The JSU/GT trip.

Yesterday was a fun and crazy day. Despite a few minor setbacks the trip went very well. I had forgotten how much I love and hate bus trips. Alot of the time, the bus ride is the funnest part of the trip. Jordan and I rode on the mellophone/sax bus. The trip was fairly uneventful until our bus driver forgot how to use his Garman satellite navigation GPS system (and apparently he forgot how to follow the 7 OTHER buses). We took a 45 min tour of Atlanta. Our little detour made us late getting to our parking area where there was ONE catering truck from the varsity. (The varsity had AMAZING food. But the ONE truck had ONE window with ONE person taking SINGLE orders.) So when the Southerners arrived, all 400 of us (staff and students) had to wait A LOONG time to get food. So after we got food we RAN back to the buses got changed and RAN to the stadium. Most of us did not get to warm up. GT had a very good crowd. It was the biggest crowd I had ever been part of. GT ticket office reported that there were over 45,000 people in attendance. It was Amazing. The half time show went good until the last page of drill. we were supposed to mesh forms. We smushed forms. But nobody really noticed. On the great gate section of music, the entire home side of the stadium was on their feet. It was great.

This game reminded me of how much I love marching. This year is the best year to go out on. I get to march with my brother, and I get to march a great show. Great memories have been made.

A Very Good Sunday.

Today was a good day. Me and Jordan got up and went to church. (Amy was at home is Muscle Shoals visiting and wedding dress shopping with her friends over the weekend). After church we ate at Western Sizzling Buffet. We both ate ALOT more than we should have, but I was having steak withdrawls and I could not pass up all you can eat, flame kissed, medium rare, STEAK. It was Fantastic. After gorging ourselves we went home and passed out while watching TV. I played on Face book for a while, then dozed again. It was a good relaxing, Sunday afternoon. After I woke up from a mini nap, I wrote a letter to Talladega City school system about a teachers aid position they have open. I'm praying to hear something good back from that tomorrow. After I sent the letter, Jordan and I went back to church and had a good time at the youth devo. We got home and crashed. Amy got back from her shopping weekend with her girlfriends safely. I was able to catch up with one of my cousins over facebook chat. It was good to hear from her. Right now it is raining outside. It's the leftovers from tropical storm Fay. If only every day could be as nice as this one!

another good week.

Well, I survived another week of camp. I was a good week overall. I got a good bit of music memorized and we have all the drill learned. (nearly 70 pages) I never knew how much i missed playing until now. After not playing ever since leaving JSU after spring '04 i haven't played much at all. I'm looking forward to getting into a career in music.

As much as I enjoyed camp, I'm Very glad its almost over. I haven't got to spend much time with Amy at all. Luckily, she understands that marching is very important to me, although she thinks it a waste of time. I can't wait to spend more time with her.

I wrote a letter to Gadsden Music today inquiring about an apprenticeship. I hope and pray they have something open. I don't know how much longer I can stomach the idea of working these dead end, piddly, meaningless jobs. As much as I love JSU and Amy getting her degree , a small part of me wishes that we could have stayed in Muscle Shoals. That way I could apprentice at Shoals Band Instrument Repair. I miss the days that I spent the mornings there, then went to Stanfeilds or Petco at night. Good Times, Good Times.

The Southerners are packing up and going to Georgia Tech on Thursday. I am VERY excited about this football season....

That's it for tonight. Goodnight.

It has been a good week.

Wow. It has been a crazy week. After 5 years of not marching this has been a very tiring week. I needed this though. It has taken alot of stress off my mind. I have enjoyed meeting new people and old friends. This years show is simply amazing. Everything from the intense music to the awesome drill is going to be awesome. I decided to march with one of the school owned horns. It is easier to tune with the rest of the section that way.

The job hunt is at a standstill right now. No one seems to be hiring right now. I'm not too worried about it right now. I have 2 more weeks of band camp left. But after that is over I will be VERY pressed to get a job. I'm hoping Gasden Music will be wanting to hire an apprentice. I REALLY want to get my career going. But things are going slow.

Other than band camp, there hasn't been a whole lot going on.

I did it.

Well, I called McD's on Friday and told them I wouldn't be coming back. I am very relived about it. I would rather have no job than to work there again. Its not because I am lazy or anything. It is because of the lack of training and how serious a few people were. For instance; I was jumped on for using the chicken spatula on the hamburger patty's. I had no Idea there was a difference. I told him that I did not know he just got on to me again. EVERYTHING was like that. I had no Idea I was doing something against McD's policy until I had a fat 40 year old, who thought he was God's gift to burger making because he had on a blue manager shirt, was right on top of me. The same thing happened when I didn't lay the pattys on the grill in the right order, or when drained all the grease off the pattys after they were done, or the way I swept the floor (YES, McD's has a authorized way to sweep the floor! atleast that one does), or when I ACCIDENTALLY put 1.5 pickles instead of 1 pickle on the cheeseburger, and the list could go on forever. /end rant

Any way, all that is behind me. I am SUPER excited about band camp starting tomorrow! There are roughly 30 Mello's trying out for 22 spots. The main thing I'm looking forward to is playing "Salvation" again with the Southerners. I have my mellophone almost ready. All I have left is the inner bell area. It is good enough to use at band camp but I would like to get it a little nicer before the first game. Chances are I will use a school owned horn if there are enough, if I make the line. That way the whole section will match. I don't have any problem using my horn if I have to though. I would probably prefer it.

