The Piano Man

It's a typical Saturday night for Brigham Larson. He strolls across a dimly lit room, sits down at the piano and plays an upbeat introduction for a local theater group dubbed The Thrillionaires. The performers enter and the musical begins, only no one is singing Broadway tunes. The music, melodies, lyrics and lines are being made up on the spot, underscored by raucous laughter from the audience.

When he's not performing, you can find Brigham tuning, repairing and restoring pianos--something he's been doing since he was seventeen. He put himself through college while working as a part-time piano technician, then decided to pursue it full-time after graduation. But while Brigham has chosen to walk the road less traveled in his career, the journey hasn't been without diversions. A few years ago his wife Karmel became a part-time real estate agent. When she reached a point where she had more work than she could handle, Brigham scaled back his piano business and joined her. Together they were able to significantly increase their income and purchase a nice home in a wealthier neighborhood. "Every career has a certain lifestyle that goes with it by default," Brigham says. As a real estate agent he was expected to dress sharp, drive an expensive car and spend every waking moment on his cell phone. He was constantly pulled in several directions at once, and while the money was good he didn't always enjoy the work.

When the real estate market turned, Brigham experienced what his wife described as "career confusion." "I felt trapped about a year ago," he says, "because we had accumulated a lifestyle with an expensive mortgage and an expensive car payment." He considered going to law school and even attended an LSAT preparation class, but didn't feel good about becoming an attorney. He also considered going back to school to become a high school or college music teacher, but that didn't feel right either. After 18 months of soul-searching and exploring, he realized that his true passion had been with him all along. He returned to his piano business full-time and changed his lifestyle so he could do what he loved for a living again. Brigham and his wife sold their house and expensive car, pulled their kids out of their various lessons and rented a small home while they searched for more affordable accommodations. "All of those nicer things do not make up for being unhappy as a real estate agent," he says. "We changed our expectations, and it didn't happen overnight. It was very painful."

Brigham's wife Karmel has supported him through the ups and downs. "We're in an off-road vehicle together," he says, "and she's willing to drive the rocky road with me." Karmel worries less about what her husband does for a living or how much money he makes than about his job satisfaction. And she deserves a lot of credit; being married to an entrepreneur isn't easy. "The cliche is that a business owner is free to work any 80 hours a week he wants," Brigham jokes. He doesn't work quite that much, but 60 hour weeks aren't uncommon. Sick pay is non-existent, and he and Karmel haven't taken a real vacation in more than ten years. When his alarm goes off at 5:00 a.m., Brigham isn't always eager to roll out of bed and work on the administrative side of his business. "If you have a boss that you fear, you'll get it done," he says. "Fear is an effective motivator, but it's not a good motivator." Building his business back up in an ailing economy has also been difficult. "I never had to make sales calls before," he says.

When asked what he loves most about owning his own business, Brigham answers without hesitation: "Freedom. I enjoy not having to answer to anyone. I call the shots, and in the middle of the day if I have an extra hour I can go to the library if I feel like it." As a piano technician, Brigham has found the perfect blend of music and mechanics. At the end of every job, he performs a piece from his extensive jazz repertoire to hear the results of his handiwork. The price of admission for these private concerts is simply the price of a piano tuning, and it's worth every penny. His customers are usually so impressed that they set a tuning appointment for the following year. "There's so much more to piano work than just fixing sticking keys or a squeaky pedal," Brigham says. "I consider myself an artist." Anyone who has heard his work will readily agree.

You can learn more about Brigham by visiting his web site.

Gerry Baird is a career researcher, writer and speaker from Spanish Fork, Utah. You can find more articles like this one at his web site, [http://www.findyourpassion.com].

80's Fancy Dress - 3 Great Ideas For 80's Halloween Costumes This Year

80's fancy dress is currently one of the most popular trends in costume parties in the UK at the moment, as a generation of adults who grew up in the eighties reminisce about their teenage years.

For the most part it was a decade of awful music and even worse fashion sense and yet the 1980's holds an appeal for those of us who came of age during that time. As October 31st approaches, we look at five great ideas for 80's Halloween costumes this year, which you can easy find on those websites online that specialise in 80's fancy dress outfits.

