Best Weekend Ever

According to the kids in the band, this was the "best weekend ever." Things did come out rather magically for them, and I actually had a good time, too.

Friday was the homecoming game. The tradition is for the cool kids to buy or make each other these "mums," which no longer have actual mums like they did when I was a teen. It's all plastic. Here is Beccano wearing one that his friend J. gave him to wear because he hadn't managed to give it to his intended recipient.

Here we see J's girlfriend, who although a freshman, seems to have gotten the spirit big time, huh? That is how you kept seeing kids--some had so many "mums" that they were weighed down, or had created special holders for them. Not my favorite tradition.


Another tradition is the homecoming football game. Tuba Boy and Debate Boy came to that and wandered around getting hugged. You had to find something to do, because the football game was just pitiful. Neither team had any defensive line (our team has three very large boys on crutches at the moment--so large they were in the newspaper!) which could explain our issue. So, there was lots of scoring and watching the quarterbacks run around looking for someone to throw to, since there was no one able to sack them. We enjoyed the other team's band show at halftime, and were thrilled when Homecoming King was the drumline captain.

And we were shocked when after the other team scored a touchdown at the last minute, their kicker missed the extra point, letting our team win their first homecoming game in 6 years. Not exactly a stirring victory, but it counts. Then, at the end, when it was our band's turn to play, their band LEFT (which NEVER happens--we watched the other team last week when it was their homecoming). And worse, their coach kept their football team on the field after the band was announced, and had them doing jumping jacks in front of the band. Then apparently they made threats and spit on the band. Yeah, like the band kids had anything at all to do with their defeat. I am still working on the letter to the principal of that school. What bad sports.

Saturday continued being good. I ditched the kids and spent some time at the yarn shop, which I hadn't done in a long time, and that was good. After that I had a "lunch/dinner" in the middle of the afternoon with two other band moms. We decided we did NOT want to eat any more stadium food, so we got Mexican and figured it would hold us all evening. It did. And I listened to a LOT of band mom gossip!

Then all us band parents loaded into buses and went to Kyle, Texas for another competition. Although it was not rained out, it sure was nippy out. We watched a LOT of bands, some of them with pretty spectacular shows. All sorts of props, sound effects and such. But, when they finally got around to announcing the results, we were sad. They announced all the people in our group through second place and still hadn't mentioned our school. We figured we didn't even merit a teeny little trophy. But, no! The announcer said our band was first in its class. What we hadn't realized is that the last three bands were in a larger category than us (didn't even know there WERE bigger high schools). Now, you may recall that in the last competition, our kids came in last. So, we were (and are) pretty shocked, but for once in a good way.

I must say they did look and sound better. Obviously practice helped, and I think the slackers were intimidated into trying (and some kids were taken out). I was really happy the color guard won, even though they had inadvertently left their sabers at the school. They looked very good with the "air sabers" and didn't drop a one of them!

Sunday I'd planned to spend with my friend Jody, but she didn't feel well. But, the yarn shop was open in the afternoon for the yarn crawl, so I headed over there for some laughs and that, along with working some extra, filled the day. I didn't go to church, because being out in the wind and cold for two nights had ruined my throat. I didn't have much voice!

The most fun I had, though, was getting to go to Waterloo Records with both my kids. I really treasure any time I can spend with Tuba Boy, now, so getting to do stuff with him on his fall break was nice. We all got CDs and listened to parts of them, then had a nice Chinese dinner. I was glad that Tuba Boy insisted I go, even when I hadn't felt like it. And I got more knitting in (I was making mitts for a band kid).

The other good part of the weekend was that I got to talk to Lee a bit more, since he wasn't working the night shift on the weekend. Three weeks is LONG. I hope he makes it!

So, that about catches you up from rainy and chilly Austin. Back to your other blog reading!

Rain Rain for Homecoming

We had a few nice, if muggy days, but today it rained a LOT. Looks like it's drying off just in time for the Homecoming football game, which will be good! I am looking forward to having Tuba Boy home for a few days on his "fall break." I know he will be busy seeing friends and I will be doing a bunch of stuff too (marching band contests stop for no one), but it will be nice to know he's home for a bit. With Lee out of town, I will take all the large male relatives I can get to fill the house!

And here's a photo of him and Beccano from last week when we visited his college. Each of them had bought the same mirrored sunglasses, separately, and had wanted to show the other one their purchase. Cute. I know Beccano will be glad to have his brother around to go places with this weekend and Monday. I guess I don't have Monday off, but I can work from home, at least.

It's been another busy, busy week of meetings and more meetings. But, an advantage of them is sometimes you get to see newborn babies. This is Fiona at 11 days old. She is blurry because she is a Wiggle Worm! Flings herself back and forth all the time. I do love that name, and it reminds me of a friend we had when my kids were very little. Fiona was a great friend who moved back to England when her husband's time with the weird mathematical software company was over. But we sewed, cooked, knitted and chatted a lot while she was here!


I am excited, because next month I get to start a new tarot and spirituality group. I'll get to resurrect the tarot blog, I guess! Probably I should record the reading I did last week on there, too.

I am looking forward to the next week or so, because Beccano and I got some good food to eat at home, and I don't have quite so many meetings. That will be nice. I've been decluttering a little bit each day, but still, there is a lot to do. I can tell that my bedroom and the media room look better, though! And that is what counts.

I'll try to write more after weekend fun.

Labor Day. Hmph. Building Dedication. Yay.

It is Labor Day in the US. This holiday honors workers. Well, some of them. It honors workers with traditional jobs that have paid holidays, benefits, and such. These lucky folks get a paid day off work every September to rest, shop and hang out with their families.

However, in the US, more and more companies are outsourcing the kind of work I do. That is how Lee lost the job he had when we met. Those of us doing instructional design, tech writing or editing who were laid off from that particular company (and there were more just a week or two ago) are now wandering around Austin looking for work. Most of us need to settle for contract work. ALE only lets you work 9 months at a time, then you must take three months off. Other places have shorter or longer terms. But you never get to relax a bit and concentrate on a job--you are either just learning one or winding down and frantically looking for another one.

And what do contractors do on Labor Day? We sit at home and lose money. No pay for us. I am not sure how Labor Day is honoring us. And gosh, I hope none of us get sick or hurt on Labor Day, since we have no insurance. And it feels so good knowing most of our country's citizens do not give a hoot if we have any or not. If we wanted insurance, we should just go out and get a REAL job. Um, do you have one for me?

I sound bitter. I am trying not to be bitter. It's hard seeing how people in the US are dividing themselves into factions and picking on each other. Respect has been replaced by fear. Fear of each other and our elected officials. Wow, I did not approve of practically anything our previous administration did, but I did not attack his fans, make up reasons to hate anything he did, or prevent my children from listening to him.

Let's talk about something else.

Look, here are some nice photos. This is Rebecca, our choir director at church, hoping she can avoid talking (she didn't) at a really nice ceremony we had that dedicated the music building (an old school portable building) at our church to our beloved founding member, Bill Sauber. He left us a good amount of money for our music programs when he passed away, so we decided to honor him by dedicating the building to him.