This years show is super hard. I have never seen so many 16th note runs on one page. This is going to be an amazing year. You can listen to a midi file of the opener on the Southerners website at http://www.marchingsoutherners.org. The drill has been written for 360 instrumentalist. So there will probably be over 400 people on the field.

I'm still hunting for another job. I called Dick's and they are not hiring at the moment. Right now my conditions are 1) I don't have to shave my beard EVER again and 2) It is NOT fast food. Right now I am looking for retail jobs. Working at Stanfield's RUINED me. I hope I will be able to work for a company as good as Stanfield's. A company that respected their workers. A company were I was more that a name on a time card. What makes Stanfield's so great is the sense of Family. I have never missed a job so much. I know I only worked there for 3 months, but I will always miss it.

On a fun and good note, Phantom Regiment won the 2008 DCI Championship! Phantom has always been my favorite corps. The dark and rich sound they make is remarkable. They definitely have a trademark sound. Congrats Phantom!

I rode my commuter bike around a bit today while the Mrs was out hanging out with her Friends. I just rode up the rode and back but it was FUN. I am STILL waiting to get a helmet before I go for a longer ride. I am itching to go on the Ladagia Trail in J'ville. The trail starts in Anniston and goes for 33 miles to the Georgia line. There it connects to Georgia's Silver comet trail. It goes all the way to Atlanta. I am looking forward to riding the whole thing. I want to make a tour out of it. Stopping for one or two nights along the way.

Well, That's about all I have tonight.

I Quit.

Well, today was a day that I would rather not repeat. Atleast the morning anyway. I was scheduled to be at work at 5:00AM. At 1:00AM I was (to put it politely) occupied by intense bodily functions, till nearly 3:30AM. I decided to call in. I figured the sickness was caused by stress because I felt amazingly better after I told Mcd's that I was not coming in today. I don't think I have hated a job quite so much. I enjoyed Toys R Us more than this. (And that is saying something.)

Anyway. Amy and I have decided that since I won't be working for the next two and a half weeks due to band camp, that I should just quit McD's and find a new job after camp. Another deciding factor is that I will only be getting 15-20hrs a week. (not the 40hrs I need). I was going through a small patch of depression over this job. I know I need a paycheck, but $175 every two weeks ain't worth my time or even gas to get to work. I plan on calling tomorrow and telling them that I won't ever be coming back. I don't want/need to be stressing out over a minimum wage, part time, meaningless job.

On the bright side, I went up to Dicks Sporting Goods, and they seem to be hiring. I have an application in and I will be calling the manager tomorrow to try to get an interview. I'm hoping that all my merchandising experience will help me get in the door. (because I'm not what I would consider "athletic". Not yet anyway!)

I know that God will take care of us. He always has, and I have faith he always will. Grandma has always told me, "This too shall pass." She is usually right about that kind of thing.

On a completely different subject, Rookie camp starts tomorrow for Jordan. We're both excited for this to start. The show is going to be amazing this year. It will be a good one to end on! I'm probably even more excited about football season starting! JSU got an AMAZING transfer at QB in Ryan P. We even have several SEC and Div 1-A transfers that will help ALOT. Playoffs look like a possibility this year! Our first game will be in Atlanta vs. Georgia Tech.

Even more randomness... Amy and I are planning on moving to Florida in the next two years or so. Amy found a real good graduate school program at Florida State that she wants to go too. I'm all for it. I have family in Tallahassee and Amy has family alittle further south. We have both loved the beach and Florida is a good place for cycling (its fairly flat!). I'm still undecided on what I want to do as a career. But I'm fairly certain I can do anything I want to in Florida just as well as I can in Alabama. I am looking forward to getting into a legitimate career. I'm TIRED of these piddly retail jobs.

I'll close tonight's blog/rant with a quote from my uncle.

"Pray like everything depends on God, and work like everything depends on you."

Another good day.

Today was a good one. It started out with me and Amy sleeping in. Then we went and paid a few bills and stoped in at a bike shop that I did not know about. I have found my new bike shop! The owner was super friendly and very helpful. He went out of his way to talk to us even though we told him that we were just looking around. I plan on taking my bianchi to him when i can get alittle money together. Hopefully I will be able to afford one of the bikes I picked out one of these days. Even Amy has one picked out. I think that biking will be a fun activity that we can enjoy together.

It was also a good day because I did not have to go to McD's! I'm hunting for a new job after one day! The work is not hard...I just don't speak Spanish! I feel alone and confused even though there are tons of people around me. Oh well, it's a paycheck.