Riding in an Electric Egg…

I had the opportunity over Valentine's Day to sing a lot. Doing a singing valentine for the barbershoppers is a ball--women cry, girls get a look that says somebody's gonna get it when they get home (and you can take that two ways at least), and (most) guys get embarrassed.

This isn't about the singing; though I could write a whole blog on that, this isn't about that. It's about the car we shlepped around in.

This year, we (the quartet I sang with) got hauled around in a Prius.

I am going to say this much: for a long highway trip, don't bother. Not quite enough trunk space, and while the back seat is comfortable (some days it stinks to stand about 5'10"), when the brakes grab, boy, you know it.

But all the electronics made the electrogeek in me pay close attention. All kinds of readouts on the dash monitor, telling you more than you'd ever need to know. The geek factor was pretty high, with all that stuff to watch. Sadly, I didn't get to see much of it until after we got done; I got to ride up front on the way to dinner and back. What I did get to see was pretty cool, I gotta admit.

The gas mileage was decent, all things considering. We went something like 184 miles on a quarter tank. The electric motor was quiet; more than once I thought the driver (my brother in law, who had this as a rental) had stalled the thing. He had a ball driving it, let me tell you!

I liked the backup feature: Throw the thing in reverse, and a little camera turns on, so you can see stuff behind you. That would come in handy, some days.

Riding around in the egg-shaped car was cool...but I still don't want one. My car (as of this writing, a 1994 Toyota Corolla) gets as good highway miles, and while the Prius kicks the Corolla's buns in the city, the overall difference is just not enough for me to want to shell out the money for one.

Still...it was a lot of fun to ride around in all day.

Enough for now.

(Posted 2/17/08)

So, what is this Barbershop thing, anyway?

I am a 25+ year member of the Barbershop Harmony Society (formerly known as the SPEBSQSA--Webpage is www.barbershop.org). No, I don't cut hair while I sing. I am currently the assistant director, as well as the Music and Performamce VP, for the Cascade Chorus here in Eugene, OR. (webpage: www.cascadechorus.org.) Which means I wave my arms around a bit, and doing so with scissors can be a dangerous thing.

So, why have I spent better than half my life doing this? Because it's fun. It's a huge singing family, with chapters all over the US, Canada, and the world. It's taken me all over country and then some--I've sung in Ireland with the Northbrook, Il. New Tradition Chorus, (as well as winning four silver chorus medals with them in the 1990's), went to a competition in Montreal, QB (but not as a competitor), and have belonged to choruses in California, Illinois, Indiana, Oregon, and hung out with a chapter in Mississippi for a few months while I was in the Navy.

Now, I know most people think of barbershop as four guys singing in a quartet. Which it is; but the more noticable form of this hobby, it's the chorus. Still only four parts...but it's just got more people sharing in the fun.

If you like to sing, check out a chapter near you. And if you want to hear some, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RD94ZRtzPr0. This is the Westminster, CA. chorus--and they won our international competition in 2007. (This is their "Gold Medal Acceptance" set, which was filmed after they had won and gotten their medals. Enjoy!)

And, if you're in Eugene on Tuesday nights, we meet at St. Paul's Catholic Church fellowship hall, 1201 Satre Street, Eugene, Oregon. (http://www.cascadechorus.org/Rehearsals.asp will show you how to get there.)

Enough for now.

(Posted 1/16/08)