Joe, our music committee chair, read Bill's obituary (from 2005), and then 4 or 5 of us shared some memories.
Here I am with the sign we had made and a couple of pictures of Bill. He was a great musician and very intelligent man. I learned a lot from singing with him. He also was an original member of our church, back when it was a lot of fun and very family oriented. Sorry the photo is blurry--no one believes me when I tell them they have to hold the phone still when taking photos with it!

Ricky, the choir director's husband and official church carpenter, hung the sign. What you don't see are all the "helpers" telling him exactly where to hang it. That was pretty funny. Thanks to Sam for taking the picture when my camera filled up.


Lots of good stuff has happened this weekend, tempering my bitterness. Tuba Boy came home for dinner both Saturday and Sunday nights, and I really enjoyed getting to hear how he is doing, what fun he's having, and what he's learning. I really cracked up when he told me in great detail about how he and his dorm companions built a fort in the common area. What a hoot. They are all crawling in there and watching movies on their laptops. Lots of kid left in those young adults!

And as I mentioned on my knitting blog, I taught a bunch of people at a MENSA conference yesterday. Everyone was darned nice and they had some interesting sessions, like clock making. They also had a margarita machine, so they seemed like a fun bunch. I am glad a nice family from church invited me to do this!

Oh, and it rained twice this weekend. Unfortunately one of those welcome rain events (we are in the worst drought in like a hundred years) came during this Friday's football game. Lots of lightning kept the players and band in shelter (buses for us) for about 1.5 hours, but eventually they let us out and had the game. As you can see, it did rain. Don't we look festive in our yellow?

Not only were we wet, but the game was awful. Whew, our team was bad. That always makes sitting on hard aluminum even less fun! On the other hand, it has also been the hottest summer ever here, and the rain kept the temperatures down. So, it could be worse!

More updates next week!

Trying to Be Cheery

I was saddened to hear that a friend passed away this week. Worried about her husband, their future, etc. Anyway, thinking of Becky's loved ones.

So, to cheer up, here is Beccano's school percussion section playing in a contest. Sure, you can vote for them, if you'd like, but I thought you might enjoy the new band uniforms and his banging (he is the one with all the red hair playing vibraphone).



Yes, marching band season is upon us. The first game was last night, in far-away College Station. We took nice buses, so it was not too bad. The game was really fun--it appeared as if it would be a LONG night, as the other team just scored and scored in the first half. But, then, our team woke up and actually got ahead by a point. But, just for a few minutes. A last-minute try to go back ahead failed, but it was yet another exciting night of Texas high school football. You never know what will happen! The band looked fine, though from the back it was hard to tell what was happening with the show. Next week should be better, and they'll know more. I do enjoy hanging out with the kids. It was so good to be back with "my" bus kids, though I miss the ones that aren't there.

I am glad Lee started his new "real" job. It is a relief to have benefits again. I am wondering how it will go with him traveling so much, but I hope that won't go on too long. It sounds like he will be gone most of October, the big month of band festivals.

And I miss Tuba Boy. I did get to review his first college paper, though, and was quite proud of how well his writing has improved. Still a few too many big words, but I think I wrote like that at 18, myself.

Catch-up 1: Band Banquet

I got behind on all my blogging, so I am going to post separate posts about some of the recent events. One fun thing (sort of) that we did was attend the band banquet held for the kids' band. It was much bigger than it had been in the past, which led to some issues--the food lines were so long that a lot of people just decided to not eat.

But Tuba Boy and Brilliant Girlfriend both looked lovely for the occasion. Such young adults! Another of their debate friends came (Future Roommate), so she had someone to talk to during the endless awards and such. We also had at our table two moms--Future Roommate's mom (and my future college parenting buddy) and the mother of one of Beccano's friends, because he didn't want her sitting with him. The rest of our table was the older members of the tuba section. A lot of very tall, funny young men.
Here is an example of how nicely the band kids cleaned up--two of my bus buddies looking very distinguished! The one on the left is the one whose mom I sat with. I am so proud of these kids--they really brighten my day, and it was fun to hear what "awards" they got nominated for.

Here are two other denizens of the sophomore buddies' table. Beccano was fairly gracious about the fact that he had to do the banquet on his birthday. He even smiled as they sang happy birthday to him (this really impressed his friends, who didn't know that Tuba Boy and I had arranged it). I love this photo, because it looks like the two friends are mirror images of each other. R. had just cut all his hair off, and Beccano has not. And their shirts and ties are opposite. They looked so cute together.
I wore my extremely orange dress. I look like I am wearing wallpaper. But, even though my closet is 50% lighter right now, I kept it. I need a couple of dresses! I am with Lisa, who as always looks really, really nice. Her older son who is Tuba Boy's age went to another high school (arts magnet), but her younger one is at our school, so we got to hang out!
The banquet went on and on and on and on, and the food was really watery Mexican-ish stuff. But, it was so nice to see this happy group of seniors get their due. It was worth it. We had some very good musicians, but also some very hard workers. I know their band experience will benefit them in the future, even if they don't do more music.

Senior Moments

There hasn't been much going on with me other than a lot of work, then a lot of rest. I guess that's the pattern. Either they don't need me or they need me 12 hours a day. Hmm. But, with Tuba Boy's last couple of weeks of school in full gear, we've been doing lots of school stuff.

Thursday was the debate banquet. At this event, the star debaters get to give speeches (Tuba Boy's partner and girlfriend did, but not him), then the teacher makes a tribute to each. These were enjoyable, even if Tuba Boy was called a "space alien." In this photo, Tuba Boy is second from left on the bottom, and Brilliant Girlfriend is center on the top row. TB's partner is far left and his future roommate in college is third from the right on the bottom row. The teacher, who is moving on to law school, is on TB's other side. The one in the yellow shirt and tie is the most decorated debate student in the school's history, and the reason they are all going to the national tournament to cheer him on this summer.

I think debate was really a great thing for TB, even if he wasn't the star student. He did well this year, and has really learned an incredible amount of information about history, politics, philosophy and argumentation. He's a lot easier to talk to now--his arguments make sense. And he met some great kids--the team really is like a family, which they stressed over and over. This is probably the thing I am most glad he did in high school. And looking this bunch over, I realize that I have known at least three of those kids since first grade, and a couple of others since elementary school. Wow. They grew.



The next night was the band concert. We got there early to hear the jazz band, which has some of my bus buddies on it, including the only girl, who is on keyboards. I know she listens to music all the time at home (she calls her dad and his friends "The Singing Asians" and says they sing way too long and hard). I'm glad she's getting the chance to do jazz! They sounded so good. I wish more folks heard them.

Then came Beccano's band, the lowest one on the totem pole, which he was put in to be the rhythmic heart, or something like that. You can see his flaming hair, front and center. Well, he was the only percussionist in that band who actually showed up at the concert, which is good because he had a rather difficult and quite audible snare part. I am proud of him for sticking with this change of band, which messed up his schedule and contributed to his English class problems. Ahem. I will move on.

