterward, enjoying dinner out on the docks on the Charles, and soaking up a wonderful night. My first goodbyes were this night, and I can’t thank my Catholic friends in Boston enough… they really made this trip for me more memorable than just a classroom experience.

Tuesday was the New England Aquarium, a tiny place, but full of all sorts of sea life, from sharks and stingrays to turtles, barracuda, seals, and penguins. Sure, there were plenty of children there, and it smelled of an aquarium, but it was well worth my afternoon to go out there and relax at a place that I had not been to in a while.

Wednesday was a trip to Nashua, NH for a barbershop experience that was memorable, enjoyable, and quite fun. I sang with the Granite Statesmen Chorus, the 22nd ranked barbershop chorus in the world, and had a ball. I sang, sight-read, section-lead, and got the privilege of directing “Keep The Whole World Singing.” I’ll be back to see the guys in Nashua again sometime soon, as I made plenty of friends this night, and saw quite a few guys who I had seen before down in Florida.

Thrusday was the end of class. It was also a trip to Boston College to see the Jesuit school that I have oft admired, but never seen in person. The campus is small, but quite nice. I don’t think I would go there for school, but it was great to see it, and to see my first full-on Catholic college. That night was dinner in the North End, an experience with a 6-course meal which my stomach and my taste buds duly loved. Later that night was a large party, seeing people who I had spent six weeks with quite inebriated, but enjoying the time I got to spend with some.

Today was final evaluations, wrap-ups, one last walk through Cambridge and Kenmore and Faneuil and the Common and Comm Ave, and more goodbyes, some to people I’m glad to meet, others, to people I’m glad to see leave. I don’t know how the barometer checks out with a few people, especially one that left today… we’ll have to see what happens in the coming weeks, and if I hear anything from them. All in all, a wonderful experience for me to have here in Boston, to meet new friends and faces, to enjoy an aspect of math which has such an upside, and to wonder what I will pursue in the coming years ahead of my education. I’m certainly glad I came here, and will cherish what I’ve taken from here, both intelectually and spiritually, back to Gainesville to put into practice.

Now, for the final 4 weeks of summer… as soon as I hit the brick wall of Floridian humidity when I walk out of those airport doors.

–jl–

what a star-studded game.

The 15-inning affair between the All-Stars of each league in the MLB tonight was only the beginning of it. In this game, we had multiple comebacks, momentum-changing plays left and right, and a string of clutch performances. Where do you begin?

We’ll start in the bottom of the 7th inning. The NL leads 2-0, there are 2 outs, and it’s Edinson Volquez of the Reds against the Red Sox’s JD Drew. Drew hits a line shot that just barely clears the fence in right field, and the game is tied, just like that. In the top of the 8th inning, after a single, a Dioner Navarro throw on a stolen base attempt that was off the mark allows Miguel Tejada to move to 3rd base. A sacrifice fly brings him home, and the NL go back up 3-2. But, in the bottom half of the inning, Evan Longoria hits a clutch double to score Grady Sizemore (both hits coming with two outs) to tie the game once again. If you wanted late-inning drama, there it was, as the two teams went back and forth.

But the late-inning drama did not end in the single-digit innings; it only got crazier the later we got into the night (and morning). After a rather uneventful 9th inning, the top of the 10th saw Mariano Rivera facing a 2 on, 1 out situation, when Dan Uggla grounded into a double play to end the inning without a run. In the bottom of the 10th, the first two batters hit the ball to Dan Uggla. Uggla bobbled one ball, then had another one go through his legs, putting runners on the corners, 0 out. After intentionally walking the bases loaded, Aaron Cook gets Grady Sizemore to bounce out to Uggla on a force play, gets Evan Longoria to ground out to third base, and then gets Justin Morneau to hit a slow bouncing ball to Miguel Tejada, who, falling down, gets the throw to first base about a half-step ahead of Morneau.

