ummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmIdon'tknowwhattosay

More on the purchase of Pita Stop

Here's the whole story.

Blogger has some new images

I'm testing out a new feature or two on Google's blogger.

This is how a quote would work:

Probably the most important new feature is the inline commenting system, that lets you post comments without opening a new page. This year, I tried using a pop-up window for the comment form, but it's still inconvenient to post comments. The new option, which can be added in the Draft Blogger by going to Settings > Comments > Comment Form Placement, uses an iframe to display a textarea and a list of authentication options:

UAB buys Pita Stop building

Interesting news:

The University of Alabama at Birmingham has bought the building that houses the Pita Stop restaurant for $450,000.

The school had an option to buy the restaurant building on 12th Avenue South when it bought HealthSouth's hospital -- now UAB Highlands -- in 2006 for $33 million. But the Pita Stop building was tied up in a title dispute. Former Jefferson County Commissioner John Katopodis sued HealthSouth, saying he was promised the building in exchange for consulting work.

The dispute was resolved June 1, HealthSouth spokesman Andy Brimmer said today.

UAB will lease the building back to the Pita Stop, said UAB spokesman Gary Mans.

UAB @ Southside Baptist 4-19-2009

Had lunch with Paul Dease today.

Looking at singing at Southside Baptist on the Sunday after Easter.

That's April 19, 2009. It's now on the Google Calendar for UAB CHOIR.

UPDATE: 11:00 Service, be there at 10:00 a.m.

Dr. Kasman and I make the paper

Check it out:

PIANO
UAB pianist Yakov Kasman will spend two weeks in July on the faculty of the International Summer Music Academy, part of the Horowitz International Piano Competition. In April, Kasman was a jury member for the competition, one of Europe's most pretigious, in Kiev, Ukraine.

CHORAL
Philip Copeland, who conducts UAB choirs, will be in Copenhagen, Denmark, in July for the World Symposium of Choral Music.

The whole story here.

Google Calendar for UAB Choir

Sign up! These are our dates for 2008-2009. (I'm re-posting this information to make it a permanent feature for the blog.)

Note the AUDITION DATE of Sunday, August 17.



HTML Version.

ICAL version.

Tuition increase

From the Birmingham News:

The cost to attend the University of Alabama will increase by more than 12 percent this fall, the UA System Board of Trustees decided Friday.

Tuition and fees at the University of Alabama at Birmingham will increase by more than 10 percent and at the University of Alabama in Huntsville by 14 percent.

Each university is also cutting costs across the board, including reducing some positions.

System officials said the measures are needed to make up for a drop in state funding. Altogether, with the reduced state appropriations and rising costs of energy, retiree benefits and other needs, the three schools need to make up $98 million, said Chancellor Malcolm Portera.

Tuition and fees for Alabama undergraduates at UA will increase from $2,850 last year to $3,200 this fall.

At UAB, the cost will go from $2,104 to $2,332 for students in arts and humanities, math and science and social sciences; costs for engineering, business and education students will go from $2,152 to $2,380. Both increases are more than 10.5 percent.

At UAH, the cost will go from $2,284 to $2,604.

HERE IS WHO YOU CAN BLAME.

King's Singer Interview - the soft release

It's a rather large file: 20 mb.

The 160 kbps version. (20 Mb)
The 320 kbps version. (41 Mb)

Please listen and let me know what you think.

Great news

Health news is going my way lately:

According to new research, the tasty beverage provides a double-whammy of health benefits: chocolate may slow cancer growth, and java could help you live longer. The good news about chocolate comes from scientists at Georgetown University Medical Center, who found that a synthetic chemical that is similar to a compound present in cocoa beans slows the growth of colon cancer by 50 percent. Not only did it retard growth, it damaged most of the colon cancer cells. The compound, known as GECGC, is most effective at impeding those cancer cells that usually grow at frighteningly-quick rates; promising, given that they are also often the most deadly.

I have a beautiful voice

Caroline singing . . . .

Claire descends from stairs.

Claire: "I don't want you to sing." (in a whiny voice)

Caroline: "But I have a beautiful voice."

5 Minutes Later:

Catherine: "Daddy, Claire told me there were worms in my pancakes.

Daddy: "No there aren't . . . I put the worms in Claire's Fruit Loops."

servin' back (sexy back)

I'm afraid this isn't a joke . . .

Chór Repetitio Regina Coeli R.Twardowski

I thought this may interest you.

