Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Let It Snow (again)
We had another HUGE pile of snow fall on us last Saturday. I had thought we were creeping into Spring already, here in Fukushima, (all the snow on the ground was nearly gone) but now we're in the middle of another cold snap. So, when life gives you snow, build snowmen! I've already demonstrated (see this blog) how snow here in Fukushima is often ideal for snowballs and snowmen.
Snowman #2. (He has earmuffs on, instead of a hat, because it's a little bit warmer). I think I'm perfecting my technique with all this practice.
Our neighbor (on the other side of the second floor landing in our apartment building) made a snow troll in response to my snow creations. Can you see the eyes and the teeth?
The next morning Snowman #2 was a little exhausted. I think it got too warm for him, so he decided to take a nap on the table.
Monday, February 27, 2012
Church Organist
My church musician resumé has expanded.
Now, in addition to euphonium, guitar, djembe, and egg shaker, I can add "organ" to my list of instruments played during worship. Yes, indeed. Feb 19, 2012 will go down in the annals of history as Eric Selle's official organ debut.
Don't be fooled by these phrases of grandeur. . . I am not really an organ player. I learned how to play piano in college - and I love it! I have listened to many talented organists in my time (I even turned pages for some of them at Concordia), so I know what good organ playing sounds like. But when it comes to actually playing the organ myself, well, it's a different kind of sound.
The organ is a completely different instrument, and organ technique is very different from piano technique. For starters, while the piano has a sustaining pedal - which allows the sound of a note or chord to continue on after your finger has struck the key - the organ requires you to hold any given key down for the exact amount of time you'd like the note to last. This makes playing a nice smooth, legato melody very difficult on the organ, especially if you have to change the position of your hands on the keyboard. Secondly, the volume of any given note on the piano is determined by how hard you press a key. With the organ, every correct and incorrect note sounds just as loudly (or quietly) as the next one (i.e. there's no hiding your mistakes!).
I have yet to touch on one of the most obvious distinctions between the two instruments: while playing the piano requires one to coordinate both hands in order to play several notes at once (an amazing feat in and of itself), an organist needs to use both hands AND feet at the same time (that's right, ALL four appendages . . . my brain gets tired just thinking about it).
Needless to say, my organ playing sounded very much like a pianist trying to play the organ for the first time. Thankfully, the 12 church members present were very appreciative for my efforts, and politely thanked me after the service.
Here's a picture of me practicing organ earlier in the week, complete with a kerosene heater, as the temperature was only about 5 or 6 degrees Celcius inside the building. P.S. I'm not actually using the foot pedals to play the bass line.
This is another excuse to post a picture of my beautiful (and talented) wife, Haidee. I really couldn't have successfully played organ on Sunday without her. Especially when our pastor, Nomura Sensei, suddenly made the announcement (in Japanese): "I need to catch the train to Tokyo at 12:15, so we're skipping these sections and jumping straight to the communion liturgy." Now then, if he was talking about tuna, apples, or being a first-year college student (see previous blog) I might have had a chance at understanding his words. Thankfully, though, Haidee was right on board. She simply turned a few pages and pointed to where I was supposed to start playing.
While I would be more interested in improving my piano technique, I am excited that I have this opportunity, here at Izumi Lutheran Church, to play the organ. It's fun to be a church musician a this low key environment, where people really appreciate my offering. Who knows, with more practice maybe I'll even try out the foot pedals!
Now, in addition to euphonium, guitar, djembe, and egg shaker, I can add "organ" to my list of instruments played during worship. Yes, indeed. Feb 19, 2012 will go down in the annals of history as Eric Selle's official organ debut.
Don't be fooled by these phrases of grandeur. . . I am not really an organ player. I learned how to play piano in college - and I love it! I have listened to many talented organists in my time (I even turned pages for some of them at Concordia), so I know what good organ playing sounds like. But when it comes to actually playing the organ myself, well, it's a different kind of sound.
The organ is a completely different instrument, and organ technique is very different from piano technique. For starters, while the piano has a sustaining pedal - which allows the sound of a note or chord to continue on after your finger has struck the key - the organ requires you to hold any given key down for the exact amount of time you'd like the note to last. This makes playing a nice smooth, legato melody very difficult on the organ, especially if you have to change the position of your hands on the keyboard. Secondly, the volume of any given note on the piano is determined by how hard you press a key. With the organ, every correct and incorrect note sounds just as loudly (or quietly) as the next one (i.e. there's no hiding your mistakes!).
