pianogonzology: college

Showing posts with label college. Show all posts

Thursday, August 3, 2017

True. . .

. . . colors . . .

. . . when I finally escaped what I perceived to be the 'land of make-believe' and graduated from college, I told practically everyone I knew that I would never go back to school, ever. About five years later, I went back to school. Call it maturity. Call it wisdom. Call it pragmatism, but I re-entered the world of academia in pursuit of a Masters Degree (in business administration, in fact) about five years later. Never regretted it. I began to see the beauty in higher education. I also realized that I actually have a desire to learn, something I still possess. But being involved in business, since the 'music' business is so frequently insufficient to provide adequately for a family, my higher education was quite useful. But academically speaking, an irony that became evident during this period is that no matter how much someone (someone being a 'worker' within an organization) complains about the antics of a superior (within their own workplace), when (and IF) they attain a position of supervision or management, they actually engage in conduct far more extreme than those of which they originally complained. In other words, they show their true colors . . .

True Colors
©2017 Raymond M. Jozwiak

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My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Get your copy of OHO's Where Words Do Not Reach now!
The Ocean City Ditty Video is now on YouTube
Also, be sure to visit: www.rayjozwiak.com and www.ohomusic.com

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Wednesday, August 2, 2017

Hurry . . .

. . . Some folks are just plain restless. They bore easily. They are unsatisfied with many things within their own life as well as things in the world as a whole. Many times these folks are truly just plain brilliant and go on to accomplish wonderful things for mankind. Sometimes, not so. I am not, by nature, restless. In fact, I can be quite complacent at times. There was a time however, when I felt so very restless that it was severely affecting my attitude. When I was approaching the end of my college career, I found myself eager to get on with a 'real' life in the 'real' world. This was actually a phrase that I used frequently to express my frustration with what began to feel like some kind of make-believe world, or role-playing exercise. I simply wanted that chapter to end and to get on with career, personal pursuits and the rest of it. I have not regretted the decisions I have made since that time and I now find a deeper understanding of what I was feeling then. But also with hindsight, comes an appreciation for those (relatively) responsibility-free days of being young and being a student. . .

Hurry Up and Wait
©2017 Raymond M. Jozwiak

What do you think?
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http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills

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Wednesday, May 10, 2017

Applicable . . .

Maybe you've heard that NPR's unique sports commentator Frank DeFord is retiring after 37 years on the job. A unique voice in the sports world, DeFord brought an original perspective to a world in which I, quite frankly (no pun intended) have little interest. DeFord is also very quotable . . .

(on college sports. . . )
"If the players aren't getting paid, there's something terribly, terribly wrong, and that's true only in the United States. Everywhere else, where money is involved with sport, the players get paid. But these poor kids in college, they're doing it for free, and that's just disgraceful."
-Frank Deford

Does this possibly apply to live music now that we've reached 2017?

What do you think?
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http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills

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Tuesday, December 20, 2016

How . . .

. . . is it that the electoral college did NOT have the balls to stop what clearly, by the standards of anyone with common sense, should be STOPPED??!!!

(from http://www.urbandictionary.com/define.php?term=Balls)
Balls
1. A man's testicles where sperm is produced.
2. Courage or bravery.
3. Manliness.
4. Something yelled to shock people.

1. He didn't have the balls to jump off a three-story platform into the water.
2. He may look sexy, but Dereck doesn't have balls.
3. The boy said to his grandmother: "Balls!" And she passed out.

What do you think?
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My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills

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Monday, July 4, 2016

Why . . .

. . . NOT???!!! (with some modifications)

(from Thomas Jefferson; Author of America by Christopher Hitchens)
". . . At that date, the Electoral College was determined by each state's presidential electors, themselves chosen by state legislatures, each of whom could cast two votes. One such vote had to be for a candidate from another state. The two candidates receiving the most votes became, regardless of party, president and vice president respectively. . ."

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Get your copy of OHO's Where Words Do Not Reach now!
The Ocean City Ditty Video is now on YouTube
Also, be sure to visit: www.rayjozwiak.com and www.ohomusic.com

Friday, May 13, 2016

Who . . .

. . . and why?

(from http://www.theatlantic.com/politics/archive/2016/03/who-are-donald-trumps-supporters-really/471714/)
" . . . poorly informed voters, swept up by a modern circus act orchestrated by a mass-media-age P. T. Barnum with arguably worse hair. . . male, white, and poor . . . a male-female gap (of) 19 percentage points (47 percent support among men vs. 28 percent among women). . . voters making less than $50,000, 18 percentage points ahead of his support with those who earned more than that amount. . . the absence of a college degree. . . a personal fear of terrorism. . . "

What do you think?
Tell me at
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http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo offering, No Frills, is now available at - No Frills

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

A Different . . .

. . . point of view. . .

(from Robyn Morton https://medium.com/@Lookingforrobyn/when-you-ask-me-to-vote-for-hillary-174becdb5ccc#.8bwk6t3qm)
". . . This isn’t about policies with which I disagree. . . You are asking me to consciously give up on any hope I may have of living a sane life in our country. . . To vote for her in the primaries, I would need to believe that the establishment on both the right and the left have so thoroughly strangled the political system that it is no longer “reasonable” to even try for reform. I have to be so scared of political opponents gaining power that it is worth it to sacrifice even the hope of being able to get ahead, have a savings cushion, access healthcare, send our kids to college, retire, or just not feel like we’re constantly living on a knife’s edge, all because of fear of a potential future. . . If you think it is reasonable to fear the opposition more than to hope for having a better life — then I’m guessing you live a fairly comfortable life and don’t feel strong motivation to change it. . . maybe you don’t really understand what you’re asking of me when you advise me to make decisions based on “practicality.” And notice, I’m not even saying you’re wrong. What I am saying is that for me to choose Hillary over Bernie right now is to literally choose to give up on the best chance we have ever had to finally become a reasonable, civilized nation, and say instead “No, we can’t do it, I am too scared of what might happen. . .” "

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
http://www.ohomusic.com

Get your copy of OHO's Where Words Do Not Reach now!