Tuba Boy was in wind ensemble again this year. He was in it during 10th grade, then "demoted" last year after he had all the trouble pining for that first girl he liked, who left him for a "bad boy." Here he is second tuba from the left, though I guess you can't see them in the picture. Their concert has one song that was fairly unpleasant, but ended with a rousing march, the most familiar one to most people, "National Emblem March." What was special about that was the guest conductor was a lady whose friends bid at a silent auction on the chance to conduct the band on one song--she had been a music minor and always wanted to be a band director, but instead became a high-powered lawyer. She did a fine job, and is being congratulated in the photo.
As always, though, the best part of band is the friends. Though we miss Parker since the rock band break-up fiasco, Beccano still has some great friends, like these guys. I am glad to know these kids, too. And after the concert, both my fine sons and Brilliant Girlfriend joined us at Mesa Rosa for a really fun dinner. We all have so much fun laughing and telling stories together. No matter what else goes wrong, these kids cheer me up!

Our final photo is just some evidence that the kids have a lot of fun with each other. Beccano awoke from a nap one day last week to find that TB and Brilliant Girlfriend had decorated his room with this lovely clingy Ariel thing. It certainly fits in with the underwater theme of his room--note that he recently installed blue lights in his fixture. Sadly, she's fallen down and I don't think she will be replaced, especially since Beccano had a female friend visit yesterday and that ain't too macho.

We have no photos yet from the rest of the weekend, but did go see Jeff play at a fancy restaurant Saturday night during a downpour. We almost didn't get in (Lee, Beccano, Martha from church and I), because we were told the music area was full. Well, I sauntered over to say hi to Jeff before we left, and found the room had space--it had been reserved for the "Austin Social Club," and the lady in charge gave us seats. That was so nice of her! Plus, we met a couple of nice middle-aged ladies and had some good conversation. So, that was a success. We even went out for ice cream afterwards. Since Martha's daughter was supposed to be with her that weekend but had to go to a funeral instead, it was good that we could take her out and cheer her up. It is simply good that we can be friends after all we've gone through!

The rest of the long weekend (US Memorial Day) has been full of planting some new plants, resting and for Lee, at least, a long motorcycle ride. I taught a lady to knit contenental and helped sell some yarn at the shop. Keeps me out of trouble.

Pondering/Optimistic

I was pondering a few things today. One is why do certain songs get stuck in your head and not others? For me, a VERY frequent one is the theme song from The Late, Late Show with Craig Ferguson. It is apparently the catchiest song I know. It pops into my head with great regularity, even though I have not seen the show in over two years, since Lee likes to go to bed much earlier than I used to go to bed. Anyway, always remember, "Tomorrow's just your future yesterday!"

Then in a more somber vein, I was pondering why so many completely able-bodied individuals insist on using the handicapped toilets at work. Sure, if you have hip issues, obesity, or the more usual use of a wheelchair, it makes sense. But the last few people I have seen exiting have been perky, thin and quite spry of foot. And no, they weren't obviously changing out of gym clothing or anything, either. Perhaps they are using mental handicaps as justification? I mean, really, what if someone who truly has trouble getting up and down from a regular toilet came in and had to wait? I would be so embarrassed.

In optimism, my boss once again mentioned to me that they hope to make my job permanent. Even in today's climate! They do have enough work for me. And I do like this job. I just had to type this, because regular readers have been subjected to my work whines for so many years now--I just have to share positive work news as well. I have had a great week of alpha testing a curriculum with my two coworkers, and the people who helped were really great--we are actually going to end up with some training we can be proud of, not just something "good enough."

Tonight brings the kids' winter band concert. Ah, the traditional rendition of "Sleigh Ride." I hope the director doesn't get pissed off again and not read the Cajun Night before Christmas like he did last year. I was so disappointed to miss it.

Adventures with Chocolate Skittles

Or: not much exciting to blog about today.

After the excitement of the house turning into a pumpkin, everything seems dull by comparison. The good news is the house is now mainly tan again, though the garage doors are the festive rusty pumpkin color. We will show you photos when it's all done.

The dogs are not happy with us because they have been trapped in the house all day for a few days now, thanks to long band events Friday, Saturday and Monday--meaning way too much cooped up time. They showed this by finding a box of gel pens and chewing them to pieces. And pooping festively, perhaps in an attempt to hide the ink damage. No, they can't think that cunningly. Non cunning canines. The dining room carpet cannot be saved. So, we hope for lots of Home Depot gift cards in our near future, to purchase flooring. I need to get Rose some things to chew on.

Last night's excitement was Festival of Bands, which would have been more festive if it hadn't been freaking cold. For Texas. I got the shivers, just like last year. Besides, I had seen each high school's marching show more than once already. But, I had fun sitting with my knitting buddies Deana and Pilar, and seeing how long I could knit before my hands froze. We each rooted for our own school, plus Westwood, where I also know some kids. That means we had all the high schools covered!

Anyhow, today's work excitement has been new candy for my Big Bowl of Self Esteem, which always has some sort of treat in it, either contributed by me or a coworker. I had to buy a lot of salsa for Tuba Boy's debate tournament, and went to the store at lunch to get it. While there, I noticed the ample displays of not-very-cheap Halloween candy, the kind I usually don't get, since I wait until after Halloween to get whatever is left over on discount. There I saw my beloved almond Snickers. And the Twix that the Big Boss likes. And…chocolate Skittles. What a concept. Well, I could not resist. The reaction at work was definitely mixed…

The first person who saw them was appalled. Skittles can't be chocolate. "That kind of defeats the purpose of Skittles, doesn't it?" I had to agree. That guy just took all the left over Pay Day bars that another guy had brought yesterday. Next, the woman across from me (soon to be next to me, 'cause we move on Friday) just had to try them. She went over to her desk, and a half hour later came back to report on which flavors she liked best (chocolate pudding and vanilla). By the way, vanilla is not a flavor of chocolate, last I heard, folks at Skittles HQ. She had carefully sorted her little bag by color and taste tested them. Along came Daredevil (the guy with the giant racing motorcycle, fanciest road bike I ever saw, BMW M5, etc.). He just had to try. Two minutes later he comes up, chewing hard. "Hey, I thought these were going to be chocolate, but they're chewy!" he mumbled. Yes, in his daredevil fashion, he had put them all in his mouth, assuming they'd melt, like M and Ms. He looked like a baseball player with his wad of chew. We had a good laugh over the male vs. female candy sampling styles.

I actually haven't tried the Chocolate Skittles yet. I ate sushi for lunch and bought some delicious cookies (which I will take home for the family, never fear) so I was rather full. I saved one bag for me, in case someone takes them all after I go home!

House of Scariness

House Before
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Here, at last is a photo of why we are having home repairs done. Look at that trim. Not good. Well, it was moving right along, but yesterday I returned to an early Halloween scare. Due to some miscommunication, the workers had painted the entire back and sides of the house in what was supposed to be the subtle second trim color, a rusty brick color.

