Part 2 of my interview with DJ Derek Tobler

I hope that you will enjoy Part 2 of my interview with Derek. If you missed Part 1 you can read it anytime!

Claire: How long have you been a DJ?
Derek: I got my start as a DJ while I was working on my undergraduate degree and decided to make this my career after I graduated with a degree in music business. So that makes it about eleven years ago that I did my first event (which happened to be a wedding). I will always remember feeling excited at the opportunity and honored that I was invited to play a key role at this couple’s wedding. The night was amazing and I felt ten feet tall with pride at the end. That is a feeling that I still carry with me every weekend.

Claire: Do you offer any unique “extra” services?

Derek: In addition to playing music and acting as the Emcee for the day, I also have a few additional services available:

I have a background in ballroom, Latin, swing and country dance and, if a couple is interested, I will choreograph a first dance for them that is fun and easy to remember. Couples will take two to several private lessons with me and learn some steps that give their first dance a whole new look and meaning. It will also give them some time together and may provide some a stress release that allows them to get away from the planning process for a few moments. Friends and family are always impressed with this newly acquired skill and it adds an elegant touch to the reception.

At their ceremony I can provide any type of music they like as a low-cost option to having live musicians. And I have the ability to supply their wedding Officiant with a lapel microphone and set up another wireless microphone on a stand for any readings during the ceremony. As a general guide, I recommend having the ceremony amplified if they have around 75 guests or more attending. It may be hard to hear what is being said for a large group without microphones. Smaller weddings are more intimate and will feel that way without microphones.

A popular addition to many receptions now is showing a picture/video montage set to music of the couple and their family and friends through the years. It takes the families on a stroll down memory lane and provides a glimpse into their pasts that many of their guests may have never seen before. I don’t make this video, but I do have a video projector, portable screen, and dvd player that sets up in minutes and hooks into my sound system to handle the presentation. Usually this takes place toward the end of dinner before dancing, and always produces a few laughs and tears. You or a family member may choose to make this, but hiring a professional will make it shine and take the stress out of adding one more thing to get done before the wedding.

Claire: Do you have any other advice for couples planning a wedding?

Derek: Your guests will feed off of your energy on your wedding day. One of the longest receptions I ever was a part of went nine hours past the cocktail hour. The bride and groom barely left the dance floor after dinner and their family and friends were right there with them until the end. That doesn’t mean that if you don’t dance your guests won’t either. You can trust in your DJ to take care of that part. The point is that your guests are there for you and if it seems to them that you’re there to have fun then they will reciprocate. Put the right vendors in place to handle all the details for you. Then, after the vows, let loose and have fun!

I also recommend hiring an event coordinator or “wedding planner” to help throughout the planning process or a least for the day of the wedding. They provide an invaluable service that gives the couple and their families peace of mind that every little detail will be handled smoothly leading up to and the day of their wedding.

Once a couple called me for a single dance lesson the day before their wedding. The bride looked like she hadn’t slept well, and in fact had not slept at all. She had been up the night before trying to make 175 individual wedding favors for her guests that she had forgotten about. She expressed to me that she wished she had hired someone to keep track of all the little details.

And don’t forget to eat something at the reception! I’ve seen a bride or two lose some steam as they got into the late hours of the reception (never a groom, though - they always seem to find the energy). You’ll need your strength to be able to keep up with your guests who are there to have an amazing time celebrating with you. Enjoy!

NOTE: I hope that our interview has been interesting and helpful. Feel free to contact Derek anytime to see if he is available for your date:

Contact Info. for DJ Derek Tobler:
~ phone: 434-296-6689
~ website: www.djtobler.com
~ e-mail: djtobler@netzero.com

I’d love to hear from you…please let me know if you’ve found this interview helpful. ~ Claire

Louisa County Virginia Home Information - (YTD Sept 4, 2008)

The Real Estate market everywhere is constantly changing and Louisa County Virginia is too. Louisa is just East of Charlottesville with open land and open roads!

You can truly experience country living in Louisa County!

• In Louisa we have SOLD 163 HOMES.
• There are currently 277 HOMES on the market.
• Our average DOM (Days on the Market) is at 100 Days.
• Our Average selling price is $301,878.

