Countdown: 11 days to LTROI

I can't remember the last time I posted something, but I promise to write more soon. Not that anyone who reads this would notice, because I have barely had time to talk with all of you on the phone! But this is pretty funny. GDP took a mallet from one of my students yesterday at a Parents Weekend percussion concert, and would not let go of it for any reason--for about 5 straight hours. I bet LHS would get a kick out of this.

It's no Beeker playing Beethoven, but it's all I have.

More later! JP

P.S. That's right--only 11 days until my DVD of Let The Right One In arrives--if you haven't read the book or seen the trailer, run don't walk. wwwlettherightoneinmovie.com, and brace yourself.

Last Post of the Year (probably)...

This is probably the last post of 2008, depending on how much free time we have in Copenhagen over the next few weeks. However, some items of interest, including day care pictures of our almost-11-month-old giant boy.

Eva bought tickets for the Copenhagen Opera production of Wozzeck, which I am incredibly stoked about. Check the pictures of this hall at this link:

http://www.operaen.dk/Subsites/Operaen.aspx?sc_lang=en

It's going to be amazing! Some other cool things coming up--clinic/performances in Tennessee, North Carolina, and Missouri, and then a week-long residency in Thailand for an International Brass and Percussion Festival in August! It's going to be sponsored by Mahidol University in Bangkok, and I'm very excited--it looks like Eva will be able to come with me, which is even more cool. Plus, getting to see one of my favorite new colleagues there will be a blast.

The official announcement isn't up yet, but you can check this link for the scope of similar projects.

http://www.music.mahidol.ac.th/en/index.php

In other news, my sister just returned from India, and sent a few pictures--several of which are worthy of being published by National Geographic (see above).

We also had a great Thanksgiving with tons of friends coming to town, and just recently survived Tri-State and PRISM week at FSU, so things are good.

I have to run, as I was just reminded by my wife that I drove the wrong car to work. More later!

The Dark Knight part Deux

OK, so it has been a long time since my last post...and I thought Tyson was slow! So much has been going on, but clearly my four readers already know that. In professional news, the University of Arkansas trip was fabulous; the kids played beautifully, and then PASIC was awesome (although I missed Tyson, SH was an able roommate), and then getting things cleared for the end of the semester has been the name of the game since.

I will write more after Turkey; many friends are coming down to Tally for the rest of the week, and we are all very excited to see them, as well as see some pictures from my sister's trip to India.

More later, faithful readers! Off to write more recommendation letters...JP

What's Fatherhood Like?

For Michael Bump (and the four other friends who read this blog).

I am Zing-man...

For those of you who choose not to live in the third-sweatiest, first-to-overreact-to-storms-that-appear-ferocious-on-radar-yet-do-little-more-than-my-own-sprinklers city of Tally, Zings! are a special column of our Tallahassee Democrat newspaper. It's a forum of sorts consisting of short submissions that typically poke fun of something.

Never one without some fun to make, I have been on a mission these past few months to have a few ground axes published, and finally broke through with a few this summer. It's been dry lately, however I was able to sneak in one this week. I think it's a good example of what the Zings! should be about.

"Hurricane forecaster: A monkey with an Etch-A-Sketch."

I have submitted funnier ones, for example: "The Cone of Uncertainty returns--thank goodness weather forecasters aren't held to the same standard as surgeons."

There are some that strike other targets (the Weather Channel is an easy one). Another favorite topic of mine is the self-annointed "George Lucas Syndrome" which appeared in my critique of M. Night's latest debaucle. This was another Zing! from last week written in anticipation of the newest and lamest SW film:

"George Lucas clearly cannot persuade live-action actors to be in another of his horrendous Star Wars movies, hence the cartoons. I think it's time for an intervention."

But perhaps the funniest thing about Zings! is the ability to post commentary online--clearly some of the most serious Mensa rejects inhabit this town. Consider this: Someone wrote a comment about having the day off in Florida today because of Fay complications (none that I'm aware of for our fair city, except for some drama-queen-esque overreactions). And this was the response from someone named "justacitizen":

"Now much money is left in the rain day funds? I hope they 'Don't use it all . We need it to build the (115 Milliom ) Performing Arts Center. (Sorry A typo.....)"

