Journal Entries
Oct. 8-What a great day yesterday was...
Posted Oct 8, 2000
Yesterday was a blast. Sure, it started bad enough. I had to get to school by ten in the morning (Saturdays should never be spent before ten, in my opinion), so that I could get my instrument, uniform, books, etc. ready for a long band trip. We managed to get a run-through of our first two songs before leaving. This years show was called "Broadway Showstoppers", and we play/march The Phantom Of The Opera (from Phantom Of The Opera), The Old Gumbie Cat (from Cats), Somewhere (from Westside Story), and highlight songs from Miss Saigon (such as The Overture, Sun & Moon, American Dream, etc.). Anyway, after the first two songs, we loaded the bus, and left.
When we got to the first competition (yes, you heard me: two competitions in one day), we put on our uniforms and marched. I used the term marching loosely. We pseudo-marched the show, marched off the field, went to the busses, changed back into our regular clothes, went back to watch other bands play, and then watch the awards ceremony. All the while we were telling each other how bad we did, and wondering what punishment the Band Director would have for us.
Then came the judging. Much to our surprise, we were one of the only two bands that got a first rating! We were extatic, and we ran back to the busses, jumped on, drove for about an hour, and then celebrated in this handy area just off the highway where we could buy fast food from McDonalds, Burger King, Pizza Hut, Long John Silvers, and about twelve other fast food joints. We ate and partied and celebrated for an entire hour before we had to get in the busses again and go to the next competition.
This competition wasn't as important, but we were still a little nervous. However, our first victory of the day gave us a strange feeling of confidence and unity that we didn't have before. For the first time in the entire year, we were truly a band. A group of people who all had their minds set in the same direction, towards the one goal. I can't explain it any better than that. I guess you just had to be there. 
Oh, and one other thing: because it was raining and snowing on and off, we wore the marching raincoats over our uniforms. And guess what? They helped a lot. The uniforms, while they *did* show that we were all members of the band, only helped show how different we were. Uniforms were larger for taller people, more rugged for those who were in band longer (in other words, those with seniority), etc. But these uniforms were all exactly the same, and just multiplied that feeling of unity and togetherness a dozen times over. We were all incredibly psyched and then finally, it was time for us to go to the field.
We got into our lines, and the drum majors asked whether we would prefer to walk to the fied, or march. "MARCH!" we shouted together. We marched, (very well, in fact) and had fun. We marched to the field (it was a pretty long march, and so we all got lots of exercize in the process), and got onto the field. The judges gave us the signal to begin, and we marched out, played our warm-up tune, and then the judging began.
You have never felt togetherness unless you've done something like this. That old phrase "Too many cooks spoil the broth" is sometimes effective, but not there, not then. We made mistakes, yes, but the skills and other mistakes of our comrades truly helped us all to look better. We had progressed from the form of band that was math and harsh words to the part of band that was art and beauty. When we finished marching, each of us could probably list dozens of mistakes, but we felt so great! Not one of us would be capable of saying that it was not our best show of the year.
Needless to say, we got a first on our ranking, as well as two special awards for our music and appearance (once again, I think the raincoats helped their, along with our horn flashes, and different styles we used in some of the swing melodies), and went home feeling like we were the rulers of the galaxy.
Before leaving, we had one more moment of unity. We all sang a song together (I can't remember the song or the words, however) that had, apparently, been taught at the band camp I was unable to attend. But the simple lyrics and good mindset of everyone else allowed me to easily guess what the next words would be, so I was able to sing the beautiful melody with the rest of my band.
On the way home, I managed to get a few people to sing some Weird Al songs (The Night Santa Went Crazy, The Saga Begins, Harvey The Wonder Hampster), but it was an otherwise uneventful trip home. When we got back, there were still a few hours left before anyone would really feel the need to get to sleep (it was about 9:30 by the time I got home).
And then, that wonderful, beautiful day was topped off by what happened when I woke up today: it was snowing outside my window. It's been a long time since I'd seen snow that hard, so it was great. It looked like a postcard outside the living room window. You know, once in a while, real life isn't that bad. There was a period in my life when I couldn't see the hope. I knew it was there, I had friends, but I didn't know what that hope was, aside from the promise of a better life once this one ends. But mark my words, through the depression and the coldness brought on by the cloudy mists of life, you will be able to find the true meanings of what joy is, if only you look for it and don't let the discouraging things in life discourage you. If you're feeling low, believe me, you can get up again.
The only problem is that you have to actually leave h2g2 to do it. Oh, well. At least you'll be able to put something nice in your journal entry when you come back.
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Latest reply: Oct 8, 2000
Backlog
Posted Jul 22, 2000
Usually, I consider this word to represent something which must be avoided as much as possible. But I just spent several minutes reading through an old forum (the one in Crater Labs when Lil was designing the CLI float for the parade and moved her studio to the second story of the main building in the CLI complex), and it was like watching an old home-video recording, and reminiscing on old times.
It's strange. Usually time on a computer can be called "wasted". But has h2g2 perhaps become a possible way to have a virtual life that can be as fulfilling and satisfying as real life?
No, it isn't. Not near as much fun as real life is (referring, of course, to when life is going well). However, I think I just saw something that made me smile inwardly more than I have in a few days: this plays permanantly stores memories to be as clear in the future as they were when posted. I actually relived that early CLI experience. Nice to know that, when I'm growing older and want to remember what I was like in my teens, I can just log on to h2g2 and read backlog to actually see what my life was like. It's not real life, and it may in fact be wasting my life, but it's nice to know that I'm at least getting *something* from sitting at h2g2 for a few hours every day, instead of *really* wasting my time on other web sites. Just food for thought.
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Latest reply: Jul 22, 2000
July 15: My BIRTHDAY!!!
Posted Jul 15, 2000
Well, the title says it all. I think I'll just have a few friends over to watch a few "Weird Al" movies, open presents, eat food, and enjoy myself.
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Latest reply: Jul 15, 2000
July 8th: Harry Potter IV
Posted Jul 8, 2000
Guess what? Last night at my local book store, there was a "Harry Potter Party" with lots of games, contests, refreshments, and (when the clock struck 12:01) they would pass out the first copies of Harry Potter in the city! Anyway, there was a costume contest, and I entered. For some reason, I was the only one who thought to dress as a Dementor.
Anyway, I won the contest, and guess what the prize was: the *FIRST COPY OF HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE IN THE CITY*!!! I've never one anything as impressive as *THAT* before!
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Latest reply: Jul 8, 2000
Ranch Work
Posted Mar 14, 2000
Well, I was called to build a house for Sunbelt Christian Youth Ranch. Being the good fellow I am (yeah, right) I skipped a day of school for a weekend long vacation. On the way there, I learned that I was actually going to be prying nails and staples out of used wood, and moving a pile of tree from one place to another.
On the way there, both cars in our caravan were stopped for speeding, were assaulted by hail, heavy rain, and near tornado speed winds. It calmed down as soon as we got to the Ranch.
The next day, the leader of our expedition cut himself with a chainsaw, and several of my friends injured themselves. I got stiff legs, arms, and back from prying nails and staples, as well as moving a pile of tree from one place to another.
On the plus side, I managed to trick a few people into playing a game of seven card mau. That's reward enough for anything.
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Latest reply: Mar 14, 2000
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