Retired, revamping, reorganizing

Yeah, it is all I can do but take a bulldozer to most of the rooms in my house. Every day as I wander through, I keep saying, "How did this happen?" There is so much junk to get rid of, so much stuff to reorganize, so many trips to goodwill, the town farm, and the curb to make. Anyone out there interested in about 3,000 cds and video cassettes, books, clothes, computer equipment, just stuff! I am trying to reorganize, one room at a time. So far, the family room and closet look great - new furniture, and actually room for coats in the closet. I came across my high school yearbook and that stalled the organizing - I had to look at my skinny self in the band, at the prom (who did I go with???) and being a cheerleader with the flip hairdo! It was cute, then!

I have found some great stuff in the junk drawers too - 47 AA batteries, 65 votive candles, clarinet reeds, my old mouthpiece and ligature, and enough loose change to pay the mortgage next month (I wish!) But seriously, I recommend cleaning out those junk drawers once in a while. You are bound to find at least a couple of things that you didn't know you had that you had just gone out and bought two more of - before you cleaned the drawer!

I am, in general, being very annoying to those people who either live here (which is Scott) or who happen to come by - "can you help move this, would you like this, how can I get rid of this, etc." Also, I have given Scott fair warning - anything that is not nailed down - watch out! He is scared.

Hello???

How come the only comments I get about this blog are from my friend, Bev? I thought you all wanted to hear the meanderings of a retired band director/crazy person? I bet you all thought that I would write a couple of things and then let it drop. Well, that may very well happen, but not yet. Although I will be going silent probably from Germany in a couple of weeks. Although, you never know, it may be boring in Berlin and Prague and I won't have anything else to do. In any case, I am not feeling enough love about this blog! Forgotten so soon, huh?

More bandtrip goodness

One more band trip story- one of the best places to take your high school band is Washington, DC. It has everything, really. Plenty of history, interest, flowers,beautiful buildings, walking, pools, amusement park (okay, so you have to drive a little), etc. It is wonderful to have students visit our nation's capitol. I always learn something there. And there are hard lessons too - like the time one of my student's backpacks was scanned going into a tour of the capitol, and he was caught with liquor in it! Now, tell me, wasn't he just a little stupid to have that in the backpack? Shouldn't it have been hidden back in the hotel room? The guard alerted me and what could I do but call his parents? I mean, really? At that point it couldn't be ignored, right? And then we had to search his room when we got back to the hotel, right? And he had to be upset the whole rest of the day, because, of course this was the first stop of the day. And of course, he tried to tell me that someone must have planted it in his backpack! I mean, really, he must have thought I was a novice at the whole band trip thing. Tough lesson, indeed. Any of you bandees reading this - don't do this!

Band trip goodness

And then there was the time that I was 7 months pregnant with my first daughter (yeah, I know, a long time ago!), and I was conducting a sit down concert with my Ridgefield High School Band at Sea World in Florida. We were all hot (but not as hot as the band at the Lincoln Memorial in my last post, we were at least in lighter clothing!), but enjoying playing in front of this lovely fountain right on the main drag into the dolphin exhibit - prime real estate! I don't really remember how well the band played, but it must have been really good cuz I do remember the thunderous applause at the end - or was that because my entire trumpet section, took a little leap backwards afterwards into the fountain pool to cool off? That was also the concert where, when I got back to Ridgefield, CT, I received a note addressed to the "Female Band Director". Inside was a picture of me, very pregnant in my blue sun dress, conducting the band at Sea World, with a note that said, "I think a little one might enjoy this someday." The picture still resides on my refrigerator and has survived many moves!

A short reminder about band trips

First of all, let me say up front - I really like band trips. I liked them when I was in school, college, and when I was a teacher. Admittedly, they were much more work when I was a teacher, but the benefits always seemed to outweigh the work in the end. Not to brag, but I always planned a really great band trip!

The reason for this post actually is I was reminded of decisions you have to make when planning a band trip. I was in Washington, DC over the 4th of July and witnessed a really bad band trip decision. I was sweating (I mean, really sweating - remember the heat that weekend?) on a walking tour of the monuments. When we wound our way around to the Lincoln Memorial, I heard the distant familiar sounds of a Disney medley. I have to admit, my first thought was not how good the band was playing. My first thought was - what kind of band director really schedules a sit down concert in front of the Lincoln Memorial on a blisteringly hot day - over 100 degrees -in July in the direct sunlight? I honestly thought I was going to faint a couple of times, I can only imagine how those trumpet players must have felt!

Next posts - band trip happenings - if any of you out there reading this want to contribute a band trip story - let me know!