I guess you could look at this blog as a “creative writing prompt”. I was listening to something on the radio today and the voice guy said “What do YOU want to do, but just haven’t done it?” Well, I jotted a few things down instantly and now I am listing them here.
1. Play my trumpet again
One of the things I truly wish I had time to do is play my horn. I have often thought about going back and taking some lessons to get the chops back, but my worry would be finding the time to do it. I miss playing it, even if it was just once or twice a year in Alumni Band.
I have friends who are still playing their horns in various groups and play concerts. There is something that was so satisfying playing in a group and making music together. Third shift doesn’t really allow me to have time to practice, though, so I guess I’ll just pick it up every once in a while and play till my lips are numb – ha ha.
2. Teach
When I first went to college, they gave me some test. The test was supposed to tell me what I’d be good at. It said I’d be a good “special education teacher”. I guess this made me mad, because while in high school, I toyed with the idea of becoming a teacher. I thought I could teach music or elementary school. I regret not pursuing that.
Occasionally, I have had the opportunity to teach at the college for the Sleep Program I was in. I found that doing it only made me want to teach more. A radio guy I know teaches a speech class at one of the local colleges. I could totally do that. I ACED my speech class in college! I have been public speaking for almost 30 years – I know that I could do that. I doubt that there is anywhere that would let a guy who doesn’t have a teaching degree teach.
3. Visit Italy
I’m Italian after all. Of course I want to do this! I have seen Italy in pictures and have always wanted to go. There is so much to see, though. I want to see Rome and see the things that the Apostle Paul spoke of in his Biblical Epistles. I want to see Venice. I want to take the obligatory picture of me “holding up” the Leaning Tower of Pisa. I want to visit Sicily and the town where my grandparents were from. Definitely on my bucket list.
4. Learn another language
I guess this ties in with #3 – in that I’d really love to learn the Italian language. I know that there are various dialects and such, but I think it is a beautiful language. I’d love to be able to sit and listen to some of those great Italian songs – being sung in Italian – and know what they are saying. I would love to learn Spanish, too. It is very similar to Italian. They are both very romantic languages and I think it would be cool to learn it.
5. Build a home studio
I still do a lot of voice over work. I do most of it at the TV station or radio station. It would be nice to build a small little studio in our home to be able to sit and cut whatever voice stuff I need to. I think that this would give me the opportunity to do more auditions for voice work. I think that it would also give me the chance to make a little bit more money with my voice.
I haven’t a clue what equipment I’d need to do this, and certainly don’t have the money to do it either. I don’t want to invest in this and buy cheap equipment. I want to be able to produce a good product. I’d love to be “the voice” of a radio station, but I’d never be able to make that happen with sub-par equipment.
6. Learn to dance.
Oh sure, I can do the slow dance thing where you hold your beautiful woman and sway back and forth. I, however, would love to be able to do some sort of real dance. Swing dance, tango, ballroom dance, waltz, etc. I’d probably be a huge klutz and step all over my partner, but I want to try it. I’m no Arthur Murray, but give me a few lessons and I’ll try to be his non-coordinated step brother – LOL.
7. Conduct a band
One of the coolest things I got to do in high school was conduct the band. Its been awhile, but we learned how to read a score and I know I could do this. I would, however, want to pick the songs I’d like to conduct. There were songs we played when I was in band, that have stuck with me all these years later. While at my son’s band festival a couple years ago, we watched one of the other bands play not one, but two of the songs I played in band. I could still hear my part in my head. I could hear counter-melodies and percussion parts. It was amazing how it took me back. I would love to be a guest conductor somewhere.
One of the biggest thrills for me was standing on the podium and conducting my high school band classmates at my senior graduation. I’ll never forget the song: Tin Pan Alley. It was a medley of old standards and it was full of tempo changes and such. There is such a feeling of awe as you stand in front of a group of talented musicians and they are following YOUR lead. I think it would be cool to do that one more time.
8. Hear one of my “songs” recorded
I have written a few songs. Some of them out of a lot of hurt, some of them out of love, and some of them because I woke up and heard the lyrics and melody in a dream. I have written songs about my grandfather, my first love, my mom, and just life’s situations. I am not the world’s best writer of songs, believe me. There are people who can craft songs that run circles around my stuff.
What I wish is that a good songwriter would look at my stuff and say, “If we tweak this”, “What if you said this instead”, “How about we try this as a minor chord instead”, or whatever! I truly think that it would be pretty damn cool to hear someone record it – even if it is just a crappy demo!
9. Write a book
As I have said in a previous blog, I guess I tend to look at my blog as “the book” I want to write, and these blogs are the chapters. I don’t know what I’d write about. I have a Facebook friend who suggested I write about an actor who appeared in old movies. I have another friend who says I should write about classic movies or radio. I’ve often thought that I could write a children’s book. Who knows. I guess first I need to find more than a few minutes at a time to actually figure out what to say.
What are some things YOU want to do?
Various Ramblings of a Nostalgic Italian 