Yep, that's me... singing in the choir

I won't say that I absolutely love singing, but I will say that I enjoy singing from time to time. I love music. It is one of the few things in life that can instantly influence my mood no matter what situation, and I love that. Usually, I love to listen to music while I run - slow songs, techno, rock, classic rock, rap, even country sometimes... every type of music helps me run, especially on those long runs when some miles feel smooth and other miles feel like running against the wind. (If you're interested, here is a pretty good playlist for running/working out found on Runner's World - here ). I also have to metion that I had a small stint as a lead singer in high school. Our number one hit was Funky Potato. Basically I just said the words funky potato over and over again... that was it. Memorable for sure.

Anyway, so a couple weeks ago I was asked if I wanted to join the school choir, which consists of about 6 or 7 students and 12 teachers. Immediately, I came up with several reasons why it wouldn't be a good idea - the lyrics are in Spanish, I'm not a good singer, I don't have time, and I'm not a good singer... again. But a small part of me was thinking, "What the hell? Who cares if you embarrass yourself. You're the gringo, you're automatically exempt from any embarrassing situations because you're foreign... you don't know any better. Right?"

Finally, after much thought and contemplation (13.5 seconds worth) I said yes and went to my first practice. It went well. I followed along in the song-book and sang the best I could. After three practices I was ready for the big stage - The Confirmation Ceremony. Friday night, in the gymnasium, all of the seniors getting confirmed, their sponsors, and of course families and friends.

Unfortunately, it was caught on video. Now the videos are on you tube. I'll set up the scene before you click on the links below - the choir is placed in the corner of the gym, and the teachers are in the first 3 rows with the students behind them. As for myself, I'm as far away from the camera as possible... thank God. You can barely see the top of my head. If you have trouble finding my fat head in the video, I am standing almost directly in line with the piece of paper taped to the wall. If you find the white paper on the wall, just look directly below that. Happy viewing!

Iglesia Peregrina http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuHp-d6DawQ

Gloria http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pKjaj_bjR0M

Here is a little extra video just for this blog post....

Flag day celebration in the gym: Flag Day

You can also find other various videos under the same user.

Choir Boy,

-Brian