Now, call me crazy, but what we clearly need is an English class for justacitizen. Followed promptly by a typing class and perhaps a grammar lab. Third grade will suffice.

Of course, I choose not to say such things on the forum because I enjoy submitting the Zings! and watching the animals eat each other. But it is scary on many levels should you think seriously about what could be at stake. And I don't mean the PAC money.

In other news, GDP continues his string of consecutive sicknesses, Fay drops nary a slick on my driveway, and school begins next week! More later, four readers. And Mrs. Herring, nice to have you visiting!

Happy Boo Boo

The end of summer as we know it finds Mr. GDP a very happy boy. We've had a great summer, and are looking forward to a great school year--although it's hard to believe that ENP and I will have to go back to work every day in a few weeks. A few thoughts between now and my next post.

Dark Knight--amazing the first time, and even better the second. Thank you, Christopher Nolan and Company, for a real masterpiece that may be enjoyed on many levels. Wow.

New Star Wars: I think it must be a cartoon because George Lucas can no longer find human beings to star in his crappy movies. Makes me naseous.

Blake's new piece: I think the commissioner shall be very happy; I love it.

Gabriel's new hair cut and his Day Care: Awesome.

And in other great news, I'm getting a new computer at work, which hopefully will pair nicely with all of this crazy-expensive recording gear.

More later! Bridgeman, are you alive? Do you have email? Do you read blogs? JP

Tyson, You're Next...

BT, you need to update your blog or else I will substitute this teething ring for your KNUCKLES! Life is good for me here in Tallahassee; I have two people in this house that feed, clean, and play with me. That's nice. They both recently "upgraded" to some new kind of phone, and keep pointing it at me. This is usually followed by laughter. There's also a comment or two concerning "No Apple Allowed," but I'm not sure.

Also, my grandparents just visited from Denmark for a week, and that was fun! But the biggest news is that I started Day Care today with my friends at Gwen Cherry, also known as The Coolest Place on Earth. Daddy said that he would be there all day if he didn't have a job.

It rains a lot these days, and I have noticed a furry creature scurrying around the house. She makes the sound I've heard from Moo Baa La, but I haven't been able to catch her yet. She should watch out though.

Also, someone named Bridgeman has lost his email account in France; at least that's what Dad says. Maybe he can fix that soon or else he could suffer the same fate as BT!

And finally, I'm excited for Mom and Dad to see some Bat movie in a few weeks. They never stop yakking about it. Until next time, may your rice cereal be of the right consistency. GDP out.

What's Happening (and what's not!)

My three devoted readers (and I include you, Bridgeman, even though clearly France does not offer any kind of email service), what a great month since my last post. Very busy; teaching at the Rosauro UCF camp with JM, KG, and NR, always a pleasure and a blast, hanging out with ENP and GDP, which is more amazing every day, and seeing some friends on and off as we continue figuring out how to function as parents and not-so-normal-anymore people. In other news, students are continuing to do well--SV won the MSU job full-time, and three FSU students advanced at the ASO Modern Snare Drum competition--one incoming freshman from ATL who came in second in his division, and two FSU students who advanced, then one went all the way to finals. Very cool! Also tons of new gear at school to play with, and I can't wait for all the students to return from their summers to see and play upon all the new stuff.

In other news, however, I could not be more disappointed. M. Night's new trainwreck is called "The Happening," and I quote Mr. Moviefone (sic) when I say that "It's not happening." I tend to get really excited about certain movies--Dark Knight, Star Trek, X-Files, etc. and then have a really hard time when they don't deliver. I think M. Night's problem is that he suffers from "George Lucas Syndrome," a term I coined last night after the movie. M. Night writes, directs, and produces everything, and probably micromanages all kinds of other things in the production. As a result, I imagine there's no way to be objective, and the general direction of his movies since Signs has definitely taken an even sharper turn downwards.