The back of the house looks like one big pumpkin. A real Halloween scare. We have things cleared up now, and the siding will be tan again, with green main trim and the rust color secondary trim. Oh whew. I will be putting up a photo of the incredible orangeness of the house later this evening, so come back if you read this without the additional photos.

Things have just been a bit wonky these days, but at least there are also highlights.

Bad: The general contractor's sister's house burned down last week.
Good: We just have an orange house. It's still all there.

Bad: I missed Tuba Boy's counseling appointment about going to college.
Good: His senior pictures came in. Lots. Need one? Let me know!

Bad: The band did not make the finals at the Area UIL contest.
Good: They still did a GREAT job, and we had a nice Chinese dinner, along with Guitar Girl, afterwards. The spirited conversation and how much we confused the waiter raised all our spirits. Plus we came up with a great new nickname for Guitar Girl. One that goes over well with some, not others.

Bad: I won't get to do my volunteering at the party HQ Monday evening.
Good: That is because I had written the date of Festival of Bands wrong, so we will be seeing the marching one more time tomorrow. And Deana will come, too! I hope I don't cry again. I cried at the contest yesterday because it was Tuba Boy's last.

Bad: We can't write our wedding service this week, and Tuba Boy won't be there for senior night with the band (last home game).
Good: That's because he has to be responsible for lots of stuff at the debate tournament our school is hosting, and because I am going to help prepare food for it Thursday night.

Bad: Next week is so, so busy.
Good: I got lots of wedding stuff done this week, so that load is less, plus my dad booked his flight and will arrive Thanksgiving morning, plus my friend Janet in Arkansas is going to join us for Thanksgiving! I am really happy to have family and friends for that holiday, not having to eat at a cafeteria.

Bad: We still don't have the wedding service planned and the songbook to the main song I want seems to have gone walkabout.
Good: All the attendants seem to have found their outfits. Each has something with vaguely the correct color. And Bill thinks he can figure the song out.

Well, that should do for now. I will add to this lovely post a picture of how crazy Lee and I are feeling right now!

Interesting Voting Stats

My friend the yarn dyer in Houston posted this link to how many people in various Texas counties have voted in the early voting. It's only the fourth day and over 7% in my county have voted.

People sure are interested. We have an old dude at our early voting location who hates to type, so he gives anyone who shows up with their driver's license in hand rather than their voter registration card (even though you ARE allowed to use the DL). My coworker who is my neighbor had the misfortune to have her DL not scan, so had to delay many people while he painfully typed in her info. I sure was amused to find him working when I went in to vote. It was nice to hear people all being positive about the experience. All the people in line seemed genuinely happy to have the chance to participate.

I was going to do some volunteer work on Monday at the party HQ, but forgot there is yet another band event that night (I had put it on the wrong date in my calendar). I will let them know, and instead do some of the "get out and vote" calls to members of my own party (I really don't want to get yelled at too much, and that should help).

I am even getting a bit band-weary myself, though looking forward to the Area competition. I am really sad that Tuba Boy has to help at a debate tournament on Halloween weekend and thus will miss his last home game as a senior. I always love the moment when they all get introduced, but my boy will not be there. Of course, it's good he is helping so much at the tournament.

Sigh. I need to do some rock and roll. As soon as all our home repairs are done, I hope to. Choir is so messed up that I have to sing the soprano part on our lovely number this Sunday. Alone. Bear in mind, I am an alto. It goes up to G, the high one. At least it isn't A, the one I can do, but it is not pretty. The song for Sunday is an old, old Elizabethan one and very pretty. Too bad none of the good singers will be there.

Wow, this is long for a quick post about that link. Anyway, if you are local, check out your county stats!

It's a-Happenin'

Lots of stuff is happening right now. Mainly a lot of maintenance items that have needed doing but were put off when we were un- or under-employed.

For instance, my car, which strongly resembles the one in the photo at left, got four new tires and its 30,000 mile service yesterday. I'd been putting the tires off, though one had a slow leak. Well, that same tire ran over something and got a HUGE leak Wednesday, so it was no longer optional. And I realized as I was going to the place that the car had hit that milestone and needed to be serviced. So, I bit the bullet and got all those little maintenance things done. Wow, do they add up. But, I am relieved to have good tires again and to know the car is up-to-date at last on all its needed components. I want this car to last a LONG time.

Also, since we have the ability to do it right now and don't know when we will again, we are getting the house painted, trim replaced with longer lasting stuff, a new front patio and repairs to the front door. Oh, and the parts of the house interior that are too tall for us to reach will get painted, too. This is rather exciting for me, since I don't think I've ever actually been able to hire someone to do stuff to my house before, other than the roof I paid for last year and a guy that made a flower bed and planted some trees for us many years ago. Actual workers will come and do stuff, and we don't have to kill ourselves doing it. Since everyone's afraid of heights, I am pretty sure the trim would remain a mess forever, otherwise. Thank goodness Lee is able to help me out with this. It's such a relief to have a real partner again. Now when the time comes to sell the house, someone might actually want to buy it.

I've been getting other little things done, too, so I am feeling less worried and antsy than I was this time last week. There are just SO many wedding details, and while they are fun, they are simply very numerous. I just need to keep telling myself it won't be the end of the world if I don't have this thing or that thing, or forget to buy this present or that one. What counts is that we will all be together and enjoying ourselves at a nice, positive event.

There, what a pleasant post. All good things. It's homecoming, and it won't rain tonight, so that will be good for the kids, although we will lose--playing the best team in the District. I will enjoy looking at expensive mums and girls in cute dresses. This year I don't think anyone in the band will be homecoming queen or king, like has happened in recent years, but it should still be fun. And think of the band tomorrow--the big UIL thing is then, and we really hope they do well. They sure have practiced a lot, had lots of additional coaches come in and all that. I think Bec is really tired of his part--the pit sits around a lot.

Think of my dad, too. He managed to break his foot and not even know it. Stress fracture. Healing thoughts appreciated!

Life Is Lifelike

Things are good. Kids got school pictures this week, but Beccano didn't like his, so I am letting him get them re-done. They looked sorta like the photo at left, which is by a color guard member. Love his new side part. The rest of the photos in here are random ones of him doing band activities, stolen from his friends. OK, I actually told one of them I was doing it. Naturally, no names will be given for anyone in the pictures, to protect them!

