Just Pixels

OUCH. I don't understand why people want to do this, but you gotta respect their gusto.

(me and bell choir stand partner)

They say you never forget your first time.

First time to play in a hand bell choir that is.

And so it goes that Thanksgiving Day will be my maiden hand bell voyage with the All Souls' Episcopal troupe. But instead of cracking a bottle of Dom P. over the bow I'll be tickling some brassies with fellow ringers. Choice. All told I'm quite elated.

For whatever reason I've always wanted to be in a hand bell choir. The girls, the cash, the prestige. And, mhhm...the svelte ebony gloves. All things I idolize in life, really. But don't worry, I won't let it change me...

Bells represent a brilliant pairing of tonality with percussive action — tactile musical bliss in hand-held form. And I mostly specialize in four notes: G, G#, A and A# just below middle C — kind of your mid-range tonal arsenal, as far as hand bells go.

So that's it. Check it off the list. I think I've reached my life summit, friends. And I'm not even 26 years old. Not a bad go of things all told.

But it doesn't stop there.

I'm also a chorister these days too. A rekindling of former vocal mediocrity. It's divine (in a mostly temporal way).

Several weeks ago (on All Saints Sunday) we sang the Schubert Mass in B flat major at church. It was divine (in a more eternal way). Here's the mass' Gloria. You should listen to it if you want to connect with something larger than yourself.

I've been at All Souls' for about three months now and it seems my life is on an ever increasing high-church trajectory. For starters I wear a cassock and surplice every Sunday. How did that happen?

But the Episcopal tradition is a simplistically beautiful one I think. I love the symbols and the sensory elements of worship. And chanting is just plain cool.

And now, as we're moving into the especially meaty portion of the liturgical year there are good things on the menu. You can keep your holiday muzak. We've got the real deal at the Souls': vocal, orchestral, percussional.

Divine.

Ring it like a polaroid.

(and brother and nephew to me)

Pain is weakness leaving the body...

...or just a padded right hook smashing your face.

*fun times on the Tinker sports beat. go team*

It's always nice in fandom to have a good backup. Your go-to team that's a good rebound when your No. 1 is down and/or out. Turns out TCU might be my rebound this year (how dare you judge me)

But I've been strongly pressured in this direction in recent years by the family addition of two TCU super-fan bros-in-law. And maybe, just maybe, I finally drank the Kool-Aid this past weekend. Dang that peer pressure...

So it was that we enjoyed a good-ol butt whoopin of UNLV at the hands of a very impressive TCU unit. With my Sooners riding the comparative BCS short bus I'm okay having a backup Purple and White hip-flask to go with my Crimson and Cream coozy...

But anyway, here are several photos with which you may wet your whistle. It was a great game and weekend. Go Frogs. Boo Iowa...and Cincinnati.


Yeah!!!!....yet another touchdown as we run up the score on a lackluster team!!!


Homemade ingenuity. Poor Frogs, can't get any love with their Mountain West caste. Somebody needs to call the ACLU...


Yeah band! Sorry, I had to, it's in the fine print. These guys rocked a halloween Thriller show though. They did the dance on field and everything. Super bandee envy!