I have yet to touch on one of the most obvious distinctions between the two instruments: while playing the piano requires one to coordinate both hands in order to play several notes at once (an amazing feat in and of itself), an organist needs to use both hands AND feet at the same time (that's right, ALL four appendages . . . my brain gets tired just thinking about it).
Needless to say, my organ playing sounded very much like a pianist trying to play the organ for the first time. Thankfully, the 12 church members present were very appreciative for my efforts, and politely thanked me after the service.
This is another excuse to post a picture of my beautiful (and talented) wife, Haidee. I really couldn't have successfully played organ on Sunday without her. Especially when our pastor, Nomura Sensei, suddenly made the announcement (in Japanese): "I need to catch the train to Tokyo at 12:15, so we're skipping these sections and jumping straight to the communion liturgy." Now then, if he was talking about tuna, apples, or being a first-year college student (see previous blog) I might have had a chance at understanding his words. Thankfully, though, Haidee was right on board. She simply turned a few pages and pointed to where I was supposed to start playing.
While I would be more interested in improving my piano technique, I am excited that I have this opportunity, here at Izumi Lutheran Church, to play the organ. It's fun to be a church musician a this low key environment, where people really appreciate my offering. Who knows, with more practice maybe I'll even try out the foot pedals!
Monday, February 20, 2012
Kids Camp
One weekend ago Haidee and I spent a day with kids, parents, and church volunteers in our first ever Japanese "Kids Camp" experience. It is very likely that one of Haidee's new responsibilities come April will be to help coordinate and plan activities for monthly kids camps, so this trip last Saturday was a good chance for us to see one possibility of what a Kids Camp could look like.
The idea behind this Kids Camp ministry is as follows: Families living in Fukushima City, Koriyama City, and the surrounding area have been advised to keep their children indoors as much as possible, due to the higher than normal radiation levels after the earthquake in March 2011. Japanese houses and apartments are tiny, and children need to get out and play (especially Japanese children - who have a pretty rigorous school study schedule as it is). Therefore, many churches and other organizations in Fukushima have started offering planned outings (such as a one-day camp or a weekend retreat) for families to get away for a while and have some fun, instead of sitting inside worrying about radiation.
It's a really great outing for families, and churches all over Fukushima City have started partnering together to make this ministry a success. Only time will tell exactly what our involvement will look like, but it's very likely you'll be reading more blog posts in the future about the Kids Camps.
But for right now. . . . enjoy a few picture highlights from the day:
Please pray for the leaders of the Lutheran Synod and Izumi Lutheran Church as decisions are being made about how to continue this ministry. Pray for other churches in Fukushima that will continue to offer time and volunteers to help make these Kids Camps a success. And pray that God would use these efforts to bless families here in Fukushima, Japan.
The idea behind this Kids Camp ministry is as follows: Families living in Fukushima City, Koriyama City, and the surrounding area have been advised to keep their children indoors as much as possible, due to the higher than normal radiation levels after the earthquake in March 2011. Japanese houses and apartments are tiny, and children need to get out and play (especially Japanese children - who have a pretty rigorous school study schedule as it is). Therefore, many churches and other organizations in Fukushima have started offering planned outings (such as a one-day camp or a weekend retreat) for families to get away for a while and have some fun, instead of sitting inside worrying about radiation.
It's a really great outing for families, and churches all over Fukushima City have started partnering together to make this ministry a success. Only time will tell exactly what our involvement will look like, but it's very likely you'll be reading more blog posts in the future about the Kids Camps.
But for right now. . . . enjoy a few picture highlights from the day:
Families arrive, check in, and pile onto the bus.
Chaos on the bus ensues. . .
Our location was a ski lodge and spa up in the mountains, about an hour drive away.
The indoor pool was full of fun activities,
including waterfalls, jacuzzis, a wading pool, a hot bath, and a sauna.
We spent most of our time playing with kids in the swimming pool!
The hotel offered a nice buffet lunch!
(Did I mention I like food?)
We met some great people - families and volunteers - that we hope to see again in the future.
People were pretty tired by the end of this fun-filled day.