In the 11th, both teams had runners in scoring positions with chances to win; both Goakim Soria and Aaron Cook got out of trouble. Nearly the same story in the 12th inning, with George Sherill relieving for Soria with 2 outs. Highlight of these two innings though: with runners on 1st and 2nd for the AL in the bottom of the 11th, Michael Young hits a single to center field. Dioner Navarro comes to try and score, but his nailed at the plate by a strong throw from Nate McLouth and a great blocking job by Russell Martin.

Finally, in the 15th, a Michael Young sacrifice fly scores Justin Morneau, ending the 79th Midsummer Classic. I’m glad I stayed up for the entire thing. The highlights and spectacles that were put on, especially in the 2nd half of this game, are something I’m going to be able to talk about for quite some time.

–jl–

leggo the egos.

Yes, it’s been five weeks since coming up to Boston for an internship, so I have, by this point, gotten to know everyone fairly well. But it seems that in the last few days, people’s closed-mindedness and arrogance have gotten in the way of developing friendships, especially with me. So now, I’m back to a seeming Square One, where I’m wondering who is to blame for this seeming problem I have: others or myself?

But let me elaborate on what I see is an ego problem first. Things seem to be trodding along decently well until Wednesday.

I. I get an awakening on Wednesday morning to a cell phone dropping near my head. Then steps out of the door. I am half-awake, but, in my delirium, fall back asleep, not quite sure of what just happened. I wake up again, and it’s 8:40: 20 minutes before class is to start. Later in the morning, I get an apology from my roommate: “Sorry for dropping your phone on your bed this morning.” I say that it’s allright, figuring that that would be the end of it. How I was wrong. Later that evening, not just in front of me, but in front of 4 other people, the issue comes up again. My roommate then proceeds to say that he is annoyed with my alarm (ringtone on my phone), doesn’t care if I get up to it or not, and mocks the alarm. Why didn’t this come up in private? Was there a need to say this in front of an audience? Is it for attention or to make me look like a fool? I don’t know the motive, but I felt pretty ashamed afterward, for something I hadn’t even done. 

II. When working in a group project, people in the group start debating about chart styles. Mind you, we haven’t started working on the basics of our presentation yet. So I try to steer the group back to topic, but am getting absolutely no response. It’s as if nobody is listening to what I say, so I finally just leave and go back to do other work that needed to be done. Moments later, when debating on who will present what portion of the presentation, I make a remark that not all of us have to present if we wish not to. In response, I get a glare back from a group member, and a simple, yet stern comment: “Yes, you do.” I’ve been in groups before where not all have presented; apparently, I was somehow in the wrong here with this one person (who, by the way, also gets mentioned later in another key issue this week). Can people not listen to what I say and take it in rather than just drop whatever I say immediately?

III. Thursday night, three of us are looking at possible places to go out for Thai food in the next few days. There are plenty of Thai places in Boston, and there are plenty of good places to eat in Boston, but there aren’t a wealth of good Thai places to eat in Boston. Further, there aren’t that many good authentic Thai places to eat in Boston. Being in a background where I tend to eat authentic Thai food (rather than the good, yet American-ized, food you get in most places) I’m looking specifically for an authentic place. A name on the list keeps coming up and coming up in terms of good Thai, but, upon hearing about it, seeing it as I ride past it on the T, and seeing the website, I get this gut feeling that this place is not authentic. Upon voicing my concern, I am met by one person (see II.) who takes it in, yet subtly is trying to pull me towards the place. It almost seems as if she’s biased to it. Finally, out of getting away from these hints (as she’s getting ready to pull out information upon information) I subtly say something to the effect of “I can’t trust this information (from a certain source) because I feel…” I don’t get to explain myself. She’s already had it. “Go find your own restaurant then.” Is that closed-mindedness on her part, over-reaction on my part, some of both, or something I’m not seeing? I’m going out for Thai food on Tuesday night… whether they’re with me or not for authentic food is not my concern anymore, after the events of this week.

