Microwave

Sarah, Savannah, Matt, Caleb, and I have taken Perry on a trip to Weatherford for the All-Senior Honor Band.  Perry has had an exciting day visiting the outlet mall, Arby's, and Wal-mart.  Perry even joined us for a dip in the pool.  However, Caleb thought the best way for Caleb to dry off would be to put him in the microwave.  Poor Perry.  

Perry's Angry

Perry's angry.  Why?  Because I don't write about him and post pictures of us doing cool things anymore.  I tried to explain to Perry that we are back in school and there is nothing cool to post pictures of us doing together.  (And, if he would recall, my camera kind of was stolen our last few days in Guahan.) We no longer go to the beach, or go diving, or eat strange foods, or do anything exciting.  The only exciting thing that has happened around here is the crazy man running past my window at 4am about a month ago.  Wait, that was not exciting. That was scarey.  However, I have decided that Perry's been around you guys too long and thinks band is exciting.  And, he did have a very good point when he said I could post pictures of the following:

• The look on Smitty's face when Andrew decides to play the drums in jazz band and Caleb the trumpet. 
• The State Fair Parade while Mo was discovering American food at its finest for the first time. (Oh, and the band placed 4th, percussion 4th, and guard 3rd.)
• The look on Smitty's face when her first and second chair saxophones won't hush!
• Preston with his tuba...I wonder if he'd fit inside of the bell?
• The look on Smitty's face when she looks up while you guys are marching and have rearranged your lines.  How does Caleb, Matt, and Tommus do that?
• The Tishomingo parade when 50 degrees seemed like the dead of winter and everyone thought they'd die.  (At least you guys placed 2nd...got a trophy...and will never ask me to march in the Christmas parade again!)
• Tommus and how he loves to park in the "prime" spots.
• When Andrea, Samantha, and Hannah F found the OLD uniforms.  When I say old, we are talking the ones I work in HS, so you know they are ancient.
• The look on Smitty's face when the trumpets decided they should hold their trumpets bells up....and then the clarinets, saxophones, and flutes followed suit.  What's up with you people? 
• The hamburger fry concert... the wind kept blowing poor Noah's stand down and his sheet music (despite the clothes pins) kept flying through the air.
• The hamburger fry concert...or at least the look on Smitty's face when the percussion still had the inability to stand at attention the 3rd time Smitty told them to...
• The hamburger fry jazz concert...when Caleb put a drum fill about 40 measures too soon and the band was off (in a musically sounding good type of manner) until the the drum fill was really suppose to have happened. 
• The look on Smitty's face if she catches the percussionist sitting--ever again--in class. 
• The look on Smitty's face every time Cade...or Kade...open their mouths. 

FYI

I wanted everyone to know that the reason Mr. Barrett wasn't in band this morning is because his father passed away suddenly last night from a heart attack.  Remember him, Mrs. Barrett, and the rest of the family in your prayers this weekend. 

Great week!

Perry's mad at me.  I didn't take him to band camp.  I tried to explain that if THE Perry showed up, he would distract all the new students.  It's hard enough for me to get you to listen to ME...imagine the difficulty if a "star" was in the room.  I don't think that helped.

I wanted to thank everyone for a job well done at band camp.  As always I came in expecting the worst.  (I am not as dumb as you think and know that most of you never pick up your instrument over the summer.)  And as always, you prove me WRONG!  I was overwhelmed at the balance we have already started with.  I was impressed with the newbies who actually learned their music.  (Trace & Eddie only had their instruments for a few days and came in like pros!)  I have compiled a special list of "thanks" and "no thanks" for the past week.  Enjoy....

Special thanks to....

• Caleb, Matthew Holmes, & Tommus for keeping the insanity to a minimal. (Only once dressing up in the 1984 color guard outfits?  I'm impressed.)
• Ashley, Sarah, & Savannah for checking out uniforms/tuxes for me on the first day.
• The percussion--for keeping their aloofness to a minimal.  Kade...Blake...now that I know it is possible, I'll make
• Neil for not acting like the low brass so I didn't have to yell at him this year (and then later feel guilty and draw flowers for him as an I'm sorry.) 
• Trace for bringing me get well cookies
• Rebekah who is going to be an amazing band-aide.  The library is neater than it's been in...a LONG time!
• Andrea for not hurting Neil.
• Caleb for sitting right next to me.  You may have thought you were ignoring me, but I rather enjoyed hearing your mature tuba sound.
• Braden for bringing me sausage rolls!
• The low brass for actually DOING their sectional. 
• David for wearing the hamburger shirt.  As ugly as it is, it has this special cool factor about it.
• Matthew Hu mom for being there to fill in if I needed to go to the doctor.
• Maddi & Leandrea for not falling off the cliff on the day they SKIPPED band camp.
• Tyler who helped me carry stuff in one day.  
• Kai because I can't think of anything naughty he did.

No thanks to...

