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| Greetings, ladies and gents! I appreciate the feedback from you wonderful people regarding my day-to-day play-by-play posts. I love sharing my days and nights with you and invite you to share your days and nights with me. ----------------------------
Wednesday I took my Colorado-native new-to-Illinois nephews 16-year-old Peter and 14-year-old Danny Samelson and my best friend and recording technician Levi Wolfe on a cruise through Chicagoland. We stopped first at Gameworks where I severely beat my three groupies in the Daytona 500 and Gameworks Virtual Bowling, made some incredible shots in the freethrow challenge, and personally drew in an enthusiastic fanbase of surrounding gamers and gals with my dance moves on Dance Dance Revolution. We then stopped at Jamba Juice for some pure all-fruit smoothies with protein and vitamin boosts. I for the first time ever had tried Jamba Juice last year while chaperoning a youth group summer vacation into Venice Beach and other parts of California. I never plan on passing up a Jamba Juice again. We next drove into downtown Chicago and stopped at Pizzeria Uno where we ordered the house specialty Numero Uno deep dish pizza! I was certain to save some pizza for the family back at home. I am thoughtful like that. We returned home by about 2:00am.
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Thursday
The Samelson family structure is temporarily absent of the father who will be staying in Colorado for a few years and thus need me to be a substitute dad in certain areas. I picked up and moved into their house a newly purchased kitchen table and chairs on Thursday morning. I worked along with my dad making some minor adjustments and repairs to our vehicles. I admire and respect that at his age and given his medical history he still has the drive to work hard and stay as active as possible. His physical activity will hopefully sustain his life for several years to come. My family and the Samelson family took advantage of the fabulous weather and had a cookout with grilled hot dogs and hamburgers. I once again took Peter along with me to Gold's Gym. I maintained the weights of a 1100lbs leg press, 600lbs squat, 430lbs seated lateral pulldown, 340lbs incline bench press, etc., but at an increased number of repetitions. I am not feeling as much of an ache or soreness following my workout routine, so I may need to once again increase the weight I push!
GRRRRRRR! HERE COMES THE MONSTER! Muahahahahahahahaha!!!!
Peter did not have the luxury of a gym membership while isolated up in the mountains of Colorado and seems very excited and energized to now have access! Peter is a very intelligent and studious boy who reads up an a wide arsenal of subjects including exercise and fitness and then applies what he has learned. He seems to have a specific plan for his workout routine.
We worked out from 9:00pm to a tad bit past 10:00pm.
I have a great working relationship with Gold's personable young stud who works up front and closes the place at night. He always generously accomidates my personal needs by leaving the place open and even blending up for me my preferred capuccino banana split protein drink past the regular closing times. I appreciate him immensely and feel that I need to one day take him out to dinner or something. After dropping Peter off at his house at about 11:00pm, I returned to my house and hung out by myself for a couple hours. I ordered GameLounge on DirectTV. I enjoy playing word games, puzzle games, and other interactive games with my remote control...very cool! Then I went to bed.
---------------------------------------------- I took this week off from working mostly to be of service to the Samelson family and to refresh after having had a month of rehearsals, contests, and concerts to play for and a long list of subbing assignments. I will still play at the American Lutheran Church and the First Church of God services this weekend. Next week, I will resume working again both as a substitute teacher and as an accompanist. Very soon, I will be accompanying the Kankakee High School choir at a large convention held at one of the Marriotts up around Chicago! That will be awesome! That's all for now. Let me know how you are! With love and appreciation,
Adam Patrick Moore P.S:
I have been staying very busy but do grow lonely from time to time and invite all of you if you ever feel like it to call me up via my home phone (815)361-9396 or my cell phone (815)383-1455. I would love to hear from you! Peace. | | |
| My Past Four DaysMy Past Four Days
by Adam Patrick Moore
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Some of you might not read this whole thing because you people don't care much about the people outside of your elite social circles. That to an extent is understandable I suppose. But I would like to share with you what has been an incredible series of four days for me! Please share it with me!
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Saturday
IESA organizational contest....
I accompanied the Kankakee Junior High School choir under the direction of Bonnie S. Brewer at one location where Olivet music professor Dr. Jeff Bell served as an adjudicator which made me slightly nervous. I then accompanied the Iroquois West Middle School mixed and girls choirs under the direction of Brenda Muench at another location. All three choirs received a first place rating.
I played for the Saturday evening 5:00pm service at the American Lutheran Church in Bourbonnais.
I helped extended family from Colorado unload their giant moving truck and move into their new home in Gilman located right next to my small town of Onarga. Amongst the items I personally moved were a piano, a large desk, several computers, and a seemingly endless supply of packed boxes. We completed the entire job in four hours.