It is hard to be objective when you don't have anyone collaborating with you. Let alone to have someone (or several people) as your foil to say, Wow, that's really bad, M. Night. Let's reconsider. Should we have Mark Wahlberg talking to a ficus tree? I knew in the first 15 seconds of that park bench scene that the rest of the movie was not only going to be bad, but Episode III bad. And I was right. The whole thing rang hollow and wasn't effectively executed on almost every count, and I think it's sad when a reboot of The Incredible Hulk spanks any project of M. Night. But there it is.

The only hope for M. Night is that he hasn't been completely infected with the malady. For example, some friends and I watched Raiders last week, and then Temple of Doom. Why does Lucas have to have kids (Short Round=Ewoks) and stupid sidekicks (Capshaw=Jar-Jar) in these films? While the model is present in the "adopted" daughter and female co-star (who I was surprised to learn was the female lead in Elf, where she was luminous), it was not as mindless and dumbed-down as Lucas likes it. Although the acting and dialogue levels were completely on par with Episode III. It was uncomfortable to watch.

There's a reason that Empire is the best of the Star Wars movies. Check the credits and you'll see what I mean. I know, however, that Nolan and Co. will deliver on Dark Knight, and I can't wait! Until next time, here's rolling front to back and back to front.

Portrait of the Young Man

WARNING: If you find baby talk annoying, turn down the volume before watching this video. I am embroiled in a competitive development milestone wager with none other than my wife, which concerns crawling...my bet is that it will happen in the next two weeks; most child development experts say six months. We'll see!

Regardless of the bet, you can see that this is one happy kid, and we love him! Summer has been great so far, including a visit from Eva's brother and their family, a quick trip to the beach, and now my Mom is in town for a week. Still a lot happening, but nothing like the last school year.

In other news, one of my DM candidates won the Furman position, which makes me especially proud (as I earned my undergraduate degree there)--this is huge news, and I couldn't be more proud of OC. He also has a new family, so I'm excited for them as well.

Other than that, just spending time with our friends and looking forward to all the great new movies coming up--Dark Knight, the Happening (hopefully won't be horrible), and X-Files. Speaking of, we saw Iron Man last weekend, and it's AWESOME.

More later--BRIDGEMAN, will you email me for the love of all things holy? And if anyone knows of superlative day care in NW Tally, let me know.

Summer Begins!!!

Summer means the END of this semester, which has definitely been one of the most incredible grouping of months in my life. Between life-changing birth events/family, five concerto performances this semester alone, orchestra, travel, work, and general academic overtime, it has been an insane time. But finally I can see the light at the end of the tunnel, and should emerge on Sunday.

I only have three agenda (well, five) items for the summer. A) spend time with my family, which I am really excited about, B) work Ney's camp in Orlando with best friends Jeff and Kirk, C) play the Daugherty again in Winter Park, D) run the FSU Summer Camp master classes for two weeks, and E) learn how to use all of my new gear!!!

Oh, and F) submit my tenure binders.

Family is doing great, and I could not have survived this semester at all had it not been for them, as well as so many close friends (JS, KK, MM, NM, JAH, SH, etc.), and Halle wouldn't have survived her near-death experiences without them either. But on to the new gear...

We have two new marimbas coming from Holland, which are the first two of their kind to hit the United States--very exciting. And our administration funded yet another technology proposal for my area which includes a Furman power conditioner, Alesis MasterLink mastering deck and hard-drive recorder (and CD mastering device), a Motu 8pre firewire interface, and a nice rack to make my office look like a recording studio. Add these to the Rokit monitors (and I might be getting the Genelecs from RDA), the EarthWorks Omnis and AKG mics, Mackie controller and such--and we are getting really dangerous. Love it.

Also we have eight graduate students for fall, and an incredible new class of undergraduates--definitely should be the best year at FSU yet, and that's saying something on the heels of Carnegie Hall, winning the PASIC competition, and the placement rate this year.

So lots going on. And with some time I can get back to what I do best--sending Zings! to the Democrat that never get published. Stay tuned. And Bridgeman, is there no internet in France???

P.S. Movie watch--Dark Knight, X-Files, etc. make John a happy boy.