IV. This has been going on all week (all internship, really). It just seems that everything that I say or that I do is either completely ignored or dismissed by others. If the above cases weren’t proof enough, there have, additionally, been times where I have asked questions and not gotten responses, given answers and not had any reaction from others, have had people cut me off in conversation, or change the subject during or after something that I say. I feel that my experiences and my viewpoints, because of this, are simply being underappreciated. Are people thinking that they’re more important? Am I being dismissed because of things I’ve said or done?

 

I feel that out of the 23 others, I’ve got a good, positive friendship going with 3. In about 8 others, I feel that there’s something there, but not a good friendship. And in 3 or 4 of the group, it seems to be getting worse as the days go by. So is it me, or is it the others around me? Is it the actions that I take, the things I say, or is it the arrogance and pride of others? I’ll let you decide. One thing’s for certain, though… if you think that I’m in the wrong, it might not be wise to mock me. I’m pretty down as it is.

–jl–

division collision results.

Did we really get anything out of the last 10 days of baseball between the top 3 teams in the AL East? My answer to that question is no. Since June 29th, the records of the top 3 teams in the division:

Tampa Bay 6-3

Boston 5-5

New York 5-4

There are no drastic changes there. Tampa swept Boston, but New York swept Tampa. And the Red Sox, barring a bullpen blunder, take the series 3-1 from the Yankees in the Bronx. If there’s anything we did learn from the last 10 days, it’s that the Rays are in it to stay… at least until September. I’ve got a feeling that this team might be last year’s Brewers, in that they’re a young team with no real experience, just going out, staying loose, and having fun. When the pressure’s on, we’ll see how this team does.

The Yankees might finally be fired up from strong words from Joe Girardi. As if the meeting on Thursday, and the near-blow up with the media, wasn’t enough, his ejection Sunday night helped to spur the offense for this team. If the Yankee bats don’t pick up, though (they won both games against Tampa scoring 2 runs in each game) don’t expect them to be talking in October.

As for the Red Sox, it appears that they need bullpen depth. Javier Lopez and Manny Delcarmen have been getting it done, but each has had their blunders. Papelbon can’t come in in the 7th and pitch the team to victory. Craig Hansen has been spotty. Mike Timlin is aging. And David Aardsma has been the one piece that has seemed fairly consistent throughout the year, but even he has his struggles. The Red Sox will need to acquire some bullpen depth, I feel, to make another strong run at the title.

There you have it. We’ll have to wait and see how all of this plays out in the next 10 weeks. Sit back, relax, and enjoy the battle in the best division in baseball.

four is now three.

I got a call from the tenor in my quartet this afternoon, the director of the chorus I sing with back home, and a great colleague and friend of mine. He’s moving to New Hampshire in September. Doesn’t want to be around when the economy takes a turn for the worse (worst, really) in Florida, and doesn’t feel like he’s at home, even though he’s been in Florida for seven years. I completely understand his reasoning, and I know that he’s doing what’s best, not only for him, but for his family.

So, now I wonder… where does this put the quartet? There’s obviously no way that the four of us can stick together, so, at the very least, I need another tenor. Maybe this spells the end for my first official barbershop quartet: my 3 buddies and older brothers who I rehearsed with and continued to strive to sing well with for over 2 years. But, if that’s the case, where do I go? I want to sing in a quartet: The Barbershop Harmony Society is a society of quartetting, and I love to sing and entertain an audience with my voice. But Lord knows that I can’t sing in a barbershop quartet by myself… I need three more people. Or one more person that can sing tenor.

I’m not as concerned about the chorus, but still kind of concerned: There are others (I can think of 3 or 4 in the chorus) that can step up and direct, at the very least, on an interim basis, but can these people do it on a full-time basis? I don’t know, with the stresses of working and such, if the people that I’m thinking of can handle that. I would be honored and humbled to step to the front of the group and work on my directing skills, but I can’t possibly do that… I’m 3 hours away from rehearsal during the school year, and am only home about once a month on weekends.

All of that being said, the next year or so for this chapter of barbershop singers should be quite interesting. One 6-year-long part of the story is going to come to a close for my BHS Chapter and my barbershopping career, but a new one is about to pick up. I just want to know the direction to take.

