I SWEAR I Am Alive!

OK, whew, the teachers strike has ended. Hopefully things will start calming down at work now. I was really getting the lifeblood sucked out of me every day. Who know a strike could be so stressful for someone who's not even involved in it??

Anyway, I wanted to shoot off a quick blog on a weird incident at chorus the other night. I know you know this line from a song: "Pardon me, boy, is that the Chattanooga Choo Choo?" Well, we're singing that song. This guy in chorus raises his hand and says that especially nowadays, the term "boy" is pejorative. As in racist. Half the chorus nods. The other half, like me, shakes their heads in disbelief. That's a classic song and a very well-known line...you can't just go and change it!

But they did anyway. Now we sing "Pardon me, sir." And it sounds absolutely weird. Besides, I think changing such a well-known line like that just brings even more attention to the fact that it used to say "boy." And then people start to think about it and realize the word must have been replaced because there was something wrong with it. So how is it fixing anything by putting in a new word?

Not to mention that our first performance is next week, and I don't think half the guys are gonna remember to say "sir" instead of "boy." Habit.

Anyway, back to the last few minutes of the grind...then off to mega rehearsal with the small group. Hope to write again soon! (BTW, you can find my concert dates at www.blackhawkchorus.com, under the "performances" tab, and at www.specialblendgroup.com, under the "shows" tab.)