Moo Baa La and other thoughts

Life as we know it is rather interesting lately--I never thought so much joy could be derived from something so simple. Check out this video of GDP and ENP from last week--anyone having doubts about how cool having a child can be should watch this repeatedly. And no, ENP is not reading Cosmo to GDP.

Although I would be the first in line to tell you that nothing like this would have been on my radar 10 months ago.

In other news, I will be staying at Florida State, which is terrific news and a decision that I am very happy with. I love our quality of life here in Tally, and I love my job, students, administration and colleagues. Yes, some towns are hipper than this one, but you can't put a price on people who believe and invest in you on a level that is exceptional.

ENP continues to recover; some of you know more about this than others, but I am hopeful that all post-partum complications will be coming to a close very soon. Also, I finished the Svoboda concerto last Thursday night (after the plane-crash Waffle House incident on Feb. 8), and my students threw down on Rite of Spring in the second half. It was a blast.

Upcoming things: More reading to GDP, Spiritual at LSU this weekend, three guest artists, two more concerto performances (more new music), the last TSO MW and Children's concerts, five student recitals, the burger burn, and SUMMER!!!

Also, BT remind me about Rochester. And Anakin, if you're out there, I'm relegated to email only for the next two months. EMAIL ME. More later, devoted four readers.

The Boy Wonder

He's here! Gabriel David Parks came into the world on 1/23, and I apologize for my obvious lack of posting since then. Now any late nights are spent rocking, feeding, and changing diapers, rather than blogging, joining professional recording forums, and submitting Zings to the Democrat that are never published. My friend Steve suggested that perhaps I would indeed be published if I didn't put "Hey M----- F------" in the subject line of my emails.

Of course I don't do that, but I thought it was so funny that I had to include it in this entry.

Fatherhood is amazing--I could dish at length about how amazing ENP was during the entire process of pregnancy, the actual birth (there are no words to describe how amazing she was, or how much I love her), and our transition into parenthood. The only downside has been the complete overturning of my sense of natural order--something which I depend upon for what modicum of sanity I may preserve this semester with all that I have happening.

But in other news, life is tremendous--and it's a sad day when Blake updates more than I do. More on other developments soon, including the plane crash that derailed the Svoboda concerto last week, upcoming trips, and other fun stuff. Until next time!

To Boldly Split the Infinitive

You might be expecting something about a newborn son, eh? NOT YET. Until then, however, I give you something else to be incredibly excited about--the new Star Trek TRAILER is playing before Cloverfield next Friday Jan. 18. I am giddy with excitement, and just finished watching a fake trailer for the movie--and got emotional. I cannot WAIT for this film.

I am excited about Cloverfield as well, although our ability to see the film in theaters may be somewhat impacted by the arrival of Gabriel (we've settled on this until we see what he's like!).

Attending Star Trek movies on opening night is quite an experience, especially if you own your own uniform as I do. Wearing it to work, for example, is something I enjoy on Halloween. Unfortunately (or perhaps fortunately), we will be in Denmark next Christmas when the movie opens on 12/25/08, and I don't know how we will handle the situation. But worry not; ENP's brother KB is well-connected when it comes to movie theaters and I plan on working that angle.

Other news--I cannot wait to meet the BOY!!! More on this later, but for some reason I don't get to post much in the near future, go see CLOVERFIELD next week!

More movies to get emotional about: The Dark Knight this summer...

Dada (not the movement)

Believe it or not, in 16 days I will be a father! Or at least sometime between then and now. Or maybe later than Jan. 15, but it's safe to say that we will have the new arrival sometime in the next month or so. I can't wait! ENP really likes the name Gabriel, and I have to say that I do as well. Other choices were destroyed by negative experiences (e.g. Hayden, who ruined the Star Wars prequels along with George Lucas, "Aiden" which sounds like "Hayden," and "Ethan," which was a top-10 boys name in 2007 and also one of the freaky Others on Lost). Any other suggestions from my two readers? Time is running out!