–jl–

i’m a chowdahhead.

Chowderfest 2008 was today, and I attended, and had a grand time. It was hard for me to give up a food that I love for two whole weeks coming in to this event (especially being in New England) but I knew that that’s what I would have to do in order to not get sick of the stuff afterward. Held at Government Center this afternoon, organizers expected 11,000 gallons of the white stuff to get gobbled up by day’s end, and a winner to be crowned.

There were eight competitors, so I decided to pick a winner like what college football should do: bracket-style. Actually, semi-bracket style… I had 8, narrowed to 4, narrowed to 2, and picked one from there. But you get the point. The competitors on the day:

 The Chicken Bone: This chowder had lemongrass as one of the ingredients in it, and, as one voter put it, was “all Asian-ed out.” Lots of clams in the chowder, though, and that’s always a plus.

USS Battan: Unfortunately, the Navy boys ran out of their chowder before I could taste it. Too much chowder: never a bad thing in this competition.

The Oceanaire: What was I here for? Clam chowder. What did I get? Baked Potato soup. That sums up that experience. Oh, that and the obnoxious guy wanting to put pepper on everyone’s chowder.

The Daily Catch: These guys had a couple of servers putting together quite a few fishy puns. Needless to say, the puns were quite clammy, unlike their chowder. Reminds me of Dr. Kesling’s wonderful rendition of “The Fish Song.” Honestly, the chowder wasn’t the bass I ever had. In fact, The Daily Catch really had no porpoise being at Chowderfest. I’ll stop now.

Farmer Brown’s: This was a very thick chowder, but, again, almost no clam or clam taste in the broth. So far, I haven’t been too impressed with any one chowder.

Daily Grill: Finally, someone gets chowder right. A good thick consistency. The people that cook up their soups and sandwiches under the Prudential Tower will definitely be moving on to the next round.

Omni Parker House: Great balance of clams, broth, seasoning, potatoes. An excellent chowder, probably two or three notches above Daily Grill.

Christopher’s of Maynard: The defending champions and Omni seem to be the two to duel for my vote, as Christopher’s chowder has some herbs and spices that make this chowder as good as it was.

So, moving on to the final four we have The Chicken Bone, Daily Grill, Parker House, and Christopher’s.

This time around I add some tabasco and pepper where it’s offered. The Parker House guys have none of these such things to offer, saying that their seasoning “was the perfect balance.” And, he’s right. Parker House easily outshines the other competitors. The Chicken Bone falls flat on its face, and Christopher’s beats out the Daily Grill.

So it’s down to 2, and, upon sampling them with oyster crackers and peppers (my personal favorite way of eating chowder without a bread bowl) Parker House beats out Christopher’s. There you have it. 15 sample cups of clam chowder later I reach my decision. I don’t know if I feel so well…

–jl–

listening to nashville from boston. the finals.

Here we go… the final 10! A champion gets crowned tonight. And, to be honest, I have no clear idea who it will be. The next three hours, I’ll have some commentary here. So stay tuned, keep hitting the refresh button, and sit back and enjoy the finals!

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The order for tonight:

1. Old School / 2. State Line Grocery / 3. Storm Front / 4. OC Times / 5. Crossroads

6. Metropolis / 7. The Allies / 8. Redline / 9. Glory Days / 10. Rounders

And the standings through 2 rounds, as I have them:

1. OC Times: 88 + 87 = 175

2. Redline: 88 + 85 = 173

3. State Line Grocery: 86 + 87 = 173

4. Crossroads: 89 + 83 = 172

5. Glory Days: 85 + 86 = 171

6. Old School: 86 + 85 = 171

7. Metropolis: 86 + 85 = 171

8. Rounders 85 + 82 = 167

9. Storm Front: 85 + 82= 167

10. The Allies: 85 + 82 = 167

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Tonight’s show starts with the collegiate chorus of quartets. They do a wonderful job, ringing each chord beautifully. Ringmasters come up and do a Swedish song, sung in the barbershop style, and follow that with “Yes Sir, That’s My Baby.” They remind me of Four Voices and OC Times smashed together. A little time for these guys, and expect them to be in the 10, or perhaps farther.

