"Charlie Bell & The Icemen" Concert Tour Begins!!

The first Concert of "Charlie Bell & The Icemen" went very well and was well attended as far as concerts go for that area. There were over 100 in attendance, we sold several "special edition" CD's and had 10 pre-orders for the full CD at 20 € a pop.
One of the organizers/workers of the facility told my Manager that they have had some big name Finnish stars to give concerts at that hall a with an attendance of 10 to 50 people. Having over 100 was a very successful event.
The producer had been sick right before Easter and was behind his schedule about 3 days so the full CD was not ready. He made the decision to do a special edition of 4 songs for 10€. If a person pre-ordered for the full CD they took their names to mail it to them and gave the special edition for free. This special edition was for that concert only and will not be available for any other concert - maybe as a promotion for getting future gigs, but not for general population. So right from the start, the Lord has created this "special" thing. I hear "eBay auction"; right up there with "a pork chop half eaten by Elvis" (smile)...
The other detail that the Lord saw fit to take care of was for this 1st concert, the color for the hall is PURPLE!!! my favorite color. And of course I wore purple for the concert...
There have been many news articles - I can't even keep up with them now.I also found out that I have been "googled" Do a search on Charlie Bell and the Icemen and hits will come up (in Finnish of course) of concert dates, locations, and articles. I even have a blurb in the Blues News Magazine publication - a big deal here in Finland
It's getting warmer and staying lighter much longer (6 am to about 9:30 pm). We have started our last 6-week school period. School is finished by June 2nd. The rest of the summer will be traveling for concerts and sightseeing.
Hope all is well with everyone. Have a blessed week.

Walking In A Winter Wonderland

Well, let it snow! let it snow! let it snow! It has been "dusting" on and off the last 4 days, but today there are really big flakes with ground cover. It's about 2 degrees C (35 F) and it's coming down quite steadily. But all is well. We are coming to the end of this school 6-week period. I have 2 big meetings this week - parent meeting tonight (Wednesday) and a "Board" meeting Thursday with students going to CERN (Switzerland Physics Camp) April 20-27. An information meeting to ensure that everyone knows the expectations and agrees to them. They will also be discussing other student trips - London (to study Renaissance, theater, art) and to Holland - student cross-cultural experience. The Dutch students will come here in May. This last Jakso will be very busy. It starts with my 1st concert on the "Charlie Bell and The Iceman" Finland Tour this Sunday and is to coincide with the release of my new CD - how exciting and a miraculous answer to prophecy. I have about 29-30 lesson per week, Cern next week, one of the course is one developed as a Mathematics Economics class. Everything will be in English and I plan to invite speakers from the community to talk about business and economic issues they deal with on a daily basis here in Finland. That of course will be in Finnish - unless the speakers want to work their English as well. I will have articles and simulations. I appreciate my Ohio colleague - Mickey Tomasovich for providing me with materials form which to develop the course.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!

A Great Birthday!!

WoW!! What a blessed and wonderful surprise to have received a box of “delicious” birthday cards for my birthday. My church sent me a box of cards and well wishes from some of the members. I had enough cards to begin opening 2 each day for 9 days before my birthday and then opened 7 ON my birthday. It was a great time of anticipation to read them each day.
I had a nice birthday celebration at the school. They had some great cake and took lots of pictures. The students made me a card and they all signed it. It was beautiful. They put the picture of me blowing out the candles on the cake on their school’s web page. What a surprise for me to get to work the next morning to open up my e-mails and see that picture! Go to http://lukio.pyhajoki.fi/ and take a look (among other pictures of school activities).

If anyone stateside wants to call me, you can use the # 330-871-4811. It has a 330 area code so it will only be at a rate like calling to or in Ohio and not as an international call. It will come through my computer. If I’m not at home, it will go to my voice-mail and I’ll call you back. It’s a really cool system called Skype (http://www.skype.com/). It’s free to talk “computer to computer” and very inexpensive for me to call land lines. I recently read in Time or Newsweek that the creators of Skype sold it to eBay for 2.6 billion dollars. They are now working on this system called Joost to get TV onto the Internet.