We have some excellent neighborhoods to see close to Nelson like:

Glenmore   Foxchase   Old Trail   Forest Lakes   Dunlora

Click Here for a link to other Great Neighborhoods in our area!

Please visit my website at Charlottesville Real Estate for details about our area and other homes on the market in Charlottesville, Albemarle County and the surrounding counties!

Nelson, Greene, Madison, Fluvanna, Orange and Louisa

Please look at our local phonebook for contact information on local companies.

 Come visit and tour our area anytime!

Charles McDonald
Associate BROKER, RE/MAX Assured Properties
Licensed to sell Real Estate in Virginia

“Your Outstanding RE/MAX Agent in Charlottesville Virginia

 

About The Author

Charles McDonald, Associate Broker at RE/MAX Assured Properties and dedicated Buyers Agent is the author of this blog, and several other sites on the Internet. Charles and his team of experts in the Charlottesville area are always available to help you with your Real Estate needs. Call our team anytime at 434-981-1585 or to search for homes visit: Charlottesville Real Estate

Lynette Alice "Squeaky" Fromme is a former member of Charles Manson's "Family", convicted of attempting to assassinate President Gerald Ford in 1975. The nickname "Squeaky" was reportedly a nickname given to her because she would make a "squeaky" noise when another Manson family member would grab her leg.  She is currently serving a life sentence in prison.

Fromme was born in 1948; she dropped out of a junior college in California, suffering from depression.  She went to Venice Beach, where she met Charles Manson, who had recently been released from federal prison.  Fromme found Manson's philosophies and attitudes appealing, and she joined his "family", living in the desert near Death Valley.

After Manson and some of his followers were arrested for committing what would become known as the Tate-LaBianca murders in 1969, Fromme and the remaining "Family" camped outside of the trial.  At first, they marked their foreheads with X's; later they carved swastikas into their foreheads, proclaiming Manson's innocence and preaching his apocalyptic philosophy to the news media and to anyone else who would listen. She was never charged with involvement in the murders, but she was convicted of obstruction of justice for attempting to prevent Manson's imprisoned followers from testifying, as well as contempt of court when she herself refused to testify. She was given short jail sentences for both offenses.

Fromme moved to Stockton, California, with friends Nancy Pitman and Priscilla Copper, a pair of ex-convicts named Michael Monfort and James Craig, and a couple, James and Lauren Willett. When the Willetts died within days of each other, the housemates were taken into custody on suspicion of murder. However, she was released due to a lack of evidence.

Fromme then moved into a Sacramento apartment with her friend, fellow Manson family member Sandra Good. The two wore robes on occasion and changed their names to symbolize their devotion to Manson's new religion. Fromme became "Red" in honor of her red hair and the redwoods, and Good became "Blue" for her blue eyes and the ocean.

On the morning of September 5, 1975, Fromme went to Sacramento's Capitol Park (reportedly to plead with President Ford about the plight of the California redwoods, though she also said that she did it to get Manson a new trial), dressed in a nun-like red robe and armed with a .45 Colt semi-automatic pistol, which she pointed at Ford. The pistol's magazine was loaded with four rounds, but none were in the firing chamber.  To being a round into the firing chamber, she would have had to pull back a slide; she had not done so.  She was immediately restrained by Secret Service agents, and while she was being further restrained and handcuffed, managed to say a few sentences to the on-scene cameras, emphasizing that the gun did not "go off".  Fromme later  told The Sacramento Bee that she had deliberately ejected the cartridge in her weapon's chamber before leaving home that morning, and investigators later found a .45 caliber cartridge in her bathroom.

Seventeen days after Fromme's assassination attempt, Sara Jane Moore attempted to assassinate Ford in San Francisco; she was also unsuccessful.

As was the Manson way, Fromme represented herself at her trial.  She had court-appointed counsel to assist her, but she largely ignored them.  She refused to present testimony that was relevant to the case; instead she used the trial as a platform to speak about the environment. Judge Thomas McBride ultimately removed her from the courtroom.  After a lengthy trial she was convicted of the attempted assassination, and received a life sentence.  When U.S. Attorney Duane Keyes recommended severe punishment because she was "full of hate and violence," Fromme threw an apple at him, hitting him in the face and knocking off his glasses.

