Thursday, March 27, 2008

Only if I get a cut

Flashback: Sometime last year I got an urgent email from Camille on her mission in Ohio* asking me to find out the lyrics to a song that she and her companion listen to all the time but couldn't make out the words to the chorus. So I googled the guys who made the CD, found their web site, listened to the song, agreed that it was very mumbly and left a comment asking them for the lyrics. They were very helpful and prompt.

Fastforward to today and I get an email from them saying that they have a new CD out and would I please click on the link and listen to it and recommend it to my bishop as a gift to the moms in the ward for Mother's Day. Um...no, I won't. Does anyone else feel like it's a little tacky to solicit bishops? Or a lot tacky? For a tradition that can sometimes get out of hand? Or do you think it's okay? I feel it's a little bit like going through the stake directory to find people to sell Amway to. Plus, I'm listening to the music right now and it's all folksy instrumental versions of hymns, like something that would be playing in the background at a historical shop in Nauvoo where the sales clerks are in authentic pioneer costumes** and are selling horehound candy (bleh!). Not something I want to subject the moms in my ward to. Lots of mandolin strumming and banjo plucking, which are great in most things but not so much here. Ooh, and a very mellow flute just showed up. Man, I wish you were all here to make fun of it with me.

And sidenote to Rac: Guess who's playing the violin. Yep. If it had worked out between the two of you that could have been YOUR mellow flute playing.

*To the person who reads my blog living near Medina, Ohio (thanks, statcounter!), Camille's in your mission! She went to Medina for Easter dinner. Small world.

**Does anyone remember that fireside in Claremont where a Mormon Battalion re-enactor came and spoke to us and to prove how authentic his costume was he put his foot up on the stand to show us he was barefoot, because most of the men marched without shoes. And people wonder why I stopped going to firesides.

20 comments:

Chris said...

Yeah, I'm pretty much a MoTab listener on Sundays. Who can forget "Bridge Over Troubled Water"?

Anonymous said...

Is the name of the group Fire on the Mountain, by chance? Just curious. Ah, yes, if only things had worked out, I could be married to a famous hymn peddler that is a member of the staff at BYU instead of a brilliant engineer that may not be good at the fiddle but can play the Appalachian Mountain dulcimer better than anyone else I know. And my dad loves him.

Andrea said...

I can hear the music and taste the horehound (disgusting!). And I agree about not soliciting the bishop. Besides, every mother that I know hates going to church on Mother's day. They don't like standing up while the deacons pass out the cards or flowers or CD's or whatever else the bishop decided to pass out. They might think differently if they were to pass out a box of See's candy!

Emily said...

Who is playing the violin?
I'm finally coming out of lurking status to ask because my curiosity has gotten the better of me.
...and because statcounter ratted me out long ago.

Laura said...

I agree about the Mother's Day thing...very tacky to solicit bishops. And, I hate that day anyway. Although, Andrea, one of my wards in Texas did pass out little boxes of chocolate - they didn't have Sees there, but it was comparable. That might be the only time in my life that I stood up when they opened up the floor to non-mothers, and allowed all women to get a gift.

Anonymous said...

I remember you telling me about the batallion foot at Mimi's once, and how horrific it was. You were all, I take the Sacrament from there! lol.

Some of my investigators had towers of cd's that were like that. I think they'd have listened to the hymns on harmonica and kazoo.

Amy said...

As a mother in your ward, I appreciate your wise decision in not subjecting us to quirky folk music. I prefer the already half dead daisies they hand out to us instead. (If I could have a choice...I wish they would hand us a muffin or some other baked good that would give us some extra needed energy at church..especially those who teach in Junior primary)

themayerfamily said...

I wish they would pass out free babysitting for mother's day. Or possibly a gas card. And as for the group--it doesn't surprise me. I remember when there was a church band in our ward. Let's just say that they wanted to announce their stuff in church over the pulpit--um, the Bishop said no.

rachelsaysso said...

W&ER - Actually, statcounter only tells you the location of the server so you were safe, at least until I felt like calling people out again. A guy named Nate Olsen is playing the violin. Know him? And Rac, it's not Fire on the Mountain. Hey, what if Nate googles himself? Hi, Nate.

Emily said...

Dang it! I could have stayed safely lurking for some indefinite period of time. Oh, well. Thanks for letting me lurk. Your blogs make me laugh...you have such a hilarious way with words and ideas. (By the way, I found you through Angela).

Yeah, I remember Nate. I can vaguely picture his face. We were at BYU at the same time but he was always hanging out with the folk-music crowd so we didn't mix much. I studied classical so I was always either in the practice rooms or in orchestra rehearsal in E-250. Either way you look at it, you're always in the basement of the HFAC. Hi, Nate.

Gina said...

I'm going to testify about the bare feet. He literally plopped them up on the side of the pulpit so that people would see him as "authentic". I'm pretty sure, from that moment on, that we started laughing uncontrollably in the chapel. Shame on us.

Hey...at least the CD didn't have David Tolk playing "Walking through the forest, picking up acorns from every large oak...with my daughters."

Anonymous said...

w & e r, I was at BYU in the music department back then, too. I wonder if we know each other. I spent a lot of time in practice rooms and E250 as well, playing the flute.

Emily said...

Ha Ha! I know David Tolk, too! That's hilarious.
Rac, I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you are Rachel Farnsworth. If that's not right you could always check my blog and see if you recognize me.
This is too much fun.

Mr. Hall said...

Silly Mormons. . . I think we should all announce our professional ambitions over the pulpit. . . "And just a reminder to all of the young men and young women in Mr. Hall's English class, your response to literature essay is due tomorrow, typed, double-spaced, size 12 font." We could totally do an hour's worth of announcements instead of Sacrament Meeting. . . and you could promote your blog--its all good! Who needs a church that teaches doctrine anyway? :)

Anonymous said...

Isn't that what fast Sunday's for? It is in our ward.

Anonymous said...

Oh, and Hi Emily! Cute kids on your blog!

AJ said...

Rachel, your blog is the new social net working site. Excellent.
Angela

Heather said...

Hi Nate! (I dont know you, but I thought I'd say hi anyway, because this is obviously the place to be.)
...and also, Nate, that is clearly an unacceptable request. Please dont solicit bishops for your own personal gain. That's not cool. And you'll definately not be gaining in the long run...just a little something to think about.
Love,
Heather

The Cahoons! said...

You should have been at the Claremont fireside where the speaker had everyone in the room hold hands to sing and pray... What's with the Claremont firesides?! Who gets these speakers!?!

courtney said...

in public i blame grad school, but truthfully it was upland/chino/ontario/glendora/claremont firesides with bare feet and strange-hand-holding that provoked my move to the liberal north where testimony meeting is more like doubts-imony meeting. and it was worth it. sometimes when i get up to share my own doubts-imony, i tell how the horehound candy at the beehive house nearly prompted me to apostatize.