It’s funny.  No, I’m not referring to the fact that this is my second post of the new year, and it’s not even a week in.  I didn’t even make a resolution…  What I am referring to is how things change when one stops and takes inventory.  A moment ago, I came upstairs from hanging out with my brother, watching Scrubs, which, by the way, I find quite amusing.  Anyway, my e-mail inbox said I had a new wall post on Facebook from a friend of mine whom I knew was going to be gone for the next semester.  It turns out he’s already gone.  Plus, a couple of my other friends will be doing the same thing quite soon.  They’re all following different musical pursuits now that they’ve graduated.  You’d think that it would be no big deal right?  Well, not exactly.  You see, these guys have kinda been my musical compadres for the past while, and honestly, (pull out your tissues) I’m going to miss them.  Of course, they’ll probably be back, and there’s a good chance we’ll be playing together again as early as this summer, but I guess I’m sad they won’t be a part of my last semester of college.  In many ways, I’ve never felt as respected with anyone else as I have with them (which is strange because in many other ways, we are so different and would have never been friends had it not been for music, which speaks to the efficacy of the art), at least in the same way.  On some level, we understand each other unlike I feel I’ve ever been understood.

But to get really honest, that isn’t the root issue here.  It’s the combination of a number of things.  Have I accomplished anything?  Have I grown and changed?  Have I risked and invested?  Do I have any friends who will actually care at least a bit when I’m gone?  Will my life turn out like it should, or will I screw it up?  Was it worth four years of my life and thousands of dollars of my parents’ money (and eventually mine once I start paying off loans)?  Does my family know I love them and owe them the world but don’t really know how to show it?  Am I ready to move on into real life?  Maybe it’s the fact that it’s 2:30 in the morning, and I should be sleeping, but I guess you could say I’m in a pensive mood.  I just want to make a difference and live without regrets.  And more than anything, I’m scared of being alone, which is something I’d much rather share with a friend or a special someone who is more than a friend, but at this point, I don’t have the latter, and I question the former.  My phone sits silent most of the time, unless someone needs something, and not very often does my computer make that fun whooshing sound, announcing an incoming instant message.  Man, it’s a good thing no one reads this, or you’d probably consider this an invitation to my pity party and then slap me for being such an idiot.  I am being serious, but realize that I don’t intend to over-dramatize it.  I just think about these things sometimes, and the closer I become to a college graduate, the more they shift to the foreground.  It is good to know, or at least to assume, that there are other people who process these same things.  And of course, if I could figure out how to surrender control, there is One who can take care of it and me.  I guess I’m not alone.

Matt

Yes, I know I am. I have been quite unfaithful to you, my readers; and it feels like every time I write, I am only coming up with a different and more creative way to express that sentiment. Once again, I humbly come before you with an apologetic heart and a meek spirit to ask your kindest forgiveness for my absence. Anyway, I find myself pretty bored as this Christmas break continues on. I’m hanging out with the fam at our new pad in Fort Wayne, Indiana. Yes friends, I no longer call Holland, Michigan home, although I will still claim it as my hometown since it’s where I learned about Jesus, it’s where I learned about love, it’s where I learned about working hard, and having a little was just enough. For those of you without country roots, that was a reference to “Boondocks” by Little Big Town.

Anywho, next semester is almost here, and not only is it the only thing standing between me and summer break (aka warm weather), it is the only thing standing between me and real life. Yes, folks, that’s right. It’s my LAST semester of college, and very likely my last semester of school ever. I’m not closed to the thought of going farther in my education if necessary someday, but for now, I think I’ll be done.

As I mentioned in my last post, a number of my friends will be marrying soon, and since the writing of said post, I’ve thought of a number of more friends who find themselves victims of the same fate. Forgive my terminology; maybe I’m just bitter at my state of singleness. Anyway, I’ll be playing for a few of these weddings and receptions, and probably attending most or all of them, so that will be one feature of my summer. Also, I hope to be touring and playing music so I don’t have to get a real job.

