FAQs

What nationality is your last name?

Polish. On my dad’s side, my grandpa was Polish and my grandma was Irish. On my mom’s side I’m Swedish and Pennsylvania Dutch. I’m never entirely sure which side is which. Except the sense of humor is very Irish sometimes.

How do you pronounce it?

Make believe the second “z” is slient. Say “Paz – di – Or -a.” Not hard at all once you’re used to it. If you speak Polish, you say it in three syllables, and the “dzi” makes a “j” sound: “Pahz-djoer-uh.”

Are you interested in writing music for my….?

…movie? drama? church? orchestra? choir? solo instrument? solo voice? Sure; I’ve got experience with all of the above. Contact me with the particulars.

Would you like to come do a concert or lead worship at our church, venue, or event?

More than likely, especially if you’re reasonably close to the Chicagoland area. Of course it depends on your church, venue, or event. But if you think I’d be a good fit for you, probably I will. Use this contact page and we can discuss it further.

Is it all right if I print out or copy one of your articles for my personal use?

Of course. In fact, you’ll find “print” and “email” buttons under each post, along with the Facebook and Twitter sharing buttons.

Is it all right if I copy part of one of your articles for my website or blog?

Generally yes, as long as (1) it’s not for commercial use, (2) you credit me as the author, (3) you give a link to the source, and (3.14) it’s not some content-scraping spammy “link farm” bot site. When in doubt, just ask first.

Are there any rules and guidelines for commenting on this site?

I love getting comments, so feel free to leave your thoughts. However: Don’t post spam. Remember your manners. Dissenting viewpoints are welcome; antagonistic attacks, not so much. Since it’s my site, I reserve the right to delete any comments and ban any commenters that are obscene, inflammatory, hateful, vindictive, rude, trollish, or otherwise offensive. (I also get to define those terms.) In a word, this site is a bully-free zone. We love everybody, so if you play nice, you’ll have nothing to worry about, and I’ll be very happy you stopped by.

I’ve got a question or an idea for something you should write. Are you interested?

Sure. I can’t make any promises, but I’d love to hear what you think. Contact me, as usual.

How ironic is it that the answer to about half these FAQs is “Contact Me”?

Just trying to show I’m accessible. Gosh.

Seriously, how do you pronounce that last name?

OK, try this one: You’re walking down a long dark corridor trying to get somewhere, and all of a sudden you see in front of you a radiant shimmering multicolored light. It’s really beautiful, but the place you’re trying to get to is still a long way off. What do you need to do? Answer: Pass the aura. If you can remember that, you can pronounce “Pazdziora.”

That name sounds familiar; is your wife a singer?

And a very good one too. Check out her website: http://www.carriepaz.com

Do people spell your name wrong?

Ya think? I’ve gotten letters addressed to Pazadora and Pazdiora and Padziora and Pazdora and Padorza and Padzorea and Pazdora and Pazior and once even Casteroa, which I still haven’t figured out. I’m never offended by it, of course–it’s not like it’s a terribly common name. But then, who’d want to hear music from a composer with a boring name? So my brilliant scheme is to insert all of those misspellings into a sentence so that it will show up in search engines and you can still find the site. Did it work?