Please pray for the leaders of the Lutheran Synod and Izumi Lutheran Church as decisions are being made about how to continue this ministry. Pray for other churches in Fukushima that will continue to offer time and volunteers to help make these Kids Camps a success. And pray that God would use these efforts to bless families here in Fukushima, Japan.
Tuesday, February 7, 2012
Super Bowl Monday
Yes, indeed, some of my traditions are allowed to continue here in Japan. One such tradition is watching the Super Bowl. For those of you who know me well, you're well aware that the number of football games I watch per year could be counted on one hand (even one of Yoda's hands).
And yet, somehow, I have managed to watch every Super Bowl but one over the last 10+ years (any guesses which year I missed it?). It's a great time to hang out with friends and snack on junk food while getting wrapped up in the excitement of the game. This year it provided a great opportunity for Joel and me to hang out while Pamela (Joel's wife) and Haidee went out for coffee and conversation.
Now then, watching the Super Bowl is slightly more difficult here in Japan than it is in the United States. First of all there is the time difference. No doubt you have noticed the title of this blog is "Super Bowl Monday". That's right, Super Bowl XLVI began at 8:30am on Monday morning, here in Fukushima Japan. As it turns out, that time was more convenient for us, as Sunday night our community usually gathers for worship and Bible study. Monday is a day off for Haidee and me, and Joel and Pamela don't start work until after lunch.
Secondly, you can't just turn on a TV and watch the game. The Super Bowl doesn't air on any network or cable stations in Japan (and besides, we don't have a TV here anyway). There are several places on-line to watch the game for free. . . however those sites are blocked in countries other than the United States . . unless you pay a nominal fee. So, being denied the opportunity to watch the game for free, Joel and I settled for huddling around his computer watching live blog posts being updated every minute with play-by-play details of the game. Hmmmmm. Not exactly the most exciting game experience for me.
After putting up with this for awhile, we finally bit the bullet and paid $15 to watch the game streaming live from the internet. Ah! Much better. . .
We've got the fellowship, we've got the game streaming live to our computer, now all we need is the junk food! Thankfully this isn't too terribly difficult to find in Japan. I ran to the local Seven Eleven and in no time we were munching on popcorn, kettle chips, and green wasabi peas (hmmmmm, so good!).
All told it was a fun Monday morning. The Super Bowl game was fantastic! Probably one of the most exciting in the past 5 years, with the Giants edging out the Patriots 21 - 17, the lead changing with one minute remaining, and a Hail Mary attempt on the last play of the game. It was great hanging out with Joel, too.
I'm thankful for all God's gifts to us here in Japan, big and small. They're fun!
And yet, somehow, I have managed to watch every Super Bowl but one over the last 10+ years (any guesses which year I missed it?). It's a great time to hang out with friends and snack on junk food while getting wrapped up in the excitement of the game. This year it provided a great opportunity for Joel and me to hang out while Pamela (Joel's wife) and Haidee went out for coffee and conversation.
Now then, watching the Super Bowl is slightly more difficult here in Japan than it is in the United States. First of all there is the time difference. No doubt you have noticed the title of this blog is "Super Bowl Monday". That's right, Super Bowl XLVI began at 8:30am on Monday morning, here in Fukushima Japan. As it turns out, that time was more convenient for us, as Sunday night our community usually gathers for worship and Bible study. Monday is a day off for Haidee and me, and Joel and Pamela don't start work until after lunch.
Secondly, you can't just turn on a TV and watch the game. The Super Bowl doesn't air on any network or cable stations in Japan (and besides, we don't have a TV here anyway). There are several places on-line to watch the game for free. . . however those sites are blocked in countries other than the United States . . unless you pay a nominal fee. So, being denied the opportunity to watch the game for free, Joel and I settled for huddling around his computer watching live blog posts being updated every minute with play-by-play details of the game. Hmmmmm. Not exactly the most exciting game experience for me.
After putting up with this for awhile, we finally bit the bullet and paid $15 to watch the game streaming live from the internet. Ah! Much better. . .
We've got the fellowship, we've got the game streaming live to our computer, now all we need is the junk food! Thankfully this isn't too terribly difficult to find in Japan. I ran to the local Seven Eleven and in no time we were munching on popcorn, kettle chips, and green wasabi peas (hmmmmm, so good!).
I'm thankful for all God's gifts to us here in Japan, big and small. They're fun!
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