Let's Share our Non-Academic Selves

I've been on this forum for many, many years (first as Pugbelly and later as Pugbelly2). I've seen all of us dive into discussion and debate about education, schools, degree programs, accreditation, licenses, professions, politics, religion, etc. I think it's easy for all of us to get a really skewed picture of who we actually are as people and thought it would be interesting, and maybe hilarious, to share a piece of ourselves here that others may not know or expect from our posts.

Soooo, in addition to being a business owner and management executive, I am still a musician at heart and a rock star in my own mind. I've played in bands on and off for decades that range in musical genre from hard rock and heavy metal to punk and psychobilly. Happy to share a link to a music video if you guys really want a visual.

Who wants to go next?

 

In addition to wearing many hats, I always make time for music—composing, improvising, and playing it daily.
Over the past few decades, the rise of virtual instruments has captured my attention big time.
While I don’t own a real Hammond B3 Organ, I play its virtual counterparts regularly. Though they can’t fully compare to the real thing (the beastly sound of the Leslie and all), the technology behind them is amazing.

Using my 88-key MIDI controller and DAW software, I compose and play along favored and unknown newly discovered bands, with over 1,000 virtual instruments at my fingertips. I also keep a few traditional instruments in my mix.

Outside of music, I’m deeply fascinated by the study of civilizations and archaeology, including Biblical archaeology.

 

Distance education is largely a hobby of mine. I've made my bones doing strategic leadership development.

I also play a serious level of golf. I've been as low as a 3-handicap, but I'd estimate (I don't carry an official one anymore) my current handicap to be about a 6.

The last grade of traditional formal education I completed was the 8th grade.

I'm buying a house in Las Vegas with an elevator. Not a common-use one in a condo, but one in my house.

John Bear and I have been guests in each other's homes multiple times. We spent one evening in San Antonio at my kitchen table with a copy of The Baseball Encyclopedia, talking about baseball trivia for hours.

I'm going back to school (I think) this fall.

 

Nice!

 

See...I love to hear this stuff.

 

My child is swimmer and has been in competitive swimming since he was six. That being said, in his second year of USA Swimming, I became a USA Swim official. Now, almost 8 years later, I am a N2 (National Certified) Stroke and Turn Official and have been a Starter for 6 years. I plan to qualify for my N2 certification for Starter this Summer. I am also a TISDO ( Texas High School) Swim Official and will officiate Regionals this Friday and Saturday ( son is swimming too)

 

I'm seeing a trend with music as a primary part of lots of our lives so far. Interesting.

 

In addition to academic blah blah…

I delight in introducing people to the liturgical and musical traditions of the church and am currently helping our choir work in Merbecke’s setting for things like the Creed. We also have worked up traditional Evensong in our parish. No regular Rutter, although I know and love his For the Beauty of the Earth.

 

I gifted myself a very nice sewing machine for my birthday last year and have discovered quiltmaking. I'm also interested in making clothing (for myself) and home decor items. I usually listen to bible studies or sermons when I sew. I also have a genuine interest in biblical archaeology. I have a lot of time on my hands, so I get to watch YouTube videos on the topic.

 

Please!

This is something I've long hoped to learn in the future, and then to learn music production. I know many frown on it, but my read is that a lighted keyboard like a Casio LK, Yamaha EZ, or The One would work well with how I'd learn this.

9th.

 

I too, keep music as a hobby. I gigged (bass and vocals) in local bands from about 1989-2001 when I kind of "retired" from live playing after doing a couple of shows promoting a friend's album (on which I also played bass on a couple of tracks.) These days I work on my songwriting and record into my computer - but I've never finished anything, lol.

I've always been a "creative" and have had small victories in a few of my endeavors

Screenwriting: I won two screenwriting competitions in 2017 with the same short script. (both came with a cash prize). I was a semi-finalist a couple of years before that with a feature-length script.
Acting: I was the lead actor in an innovative web series produced between 2009-2018 (although it was only TWO seasons - post production took forever) During that time I was nominated for two acting awards - but I didn't win.
I did win an acting award in 2014 for a supporting role in a short film at a film festival here in Ohio.
Directing: I've made a couple of short films in my day, and participated in several more both on camera and in various production-related support roles mostly helping out friends and colleagues with their projects. I co-wrote and directed a film a couple of years ago that played at some festivals without much notice, but it did land at an "AI" film festival for films about the dark side of technology, and it won a couple of awards - Best Narrative Short and Best Director (short film) - If you look long enough you will find a festival that lines up with what you created, lol.
Voice Over: I've been a semi-pro VO talent for the last 25 years. I was the "brand voice" for a couple of national clients for a while, and I've done tons of industrials and training pieces. I still do VO but it has really fallen off over the past 5 years or so, and although I keep an agent and read for auditions, I only really get work from some established clientele that call me directly when they need something. I feel lucky to grab that extra income here and there, I've also done volunteer work reading the newspaper on-air for the visually impaired through a service called Voice Corps.

Anyway, besides being a corporate video editor/communications guy - those are my "other interests" - Music, acting, writing, filmmaking, VO. Married. 54. No kids. Dog and two cats.

 

Wow!

 

I'm jealous. Honest to God I wish I could sew.

 

Sure, here you go. Disclaimer: the video imagery is thematically dark and theatrical.

 

The music was very good. The special effects were fantastic. I laughed out loud a few times but was thoroughly entertained the whole time! Thank you for sharing.

 

Mixed-gender vocals within the same song is a growth industry. It's clearly huge in pop, rap, and country in the era of features and collabs. In rock, mixed-gender-vocal bands are notably successful in my native Canada: Mother Mother, Stars, Arcade Fire, July Talk, Walk off the Earth. Maybe you'll be part of making this big stateside!

 

This is super cool - the music, the video. It kind of reminded me of some kind of Stan Ridgeway tune or something. How did you get the video? It is an AI produced thing or?

 

Lol. Probably not, but it would be cool. We dont play a mainstream genre, and with 120,000 new song uploads to streaming platforms every single day, it's uphill to say the least. More songs are now released every year than there were songs released between 1955 and 2010. Crazy.

 

Well thank you. You're very kind. It's been a passion, not a money maker.