Do you have any idea what "green day" means?  It's a term for a day devoted solely to smoking pot and, well, absolutely nothing else.  And, after absorbing Green Day's unavoidable "American Idiot," perhaps we can then draw some correlations between band name and subject matter.

Clearly, liberals spend their time lying around, getting completely wasted, and bitching about the government.  Bitching, specifically, about the conservative leader who is actually, for better or for worse, DOING things. *gasp*  Now which one, pray tell, would you rather have around when something goes horribly wrong?  The group that bitches about what crisis control is doing to handle the situation, or the group that actually takes charge and moves to solve the problem?

I know which I'll choose.

I knew it was too good to be true.

Senior year's been great so far.  Fan-bloody-tasmic.

The power of accurate observation is commonly called cynicism by those who have not got it.
--George Bernard Shaw

Accurate observation, cynicism, call it what you will, but love never works out like it should.

And that is why tropical hemorrhagic fevers are all that deserve my affection.

It's too bad all the forerunning Republican candidates for the 2008 presidential campaign are pansies.

This country needs a twenty-first century contract with America.

A neo-conservative who supports the environment?  Who knew?  So tell Gore to shut up and draft Newt!

30 September 2007

aw... such a pretty picture of the girls.  And... Dan.

Frazzled after an evening of mad ballroom dancing.  But doesn't he look smashing?

The dance itself was a blast.  I haven't had that much fun in a dance in, well, ever.  But there could be several reasons for that.

I'll get some more pictures up when I get them from Mrs. Sence, the school, etc.

I want to suspend time at this very moment.

Did you know I could be graceful and, indeed, elegant?

I didn't either.

Did you know that I could totally blow away any AP Biology the College Board wants to throw at me?

Okay, so maybe you did.  But I didn't.

Did you know that sometimes the girl who isn't quite so pretty or athletic or funny wins out anyway?

I do.

Did you know that I am not only a famous yoga instructor, but also two actresses, a children's author, a country singer, and a women's basketball player?

I do now.

I'm in love.

If you haven't yet had the opportunity to try one of these delectable bits of heaven, you'd best get your tail to the nearest Piggly Wiggly, stat.

Upscale, fancy chocolate candy-turned-accessible, bite-sized Hershey's confection.  Pure genius.

And they taste amazing.  Rich, chocolate-y outer shell disguising the perfect truffle-y goodness inside.

Yeah.  You're missing out.

I don't relish your pity.  Realize I'm not going to call any of you in tears over this.  And I'm certainly not going to expect you to listen to me whine or to attempt to make it all better.

But thank you for your concern.

In other news, I'm psyched.

Prom is going to be absolutely amazing.  Yeah, you'll see why.  =)

Summer's close.

Our first senior class meeting is just a couple of weeks away, once this year's seniors are gone.  I can't even fathom that my senior year starts in just a few weeks.

I'm hooked on Aerosmith at the moment.  Disney in November is going to be fantastic.

In short, as soon as I get through the next two and a half weeks and take all of my AP tests, it's all downhill from there.

Until college applications, marching band, and five AP classes consume my fall...

But I can enjoy the summer, right?

Considering my posts used to consist entirely of fodder drawn from my drumline experiences, I figure I'm entitled one good drumline post, as the season will be over by the time this week draws to a close.

It's been an interesting season.  Ups and downs, laughter and tears.  But, as always, I'm infinitely glad I was able to participate.  Winter drumline is my lifeblood.

And, provided either the boosters work another one of their miracles or we finally pass a levy, this Thursday/Friday won't be my last time performing for a crowded gym.

Highlights:

• Exchanging a former section leader for an instructor.
• Excitement, at first, over combining Dave Brubeck and Mozart to create what undoubtedly would have been an absolutely stellar book.
• Realizing that tapping off really isn't nearly as easy as it seems.
• Getting placed on detail detail again on tarp painting night, but loving every minute of it.
• Jamming to eighties hits from my iPod while painting psychedelic seventies swirls on the tarp.
• Having the best pit in the history of the universe-- Luna, Batman, Nat, Becky, Kate, Angie, Jess, Claire... y'alls are great.
• Not fighting with Angie all season!  =D
• Placing low for the first few shows due to a last-minute switch in music from Rondo to the Metropolis Symphony.
• Placing low for the rest of the season due to low visual scores.  =)
• Having the esteemed Wayne Markworth write the pit book.
• Finding out I was being asked to play a wind instrument--in a percussion group!
• IHOP after rehearsal with my kiddos.
• Second vibe solo (although I only started the ballad this time; I didn't embody it fully).
• Getting Sarah to spend an hour talking about Heroes.
• Getting half the pit violently sick during camp.
• Dressing on the bus when we were late to Westerville (again).
• Having the electronics fail us at Westerville (again).
• V for Vendetta show.
• Feature in the second tune with Gator.
• Claire's wicked Flexotone solo.  And her habit of playing the chimes with such intensity that they routinely fall off of their frame.  She's amazing.
• Springboro wore our uniforms from eighth grade.
• Procuring the telephone number of a fairly attractive saxophone player from a rival school...
• Placement at MEPA Finals:  Third in Open class for the second year running, placing well in comparison to key other schools, etc.
• Finally learning how to apply eyeliner without looking like the dead (maybe).
• Having only one (!) rehearsal cancelled due to weather.
• Less rehearsal time than in previous years.
• Hooking up the vibe's motor, employing its veritable vibrato during the ballad.  It sounds fantastic.
• Playing to a full house at Milford, having our best public performance of the season, and earning a bag of M&Ms!
• Spending the remainder of the Milford show in the Special Education classroom washing dishes for my mother.
• Going from weather so warm it felt like marching band (in June) to playing outside in weather so cold it felt like marching band (in January).  Both in April.
• Actually having spring break free to relax.  Used it instead to visit about eight different Southern universities.
• Watching Becky, a determined but novice percussionist, develop into a rack player and a force with which to be reckoned.
• Being asked whether I'll still be section leader for marching band, and receiving a fist pump and a "yes!" when I answered in the affirmative.
• Less rehearsal than in previous seasons.
• Eric's response to Adam Drexel's extreme stage fright before his first drum corps show.
• Playing three distinct instruments (marimba, xylophone, vibraphone) during a single show.  (I've never changed instruments during a show, with the exception of ninth grade marching band, in which I played one marimba, then vibes, and then another marimba.)
• Watching the fantabulous winter guard sweat its way to a well-deserved, sweeping victory at Tri-State Circuit Championships.
• Playing through stuff with Kate.  She and I have truly become excellent at playing together.  I'm looking forward to being able to depend on her for a lot, both musically and otherwise, during the upcoming season.
• Growing to love the new vibe (although I'll still always be loyal to my baby).
• Getting to play that amazing closer (although it's still not "Finding and Believing.")
• Hopefully, rocking out at WGI Finals later this week...

Anything I missed?

Want to see the show?

Milford show:  10 March 2007

Unfortunately, the best part of the show (the last six or eight measures) didn't make it onto this video.  Therefore, you'll have to come see us live.

Besides, wouldn't you rather see the drill come together nicely, that awful run in the opener actually sound clean, the ballad make me cry, the drum features bring the crowd to its feet?

Well, you could come see us in Dayton on Thursday.  It might be your last chance.

Or, you could just come see us in the high school gym Wednesday night around 8:45.  We're making an audition tape for sponsorships and whatnot, but the run-through is open to all music fans.

Be there.

Having narrowed my college choices to three (although I'm pretty sure which I'll choose), I've finally allowed myself to unsubscribe from the email lists of the fifty or so schools that spammed my inbox while I was touring the South.

The Honors programs of the schools I'm considering are fantastic, and I think I have a decent shot at full rides to at least two of them.

And the band program at my favorite school is even better than I had hoped.

Which are they?  I'll let you guess.

This morning, I decided to be creative for once and devise a way to make coffee without a coffee maker.  People always did it before the advent of instant coffee--how hard could it be?

With some help from the ever-scientific Bradley, I brought an old, dusty carafe, a funnel, some paper towels, a kitchen scale, and a pot of boiling water together and made a pot of rather strong but nevertheless satisfying maker-less coffee.

Then Mrs. Theilman took it upon herself to go and buy me a high-tech, ultra-expensive, commercial coffee maker with all kinds of bells and whistles.

So much for creativity.

I love you, dearest Xanga.  And, despite your recent wane in popularity (okay, so maybe "dearth" would be a better word), I shall never forsake you.

However:

Find me on Facebook.  =)