The nursery is all done, bags are packed, and I have been practicing like a fiend at home for most of the holidays. And I am really excited about all things Spring--the baby, a whole new spin on life with ENP which should be awesome, playing the Svoboda concerto with USO (if you haven't heard this piece, head over to Tomas Svoboda's site and give it a listen--it's amazing), the Daugherty concerto with Symphonic Band (I wish MD would come up with better titles for his pieces; see other posts for details), a new concerto being written for me by Steve Hicken (http://listen101.blogspot.com/), a heavy TSO spring season, lots of visiting guests, and continuing to obsess about my students and basic world domination.

Until next time, enjoy the creepy eyes of our wily feline quadruped as she surveys the damage from Christmas and ponders her new fascination with human food.

Happy Holidays

Finally, after another national tour and the end of the semester (although I still have Nutcracker to finish up), I have a chance to post for the two people out there who actually read this. I am so excited about the upcoming weeks: my incredible wife has been carrying our son for months and we'll finally meet him in about a month or so, it's the holiday season which means lots of fun hangs with friends, and it also means cramming notes for two upcoming concerto performances, and relearning percussion music for appearances at Indiana University and Louisiana State.

I'm most excited about the boy, though. ENP and I have spent fun times finding things for him, and my amazing students and some friends hosted two amazing baby showers for us. Very cool.

And finally, it's just over a year until the new Star Trek movie comes out, and of course not long until 1-18-08 (aka Cloverfield) and the new Batman sequel. Speaking of, we're seeing I Am Legend tomorrow--mostly for the new Batman trailer.

Until then, have a great holiday season and I will post new things for every comment I get. Enjoy!

P.S. The picture is the front half of the room in which we performed our PASIC showcase concert in November--this is from the dress. It was PACKED and people went bananas afterwards--I have never been so proud of my students!

Just around the corner

It's almost here! We leave on our tour one week from this coming Monday; here's a run-down in case you happen to be close to one of our venues. Sunday Oct. 28, Opperman, 8pm (Florida State), Monday Oct. 29 McEachern High School, 8pm (Atlanta GA), Tuesday Eastern Kentucky University, 8pm (Richmond KY), travel Wednesday (without my Star Trek uniform, for the first time in years), arrive in Columbus, OH. Our PASIC performance is Friday morning Nov. 2 in the convention ballroom. Hope to see you there! You can check out more details by clicking on this link:

www.music.fsu.edu/percussion/pasic.html.

This is why I haven't been writing much lately, but things will slow down to warp 9 when we return from Columbus. Until then, off to more rehearsals!

Mambo!!!

You have to check this out. The "play" button should show up at the bottom left-hand corner.

http://www.dailymotion.com/swf/6pXLfR6OdUfQNjMYZ

American fine arts probably wouldn't be in so much trouble all of the time if we played like this. Also, aside from a few bars, some really tasty drum set playing on the Bernstein. From the Proms, of all places!

Pictures of the baby room will remain on the last post (The Boy Approacheth); enjoy, and countdown to Cloverfield! Also, keep an eye out for the new "podcast" feature on my work site (listed to the right). Technology is a wonderful thing!

The Boy Approacheth

Another step in preparing for the eminent arrival of "the Boy" has been completed, thanks to help from ENP who chose the colors and JS and KK for their help in actually painting the baby room! I think it looks terrific, even with freehanding the paint lines. First, having the crib in the room really struck me every time I walked in to check email at home, then the boy kicked this weekend and I felt it--and now the room is painted! Small steps to be sure, but I know things are going to ramp up as we pass the 22-week mark. Speaking of small steps, our guest bathroom now has cat paw prints in Carolina Blue thanks to the ever curious Halle the Cat.

As for names, many have asked about continuing the JWP IV tradition with a 'V," however ENP and I have agreed that it might be best to try a different tack. Although we have some ideas, something tells me that we'll have to wait until he pops out and see what feels right. James Tiberius Kirk Parks will probably not be allowed, although I have identified a potential source for a young starfleet officer uniform.

Until next time, Nation--check out the last post concerning Matt's questions, and post them! And definitely head over to Blake's blog for some entertainment.