The Masters of Harmony, this year’s chorus champions, come on to sing, and get the trophy. The chorus trophy stays in Southern Cal for another year. Will the quartet championship go west too? Some kind words from the Masters about the Ambassadors of Harmony, who lost to the Masters by a mere 7 points. This ought to make next year quite interesting… the Ambassadors of Harmony vs. The Vocal Majority. Will the reign end? We shall see in Anaheim.

Now, a tribute to the Gaynotes, International Champions from 1958. The lead makes a nice, emotional speech, including a couple of nice story. A nice video tribute to them, and a great round of applause from the audience. And with the end of that piece, we’re ready to test the mics and get under way.

MT: Men In Black: They open with a song from Guys And Dolls, ”If I Were A Bell.” The second straight round that they’ve done Broadway things. And that could be a positive thing for marketing for this quartet to chapter shows and such. Oh, that and they finished 11th. Second song is “I’ll Know” from the same musical.

1. Old School: Good ringing chords early in their first song, “A Bundle of Old Love Letters.” Good control of volume and emotion throughout the first song. A slight balance issue on the last chord, but a powerful ending regardless. The second song for Old School is a complete parody of everything in the competition. Got the rap genre, OC Times, Billy Joel, and Barbara Ann in the second song. Getting quite the reaction from the audience on the humor, especially on the fact that they like the logo. A good, solid ending. I’m not sure if any judges will penalize for the extended vocal accompaniment part, especially since it was a parody. 87

2. State Line Grocery: The boys from Georgia start with a beautiful arrangement of “Danny Boy.” Good blend, as they were able to pull off the first four notes in unison, sounding like one voice. They’re ringing every chord. This is quite a nice arrangement, and SLG is milking it for all its worth. Having some slight control issues on holding some notes out, especially lead and tenor parts. A beautiful tag on the end of this one, well done. Second song is “East of the Rockies” and good control of the song; they’re not letting it get away from them. Quality tag, and a quality performance. 87

3. Storm Front: This ought to be fun… the classic comedy quartet is now world-renown for their Finals bit from last year in Denver. And, wouldn’t you know it, the first song is a parody. Good balance and control, good chords out of this bunch, before the funny stuff begins. Quite a bit of laughter from the audience, no singing happening. The lead has a nice, light, high voice. The bass has put in a crack on Four Voices, of Lazybones. The lead has a classic joke near the end of the first song about the judge’s “No talking in the middle of a song rule” by singing what he wants to say. Great reaction! Second song is, again, a parody. They’re making cracks using the from of rhetorical questions about the judges, Westminster (numerous times), old people, the AIC… and the audience is eating it up, clapping along with them even, during a segment in which the quartet members play “Leapfrog.” Again, the audience is loving it, even without any singing going on.  Another bit about the logo, this one much more well received than Old School’s. The tag is done without teeth, a la the profile faces of the logo. Standing ovation for Storm Front, and my first 90 score of this convention.

4. OC Times: The crowd favorite in this competition kicks things off with “You Belong To Me.” This quartet is so good as taking songs new to the Barbershop genre and making them favorites. Good balance and blend, a few ragged notes, especially in the lead and tenor. Quiet, mellow tag, good first song, but will it be enough? I’m on the fence to consider them the winners. A bit shaky on the second song, as it sounded a bit rough around the edges, but a solid ending for these guys. I think that they left the door open, though… 86

5. Crossroads: They start with “Daddy’s Little Girl,” ringing the majority of the chords that they’re hitting, especially ringing between the bass and baritone. The lead falsetto is a tad forced, as is the tenor on the extremely high parts. Beautiful, beautiful tag to end the first song. Great ring and balance on this second song, “Down Mobile.” Quite a good piece of work on the second song. That might be what is needed to catch the leader in the clubhouse. 88

