It's almost April… and that means that we don't have all that long until
summer. Which means we don't have all that long until summer band.
1 I remember in eighth grade when I looked forward to July…
I also remember the first morning of being a ninth grader.. a stupid FISH… according to all the seniors. Life just seems pretty miserable at 8 in the morning on a sunny day and being at the very bottom of the social totem pole.
I'll never leave the house without eating breakfast again.
I guess I picked out the most tacky thing ensemble I had in my closet, as did the rest of my freshman cohorts in calamity.. not like it mattered.
I don't know what I was expecting.. but this wasn't it.
Maybe I was thinking that we'd just all sit inside and play band music for 4 hours… but no. We got out there in the blazing Texas sun and marched. Well, attempted to. "drag left" and "flank right" didn't make a whole lot of sense.. In fact, those commands sounded downright stupid. I don't like people bossing me around, but that's what drum majors are there for I suppose.
Then Mr. L comes out there and tells us we're doing great.. but we're all too delirious with heatstroke to hear him…
Everyone looked worse than they had when they rolled out of bed that morning.. and knowing that we would have to return to this punishment the next morning made the work seem unbearable.
Glad I'm not a freshman anymore.
I remember those idiotic tricks that the upperclassmen would pull… making us think that we had our plumes in backwards… There are a few people I could hurt severely for that. (However, it is a joke that has now become part of my yearly regime.)
I remember the first time I stepped into that band uniform and I thought.. what geek wears SUSPENDERS? Then I realized.. I did.
I remember attempting to choke down a chalupa from Taco Bell and seeing that I had about 5 minutes before inspection.
I remember yelling "SIR YES SIR" for the first time, and feeling like I had just sold my soul…
BUT THIS SUMMER…
This summer, I won't have to start marching a month early.
This summer, I can lay on a floatie in the pool and relax during July while all the newbies are marching their rear ends off.
This summer, there will be a new batch of freshmen.
And they can get up at eight…
They find out for themselves:
BAND IS A LIKE A CULT… ONCE YOU'RE IN… THERE'S NO WAY OUT.
Is it because we don't have the energy to leave?
Or do we secretly love it?
1 I remember in eighth grade when I looked forward to July…
I also remember the first morning of being a ninth grader.. a stupid FISH… according to all the seniors. Life just seems pretty miserable at 8 in the morning on a sunny day and being at the very bottom of the social totem pole.
I'll never leave the house without eating breakfast again.
I guess I picked out the most tacky thing ensemble I had in my closet, as did the rest of my freshman cohorts in calamity.. not like it mattered.
I don't know what I was expecting.. but this wasn't it.
Maybe I was thinking that we'd just all sit inside and play band music for 4 hours… but no. We got out there in the blazing Texas sun and marched. Well, attempted to. "drag left" and "flank right" didn't make a whole lot of sense.. In fact, those commands sounded downright stupid. I don't like people bossing me around, but that's what drum majors are there for I suppose.
Then Mr. L comes out there and tells us we're doing great.. but we're all too delirious with heatstroke to hear him…
Everyone looked worse than they had when they rolled out of bed that morning.. and knowing that we would have to return to this punishment the next morning made the work seem unbearable.
Glad I'm not a freshman anymore.
I remember those idiotic tricks that the upperclassmen would pull… making us think that we had our plumes in backwards… There are a few people I could hurt severely for that. (However, it is a joke that has now become part of my yearly regime.)
I remember the first time I stepped into that band uniform and I thought.. what geek wears SUSPENDERS? Then I realized.. I did.
I remember attempting to choke down a chalupa from Taco Bell and seeing that I had about 5 minutes before inspection.
I remember yelling "SIR YES SIR" for the first time, and feeling like I had just sold my soul…
BUT THIS SUMMER…
This summer, I won't have to start marching a month early.
This summer, I can lay on a floatie in the pool and relax during July while all the newbies are marching their rear ends off.
This summer, there will be a new batch of freshmen.
And they can get up at eight…
They find out for themselves:
BAND IS A LIKE A CULT… ONCE YOU'RE IN… THERE'S NO WAY OUT.
Is it because we don't have the energy to leave?
Or do we secretly love it?