The Eye of the Storm

Silence.

All around me, silence.

The dog sighs and looks balefully in my direction, ears drooping. She cocks an eyebrow before dropping her head on her paws.

The whir and hum of the air-conditioning stirs the silence around me as I enjoy the peace and quiet of the Eye of the Hurricane.

Not Ike, but my own personal hurricane.

The past few weeks were a maelstrom of activity – Back to School for Jamey, his senior year, a flurry of shopping and packing for Jenna in preparation for her move back to Evanston, nightly treks to Driver’s Ed with Jamey (twenty-five minutes one-way: an hour and twenty minutes of driving every night), re-enlistment, viola auditions, 9-11 memorial ceremonies, TAD rehearsals, Tour music preparations, and not nearly enough sleep.

Jenna and John took off for Evanston this morning. Amazingly, the ever-growing pile of items going to Evanston fit in the back of John’s vehicle. There was even a little room for more (later explained by the forgotten items I will now be carrying on the bus until the Band arrives in Evanston).

Jamey and I spent the day catching up on chores, homework, and driving practice before I dropped him at the mall to meet friends. From there they will head to a Guys Gaming Sleepover (right, like sleep will happen), where they will likely Halo themselves into the wee hours.

So now I sit and enjoy the eye of my own personal hurricane - because, like any hurricane, there is more storm activity to follow. Monday I start rehearsing with my TAD quintet, on Tuesday Tour Rehearsals begin. Jamey continues with Driver’s Ed (while I continue Mom’s Taxi Service) and his scheduled driving with the instructor. We have to squeeze in Senior Photos, school clothes shopping, hair appointments, various medical appointments, John’s business trips (Government Fiscal Year ends this month), baby showers, Tour Shopping, food preparation for the freezer, the Big Pre-Tour Commissary Run (which maybe won’t be so big this year), and the list goes on…and on…

I should use this time to knock a few items off the lengthening list, but everyone needs a little Me Time now and then. For now, I’ll just curl up in the corner of the couch and enjoy the calm before the storm.

Last Days of Summer

It’s the last Wednesday of August. Tonight the Band will wrap up the summer concert season with its last concert at the Capitol. Five weeks from today, the Band will depart on its 90th Concert Tour. It’s the last Wednesday of August, and we still have one Parade to march before summer is officially over, but it feels more like the end of September.

We’ve been sleeping with the windows open, and the cool air carries the sounds of crickets and frogs. It feels like harvest time and football games; the skies are crisp and blue with impossibly puffy clouds. It feels like fires in the chiminea and raking leaves; I throw on a light jacket to take Jamey to school in the wee hours. It feels like Tour is days away, not weeks.

I am not performing on this week’s concerts, so I don’t feel the closure that comes with performing the last concert of the season. I’ve had a few days to slow the pace of an extremely hectic summer; to enjoy the beginning of a new school year with my son, his last in public schools. I’ll have some fun playing a flute and harp duo for the Commandant on Thursday, and I’ll march in the last Evening Parade of the season on Friday. Maybe then I’ll feel that summer has run its course.

Already I see that preparing for this year’s Tour will be a bit of a challenge. Jenna is returning to Northwestern for her Senior Year, so we will be packing for her mid-September return while I am preparing for Tour rehearsals. There will be the usual long-distance parenting as she adjusts to the Northwestern environment after a year in Ireland.

Jamey is a Senior at Annapolis High School, with a fairly full load of AP and Honors courses even though he only needs Senior English to graduate. (He gleefully signed up for AP Micro and Macro Economics, AP Physics, and Forensic Science to complement his standard fare.) His more immediate goal of a driver’s license will fill two full weeknights of Mom’s Taxi schedule while he takes the coursework for driver’s ed. in September. The thought of my car sitting idle while I tour is an extra incentive, of course.

But Tour is five weeks away – temperatures are bound to rise (I’m marching the last Parade, so I’m pretty sure it will get warmer and more humid) – we’ll probably have what we used to call an “Indian Summer”, dragging out the shorts and sandals briefly in September.

Tour? Already?

The mutterings and musings started early this year.