• Caleb for changing the background of my computer to the ugliest dog in the world.
• Caleb (again) for stealing my phone and changing the names of my contacts....For example: Ginger (Andrea)
• The people who took extra pizza and we ran out before the poor 8th graders got food (naughty)
• The ants, wasps, and scorpions who once again found their way into the bandroom over the summer. (I'm sure we'll find a snake soon.)
•  Dylan for coming up with a ridiculous question to everything we had to review. (Where do you come up with these things?)
• Caleb & Tommus who had to had their own comments to every little rule in the band handbook. 
• Caleb & Matthew who switched instruments when I had to go into my office. 
• Savannah for spilling Braden's coffee all over the uniform room, the fan, her shoes, her legs...
• Everyone who always seemed to be on their cell phones when I walked into sectionals.
• Cade and the bass drums for always playing over. Typical trumpet, but percussion? 

Over all it was a great week.  Thank again for taking appropriate control of camp during my "near-death-experience."  Section leaders, you did a MARVELOUS job!

Enjoy your last few days of freedom.

Oh, don't forget.

PRACTICE BEFORE WEDNEDAY

A LOT! :)

Band Camp Schedule (Revised)

Saturday (Aug. 4)—Color Guard Fundraiser Only

Monday (Aug 6)—CHANGE: STAYING AT BYNG

9:00-10:30—Music Rehearsal                         

10:30-10:45—Snack Break (Provided)

10:45-11:30— Sectionals

11:30-12:00—Marching Rehearsal   (Indoor)          

12:00—12:30—LUNCH!  (Provided)                 

12:30-1:00—Sectionals                                 

1:00-2:00—Music Rehearsal       

7:00—MANDANTORY Handbook Meeting for Students and Parent/Guardian. (Signing of Medical release forms—bring insurance card so we can make a copy or bring a copy to staple to the medical release form.)                      

Tuesday (Aug 7)—As Originally Scheduled

9:00-10:00—Music Rehearsal                                  

10:00-10:30—Marching Rehearsal   (Indoor)                      

10:30-11:15—Sectionals                                     

11:15-12:00-Music Rehearsal                                   

12:00-5:00 Percussion (lunch provided for percussion only)                                                 

6:00pm-8:00—Color Guard Practice                           

Wednesday (Aug 8)—As Originally Scheduled

9:00-10:00—Music Rehearsal                                   

10:00-10:30—Marching Rehearsal  (Indoor)                     

10:30-11:15—Sectionals                                    

 11:15-12:00-Music Rehearsal                                 

12:00-5:00 Percussion (lunch provided, percussion only)

Saturday (Aug 11)—

8:30-2:00 –Car Wash (New Location—Ada Ford)

(Sign up for times next week.  We will have a tent this year to wash under!)

5:00-7:00—Band Camp’s Over Party!  (Location, Map, & Details given next week.) 

Perry, My Hero

The following account is Smitty's kidney issues from Perry's point of view.

The night was like any normal Tuesday evening.  Smitty returned from Bible study and was settled into her house watching some Olympic activity.  I do recall Smitty getting angry at once of the announcers when they mentioned a female swimmer of age 29 was really too old to be a competitive threat.  (Smitty is still convinced that she can find an Olympic sport she isn't too old for.) 

Sometime after midnight, I heard Smitty thrashing around the bathroom.  She was somewhere between vomiting and trying to kill a scorpion.  I decided to be the gentleman that I am, and kill the deadly creature while Smitty focused on her toilet.  I knew Smitty was sick when about 30 minutes later she crawled into the living room for a phone and called her parents.  I learned this summer that Smitty likes to be alone when she's sick.  I couldn't imagine her wanting an audience. 

When her parents arrived about 10 minutes later, it was quickly decided that Smitty needed to go to the hospital.  I volunteered to drive.  Her parents declined the invitation. However, when Smitty learned that her dad was going home sick and her mother would be driving, she secretly wanted me to escort her to the hospital. 

After much moaning and vomiting, the people at the ER finally got enough drugs in Smitty's system that she could talk in complete sentences instead of exasperated groans.  (Probably some of the exasperated groans was the fact that the ER asks the same questions over and over and over and over.) A CT scan soon revealed that poor Smitty had a kidney infection and some stones in her kidney's.  Smitty was given more drugs in the IV, meds for home, was told to drink a lot, and to rest. 

To the Percussion

Hey percussion!  In case you haven't heard, Dalton has taken a new job and will not be our clinician this year. :(

However, Mr. Brock Barrett (who some of you may have had as a bus driver or seen around campus--husband of the choir teacher) will be working with us this year.  However, since he is a school employee, he'll have to be at the same boring, I mean exciting, meetings that I must attend. Therefore, you will NOT have rehearsal on Thursday, August 9th.  We will discuss as a group during band camp when to make this day up.  You WILL be rehearsing on Tuesday & Wednesday afternoons (Aug 7-8).