Lucky #13

We leave in less than a week, and the only list I have is the basic packing list I store in a Word document for reference each year. By now, I usually have lists of things to do at home (cook and freeze food, contact teachers, commissary list, doctor’s appointments), things to do at work (clean uniforms, update medals, clean locker, practice parts, etc.), and things to do for tour packing (laundry, air suitcase, get tour containers out of storage, packing lists, replace socks, order tour supplies).

This September has been so hectic and disorganized – the only lists I have are in my head, which is so crammed with information, I’m bound to get something wrong. I’m not superstitious or anything, but this tour is #13…

With Jenna heading back to Northwestern, the first two weeks of September were spent getting her ready to go. After a year out of the country, this meant taking inventory of items stored here and in Evanston, pulling winter clothing out of storage, rounding up books and paperwork she didn’t need in Ireland, filling prescriptions, renewing her driving permit.

Additionally, Jenna is applying for a Mitchell Foundation Fellowship for graduate study in Ireland next year. She had to complete Northwestern’s application for endorsement by the 8th, so she was scrambling to get all the letters of recommendation from teachers in Ireland and Evanston. Her first day back in Evanston she was called in to interview with the nominating committee – her interview was so well received, they asked her to apply for a Fulbright as well. Northwestern had 24 Fulbright scholars last year; the amount of support they offer to their students in assisting them in the application process is mind-boggling.

Jamey started school the last week of August and dove right into Driver’s Education as well. I already mentioned the copious amounts of time spent driving to and fro; we finished classes last Friday, but the driving sessions will continue until he has his license in his hot little hands.

Let me just interject with my dissatisfaction with the Maryland Graduated Licensing System – the test for the license is not a driving exam. The student has three minutes to parallel park within very precise marked boundaries (shoulda bought a Smart Car), two minutes for a three point turn, then performs a backing maneuver for 60 feet, makes a right turn, and then comes to a complete stop. They never leave the parking lot of the MVA. There is no driving on the test. No wonder there are so many poor drivers in Maryland. And, honestly, I’ve seen a lot of bad parallel parking. It does, however, explain why everyone shoots into their parking space with little regard for the cars around them – they think they only have three minutes.

But I digress – all these events are happening while I’m in the midst of Tour rehearsals, PTAD rehearsals, and Tour prep. Every morning is tightly scheduled to fit in showers, packing lunches, taking care of the dog, breakfast, and supervised driving on the way to school (which starts at 0717 except on Thursdays when he has to be there at 0600 for AP Physics) before hitting the road to the Annex.

It is almost over, but it has been a very long week. I survived Wednesday, though, so I expect to live through the rest just fine. Wednesday started at 0500, as usual, but broke the mold early. I let Chloe out while I filled her food and water dishes; calling her to the door, I discovered she had rolled in leaf mulch and dog poo. Disgusted, I left her on the patio while I prodded Jamey out of bed (he had already hit snooze once). In the chilly, dark, wee hours of the morning, we unrolled the hose and gave her a “bath” on the patio. Lovely way to start the day.

We managed to get Jamey to school on time, but traffic was awful – accidents abound, something for everyone. I opted for Martin Luther King and managed to arrive only 20 minutes later than planned. Grabbing a practice room, I had an abbreviated warm-up before hauling my stuff into the Band Hall before heading to the Tour Librarian Brief. Harried and arms loaded, I walked right by them…the Tour Trunks.

My mind went blank momentarily, trying to process what I was seeing. Tour Trunks. Strangely, there was no sinking feeling in my stomach, and my heart didn’t lurch – my feeling was more one of frustration. Didn’t the Pre- and Post- Tour schedule say they would be available Thursday? Once again, everyone is more on the ball than I.

The Tour Librarian Brief didn’t take long – we have some Old Hands volunteering again this year, so most already know the ropes. Ellen will be handling scores again; Jennifer and Patrick will take the first half, and Lauren and Amy will take the second.

With the trunks staring us down, we went about the business of rehearsal. Just before the end, while Sara was singing, Irv walked in and sat down. The trunks had arrived, the Tour Brief was following rehearsal, and Irv had appeared as though he wasn’t going to miss this Tour, either.

For such a short Tour, the Brief seemed to be longer than usual. Maybe it was because I was tired, maybe it was because I was anxious to know the results of Jamey’s driving test, maybe it was because I had a multitude of errands to run before I could sit back and relax. The nights seem shorter, and the days don’t have enough hours in them. The weekend is fast approaching, and while welcome, it is my last weekend at home. The time is slipping away quickly, and I can’t seem to hang on to it. I don’t feel particularly anxious, I just feel behind.

2008 Tour Games

I arrived early this morning, as I always do before Tour rehearsals. The practice rooms fill up quickly before the first Tour rehearsal – everyone seems to want a little extra time to wood-shed some of the harder pieces.

I met only Jane in the locker room, and the information-packed bulletin board had no one scouring the reams of paper for more information. I saw no one in the hallway near the ensemble rooms. Entering the practice suite, a lone saxophone was practicing; the rest of the rooms were empty. Hm. Accident on 395?

Delighted to have a choice of rooms, I set up my peg and put together my instruments. Pulling my folders out of my Altieri bag, I understood the lack of people. The folders are so much thinner this year. With the shorter tour, we are taking half the number of programs a longer tour requires.

The atmosphere before rehearsal was more relaxed than usual – either a pleasant side effect of looking forward to a shorter tour, or there are enough Tour Newbies that haven’t figured out what Tour is all about. It will be interesting to see what changes and what stays the same with the shorter tour.

Rehearsal started with Trox’s explanation of the Bus Sign Up sheets and all the detailed information found on The Clipboard. The Clipboard was presented to Gail, holder of the most bus points, who will be signing up for a bus for the last time. Gail will retire in 2009 after 30 years and 20 tours.

Like the lighting of the Olympic Torch, Lisa’s tuning notes marked the beginning of our 2008 Tour Games. I’m entered in the PTAD Track and Field events this year, running in the Woodwind Quintet Relay (with a couple sprints in a Woodwind Trio), and I’m still running in the Library SNCOIC Marathon; all while trying to medal in the Piccolo Gymnastics. How am I going to fit it all into 31 days?

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!