My most recent article in Voices discusses the very real lessons I’ve learned from taking the long way around. The article starts on page 34. Read on!
Run at Your Own Pace
26 OctI know, it sounds like an awkward title, right? Trust me, it isn’t. Even when something starts out easy and you can fly through it without any problems at the beginning, it’s nice to know that you can make mistakes in a supportive environment and ultimately succeed at whatever you put your mind to. Yes, I know this depends upon the work or home environment, but taking the time to discover your strengths and limitations makes all the difference in the world. The article begins on page 34 of Voices. Read on!
An Overabundance of Joy
26 OctI’ve been hoping to write articles for The New York Times and other magazines for a while, and one of the things I’m always on the lookout for is a great title. This one, “An Overabundance of Joy,” came from recognizing all of the things I have around me even during the pandemic that helped me maintain my sanity. The article begins on page 32 of Voices. Enjoy!
Ready…?
26 OctOne of the reasons I created this blog was eventually to work full-time as a writer and get paid for it. I’ve worked in several businesses over the years, but even from a very young age, I knew that I was a writer and wanted to focus on those skills more than anything else. No, I’m not yet ready to get back to the rat race, but I need to eat, pay the bills, and have a roof over my head. This article talks about trying to go back to work on your own terms. The article begins on page 34. Enjoy!
What’s Your New Normal?
26 OctI don’t know anyone who’s had it easy throughout this pandemic. In this article for Voices magazine, I discuss how finding your new normal has a direct impact on your health and livelihood. The article starts on page 48. I hope you enjoy it!
All Eyes on Me? Really?
26 OctThe next article in my column, “Quarter Notes,” talks about how to deal with being self-conscious in difficult situations. There aren’t always easy answers, but there are solutions for it if you take the time to look for them. The article starts on page 38 of Voices. Enjoy!
Finding Your Equilibrium
26 OctMy next article in our local Toastmasters magazine, Voices, talks about finding your equilibrium in these uncertain times. The article starts on page 54. Enjoy!
My First Column
26 OctEarlier this year I was asked by a friend if I would be willing to write a column for our local Toastmasters magazine called Voices. At the time I had been considering going back to work on my blog and writing articles for different magazines, including The New York Times and The Atlantic Magazine. I said yes to the offer, and thus my column, “Quarter Note,” came to be. This column examines different ways in which Toastmasters can learn and grow in their fields while also providing some personal commentary on my own experiences as a public speaker and leader. The first article is entitled “From the Big Top to a (Slightly) Smaller Stage” and profiles a Toastmaster by the name of Cory Sylvester who was a clown in Cirque de Soleil before retiring with his family to live here in Portland. The article starts on page 48 of Voices. I hope you enjoy it.
The Audition That Never Was
22 OctIt really pays to read your email on a regular basis. Sometimes I forget that, however, and end up with some weird but interesting results.
Back in 2020, we’d been told that we would be producing a Broadway-themed show in which people would be invited to create their own solo tracks for the concert. These would in turn be put together to form one or two concerts, depending on how many tracks were received as well as which would be repeated over the course of two nights. In January 2021, it was decided that the Broadway show would be shelved. In its place we would have two virtual concerts, a Portland Gay Men’s Chorus retrospective concert in March as well as a separate show for our subgroup Cascade in April, which had already been planned.
Of course, I’d either conveniently forgotten about this second email or had misplaced it. I’d mistakenly thought we were still doing the Broadway show and was madly trying to figure out which song to best solo with. Making this more complicated for me was that even though we’d been told quite plainly that more upbeat fare would be favored over ballads, and in fact only one ballad would be allowed per evening of the show, the only song that I could think of that had gotten me through most of the pandemic that I really wanted to use was a Stephen Sondheim piece from Into the Woods entitled, “No One Is Alone.”
In the end, with the deadline approaching for the (now nonexistent) concert audition for our Broadway concert, I performed “No One Is Alone” on nothing more than my cell phone. Very conveniently and ironically, of course, I live at home alone. I did several takes before deciding on the best one to send in, went to the link for the solos, and tried to send my piece in.
Nothing happened.
I did this several times, and still no response. In desperation I went to our chorus president and asked what was going on, who replied that the Broadway concert had indeed been cancelled. He forwarded me the email, which as it turns out I still had in my files anyway.
Oops.
So, no audition was necessary since no show would occur. Yet I still had the video, and it wasn’t too bad for something shot in solitude. I put the video on YouTube, which is where you’re seeing it now. If there’s any moral to this story, it’s that you should always listen to your conductor and chorus members – at least 99.5% of the time.
Kudos also goes to two members of our subgroup, Cascade, who performed a wonderful duet of this song last winter. If the video ever becomes available, I’ll include it here.
Hello, Vancouver Men’s Chorus!
14 JulHere’s a delightful video from the Vancouver Men’s Chorus performing “Anthem” by Leonard Cohen. Enjoy!
Freedman on the Go 