In 1979, she was transferred out of the women's prison in Dublin, California, for attacking a fellow inmate with the claw end of a hammer. On December 23, 1987, she escaped from the Alderson Federal Prison Camp in Alderson, West Virginia, attempting to meet up with Manson (a rather difficult proposition, since he was himself in a maximum security prison), who she had heard had testicular cancer. She was captured again two days later, wandering around in the woods two miles from the prison, wet and cold.  She is now incarcerated at the Federal Medical Center in Carswell, Texas. Though she has been eligible for parole since 1985, Fromme has consistently waived her right to a hearing.  She has never renounced Manson.

Sara Jane Moore, who also received a life sentence for her attempted assassination, was released on parole on December 31, 2007, having stated that she regretted the assassination attempt, saying she was "blinded by her radical political views."

This diary is largely a re-write of http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/L...

“I’m all in favor of keeping dangerous weapons out of the hands of fools. Let’s start with typewriters.” - Frank Lloyd Wright

FACTS

+ WORDS

————

TOOLS

Assume base 10, and take the first solution you’re offered by the barn door, or nothing at all. (It’s like Hobson’s choice, but done for lazy fun.)

I just got finished listening to the podcast -- http://static.mgnetwork.com/cd... -- and Tom Perriello did a great job in the debate in Danville Wednesday night.  Tom came across as insightful, knowledgeable, and as someone who has a message that people will react to.  Virgil Goode started off the evening doing his usual bluster about immigration (the root of all evil, and a more important national security issue than either Iraq or Afghanistan), and wound up angry and spluttering and irrational.  Tom told it like it was  -- "Virgil, no one is listening to you.  On this immigration bill that you say is so important, you couldn't even get it out of committee when the Republicans controlled the Congress.  No one is listening to you, Virgil.  It's time for someone who can get something done.  (a paraphrase)"

I am sure that someone with more software for such things than I have will slice and dice it to make it a bit more accessible (it's 90 minutes long).  But in the meantime, if you can afford the time, listen.  Tom is an impressive candidate.

John McCain gave a speech that would have made a lot more sense if he hadn't tacked so far to the right over the past year or two.

I was actually having sort of an out-of-body experience this evening -- I had been listening to the podcast of the Virgil Goode-Tom Perriello debate from Wednesday night.  I had just heard Tom talking about energy policy, and then I switched over to watch John McCain's speech.  They were using the same words.  Tom's energy plan is closer to McCain's than is Virgil Goode's.  (More on that in another diary.)  Virgil is advocating some screwy tax breaks that I didn't understand, and he advocates drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, which Tom and John McCain do not advocate.

I'm going to have to spend a little quality time with the transcript, but my initial reaction is that if John McCain were to actually run a campaign consistent with that speech, he would be a particularly formidable candidate.  The American people would love to support a candidate who can (like Tom Perriello, I would add) wants to reach across the party aisle to get things done -- as McCain talked about wanting to do.  The American people would love to support a candidate who is willing to tell the politicians of both parties, "I'm vetoing your spending bills.  Clean it up or I'll shut you down."  Now THAT would be a "maverick" thing to do.  The problem is that he is no longer a maverick.

Actually, he is the Cheshire Maverick -- over time, his maverick-ness has left him, so that now, all that is left of the maverick is the smile.  

What we have seen for the past 12 months from John McCain is NOT a maverick -- it is a traditional Republican who votes 90% of the time with George W. Bush.  Here's the definition of "maverick":

  1.   An unbranded range animal, especially a calf that has become separated from its mother, traditionally considered the property of the first person who brands it.
  2. One that refuses to abide by the dictates of or resists adherence to a group; a dissenter.

http://education.yahoo.com/ref...

If the essence of "maverick" is that he is a dissenter from the established order, or a calf wandering away from the herd, that is not John McCain.  Or at least John McCain has not been a maverick for many years -- since 2005, when he started running for President again.

I was struck tonight by an interesting possibility.

This gathering, tonight, is the last time that John McCain needed anything from the conservative nuts who populated the convention.  Tonight was the last time that there was any risk that his train would be derailed.  He doesn't have to see these people ever again.  Is it possible that after tonight, he is free to be his own man again?  He needs their enthusiasm, but I think Sarah Palin may be the one to serve as the anchor to the enthusiastic base, and the base knows that they really have no choice.  He doesn't need their money; he has $85 million in federal money coming to him in the next week or so.  

