What’s the Dividend on a 1st Grader?

I consider myself lucky because I like my job. I have been teaching for 11 years in both public and independent schools. Dac had a conversation with a friend recently about ideal jobs and job satisfaction. Dac is a musician by passion and “works” in a hospital. He definitely gets passionate about particular events, but if he had his way, he would be involved in music all the time.

Their conversation turned hypothetical and Dac and Jessy (an amazing musician as well) discussed what they would do if salary were no object and they could do whatever they wanted. Dac would be an instrument maker and Jessy would most like buy the instruments that he makes. Me, well, this is interesting. Dac told Jessy that if I had my choice, and salary was in no way important because I would be independently wealthy, I would still get up tomorrow and be a teacher. I have to agree with that.

Sometimes I think about other careers, like finance. Dac thinks I’m crazy because I enjoy checking stocks, calculating interest, and forecasting dividends. I love watching Mad Money and Suze Orman. What can I say, I’m fascinated by the stuff. I’m not ready to drop the lesson plans and become a day trader tomorrow, but it might be fun to try someday.

Suze Orman

Stocks, bonds, mutual funds, EFTs, options, 403(b)s, limit orders, and market orders…what fun! My 1st graders are fun too, but the dividends are much different, maybe a few cool drawings and an occasional “you’re bald like my dad!” Priceless.

Jos76

Clang Clang Clang

Remember Carey?  She’s the one who sang at Dac and my wedding back in January of 2006.  She recently performed in New York City.  Check it out:

Be sure to check her site out as well.

Jos76

Miami, You’ve Got Style

Dac is a musician. As I mentioned in a previous post, he is a classical musician for the most part, but he also dabbles in more contemporary music. Everyone in our church looks forward to his musical contributions, be it a classical piece or a contemporary song. I have gotten very good at standing next him as people come up and compliment him afterward. I love it because I am always so proud of him. I have no musical talent at all so I am always impressed by what he accomplishes. I don’t mean to make it seem like it is effortless for him. It most certainly is not. Dac spends hours practicing at home and makes sure that everything that he performs in church or in a concert is excellent.

After seven years, I have begun to get a bit of the music bug from him. I can’t carry a tune to save my life and can’t tell if I am singing too high or too low. When I ask Dac if I should I sing a note higher or lower, he usually responds, “Can’t you hear it?” to which I respond, “Uh…no.”

There is one song that I can mostly sing in tune and of all things it is the Miami song that Rose and Dorothy sang on an episode of the Golden Girls. This is possibly the gayest thing that I have ever admitted to. For those of you that don’t have the “gay gene,” the Golden Girls was TV show in the 80’s about four women in the golden years of their lives (50-80 years old). I’m convinced that the innate ability to sing this song must be genetically linked to the gay gene. What else could possible explain it?

There are times when Dac and I are driving down the street and one of us bursts out with the lyrics to Miami and we sing the entire song together. Maybe there are some things that are different between a straight and gay marriage after all.

Enjoy Rose and Dorothy singing the original!

Jos76

That girl can “carey” a tune!

The first picture I ever saw of my partner Dac was of him sitting on the steps of an animal hospital where he used to work. Along with him in the picture were two of his best friends, Carey and Echo Doppler. Echo is Carey’s dog, a fun-lovin’, lick-your-face, sniff-you-all-over pit-bull cross. It was telling that I first encountered Dac along with Carey and Echo because they were, and still are, important “people” in his life.

When Dac and I began to plan our wedding ceremony, one of the first things that we both decided we had to have was the song He’s Got a Way. The song was originally Billy Joel’s She’s Got a Way, but we had to change it a little to make it work or us. There was no question that we wanted our (I can say that now) friend Carey to sing this song during our ceremony. Click HERE to hear her sing it just as we heard it during the ceremony.

Check out her videos HERE.

I have such admiration for Carey. I have always been amazed at how she sets goals, goes after them, and goes further than anticipated. Before our wedding, she moved closer to New York City to pursue her singing career. I never thought that we would lure her back to Massachusetts to sing in our wedding, but she of course did. And, her voice, presence, and emotion added a personal touch to the ceremony that could never have been there otherwise.

Jos76