If you think fishing is an outrageous pastime for me, just think how people respond when I tell them I was not only a drummer in my school band but a conductor too! It's true, though. I've got the beat, mate. I mastered the rare musical art of hymnal percussion at a young age. Every Sunday night at church I'd set up rows of hymnals of varied thickness. I'd pound out a beat on the hymn books with my foot while the church choir sang. I come from a long line of avid drummers, including my cousin Ian Pasula, who was the first drummer in the church band. I had such a natural ability to keep a beat that a couple of my uncles and their church friends kicked in to buy me a Roland drum machine.
这部鼓机让我成了“没手没脚之一人打击乐团”，不过教会的钢琴手、风琴手和鼓手会加入，让我觉得自己也是乐团的一员。音乐是我灵魂的慰藉，无论是聆听或弹奏，我都可以陶醉在声波中，浑然忘我好几个钟头。
The church's pianist, organist, and drummers would join in and make me feel part of the band. I still play a newer version of the drum machine, which I've upgraded with a Mac Keys program, where I can use it as a synthesizer and even play a guitar electronically. Music is a balm for my soul. Whether listening or playing, I can lose myself for hours in waves of sound.
我对音乐的喜爱来自高中的爵士乐团。或许我这辈子到目前为止音乐表现的最高峰，就是我一肩扛起带领高中乐团的责任那时候(真的是一“肩”扛起哦)。你大概永远也想不到这样的工作会由我这种人接手吧。太好笑了，对吧?
My love of music was nurtured in jazz ensembles and high school jazz bands. Perhaps the musical highlight of my life so far came when I quite literally took my entire high school orchestra on my shoulders. Now there's a job you'd never expect someone like me to take in hand. Reeediculous, right?
当时我们的音乐老师因为健康问题不能参加彩排，所以我自告奋勇担任这个60人乐团的指挥。我知道所有要演奏的曲子，于是便站到庞大的乐手群之前，摆动肩膀来指挥他们。我敢说，他们那天的表演真是好得不像话。
Well, our music teacher was having health problems, and she couldn't make our rehearsals, so I volunteered to be the conductor for our sixty-piece orchestra. I knew all the songs we were playing, so I stood in front of our huge group of student musicians and led them by waving my shoulders around. I'll go out on a limb here and say that they sounded ridiculously good that day.