If you get a chance, you should check out my website www.mattulrich.com. If you’ve ever visited it before, you will probably notice that nothing major has changed. Oh, but that’s just what you notice at first glance. If you’ll recall, clicking a link would simply take you to the desired website. Well, now you get the pleasure of a new experience. Click a link. It’s sweet. You’ll like it. I promise.

I’m a nerd…

Lately, I’ve had a strong desire to start a podcast. You laugh and think that if I don’t update my blog, why would I ever update my podcast. You’re probably right. Plus, I don’t have a ton of hard drive space left, nor do I have very good equipment with which to make a podcast with any semblance of professionalism. Plus, who would care anyway? So on to other pursuits…

I’ve also had a realization that I might really like to get into scoring films or television shows. I just finished watching the 5th season of 24 on DVD (my Christmas present to myself), and one of the bonus features was a featurette about the guy who does the music and how he does it. I was very intrigued, but also quite sad that apparently you need to be rich to do something like this, because I could never afford the hardware and software with which scores for shows of that magnitude are produced. I suppose I could work my way up. It’s another option for “real life” I guess…

Well, I’ve officially covered topics that allow me to file this post under every category, so I guess that means there’s not much left to say. It’s getting late, and I need to get out of the habit of sleeping in past noon. My Monday, Wednesday, Friday classes once again start at 9am next semester, and sleeping through them isn’t really an option. Friends, thank you for your listening ear (or in the case of this blog, your reading eye). Happy new year, and God bless America!

Matt

Well, I don’t really have anything in mind to write, but I felt like it was time to check back in with my readers on a personal basis.  This week is going to be stressful, with two midterms and all, not to mention the projects and other stuff I should be working on…oh, and my job at church.  Summer, summer, here I come…  At least spring break is coming up soon.  I plan on going home and doing ABSOLUTELY NOTHING (well, other than being helpful to my Mom…kinda hafta do that).  Yes, that’s right.  While many of my AU friends will be enjoying the balmy, tropical weather of Florida or one of those other states down in Dixie, I will be in Dutch Vegas, Michigan.  Maybe I’ll record an EP with Ken.  I should probably have a few songs I like before I try to do that, though.  I should probably also make sure Ken has time to do that.  Chances are I’ll call him and leave a message, and I won’t hear back from him.  His phone is almost always dead or not with him.  We’ll see, I guess.  Ok, the cd I was listening to is done now (and by cd, I mean iTunes album), so I will start up another one and hit the sack.  Yes, I know it’s only like 10:30 at night, but little did you know that I have to wake up around 6:15ish.  With exception of one person I know, that’s earlier than any of you, so don’t you dare complain about how early it is tomorrow morning when you wake up.

G’nite!

Matt

This is my fourth in a row without someone with which to celebrate.  However, I did get a few cards and well-wishes from people.  Thanks Mom…Kalyn…Mobley…Sung…a few others.  Know what I did?  I ate in the MP alone tonite.  There was a food station that had sugar cookies and red and pink frostings, candy hearts, and other fun stuff with which to decorate the cookies.  Guess what I did.  I ate a sugar cookie plain.  That’s right…because today was just a plain ol’ regular day in the life of this kid.  But don’t cry for me.  I’m alright with it.

I love you all.

Matt

I know it’s kinda cheesy and old-school (in a bad way) to have a guestbook on one’s personal website, but I decided to try it out anyway. Feel free to stop by mattulrich.com/guestbook and let me know you visited…whether you’re a friend, a friend of a friend, or someone I don’t even know. The more the merrier! Note: If you’ve already signed it, don’t feel obligated to sign again.

Sleepy I Am,
Yoda

Now that I’ve lost about 50% or more of my faithful reader base, I will attempt to rescue this blog from the pathetic state in which it currently finds itself. This post could potentially be really long, but I’ll try to be as concise as possible. So here we go!