So is he now free to move back to the center, where the votes are?  If so, how will the John McCain in October differ from the John McCain of February?  

MMJ came to the Charlottesville Pavilion last night. I tried out some slower shutter speeds for a change.

More to come on CvilleMUSE soon…

The Pilot On-Line is reporting that Bob McDonnell has told them that Sarah Palin is coming to Virginia Beach on September 18 to campaign.  There have been no details released.  http://hamptonroads.com/2008/0...  

Congratulations, Senator. You finally got what you always wanted: to be nominated the Repugnican candidate for President of The United States of America. Wow. That is big. But you’re looking pretty sorry. Your acceptance speech barely gained cruising altitude, even in an arena full of Minnesota’s most rabid reactionaries. Hell, if not for “kill and drill” [...]

Are you headed to the Shop.org Annual Summit? We’re participating and would be happy to meet up at the show.

Shop.org’s biggest annual event will be held September 15-17 at the Mandalay Bay Resort & Casino in Las Vegas.

George Michie will be providing PPC Efficiency Tips for a Tough Economy. This roundtable will be on Tuesday the 16th at 2:15p and will provide concrete tips for improving your PPC efficiency in today’s economic environment. Be prepared to walk away with recommendations you can implement in time to improve Q4 profitability!

Larry Becker will focus on Site Usability & Conversion in his 1-on-1 sessions Tuesday and Wednesday. Larry’s sessions are completely booked, but he’d be happy to connect during a break if you weren’t able to meet for a formal session.

Between sessions, you can find RKG at Booth #545 in the Expo Hall.

We look forward to seeing you at the show!

george michie, larry becker, RKG , shop.org

I have a cartoon deadline, but I just cant resist.

The Iraq Vets Against the War guy on the balcony is great stuff. Sign reads "McCain votes against vets" and "You can't win an occupation." Normally I think these stunts make people look stupid and juvenile, but this was solid. (Now that I'm no longer in the moment, I'm thinking "McCain votes against vets" only might've been more effective.)

Naturally, the crowd responds to the Iraq vet by shouting "USA! USA!"

Green background again. What's up with that? Now there's a cornfield behind him. Is he playing the corn card?

He's lauding Palin. Oh yeah, another oil industry shill is gonna bring change to Washington. Watch out, Washington!

Let's hope the sex with Levi was hot enough for Bristol to make this all worthwhile.

McCain is railing against "big spenders on things we neither need nor want"... like a war in Iraq?

That's a lie. Obama never said no nuclear power.

I'm bored.

That girl is crying at this speech?

My dog is snoring. Really.

Okay, McCain's getting a little more into it now with the POW stuff.

Right after belittling Obama for being self-interested, McCain is urging people to "serve a cause greater than yourself" by, among other things, running for public office. Hmm... isn't that what Obama is doing?

"We believe in the values of neighborhoods and communities"... like those community organizers Sarah and Rudy trashed last night?

"Government programs put a bureaucrat between you and your doctor." Because health insurance companies have no bureaucrats.

Love that sign in the audience: "THE MAVRICK." That guy's a maverick at spelling!

McCain is now bellowing that he will "fight for justice and opportunity for all!" Except equal pay for equal work, I guess.

Georgia's US- and Israeli-built armed forces got pulverized by the Russians during last month's short war over South Ossetia. The Bush administration has promised $1 billion to the Georgians in...

Thank you, oh formidable Sarah Palin, on behalf of every hard-working, sometimes burning out, saddled with too many responsibilities, dedicated community organizer in America that thought they might actually be doing something useful. You’re right. They are all jerks. From an infertile mother who would give anything to have given birth to a Downs syndrome [...]

With any of this.



Actually I just didn't want the Palin post at the top. And the irony of posting about not posting about Palin is not lost on me. Or Murphy for that matter.

But I have to.

A blogger I've read for years and really respect was the one who sent me over the edge. Penelope Trunk wrote:

But it's absurd how extreme these presidential-wanna-be cases are. I don't want someone in the White House who has kids at home who desperately need them. I don't want to watch that scenario unfold on national TV. So at some point, it must be okay to speak up. At some point we have to say that we have standards for parenting and we want the community to uphold them.

