Event 2 Review: Yule 2014

      So the annual Yule party has come and gone and I am now having visions of drunken reindeers, mugs of wassail, white blue balls, a minor incident involving a sign and general enjoyment. 

I was very happy this year, it was a simple Yule party with a very large pork roast, a wonderful wassail and homemade eggnog as wares.  In addition we had my stand by beer, Miller High Life, which for all of you snobs out there taste just fine especially when it is drank between excellent shots of Bourbon, Irish and Canadian spirits.  I will say the Pork Roast was king this year representing the traditional Yule boar sacrifice.  This is my general recipe.

1. Cut up 2 to 4 medium onions into wedges and layer along the bottom of your slow cooker.
2. then cut up 4 sweet potatoes or 8 carrots (whichever you have on hand) and lay on top of the onions
3. Next cut 7 to 9 red potatos into quarters and layer them on top of the other vegetables.
4. (Really add any veggies you like that will work and you have room 4)
5. 2 to 4 cloves of garlic crushed and added in.
6. rub a 3 to 6 pound pork loin roast with kosher salt, black pepper, and rosemary, all over
7. seer the top and bottom of the roast in a cast iron skillet and then transfer to the slow cooker fat side up.
8. add another teaspoon or so kosher salt to the slow cooker
9. then pour 1 to 2 12 ounce beers depending on the size of your slow cooker.
10. turn the slow cooker to low and cook for 10 to 11 hours.

It ends up being so tender it can be served with a spoon.

I also wanted to give a huge shout out to my son Richard for making an amazing homemade eggnog.  It was so good he made 4 batches!!!

The highlight of the night was the Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer drinking game to the old Rankin/Bass animation.  I will provide a link to Amazon so that you can get a copy at the end of the blog.  Let it be know it was probably a good idea we did not take a shot for every song.  So until next year have a Merry and Blessed Yule

Event 2 Yule Festival: Pregame Blog (Just Barely)

Well the dangers of blogging during the Holidays has become apparent, I an just barely getting to this update.  The Yulefest is tonight and I have 50 million things to do.  I am prepping the pork roast, going over the Wassail recipe and making sure the booze is all here, doing last minute checks on gifts and guests and making sure that the front room is even presentable.  Then I head to work.

So now for the product placement, here is a list of alcohol for the night...

• Evan Williams Kentucky Whiskey 
• Evan Williams Cinnamon Whiskey 
• Evan Williams Honey Whiskey
• Evan Williams Egg Nog
• Lord Calvert Canadian Whisky
• Jameson Irish Whiskey
• E & J Brandy
• Taaka Vodka
• Montego Bay Rum
• Ryan's Irish Cream
• Dr Magillicuddy's Root Beer Schnapps
• Various other Liquors 
• Whatever anyone else is bringing

Now this is our normal stock because we like variety and even though some of these are 3rd shelf, they mix just fine.  This is about all the time I have today for the blog so I will update you this weekend on how the party went.

Merry Yule!!!!

Week 1 in Review and a Movie

Tuba Christmas 2014 has come and gone and I am truly grateful to all of my friends and family who attended.  I believe in my heart that this year was very special to me because I am thankful for the good, wonderful friendships in my life that will continue to warm my heart in the mead halls of Valhalla after I have finished my journey on Midgard.  I give special thanks to Cabot & Jen, Matt, Victor, Marion, Brian, Jaclyn & Travis, Jackie and Sheila.  Plus my children, mom and my sister. I am at peace and that is what this time of year should bring.

I also wanted to call your attention to a wonderful film I watched today named "The Hundred Foot Journey" I do not want to get into pretentious film reviewing like I have seen in other blogs and other commentary...I am just going to tell you that I like it, it made me very happy to watch and it made me cry the same way certain shows like "Under the Tuscan Sun" and "Love Actually" makes me cry.  I am a hopeless romantic and I rather enjoy journeys into the fantasy realm of romance because the Gods know it does not happen in real life. So they give us these movies and good wine and let us have at it.
http://amzn.to/1yQDYy6
http://amzn.to/1GnQ0ou

Lastly I will be writing a bit later in this week about Event 2 which will be the Annual Yule Festival.