Idea One: Costumes inspired by 80's Music

There were some class acts in the 80's, who not only made great music but also had some outrageous costumes. The most obvious of these is of course the late great Freddie Mercury, during his moustached Wembley Stadium days, but the likes of Elton John, David Bowie and Rod Stewart are also seventies rock stars that changed their look during the eighties and who have some wonderful costumes that you can buy online. However, the three stars who's careers really took off in the 1980's and who have some great 80's fancy dress outfits available to buy are Michael Jackson, Madonna and Adam Ant.

Adam Ant's Prince Charming costume is an awesome outfit to buy and sums up perfectly the extravagance of the decade. Meanwhile, Madonna's Virgin Bride costume is a great recreation of an outfit that the pop princess famously wore during one of her most popular videos. Finally, when it comes to Michael Jackson, it really is a case of take your pick, whether you want to go for the Bad, Beat It or Billie Jean look. However, my personal favourite has to be the official Michael Jackson Thriller costume, especially if you are looking to wear traditional 80's Halloween costumes.

Idea Two: Outfits inspired by 80's Cartoons

There really were some great children's cartoons that came out of the 1980's and what better way to reminisce than to go to the Halloween party dressed as one of your childhood heroes. The Danger Mouse costume is a great example of 80's fancy dress, as is the Bananaman and He-Man costumes. However, it is Halloween so why not go as He-Man's arch-enmy, Skeletor instead.

Idea Three: Outfits inspired by 80's Horror Flicks

If there is one genre of films that they knew how to do in the eighties, it has to be the horror flick. Movies such as Nightmare of Elm Street, Hellraiser, Friday the 13th and Halloween all have some amazing 80's fancy dress costumes associated with them. However, my personal favourite of the 80's Halloween costumes inspired by the movies is actually a comedy horror called Beetlejuice, which was directed by Tim Burton in 1988 and starred the excellent Michael Keaton in the title role. The Beetlejuice fancy dress costume makes for a wonderful 80's Halloween outfit.

Where can you find an 80's fancy dress costume like these ones?

80's Fancy Dress features all of these suggestions for 80's Halloween costumes this year and many more.

A Word Or Two About The Author

Dan Fresh is a lifelong fancy dress aficionado who regularly writes for the popular FancyDressUK

How To Write A Best Man Speech - 9 Tips And Techniques About How To Write A Great Best Man Speech

As the best man you will have a number of important responsibilities.

You will have to:

• serve as the groom's personal aide throughout the wedding process.



• help the groom pick out wedding formal wear.



• plan the bachelor party.



• hold onto the wedding rings during the ceremony.



• distribute the payments and tips to the officiant, band, caterers, etc.



• decorate the getaway vehicle.



• keep the other groomsmen in line.



• and most importantly, give the first toast to the newly married couple at the reception.

Writing a best man speech can be a challenge for many people. And delivering a wedding speech confidently can cause angst in even the most self-assured best man. Luckily, you are not the first person to deliver an important speech in front of dozens or even hundreds of people. There are some tried and true tips to follow that will enable you to give a confident and heartfelt toast:

• The key is to plan ahead. Write down what you are going to say and practice your speech out loud.



• Introduce yourself to the guests. Not everyone at the wedding will know who you are and this will help put your speech in the right context.



• Thank the parents of the bride and groom, the bride and groom, or whoever flipped the bill, for inviting everyone to the event.



• Tell a funny and even slightly embarrassing story about the groom. Ideally this is a story that involved both you and the groom.



• Mention something amusing about the bride's and groom's relationship. This should be aboveboard, positive, and classy. The goal is not to insult or embarrass the couple.



• If you do not tell a story about the bride and groom, make sure you mention the bride in some way. As an example - compliment the groom on his luck in finding such a great partner. You don't want the entire speech to focus solely on the groom.



• Consider including a quote at some point during the toast. Quoting an author, poet, famous person, or even a family member is a great way to impart a sincere, touching, and heartfelt message without being mushy.