It seems that one of Beccano's hobbies is sneaking behind people in pictures and sticking his precious head into the shot. So the last photo is an example of that extra-special trait. The other kid in the photo just turned 16. Man, even the little kids are growing up now!
Things are still quite good on the home front. Last night was yet another Thursday football game. Luckily, the kids had the day off and "only" had a two-hour band practice at the Palace at 10 am today. The band's looking better, anyway, but the football team is not. Nonetheless, the footballers won. Even though they allowed the other team to run with impunity and could not sack the quarterback (allowing him to frolic in the backfield shaking off defenders for what seemed like hours), and despite the fact that one field goal and two extra points failed, they managed to score more points than the other team (which I have to say, looked better). Never fear, next week we play the dreaded Stony Point. A team with no kicking, a defensive line that doesn't kick in until the 4th quarter, and an injured first-string QB (I forgot that part) will not be able to beat the best team in the District! But, it'll be fun. We'll just enjoy their band show, even though we will also see it at UIL (that is the contest that counts) and Festival of Bands.
Enough high school football highlights (it was probably enough after sentence one of the previous paragraph). I know you are way more interested in wedding shopping! (The rest of the readership now flees.) Suzanne and I had a way good time at the Domain Land of Expensive Shopping on Wednesday afternoon. I managed to buy one shirt for myself at Macy's for only $22, and it is a great white ruffled shirt with built-in vest. It will be my one fashionable item of the season. And I got a nice bracelet at Brighton, while she bought an entire charm bracelet. Cute, though. What I really wanted was a rose-shaped coin purse that would have made the nicest wedding accessory/souvenier, but, well, I just couldn't do it. Nor could I buy the extremely lovely gold chain with tiny garnets sprinkled on it from Nieman Marcus. It was $1800 for what I know was less than $5 worth of cute li'l garnets and some nice, but not that weighty gold. Sigh. It would have looked good with the dress, though.

What I did get were (wow, exciting!) a Wedding Wonder Bra to fill out the dress and some Spanx to fill me into the dress. The latter I did get at Neiman's, which means I have a snazzy souvenir bag. Suzanne and I looked a long time at really fancy dresses, though. I touched one that was over $3K. The details and workmanship were amazing, but well, I just couldn't do it. I wish I knew more wealthy people so I could at least look at that stuff sometimes.

It was fun shopping anyway and pretending to search for a yellow or gold dress for Susan to wear at the wedding. I will let her go get one at a more reasonable shopping center, however!! As for me, it's back to Kohl's and Penneys! Maybe if permanent work comes, I can hit Chico's and Coldwater Creek again, LOL. On the other hand, the economy tells me to wear my old clothing, darn it.

I've had some encouraging news at work, so I am feeling good about it, and I think Lee is settling in well at his new position. We are even going to go out to eat tonight to celebrate mutual employment. I will try to invite more people to the wedding (like church folks who don't read the email list there) and send out written invites to my dad's friends and family.

On another note, please send healing vibes to my friend's daughter, Ashley, who had brain surgery this week and has a lot of recovering to do. She is just a senior in high school, a beautiful cheerleader, and this is just going to be hard for her, as well as for her mother, who is a very dear human being and deserves any kind thoughts you can direct her way.

PS: I learned on Facebook that October 21 will be National Talk Like Sarah Palin Day. Now, by golly, that sounds like some fun, you betcha!

A Wedding Shoe?

Wedding Shoe?
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Hey, look what I found at Penneys yesterday, when I was passing time before a hair appointment. It is a wedge-heel shoe (stellar photo does not show heel) with a suede-like top part, and a silk-like strap, avec rosette! They were having some giant sale, so it ended up costing like $23. I got it, on a hunch. When I got home, I hauled out the wedding dress, and sure enough the shoes are the EXACT color of the dress. Lee was amazed. My work colleague says it is a positive sign for the marriage. OK, sure. I had this plan to go shopping for fancy shoes at the Domain next week, and was prepared to spend into the double digits for something amazing. But, hey, this will work, and lets me spend more on flowers or something!

I am still going to go to the Domain (if you are not in Austin, it is this new, ritzy shopping center with nothing but the best stores, so nothing's cheap). Suzanne and I will have fun looking at "foundation garments" for my wedding outfit. And other stuff. It doesn't hurt to look. Still, glad I didn't get that job that is right next to the Domain. Too tempting, I guess.

It's been another busy week. Something every night, ranging from Senior Parent Night to Watching Scary Debate night. Again, my kids made me happy. Beccano kept coming up and telling me that Biden is his new hero. I must say, he sounded GREAT, and his closing words were so, so confidence inspiring and well done. I have spent so many years being deeply disappointed by politicians that it was GREAT to be reassured and inspired by one. And yes that woman with the irritating voice and even more irritating folksy ways did not mess up anywhere near as badly as she was expected to. Set the bar low and it is easy to win!

I don't report a lot about my job, but that is good. Everyone has been really nice to me, I am getting lots done, and I am enjoying the things I am doing. I feel like I am making a contribution. The coworkers are all very interesting people and enjoyable to talk to, as well. It would be great to get to stay here, but ALE is still cutting people right and left.

Oh, and here's a photo of the results of last night's hair appointment. I think I look like crap here. I let Robert use the flatiron on my hair to see what it would look like straight. Interesting, so say the least. I must look better today, because all my female coworkers keep screeching, "Ooh, wedding hair!" like I really should have it done this way for the Big Event. Hmm. I am not sure that the flat, flat hair would balance the big dress.We will have to see. It's the same color as last time, making this a remarkable second time ever I haven't changed the color slightly from one appointment to the next.

I'll write again after the weekend, I am sure. Lee is going to see his dad, but Jody is visiting from EuropeLand, so I hope to see her. Of course, most of the weekend will be taken up with Marching Band activities. The first contest is Saturday. And the percussion dude is having Bec and Company get there really early. If this results in Beccano getting overheated like last year for this same competition, when I had to drive him separately in the car, I will be much less than pleased. We'll see....

Woo Hoo! The Week Is Over!

Tuba Boy Basks in the Limelight
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Whew, what a long and busy week. This is the first "free" time I have had to blog since last weekend. but, as the photo shows, everything was triumphant in the end. You see Tuba Boy without his tuba, basking in the glory of being announced as "Marcher of the Week" at the football game. He didn't have many chances left to get this, since he's a senior. so, even though the team lost the game (heinously--they were awful) and the lower brass got completely off during the fight song before the game, it was a triumph for him. He gave a very fun and funny acceptance speech upon coming back up the stands after the halftime show, too. Funnier, he saw I had gotten an embroidery on my band parent shirt indicating I was his and Beccano's mom. His comment was, "Nice to see you acknowledge who came out of your uterus, Mom." Suave, son.

I'm really happy with both boys this week, even though Tuba Boy had his car hit by a friend (not too badly). Both are doing great at school, and I have been encouraged at how well they are paying attention to the upcoming elections--TB and his best friend watched the debate last Friday very intently, and B tried to follow it. Both older boys had very good criticisms and comments on what they had heard. I think their debate and AP history classes have done great job preparing these kids to be good citizens.

I am also happy with our musical life. After a slightly rocky rehearsal on Monday, our hour of singing at BB Rovers on Tuesday went really well. I didn't let myself get intimidated by all the "real" musicians who showed up (Edge City, Chip Dolan, and Jeff, to name a few). It was the best we ever did, even with a touchy sound system. So, yay to my colleagues Bill, Austin and Lee! Trey Bone rocks!