I spent the birthday weekend in Kestilä doing the final phase of the vocal studio work for the CD. I am doing some checking on locating a CD packaging/distribution place in the states so that I don’t have to purchase and ship from here. The CD’s will be a lot more expensive if I ship from here. I went to Oulu (about 1 hour North-West from there) for a newspaper interview about the CD and concerts; went to the movie theater to see “Mr. Beans Holiday” movie, then back home to Pyhäjoki (the previous week I saw "Dreamgirls"). The band and I will begin our concert tour Sunday April 15th. There are 11 concerts planned so far with another 3 or 4 being negotiated.

This 6-week period of school will be over April 15th. Then we begin our last 6 week period with a June 2nd graduation date. I will be going to Switzerland April 20-27 with some of the students for a Physics Camp in Geneva. I am really looking forward to that. I haven’t been to Switzerland in 17 years – great to be going back for a visit.

Well, the snow has begun to melt, the frozen rivers are starting to flow, and it’s finally trying to look a little like spring.

Week # 10 & 11 Mar 5 - 17

In the words of The Vaughn Brothers (Stevie Ray ), "Time Keeps on Tickin' On, Time's Ticking Away". It seems that right after Christmas, 'time' took up downhill ski jumpin' and is speeding right along. I know that every day has the same number of hours, but for some strange reason it seems that it moved faster at the start of the new year. Last week (5-9 March) was our winter ski holiday vacation. Almost like spring break in the U.S., Northern and Southern Finland take their breaks on different weeks. I suppose the idea is that they don't want to overburden the ski areas. That way everyone gets a chance at a great ski week. It has gotten a lot warmer - some days a blistering 4 degrees C (smile), and daylight is longer. I am enjoying the days of sunshine.

I spent that vacation week working on music in the studio. It's an interesting process and moving right along.

Week # 9 - Another Amazing Week

A fairly standard week. We have our ski holiday break next week (5-11 Mar). I will be doing some studio work getting ready for the next 4 months of weekend singing and traveling. Will have more to share on that later. I had a doctor's appointment this week to get some stronger medicine for sore throat, cough, and headache. I wasn't feeling 100% for last weeks concert, but it went very well just the same - I was able to rise above any difficulties with the Lord's help. I have pretty much rested when I wasn't in lessons. I didn't go to my Finnish class nor choir rehearsal - just needed to rest. Feeling better.

The art work from Medina High School Arrived two weeks and Teresa and I set up the display. I had an opportunity to present it duirng my morning announcement time this week on Tuesday. I also discussed another important pice of work - my own. I compleetd a painting - too about 8 weeks or so about 2 hrs a week - to finish it. It's beautiful. I shocked myself. The "Across The Atlantic" will stay displayed until the 26th of March then back to U.S.

Week # 8 - Another Melodious Monday!

This week proves to be quite active for me. We started a new Jakso (class period). I don't have as many lessons this period as in the past, but next Jakso will be much busier. Next Period, I will teach the Mathematics Economics course. I really appreciate Mic Tomasovich - an MHS colleague, who set me up with information to start this course. I have been reading other articles and doing additional reading/research to make it as amazing as I can. Again - another stretch course for me since I have not taught a Microeconomics course. I hope to have lively discussions and have comparisons of the U.S. & Finnish economic systems and basic tax structures.

I have practice with Kalifornia Group Thursday night and the concert in Raahe on Friday night at 8 pm. I hope there is standing room only - I'm really excited about it and have expectations to have a great time. On top of all of this, I plan to rent a car for 4 days (Wednesday to Sunday) - primarily to make the Oulu meeting and back to Pyhäjoki for practice, but also to experience driving again and see a little of Oulu and perhaps Kempele ( a suburb of Oulu .?.). The weather has been quite "snowy" to put it lightly, but nothing like what has been happening in Ohio.