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Sunday
American Lutheran Church 9:00am morning service...
I played for cantor Mrs. Jean Ball and Kankakee Valley Symphony Orchestra's trombonist Mr. Joe Schroeder.
First Church of God in Kankakee 10:30am morning service...
The church hosted Zane King, Nashville's top-selling Christian music artiste and a Compassion Ministries representative. He delivered an exceptional vocal and instrumental performance during our praise and worship time and generously complimented my musical skills as well. I take very seriously the compliments I am given by such skilled and established professionals as Zane King.
American Cancer Society's 2007 Celebration of Life variety show and silent auction fundraiser was hosted by Central High School. Performances were given by Kankakee Valley Theatre's Young Peoples' Theatre, Clifton Central High School's New Impressions show choir, the Spirit of Illinois Barbershop Chorus, Vintage Vocals, Natural High, vocalist Earl Kroll, vocal ensemble Duane Wolfe and Kena Clark and Jayne Henrich, violinist Dave Wonder and his accompanying wife Lisa Wonder, Zion Lutheran Church's Praise & Worship Band, Christ Lutheran High School's hand bell choir, Dance Alive! Dance Studios, and Paula Aubry Dance School's Kankakee Kompany senior and junior dance teams. I played some of my original piano compositions for which I received quite the excited ovation! This show was rated by many to be the best yet.
Kankakee/Bourbonnais/Bradley Community Singspiration was held in the Westbrook Church of the Nazarene Sunday night at 7:00pm. I played for the congregational singing, accompanied several area vocalists, and shared one of my own darker arrangements of the hymn "Were You There?"
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Monday
I spent the day in rehearsals with the Kankakee Junior High and High School choirs in preparation of their spring concert although I spent some time visiting my sister Amy and her family in Clifton where I also picked up my 16-year-old nephew Peter for the evening.
The Kankakee Schools' Spring Choral Concert was held in the Kankakee High School auditorium on Monday evening at 7:30pm. The junior high chorus performed the 1996 Olympics theme "Carriers of the Light" and the slave spiritual "Every Night When the Sun Goes In". The high school chorus performed a capella renditions of the national athem and "Wade In the Water", an appalachian folk arrangement of "Wayfaring Stranger", the arrangement of "Joyful Joyful" as performed on Sister Act 2, and the black gospel theme song from Rollo Dilworth "Dreamer's Creed". Annual music awards were presented. With the enduring guidance of director Bonnie Brewer who views the choral students as her mission field and with the exceptional piano playing of yours truly who is just out to have fun, both the junior high and high school choirs for the first time ever earned first place ratings at contest, a junior high girls duet received "best of the day" at solo/ensemble contest, and much else! Due to the developing success of the choral program, the choirs have been asked to perform for several upcoming public events including a convention at the Marriott somewhere around Chicago! AWESOME!
Given all that had happened in these past three days, I feel great about the musical progress I have made! I owe so much of my success to my college piano instructors, Champaign-Urbana Classical WILL 90.9 radio personality Vincent Trauth and WTTW "30 Good Minutes" televised pianist Dr. Gerald Anderson! Looking back though, it seems to me that my musical talents are more appreciated and better utilized now than they were while I was attending Olivet. I am not necessarily blaming the Olivet music faculty and staff for overlooking and underrating me...so let's not go causing trouble...hehehe...
I then took my nephew Peter to Perry Farm to play on the playground at midnight. A 24-year-old guy in a suit with a 16-year-old dude diving headfirst down slides, climbing on jungle gyms, bouncing around on various platforms must have been quite a sight! It certainly was fun!
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TUESDAY
I also had a great day today!
I took the day off from substitute teaching to enjoy myself and had a family picnic by the lake in the park by Christ Lutheran High School in Buckley. The wind was blowing something fierce while we were out, but we enjoyed ourselves anyway!
I believe I have been and will continue to be even more physically active now with my hyper nephew around as an influence. Today, I took my nephew Peter out for a three mile bike ride and then for an hour workout at Gold's Gym where I put out a leg press of twelve reps at 1100lbs and squat of ten reps at 560lbs and incline bench press of eight reps at 340lbs and seated lateral pull down of five reps at 430lbs! I feel much more incredibly powerful and strong that I had in quite some time and maybe ever have before! I right now have 260lbs of lean body mass...in other words a load of muscle...but I also unfortunately have some flab and some left behind excess flesh that seems hard to get rid of. My nephew spoke to me with honesty and suggested that I someday have a tummy tuck so that all of my muscle mass shows. Hahaha! Actually, I might consider the idea. Then, all the "pretty boys" will step aside out of fear for the monstrous maestro and all the "superficial chicks" will fall on their faces in repentance! And I will love and encourage all the fat people. Muahahahaha!!!!