• End the wedding toast on a high note - express good wishes for the couple's future.



• And make sure to actually propose and execute a toast. Have the guests join you and lift their glasses. Then complete the toast with a "Cheers", "Salut", etc.

Remember, the best man speech is one of, if not, the most important responsibilities you have. Make it memorable, make it confidently, make it great.

How To Write A Wedding Speech [http://wedding-speeches.shawnmcgeemarketing.com] provides tips and techniques for brides, grooms, best men, maids and matrons of honor, family and friends to create and deliver great wedding speeches. Proven strategies are taught in straightforward and easy to understand ways.

How To Write A Wedding Speech has researched the top wedding speech writing products available online and provides detailed product reviews [http://wedding-speeches.shawnmcgeemarketing.com].

The Best Man Speech at the Wedding Reception

As a best man, you will have several duties that will come with the prestige of being known to all the guests as the best bud of the groom. You will have to assist the groom on the wedding day - from helping him dress up all the way to his ride to the church, keeping the wedding rings safe until it is needed during the wedding ceremony, act as a legal witness to the marriage, and last but not the least, the most important duty of a best man, making the toast or the best man speech. The task of making a toast is one that is avoided by most best men as this requires them to stand in front of a large crowd, being careful not to make a fool of himself or mess up the whole occasion. However, with enough preparation, you will be able to deliver a best man speech at the wedding without making as much mistakes and making the couple and all the guests feel good.

In a wedding reception, this is a time when the best man can take advantage of everyone's attention and acknowledge all those that have helped make the celebration possible and give honor to the bride and groom and their families while being himself. Note that the groom chose you to be his best man for a reason, and he trusts that you know better than any other person in that room to be able to wish them the best and deliver the best toast he could think of, so be confident.

You should take enough time to prepare for the best man speech. It should not be something you just come up with on the spot no matter how good you are at doing impromptu speeches, as this is a very special moment for the couple and the least you could do is prepare very well for your speech. Before writing away, you should first answer the questions that would give you enough ideas on how to build your speech. Questions like how do you know the couple? Why did he choose you to be his best man? How did the couple meet? What are the groom's funny and endearing traits? How would you say their lives have changed ever since they started seeing each other? Then end with a well thought of wish for the couple as they start their new life as husband and wife. Once all these questions are answered, you can then mix them up to make a heartfelt, sincere and entertaining toast.

On the day of the wedding, remember to jot down your thoughts or parts of your best man speech in a piece of paper just in case you would need to glance to it in case you forget your lines. Also, set a lively mood when you start your speech to get the guests' attention. Practice your speech a few more times to gain confidence and avoid shivering on stage. Save the drinking and self-enjoyment until after the speech, it will feel more rewarding, knowing that you have fulfilled your duty as the best man very well. Most of all, remember to be yourself and have fun!

There's no good reason you should be embarrassed about writing a best man speech. Visit our site to get the information you need to effectively write a best man speech using examples of best man speeches. If you're ready to read more about how we can help you with writing and presenting a winning speech, visit our site and check out our free resources. Join the thousands we have already helped and visit us now.

Successful Best Man Speeches - What to Say and How to Say It

The honor of being selected as Best Man for a friend's wedding is one that shouldn't be taken lightly, particularly as you will have the privilege of addressing the guests at the wedding when you are giving the Best Man speech. Weddings are joyous occasions with the Best Man speech being one of the highlights of the day, not to mention being one of the most talked-about memories of the day so getting the Best Man speech right is not optional it is essential.

A successful Best Man speech is dependent on two things, content and delivery, luckily these are two things that can be mastered so let's take a closer look at them both.

Content

You should begin your speech with a warm opening line and introduction, it is important not to try to be too funny  when you open your speech as you risk alienating the guests but by all means give a light-hearted introduction. You may wish to introduce yourself to guests and welcome them to the happy event.

From there you should praise the Bride and Bridesmaids. Compliments should be lavished upon the Bride and some words of praise and gratitude directed towards the Bridesmaids. From here you should begin discussing your relationship with the Groom, how long you have been friends etc.

