The Opera Gene

[Fistandantalus]

The Opera Gene is not exactly a musical gift, it's more of a tendency toward musicalizing everyday events and it comes with a flair for the dramatic.  Everyone in my immediate family has The Opera Gene, and it manifests itself in many, many ways.

In me, The Opera Gene showed itself at age five, when I composed a song entitled "It's Cold On Jupiter" that won me a free ice cream sundae at the local Baskin-Robbins.  My sister Sarah got the more moody and thoughtful form of The Gene which caused her to be able to amuse herself for hours making up little ditties such as her famous composition "Newts":

Newts, newts, living in the roots.  Newts, newts, wearing furry boots.  Newts, newts, playing silver flutes.  Newts, newts, getting in cahoots....(goes on for 20 minutes or until we get to our violin lesson, whichever comes first.)

My youngest sister Molly got the most aggressive form of The Gene, being so affected that she took part in school musicals (even though she only made the chorus most of the time) and at the age of seven put together her own television program (on videotape) entitled "The One Hand Man", starring Lego People.  Molly also enjoys mastering strange musical instruments, such as the kazoo, the ukulele, the Cajun Squeezebox and the theremin.

Both my parents have The Opera Gene.  My mother is genuinely musically gifted but my father has the off-brand form of the gene that causes people to make up song parodies at the drop of a hat and as his musical tastes lean towards actual opera, we'd often get work from him like "Don't Sing At The Table", which is set to the tune of De Meistersinger and goes simply "Don't sing at the table, don't sing at the table."  From him also came "I'm In The Middle" set to the tune of Overture from The Barber of Seville and is just "I'm in the middle, I'm in the middle, I'm in the middle, the middle, the miiiidllllle..." and was typically performed by anyone who was sitting in between two other people.

The kids both have The Opera Gene as well.  Nigel tends to sing softly to himself as he's doing everyday tasks: "I'm making the bed, making the bed duh duuuh duh duuh, making the bed for laaaaaterrr..."  MJ enjoys strapping on a Guitar Hero guitar and air-banding her way through songs such as "The Final Countdown" just so she can pretend to be crushing out an awesome solo at the appropriate time. 

I find The Opera Gene to be a real stress-reliever ever since I went back to school.  Before the Foley catheter check-off last semester, I calmed myself down by putting relevant words to the chorus of one of MJ's all-time fave-rave songs "All The Single Ladies": "If you cannot piddle I will put a tube in it, if you cannot piddle I will put a tube in it..."  Yesterday, everyone on my row was freaking out before the first Medical-Surgical exam, and I was soothing my jangled nerves by putting new words into "Singin' In The Rain"'s famous song "Good Morning": "Got my Scantron, got my pencil, time to take the test!  If I flunk it I can study hard, and get A's on all the rest, Good Morning, Good Moooorning..."  It's gotten to the point where my classmates will actually ask me "Got a song for us today?" 

We check off on I.V. insertion next week.  Maybe I can work that into "Eye Of The Tiger" somehow...

 

[Bridger]

Jan. 23, 2010 at 2:02 PM

ahahaha. The Eye of the Tiger! You're too awesome Liz!

[KTMOM]

Jan. 23, 2010 at 2:28 PM

The Opera Gene.  I like it. 

We too have something similar around here.  Songs come out of the strangest and most bizarre things and we get looked at like we are crazy a lot.  Oh well.  :)

[MelanieLouise]

Jan. 23, 2010 at 4:44 PM

You're adorable.

[briarraindancer]

Jan. 24, 2010 at 10:41 AM

Everyone in my house has the Opera Gene too. It's a shame other people aren't similarly afflicted. Just makes life more fun.

[HistoryMamaX3]

Jan. 24, 2010 at 11:13 AM

My husband and children have all been curse blessed with the similar gene. Darling husband makes up random songs for no reason other than to make noise- We've been contacted by the school in regards to the fact that sometimes the girl now breaks out into song for no apparent reason during the day- sometimes distracting those around her with her awesomeness. It makes her teacher giggle.

[Lb128f]

Jan. 25, 2010 at 12:30 AM

Cute!

[ErikaRobin]

Jan. 25, 2010 at 8:22 AM

I agree with Briar's statement!   It's evident in the examples you gave, that it just makes life more fun. 

Your life is more than a sitcom, Liz.  Opera.  That's it.   :)