6. Metropolis: Good ring in the intro, even despite a slight bit of noise in the chords. They start things off with a parody of “Don’t Blame Me.” The audience is laughing quite a bit to the comedy. A good quality tag at the end, but the quality in the singing is not there tonight, it seems. Second song is also a parody. Another set of jokes forthcoming about Westminster et al. “A B C,” “Do Re Mi,” the Beach Boys, “Thriller” by Michael Jackson in the second song. Audience didn’t seem to enjoy this one as much. 84 

7. The Allies: First song is “I Thought About You,” and a nice balance and blend from these guys from Columbus, OH. As they reprise the chorus, they really hit their stride and are just solid. Great first song from The Allies… they might still be in the discussion. Again, the quartet sounds the best on the reprise of the chorus. Good hit from these guys. 86

8. Redline: The other quartet from the Dixie district in this final 10 opens with “The More I See You,” a great song redone by Michael Buble. Some pretty nice major-7th, but mostly barbershop chords. Good dynamic control, and good balance between parts. Some shaky vowel targets, especially where the lead is going low. Good ring at the end of this first song. I might want to pick up the chart for this one… great arrangement. Second song for Redline is “Paper Doll,” and is just a tad rougher than the first song. A quick little crack on Sean Devine, the lead of OC Times. Again, good ringing and balance at the end of this song, and a great tag. 88

9. Glory Days: A great balance and ring on the intro for their first song, “At Last.” The chords are getting rung quite a bit, the lead’s voice is effortless, the lead and baritone are blending and matching quite nicely. Pretty, pretty tag on the end of this one, and solid barbershop singing the entire way through. The second song for these guys from Dallas is “Bewitched,” the theme song for the 1960’s TV show. A little shaky on the reprise compared to the chorus. In fact, the faster they get on this second song, the shakier it seems to get, but only minimally. A nice, solid tag. Don’t count Glory Days out either… 87

10. Rounders: The boys from South Florida open with a contestable (yes, contestable) version of “Mam’selle.” One of my favorites of all-time, they’re ringing the major-7th’s and many of the chords in this first song. The tag is nearly spot-on (a little shake in the voice) and a beautiful rendition of this barbershop favorite. The second for Rounders is “You’re A Heavenly Thing.” Solid all the way through, good balance, especially between harmony parts. Tag, again, is fairly solid. A good hit from these guys. 86

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Well, this count-off should be interesting. Putting the math together, carrying the two, etc., I’ve got two quartets even at 1st, another two quartets even at 3rd (just one point behind the two in front) and two more within three points of the lead. Mind you, the points that I post are the average scores per judge. I’m then adding up all three rounds. So we have total on the left, then, in parenthesis on the right, an estimate as to where the total score will be.

My final standings:

1. Redline: 88 + 88 + 85 = 261 (7830)

2. OC Times: 86 + 88 + 87 = 261 (7830)

3. Crossroads: 88 + 89 + 83 = 260 (7800)

4. State Line Grocery: 87 + 86 + 87 = 260 (7800)

5. Glory Days: 87 + 85 + 86 = 258 (7740)

6. Old School: 87 + 86 + 85 = 258 (7740)

7. Storm Front: 90 + 85 + 82 = 257 (7710)

8. Metropolis: 84 + 86 + 85 = 255 (7650)

9. Rounders 86 + 85 + 82 = 253 (7590)

10. The Allies: 86 + 85 + 82 = 253 (7590)

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It’s now after 10:30 Central Time (11:30 ET), the competition portion of the night has ended, and Max Q is up singing their swan set. First song for Max Q is “Royal Garden Blues.” They sound just as good and solid as they did at the annual show in March for our chorus. Next song for these guys is “what barbershopping and being a barbershopper is all about:” Randy Newman’s “You’ve Got A Friend In Me.” Completely not barbershop, but I’m completely OK with that: such a great song. Tony is being the typical Tony when talking to the audience. Made a wise crack about people in Nashville having to put their teeth in before eating their popcorn. The outgoing champs dedicate to Clay Hine, their coach, and quite a mastermind in the barbershop world, “Little Pal,” with a few different words than what many are used to. An absolutely beautiful rendition… I’ll be calling Clay sometime in the next few weeks to see if that’s contestable and if I can get it!