Funny stories and witty anecdotes are expected, when delivering a Best Man speech, so look back to the past for some humorous moments that will bring smiles to faces of the wedding guests and perhaps have the Groom squirming in his seat.

In searching for funny stories at the Groom's expense, popular topics include; his sporting (or lack of) prowess, his college years, his employment history etc. It is vital that you do not discuss his past love life or the Bachelor Party, this could easily offend the Bride and the parents of the Groom so don't put yourself in that position. Best Man jokes should be short one-liners as wedding guests usually have short attention-spans and may lose interest midway through a long meandering joke.

The Best Man who quite often receives the loudest ovation is the one who concentrates on sincerity and gives a speech from the heart. With this in mind you should mention how delighted you are to be Best Man and show some humility by saying "it is a role I share equally with my fellow Groomsmen".

In leading towards the closing lines you should mention what a great couple the Bride and Groom make and announce to the audience that Groom has been the happiest he has ever been since the Bride entered his life.

You should finish with a fitting wedding toast that should wish the Newlyweds a happy loving life together. Ending on a sincere, heartfelt toast, rather than attempting a funny toast, should ensure your speech lasts long in the memory and will garner a loud ovation.

Delivery

When you stand to speak maintain eye-contact with the guests and smile as you speak, you will find that your guests do likewise. Even if you are looking down at prompts on cue cards once you raise your head again you should hold eye-contact, as this helps build a bond with those watching. When discussing certain people in your speech ( such as when praising the Bride) you should look in their direction, and speak as if you are having a one-on-one conversation with them.

You have three options on how to deliver the speech;

1) From memory- whilst delivering from memory in front of a mirror at home is achievable, it is a different proposition on the Big Day, as your nerves will make you anxious and this could affect your delivery.

2) Read it- undoubtedly the "safety first" option for many Best Men but these speeches often come across in a monotone manner and can cause the audience to rapidly lose interest in what you are saying.

3) Cue cards- cue cards is the recommended way and your best option. You should have "prompt words" highlighted on the cards so that when you need a reminder of what to say next, you simply take a quick glance down to remind yourself of what to say next.

Once you have decided on the cue-card option it is important to bear in mind that there are 2 sections of your speech that you need to deliver from memory; your opening lines and closing lines. You rely on your opening line to garner interest and to receive a surge of confidence to help you with the rest of your speech, whilst your closing line is the most important line of your speech so ensure that you focus on the guests as you speak.

As Best Man you should always stand-up when giving your speech, even if others choose to sit as they speak. Speak with poise and character, remember that short speeches have a better impact than long speeches, and practice when you can as a confident Best Man delivers the best speech. Click here for easily downloadable Best Man speeches that will have the guests roaring on their approval and look forward in advance to the standing ovation that your speech should receive.

This article was written by David Duncan, director of Speech Success, for inspirational, memorable Best Man speeches visit; best man speeches

Men's Dress Shirt Features

A tailored dress shirt is an important feature of formal wear. But what are the features of a man's dress shirt? What differentiates a dress shirt from any other shirt? A men's dress shirt has 6 basic features, each of which will be discussed individually in this article.

Buttons

Buttons are perhaps the most distinctive feature which makes a dress shirt a dress shirt. In order to be a dress shirt, it must open in the middle and have buttons running from the collar down to the waist. Every tailored dress shirt has at least seven buttons on the front, regardless of size. Some high end shirts will have eight buttons, but seven is the norm. Oftentimes shirts will also have buttons on the collar and cuffs, although this is not a requirement.

Collars

Another key feature of the men's dress shirt is the collar. Having a collar is a must, however collar styles do vary. Some examples of collar types are: the Windsor, which has a wide spread at the edges and is named after the Duke of Windsor, a Straight Collar which has a very narrow spread between the edges of the collar, or the Tony, a highly formal collar which covers the entire neck as well as the knot of the tie. Some collars are also buttoned to the shirt; these are called "Button-down" collars.

