For those just tuning in

My primary blog is at http://homepage.mac.com/hodelas/tar.

Last February a tumor was found in my chest. By mid-March I started chemotherapy for a non-Hodgkins large B-cell lymphoma. My story will most likely have a happy ending, but during Feb-March that wasn't a sure thing. I've written several newsletters and updates about my journey through the disease so far, and several people have written or called to tell me that it was helpful to them. I've put an index of my cancer-related blog entries at this link.

If it's helpful to you, please let me know. Feel free to share your own experiences in the comments section.

Yours,

Scotte

On Baptists and Methodists

Thanks to the remnants of Hurricane Humberto, I discovered on my motorcycle ride home Thurs and Friday of last week that there is precious little difference between sprinkling and immersion.

I would not have been any wetter if I had jumped into the deep end of the swimming pool, stayed under water for 20 seconds and then came back up for air.

Controversy solved.

I primarily work in two blogs: Thoughts and Reflections, whose title explains its purpose, and Daddy and Kayla's Movie Reviews, which is a great illustration of why my daughter is a much better writer than I am.

What does "Urshë Thalór" mean?

There's a story here. Several years ago I decided to organize a benefit concert for the local chapter of Save-a-Life, a crisis pregnancy center. I wanted to have primarily young musicians involved, and eventually put together a group of four violinists (ages 12, 14, 17, and 40-something), a harpist (16), a bassist and a drummer (17 and 18, I think). We also had a 3 vocalists that were college age or older.

Well, you can't get sheet music for four violins, a harp, a bass and a drummer (significant oversight on my part), so I spent the bulk of that year writing music. That fall I started rehearsing (note to self: make sure that you get a group of people who can actually meet in one place at the same time), but had no name for the group.

That December, our church was putting on a musical in which the choir sang (in a slow crescendo):
"Worship, worship, the Lord!
Worship, worship, the Lord!
Worship, worship, the Lord! ..." and so on.

The director stopped them and said, "You're dropping consonants. Instead of 'worship the lord' you're saying "ursha the Lor." I snapped my fingers: that's it! That's our name! I changed the spelling to look a bit like Elvish in Tolkien's books, and so our name was born.

Unfortunately, without the above story as background, no one knows how to pronounce "Urshë Thalór," so publicity didn't go so well. Even so, we did raise about $1500 at the concert due to some very generous friends.

Here are two small (less than one megabyte) quicktime files from the concert. It's not too bad, considering that the concert was the first time that all 10 performers were actually playing music together in the same room at the same time. (See above note to self.)

Shine (Newsboys): or click this link

Or, if you're a Second Chapter of Acts fan, here's our rendition of Rejoice: or click this link

Sadly, we haven't done something like this since then (Jan 2002). Partly because my harpist now performs with the Montgomery Symphony Orchestra, partly because the singers have finished college, married or otherwise left town, and my kids promptly changed instruments from violin to mandolin, piano, and/or cello. Rebellious teenagers, they are.***

Well, another reason is that my wife informed me that she has no intention of being a single mom again while I write music. Note to other husbands out there: sometimes your wife makes sacrifices that you won't recognize and she won't tell you about them. Thank her anyway.

Yours,

Scotte


*** For the sarcasm impaired: that was a joke. They're both really good kids.