Chatting online with MSN messenger or another messenger service can be a good way to talk to friends that you dont get to see much anymore. It is an excellent way to keep in touch and find out what that person is up to. I “spoke” to my best friend, Jarrod, the other day and learned about what he is doing for his online Masters degree. For those of you that don’t chat here are a few chat definitions. BRB = be right back. LOL = laughing out loud. Also know that spelling out entire words is not necessary. For example, instead of writing “okay”, it is acceptable to just write “k”. And now here is a portion of our conversation:

me: Hey, how is it goin?

Jarrod: good, just listening to music and making discussion points on it….did you go have lunch with Carol again?

me: not today… we usually do that on Monday and Friday’s…brb

Jarrod: k

me: back

Jarrod: k

me: still writing discussion notes?

Jarrod: yah

me: how in depth do they have to be…is this an online message board type thing?

Jarrod: yeah it is a message board…pretty in-depth, I haven’t been getting A’s on them cuz I have been just straightforward and not getting into it

me: so now you have to provide more information….give me an example of something you would write

Jarrod: ok…I just posted this:
I viewed it this way: After the intro, the sax, trumpet, trombone, and piano had a solo. Each had similar patterns in that one of the 12 bar blues they played was double-time in the percussion. The bass did have a solo but did not have a double time with the drums. I don’t think the bass had a double-time feel during the whole piece. The bass did have quite a few interesting rhythmic figures like triplets or dotted eights/sixteenths but always returned to a single-4 beat walking bass line.

me: so this is basically to see how well you listen to music to pick out different instrumentation and stuff?

Jarrod: yeah, now I am listening to 7 songs, picking my favorite, and which one I would do with a beginning band

me: and of course, why it is your favorite and why you would choose it for the band

Jarrod: yah

me: is putting something like, “it just warms my heart when I hear it” acceptable?

Jarrod: no….that would have been fine at MNU….not here

me: how about “the drum beat makes me want to bust a move” ?

Jarrod: lol…no

me: or “I like it because it would be great music to make out with a woman to”

Jarrod: nah, we don’t listen to Barry White in here

me: You should. Any guy can look sexy to a woman if Barry White is playing in the background

Jarrod: hahaha

me: how do you think I got Carol to marry me?

ND