Episode 19: Don't Sweat the Small Stuff

“Something wonderful begins to happen with the simple realization that life, like an automobile, is driven from the inside out, not the other way around. As you focus more on becoming more peaceful with where you are, rather than focusing on where you would rather be, you begin to find peace right now, in the present. Then, as you move around, try new things, and meet new people, you carry that sense of inner peace with you. It’s absolutely true that, “Wherever you go, there you are.”
— Richard Carlson

In this episode, we give a reading of Don't Sweat the Small Stuff and discuss some topics which Dr. Carlson mentions in his book, focusing on patience, listening in humility. If you are interested in getting the book for yourself, we've included some links below.

Episode 18: Percussion

“The thing about playing percussion is that you can create all these emotions that can be sometimes beautiful, sometimes really ugly, or sometimes sweet, sometimes as big as King Kong and so on. And so there can be a real riot out there, or it can be so refined.”
— Evelyn Glennie

In this episode we welcome our second guest, Samuel Adam Graf, who was kind enough to speak with us about his experiences with percussion, and his thoughts on the topic.

Episode 17: Our First Jobs

“Knowledge comes, but wisdom lingers. It may not be difficult to store up in the mind a vast quantity of facts within a comparatively short time, but the ability to form judgments requires the severe discipline of hard work and the tempering heat of experience and maturity.”
— Calvin Coolidge

As we gradually move away from our own experiences and onto larger topics, we wanted to consider the first jobs in our lives, who we worked with and what we learned during those initial experiences.

Episode 16: The Pale Blue Dot

“Look again at that dot. That’s here. That’s home. That’s us. On it everyone you love, everyone you know, everyone you ever heard of, every human being who ever was, lived out their lives. The aggregate of our joy and suffering, thousands of confident religions ideologies, and economic doctrines, every hunter and forager, every hero and coward, every creator and destroyer of civilization, every king and peasant, every young couple in love, every mother and father, hopeful child, inventor and explorer, every teacher of morals, every corrupt politician, every “superstar,” every “supreme leader,” every saint and sinner in the history of our species lived there — on a mote of dust suspended in a sunbeam.”
— Carl Sagan, 1934 - 1996

One of Kip's favorite videos, we felt it would be worthwhile for both of us to watch and consider its implications. We discuss the various ideas brought up in the speech and examine the video as an evocative medium

Episode 15: Our First Shows of the Year

“An ounce of performance is worth pounds of promises.”
— Mae West
“The highest levels of performance come to people who are centered, intuitive, creative, and reflective - people who know to see a problem as an opportunity.”
— Deepak Chopra
“Don’t lower your expectations to meet your performance. Raise your level of performance to meet your expectations. Expect the best of yourself, and then do what is necessary to make it a reality.”
— Ralph Marston

As we reflect on our respective years thus far, our first a capella and improv performances stand out as defining moments for both ourselves and our groups. We wanted to discuss some of the ideas and preparations that go into the days and weeks leading up to the first shows.