all.that.jazz » Friends http://blog.mattulrich.com Here you'll find whatever's on my mind... Sat, 18 Jul 2009 17:59:37 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.1 Boring. http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/08/23/boring/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/08/23/boring/#comments Fri, 24 Aug 2007 03:20:57 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=250 Hi. It's me again. That's right, another post less than 24 hours after the previous one. The way a blog should be, at least if it wants to attract and retain readers...if you ask me. But seriously, don't ask me, because I obviously don't practice what I preach. Anyway, I'm bored. I probably should just go to bed, but as you learned in the last post, that probably won't happen (although I am laying on my stomach on the bed while typing this, and I occasionally find myself laying my head down and closing my eyes while still typing). Let's run over everything I did today. First I woke up around 9:15. Then I showered and got ready for work. Then I went to work at 10. From noon to 2, Micah, Cliff, Eric, and I practiced in the sanctuary for a wedding reception we're playing at on Sunday afternoon. Then I worked some more until almost 5. Following that, I returned home to Pastor Mick's house and killed some time doing whatever kills time. A little before 7, I headed over to East Side Middle School to watch the Highland High School beat whoever it was that they played. There were a number of East Side people there. At halftime, I went to get some dinner at Taco Bell (don't tell). After the game, I came back home and hung out with Micah for a while before finding myself right here on the computer, contemplating whether I should currently be in bed asleep. (Here's a gap of time for when I put my head down after typing "asleep.") I kind of want to watch an episode of Arrested Development, but I'm not sure it wouldn't be smarter to just go to bed. Tomorrow I'm having lunch with Eryn Bowser, and in the evening, I'm going over to the Stuckey house for my belated birthday dinner with them. I think we're eating Italian, but I'm not sure what sort of dessert we're having because when Gina asked me what I wanted, I was pretty indecisive. I'm sure it will be great.

Ok, I think I must call it quits on this one and hit the sack. My head is currently down, and that is giving me great troubles while trying to type correctly.

Peace to you, my brethren and sistren.

Matt Ulrich (not #69 for the Colts)

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/08/23/boring/feed/ 0 So Just Breathe http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/08/23/so-just-breathe/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/08/23/so-just-breathe/#comments Thu, 23 Aug 2007 06:15:50 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=249 It's funny really. Every time I'm up way too late, I usually end up getting the song "Breathe (2AM)" by Anna Nalick stuck in my head. Then what usually happens is that I look at the clock and find that it is, indeed, just about 2 in the A.M. Weird, I know. You know what else usually happens when I'm up way too late? I start thinking about what little sleep I will be getting even if I were to go to bed immediately, and it makes me feel worse because I know I'll feel exhausted tomorrow. Then when I wake up in the morning, I find that I was right about how I'd feel. It's a pretty vicious cycle, and to be honest, I'm not much of a fan. There's something to be said about staying up late if there's a reason such as work that needs to be done, friends that need to be talked to or hung out with, or an indefinite (but definitely late) wake-up time. Anyway, here I find myself once again in the same situation. If there wasn't Wi-Fi where I'm currently living, I'd have been dead to the world for a few hours by now, but alas, I find myself distracted. I actually wish that was the case. I usually can't seem to pull myself away in a timely manner, and tonight is no different.

Anyway, since I hadn't blogged in a while, I thought I'd stop in and say hi. I am currently living with Pastor Mick (my worship pastor and boss) while I make some life decisions, including one regarding where to live. I've been enjoying a summer of playing country music with Cook and Belle and working at the church. I was recently reminded by a commenter on this blog that I had made a list of everyone I could think of who was engaged (found in my October 15, '06 post). That list had, I believe, 13 people on it, and I do believe most, if not all, of them are now married. Also married are some other people who I did not include in the list either because I didn't know they were engaged at the time or I simply couldn't remember them while writing the list. I could get all emo and cry about how I'm still single and really not content with it, but I won't. You probably are thanking me for not going there, which means we are becoming closer and friendlier. (If that's the case, and you're a single, attractive female, call me.)

That is all. Must...go...to...bed. Night.

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/08/23/so-just-breathe/feed/ 0 T-shirts http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/07/09/t-shirts/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/07/09/t-shirts/#comments Tue, 10 Jul 2007 03:48:20 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=246 If by any chance, anyone wants wants to buy me one (or multiples of one), that'd be swell. You can find a nice selection at vintagevantage.com. I wear a size large.

Let me know before you buy me one, and I'll get you my address. Or you could just bring it to me. That would be fun and nice.

Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/07/09/t-shirts/feed/ 0 Um, Exciting News! http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/03/10/um-exciting-news/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/03/10/um-exciting-news/#comments Sun, 11 Mar 2007 04:30:25 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=241 Um, I have this friend named Ben Utecht. He plays football, but he also sings. So anyway, there's also this guy named Bill Gaither that does these concerts called "Homecoming" concerts. Well, it turns out this Bill fellow decided to ask my friend Ben to sing a song at his next concert in Indianapolis, which happens to be in the Conseco Fieldhouse (the stadium where the Indiana Pacers play), in front of 20,000 people. So that's great for my friend Ben. As luck would have it, Ben is needing an accompanist for this gig. Well, since we're friends, we have each other's numbers; and sure enough his name came up on my phone tonight. Long story short, I'm playing for Ben at the Homecoming show this coming Friday night. Scary, and yet...wow.

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/03/10/um-exciting-news/feed/ 1 I’ve Got A Fever, And It Has To Do With The Colts http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/02/05/ive-got-a-fever-and-it-has-to-do-with-the-colts/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/02/05/ive-got-a-fever-and-it-has-to-do-with-the-colts/#comments Mon, 05 Feb 2007 05:42:32 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=239 I watched this football game a few hours ago, and there was this one team from Indianapolis (they were called the Colts).  They were pretty good.  In fact, they won.  It seemed to be kind of a big deal, so I'm happy.

(GO BEN UTECHT!)

Don't worry everyone...I'm still a Packers fan.  The Colts are kinda like friend rock...you know...when your friend has a band, and you support them more out of the fact that you're friends rather than actually liking their music.  Same idea.  That and the proximity effect.  Favre vs. Manning in Super Bowl XLII?

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/02/05/ive-got-a-fever-and-it-has-to-do-with-the-colts/feed/ 0 Reality http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/01/07/reality/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/01/07/reality/#comments Sun, 07 Jan 2007 07:57:10 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=237 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

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/01/07/reality/feed/ 1 Pathetic http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/01/05/pathetic/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/01/05/pathetic/#comments Fri, 05 Jan 2007 05:50:45 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=236 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

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2007/01/05/pathetic/feed/ 0 Allow Me http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/10/15/allow-me/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/10/15/allow-me/#comments Sun, 15 Oct 2006 22:23:18 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=235 to reintroduce myself. I am Matt, the narrator of this blog, located here at blog.mattulrich.com. Many apologies for leaving you hanging for so long. I wonder...how long has it been? Allow me to check when I posted last. (5 seconds pass) Alright, the verdict is that it has been a week shy of two months since my last post. I won't even bother trying to bring you up to speed because it would take too much mental energy for me to think of everything, and I know you wouldn't read that much anyway. This is assuming there are any of you left at all. Maybe I can pull a Mariah Carey and make a big comeback even after not releasing anything for a considerable amount of time.

Ok, I thought of a fun topic for this post. I will now attempt to list everyone I can think of that is engaged. Here goes:

Jon Mobley
Evan Gilmore
Nate Heironimus
Phil Larson
Tim Hollowell
Peter Smith
Dave Elwert
Ben Eades
Nate Brown
Curt Anderson
Mark DeLaVergne
Ryan Fancher
Jeremy Zerkle

Well, that's about all I can think of at this time, and that only accounts for guy friends from college. I have plenty of female and high school friends who are also engaged. Hopefully you enjoyed that list, and if you know of anyone I forgot, please feel free to leave your input. Oh yeah, I thought you'd like to know I'm currently listening to Foreigner, and what song should come on but "Waiting for a Girl Like You." Ironic really.

Much love,
Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/10/15/allow-me/feed/ 1 Jones Labels http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/06/23/jones-labels/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/06/23/jones-labels/#comments Fri, 23 Jun 2006 19:40:52 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=231 So Jones Soda lets people submit pictures to put on labels. I've officially become one of those people in hopes that I might get a picture on a label eventually. Please visit jones.mattulrich.com to see my currently submitted labels and vote for them. Thanks friends!!

Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/06/23/jones-labels/feed/ 0 Photos, Images, and Pictures…Oh My! http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/06/21/photos-images-and-picturesoh-my/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/06/21/photos-images-and-picturesoh-my/#comments Wed, 21 Jun 2006 07:54:14 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=230 Hello friends. I know I haven't been really good about keeping you posted on here, so I have another plan. Go to gallery.mattulrich.com and check out my pictures. I've been taking some pictures lately, mainly at Paige shows, so those should provide the opportunity for you to stay up-to-date with my life. In case you've been out of touch for a while, I've got older pictures on there as well. Enjoy, my friends.

Matt!

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/06/21/photos-images-and-picturesoh-my/feed/ 0 Every Day… http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/05/21/every-day/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/05/21/every-day/#comments Mon, 22 May 2006 04:23:06 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=226 ...is a new adventure. Today Jordan came by with his Mom to check out the house. Through a series of events in which you probably wouldn't be interested, a toilet in my house began to overflow and proceeded to leak through a light fixture to the floor below. Everything's back to normal now, but it was an interesting experience. That's about all I have the mental energy to reiterate. Tomorrow is a trip down to southern Indiana to meet my boss and to figure out what the rest of my summer responsibilities are. That's about three hours each way, so I need to get some sleep. Fun, fun...

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/05/21/every-day/feed/ 0 Today http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/05/20/today/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/05/20/today/#comments Sun, 21 May 2006 03:27:52 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=225 I didn't do much today other than laundry and a bike ride through the beautiful city of Anderson, Indiana.  I did, however, notice the presence of a number of limousines.  This made me curious, but then I remembered hearing that tonite was prom at Highland.  Case solved.  Well, one interesting thing did happen.  About an hour to an hour and a half ago, I got a call from my former roommate Jon Mobley.  He was calling to report that his car had died, and he was stuck at the McDonald's way down Scatterfield by the interstate.  I offered to pick him up.  When I arrived, he announced that with the help of additional oil, his car was able to start.  Well, we decided to see how far we could drive before it died again, so I set out with him not far behind.  We chose to take back roads so he wouldn't die on Scatterfield.  We chose Madison Avenue instead.  As luck would have it, he died twice more on the way home.  The first time, I let him have my spare quart of oil, and sure enough, he was able to get it started again.  It was looking like we'd make it all the way back, but it died again right by the government buildings right over the bridge on 8th Street.  So I drove to the Ricker's and picked up a couple more quarts of oil (and a slushy) on his dollar, and once again it started.  We made it this time, but the funny thing was that it died again as we were pulling into the lot at his apartment.  We pushed it the rest of the way into the parking spot and called it an evening.  So after four automobile deaths (one before he even got to Anderson and the three I was there to experience), five quarts of oil, an hour, and a Ricker's slushy, our experience was over.  Now it is time to go watch SNL.

Peace.

Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/05/20/today/feed/ 1 NashVegas!! http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/04/04/nashvegas/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/04/04/nashvegas/#comments Tue, 04 Apr 2006 14:32:48 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=218 T minus 5 hours until we hit the road for Nashville and the Dove Awards, which are Wednesday evening. Also, T minus 9 days until we hit the road for Nashville once again for Paige's pro tracking session. It's a different we each time, but I'm happy to be a part of both wes.

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/04/04/nashvegas/feed/ 4 Time for a New Post http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/02/27/time-for-a-new-post/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/02/27/time-for-a-new-post/#comments Tue, 28 Feb 2006 03:45:42 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=215 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

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/02/27/time-for-a-new-post/feed/ 3 Black Tuesday http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/02/14/black-tuesday/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/02/14/black-tuesday/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2006 23:29:04 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=210 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

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/02/14/black-tuesday/feed/ 5 Sign Up! http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/01/31/sign-up/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/01/31/sign-up/#comments Tue, 31 Jan 2006 05:43:05 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=206 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

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/01/31/sign-up/feed/ 0 The Wait Is Over!! http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/01/22/the-wait-is-over/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/01/22/the-wait-is-over/#comments Mon, 23 Jan 2006 00:16:47 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=203 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

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2006/01/22/the-wait-is-over/feed/ 1 WTH? http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/30/wth-2/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/30/wth-2/#comments Wed, 30 Nov 2005 06:20:16 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=194 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.

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/30/wth-2/feed/ 2 Back At It http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/28/back-at-it/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/28/back-at-it/#comments Mon, 28 Nov 2005 21:10:16 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=192 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

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/28/back-at-it/feed/ 2 Slideshow http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/17/slideshow/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/17/slideshow/#comments Thu, 17 Nov 2005 08:52:09 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=189 Ok, everyone...remember the days in elementary school when you'd watch a slideshow which was accompanied by a sound recording on tape? What's the part that everyone remembers about it? That's right, the beep, that annoying noise which happened between every explanation, indicating that the projector operator should continue on to the next slide. Well, we're going to try this technique here, except when you hear (see in this case) the beep, click it. Herrrr we go!

Slide 1 (Background): For the past year, I've been trying to get a free iPod from freeipods.com. In that time, I've seen them go from offering the 20 GB black-and-white-display iPod to the 20 GB color-display iPod to finally the 30 GB video iPod. When the video iPod was announced, I quite honestly probably coveted and lusted and likely broke a few more of the Ten Commandments and the seven deadly sins. Needless to say, I wanted one. A few weeks back, I finally acquired my final referral. It told me to check back in 5-7 days to see if my account was approved (they recheck each referral). Of course I checked back almost every day. A few days later, the ETA had changed to 7-10 days. I was a little disheartened, but I figured I'd waited a year, so what's another few days? Well, I'm pretty sure it ended up being much longer than 10 days, but maybe it just felt longer. I logged on not too long ago (like an hour), and found this:

BEEP!

Slide 2: I was pretty stoked (to reference a colloquialism from an earlier era). So I continued on into this journey. Next I got to select my prize.

BEEP!

Slide 3: Thank goodness I wasn't wanting an iPod nano...4-6 weeks??? Anyway...I continued on. I entered the address to which I wanted my video iPod to come. Of course this is my school address. Why would I want it to be sent home? Actually, now that I think about it, I'd better get it before Christmas break, or I'll be upset.

BEEP!

Slide 4: There was a "discrepancy" with the way I formatted the address, so I got this screen:

BEEP!

Slide 5: Upon fixing the problem, I was successful in submitting my address. All that's left is to click "Finalize." Here we go!

BEEP!

Slide 6: It's done! I hope I don't have to wait forever.

BEEP!

Oh, I get a free t-shirt too. I hope it fits, and I hope it's at least somewhat cool so I can wear it with pride whilst I listen to music and watch videos on my iPod! Thanks to everyone that helped out in this process. For those whom I bribed, let me know if you still want the cash. :)

Thank you for your attention, children. Class dismissed.

BEEP!

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/17/slideshow/feed/ 2 Random… http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/16/random/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/16/random/#comments Wed, 16 Nov 2005 05:14:11 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=188 So here's what you'd call a hodge-podge of topics in one post, a potpourri if you will. Let's get it started!

First off, here's a song I wrote for songwriting class. It's called "All My Days (Surrender to You)." It was supposed to be a worship song suitable for corporate worship. Well, it turned out to be a great worship song, but better for a soloist. Oh well. The lyrics please...

VERSE 1
O faithful One, of Whom I sing
This simple song to You I bring
Accept my praise; be magnified
In You I will be satisfied

CHORUS
I sing to the One and Only
You alone are pure and holy
My sole Desire, I give you praise
I surrender to You all my days

VERSE 2
O worthy One, what can I do
To glorify and honor You?
Words can’t express how You love me
Only Your blood on Calvary

BRIDGE
I am unworthy
But You made a way for me
You run my direction
Despite my imperfection

I might record it someday so you can hear it and not just read the words.

Topic #2: I put a song up on my MySpace page. It was a project for my recording tech class. Here's the link: myspace.com/mattulrich

Thirdly, I almost died tonite. Well, not really, but I thought I might. There was supposed to be a huge storm of "historic proportions" coming through, but we got lucky. There wasn't much of anything.

Next, I must comment on this blog. As much as I love WordPress, there's no community like there is with Xanga. I don't think I'll be switching, but I do have a Xanga so I can keep tabs on my friends. I might redesign this blog so it has a little more relaxed look (like Xanga). We'll see what I feel like and what kind of time I have. That probably will have to wait until Christmas break at the earliest.

On the topic of webdesign, I am still waiting on graphics from my friend Dane Benton to design the SGA website. So when I finally get that stuff, that website will be going up. Also, I am the official designer of artist websites for Orangehaus Records, or at least that's the way I understand that part of my position. I also was resonsible for designing and getting out the first electronic issue of the Orangehaus SPIN, our newsletter. You can read it here. So yay...pat me on the back. Gosh, that sounded conceited. Sorry. I guess I'm just keeping you informed of what I've been up to.

Another fun thing about my life is that I've been reading through Blue Like Jazz by Don Miller. Every Tuesday morning at the slightly ungodly hour of 7am, Doug Irving (my adopt-a-parent at my Anderson church) and I have breakfast at Panera. We talk about life and the book and pray with each other. So far it's been a rewarding time. I feel like I've learned and grown a lot through this time with Doug. I've also discovered I love Panera's dark and vibrant coffee. You should try it sometime.

Hm...what else? Oh, I've been working a bit on helping a friend named Jeff Owen design his cd cover. He seemed to like one of my ideas should the colors be modified, so we'll see. By the way, in addition to doing his own singer/songwriter thing, he plays bass for Joy Williams. Two of my other friends (sort of...one's more of an acquaintance, and the other is somewhere in-between) also play for Joy. Dylan Williams plays lead guitar, and Darren Rayl plays drums. The latter two have played for Jon McLaughlin in the past, and I believe Dylan still does when Jon wants a guitar player.

Next topic: my "free" iPod. Well, it technically will be free, assuming I get it. Any money I've paid hasn't been directly for the iPod. It's more because I wasn't careful when picking an offer to complete and because I bribed a few people to do offers. :) Anyway, having gotten my 5 referrals, it is now currently in the verification stage wherein the company makes sure all my referrals are legitimate. It says to wait 7-10 days (I'm pretty sure it said 5-7 when I first requested verification), but I feel like it's been that long or longer. So I continue to wait... I'll keep you updated.

Finally, I have some great new friends this semester. Among these are Kalyn Yocum, Megan McDaniel, Mindy Parsons, Chelsea Travis, Joe Balbaugh, Glen Lovitt, Antoine Brown (who, in combination with me, makes up "Mantoine"), Nate Heironimous, Phil Larson, and many others. The first few are new to AU, and the others have been here, but I've just gotten to know them a lot better this semester. Still no woman for me, though. :)

Thus ends what I believe to be my longest post ever. I am out.

Verbosely yours,
Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/16/random/feed/ 1 Pictures http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/13/pictures/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/13/pictures/#comments Sun, 13 Nov 2005 05:13:01 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=187 So I wish I had a digital camera. If I did, I could put cool pictures up here for you to see. But I can't. Also, Facebook has sweet photo album capabilities now, so it would be amazing to share my photos with the world (well, at least my facebook friends). Heck, my MySpace friends would love it too. But I can't do anything about that. THEREFORE...I say you should click the PayPal Donate button (down the page on the left side) and send me some lovin' in the form of money. This would directly benefit you because you could then enjoy numerous pictures I'd post with the digital camera you funded. Ok, that is all for now. I will be checking my PayPal account in the next few days.

Oh by the way, you can check out the few photos I do have in my Facebook photo album (because I scanned hard copies years ago). Click here. I have a few more to put up, but for some reason, my superdrive on my Powerbook isn't working, so I can't get them off the cd. You can donate money for a new drive or--even better--a new iMac by clicking the same button.

Peace.

Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/13/pictures/feed/ 3 Jealous http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/12/jealous/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/12/jealous/#comments Sat, 12 Nov 2005 07:29:19 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=186 I know it's not good to be jealous, but I am. You see, I went with some cool friends to a Jon McLaughlin show tonight at the Living Room in Muncie. It was pretty darn good, with Micah Dalton and Jeff Owen opening. But I digress. I'm jealous because Jon stole all the talent. Well, I mainly refer to songwriting talent. I suppose that if I practiced hard enough, I could play as well as he does in concert, but he's a natural songwriter, which I am not. On top of his songwriting talent, he's got a great on-stage personality, holding his audiences captive. Tonite, a lot of the audience was talking during the opening acts, but Jon's appearance grabbed them. Anyway, long story short...every time I see him play, I find it easy to wish that I was him, but since I'm not, I'm just happy with learning something new from him by watching him perform.

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/11/12/jealous/feed/ 0 I’m Kilroy! http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/10/17/im-kilroy/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/10/17/im-kilroy/#comments Tue, 18 Oct 2005 02:44:14 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=183 Sorry for the random post title. I couldn't think of anything else. With 80s Encore in the not-so-distant past, those sorts of things stick with me. Anyway, I'm currently listening to some 80s Michael W. Smith...yeah Smitty! Anywho...that was awkward... Ok, on to why you're really here. Actually, it would be more like on to why I'm really here. This post is by request of my former roommate, Mr. Jon Mobley, host of Late Night with Jon Mobley, a new show here on the AU campus. It's quality, and I play in it when I can. So come if you're on campus Wednesday nights at 10pm. If you're not on campus, it's worth flying in and renting a car just to come. No joke. Anyway, enough commercials. What's been going on with me? We'll just say a lot. After getting back from a great time in Florida, I had one day of classes then Homecoming weekend, which basically meant I spent all of Friday night and Saturday on Encore stuff. In my opinion, it was a great show (especially the 10:00), but you can make your own judgement. My parents were down for two different weekends recently, homecoming being one of them, and they were able to see the show. I love them. Oh, and if you think about it, pray for my Dad as he's between jobs. He's waiting to hear back on one, so hopefully that will work out. Ok, back to the Strong's Exhaustive Update on my life since my last blog entry (that was for you Bible buffs). Well, I had a busy week of doing homework, playing for chapel, teaching Melissa how to play Mary Had A Little Lamb and Amazing Grace, taking recording tech quizzes, working on my recording tech projects, getting up for two early-morning breakfasts, and playing in church. Luckily there was a phenomenon called Fall Break. Give it up for the three-day weekend! I didn't do very much except a little laundry and reformatting my hard drive and restoring my system. Oh, and I found out Logic Pro won't run on my system, so I have to pick out a new DAW to purchase. I guess it's either Cubase or Digital Performer. Well, I do take donations, so if I could buy a new G5, I'd be able to run Logic Pro and create beautiful music for the masses to enjoy. Man, I wish rich people were reading this. Ok, I think it's time to get back to the homework. I know I need to be a more faithful blogger, so I'll do my best to keep you informed. I love you all. Goodnight.

Matt, aka Matthew, aka Matty, aka Melonhead, aka Mellonhead, aka Melonfoot

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/10/17/im-kilroy/feed/ 3 Darn It!! http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/10/03/darn-it/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/10/03/darn-it/#comments Mon, 03 Oct 2005 20:42:48 +0000 Matt http://blog.mattulrich.com/?p=181 Well, I've done it again. It is now three times I've accidentally deleted peoples comments on my posts. I'm so used to getting spam that my initial reflex is to delete them, so if I'm not thinking about what I'm doing, I end up deleting them. Sorry to those who I've stiffed. The bad thing is the last two have been from my mother. Sorry Mom...

Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/10/03/darn-it/feed/ 0 Sound familiar? http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/08/31/sound-familiar/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/08/31/sound-familiar/#comments Thu, 01 Sep 2005 02:26:17 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=176 Click here

Do any names on that page ring a bell?

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/08/31/sound-familiar/feed/ 1 I’m Back!! http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/07/30/im-back-3/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/07/30/im-back-3/#comments Sun, 31 Jul 2005 04:46:35 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=171 About time, huh? Well, I've been waiting for someone to actually pay attention to my previous post. A few people have, but only one person's offer has gone through, so I'm still waiting. Oh well. On to bigger and better things, namely a pair of these: Behringer Truth 2031A

In case you don't know what this means, I'll tell you. It means I'm one step closer to having my own studio. I've also purchased a pro mobile audio interface for use with my powerbook. But enough with the technical jargon. It's going to be sweet. Hopefully I'll be able to post up some beautiful music this semester, or at least this year. Keep your eyes open, and whilst you're doing that, I'll slip off to bed. I've gotta sing in church tomorrow morning, so I need my beauty sleep (like that's going to help, right?).

~Matty~

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/07/30/im-back-3/feed/ 11 Want $10 From Me? (Updated) http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/07/07/want-10-from-me-3/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/07/07/want-10-from-me-3/#comments Fri, 08 Jul 2005 00:23:40 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=170 I know you do...

Here's the deal. I'm getting sick of waiting for people to do offers on my Free iPods thingy. I had 4 of the 5 required referrals, but one just fell through. So now I need 2 more. The next 2 people who complete an offer to help me get my iPod will receive a $10 check from yours truly. CLICK HERE to help me out and earn your $10 check. This thing (both freeipods.com and my $10 offer) is legit, and a number of offers cost you no money at all (i.e. a credit card...just cut it up as soon as you get it). An extra $10 in the gas tank would get you farther than you could go before. It could also mean you'd only have to spend a few dollars of your own money on the latest and greatest newly released cd from your favorite artist or the newest DVD. Or it would get you a movie ticket and some amount of refreshments. Think about it...10 bucks. Not to mention you'd be on your way to a free iPod. Please help me.

A few notes:

1. If you've signed up with my link but have not completed an offer (Kristen), you're still eligible for the $10 if you complete an offer.
2. If you've signed up on freeipods.com NOT with my link, it's not worth trying. You're not allowed multiple accounts, and will thereby negate both of your accounts.
3. I will send the checks upon learning from the company that I will indeed be receiving my iPod.

That's it for now. I just want to be able to take my music with me, so help a brotha' out.

Matt

CELEBRATE!! This was my 100th post! Go celebrate here.

UPDATE (7/8/05): 1 person has responded to the call and has earned herself $10. Will you be the other?

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/07/07/want-10-from-me-3/feed/ 3 Self-improvement http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/06/30/self-improvement/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/06/30/self-improvement/#comments Fri, 01 Jul 2005 03:10:43 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=166 Self-improvement: that's the name of the game. I can think of a few things that I need to work on:

1. I need to make sure my relationship with God is on track
2. I need to make sure to be a godly son, brother, and friend
3. I need to lose weight and get in shape
4. I need to learn to play the guitar
5. I need to commit some time to service (right now, some sort of youth ministry seems to fit...maybe because I'm jealous of my friends who are camp counselors for the summer...I'd like to do that some summer as well as maybe help out the youth group at my church either while home or at school, or both)

Alright, I'm going to be dead tired at work tomorrow. I'd better get to bed now before I make it any worse. One day of work before an elongated July 4 weekend...what's the point? I guess a miniscule check is better than no check at all.

Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/06/30/self-improvement/feed/ 1 Camp Meeting http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/06/30/camp-meeting/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/06/30/camp-meeting/#comments Thu, 30 Jun 2005 06:31:55 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=165 Before I start, I declare today Round All Numbers To The Hundredth Place Day. Ok, moving on...

Well, I know I should have alerted you to this earlier, but I've been down in A-town for camp meeting. For those of you who are scratching your heads, wondering what the heck I'm talking about, camp meeting is the annual convention for the Church of God movement (not denomination...that's for you, Hency). There were somewhere in the ballpark of 6.01 thousand people there, 95.34% of which were 45.02 years of age or older and 76.21% of which were 65.13 years of age or older (based on a sample size of everyone I can remember). Anyway, I played a few shows with my friend Nathanael during the convention. The nice part about it was that we played in a tent outside on a small stage which served as a side stage for the main auditorium, and it was well over 90.36 degrees outside with little breeze. The heat seemed to like to get trapped inside the tent too. Also, there was a big storm the other day, so the tent had some moisture (moist...funny word) issues (mainly lots of mud) the past day or two. Fun stuff. The good news, though, is that our shows didn't go too badly...well, after the first one. And actually the first one wasn't too bad. I must've been kinda crabby that day, because I remember thinking that it sucked at the time, but it really wasn't much different than our other 2.00 shows which I look back upon favorably. Today's show was acoustic, whereas the other two involved a full band. Our bass player (it was just me, Nathanael, and our bass player) for the acoustic show is actually the bass player for Joy Williams. I believe he's just with her for her summer touring. So that's fun. Maybe I'll land a gig like that someday... Maybe... Someday...

Sleep overtakes me,
Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/06/30/camp-meeting/feed/ 6 Southern Hospitality http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/05/28/southern-hospitality/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/05/28/southern-hospitality/#comments Sun, 29 May 2005 03:17:04 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=163 Holy cow, do I feel hospitalitized!! (Read that word carefully...I made it up.) As I sit on the hotel computer next to a personally autographed picture (with a personal note) of former first lady Barbara Bush, I reflect on what I just experienced...and what I will likely experience tomorrow. I don't think I've ever felt so at home with strangers in such a short amount of time as I've felt today. By the way, read my last post if you want to know where I am and why I'm here. Anyway, not only were we picked up in the airport by two linebacker-esque guys with southern drawls, but it turns out they are extremely friendly and funny. They took us to our hotel (a Comfort Suites), where I get my own very nice room and where we met the worship pastor, who was waiting for us to arrive. The three of them waited for us in the lobby as we got our stuff into our respective rooms. When we got to our rooms, we both found a hearty welcome basket waiting for us on the tables. (It turns out I got Jennifer's, and she got mine, but we fixed the mistake. I wondered why pink was a prominent color in mine.) Next, they took us out to Longhorn Steakhouse, where we got to eat with more amazing people. I ate an 8 oz. serloin, but they made us feel like we could have ordered a 16 oz. t-bone if we had wanted to. All in all, I guess you'd have to be here, but all this southern hospitality is making me want to stay here longer and come back again.

That's all for now. It's time for bed.

Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/05/28/southern-hospitality/feed/ 7 80s, Here I Come! http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/05/27/80s-here-i-come/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/05/27/80s-here-i-come/#comments Fri, 27 May 2005 17:36:45 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=162 No, not the greatest decade for music. I'm talking temperature. Sure, it's fairly nice in the Michigan/Indiana area (63 and sunny here in Holland and 66 and sunny in A-town...according to my weather widget), but why not enjoy 80-degree weather in a place like South Carolina? That's right! This ol' boy is headed down south to Dixie for a few days. Being a musician, I get some cool opportunities, one of which is getting to play for an artist named Jennifer Stanley. She's got a show down there, and she's taking me along. So if summer never fully comes to the North, at least I'll have these couple of days to enjoy hot summer weather. Too bad it's not a summer-long tour instead of a one-day thing. Oh well...I'll take what I can get.

Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/05/27/80s-here-i-come/feed/ 1 Hmmm http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/05/18/hmmm/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/05/18/hmmm/#comments Thu, 19 May 2005 04:09:43 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=161 You know, I have two wishes. Here they are in a very specific order:

I wish:

1. For interesting things to blog about and plenty of time to do it.

2. For people to actually read my blog.

As far as I can tell, since I've decided to deviate away from the blogging clichés such as Xanga, LiveJournal, and Blogger, there are an average of 2-4 people that read my blog, and one of them is my Mom (love you, Mom). Of course, as I think about it, maybe people don't read it because I don't update very often. What's the point of checking a website regularly when the updates are very sparse? Hm... I guess that's something for me to consider. My other option is that noone cares. And honestly, I don't blame them. What's new and exciting in my life doesn't have to be exciting to others...and probably isn't. Plus, I must confess that it's somewhat rare that I read other people's blogs. Why would I expect them to read mine?

No, I'm not depressed, nor am I looking for some sort of affirmation of your love for me. Not in the least. These are just thoughts and questions I'm pondering. I sometimes think, "I should post a blog entry," but then wonder if it's a good use of my time and mental energy. Usually, I opt to do other things like sleep or eat or hang out with a friend...or work. So for now, I will update when something worthwhile crosses my mind, and I happen to have access to the internet. Who knows how often that will be.

Stop using 's to make words plural. I hate that. Oh, and while you're at it, use your/you're and there/their/they're correctly. Thanks!

Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/05/18/hmmm/feed/ 4 It’s GRRRRREAT!!! http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/05/08/its-grrrrreat/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/05/08/its-grrrrreat/#comments Sun, 08 May 2005 05:21:45 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=160 So the "Tiger" has been on the prowl on my Mac now for a week and a few days, and let me tell you, it's amazing...for the most part. There are a few minor things that I need to get used to, but everything else is great. Features like Dashboard and Exposé make using my Mac more convenient, not to mention they look sleek. Anyway, most of you don't care about that anyway. You've succumbed to the Microsoft myth. Oh well...it's your loss. Now on to bigger and better things...

So I'm finally done with my sophomore year of college. The last couple of weeks were fairly close to a nightmare. Preparing for my UDPE (Upper Divisional Performance Evaluation - basically I play for the faculty and they decide if I can still be a music major, so no pressure at all), writing an orchestration and a string quartet and doing three workbook assignments for orchestration class, studying for finals, preparing for the summer, studying for finals, hanging out with friends who I might not see for the whole summer (or ever again in a few cases), sleeping, eating, and doing anything else that could possibly take some of my time were all aspects of my life these past few weeks. Blogging was not one of those important things. But now I found some time...obviously. I think I need to find some time to write some e-mails too, as I know there are a few people I haven't gotten back to. But for now, I'm going to head to bed. Church is happening tomorrow morning, and I'll be there, so I should get some nappy-nappy.

Zzzzzzz,
Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/05/08/its-grrrrreat/feed/ 1 It hit me in the FACE!! http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/03/30/it-hit-me-in-the-face/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/03/30/it-hit-me-in-the-face/#comments Wed, 30 Mar 2005 07:01:12 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=155 Sorry, a little Dane Cook humor in that title. Maybe one person caught it. Anyway, here's a story about what happened to me today. I was walking with a friend of mine, who is affectionately known as "The Bear," to the student center so he could get a drink in the Haven (that's our fast-food restaurant, for any non-AU people reading this). As we were approaching the entrance door, I happened to be listening to a voicemail on my phone. It finished right before we reached the door, so I was standing approximately two feet from the door as I was closing my phone. I looked up from my phone, and at that precise moment, The Bear had decided to open the door. Unfortunately, I was not clear of the path of the door. So before I was even able to raise my head to its normal position, the edge of the door absolutely demolished my forehead. Needless to say, the metal of that door crashing against my skull hurt like a word I shouldn't say. I had a nice ridge of a welt extending from my scalp line almost to my left eye for a few hours. It's gone now, and I feel no pain. Just thought I'd share a fun story from my day.

Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/03/30/it-hit-me-in-the-face/feed/ 4 In Other News http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/03/26/in-other-news/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/03/26/in-other-news/#comments Sun, 27 Mar 2005 01:45:59 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=153 Ok, you've asked for it, and you've been anxiously waiting. So wait no longer! Here's the other monumental event from yesterday. My roommate and I recorded 2 songs. As you should be able to tell, he's the singer (Love ya', Jon!). I was the engineer and keyboardist. They still aren't perfect, so I'll be tweaking them, but here are the current cuts of Jon's two latest singles, "Star*69" and "Paper Airplane."

- Star*69
- Paper Airplane

Matt

P.S. Two days ago is the one-year anniversary of my blog. How about that!!

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/03/26/in-other-news/feed/ 5 Sick http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/03/17/sick/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/03/17/sick/#comments Thu, 17 Mar 2005 07:01:20 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=149 Well, I caught the cold which, until now, had been eluding me. I'm seriously thinking that it has something to do with my house, or the Michigan climate, or something along those lines. I get close to no sleep at school (which would make me more prone to sickness), but for some reason I don't get sick. As soon as I come home, I get sick, even though I get more sleep (and probably eat healthier too). I just don't understand. Oh well. I've been having a good spring break anyway. Lots of extra sleep, home cooking (or at least non-Haven/Marketplace food), some time on my brother's X-Box, and seeing people that I miss while I'm at school makes for a good break. I'm hoping that the first week or two back won't be too bad either since I got all my tests and projects out of the way before break. But I'll bet the profs will come up with something for me to do. Oh well. If I didn't expect to have school work to do, I wouldn't have signed up for college, and I surely wouldn't be letting thousands of dollars of my family's money float out of our hands and into P-Eddy's.

Ok, time for sleepy.

Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/03/17/sick/feed/ 1 BRING SPREAK!! http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/03/14/bring-spreak/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/03/14/bring-spreak/#comments Mon, 14 Mar 2005 05:55:30 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=148 Finally, all the hectic-icity-ness-ification-ism of the last 2 weeks is over!! I can now relax!! It turned out that this past week was worse than the week before last, which I anticipated in my last post. I don't think I've had so many tests in a short amount of time as I've had these last two weeks, not to mention the multiple projects, papers, and assignments that were also due recently. Now it is time for me to sleep, eat, drink, be merry, and sleep some more. And hang out with hot chicks, if I can rustle me up some. Which reminds me...let me know if you find any that would like to hang out with me. And if you are one, feel free to leave me one. Just hit "Contact" on the Navigation bar to shoot me an e-mail. I'll get back to you ASAP.

Look forward to hearing from ya. But now it's time for me to sleep for a long time.

Good night.

Matt

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/03/14/bring-spreak/feed/ 2 IM Goin’ 2 FNL @ IWU 2nite http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/02/04/im-goin-2-fnl-iwu-tonite/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/02/04/im-goin-2-fnl-iwu-tonite/#comments Fri, 04 Feb 2005 23:19:47 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=145 Yeah, I'm getting into the IM lingo...not. So I've decided to boycot Cheap Thrills tonite and have instead opted to attend a show called FNL at IWU (FYI: FNL="Friday Night Live" and IWU="Indiana Wesleyan University" and FYI="for your information"). Yeah, I've decided to make the trip to the big, windy city...Marion, Indiana. (I'm also in a really weird mood right now if you can't tell.) Anyway, I'm hoping that FNL will deliever much more than Cheap Thrills has recently. I'm looking forward to seeing something I haven't seen before as well as getting to see friends I haven't seen in a while. The other fun part of this weekend is that tomorrow, I'll be going to Encore, a great show here on campus, and some IWU friends will be coming for that. 6 of them, to be exact. Well, actually I believe I only know 2 of them. The other 4 are just their friends from school as far as I know. Anyway, this means that I had to spend $14.50 on tickets for all of us today, which was quite a bit of money for me to just letting slip from my wallet, but it definitely made the Encore people happy to see 7 tickets sold at one time.

I've said all this just to say that although I'm exhausted from pulling a virtual all-nighter last night (don't worry Mom, I took a nap, so I'm alright) and I'm roommmate-less for the weekend again, I think this will be a very fun weekend, a much-needed break from the normal.

Matt

UPDATE (2/12/05): I'm an idiot. Ok, tickets were $2.50 a piece. For some reason, I got 14.5 when I multiplied 2.5 times 7. That just doesn't work. Let me try again... How about $17.50?? I think that's a better number.

]]> http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/02/04/im-goin-2-fnl-iwu-tonite/feed/ 3 Pacers Game http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/01/16/pacers-game/ http://blog.mattulrich.com/2005/01/16/pacers-game/#comments Sun, 16 Jan 2005 06:26:16 +0000 Matt http://s92337008.onlinehome.us/wordpress/?p=139 Well, I went to see the Pacers play the Orlando Magic tonite at the Conseco Fieldhouse, and it was unfortunate that the Pacers were defeated. They looked better later in the game and actually ended up only losing by 1 point, but too-little-too-late. Thanks to my good friend Jordan Sipe for the ticket which was given to him by his aunt for Christmas, so he and I went and had a jolly good time. Fortunately IU won today, or he would have been unbearable if both of his basketball teams lost. Well, this is all I have for the evening. I must get up exceedingly early for church tomorrow as I need to be there by 7:30. Yuck.

Matt

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