EVENT Week 1 Tuba Christmas 2014

This week the event that I am getting ready for is Tuba Christmas 2014.  It happens this Saturday 12/13 at 1:00 PM.  We will be playing in the South end of Trolley Square. https://www.facebook.com/tubachristmas.slc?ref=hl#!/events/878773228823406/

I was incredibly worried about my ability to play this year, but my fears have been overcome and my breathing should be fine.

Now those of you who know me are aware that I have been performing in Tuba Christmas since 1984 and this is my 30th year.  In a way it is an anniversary for the most successful relationship I have ever had, which is the one I have with music and my horn. 

For those of you who do not know about Tuba Christmas here is a brief history of it posted from the official website http://www.tubachristmas.com/

2014 is the 41st anniversary for TUBACHRISTMAS concerts/events which are presented throughout the world. TUBACHRISTMAS was conceived in 1974 by Harvey Phillips as a tribute to his teacher and mentor William J. Bell, born on Christmas Day, 1902. Through the legendary William J. Bell we reflect on our heritage and honor all great artists/teachers whose legacy has given us high performance standards, well structured pedagogy, professional integrity, personal values and a camaraderie envied by all other instrumentalists. The first TUBACHRISTMAS was conducted by Paul Lavalle in New York City's Rockefeller Plaza Ice Rink on Sunday, December 22, 1974. Traditional Christmas music performed at the first TUBACHRISTMAS was arranged by American composer Alec Wilder who ironically died on Christmas Eve, 1980. Wilder composed many solo and ensemble compositions for tuba and euphonium. He was a loyal supporter of every effort to improve the literature and public image of our chosen instruments. Through Alec Wilder we express our respect and gratitude to all composers who continue to embrace our instruments with their compositions and contribute to the ever growing solo and ensemble repertoire for tuba and euphonium.

I have always felt connected to Tuba Christmas because it helps me remember part of who I am.  Being a tuba player is a very important part of my identity, in fact I actually thought I was going to play the tuba as my profession.  I have been truly fortunate to have had the greatest living tuba player as a teacher and friend.  Gary Ofenloch is the Principal Tuba Player with the Utah Symphony and I studied with Gary while I attended the University of Utah.  Gary will be very modest about the accolades I give him however, it was my job in the late 90s and early 2000s to listen to all of the classical recordings being made and I also attended a large amount of live performances during that period and afterward as well and Gary plays with both a majesty and a sophistication that I have yet to encounter anywhere I go.  I am fortunate that Gary helped me procure my two concert horns and I feel entrusted with the legacy of those horns because of Gary as well. I am including a link to Gary's Utah Symphony Biography so that you can learn more about him. http://www.utahsymphony.org/the-orchestra/253-gary-ofenloch. 

Back to the reason the Tuba is important to me.  I identify with the horn in that  both its appearance and sound have a substance unequaled in the world of musical instruments it is the foundation upon which the large orchestral pieces and band music builds upon in music since the Romantic period onward.  It is an instrument that fits me and I love the sound it makes.  I find that even though I do not play the horn professionally (mainly because of life choices and my rebellion against authority of all types including conductors) it grants me a peace and satisfaction that I am hard pressed to find anywhere else (in fact the only other associations I have that give me the same feelings are my Children and Family and my truly close friends).

I also love Tuba Christmas because it is the one thing I do that brings together all of my worlds.  My kids are there and it is an important part of our Yule tradition and my diverse group of friends are there incorporating it into their traditions.  That is what this is about Traditions and Legacies. Also that is why this blog exists to narrate those same traditions and legacies so that they will be remembered and our future generations will have a foundation to build upon much like the orchestra building on the foundation created by the tuba.
 

Tuba Christmas Salt Lake City 2010

 

 

Welcome and Why

I would like to welcome all readers to my new blog.  Why should you care? There is absolutely no reason.  I have come to a point in my life where all projects that I developed since the first blog "Pubbing In the Land of Zion" have ended, mostly because of my recent health issues and living situation.

With that said, I still want to welcome any of you who come to read and participate in this new experiment.  I intend to write about the things that interest me; beer & liquor, bars I enjoy, games I play, music I listen to, books I read and anything else that catches my interest until the time I find a subject to specialize in.  This blog is as much a therapy for my midlife crisis as it is a way to share myself with my friends and family.

This will be a journal to document the new journey and direction my life is taking.  I want my old friends who are still here to come along and the same time I hope to find new friends and before I conclude I just want to thank you all for your patience for indulging me in this endeavor.