Granted, I have had Tour milling around in my subconscious for some time now. I’m not sure it ever really leaves, given that we always seem to be On Tour, Just Home from Tour, or Planning for Tour. It is a very large part of what we do here. I know I’m not the only one with random Tour Thoughts popping into my head. But for some reason, all these random Tour Thoughts are already being verbalized by others.

Most of us were caught off guard when Public Affairs announced Guest Pass sign-up would begin the first day of August.

August? Guest Passes? Already?

We used to sign up for these in the final days of August, more likely early September, receiving them in time to mail them before the first concert. Is the Public Affairs Office on the ball, or what?

Last year when I showed up at 0715 for the 0730 opening of the Guest Pass Book, I was third or fourth in line. This year I was first. Granted, there was little or no traffic on the way to the Annex so I was early, but by 0725, only John Mula and a few Phase II personnel had joined me. People aren’t used to thinking about tour planning this early.

Usually, we race through the end of the summer, looking for that small break after the outdoor concerts and parades before Tour rehearsals begin. Usually, we shove Tour thoughts to the back of our mind until the Library posts the Tour Programs. Usually, we show up after the Labor Day 96 to find the Bus Points and Seating Charts posted on the bulletin board.

But Trox posted the Bus Points on Wednesday.

August? Bus Points? Already?

It didn’t register with me at first. I probably walked by the board a time or two without seeing them. It wasn’t until Trox tapped me on the shoulder after break and told me to check the board that I realized they were there.

Following rehearsal (for a summer concert, I might add), I could barely make my way down the hallway to the locker rooms, so many people were crowded around Trox’s display. (He has really outdone himself on the diagram details this year. Andy has the photos, but once Trox gets his hands on them, I’m sure we’ll see another collage on the bulletin board.)

It was a little disconcerting to see them so neatly arranged in the corner of the bulletin board before I was mentally prepared. A jumble of thoughts rushed through my mind; lists forming, schedules rearranging, mental post-it notes.

August? Blog? Already?

Piercing through the traffic jam forming in my mind was the thought – Blog! I have to get in Blog Mode! Everything is starting so early, I’m already behind!

Summer Solstice

In a matter of minutes, as I write this, it will be the Summer Solstice for the Northern Hemisphere; the longest day and the shortest night of the year. Last night, the Band performed the first concert of the summer season.

The Autumnal Equinox will fall during Tour rehearsals, just over a week before departure. How fitting, then, that the Tour Roster and roommate sign-up sheet were posted today, as the Earth begins its trek to the other side of the sun.

Wind clips go flying
Surrey With The Fringe On Top
Summer band begins

~ original Band Haiku by Beth

"T" is for Tour

“I said the ‘T’ word at dinner,” Michelle spoke quietly as we warmed up before rehearsal.

I glanced at her with sympathy and understanding. She looked back at me, then back at her Eb clarinet, fiddling with the reed.

“Lisa sent out the Tour picks, so it seemed like a good time.” She sighed.

Tour rumblings started several weeks ago with the departure of the Tour Advance personnel. It is to be our first 31-day Tour, so interest and curiosity is somewhat heightened this year. A tentative itinerary and a small map pinpointing concert locations materialized on the bulletin board outside the Public Affairs offices around the same time. Last week a series of e-mails appeared in the Inbox, requesting “Tour picks” from each of the sections, announcing Tour soloists, and a notice that the Tour roster and roommate sign-up sheets would be posted in the near future.

Although the Summer Concert Season has barely started, that small compartment in our brains labeled “Tour” has quietly opened, tucking away the details as they arrive, allowing our subconscious to process and prepare.

While sometimes it seems we are either 1) On Tour, 2) Recovering From Tour, or 3) Preparing For Tour, the topic of Tour can be very delicate on the home front, especially for those that tour often. Mention it too soon and anxiety and friction can be created needlessly, more so with younger children.

On the bright side, what was once a 52-day Tour is now a mere 32 days. Before the creation of Stand-down, Tour was seven and a half weeks of concerts with three maintenance days. The fourth week was the half-way point, and the remaining weeks seemed to stretch endlessly before you. But now, week four will be the final week, the week of “lasts” that tick away so quickly. It almost boggles the mind.

There are plenty of things to do before active planning and preparation, though. The Summer Concert Season is just getting under way, Parade Season is in full swing, the Birthday Concert with John Williams is right around the corner; who knows what else summer will bring?