←/ o n e / m o r e / t i m e /→

/ n o w /

/ t h e n /

- 2 0 0 6 →
- 2 0 0 3 →
- 2 0 0 2 →
- 2 0 0 1 →
- 2 0 0 0 →
- 1 9 9 9 →

/ w r i t e /

/ e t c /

/ d l a n d /

spinning wheel

4-12-'^o1: 8:56pm

"so...you're from washington, right? how do you like the rain?"

i seriously had to explain eastern washington to four or five people at the national concert band festival.

"it's like this." i held up my palm and drew an imaginary slash down one side of it. "if youre on this side," and i pointed to the heel of my palm, "it's green. this side, however," as i pointed to my fingers, "is brown...and walla walla really does exist."

speaking of the town so nice they named is twice [ fourth time i've said that today ], i just got back form a lesson out there with becca's cello teacher. the whole quartet made a pilgrimage out there to get a second opinion. i stand by my argument when i say that walla walla is a pit. i remember when i was a little kid, it was one of my step-dad's "vacation" spots...the definition of "vacation" being a trip where one day he piles us into the car, totally unannounced, and carts us off to anywhere in an hour's radius that isn't the tri-cities. i remember being quite proud of myself on one of these trips for counting all the way to 1,000. my step-brother, for whatever reason, couldn't seem to share in my joy, though.

i didn't have to resort to such measures on my trip to indiana, though. i figured out that you actually get a lot more out of a trip if you sleep as little as humanly possible...the hard way. it's not like i had a choice or anything. after the red eye, we were turned loose to wander like zombies near circle center...it was a deceptively nice day and i actually thought quite highly of indiana at the time. lack of sleep distorts things like that...anyway, the only particularly remarkable thing about that part of the trip was that jacque fell asleep in the park and we had to skip our nap because our room wasn't cleaned yet. we sat outside it and whined for an hour or so.

i ended up being up for about 40 hours. i ended up going to bed at 2am thursday night because the timpani part for watchman, tell us of the night by mark camphouse got left somewhere in the tri-cities, and i ended up being the one to copy it out by hand off the score. i know...i didn't have to do it...but i couldn' help but htink that if i didn't we would have hado ne hell of a time finding a copy machine at 10pm on thursday. i could see it in my head. besides..."he who suffers the most gets the promotion, isn't that how it always goes?" naw....not really, i saw just don't drink the water waaaaay to many times.

i was glad i got to spend some time with jacque on the trip. it seems like we haven't gotten to hang out nearly enough since she left music theory, and it's been even worse since she left my english class. i hang around with so many people, i hate feeling like i've shafted someone, y'know? i'm giving myself too much credit though...i mean, as if they enjoy my company anyway....phhhhhhhh.

i would type out some anecdotes now but i think i'll save them for another time. when things are REALLY going slow. now, i'm back here in desertville, spending an extreme amount of time on the computers in practice C working on compositions. because you could drop my computer out a plane and it still wouldn't be anywhere near as fast as the ones they have. and i may have had my differences with sibelius in the past, but...i think lack put it best:

"it's like encore and midisoft are all the other bands, and sibelius are the sixteen that were invited to the festival we went to." he rules. he's usually on the other computer in practice C, and we talk at random short intervals. he's quickly and easily made my extremely cool people list.

anyway, so i took in some pictures to be developed...i'm a picture hoarder so there are going to be picture from marching band season, disney, indy, AND my pathetic attempts to clear the roll so i could get the indy pics in. which consist of me giving people "motivation"...and then having them pose. jacque, heartbroken. lizzy, on a safari. dan and jacque, in a barfight. that's entertainment at it's finest. i'll post some up whenever i get them back....it could be tomorrow, it could be a week from now.

and ugh...next week, my sister is coming. i mean, i love my sister and all, but it really throws a stick in the spokes of the rapidly turning wheel that is my life.

good lord, that was cheesy.

anyway, she's still considering kennewick high. i personally don't think it would be a good idea. i just don't see her here. i also don't see her and my dad getting along so well...she'll push his limits and will end up confined to the house for the rest of her school years. i just hope she doesn't whine next week...i can hear it in my head right now, i can't imagine what it would be like if it was audible.

today in orchestra, we had sectionals because larsen has been gone [ obviously very sick, it takes a near-deth experience to get him out of school, just about ]...and i just about went postal. there's this one girl in the back who has ALWAYS been a problem. well, today, she didn't have her instrument out....and eventually, i said "do you even have your instrument out?"

i can't even convery this through typing. she said "i hurt my finger so i can't play, ok?" but the way she said it was so caustic i could feel it. seriously. it made me cringe to hear such a bad attitude. she may as well have let out a string of four-letter words. anyway, basically it turned into a whole thing about how i'm out to get her. true, i do kind of single her out. but she asks for it by the way she acts. talking is one thing. but continuing to do so day after day, no matter how many times you're asked to stop, kind of draws attention to her...it makes it really easy to single her out...and then the attitude. not only does it make it easier to pin the problem on her, but it also makes me more apt to look that direction.

i guess i'm learning the problems of the trade right now, right? the way i see it, i'm not only playing in these groups...but i'm also getting really good training in my field for free. it makes it bearable, at least...i like to think that i'm getting the most out of what's probably going to be the last free education i ever get. heck...that's almost the only reason i didn't choose to graduate a year early. it's what keeps me from regretting that i didn't.

ok. anyway. enough of my nonsense. i have a long day laying ahead of me tomorrow. the CBC festival kinda snuck up on me and i have to make sure that i have all my mental capacity so i don't like, screw up the five notes i'll play on crotales. then, it's up to see the rest of my family for the first time in like...a month or so. it's getting to the point where that doesn't seem like so long. sad.

←/ b a c k w a r d / f o r w a r d /→