The Ocean City Ditty Video is now on YouTube

My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

(To Access all Ray Jozwiak - Gonzo Piano music you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://http://www.cdbaby.com/Artist/RayJozwiak)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Saturday, July 25, 2015

Free . . .

. . . Stuff????

Republican presidential candidate Bush says . . .

(from http://factivists.democrats.org/jeb-bush-college-affordability-its-just-more-free-stuff/)
". . . a quality, affordable college education is just more “free stuff.” . . . Jeb Bush never cared much about college affordability: As Governor, Bush consistently proposed budgets that hiked college tuition – and the average in-state tuition in Florida’s public university system increased by nearly 60%. Bush called the Ryan Budget – that eviscerated Pell Grants – “refreshingly honest.” Jeb Bush left office with Florida student debt above the national average. “This shows once again that Jeb Bush is looking out for those like himself while letting the middle class suffer. . . "

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
http://www.ohomusic.com

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music is now available at - Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

Saturday, April 11, 2015

There . . .

. . . most resent pitcher . . .

(from http://www.teachthought.com/industry/12-data-points-detailing-the-crisis-of-poor-writing-in-america/)
1. Four out of five students are not proficient writers.

2. Even with spell check and a thesaurus on hand, just 27% of students are able to write well-developed essays with proper language use.

3. Even worse, 26.2% of college graduates produce writing that rates as deficient.

4. Fewer than 50% of college seniors feel their writing improved during college.

5. SAT writing scores are falling, too.

6. About 17% of college freshmen require remedial writing classes.

7. The average fourth grader spends fewer than 3 hours per week writing.

8. Students struggle with reading.

9. Poor writing cost employers $3.1 billion per year.

10. Many students prefer texting over composition.

11. Male students are struggling worse than female students.

12. Writing isn’t considered fun by today’s students.

What do you think?

Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html or at
http://www.ohomusic.com

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak. Please Visit http://www.ohomusic.com

My latest solo offering, Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak, featuring original, instrumental piano music will be released April 7, 2014 Just More Music by Ray Jozwiak

Saturday, October 4, 2014

Education . . .

. . . and sports . . .

(from http://www.ethosreview.org/intellectual-spaces/is-college-football-profitable/)
"There’s a standard narrative fueling the big business of college football. Many of its advocates put it like this: football programs generate so much revenue for the university, while also supporting “non-revenue” sports like golf and swimming from its own budgetary excess, that college football is its own justification for the large team budgets and coaches’ salaries. Because alumni are much more generous during years when football teams win, academic programming benefits as well. Indeed, so this standard narrative goes, both the jump in admissions applications and the wider “public relations” effect that accompanies a football program cause munificent ripples throughout a university’s stream of income. Many even maintain that football helps to subsidize the obscure and non-remunerative activities of colleges—research into the reproductive biology of ducks and eighteenth-century German poetry, for example. Without a football program, scholarship money would plummet and applicants would flock elsewhere in search of universities with better “student life” opportunities. . .

. . . According to Jeff Benedict and Armen Keteyian, authors of The System: The Glory and Scandal of Big-Time College Football (2013), figures from the 2010-11 academic year show that only 22 of the 120 top-tier football programs broke even or made a profit. That means that while these big-time teams generate millions of dollars of revenue, the cost of running such programs usually exceeds that revenue. To put that more starkly, even within the so-called top tier, 82% of college football teams actually take away money from the university’s budget, rather than generate net revenue. Thus, the myth that college football generates revenue for universities is a lie 82% of the time among the highest grossing “tier” of teams."

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD) OHO is Jay Graboski, David Reeve & Ray Jozwiak

My latest solo release, '2014' of original, instrumental piano music, can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com

Sunday, June 8, 2014

My Introduction . . .

. . . to jazz . . .

. . . occurred during what would have been my senior year of high school if I hadn't waived my 12th year to begin college early. Further, if I hadn't waived my 12th year, my introduction to jazz would have occurred much differently and most certainly much later.

In addition to sheer boredom with the high-school routine, the impetus for my attending the (then named) Community College of Baltimore was the fact that they had a radio station; as a career in broadcasting was precisely what I had in mind for my future at the time.

The station, which began as a student education facility, was quickly becoming a public radio force of some potency. Soon to be capable of broadcasting a signal of 50,000 watts, the facility was manned by a combination of media professionals, technical experts and a host of students. The format at the time encompassed a variety of programming including talk, community service, ethnic, rock, classical, broadway and showtunes and . . . jazz. My first concentrated and serious exposure to jazz occurred working at WBJC-FM radio about forty years ago.

The jazz included Gato Barbieri, Chuck Mangione, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderly, Lucky Thompson, Eddie Lockjaw Davis, McCoy Tyner, Bill Evans, Miles Davis, Eric Dolphy, Lennie Tristano, Sun Ra, Duke Ellington, Sonny Stitt, Phil Woods, Dizzy Gillespie and many, many more and (oh yes) . . . Charlie Parker.

What do you think?
Tell me at
http://www.rayjozwiak.com/guestbook.html

OHO's "Ocean City Ditty," the CD single is now available at http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/oho4
(and, if you're in town, at Trax On Wax on Frederick Rd. in Catonsville, MD)

My latest solo release, '2014', can be downloaded digitally at:

(or you can copy-and-paste this URL directly to
your browser: http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/rayjozwiak4)

Also, be sure to visit:
http://www.rayjozwiak.com