Let’s start with Christmas break. Wow, has it really been that long since I last blogged? I guess so. Anyway…so my church back home in Dutch Vegas, Michigan had a fancy Christmas Eve/Morning service. They asked me to sing and play in this service, which was exciting. It turned out that I played B-3 and keyboards on a few songs, sang the 2nd tenor part in a quartet, and sang “O Holy Night” as a solo also featuring my good friend Ken on the piano. I was fairly nervous, but it went off pretty dern well…nothing to go home and cry about. Um, what next? Oh yeah…I got a digital camera from my Dad for Christmas. He won it, but I convinced him that he wouldn’t use it to its full potential (and he already has one anyway), so he gave it to me. I’m so naughty… Anywho, I’ve been taking pictures and will continue to do so, so hopefully I’ll be sharing some of them with you right here on the blog. You can check out my complete gallery at gallery.mattulrich.com. Unfortunately, I’ve not found the time to get all my pictures up yet. I’ll get around to it eventually.

Ok, now on to this semester. For starters, I saw Chronicles of Narnia with Doug Irving on the day it came out. It was super-dee-duper. It’s a must-see for me and hopefully for you too. But let’s back up for a bit. I came back to school a week earlier than almost everyone else for a couple reasons. I bet you’d like to know what those reasons are. Well, let me tell you. First of all, I now play country music. I’ll let you take a minute to recover from that piece of news. (pause - only continue of you’re ready) Mark Pay (president of Orangehaus Records) hooked me up with a country gig, playing keys for a girl named Paige, who is only 15 years old but you’d never know it by listening to her or looking at her. Anyway, she’s very talented and has great potential to go far with this whole music thing. Anyway, back to why I came back to school early. Paige has been performing at fair conventions in the four surrounding states (OH, IN, MI, and IL…just in case you didn’t know), and two of those performances were the week before classes started. So I came back early to practice and perform with her. But that’s not all. My friend Nathanael is new Orangehaus Records recording artist, so he has been working on his new album. The recording process also started the week before classes. Check my gallery for pictures from both Paige shows and recording Nathanael’s album.

Ok, last thing. I promise. I just started a position at East Side Church of God in the worship arts department. I’m not really sure what my title is, but I think it’s something like Production Assistant. Basically, I’m acting commander of the band (sorta), behind Pastor Mick of course. I make sure that everyone that’s scheduled to play is actually planning on playing, I make sure the stage is ready for the band by Sunday morning, I lead the 7:30am band rehearsal every Sunday morning, and I help develop players and integrate new ones into the band rotation. Sound fun? I think so. I get paid too. That’s nice.

This post took way too long to write (distractions, distractions), so now I will close. That is all.

Adieu,
Matt

Let me define…What The Heck? Ok, now that we’ve got that cleared up, check out this site. Ridiculous. Whilst you’re at it, check out this site as well. Anyway, I am about to embark on my third night in a row of 7+ hours of sleep. Aren’t you proud? I thought you would be. Oh, in other news, Nathanael is officially the next Orangehaus Records artist. He decided for sure tonight. I’m not sure when he’ll be actually signing, but I don’t anticipate that it would be too long from now. Heck, we might even start recording over break. Well, I’m going to get at that sleepy-sleepy. I leave you with this challenge:

Comment on this post so I can know more than the usual 2-4 people are reading my blog regularly. This post could even be a guestbook of sorts.

There, I said it.

Goodnight.

Well, Thanksgiving break is over. Fantastic food, superb sleeping, stupendous shopping, and, of course, fun family fellowship made up my time at home–oh, and one rehearsal and two church services. Anyway, holy shnikes it rained today. After a class in the music building, a couple of fine freshmen females were wanting to traverse back to their distant dormitory. One, who is a friend of mine, asked me if I had my car conveniently anywhere near, to which I responded that I didn’t. But I went on saying that I was heading to my car anyway (which isn’t a lie) to retrieve my keyboard and transport it up three flights of Fair Commons steps to my room. I then offered to make a delightful detour through campus and transport them to their desired destination, safe from the terrible torrent. My friend said she felt like a cruel criminal by taking advantage of me, and the other said multiple times (and I quote), “I love boys.” I felt loved and special. I say all this not to boast about a good deed done, but to say that I haven’t felt so chivalrous in quite a while, maybe ever. Needless to say, though, I’m still single. But things might be looking up. We’ll see…

Matt