So now I have to write about Palin. I don't even like Palin or McCain, but now I have to write about them.

The sexism that has permeated the minds of women - WOMEN! - in this country is appalling. McCain has several children. Obama has a couple I believe. Yet no one questions their ability to show up to work every day and do their job. No one asks if McCain's long hours at the White House will be detrimental to his children.

And if being the leader of the most powerful country in the free world can't get you decent child care, then spank my bum and call me Sally.

Another thing I rarely do is shame the media, but shame on you. Shame on bloggers for perpetuating all of this soap-opera nonsense. I do not believe the media is some big machine that does what it wants; it is an appendage of us, it is a reflection of us. The candidates are feeding us the personal angles, and we are eating it up. Shame on us too. Anyone can comment on if Palin is a quack, or if McCain is a quack, or how the media portrays Obama or how Michelle Obama dressed. It appeals to the lowest common denominator.

Policy analysis is boring and hard and bureaucratic and opaque. But it's what matters. It's our duty to be educated and not vote for who we'd like to have a beer with. Here's a good article on the candidates' economic and energy policies (thanks Bees!!):
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/26533620/

Here's another decent site. Click on the picture of the candidate you're interested in.
http://www.votesmart.org/election_president.php

**Additional link
http://www.raisingkaine.com/showDiary.do?diaryId=15727

Who knows what kind of bird this is? There were two of them, and they seemed to have a nest. I’m glad he let me take his picture, because I wouldn’t have believed me if I’d tried to tell myself about him.

Courtesy of reader MS, via email:

I worked in DC at a Political Action Committee for three years, so aside from my personal interest in politics, I've heard my fair share of infuriating, obtuse, speeches filled with falsities and half-truths. But I have never been as infuriated by any political event as I have been by this year's Republican National Convention. Luckily, the AP did me a great favor by fact checking some of the worst lies to come out of this hellish suckfest. (Via dooce.) (#)

No, not that base.

There's a beautiful little patch of flowers and grass directly in front of the UVa heating plant. I pass this on the way to and from work at the hospital.

i am still in disbelief that my fantastically supportive hubster gave me this incredible gift for my birthday. my little digital fuji will always hold a special place in my heart, but i think this new camera will enable me to take photography to another level. thank you so very much, dan. it is a big gift, from a big heart. and he did it knowing that, while everyone sits around patiently starving, pictures of dinner will only increase!

Lauren Brie is competing in America’s Next Top Model.  I haven’t been TIVOing the show, but here’s a short interview where you get to know her.

Anyone know how she’s doing?

Regular readers know my general political views. I have not been impressed by Obama. But the choice of Palin as the Republican VP nominee has shocked me. This is a woman who wants abortion to be illegal, even in cases of rape and incest. This is unbelievable. Rape and incest? Are you kidding me? She favors a government regime that would force a 13 year old rape victim to carry to term the child of her rapist? What type of crazy maniac would favor such an oppressive government? Palin would deny state health benefits and the right to marry the lover of one's choice to homosexual partners. This is getting very close to denying basic human rights, when our Declaration of Independence provides that government exists to protect natural rights! Palin favors prayer in school, and teaching creationism as a competing theory to evolution. It would seem that her distinguished college education in Idaho, her brief stint as a sportscaster, and her insignificant political positions prior to being governor of 670,000 people led her to such wisdom.

The ant-elitism on the conservative news sites and blogs is ridiculous to behold. We really want an average American to be a 72 year old's heartbeat away from the most important job in the world? Why do we stop at graduating from Idaho - why not pick a high school dropout at this point? Wow, that will sure show the Eastern elite cocktail circuit. How awful that some of us may want an intelligent, well-educated, accomplished, qualified person to be Vice President!

Obama has moderated his foreign policy positions to such an extent that they are not significantly different from McCain's. Obama has also moderated his economic program considerably from his earlier policy views. Palin has not demonstrated any strong policy views beyond extremism on social positions and a desire to drill domestically as part of an energy plan. At some point, Palin's zealotry and social issues may well outweigh McCain's superior economic program.