And so, now, here we go… it’s early in the morning, Sunday morning, now on the East Coast, but the night is still young for those in Nashville.

In 5th place, with 7893 points, OLD SCHOOL.

In 4th place, with 7941 points, REDLINE.

In 3rd place, with 7973 points, STATE LINE GROCERY.

In 2nd place, with 8023 points, CROSSROADS.

And the 2008 International Quartet Champions of the Barbershop Harmony Society, with 8074 points, OC TIMES.

There you have it: a close, but decisive victory for the Californians, often parodied, honored, and adored by so many people. They will sing away the trophy at home next summer. Everyone pretty close at the top: 1st through 5th separated by less than 200 points. 

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11,000 barbershoppers are singing “Keep The Whole World Singing” in Nashville. And with that last chord, this wonderful convention and contest comes to a close. What a fabulous week it has been, sitting back and listening to these events unfurl. It’s been so much fun for me to provide my commentary and view on things… hopefully, you enjoyed it as much as I did! I hope to actually be in Anaheim next year, but, if not, you know where to find me for anything barbershop: right at this here blog.

It is GREAT to be a barbershopper!

–jl–

listening to nashville from boston. a quick update.

Just trying to keep everyone posted on things going on before I sit down tonight for the quartet finals, by giving you an update on what happened at the Convention yesterday, and some events planned for today.

Since I was doing the whole July 4th in Boston thing, I completely missed the Chorus contest yesterday. And what a contest it was. The Masters and the Ambassadors of Harmony stood out from the rest of the group, each posting 95. However, the title will stay in SoCal, as the Masters of Harmony eek out the win by 7 points (max possible: 3000). Surprising to me in the results:

How about the Voices In Harmony? I had never really paid too much attention to them, but they finish 3rd, beating out Sound of the Rockies in 4th and New Tradition Chorus in 5th.

The Atlanta Vocal Project, directed by Clay Hine, continues to progress, this year finishing 7th.

Heart of Texas Chorus makes a big leap, finishing 9th, and the Kentucky Vocal Union, putting only 31 people on-stage, gets 10th.

Finally, how about the Swedes at this convention! First, Ringmasters gets into the semifinals (and has a really good shot at winning the college championship today, more on that later) and then The Entertainmen, the SNOBS representative, get 14th, nearly beating the Big Apple Chorus. They also produced a dramatic Viking boat theme to their show that got laughs, as well as ooh’s and ah’s from the audience.

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Today’s events, on this Finals Saturday:

Don’t forget about the college kids! The MBNA College Quartet Championship is being held this morning, 10am-1pm ET. Look for Ringmasters, who made it to the 20, to have a realistic shot and be the 2nd group in 3 years to come in from out of the Society to win the title. Also keep your eye on On Demand, comprised of 2 former members of HEAT, who won the competition in 2003. This is Paul Saca and Amos Velez’s last chance to win collegiate gold. Revolution and the Smorgaschords also might have a shot, so keep your eye on them.

Tonight, The Big Finale. The top 10 compete in the Finals for their chance to win. According to my scoresheet, I’ve got 7 quartets with a decent chance to win it all. Talking to someone up in Nashville, Rounders and Storm Front also feel that they have a shot to make the top 5. So I’d say that every quartet has a shot this year that’s made it this far. And that’s something that the Society hasn’t seen in quite some time. 2006 was Vocal Spectrum vs. Max Q. Now, this year, we might have OC Times vs. Crossroads vs. Old School vs. State Line Grocery vs. Metropolis vs. Redline vs. Glory Days. It should be quite an interesting night tonight, catch it via webcast (www.bhs-live.com) starting at 8:30 ET.

I’ll be live-blogging with my commentary here tonight… for now, I’m running out to do some more touristy things while I’m here in Boston.

–jl–