An Orange-Shirted Performance

There were drummers drumming on drums and pads and cafeteria tabletops. There were silver euphoniums racing up and down chromatic scales. There were three tubas sitting side by side, warming up as they gazed out a window. And there was one tall boy with dark, curly hair in an untucked, orange shirt standing in the middle of the room playing his trombone.

We found a place to wait, Trudy and I did. When the coffee was ready, she had a cup. I got a bag of popcorn -- which I later surrendered to the untucked, orange-shirted boy once I tracked him down outside portable C-1 amidst a clutter of tuba, euphonium and trombone cases and kids.

As it happened, the trombones played last. Eventually the boy returned to the cafeteria, and everyone waited for results. We sat down at the edge of the room. He leaned against a wall in the busiest part of the room in his untucked, orange shirt and talked to kids and teachers and other parents as everyone waited. Periodically, he looked over at us and smiled or waved.

Finally there was some commotion at the wall. And happy faces. And patting of hands on shoulders. The untucked, orange-shirted boy left his spot and walked toward us. He moved slowly and tucked his elbows close to his ribs. He held up one finger on his right hand and smiled ear-to-ear.

Trudy stood up and hugged him. I stood up and hugged him. And a friend of his, seeing us, turned with arms outstretched and hugged him, too.

First Chair District Band.

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Middle School District Band Competition
KeelingKealing Junior High, Austin TX

11:19:16 PM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []  

Barlow, the election, and Dancemob

In a long piece about the days-away election, John Barlow says:

I support John F. Kerry for President of the United States.... There. I've said it.... He still irritates me, but that seems like a personal problem.

We simply cannot allow America to look as simultaneously laughable and terrifying as it will if we keep these lunatics in power. ... Time is very short.

No matter who emerges ... we are going to have to start getting along better or we'll be like Hutus and Tutsis in a couple of years.

... I believe that if we can keep the streets safe for dancing, so liberty remains assured. But I can tell you that we are very close to the threshold here. The policeman ... really believed that his life was in danger as he waded into our dancing midst...

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Mark Bernstein has some comments about Eminem's Mosh video and then ends up on a remarkably hopeful note about the election:

[Bernstein/Eminem]: But these are the times that try men's souls, and right now we're either witnessing the liberation of a great nation or the foundation of a great resistance movement that will -- no doubt after struggle and sacrifice -- defeat ignorance, superstition, and greed to free that nation and rescue the world.

Three days more.

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Gone Thoughts

Sometimes I have random little thoughts -- little yet worth remembering. I try, but too often they slip thru the cracks.

And are gone.

7:43:41 AM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []