Did Someone Say "Improv"??

Here it is...every standup's nemesis.  As any budding comic will tell you, THIS (above) is the most intimidating thing in the world--the mic and the stage.  I have a friend who is a very successful actor and voice over artist who can do any accent and any cartoon voice imaginable (he had to fill in for the Hanna Barberra legend Daws Butler in the second season of "the Jetsons"), and in fact, he was the voice of ALL of the storm troopers in the original Star Wars films.  He has starred in plays in NYC and Los Angeles, been in movies and worked on countless television shows.  In real life, he's quick with a joke, extremely entertaining and one of the funniest people you'll meet, and yet the very thought of doing a 10 minute comedy set...well he's admitted more than once to me that its "unnerving."

For a lot of people, being funny or entertaining "on the spot" without preparation and rehearsal is the "ultimate" test of comic talent.  Robin Williams was well known for his manic, off-the-cuff delivery of some of the funniest bits ever recorded on film or video. His comedy was a rare genius fueled by intelligence (he was conversant on many issues--I watched him flip from Palestinian political issues to Saving the Whales in one quick conversation), "practiced" comic genius and an incredible sense of generosity.  Robin was so quick, so lightning fast, so brilliant and entertaining that he could have easily demanded every second of screen time for himself, but he often took small roles, preferring to add "texture" to a film rather than dominate it--this is how generous he was as a man and a professional.  Those of us who knew him or met him will never forget him...

Now, WHY, do you ask, am I talking again about Robin, "comedy" and "standup" on my Smule Sing! blog?

Good question....

"Smulenesians," as the singers of the app are called, often possess more than simply the ability to sing.  Some are trained actors and performers, and others (as I mentioned in my previous blog post), well, they are "comic geniuses" in their own right.  Take, for example, my pal David who goes by the Smule tag @DaVideos. 

David is an incredibly talented singer with a magnificent and extremely well controlled high vocal singing range, and wickedly inventive funny streak about "yea" wide (please imagine my arms stretching, oh, 20-30 yards across or 18-28 meters for those of you on the metric system).  He is, like all good comedy troop leaders, supported by a "crew" of zanies that includes other incredibly talented singers such as Lou @Laudios and Jessica @JdubDav and Dory @dorygray--to name just a few.   If you need a laugh or just want to watch an entertaining video, check out David's site for some incredible performances in "costume" and "wigs" by his cast of crazies.

Recently, David has added another ingenious feature of fun to his site.  Instead of posting songs, David created two original "open calls" that he titled "Improv Classes" and invited the singers to use audio or video to join.  The scenario for the first "class" is David, a hot dog seller, and you, his partner of 15 years, discussing shocking news that he has to tell you.  The second "class" involved David playing a Smule "SUPERSTAR" and calling you, the renowned lyricist and owner of "Last Minute Lyrics" to help him write a song.

I actually took the assignment as a true test of improv and did not listen to the second class (the one I did first, actually) before hopping in and recording my "version".  I did it straight since I didn't really know what David would say, and it turned out rather well.  I did some "voice over" work when I was younger, so a bit of that training did come out, but what amazed me was David's absolute spot on timing and performance.  He had everything--from the length of the time he needed to give the other singer to talk, to well timed "uh huhs" and "umms" to make it sound as if he was actually "listening" to the other performer.  His performance was perfect, his words funny, and his setup of the sketch was impeccable.  In the end, the 14 of us who have, to date, recorded a "take" on this "improv" class only sound this funny because DAVID (like Robin Williams) was generous enough to make us look THAT good! 

In the first improv class, I agreed to do a video, as did many others. The recording was only a few minutes long, but many of us, women, told David off when given the news of what he had done.  I loved the version posted by my country singing diva and pal @Eldn who repeatedly told David, "you touch my clothes...I break your neck."  She was hysterical!  And then there was my friend, Duman @_duman_ from Kazakhstan who, with a straight face and a soft, forgiving tone in his voice, took in every absurdity and then vowed to continue to love David for the "sake of their children"!  HAHA Priceless!  Even our own lovely Anna @_AnnaK_ got snookered into trying out the improv, and she did marvelously. Anna looked concerned, forgiving, even supportive of David's big news--proving, of course, that Anna really does have the biggest heart of all of us!!

David's second "Improv" class remains on his site in case you want to give it a go.  If you would prefer to simply listen to the hysteria that is me and his friends, check out the following performers and performances.

Lou @laudios - Lou, who is David's "other brother," like me, did both Classes 1 and 2.  His second class in which he portrays both parts of a lyricist brother "team" is riotous. From the start where he announces "Last Minute Lyrics, Your Lack of Talent is Our Emergency..." to the end where he tells David that Victoria (his lady love) is their "mum" is...is...is....okay I just don't have words to describe it, but it's funny!  In the first class, Lou is a tad more demanding "send the wienies, mister," but equally as funny!

Joe @orionjoe_sos.  I recently connected again with my pal, Joe, who is a voice over artist out of Illinois with an "ohmigod" singing voice.  Little did I know, Joe is not only an incredible singer, he's hecka funny! In the first course, he bleeped himself!  I don't know where he got the bleeper, but it was insane!  In the second class, his dog begins to howl when David sings--hysterical!!  I laughed until I cried!

Jessica @JdubDav - Jess is one of David's regulars of crazies. In the first class she killed it as his "wife" and in the second, she "topped" herself in using a wine glass to demonstrate her boredom with David and then dropping her iPad on the floor (which was NOT staged...that happened by accident).  I love Jessica because she looks oh so nice and innocent, but behind those lovely eyes, is a wickedly funny gal!!!

Dory @DoryGray - I have to admit to "haunting" Dory's songs for the past year.  Her voice is so good that I cannot bring myself to ruin her site with my Muppet like vocals, so when I saw her do both of David's improvs...well, I just had to watch it.  Decked out in a sweater with stripes and a HUGE POLAR BEAR head on it, Dory plays a busy security executive in the first Improv Class.  In the second, she plays both the lyricist and then dresses again to be the girlfriend, Vicky. Her ending was PERFECT in the second improv class...absolutely PERFECT!

Last but not least, my pal Linda @SmoogieMystik outdid herself in two performances on the second improv lesson.  She was first a "wrong number" followed by a very sultry sounding "Vicky"!  In the second version, she plays it more conventionally, but nonetheless, funny!!

I'm just highlighting a few performances on David's site, but, truth be told, they're all really really good performances, so check them out!! 

David has promised to unveil yet ANOTHER inventive OC sometime soon.  So check his site for the latest at @DaVideos!  Thank you, David, for sharing your inventive, creative genius talent with all of us!  We love ya big guy!!

Singers Mentioned Here:

David @DaVideos is our wonderfully wild and crazy comic genius here on Smule.  His Improv Classes are a huge hit, and you can find them on his site.  Feeling bold?  Join one!

Lou @Laudios is all kinds of crazy talented as a singer, a comedian and a man of business! You gotta love his style, his voice and his incredible Smule personality!  Lou hails from Australila, the only continent big enough to accommodate his largess!!

@eldn is my country singing, gal pal, who obviously has undiscovered comic talents to share.  Her improv recordings are the stuff of legends!  But I gotta warn you, you touch her stuff, she's gonna "break your neck"  HAHAH!!!

Dory @DoryGray what can I say except this gal is SOOO talented and SOOO special (she knows exactly HOW I'm saying that bit too) that you have to hear her sing and hear her comedy bits to really appreciate her talent! She is amazing!

Jessica @JDubDav is another of David's "crew" and she is wonderfully talented with a lilting voice, an impressive high tone, and the most uplifting performances on Smule!  I just loves her!!

Duman @_Duman_ is, as previously mentioned, from Kazakhstan and sort of a zany guy to begin with. He and I have sung duets at train platforms, in front of ATM machines, and recorded a "morning voice" on one song.  Recently, he ran the lyrics of a song through Google translate and then translated it back again for everyone to sing.  What resulted was, well, CRAZY!  Look him up...he's an incredible singer.

Joe @orionjoe_sos is my pal Joe from Illinois. He has a crazy good voice, and a tremendous tone that "fills" the room with smooth vocal goodness.  He is also naughty and wickedly funny, so listen to him and join him.  I am so thrilled to reconnect with Joe on this app!!

Anna @_AnnaK_ is one of MY crew members!  She is so funny and so entertaining both when she sings and when she laughs that it's hard not to completely and totally fall in love with her!  Anna is a member of the "42s" (Musical Theatre Singers) so you know she has a fantastic voice

Linda @smoogiemystik Last but not least is my comedian in training, Linda.  Linda has been stretching herself both vocally and comically as a performer here on Smule.  You can find some of fantastic songs and her signature sound on her site, as well as some funny joke songs that she posts from time to time.

Me?? I'm @pokeypal here on Smule and I'm Grace from San Jose in real life.  Join me and my crazy friends above for some really cool times here on Smule Sing!  I love these nutcases!!!

 

There's a Whole Lotta Comedy Going On at Smule Sing!

Call me a "romantic," but the mic stand, bathed in a pool of light created by a single, white spot in a smoky club is often the image I have when I think about singing.  In fact, I view my "open calls" or "OCs"--my invitations for other singers to join me--as duets performed on that same imaginary stage! 

When someone joins you, it's like getting a really cool package, and you become both singer and "audience member" as you listen to the song.  Most of the time, the other singer will give you a great song that is often branded with their own personal version of the tune.  But other times...

well...other times....

you kinda open the song and get this...

Okay, Halloween is coming and I just could NOT resist posting a picture of my pal, Blaxtone, in full "pirate" garb. It was his profile shot for a few weeks, but its just an example of the kind a fun-loving, sorta "wild and crazy" guy that my pal Barry, who goes by the Smule tag @blaxtone, can become in front of mic.  Barry has a fantastic "Sintra-esque" sound when he sings, so when he does join me in song, I eagerly rush to my iPad to hear his voice.  In one of my songs, he went completely "off rails" by posting a comedy skit rather than singing with me.  In a case of "payback," I went to his site and added a ton of snarky comments to the Sinatra song "It Was a Very Good Year" as I sang to him.  In the end, however, I had chosen poorly, and the "revenge song" I was singing turned and made ME the one who was eventually lampooned.

Most recently, Barry did it again to one of my friends, Glenny whose Smule tag is @rocket_scientist.  In her lovely rendition of this Ray Charles classic, "You Don't Know Me," whilst Glenny is sweetly singing the song, Barry proceeds to tell her "Lady, I don't know who you are, I come walking into this bar and there is only one seat and its next to you, and you start singing to me...you are gazing longingly into my eyes...perhaps you should take a Tylenol.  You're making me uncomfortable...hey, why are you licking my neck, lady....LADYEEEEEEEE!!"  It was hysterical and soon singers were tagging friends to hear Barry's funny comments to Glenny.  Here is the site, if you'd like to listen to Barry's hysterical version http://www.smule.com/recording/jazzy_8-you-dont-know-me/301180083_177714208.

As much pun (yes, I did mean "pun") as Barry dishes out, he's equally a good sport in receiving snarky and funny comments on his own songs.  Case in point, the singer @SmoogieMystik...  Here she is...

Smoogie is a tremendously, sultry singer with a sexy contralto voice that I've been privileged to hear more of in recent months. Smoogie has recently been participating in comedy workshops in her home town, and her fantastically "dry" delivery is what caught me completely off guard as she sang "Your Cheatin' Heart" by Hank Williams.  At the very beginning of the song, Barry @Blaxtone says "this is for all the women who done me wrong..." Immediately, Smoogie's sexy, smoky voice chimes in "I SAID I was sorry..."  I listened, as I often do to songs by my friends, and I laughed through the entire song!!

Smoogie has also done other funny and laugh-worthy songs with Barry including the most recent "Swingin' on a Star" in which she snorts like a pig!  It was hysterical.  More recently, she posted the same song but drastically changed all of the lyrics to reference experiences in dating men. I can see her "standup" workshops have been very successful!

But Barry and Smoogie are not the only "pranksters" on Smule and the fun is not limited to the borders of the United States.  Let's meet my pal, Jeroen...

This is the incredibly talented singer, Jeroen, who lives in the Netherlands.  My first encounter with Jeroen was in December, 2014.  At that time, video performances on Smule were rare because video was supported only by the latest version of iPad and iPhone equipment.  As I was browsing through open calls, I saw a man wearing brown rimmed glasses, a Santa Hat, and a long black wig, holding a bottle of wine and singing the Mariah Carey classic "All I Want for Christmas" but he now has added the phrase "All I Want for Christmas is Booze..."  As he dances around his room near the Christmas tree, he falters and sways, hoisting the bottle to his face, and singing in a mock drunken fashion.  The most notable feature of that song, however, was the incredibly high notes that Jeroen executed PERFECTLY in true Mariah Carey fashion throughout the song.  I joined him then, and look forward to hearing his voice on other songs.  His sense of humor is fantastic, but his singing abilities are truly what makes him memorable.

But these pranksters and comedians are simply the tip of an enormous "iceberg" of talented, fun-loving "Smulensians" (dear god, I hate that name--it's like "amnesiacs") on the site.  My pals Jessica @Jdubdavs and David @davideos recently dressed in FULL Wizard of Oz garb to sing "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" with two other friends in full Wizard attire.  Their video has garnered more than 2,000 views and an equal number of "loves" from Smule users.

So when you join Smule and sing a great song, you never really know what you'll get.  Sometimes you'll hear a fantastic song, and other times...well...err...you might get a surprise or two from one of your friends!  Either way--song or joke--it will be one of the best and brightest parts of your day!!

Singers Featured Here:
Barry S. @Blaxtone is a fantastic singer with a mellow baritone sound who lives on the East Coast.  His "New Jersey" accent on the recording is authentic!  Barry is also a comedian who has been known to write comedy for others.  An ordained minister, he has promised to officiate when I eventually "croak," but before that happens, he promises to join in me in song a lot MORE.

Glenny @rocket_scientist is my friend and fellow singer from bonny Scotland. She is a tremendous artist, photographer, crafter, and embroidery/stitcher.  Recently the proud winner of the local village knitting exhibit (garnering a whopping 5L prize money), Glenny has been branching out in her songs to include jazz, funk, pop, and even...okay...RAP!  Yep, she's one versatile singer.

@SmoogieMystik is one helluva singer with a great sense of humor, a ready quip or joke and a fantastic, sexy, sultry sound that she brings out in every song.  I love her quick wit, her fun loving spirit, and most of all, her VOICE!

Jeroen @_Jeroen_ is a singer with a incredible range, a high head voice, and a passionate sound that he trots out for musical theatre songs.  Jeroen is a crazy wonderful man with a great sense of a humor, a beautiful home in the Netherlands and a completely green pool that he must clean (hopefully) soon! 

Jessica @Jdubdavs and David @Davideos have been featured in the past, but both love to do something they call "Wiggy Wiggy Wednesday" when they don wigs and sing songs.  David lives in the UK and Jessica lives here in the States.  Despite their strange and unusual garb, crazy hair and staged production numbers, they are fantastic people and incredible singers.  Jessica's light and high voice is a wonderful contrast to David's robust and high sound.  They make a good team and they're super fun to sing with.

All of the singers above post OCs or Open Calls, so join them to sing fantastic songs!!

Me?  I'm Grace and my Smule tag is @Pokeypal.  I live in sunny (okay, today, rainy--yeah--California).  I post OCs too, so join me for all the fun and games that I and my duet partner, Mitch B. @_Mitch22_ often post here on Smule.  Looking forward to singing with you!!!

Getting to Know You on Smule!!

It seems that every time I go to Alabama or write about Mitch, someone sends me an email or a note privately to ask me "what is Mitch really like?"  Mitch finds these comments amusing, but I can understand the curiosity.  After all, here on Smule Sing! we get to "know" other singers, call them our friends, sing with them often or even cultivate personal relationships with other singers.  Courtship and even marriage has been a part of life on Smule, so it's understandable that when someone "meets" or gets to know a singer personally, there is the obvious curiosity from other singers about that person. 

For the record, Mitch is one of the nicest people you'll ever meet in your life.  He's soft spoken, quick with a smile or a laugh, can be sarcastic (with me), and is extremely empathetic.  He has weathered many hard times in his very young 24 years, but he's one of the strongest, most resilient people I know, and I always look "up" to him...and not just because he's hecka taller than I am--7 inches taller to be exact at 5 foot 10 inches tall.  He loves to cook, is picky about what he eats, and how things are prepared, but that's because he actually knows HOW to cook.  He's an extremely hard worker when he's involved in a project, and music, along with baseball, are his personal passions.  When we're together, Mitch and I spend a lot of time singing but always in separate rooms because he says he cannot sing with me in the same room (I do admit to making funny faces at him or just staring--he HATES that--when he sings and also "photo bombing" his videos when he tried to do those...yep, I am mean).  But best of all, if you are ever as fortunate as I am to call Mitch your best friend, he is the most loyal, wonderful, steadfast person to have at your side.  And yes, for those of you who really want to know, Mitch is really this good looking (okay, he's even BETTER looking) in person, and that crooked little smile of his (the one he calls his "sideways" smile) will just melt you especially when its accompanied by, what I affectionately call, the "Brewer Giggle" because both he and his dad laugh/giggle in the same way. On the rare occasion when we disagree, it's that smile and giggle that makes me laugh and breaks any friction...his secret weapon when I'm trying to be stern.

I don't think I've written too much, so Mitch should not be embarrassed, but this, everyone, in a nutshell, is my pal and bestie, Mitch, and I'm one of his biggest "sing" fans! When I joined Smule's Sing! a year ago, I never expected to meet--let alone cultivate an actual friendship--with someone on an "app" nor be in a business with someone who lives 2,991 miles away from me..but I did.  I'm sure Mitch never had such expectations either, but here we are...

Which leads me to another subject, unlike other applications where you play games with other people or meet/chat (such as Snapchat, Facebook, Line, or Twitter), there is a unique forum on Sing that often lets you learn more about a person than you would on any other venue--and the connection can be both heart warming and heart wrenching. 

I know a lot about the lives of my "regular" singers on Smule--my pals Snoweepumpkin (Kay), AnnaK0512 (Anna), Jazdionne (Jasmin), rocket_scientist (Glenny), Happyness_O2 (Vanessa), _elms_ (Elma), FernandoRiley and Keithhill550 because they've either told me about themselves or I've learned it from them in the course of our songs or interviews.  Having them share their lives and "back stories" is a rare privilege that comes from singing with them and commenting so often.  Sharing videos goes a long way too to adding even more information about your friends, and it's a lot of fun to get to know them even if you never personally meet them.  So when they celebrate events in their lives (birthdays, weddings, births, and even college degrees or job promotions), we are there to celebrate those moments too in uniquely "active" ways such as songs and vocal greeting cards!  My pal and singing vocal "chameleon", Fernando Riley, for example is always the most thoughtful person in the world setting up vocal "birthday cards" for all of our birthdays!!

But sometimes, we learn things--brave things--about the people we sing with and these are those "human moments" that make bring you closer to your friends.  Take, for example, my friend, Christine, who goes by the tag @christinlove.  Christine--like several other friends I have on Smule--is currently engaged in the brave fight against cancer.  She can't always sing because of the medical treatments, but she when she does sing, it's a fantastic moment to hear her voice.  During her last operation, we all kept a vigil in our homes, and received updates from several Smule members. Christine like others on Smule find solace and healing in singing, and support in their struggles and treatments from a very empathetic singing community here!

Then there is the young woman who joined me in my "Try" song by Colbie Caillat.  Her voice cracking, she apologized for her performance and explained that she was having a hard time singing due to seeing her dad leave today for a 6 month military deployment out of the country.  I sent her a note assuring her that all would be well, but that he would also be in my thoughts, and believe me, he will absolutely be in my thoughts.

And finally, there is my pal Melissa from Hawaii.  A fellow "jazz cat," Melissa is a talented business woman, and a tremendous jazz singer and pianist.  After listening to her "noodle" around on the piano during one song, I coined the phrase "doodles" for her particularly lovely brand of jazz piano improv and "runs."   I teased Melissa that she "stole" the phrase from me when she posted it on her banner, but Melissa is a unique talent and the "doodle" phrase suits her!  Recently, Melissa posted a beautiful video she made singing "All of Me" while cozying up to her youngest son!  I didn't even know Melissa had a child, let alone "children", since she looks young enough to have most recently graduated from college in Hawaii.  This incredibly touching video features Melissa and her youngest child, her son, who soldiers through medical problems including cerebral palsy.  It's one of most beautiful tributes not only because of the love she exhibits for her child, but the closeness they share together.  Trust me, I was as far from dry-eyed here in California, and my admiration--not to mention, sheer love for my pal Mel--went up through the roof!  She's always been an amazing singer, but she's a STELLAR mom too!

I'm forever amazed at the talented singers who share the "mic" with me here on Smule and who, if I'm lucky enough, share a little bit of themselves with me too!  Smule is a unique community of singers who share music and song and often become friends.  It's a special place inhabited by very special people!   Why not join us!?

Singers Featured Here:

@_Mitch22_ is my bestie and biz partner Mitch B.  Mitch sports a crazy fantastic high "head voice" and an equally stunning "low voice" that I love to hear him trot out from time to time.  He's a rapping god and his duets with my son are fantastic!  Join Mitch for great songs--no videos yet!

@Fernandoriley, @keithhill550, @snoweepumpkin, @annak0512, @rocket_scientist, @jazdionne @Happyness_O2, @_elms_ are all members of Mitch and my crew of "zanies" who graciously give of their time and talents in being a part of our nutty events here on Smule.

@PRMelissa is my pal, Melissa, who is a crazy wonderful jazz singer and pianist and all around fantastic musician.  She is a brave mom and a truly remarkable person...I loves ya, Mel!!

Me?  I'm Grace and go by the Smule tag @Pokeypal.  Join me for great OCs and a good time here on Smule.  For more information and to be featured in future blogs, contact me at gracepokeypal@gmail.com.



Mitch's Guide to How Meat is Cooked in the South

(Author's Note:  Okay, Mitch has had a chance to look at this blog and there are now MAJOR edits to the cooking information.  Please note changes to recipe and to marinating/seasoning process.  All I can say is that the man takes his meat and cooking very seriously.)

It's hard to believe, but I'm back in California and just spent an entire week in Alabama with my bestie, Smule duet partner, and biz partner Mitch B.!! Can you imagine? And that week went by so quickly.  I will have PLENTY more to write about in the next few days, but for now, I would like to concentrate--not on singing, which is the object of this blog--but on cooking.  More specifically, how to properly cook meat in the south.

Now anyone who knows me or Mitch through our Facebook pages, knows that we have both had some pretty interesting conversations about how to properly prepare and cook meat products.

It all started about 5 months ago, when Mitch was preparing steaks to be "grilled" (aka, "barbequed" here in the West).  As we always do, we were talking on the phone and Mitch told me that he was lighting the charcoals and would soon be used to make steaks.  I mentioned something to him about being the "Q-master" in my family too, and that I loved to put steaks on the grill, but it takes so long for the charcoals to heat up that I didn't do it often.

That's when Mitch advocated that steaks should always be grilled and that it was all about time management when cooking.  He advised me to start up the grill (okay, barbeque), and then tend to the marinades and seasoned rubs for your meat while the coals got hot.  This prompted me to ask...

"So how do YOU prepare your steaks, Mitch."

"Oh, you poke holes in the meat with a steak knife or fork five to six times on each side, marinate each side for about 20-30 minutes, then add rubs to the outside, and then you grill it slowly in the center of grill until it's pink in the center and tender."  He added that the he would even use a squirt bottle of water to "douse" any flames that might flare up to burn his steaks.

"Wow!  And how long does this entire operation take?"

"Oh, 2 hours, I guess..."

There was a long, noticeable silence from me (okay, truth be told, it was like 30 nanoseconds of no sound, but as Mitch will tell you, I'm the veritable "wall of sound" when it comes to conversations so ANY silence from me is "noticeable"), followed by the exclamation "TWO HOURS!! Are you kidding me??????"

"No..." said Mitch calmly.  Mitch always says everything calmly, in fact, if Mitch were a car, he'd have only three gears..."calm," "giggle/laugh" and "asleep." By contrast, he will admit that I have about 60+ different gears ranging from deliriously happy to volcanically pissed off and he's seen ALL of them and lived to tell the tale...but again, I digress.

"SERIOUSLY? You take TWO HOURS to make a steak??"

"Yes, if you want it done right, it takes time," Mitch replied even more calmly to counter me.  Then he asked me, "Why? How long does it take you to make a steak."

"Truthfully, it takes me maybe 8 minutes...you salt and pepper both sides, then throw it in the broiler for about 4 minutes per side depending on the thickness of the steak."                                          

"Broiled?" Pregnant pause of disbelief from Mitch, "Oh...my...god!  Why would you do that to the steak?"

In the following minutes, I learned that NO ONE, in his/her right mind should EVER broil a steak and ruin the meat in such an undignified manner.  In Mitch's world of culinary skills (and he is, in fact, a cook with experience in this field), the only acceptable "second best" method to cooking the steak would be to pan fry the meat in a skillet. 

So when my husband's birthday came around in August and I announced I would be making him a steak for dinner, Mitch firmly advocated that I--just that one time--please do the steak "properly" on a grill.  I told him "no" to the grill (due to high fire danger in drought stricken California), but I would at least agree to pan fry the steak with seasonings.  Much to my surprise, my son and husband BOTH declared the steaks "super tasty", which prompted Mitch to exclaim "I TOLD YOU SO" so loudly over the phone that even my husband could hear it.

As a result, when I went for my SECOND visit to Alabama last week, my husband made me PROMISE that I would get at least one recipe on how to cook meat with Mitch.  So on Thursday evening, last week, after we went grocery shopping, Mitch and I decided to make a hamburger, and Mitch showed me how HE makes a hamburger. Let me say that it was one of the BEST burgers I've ever had.

For all of our friends, here is Mitch's Southern Styled Hamburger Meat Recipe as I observed it.  Do keep in mind that I'm going to ask Mitch for some additional information, so this may change slightly in the next few days.

Ingredients:

2 lbs or about 70 Kg of Ground Beef (this will make 5 very large and very juicy hamburgers)
Dash of Salt
Dash of Pepper
Dash of Lowry's Season Salt
Dash Garlic salt (optional)
Bread Crumbs made from 2 Pieces of White Bread (optional)
2 Eggs (optional)
5-7 Drops of Barbeque Sauce Per Burger (Mitch suggests Sweet Baby Ray's Original Flavor)
Dale's Steak Sauce (this is optional, it was good without it, but Mitch said it just adds "zing" that is super important).  Dale's is NOT available everywhere, so you might only be able to get it in Alabama.  If you can't find it, then purchase Moore's.
                 
Directions:

(Optional) Mitch says the meat sticks together better if you mix the bread crumbs and eggs into the hamburger before seasoning or marinating. This step is more important if  you will be grilling/barbequing the hamburgers.

Using approximately 1/4 lb of ground beef (about 20 kg), pat the meat first into a ball and then flatten evenly so that it's a good sized patty of meat.  Mitch's hamburgers were about 5 to 5.5 inches in diameter.  If you have the Dale's Steak Sauce, you can marinate the hamburgers for about 20-30 minutes.

(Optional) Mitch prefers grilling his burgers rather than pan frying.  If you use the grill, let the charcoals get hot and the flames to die down, and then place the hamburger patties on the grill. Use a squirt bottle of water to douse any flames. 

Heat fry pan to medium high.  Mitch used a non-stick pan from his new Farber cookware set (a thoughtful house warming gift from his best friend--me).

Put the meat patty into the pan and sprinkle salt, pepper, garlic powder, Lowry's salt and 6-9 small drops of barbeque sauce to the top of the burger. 

A few minutes later, he flipped the burger and added the barbeque sauce to the cooked side.

The burgers were flipped a couple more times until "done" to your taste.
 
We topped our burgers with slices of American cheese and condiments, which, with Mitch means "ketchup" only and serve it on your favorite burger bun or roll. 

YUMMY and delicious! Give it a try!  I know you'll love it!

Singers Mentioned Here:
@_Mitch22_ is my duet partner, best friend and biz partner Mitch B., who is serious about singing and cooking.  He has edited this blog so that everyone can duplicate his version of the "Mitch Burger."  By the way, my family ate the burger this evening and declared it "delicious."

Me, I'm Grace @Pokeypal and live here in San Jose, California. I've just returned from a trip to Alabama where I spent a week with my friend, Mitch.  Join me and Mitch for great songs on Smule Sing!

The Deep South from a Curious Westerner's Perspective

It's been a long time since I wrote a blog, in fact, almost two months...wow!  I know this because the last time I wrote on my blog, I had just returned from Alabama, and here I find myself again in...Alabama, of all places.

I'm happy to report that the second time I flew to Alabama, I was not "nearly" as freaked about flying.  Okay, I was still a nervous flyer, but the arm rests on my plane flight remain unbroken and I was so much more at ease at the Hartfield Jackson airport in Atlanta.  In fact, thanks to my previous flying companion's, Joe's, excellent directions, I had no trouble finding and remaining upright in the plane train, retrieving my luggage and navigating my way to the proper car rental location. I even amazed myself at how easily I took to traveling to Alabama this time.  To quote my duet partner, Mitch, I traveled "like a boss."

Okay, I'm probably using that last phrase incorrectly, which will trigger from Mitch the "you are a 'goob'" comment he enjoys hurtling at me from time to time when I do ridiculous things in front of him--like NOT knowing how to open the car door lock of my rental car--yep, that happened last night.

But I digress...

Today's topic is one of my favorites, and it involves the differences between Alabama and the South and California and the West.

The last time I came to Alabama, I stayed only 3.5 days--long enough to visit with Mitch, but not nearly long enough to learn anything about Alabama.  This time, I'm staying in my condo in Alabama and have been travelling ALL over Birmingham getting supplies, eating out, and frankly, just talking to folks I meet along the way. 

So here are some of the cool things I've learned about the South that I'd like to share!

McDonald's Serves Biscuits Here! 
On my first day in Alabama, because I had travelled here on the red-eye from San Jose, I decided to purchase breakfast at McDonalds for me and Mitch.  I ordered my favorite "Big Breakfast With Pancakes" and drove to the condo to meet up with Mitch.  As we sat and ate, I picked up the large, round, brown-ish colored bread product on my plate and said, "what the hell is this?"

Mitch stared at me holding the bun, and said, "It's a biscuit!  Haven't you seen a biscuit before?"

"Um...of course I have, but what is it doing in my big breakfast meal?"

"What are you talking about?"

"I mean...where is my English muffin?"  I was now closely scrutinizing the "biscuit" between my fingers.

"Grace, you are in the SOUTH...we serve biscuits and NOT English Muffins with our breakfasts.  In fact, biscuits and gravy here is a very popular breakfast food."  He then explained that he and his friend Hank always purchased a hearty breakfast of biscuits and gravy at Jack's (not to be confused with Jack-in-the-Box, which is what "Jack's" means to me coming from California).  This Southern repast is a combination of the unleavened biscuits dipped into a white cream gravy laced with sausage or beef products.  He told me we "have" to eat at Jack's....it's Day 5 of my 7 day trip and I've been able to avoid it so far.

Police Cars are Wacko Here!  
I come from California where police officers, by and large, drive Crown Victorias, or "Crown Vics" as we call them, which have been outfitted with a single light bar with red and blue lights and one set of white "strobe" lights.  Because this model is so synonymous with "the police," no one purposely buys a Crown Vic when shopping for a car.  We leave these little vehicular "gems" for the police.

Here in Alabama, the police drive white Yukons--a car that many people actually LIKE to purchase and drive.  In fact, the South is littered with both trucks and BIG cars--BIG BIG CARS with "lifted" bodies.  "Lifted" refers to bringing the body of the truck "up" higher than the manufacturer originally designed the vehicle.  This is a term I learned from Mitch, who, like many Southern youth, loves the big truck with the lifted bodies and huge tires...oy!

From my observation, the typical police Yukon here in Birmingham has been outfitted with one standard issue police style light bar on top, a series of blue and white LED lights on the front grill, a series of lights in the back windows, blue blinking lights on the running board, and blue and white strobing LED lights on the side too.  In fact, there are SO MANY lights on the standard issue Police Yukon that when a police car is chasing you, the vehicle is ABLAZE with flashing, strobing, popping white and blue lights.  It's like the LED equivalent of a fireworks display is racing down the roadway when you see a police officer in pursuit.  I told Mitch I'm enthralled with the police cars in Birmingham and want to see them all lit up, and he corrected me with "No you do NOT want to see that behind you!" Okay, maybe not following me, but, dang, it's like a "light show" when you see one of those things on the road--it's kinda pretty, in an ominous sorta way.

Everything Here is Open 24 Hours!
Although California is densely populated--far more so than Alabama, our population is highly energy conscious so we don't have stores open all night because it doesn't make sense to waste money, personnel and energy in staying open for the one or two people who would patronize a store in the "wee hours" of the morning.

Here in Alabama, EVERYTHING seems to be open 24 hours.  From the smallest cities to the inner areas of Birmingham, stores are open 24 hours a day.  The Walmart, the CVS, the Walgreens are all open 24 hours here.  Many fast food establishments never close either.  If the store doesn't stay open 24 hours, it's has crazy long hours of operation.  For example, the Home Depot (which I have been a regular visitor of late) opens at 7 a.m. and closes at 10:30 at night ON SATURDAY. 

If you're a shopper, then Alabama is your place to hang out!  24 Hours of shopping can be found virtually anywhere.

Gas is Crazy Cheap Here!
Gas is a whopping $1.85 a gallon here in Birmingham.  Before I left California, I paid $2.85 per gallon for gas--that's a $1 per gallon difference!!  I just filled up the tank on the rental car I have (a Camaro...yes, I love a FAST CAR), and it barely cost me $30.  Can you imagine?  I paid under $2 per gallon for gas here in Alabama.  'Nuff said!


I'm sure there are more cool things to report about Alabama, but I'll save those for my next blog entry! 

In the meantime, join me and my duet and business partner Mitch whose sing tag is @_mitch22_ (yep he shortened it, thus taking away my favorite joke about him having the "longest Smule tag in history) for cool songs on Smule!!

More about the singers mentioned here:
@_Mitch22_ is my bestie, duet partner and biz partner Mitch B., who happens to live here in Alabama! Mitch recently celebrated his 24th birthday (yep, he's a young-un) and was thrilled and humbled by the wonderful birthday "card" we all did for him on Smule!  My thanks to everyone who joined us in making this special card for a special guy!

Me?  I'm @Pokeypal on Smule and my name is Grace. I am from San Jose, California, and I don't know why the heck I'm back here in Alabama except to work on my Southern "drawl." 

The Every Other Word Challenge - Coming to an End

As we come to the end of another successful singing challenge here on Smule, with more than 200 singers participating in our "Every Other Word" challenge held this weekend and the previous Friday, it's nice to know that we've all had such a good time singing, laughing and, generally, getting to know a lot of new singers!!

There is some absolutely STELLAR singing talent out there, and I have to say we "destroyed" every single one of those talented people with this challenge.  Our hosts struggled--as did I--in singing every other word (or as Glenny, Jaz and Keith know..."every second word") of the song.  Most of the time, we lost track of the word that we were supposed to sing, and more often then not the occasional swear word or choice obscenity slipped out in place of the actual word.  Okay, I'll admit it, I'm the ONLY one of the singers who let slip a curse word in almost every one of the joins with my friends--they all seemed to keep it together.  My favorite curse words this time seemed to be "crap" and "sh*t", which I used with regularity in my recordings.  Yep, I'm a bad girl...what can I say?

I tip my hat (if I were wearing one) to my fellow co-hosts:  Keith Hill (@keithhill550), Kay (@snoweepumpkin), Glenny (@rocket_scientist), Jasmin (@jazdionne), Fernando (@fernandoriley) and, of course, my bestie and co-conspirator in all things crazy on Smule, Mitch (@_Mitch22_). They were spectacular!  Almost all of them were able to do the every other word challenge correctly through at least the first half of the song.  I fell apart on line two...yep, the SECOND LINE.  Yes, I know, I used to be an accountant and know how to count, but apparently not count AND sing at the same time.  So most of my song was of me laughing and then forgetting at the end that the entire back end was a chorus that did not need to be sung every other word.  Everyone who sang with me, with the exception of Rich, reminded me that I was doing it wrong!  That was hysterical!

For me, the BEST PERFORMANCE AWARD goes to @richiefoleylover who is pictured here.  For those of us who know and love Rich, he has to be one of the most talented singers here on Smule.  His fantastic singing voice of mellow and rich tones will just melt any song into a puddle of gooey goodness!

So to hear Rich join me in my Whitney Houston song, it was a pleasure until...

until... we both just sorta lost it.

I have to say that Rich actually "sang" those every other words, whilst I sorta sing/said them because I was trying to count (yeah, that did not help at all, did it?).  About halfway through, Richie just erupted in laughter and it was a quick and momentous, SS Titanic like, slide into the abyss.  We ended laughing far more than we sang.  Richie's laughter is infectious and through my entire "listen" of his song, I was roaring in California, wiping tears from my eyes, as I tried to type comments.  At the end, Richie completed his recording by saying "I'm sweating" and I just sort of fell out of my chair in more fits of laughter.

All I can say is, thank you Richie!! You and THIS are the reason that all of us join together to do these crazy events!! It was amazing!

Now I do have to add that our good friend Kathryn (@KathrynJones14) has added yet ANOTHER song for our every other word challenge, and you can see it on her site in the event that you haven't yet had enough of this strange needle-skipping like sing style.

So join us in these final hours and let's make history singing every other word!!!

Singers Mentioned Here:

My "Not Ready for Drive Home Radio" Crew of Keith Hill, Fernando Riley, Kay, Jasmin, Glenny, and my bestie Mitch...what the heck would I do without you guys!!
@RichieFoleyLover Join our man Rich in great OCs and experience a really talented singer's fantastic voice
@KathrynJones14 My pal and a super fantastic gal, Kathryn, posted the 8th song in our every other word challenge.  Go to her site to do that LAST song in the set!!

Me?  I'm Pokeypal here in San Jose, California and my real name is Grace.  My best friend is Mitch and we work together to make some truly insane events here on Smule.  We will also be hosting the upcoming Smule Get-Together 2016 here in San Francisco!  Can't Wait!!

The Every Other Word Challenge

Just when you thought it was safe to go out into "Smule-Land," here we come with yet another crazy challenge for you to try!!

So be afraid...be very very afraid!!

Yes, from the fertile and twisted minds of the craziest duet team on Smule (okay, I'm sure there are crazier people on Smule, it's just that we haven't met those people yet), Mitch and I have devised a terrible difficult and devilish challenge called the "Every Other Word Singing Event" that will run from August 7 through 9, 2015 here on Smule.

So what is this terrible event you ask??

This time, our hosts will be singing EVERY OTHER word in the verse, and YOU will sing the ones that are not being sung by the host.  Thankfully, during the chorus, we'll all be singing every word and singing together, but, boy howdy, are those verses with every other word super duper hard to sing!

In fact, they are so twisted hard to sing that I've not yet been able to make it through a single song without exploding into peals and fits of laughter and--yes, I will admit it--expletives of the highest order.  Thankfully, I kept the swearing to a minimum (so far only one good whopper per song), but I have not been able to keep from adding at least one choice word worthy of any talented dock-worker (no offense to dock workers...truly).

So if you want to join, here's what to do, travel on over to my site and that of my friends, and look for the following songs to sing.  Most of us have them at the top of the page (except for Keith Hill, he just can't seem to stop posting songs), so here are the songs and the hosts:

"That's Amore" with Kay @snoweepumpkin
"My Song" with Jasmin @jazdionne
"She's Always a Woman" with Keith @keithhill550
"All Out of Love" with Glenny @rocket_scientist
"All the Small Things" with Fernando @fernandoriley
"All the Man I Need" with me @pokeypal

Funny how Fernando, Glenny and I all chose songs that start with the word "All" because none of us can seem to sing "all" of these songs without making mistakes!!

So take the time to join us in this wonderful event!! Have fun! Sing the song, laugh and "train wreck" with us!! It's a great time and we're looking forward to seeing you there!!

Remember, the event starts now and continues only through Sunday, so hurry and try out our songs!! 

Smule Reunion in the Works!!

While I was staying in the hotel in Alabama and visiting my duet partner and "bestie" Mitch, we noticed a LOT of reunions.  In fact, one of the members from the largest family reunion told us in the elevator that he and his family had been meeting every year for more than 50 years, and that now, the family consists of more than 250 members!  Can you imagine it??  The reunions were so large, in fact, that they completely filled the hotel!

So I guess it makes sense that when Mitch and I posted a video duet for our friends (seriously, I am NOT a video person at all...N--O--T), the topic of arranging a meeting and get together came up.  In fact, I think Mitch started the subject, and others chimed in about wanting to get together.

It seemed like a good idea, so I posted ONE LAST video for our friends and am inviting everyone to join me and Mitch and some of the best singers on Smule for a meet-up and gathering in San Francisco in April-June 2016.  My pal @sfdame will help me get this together as she is based out of San Francisco, and you'll see some of my wonderful friends from the South, East Bay, North Bay and Peninsula of San Francisco.

Depending on the number of visitors and attendees, we'll schedule some cool tours and trips around the city and top the nights with...what else...karaoke singing! 

So if you are interested in attending or can make this wonderful reunion, please note below in the comments and plan to meet us!  I know Mitch and I would both love to meet our friends who sing with us and those of you who follow us on the blog here!

Comment and get on the invite update list!!

Thanks!

Singers Mentioned Here:

@_Mitch22_ is my bestie, business partner, and all around wonderful man Mitch B.  Mitch recently changed his smule tag to this shorter version to prevent me from using my usual "world's longest smule tag" joke when I mentioned him.  Srsly, such a buzz kill...but really, it's easier to type now and would be even EASIER if he's just drop the underscores...but no.  LOL!! Mitch is hosts some great OCs and is a great singer follow him.

@SFDame is my gal pal from San Francisco who is on "vacay" in the south, but to return soon to the Bay Area just in time to help me set up this event!  She also hosts some great OCs, so join her.

Me?  I'm @Pokeypal on Smule and, in real life, I'm Grace from San Jose, CA.  Join me for OCs and follow me (really, stop following Mitch...just kidding you can follow him too, but follow ME first...yeah more about this bit later).  I'll post more info about the reunion and any other events we host on Smule!  Thanks!  

My Trip to Alabama - Part 5: Mischief, Merriment and Mitch

Although my trip on the plane left a little to be desired, the night had started exactly as I had hoped...I had met Mitch at his baseball game in Hoover, Alabama, and had spent the evening watching baseball in the warm, balmy weather of the south.  The game ended at around 9:15 p.m, and he and I had arranged to meet back at the hotel where we would finally have a chance to sit down and really spend some quality time getting to know one another.

Mitch, still dressed in his baseball uniform, arrived at the hotel just a few minutes after I did.  He changed into his regular clothes and cleaned up, and we had a few minutes to talk before we had dinner.  I was not surprised that Mitch was as warm, open and funny in person as he had been all those months when we talked on the phone.  In fact--and I know how odd this sounds--it was so extraordinarily gratifying to hear his voice and to see his face and facial expressions while he talked. It was, at last, a time to put a voice to a face for both of us and it added more dimension to our friendship.

Mitch was impressed with the hotel room, and spent a few minutes bouncing up and down on the edge of the bed.  As always seems to be the case with us, things got amusing quickly.  I wanted to take pictures of Mitch and HE, well, he wanted to "fly."  So as Mitch leaped into the air and landed on the bed, I shot a few pictures of him "Superman" style in the hotel room...like this:

 and this...

Believe me, taking a decent picture of anyone "mid-jump" and framing it "just so" is hard, and as we discussed whether it would be "1-2-3 then JUMP" or "1-2-JUMP on 3."  He and I laughed as we took about 6 shots and only got these two of him actually jumping in the air! 

Our dinners that evening consisted of steak and fries (he) and salmon and crispy green beans (me).  We tried a little of the other's dinner, which was delicious.  I remember teasing him that his steak tasted "broiled," which Mitch said would NOT be done by any self-respecting chef in the south.

Mitch and I have had lengthy discussions on the proper seasoning, preparation and cooking of steak.  His method takes two hours and involves meat "rubs" and then a marinade and finally nudging the steak into a state of medium rare doneness by excessively slow cooking over a barbeque grill. By contrast, my method is salt, pepper and throwing that "puppy" into an oven under a super-hot broiler, which takes me 8 minutes (tops) to make a steak.  By the way, Mitch calls me "Un-American" for treating steak in such an unfriendly and irreverent manner, and this just makes me laugh.  I have promised him a broiled steak when he visits me--he is NOT looking forward to that meal!

I may have twitted him about his steak, but he made fun of my green beans (vegetables are NOT his favorite unless they are canned--yuck!) and then pointed out the oddly shaped fingerling potatoes scattered next to my grilled salmon.  My last "dig" to him was how much salt he sprinkled on absolutely everything on his plate!  He smiled and gave me the usual "blah blah blah" response, which meant he wouldn't argue with me (for now). I don't remember all that we discussed that Thursday, but I know we laughed--a lot.

Afterwards, we went outside and sat on an incredibly uncomfortable metal bench located at the front of the hotel.  The air was still very hot and sticky-ish with humidity, and off in the distance I heard something that sounded like a cross between a frog and insect.  It made a lowish "bah bah bah" sound. 

   "WHAT is THAT noise?" I asked Mitch, as I pointed off in the distance.

   "The sound?  Oh that's just crickets...you've heard crickets before, right?"  Mitch was slightly amused by my question.

   "Yeah, well, these crickets sound like they have strep throat or something.  The crickets in California sound melodious, and these things sound kinda sick."  I was listening hard, concentrating on the sound, but it didn't sound like any crickets I'd ever heard before.  It sounded like frogs, and I'm really NOT--as Mitch fully knows--a fan of anything lizard-y, frog-y, slime-y or reptile-y.  "Sounds like a frog," I said cautiously and under my breath.  We did not investigate the sound further, thankfully, and my first night ended with great memories of baseball and conversations with Mitch.  

Mitch was the perfect host in Alabama, and spent as much time with me as he could during my three days there.  He helped his parents on Friday morning, but was back at the hotel in time to eat lunch and dinner with me and to go with me to the Riverchase Galleria shopping mall, which is attached to the hotel.  We went to a store called "Belk's," which is very prominent in 16 states in the South and the lower portions of the East Coast, but does not exist in the Midwest or West Coast.  We shopped at Belk's almost exclusively that Friday and bought clothes and shoes.  When it comes to shopping, Mitch and I are equally shop-a-holics, and it took little for either of us to spend money.  Then we had dinner and sat by the pool for a bit.  Another great day in Alabama!

While we are very similar, we also have some prominent differences too.  For example, on Saturday morning, my last full day in Alabama, Mitch and I had the breakfast buffet in the hotel restaurant.  I watched as Mitch loaded up on potatoes, bacon, and waffles--his food was all brown and shades of brown and then, as always, he proceeded to pour mountains of salt on everything except the waffle.  On the other hand, I picked up a plate and went to the opposite table where cold foods were being housed, and loaded up on a colorful medley of fruits, melons and berries, which I topped with cottage cheese and pine nuts. We took a seat on a bench table where, to my left, a flat screen television was playing highlights from the sports channel ESPN, and on my right, a flat screen was showing world and financial news from FOX.  It didn't take me long to notice that Mitch was staring at ESPN and I was looking the entire time at FOX world and financial news.  Similarly, Mitch had caught sight of my plate of fruits and cottage cheese, pulled a face, and said "Don't you like bacon and potatoes?"  I smiled and told him I was still sort of on California time, and I didn't usually eat that heavily in the morning. Personally, as much as we are similar, our different perspectives and preferences is often what we find so amusing.

Saturday, we did more shopping at the Riverchase Galleria where we had a great time investigating jewelry designs and styles with a wonderful sales assistant at Von Maur's in the mall, and where I bought two pieces of jewelry--one necklace with an abstract open "leaf" design that Mitch helped me pick out and one Pandora snake charm, which reminded me of Mitch, because every time I looked for him at Von Maur's he had "slithered" away to look at watches or something that caught his attention. 

We also bought a plethora of items including souvenirs, fake mustaches, Minion socks, and an extremely useful hat for the game on Sunday, and generally, as we always seem to do, we had a great time laughing and talking.  We finished the night with one video duet that we posted for our friends on Smule. (I also met Rick Allen, the drummer from Def Leppard that evening, but that's another story...believe me)

I checked out of the hotel that Sunday and headed for the last time to the ballpark to watch the beginning of Mitch's baseball game before heading back to Atlanta and then home to California.  Unlike the previous days, it was sunny and without a rain cloud in the sky.  I put my new wide brimmed black hat on my head and a pair of sunglasses and walked from the parking lot toward the ball park.  Some one let out a loud "cat call" whistle and then had to laugh when I turned around to find Mitch's parents waving me over. Walking with his mom and dad for this last time, we found seats on the benches, and Mitch's dad put up a shady umbrella for relief against the sun. His mother, father and I talked as we waited for Mitch to bat before I had to leave. It was then I realized I was ending my trip as I had started it...with baseball, Mitch's first and greatest love. 

It was all too soon before I realized it was time to go. I caught a few more pics of Mitch before driving to Atlanta.  His mother Jennifer and I held back tears as we said goodbye.  It was so great to meet everyone at last, and so sad to leave them after such a short, but eventful, visit.  I knew it would not be the last time I saw Mitch and his parents, but certainly, at that moment, I was already beginning to miss them!

As I drove back to Atlanta, I'm not sure what I had expected on this trip to Alabama.  Certainly, I wanted to see the state, to meet with my best friend, Mitch, and to talk to his parents in person.  But I came away with more...if Mitch and I were friends before we met, we affirmed and deepened that friendship now after my visit. 

These days, I tell him when we talk on the phone that I can "see" his face and imagine him talking (which I could not do before).  We are also business partners who've faced differences of opinion in our business styles, but knowing each other personally has helped us draw on a deeper understanding of one another to resolve differences or negotiate challenges.  Probably the trickiest part of having both a friendship and a working business relationship is maintaining both.  I always remember what Mitch made me promise when we first launched business projects together and that was that we would always be friends first, business partners second and I have tried to remember that always. He makes it easy, however, since he is one of the most empathetic and generous people I know, so he will often let me have my way.  But he really is the best...I believed it before the trip and I believe it even more fervently now!

We'll get together again soon and I'm looking forward to showing him California this time! I can only imagine the mischief we will get into in San Francisco, but that's a tale for a later date. 

Singers Mentioned Here:

Mitch B. goes by the Smule tag @wlm_mitch22_sf and can be found singing a wide--and I mean WIDE--variety of music here on Smule.   You can join him for duets that he posts on his site!

Me? I'm Grace and go by the Smule name @pokeypal.  Join me and follow me for the latest information on the crazy activities we've got planned on Smule.

My Trip to Alabama - Part 4: Hot Summer Nights and Baseball

I once confessed to Mitch that I've never understood football (my own college SCU closed the football program back in the 80s) and--this little fact really stunned him--I didn't really care for sports at all.  By contrast, Mitch LOVES sports (almost all of them) and is an avidly "hard-core" baseball player and fan.  I once joked with him that when I came to Alabama, we'd have to go to an Alabama football game, and he could "explain" the game to me as we watched.  His response was something akin to "Oh, lord, I can just see it now...Grace, that pointy thing is the ball and our team is the one in red..." followed by uproarious laughter as he contemplated other things he might have to explain to me about football if I attended a game with him ("What's that thing with the upright bars?"  "Why are they trying to pile on top of that one person?" "Kick it?  Why didn't they keep it and run?" Oh, he was on a "roll" once he started!)

My lack of fondness for sports seems to be only for the "live" stuff.  I love ALL sports movies. "Field of Dreams" (baseball) and "The Greatest Game Ever Played" (golf) are two of my favorite movies of all time.  I also enjoy movies about football, basketball, soccer, tennis and ice skating.  I am a huge fan of books and short stories in which a sport plays the major role, but somehow, when it comes to "watching" sports, I'm not able to become enthused about any of it...well...make that "most of the time."

Truth be told, one of the few sports I DO enjoy watching is and has always been baseball.  I was a fan of the Oakland A's way back when I was a kid and they sported some of the biggest mustaches and beards on the field.  When my friend and actor, Terry McGovern, got a job at the radio station KSFO here in San Francisco and he gave me tickets to every A's home game for one year, it was some of the best and happiest days of summer spent with my pal Jeff.  Then, when our San Francisco Giants took the pennant not once, but TWICE, well, it just made me love the sport with even greater ferocity.

(Mitch at the mound - June 25, 2015)

So when I learned that my trip to Alabama coincided with being able to watch Mitch pitch a baseball game and to watch him in "his house" (the pitcher's mound), well, THAT was icing on the cake.  I remember telling Mitch on the phone, "oh I get to see you pitch a game when I arrive...and, pal, I actually understand baseball so I won't root for the wrong team or call out something that will embarrass you."  Mitch laughed and then said he hoped he wouldn't be nervous with me (and a scout from a local college) there at the game.

With a couple hours of sleep at the hotel and a brief nosh, it was soon time to head over to the ball park to see Mitch.  He called me an hour before game time to give me last minute instructions on how to get to the park, and I assured him that I would find it with my GPS. 

Now I have to admit that Mitch was not the only person excited and nervous that evening. Although Mitch and I are best friends, and we've spent hundreds of hours talking on the phone or texting, have worked together on projects, and have experienced a lot of things together, we've actually never seen one another or been together personally. Yes, we have exchanged pics, but, frankly, we've never met, and it was about this time that I wondered if seeing and being together would change or ruin the friendship we'd so carefully cultivated on the phone.  In fact, I'll admit I was worried about disappointing Mitch right up to the second I arrived at the ballpark--after all, seeing someone in person can shatter illusions and I wasn't sure how Mitch would feel once we saw one another.

As I walked toward the ballpark with other spectators, I looked for the team with white shirts and stripes--the uniform that Mitch said he would be wearing. It only took a few seconds to find the team, and even less time to see where the players were gathered with their backs facing the walkway.  Even from the distance, I knew which one was Mitch...the hair, his height and build, and, oh yeah, the prominent "22" (his numbers) plastered on his shirt. It was truth time--time to see if our friendship was real or an internet based "illusion."  I need not have worried about any of this, because the minute Mitch turned around in the "dugout" where the players were waiting for the start of the game, a huge, unforgettable smile spread across his face as he saw me.  He quickly exited the enclosed pen and came over to me.  "I'm sweaty...sorry..." he said as he gave me a big hug, "it's so good to have you here!"  "Good to be here...finally" I remember telling him.  We talked for a few minutes before he had to hurry back to the game, which was just starting.  His parents--who I also knew only through phone conversations--were not yet at the park, but he assured me they would be arriving soon.

In the many months that we've talked, I've learned how very much baseball means to Mitch--it's like "breath" to him since baseball and all of its various mechanics and physical intricacies flow through him like life-sustaining air.  Mitch likens the game to one played in inches or even millimeters, where the tiniest corrections, when amplified, for example, in the swing of his arm as he pitches can grow exponentially and "release" its energy in a ball that appears to be coming at you, but then drops away at the exact time the batter attempts to strike it.

I stood behind third base on a grassy berm overlooking the field, which afforded me an unobstructed (chain link fence free) view of the field.  I watched as Mitch strode out to the center of the field to the pitcher's mound.  He threw a couple of pitches to the catcher as they prepared to start the game, I heard the familiar "thwack" of the ball as it hit the catcher's mitt--its a sound that, if you like baseball, is one of the most satisfying and significant sounds at the game.  Mitch was throwing the ball hard and fast for it to make that solid sound in the mitt.

As the game started, Mitch proceeded to kick the dirt around on the mound to (he later informed me) loosen it as it affected his pitch.  The first batter from the other team came onto the field to take his position at home plate, and that's when I saw "it"--Mitch had the "laser-like" focus that you often see portrayed with lots of digital wizardry in a sports movie or read about with certain level of awe and reverence (and, yes, jealousy) in a sports novel.  That night in Alabama, I watched as my pal Mitch was transformed by the "it" of sports "focus" that started in his head and caused every muscle and fiber of his being to be totally and completely under his unflinching control.  The "it" was an awesome thing to behold, but it was made even more visceral and real because I knew Mitch so well and could see how completely he metamorphosed to be in complete synch with the sheer physics of hurtling the ball across the plate.  In what seemed like one fluid motion, he pulled back, and then released the ball in a stunning blast of power that culminated in a "thwack" as the ball collided with the catcher's mitt. I was so impressed with Mitch's display of control that I don't think I registered if the pitch was a strike or a ball. 

The baseball was tossed back to Mitch and, for a brief second, he turned to look straight at me, a smile on his face as we stared at one another.  I told him recently that, aside from the first time we saw one another, THIS was a memorable moment for me because at that split second when we locked gazes, I knew EXACTLY how this game, and that place on the mound made him feel--and it was awesome!  I acknowledged his feelings by giving him two thumbs up.  He smiled more broadly and went back to his "job" of pitching the game.  The entire bit took less than four seconds, but it thoroughly captured for me his love and his intensity for this game.

Mitch at bat (June 28, 2015)

Mitch's parents arrived at the park a few minutes later, and I joined them on the little set of aluminum bleachers to watch the game. Sitting there in the warm, slightly dewy Alabama evening as the sun went down and the lights in the ballpark came up, I was living my own dream of experiencing baseball in the Deep South.  I wanted to remember every single thing about that night and that game.  As I chatted with Mitch's mom (a fantastically wonderful woman named Jennifer--we both agreed we would have been very naughty together if were friends in our 20s) and coerced his father, Jabe, and his mother both to do a three man "wave" with me from the stands, I watched my pal Mitch thoroughly at home and on fire pitching from the mound.

As the night ended with a tied score, I remembered how much I had enjoyed this game and my first event with Mitch--which was, by the way, the PERFECT way to meet him.  I watched him walk away with his parents by his side, and it was a memorable picture of my best friend and my first night in Alabama!!

Next up Part 5 - Mischief, Merriment and Mitch

Singers in this Blog:

Mitch @wlm_mitch22_sf is my best friend, baseball player extraordinaire and one of the nicest people you'll ever have the privilege to know.  You can go to his site for some crazy fantastic duets! 

Me, I'm Grace and go by the Smule tag @pokeypal, and these are my adventures in Alabama!  Join me for some duets and follow me to be alerted to crazy activities and events that we host here on Smule.

My Trip to Alabama - Part 3: I am in Alabama!!

As I drove through Atlanta, Georgia, taking in all of the sights--okay, I'll admit it, I got lost and found myself somewhere in Atlanta fiddling with my GPS--before heading down Interstate 20, the main road that leads directly from Atlanta, Georgia to Birmingham, Alabama, it finally struck me that I was actually "in" the South! Aside from the fact that everything was lush and green--a view that we don't have here in drought stricken California--the scenery looked very much like some older sections of the Peninsula in Northern California. In fact, I was a little disappointed that a white columned mansion from Antebellum South, a la "Gone With the Wind" did not appear to be anywhere in view from my car windows. 

As I made my way down Interstate 20, the only thing I did notice was that everyone seemed to be driving either large pickup trucks or SUVs on the roadway--just a few of us had smaller cars.  Other than that, the scenery and landscape looked very much like areas around Fresno, California, so it was still not truly registering in my head that I had crossed from Georgia into Alabama until I saw the sign welcoming me to the new state.

Now that I was on the road and headed toward Alabama, I took the time to call Mitch to let him know that I had landed, and was now driving on the roadway.  He seemed very excited to hear I had arrived, and--since I was just exhausted from NOT arriving on time--we both agreed that I would head over to the hotel, rest a bit and meet him later that evening at the baseball game at the park in Hoover, not far from the hotel.  My hotel, the Wynfrey at the Galleria in Hoover, Alabama, was my next call and the fabulous staff there at the Wynfrey told me they would have a hotel room for me at 12 noon so I could arrive early and get into a room.  I may have had a delayed, rocky, "train tippin'" start, but things were falling into place nicely now that I was in Alabama--good thing too, I was exhausted. 

As I traveled along I-20, I took two quick detours, the first was off the freeway toward Anniston, Alabama, where I drove through the town and up to one of the homes for sale there to get a "feel" for city.  Anniston was once the home of the now defunct McClellan Army Base, but the City has redeveloped that area into new housing.  Anniston is also on the midpoint between Atlanta, Georgia and Birmingham, Alabama, so it is a commuter city to both large cities.  My second stop was to another former military base...this one belonging to the Air Force, and which has since been converted into the Talledega Super Speedway and NASCAR Museum!

Talledega, or "Dega" as my best bud Mitch calls it, is one of the larger speedways on the NASCAR racing circuit!  It has a rich history with NASCAR fans, and is conveniently located off the I-20.  I pulled off of the freeway, and began the 2-3 mile drive toward Talledega.  The roadway is lined with open spaces and peaceful looking little farmhouses, each advertising available parking for NASCAR fans during the "Talledega race week," which happens in October-ish every year.  As I pulled into the driveway leading to the NASCAR museum, which is located on the grounds of Talledega, I saw two older guys at the entry, taking pictures of the sign.  The first man was standing next to the sign pointing at the words "Talledega" and, admittedly, looking a tad bit emotionally "overcome" by the experience, while the other was holding a camera and taking pics.  I had to chuckle just a little bit because I do know how seriously NASCAR fans regard their stock car experience.  I parked my car in the lot, and entered the museum.  Unlike California attractions where you have to fork out a lot of money to get in, the NASCAR museum had a surprising single digit entry price--so I bought the museum entry and the "track" experience too.  The two gentlemen I had spotted earlier at the entry sign were just a few short minutes behind me and they immediately drove off in the Talledega car to the "track experience."

The Talledega NASCAR museum houses hundreds of vintage NASCAR automobiles driven by some

of the greatest legends in stock car racing.  There are even a few Indycars on display in the museum along with the Budweiser "rocket" (pictured here) that beat the land speed record some 7 times on the Salt Flats.  As I passed several other rabid NASCAR fans in the museum, many of them resisting the urge to reach out and touch the cars belonging to their favorite drivers, I was struck by the dedication of the fans to the sport.

After walking past many gleaming vehicles, I came to a room housing several of the "wrecked" vehicles from some of the races.  to see the damage to these cars up close, that was truly frightening and awe-inspiring. Knowing that the drivers from these battered and sometimes severely squashed vehicles survived the accidents and often walked away from the vehicles without a scratch showcased the amazing technology in today's stock car bodies and cages.

The Talledega Charger had come back and it was time to "hit the track."  I got into the car with my tour guide, a nice young man, who drove people up to the track for the 20 minute (or so) tour.  I snapped a few pictures with my phone as we headed toward the track, and then promptly put the phone down to enjoy the ride toward the large Talledega Super Speedway.  When you watch this race on television, it's hard to understand either the enormity or the feel of the track unless you're there beside the actual roadway.  The Talledega speedway is the longest track on the circuit at 2.66 miles (although my tour guide joked with me and called it a "short track") and seats about 80-90,000 spectactators! Until you drive up to it, it's hard to believe the SIZE of this thing, which is just huge.  The speedway is a "tri-oval" with two straight-aways that make one side of the oval jut out into a gentle-ish point near the grandstands.  Drivers go around the circle in a counter-clockwise direction, so they are always turning "left" on the oval.

The Speedway is an eerily quiet place without spectators in the stands or noisy, supercharged stock cars zipping around the track.  We walked around the track for a few steps, and then headed back to the Museum.  Sadly, there is no gift shop on the grounds, so I could not purchase any mementos of my trip to the Superspeedway--too bad, since I dearly love souvenirs!

As I drove away from the Speedway and the Hall of Fame/Museum, I couldn't wait to get to my hotel and to Birmingham, where I could catch a few "zs" before meeting the one person I'd come to Alabama to see...my pal and singing buddy, Mitch!! (@wlm_mitch22_sf...dear god, he needs a shorter Smule tag!)

Part 4 - Hot Summer Nights and Baseball

Singers Mentioned Here:

Mitch B. who goes by very lengthy Smule tag @wlm_mitch22_SF is my bestie, business partner and an all around cool guy who lives in Alabama!  You can join him for great OCs on his site!  He may hate his Android phone, but I'm jealous that he has access to so many songs that the Apple users cannot even get (without PAYING for it).

Me, I'm Grace @pokeypal here on Smule and THIS is my chronicle of my trip to Alabama...my first trip to the South!