Right now we have gone into wedding prep overdrive. We are trying to get our Evite sent out, but having trouble getting an image on it. Oh well. We put up an album with a few photos of us on it. When we have sent out the invitations, they will be here:
http://preview.evite.com/party/event/public/sunalee-- and if you are local and want to come, please visit the site and let us know you are coming! I don't have email addresses for everyone I'd like to invite, so don't think you aren't welcome if an email doesn't come. This wedding thing is mainly a great excuse to get together with friends and make music, eat, and enjoy each other's company.

Honestly, I have a lot more to say, but my brain is tired. I should have time on breaks at work again next week to blog, so you will hear more from me soon. And speaking of work, Lee starts Monday. Woo hoo again for two incomes!

The Kids on the Bus Go Round and Round

The Kids on the Bus
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Now, don't these look like a bunch of little angels? This is the bus full of mainly 9th and 10th graders that Lee and I are chaperones for during this football and band contest season. This means 15-20 bus rides with a group. I chose this bus because Beccano and his friends are on it, and I know most of them. I also know "how they are" and figure we'd be a good choice to discipline them--a couple of them listen better to me than other perceived authority figures.

They are sweet, very funny and slightly rambunctious, just like most "sophomoric" high schoolers. We enjoy them a lot, and laugh and laugh at them. However, the bus driver on Friday's very long trip to Belton (that is over an hour's ride from here) did not find our kids amusing at all. Unfortunately, he didn't SAY anything until we got almost there. Lee and I did have to ask them to sit in their seats a few times, and the one kid who is the "class clown" (front and center in the photo, the one with the hair) did have to be talked to a bit. But, they were better than they'd been last week, when we had to sit in the rain for 20 minutes!

The driver informed them that they were the worst busload he had ever driven, and that he had recorded every infraction of the rules they had done on his handy bus-cam. He then sternly intoned that they would all be going to "The Rock" for this. (At this point, the kid who actually had already been to "The Rock" turned pale--it's the school where they send the felons, kids with guns, kids who hurt others, etc. I am pretty sure that kid does not want to go back--he is being real good now, and has actually always been a likable kid.) A bunch of the kids looked real nervous--there are some very well behaved and good students in the group! The bus driver claimed someone was using "something that clicked and a flame came out" (for some reason he wouldn't say "lighter"). He said the cameras would tell who did it!

So, a bunch of very scared kids got off the bus--the ones who had been in the back fervently began to tell me all about how they were taking a lot of pictures in the back--could he have seen the flash? I reassured them that if they had indeed done nothing wrong, the camera would have recorded that, too, and to not worry. I had to go tell the chaperone chairs what had happened, and they had already been found by the bus driver before I even got to them. When I told them the kids had been average, and that they said they had been using a camera, they felt it would all blow over.

Still we needed to talk to the band director. While doing THAT, we saw some poor non-band kid getting arrested, because the people at Belton High School MEAN it when they say no student loitering under the stands. He must have stood still too long. Anyway, the band director said it was a bunch of nonsense and he'd take care of it. He said after all I had been through, I'd know bad behavior (yup).

Throughout the game, kids kept asking if things were OK. One poor child was visibly shaking when he said, "Miss Sue Ann, do you think we will really go to the Rock?" I said no, I didn't think so, and I patted him on the back, even though that is against the rules.

And after the game, my son and his friend said they overheard the other bus drivers talking (while putting away the equipment in the trucks) and the other bus drivers said this guy was being "a baby." I honestly think the man over-reacted, and if he had just asked us to tell the kids more forcefully to stay in their seats, or asked them to put away the "cameras," things would have been fine. It's like he was looking for something to report on his camera. These trips are sometimes the only times kids get to hang out with their friends for an extended period of time. To expect them to sit silently and not interact is pushing it. We CAN ask them to stay seated, though.

We had a VERY quiet long bus ride back. Even the Class Cut Up cut it out a little bit.

What I like about the group of kids that Beccano hangs out with is how they treat each other. They know they each are sort of a mess in one way or another (they knew Beccano back during his "troubles") and accept each other as they are. They know the Cut Up just craves attention, so they give him some. They know the kid with the unfortunate incident last year really means well. They know they are tender from parental divorces and other issues. They know the kid who looks Emo and the kid who looks Punk are nice kids with interesting clothing preferences. And they accept each other's varied religious and political backgrounds--there are all kinds of kids in the group. They kid around, they have little spats, but they really stick together. That's the kind of friends that the slightly misfit types really need.

So, all in all, I like the little hooligans. And we beat that other team quite handily, in the football department. Kicker? We don't need no stinkin' kicker--we'll just score lots of touchdowns!

Enjoy my random band photos.

Why I am Tired

Visitor Girl
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I am not really rested this weekend, though I think doing some work will rest me up (that's my plan for the rest of the day: earn some money, cause contractors don't get paid holidays). The photo you see is one reason. We had this charming child (really, she WAS cute), her sister with some behavior issues, her two parents AND her ancient neurotic dog visiting from last night until this morning. I am so obviously not used to nonstop talking 7- and 10-year-olds, nor of dealing with the aftermaths of one's partner drinking too much. I need to learn that when people are coming you HAVE to have breakfast options available, but since we never have anything but coffee, I am always thrown on the first day, "What, you don't have milk?" (nope, we only have fat-free half and half). "I am used to eating as soon as I get up" (well, if you'd told me that, I would have gone off and gotten something at the grocery store as soon as you all got up, about two hours earlier than I had planned to get up). It really was a fine visit, and it was good to meet Lee's high school friend and his family. Lots of time to chat and a good meal was had! I think I need to be more flexible. I get myself sorta ready for what I am expecting (in this case, a couple and one child), and then I have a hard time when it turns out there are two children and a dog--I worry someone will get hurt, break something, or not get their needs met, if I am not prepared. I will try to learn to relax.

It's been a busy weekend otherwise, too. The high school football game on Friday was fun, but we had a rainstorm that delayed it a bit. The bus was full of very jumpy friends of Beccano, who really cracked me and Lee up, but they definitely required a bit of supervision. The game was really good--even though, as usual, this school doesn't have a competent kicker, they creamed a nice bunch of large kids from College Station. They drove a LONG way to get roundly defeated (and they had an amazing kicker). Their poor band didn't make it until halfway through the second period, so they just marched, sat for a dismal half of football, and then went on a long road home.We greatly enjoyed the ride home with the kids, but when we got home, Buddy wasn't home--he had broken down our gate during the storm and hobbled off (I can't say "ran" off). Lee wrote more about it in his blog, so feel free to read it there. I was SO worried we'd lose him or that he had injured himself. I am glad he is back.

Saturday, after some fun knitting time, we had a fun time roaming through pawn shops so Beccano could look at guitars, amps and such. I ended up buying a ruby and diamond ring. Not a guitar part, I know. But, it was what I was looking for. The rubies are maybe rhodolite garnets, since they are a bit purple-y, but I still like them, and I got a pretty good deal for a ring with gold and diamonds.

