Etc.

My brother plays the ukulele

There must be something about Britain that impels people to abandon what they were doing for a living and pursue careers in music. For instance, Paul Potts. He was a modest cellphone salesman in Wales when he won the "Britain's Got Talent" competition last spring and now is singing grand opera. Now comes Aleksander Kudajczyk. Wait, you say: Kudajczyk isn't an English name. No, but Aleksander couldn't pay his bills back home in Poland by making music. So he emigrated to Scotland and took a job at Glasgow University as a janitor, because – even at $203 a week – that offered "a better life." OK, there was one fringe benefit: When his shift ended, he was permitted to play the piano in the chapel if he liked. But that was mostly to keep in practice. Or, at least that was the case until June, when a chapel secretary logged on to the webcam mounted overhead and saw Kudajczyk at the keyboard. She e-mailed friends, urging them to catch the act, too. Within days, he had an audience of hundreds of people he didn't realize were there. Soon, there followed invitations to play at charity benefits, dinner parties, and recitals. Now he's in negotiations for a recording contract. Last Friday, he felt comfortable enough to quit his day job. He handed in his mop and bucket and left with a few choice words. "I am grateful to everyone who has helped me," he said. "They have been very kind."