Who's with me?
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With love and appreciation for all of the inspiration derived from you awesome people,
Adam Patrick Moore | | |
| Malone College's Women's Concert Choir Tour Performanceeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee Beautiful angels sing glory to His name!
Malone College's Women's Concert Choir, directed by Rachel Nunez and accompanied by Lisa Maddafer, will bring their spring tour to Kankakee's First Church of God, located at 3403 Route 17 West just outside of Kankakee, on Sunday April 1 for the 10:30am morning service!
A special prelude will be sung by former choir member Heather Miller-Snow!
While a free will offering is collected to go toward the choir's funding for their tour, a special offertory will be played by pianist Adam Patrick Moore.
This event is free of charge and open to the public.
Don't miss out! eeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee | | |
| 2006 Winter Choral FestivalAttention music lovers!
The Kankakee Junior High & High School choral ensembles, directed by Bonnie Brewer and accompanied by pianist Adam Moore and the Kankakee High School orchestra, as well as the John Kennedy Middle School 5th & 6th grade choir, directed by Stacey Ray and accompanied by pianist Nancy Leth, are excited to present their 2006 Winter Choral Festival!
The concert repertoire includes an array of diverse stylings including classical, ragtime, patriotic, mariachi, and tribal. A special alumni holiday performance of the Hallelujah chorus from Handel's Messiah will close the show!
The event, free admission and open to the general public, will be held on Monday November 20 at 7:00pm inside the Lincoln Cultural Center located at 240 Warren Avenue in Kankakee.
Plan on arriving early to enjoy a special prelude of classical carol arrangements provided by pianist Adam Moore!
For more information, contact Bonnie Brewer at (815) 351-4443. | | |
| Olivet? Partying? "A major" no no?On the Olivet Nazarene University message board, questions arose about the restrictions on partying and the "spies" hired by Olivet to report those caught partying. I had this to say:
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I daily commuted from my adoptive family's house in a small village located about forty minutes away from campus due to both my being needed as a caretaker to my elderly and bedridden loving mom (a wonderful woman and foster mother for over 30 years) during the final years of her life and my desire to remain deeply connected somewhere and awareness I would not be on campus. Because I was not very well liked or accepted by the other students so held onto very few connections while enrolled at Olivet (maybe due to religious discrimination because I openly denounced my affiliation to all organized denominations), I was able to have some fun miles away from campus. Typically unless I invited them to, the cameras and limelight simply did not follow me. Shoot, I was a very integral part of the concert band and wind ensemble and marching band but never even made the videos for variety show.
Whatever, though. I was able to have my share of fun elsewhere. I made some extra money by playing piano at a lounge called "Margo's on Main" and adult receptions or dinner parties for organizations like banks, playing keyboards with different bands at hangouts like the Canopy Club in Champaign, and playing a baby grand on a stage at an Amish outlet in Tuscola. I spent late hours way past midnight at amusement complexes like GameWorks in Schaumburg with my biological mother who spent some of her playtime in the bar area or at Gala Lanes with friends who would smoke while bowling. I occasionally purchased tickets for ringside seats at professional wrestling matches where the crowds are known to get riotous and only stopped watching pro wrestling due to its increase of obscenity and lust and blasphemy. You might say that while I never had many friends, I would often hang out with those who would have been outcasted by the Olivet populace. Heck, I had been already...and I was supposed to have been "one of them".
While I was having some fun miles away from campus and unseen by the alleged "spies", I partied very responsibly. I saw my body as a temple for the Holy Spirit of God to possess, so I wanted to stay clean. I was in the world and with those of the world but was not of the world. While I have smoked a cigarette before and have taken Xenadrine and some other over-the-counter drugs to boost my workouts and lose weight, I have not ever inhaled or injected any illegal or physically damaging substance. While I have consumed my share of wine coolers and mixed drinks, I have never imbibed so excessively as to inebriate myself and never drove while even slightly under the influence. While I have had my share of confrontations with the police and have been inside of police cars for controversial reasons, I have never been arrested.
I'm a believer and follower daily striving to build a closeness with Jesus Christ, attend and play for worship at many different church settings and services, have taken an intelligent and civilized stand for God up against teachers of atheism (obviously not at Olivet), and will always see myself as belonging to Him. He cares more about my heart, mind, soul, and willingness to let my light shine outward than He is worried about what others would consider rough edges. My faith in and relationship with God has never been and will never be built merely on rules, restrictions, or regulations. I hope yours isn't either.
Thanks for you time.
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I know, I know...I'm a rebel. Jesus might very well have been too. | | |
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