"Long Ago" by Eugene Field

Long ago

I once knew all the birds that came
And nested in our orchard trees;
For every flower I had a name--
My friends were woodchucks, toads, and bees;
I knew where thrived in yonder glen
What plants would soothe a stone-bruised toe--
Oh, I was very learned then;
But that was very long ago!

I knew the spot upon the hill
Where checkerberries could be found,
I knew the rushes near the mill
Where pickerel lay that weighed a pound!
I knew the wood,--the very tree
Where lived the poaching, saucy crow,
And all the woods and crows knew me--
But that was very long ago.

And pining for the joys of youth,
I tread the old familiar spot
Only to learn this solemn truth:
I have forgotten, am forgot.
Yet here's this youngster at my knee
Knows all the things I used to know;
To think I once was wise as he--
But that was very long ago.

I know it's folly to complain
Of whatsoe'er the Fates decree;
Yet were not wishes all in vain,
I tell you what my wish should be:
I'd wish to be a boy again,
Back with the friends I used to know;
For I was, oh! so happy then--
But that was very long ago!

Listen. Ray Liebau setting.

prayers and condolences for nebraska and iowa

lots of sadness in the world the past couple of days with the tornado in omaha and the flooding in iowa.

it's easy to completely miss what else is going on in our nation but there are some real tragedies pretty close by.

read firsthand accounts of the tornado here . . . four young boy scouts killed.

Pie Jesu, Pie Jesu
Qui tollis peccata mundi
Dona eis requiem

RealGroup coming to Nashville

If you can make this, you should go.

From A Cappella News:

As an additional treat this year’s special guest artist are none other than Sweden’s The Real Group who will be performing on Saturday July 5 at the Sommet Center in Nashville starting at 2pm. Tickets are available to the general public and can be purchased from Ticketmaster.

Analyzing Caroline's Art: Part 2

We had so much fun last time that I thought we'd take another look at Caroline's latest creation. Have at it.

caroline2_Page_1, originally uploaded by philipco.

Click here for a large version. And now, the Second masterwork:

caroline2_Page_2, originally uploaded by philipco.

Note: in the second masterwork the sister that was born one minute after Caroline supplied additional inspiration to the masterwork. A quiz:

1. What is the sister's name?
2. What portion of the work is hers?

Help me

If you are a visitor to this blog today, will you help me explore this spreadsheet function of Google Documents?

First, a definition of "pithy."
[n. PIH-thee] Pithy, when used accurately, describes speech or writing that is short, direct, and memorable. ...

Just fill this out and it should appear on my google spreadsheet:



View the comments here.

Honoring Mrs. Burt

My piano teacher died a couple of weeks ago, on May 23, 2008.

I wasn't able to go to the funeral, but the Natchez Democrat has a wonderful online presence that allows you to post comments in the obituary section.

I posted this morning. She was important to me and I will miss her.

All musicians should honor their teachers . . . I certainly hold her in the highest esteem.

It's about time

From the "It's about time" category, I present this wonderful development:



I knew something was up when I was able to access AT&T wireless from the Homewood Starbucks on Sunday morning.

I think the service started on Monday or Tuesday . . . so this Thursday post is a little late. It's still a good thing and long overdue.

Now . . . visit your local Starbucks. They need the business and I need my java huts to remain open.

I just realized how many times a week I go to Starbucks:

Sunday: Visited Homewood Starbucks between church services.

Monday: Starbucks in Vestavia City Center - this used to be my favorite place but others moved in.

Tuesday: Starbucks on Hwy 31 - the new one. Enjoyed an extended time with Libby Hearn. The weather was good and the coffee was delicious. We talked about Birmingham Concert Chorale and Jennifer Thorpe.

Wednesday: Starbucks in Homewood. My favorite. Meeting with Larry Hardin about possibilities for Birmingham related to choral music.

Thursday: I've not been anywhere yet but the clock is still ticking . . . I'm a cup low this morning after I shattered a hot mug of coffee as it slipped from my hand. Only a minor cut, but 16 glorious ounces of black gold all over the kitchen floor.

Facebook is messing me up

Facebook is really starting to mess with me. I love the magic of a persons name appearing when I slide my mouse over a picture of a person. It's so interesting to see someone familiar and then finding out their name with a subtle movement of the wrist . . .

I started expecting the same magic from moving video today.

Granted, I had accessed the video from a facebook site (My new friend Libby Hearn) but it still messed with me.

Anyone else had the same experience?

If you need a blog

If you absolutely must read a blog post from me, you can always look here:

ChoralNet.Org.

I'm sure regular blogging will begin again soon. Until then, peace. And pray that God takes away all summer colds.