After that excitement, we took Jeff out for a belated birthday dinner. We'd planned to eat at Chuy's, but it was an hour wait. We ended up at the neighborhood Mesa Rosa, and Jeff loved the fish tacos. (I love them, too.) We ate there again with Lee's friends, but that's OK--there is plenty of yummy food at that restaurant! And it is rarely too crowded. We all had a good chat with Jeff, so it was a good Saturday.

All in all, it's been a good weekend. I am, I think, just whiny because I have been having really bad allergies. I plan to go get some allergy medicine! I promise!

The Sun Sets on a Long Band Show Season

The Sun Sets on a Long Band Show Season
Originally uploaded by sunasak

Other than three nice, easy football games, the intense band parenting season has wound down. There's a pep rally the kids have to do tomorrow, but no need to chaperone, so we just have to make sure someone gets them there and back. Ahhh.

Last night was an example of working hard while being the kind of parents we want to be. Once again Festival of Bands rolled around, but it was cold. Colder than we thought, and very windy. We were the only band whose parent chaperones sat with them on the visitors' side, so we could barely hear the middle schools and saw the backs of all the high school shows. And we were COLD. Lee and I even skipped the Longhorn Marching Band to go warm up in the bus (no hanky panky occurred! we are good bus stewards!). Still, I know the kids appreciated it, and not just ours. Lee gave a poor sniffly drummer a napkin, and he looked so grateful. Other parents loaned out their blankets. Little comments and big smiles made it clear the kids are glad we are there.

On the way home in the car, Tuba Boy was talking about his two best friends and their parental relationships. He said he didn't understand why one friend didn't just talk to his parents and tell them simple things, like he does. He said the friend told him, "Well, you have reasonable parents, I don't." Tuba Boy made it clear how happy he is to have "reasonable parents." We talked about how our rules don't have to be set in stone as long as he keeps us updated on what he's doing, etc., and he says that's what he tells his friend--let your parents know what's going on and they might not punish you so much. You know, it's hard to say who is more grateful--me to have such reasonable children or them to have reasonable parents.

Both boys agreed that it was much easier on them that none of us are "nutty" like one friend's parents are, to the extent that she tries at all costs to avoid one parent. They seem so glad all their parents and partners act respectful with each other and are vaguely sane. I know what they mean--I was so glad my parents were people I could trust to care about me, but not to overwhelm me with rules and regulations. They did it just right--if I went too far, they'd come down on me, but if I showed them I respected their guidelines, they'd respect me back.

Conversations like this, which only lasted ten minutes or so, really help me. I can think of them when Tuba Boy forgets yet another vital item* or makes it way too clear he'd rather be with the friends than us, or when Beccano bends the truth about school stuff. They are so good hearted, underneath it all.

*Tuba Boy cracked us up before last night's performance: he saw Lee, ran up to him and urgently implored, "Lee, give me your socks!" Apparently, in addition to forgetting his black shoes and shorts to wear under his band outfit, he also forgot socks. Luckily, Lee had worn black socks. So, there they were, in the middle of the band hall, exchanging socks. Good thing Lee's a good sport about this stuff.

Hard Work Pays Off

UIL: Sousaphone Action
Originally uploaded by sunasak

And I mean hard work for both the kids AND the parents. Saturday was the big UIL contest (I forget what UIL stands for, but it is the entity that judges high school students in the arts at various contests). Our young ones practiced like crazy and did their best performance yet of their show. They got a rating of "1", which is the highest you can get. All the bands of our size in our District got 1s, which is nice--getting a 2 is sad for all concerned (and we got a 2 a couple of years ago). Here you see all ten sousaphones marching in tight formation (there is one hiding). We had a very fun day, and it was nice to have Lee chaperoning. He took some good pictures, too.

We sat in the hidden seats way at the front of the Palace, which are near ground level. I had not seen or heard the show from that level before--and the sound was GREAT. You could see the kids' faces, too. Or you could see them when you weren't all teared up with pride, which I was much of the time. Seeing that concentration on all their young faces was so touching. What I did not know at the time was that the kids could see us. At least three of the marchers told me later that they had seen me as they marched, and two actually said it gave them confidence. That felt SO good.

It's amazing the kids did as well as they did, since it was a very confusing day--the band director FORGOT to order buses, so the buses that brought Westwood over had to floor it over to our school, get us, drop us off, take Westwood back to their school, comb back, and get us! We thanked the drivers profusely for volunteering to do that.

Friday, of course, was another band fun day. Yet another football game, the one where we are visitors in our own stadium (we played Westwood, the ones whose buses we borrowed, and where we knew lots of kids). It was a battle of two not-so-great teams, so sort of fun in a "who can be less competent" way. At one point our QB had a 1-1 completion to interception ratio. But, we got better, and our star Aaron "AJ" did some spectacular stuff, so our team won. It was nice to win again. We tuba moms were danding and being goofy.

Knitting on Saturday went OK, though NONE of the students showed up. That is not horrible, because it gave me a chance to help out some others, including a really nice lady who had forgotten what she was doing on her first scarf, so I got her back on track. That felt good, and we think she may return for Chicks with Sticks, too. I truly enjoy helping people with knitting--it makes up for a lot of stuff that makes me feel less than competent and unpopular lately.

Sunday was a challenge, but I enjoyed singing a couple of songs with Trey Bone, my quartet, for a pledge drive event. We really got a lof of applause, and I think I did a good job on the singing. Lee's bass adds so much to the songs, too. And both the other guys did GREAT on their parts--not as nerved out as they sometimes get. So, I was proud of us all. And the sopranos did OK on the Faure Requiem piece, which I think is my swan song as a sop. Back to the low notes.

Tina and Jared came by the church, sorta unannounced, but luckily there was someone there who could book them wedding space. Trying to find an officiant may be harder, but that is being worked on. They seem pretty inseparable. Wedding is 12/29 for them. They have really made a lot of plans. I feel like such a wedding slacker.

It was a long afternoon/evening of doing what Tuba Boy wanted, but I think he is happy to be making homecoming mum thingies for the two girls in his life. He and his best friend really worked hard on it. (I don't get a mum, not enough mum money for a Mom mum).

I was happy to finish a sweater and block it and the previous sweater yesterday--so nice to finish things. But when I went to start the next project, UGH! The yarn was badly skeined! I spent at least three hours trying to wind it into a ball, and got what I hope is more than halfway through. It sure tore up my leg and back muscles. The yarn is lovely silk/wool/alpaca stuff for a scarf for Flo. Yep, back to holiday gifts. Lee was very patient with me while I got in a pity party mood and was frustrated by the yarn. He and Beccano never fail to cheer me up.

It's cool today, so the Festival of the Bands may be sorta brisk. But at least that is our LAST band thing other than the remaining games! And tomorrow maybe I can wear a new knitted item!

Freakin' Long Weekend

Red-Haired Tuba Moms
Originally uploaded by sunasak

I am one tired Band and Singing mom. I did enough activities from Friday to Sunday for at least a week. But, I am not done yet!

