Jimmy Kimmel Clarification

So, I really have been overwhelmed with the amount of coverage on the internet and other media outlets about Miss South Carolina and her rousing speech on Education and the lack of available maps in America. There have been a lot of interpretations of her speech, but I think Jimmy Kimmel really hit the nail on the head with his clarification of Miss South Carolina...

Everything else is going really well. I survived the 2 weeks of band camp insanity and so did most of the kids. Avon Grove was in the Poconos and it was awesome. We were totally secluded from the rest of the camp and could focus on the job at hand. We got all but 3 sets on the field marched and playing. Not too bad and about 15 sets ahead of last year apparently. We put the last 3 sets on last night at rehearsal back at school. It was quite an experience to go through the whole creative process and see people moving in dots instead of dots on the computer screen.

East's camp went well. Despite the crappy weather, we got all of the drill on the field. We are performing the first 3 songs tonight at the first football game. They are doing a really nice job. The brass line is already playing at the level they were at the end of last season. That excites me to see where they will go from here. There are still a couple of kids who are just not buying into it and aren't getting any better. I have to find a way to motivate them. Any suggestions?

The East football team is supposed to be in for a looong season this year. That does not excite me. They have a new coach for the first time in 20 some years and he has a very young group of starters. They are going to be a far cry from the playoff team of last year.

Plus , there hasn't been anyone close to Matt Schaub... Go Texans!

The hardest thing this time a year is to try and NOT get too excited about the Phillies. This is almost impossible to do after they completed a 4 game sweep against the Mets yesterday. One of the greatest games of the YEAR!! This weekend they are in Florida against the Marlins who always play them tough. 2 games out of both the division and wild card. Should be an exciting finish.... but I'm a realistic Philadelphia fan.... I won't get my hopes up TOO much.

Education Reform

I think we all need to get behind Miss South Carolina and her plan for reforming the American Educational System.

Shenanigans are everywhere

Shenanigan

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

A shenanigan is a deceitful confidence trick, or mischief causing discomfort or annoyance. The term is usually used in the plural, shenanigans. However, in some regions, shenanigans can merely refer to harmless mischievous play, especially by children.

The origin of the word is unknown but possibly originates from the Irish sionnachuighim, meaning "I play the fox."

Shenanigan or shenanigans can refer to:

• To "call", "claim," or "declare" shenanigans is to rhetorically and ironically label something as officially deceitful, improper, or otherwise incorrect.
• Shenanigan Kids, a 1920 animated series by Bray Productions.
• Deception or tomfoolery on the part of carnival stand operators, e.g. seen in the South Park episode Cow Days
• Shenanigans (television), a 1964-65 children's television game show.
  • Shenanigans (game), a board game published in 1964 by Milton Bradley based on the television program
• Shenanigans (computer game), a computer game produced in 1983 by Mark Data Products, written by Bob Whithers and Stephen O'Dea
• Shenanigans (album), a 2002 compilation album by Green Day.
• Shamrocks & Shenanigans, a song and a greatest hits album by the hip hop trio House of Pain.

There have been several shenanigans today.

This morning I woke up and went down to the Italian Market with my Dad and some other family. I've been there a bunch, but never after I got engaged. I think there is some kind of right of passage in my family that is never spoken of. Getting engaged/married is equal to your life ending. You are no longer allowed to have fun unless you are with the guys doing things like the Italian "Men's Night" at the Club or hanging out down at the market. Don't get me wrong, I am extremely excited about getting married. And I laugh at people saying "why would you do that?" But they keep coming.

Shenanigans - Marriage is gonna be pretty freakin sweet. If you're not happy, you probably are with the wrong person. Don't assume that I will be unhappy just because your life sucks.

After I got home, I worked on the Avon Grove show some more. I thought all I had to do was incorporate the color guard and take a couple of kids out of the drill who had dropped since I was given numbers. WRONG. I get an email from the percussion guy talking about all these changes and what the music is doing for his parts and about some rediculous drum rack that is being built. We're not the Blue Devils people, this is a shitty group with an even shittier drum line. There is no reason to go all out like this. Then he wants to put the pit on the active field instead of in the PIT.

Shenanigans - If you wanted all of this stuff in the show, you should have informed me about it 2 months ago when the chain of emails were going around about the drill and design. Trust me, I didn't exactly go all out in the writing. 1. It is my first full outdoor production and 2. THE GROUP ISN'T VERY GOOD!!!

Heather is away right now for her final trip with the family she is nannying for this summer. I know it may sound mushy or whatever, but I really miss her a lot. We can't talk much cause the crazy mom and kids keep her so busy. Plus she is out on Arizona and 3 hours behind. She is always my go to when things are stressful, so it has been a difficult week with no venting.

The Phillies have been fighting back this entire game tonight. It is now the bottom of the 9th with one on. Time to finish rooting.

New Blog

Well, I realized today that I miss having a place to put my thoughts and feelings. I'm always reading my friend's blogs and thought this one would serve my purposes well.

Things always get busy for me this time of year, but this year is a little different. I am still teaching at West Chester East with the marching band. We are doing West Side Story as our theme this year. It promises to be a championship caliber show. I am confident with the group we have on paper plus the staff and the program we put together that we have the potential to be very successful this fall. It always boils down to the kids, their desire, and their commitment to excellence. They have always had the desire, but only time will tell if they want to take the next step toward success. I just know that every year at Finals we have kids disappointed that they didn't get a higher placement, but the next year rolls around and they are still making the same mistakes that we corrected all the previous year. This year I was also presented with my first opportunity to write drill for my own show. I was contacted by the director at Avon Grove High School about writing and teaching for their production of The Lion King. It was an opportunity which I could not turn down. They are strictly a football band, non-competition. And they're really not all that good. However, it provides me with the opportunity to go through the entire creative process on my own and write a show according to my own parameters and desires. It was quite an adventure, but I am really happy with what I put out. We start camp on Monday with new member basics and some sectional work and then go away to the Poconos for 4 days on Thursday.

Soooo the next few months promise to be interesting to say the least. I'm going to try to update this as I go with randomness, things in my life, and (of course) marching band.

Feel free to put any and all comments on here. Just like the nature of a blog, I am not here to censor your opinions and comments.

As always, Shenanigans Welcome!