Time to write

I've been working 7 days a week for the past couple of weeks, sometimes until 10 pm or later...so it's been hard to write anything as of late.  Tonight, however, I find myself with the night off and can think of nothing better I would like to do than blog about recent happenings. 

I really like to write.  Like, a lot.  It is a skill that comes in mighty handy when trying to woo a potential employer into seeing all of the greatness that is ME :)  I work in a business where networking is vital.  Who doesn't, really?  I mean, I can't think of any work trade where networking doesn't create positive results.  In my contact with directors, artistic administrators, etc, it is pretty hard to relay the point that I'm dying to be hired without coming off as desperate.  I mean, we need to be wanted, right?  But who wants a desperate brown-noser?  I sure don't.  

So in the countless emails I write, day in and day out, it is important to use the writing skills I have secured over the years.  A special shout-out is necessary here to an insanely talented group of English teachers and professors I have had along the way.  Vicki, Sandy, Pete, and Jolly Douglas...you have meant more to my educational years than you could possibly imagine.  (Yes I'm on a first-name basis with my high school English teachers because we are tight like that.)  I still keep in touch with a small handful of teachers who made a difference in my high school career, and for that I am thankful.  Why, just over Thanksgiving holiday, I had a lovely dinner with one of those former teachers.  Always supportive.  Always happy to see where life is taking me these days.  THANK YOU.  

Anyway, if I learned one thing from them, I learned this in my writing: grammar is IMPORTANT.  I had a professor (who shall remain nameless) write a recommendation for me.  He/she (seriously I'm not giving any hints to who this person is) gave me several copies so I could use them as-needed.  Of course [with permission] I opened one and read it.  The grammar was horrifying.  How can I submit a recommendation where some sentences don't even end with a PERIOD??  It's embarrassing.  Or at least it should be.  And misspelled words?  How does that even exist these days?  I mean, even my blackberry has spell-check...

I am quite happy to have developed what is, in my humble opinion, an eloquent sense of writing.  I think it helps these people who read my emails/cover letters know that I am both sensible and engaging.  And OF COURSE that translates to the stage!  Ha!  I'm an exhibitionist for crying out loud!  I don't like to present a product that is sub-par, so I scrutinize until my brain hurts.  And the moral of the story is: it pays off.  I've always received positive feedback from letters or emails I've written, even if the subject matter is, shall we say, dangerous?  Ballsy?  Courageous.  That's it.  I mean, ask and ye shall receive, right?  What's the worst that can happen if I ask someone to hire me?  They may say "no."  And at that point, I'm no worse off than if I had never asked in the first place.  Say "thank you for your time and consideration" and request to be kept in mind for future employment opportunities.  Fin.  

So tip of the day, kids, is this: love your teachers.  (Or at least the good ones)

In other news, I am happier at this moment than I have ever been in my entire life.  I'm recently coming off of a couple months of being sick...or really, being un-well.  Tired.  Burnt out, really.  November and December taught me a lot in terms of dealing with this career when I'm not feeling my best.  Unfortunately, I had a string of pretty unsuccessful auditions.  [sh]It happens.  Singing ill, however, is rarely a good idea.  No one I know or ever will know can be perfectly healthy and at his best at all times.  It's impossible.  This was simply a case of bad timing.  

Or was it?  I am actually really thankful for the experience of the "terrible auditions." And, more importantly, I am thankful for everything going for me at this exact moment.  I'm feeling healthier than I have in years.   I'm working out 6 days a week (so long, holiday weight!), eating healthy, and singing better than I have ever sung.  What I have rediscovered in myself since December is my love for what I do.  I'm sorry to say that I lost that [a bit] toward the end of the year; but I am happy to report that my love for what I do has returned in bounty.  

God, I'm a lucky guy.