Grateful

I am grateful for fellow parents who make all this volunteering bearable. These happy faces are my neighbors, Pam and Gina. Each of us has a tuba playing son and we each have colored our hair red. And we live within one block of each other. Spooky! We had a great time at our team's very losing effort against the Fighting Pflugers of Pflugerville. Did you know our team has the second longest District losing streak in history (Trombone Boy Wes told us that)? Wow! We're #2!

I am also grateful we are all healthy and safe. There was an accident this weekend involving a bus full of local high school kids this weekend and both our long bus rides were during the hours when the most intoxicated drivers are on the streets.

And last, I am grateful that Lee's job started today and it sounds good. Such a relief.

On to the Weekend

So, yeah, the football game was fun in a losing way. Lots of former band students showed up, and it was good to see them. But the game lasted long enough that it was hardly worth going to sleep before popping back up at 1:30 am to get ready for the trip.

Trip

Long ride to Arlington in very cramped and scuzzy tour bus. Not my idea of fun, but at least Beccano was with me and I got to watch him sleep, a thing mothers like to do. It really was a pretty good time, and the kids marched well. It was just a very LONG time.

There was much beauty to behold. The sky was blue and it was neither cold nor hot--that was a bonus! Some of the bands had really pretty uniforms or color guard attire. The band with the Spanish-style uniforms and Spanish-style flamenco dresses on the guard looked refreshingly different. And even though it was a PITA to stay unti the finals, we saw one or two performances that were so beautiful you forgot that you were watching high school students marching and became tranfixed by the music and sights.

There was a band from Flower Mound, Texas whose routine was all about flowers. Their sets were exquisite and their color guard very talented and creative. They had a giant lady bug who toddled out in the second movement and "danced" very charmingly with three students inside her, making 6 legs. This band only made ONE set of straight lines in the entire program--they made flowers, vines, leaves and other beautiful effects, all curved. How they all knew exactly where to go was beyond me. And when their "pods" were wheeled out and opened up to reveal stargazer lilies with trumpet players in them--wow! I hope they won (we didn't see the results).

In any case,while we were at first surprised to learn we didn't make the finals, we were no longer surprised after seeing the bands who did make it. Out of our league! But our band did its best and was nothing to be ashamed of!

Most of the day we spent watching most of the band sleep in a church gymnasium, while a bunch played Magic or ultimate frisbee. They also ate a lot of food. We brought a lot, too. The food people did such a good job. My friend Sharon and I went to a hallway to knit and crochet, and were joined by some others. We enjoyed watching the parade to the bathroom, especially the kid who wanted to know where the "dudes' room" was.

At one point, there was an African wedding in the church. We successfully kept the students out of the way of that, but also got to enjoy the incredible beauty of the traditional African fancy-dress clothing. Each family wore matching attire, and it was all stunning. Huge shining headdresses on the women, plus gorgeous fabric in their dresses. Men had equally flamboyant and beautiful fabric in their tunics, robes and pants. Some people wore western clothing, but it was also very lovely. it was especially fun to watch the ladies afterward carefully maneuvering the headdresses into cars. The bride and groom and the attendants wore western-style gowns and tuxes, but were all very lovely. What fun it was to watch a very happy group of people at a happy event. It made many of us wish we had a heritage that encouraged us to wear national dress or cultural attire on fancy occasions.

Transitioning to Sunday

We lucked out and had a nice quiet bus to go home on, and I slept enough that I wasn't totally dead when I had to wake up and go sing soprano with Saranda, who had also been at a band contest the previous day. We were not at our peak of high noti-ness. Plus she cried at the dang song. I was concentrating too hard on trying to make sounds come out of my mouth to get involved in the meaning of the lovely holocaust-inspired song.

Out of respect for you all, I hereby declare I will not go into detail on the sermon, other than to note that it was endless and no one over where I sat agreed with practically anything the dude said. That's UU for you, I guess. We were, however, happy that Lee's friend Rick came to the service and liked the church.

I wanted to enjoy knitting in the afternoon, but slept a lot and only knitted a bit. We took the boys to a nice Mexican dinner and thorougly enjoyed the conversation and camaraderie with them. What fine young men! Then, Lee and I went to practice with our singing friends, because Bill signed us up to do something after church next week. It was all very civil and pleasant, and we got to see what our other band-mate had done with his house. A lot of work!

And that brings us to today, which features Lee's first day at his new job, and me writing assessment questions in my current job, plus finding more things to add to the training. So productive! I just want to sleep. But no, gotta go sing for the community choir tonight. I am feeling like perhaps this is the busiest period of the year. Certainly it has led me to incoherant babbling.

Band, Band...Band..grateful

Capital City Marching Competition
Originally uploaded by sunasak

For another few weeks, this is what much of my life will look like. Me trying to figure out if a marching band is doing well or sucking. I sure can't tell. Unless the color guard drops stuff or someone falls down, they all look pretty darned good to me. Here we have the Capital City Marching Competition at the Berger Center in far South Austin. Tuba boy is second sousaphone from the left, and Beccano is the one at bottom left standing straightest and most soldier-like. Excellent for a lad with poor posture.

Our lads and lassies came in second overall in our class, and Beccano's percussion ensemble also came in second. This was VERY good, considering the competition. It is a good thing that the LBJ High School band was a host, so not in the competition, because their set was so cool. They all take off their hats and wander around marching a while, then magically come back to their hats, which are shiny and purple.

I didn't think we'd all make it to this one, because Beccano got rather overheated during practice at the school. His head hurt and he was nauseated. So, they asked me to drive him in the cool car and let him keep his uniform off until the last minute. That helped, and he did fine. I considered keeping him at home, but his part really sticks out and would be noticed if it wasn't there. Good thing I took him, because he was so incredibly psyched by the experience. Said it was "the most awesome thing ever." I think doing well really made him happy. So, I am glad I took him.

My friend's daughter's band did well, too, so we celebrated as if we had something to do with it other than giving birth to band members on Sunday.

The rest of my weekend was OK, though Lee was so sick with ragweed that he didn't get to enjoy much. I was as helpful as I could be at the yarn shop, and enjoyed talking to new people and seeing my lovely friends, as well. I like it when there are people to talk to there--helps me feel like part of a community, whereas sometimes I feel sorta peripheral.

And Sunday's fun was singing with members of the excellent Tapestry Singers women's chorus. We didn't do too badly for people who really didn't know the parts (and my music was wrong, too). I keep getting compliments on my soprano-ing. Hmm. I have gone from no high notes at all only a couple of months ago to hitting all sorts of notes in a not-too-screechy manner. Still a bit screechy.

Sunday afternoon I rested as much as I could and knitted like crazy. Lee is starting to feel better, so maybe we will have more fun this coming week before he starts the new job. I also talked to my dad, and that was a relief--hadn't spoken to him in a while. They aren't as bad off as I was afraid.

This is just a bit of stream-of-consciousness "letters to the world" and not very deep. I'll do better next week.

What am I grateful for? New blogs to read and old friends.

PS: progress on my lovely sweater is pictured on my knitting blog if you want to see it. Feel free to visit there.