Back to School Quiz

UPDATED ANSWERS 8/29!!! I'm a huge fan of NewMusicBox, and although I didn't take the last quiz, I am taking this one. For fun, and in the spirit of Back to School! If you want, click on the link or just click here for Soho the Dog to get the questions.

BTW, the picture is from Cloverfield, aka 1-18-08, the new J.J. Abrams film due in January. Can't wait! Run a Google search if you want more info. Between this, the Dark Knight (new Batman sequel), The Green Effect and Star Trek XI (and having my infant son in a Star Trek uniform for the premiere in Denmark), it's going to be a GREAT year! I have a feeling ENP and I will have further discussions on the infant uniform, however.

• What's the best quotation of a piece of music within another piece of music?

Mahler 2 in Berio Sinfonia, although Shostakovich 7 in Bartok Concerto for Orchestra is nice as well. Worst and most offensive would have to be the trumpet solo from Pines in the Rutter Magnificat. Egad. I have played those church gigs, esp. when I lived in Chicago.

• Name the best classical crossover album ever made.

Hmm. Could I count some of Keith Emerson's stuff with ELP? If we call him classical first, I'd say Trilogy would be my favorite. Probably doesn't count, but Barber or Copland figure prominently in the title track.

• Great piece a with a terrible title.

I'll come back to this one. I can name lots of terrible pieces with terrible titles. "Used Car Salesman" comes to mind. Brooms-hilda?

• If you had to choose: Benjamin Britten or Michael Tippett?

Britten.

• Who's your favorite spouse of a composer/performer? (Besides your own.)

Alma. What a relationship.

• Terrible piece with a great title.

What about great pieces with great titles? I've been into Blake Tyson's titles lately (Vertical River, The Trees are Quiet, Cloud Forest) and also David Skidmore (From In Contact, Unknown Kind). Perhaps I just like names of pieces from personal commissions (Trees and Cloud Forest weren't written for me or mine, however). Blake and David's music stands up to the billing, I can assure you.

• What's the best use of a classical warhorse in a Hollywood movie?

The Scherzo from Shostakovich 8 in Fandango. Great Costner movie. Also uses It's for You, one of my favorite early Metheny tunes.

• Name the worst classical crossover album ever made.

Renee Fleming "I Want Magic," which probably counts. Nothing against Renee; I think her Strauss Four Last Songs with Eschenbach and Houston is in my all-time top-five recordings of any genre all-time. However, "Magic" makes me feel the same way I feel during the early rounds of American Idol auditions--or even more specifically, "Saved by the Bell" reruns.

• If you had to choose: Sam Cooke or Marvin Gaye?

Marvin.

• Name a creative type in a non-musical medium who would have been a great composer.

Hmm. Jon Stewart or Cookie Monster. Until next time! JP

School is almost here!

Dear Anonymous,

Thank you so much for your commentary on my recent blogging (the Carnegie Hall tour, school being out, summer topics)--and thanks to you, I am going to update my blog with the long-awaited news that you and at least two other people have undoubtedly heard about by now...and pardon the bullets; after all this time I still don't know how to separate paragraphs in this program...

• ENP will be 17 weeks along next Tuesday, and we are both thrilled! This is but one of the big surprises to which I alluded lo these many weeks ago--and of course it's the biggest, but the other one is also a big deal! The Florida State Percussion Ensemble was one of three "Call for Tapes" winners of the PAS International Percussion Ensemble Competition! We will be playing a featured concert at the convention this fall (Columbus, OH) and I am really, really excited about it. For more information on this, you can click on "John's Home Page" over on the right and it will take you to the appropriate link. Check out the "media" pages while you're there; I've added some interesting new sound files and some pictures of our renovated teaching studio that look pretty amazing.

In the past 14 months I've become married to ENP (aka the most amazing woman in the universe), moved to a new house, performed a solo recital in Carnegie Hall, found out we're having a baby, and had my ensemble invited to PASIC. What a YEAR!!!

• Readers, I hope you are having a great summer and I will probably see some of you soon. Nice bullets.