Cuffs

Next in line of tailored dress shirt features are the cuffs. These are the sections of the shirt which cover the wrists. There are two main styles of cuff: the barrel cuff, in which the sides of the cuff overlap and button one on top of the other, and the French cuff in which the edges of the cuff are pulled out to the side and linked together there.

Placket

The placket is a feature related to the buttons of the tailored dress shirt. It is the strip which runs down the front of a man's dress shirt where the button holes are sewn. The standard width of a placket is 1.5 inches. It is generally sewn fairly finely so as to be as unnoticeable as possible, although some different variations of plackets do exist.

Pleats

Pleats are not a universal feature of a tailored dress shirt, however most dress shirts do have them. A pleat is a part of the shirt where the fabric is folded back over itself. Generally pleats are found on the either side of the back of the shirt. For less formal wear, there is a single box pleat in the middle of the back. Pleats are also often found on the sleeves just above the cuff. Pockets

Pockets are another feature of the tailored dress shirt which is not universal. In some places formal shirts do not include pockets at all; however a single pocket on the left side of the shirt is common in many places such as the United States. Occasionally these pockets can be buttoned shut; even more rarely they come with a cover flap.

Copyright (c) 2008 Wes Fernley

http://www.DesignMyShirtOnline.com offers quality dress shirts at an affordable price worldwide. With hundreds of fabric styles and various customization options, you can create the tailored shirt that meets your needs. They are dedication to exceptional customer service ensuring tailored shirts are delivered on time, every time.

Five Christmas Gifts For the Every Man

In this article, we will take a look at five great Christmas Gifts for the every man, the man's man, that he will enjoy and that will not break your budget.

First, let's ask the question: Who is the "Every Man"?

The "Every Man" is that guy you refer to as a guy's guy. The Every Man likes poker, drinks beer, loves sports, and has a passion for Bar-B-Q. You will not often find him going to a ballet, spending his time in museums, or reading relationship advice magazines.

You will find many men who are in this category. Sure, many may pursue other interests but if you try to pull them away from their favorite football game, you will not be on their good list. Thus, let's take a look at five great gifts for your Every Man.

Our first gift offering is a portable grill. Ball games and barbeques are two of his favorite passions; and they go great together! Thus, a portable grill is perfect for him. Weber leads the way in portable grills with many offerings under $100 that he will enjoy. These grills also work great for camping and other outdoor activities that he enjoys with his family. Allow his inner chef to show itself with a portable grill for Christmas.

We are all familiar with the Tool Time show on Home Improvement. Do you know why that show did so well? It is because Tim Allen played the Every Man. With a nod to Tim Allen, our second gift idea for him is tools. Our guy always has tools. There are great complete tool sets that can be had for under $50. If he has many tools already, find out from his friends what he lacks. There is always an extra tool that he needs. Find that special tool for him and you'll leave him with a big smile!

Our third gift offering sits comfortably with the others: a Personalized Beer Mug. For under $20, you can get your man a personalized beer mug that he will use whenever he pours himself a cold one. Everyone likes personalized gifts and the Every Man takes pride in a great beer mug, especially one with his own name on it!

When a group of men get together, what do they like to do? They like to play cards, especially poker! Our fourth gift offering satisfies this need of men to congregate and play cards together. It is a Poker Chip Table. These tables are designed for those who like to get together and play poker, share drinks, and have good every man times. If your man is not playing poker with the boys, he might just start if you get him one of these great poker chip tables.

To round out the gift offerings, we have an inexpensive gift that he will love: Sports Magazines. Sure, he may already subscribe to Sports Illustrated but, if there is one thing that a sports lover cannot get enough of, it is sports news. There are many magazines available that will satiate his undeniable appetite for all things sports related. Check out this list of Top Ten Sports Magazines for Men for more information.

If you get one of these five gifts for your Every Man, you will certainly leave a smile on his face!

Richard Mas is a gift specialist and contributing editor to the Best Christmas Gifts for 2009 list at the The Christmas Store Online. You can find these and hundreds of more gift recommendations on the Christmas Gifts for Men page.