The concert at Raahesali was a huge success! There were 250+ people in attendance and a very good "feeling" (Spirit) in the room. I have been told on several instances that what went on in there was indeed very special in Raahe specifically and Finland overall - connection with the audience, people standing up and dancing by their seats, clapping; a feeling of comfort by the audience. Some pictures are at site: http://www.flickr.com/photos/villefi/sets/72157594554157604/show/
We are hoping to get a Concert in Helsinki as part of Fulbright activities. It's in the works so we will see what happens.

Week # 7 - Another Munderlous Monday!!

Another week is upon us. The days are getting longer with light and today it was a scorching -4 degrees C. Felt almost like summertime on my way to work. The sun was shinning, birds singing melodiously. It was quite beautiful. We are in our last week for this 4th Jakso (period). We are giving the end of period tests. Thursday will be the 3rd graders final class program/presentation. On Friday, the 2nd graders will be the "big men" on campus and will have their class program. After that, the Seniors (3rd graders) will be officially done until the June 2nd graduation ceremony. Seems a long time since August 14, 2006...

Kalifornia Group concert for the 23rd has been moved to a larger hall in Raahe. The original location was a 120 seat hall and was sold out. So they had to move it to larger hall that seats 420 people - WOW!! I am still amazed at the move of God. I am in awe has to all of the events that have transpired in my life over the last 7 months; and I believe that "the half has not yet been told". The Lord has promised us that ..."no eye has seen, no ear has heard, nor has it entered into the heart of man what the Lord has in store for those that love Him..." I say AMEN!!
There were 2 more articles about the Group and concerts.

This past weekend I did some more work on another singing project that has been in the making since about the end of November. I am very excited about it. More later on that. There was also an advertisement/announcement in the Kaleva Newspaper about a birthday concert where I will be on of the performers. Viktor Klimenko will be the "headliner". He was/is a famous Finnish singer. I found out that he was a contestant in the annual EuroVision music contest back in 1965. The Kaleva is a larger newspaper that covers much of the northern part of Finland - widespread publication. I had no idea it was there. Someone brought it to my attention this weekend. Again I say, "Just like God".

Thursday (15 Feb) was our 3rd Graders Program at Lukio. I think they did a nice job. They made a video, had a "Teacher Questions" type game, had music videos and a nice show that they did themselves. They seem to have worked very well together. It was a very well done program with no malicious activity going on. They then left the building and drove off on the back of a large tractor with a trailer. All of the students from the schools were out to see them off and wish them well. They then road through town where people were lining the streets - similar to what we do in the U.S. as our Homecoming Parades. It was a wonderful thing to see. So technically. it was the Seniors last day of classes. They still have the National Tests coming up in March, then they are done until the June 2nd Graduation (White Cap) Ceremony. I bought me a White Cap also - I feel as though I am graduating as well. I have experienced and learned a great deal thus far. Emotionally, I am beginning to experience some movement. I can explain them, but there is probably not enough space to make them coherent and easily understood. I find myself lately trying to emblazon every sight, sound, smell, taste and touch into my memory for I know I will pass this way on these days just this once. Even if/when I return, it won't be this same moment in time. As we all know, our memories fail us, but my heart is changed - there has been a place created, a file folder called "PYHÄJOKI" that is being flooded with memories: faces, places, sights, sounds, smells, tastes...experiences that I hope I never forget.

Once the 3rd Graders had "left the building", the 2nd Graders (Juniors) became the 'big men on campus'. They celebrated that with a program on Friday the 16th. It's called VANHAT. They have a dance program that they do for the school during the day and the community in the evening. The ladies looked beautiful in their long dresses and the gentlemen looked handsome and very distinguished. To me it was a show of team building.

On Saturday, I had the distinct pleasure of singing at the birthday concert. Viktor Klimenko invited me to come up with him and sing his last two songs with him. It was Amazing Grace and Blessed Assurance -BOTH IN FINNISH!!! It was nothing but the Lord that graced me to be able to sing the high tenor harmony parts with him. It was a great experience and a wonderful way to celebrate a birthday.