Marching Band ?!?!?!

My power went out today around 21:00 (yeah, I've gotten to using military time because I tend to screw up the AM/PM), so I decided to go for a little walk just for fun. Interestingly enough, while I was walking, my mind switched to thoughts of marching band. I just thought to myself "four-e-and-uh-one" while my left foot came down. Not far behind came the thought of "eight-e-and-uh-one-cross-two."

What the heck is going on here, I thought. Then memories of band camp and seasonal practice flooded into my mind. I quickly thought of all the basics I've ever done, and all the fun "box" exercises.

Then, somehow, a feeling of dread washed over me. I so wanted to be able to go back and do marching band, but I knew my time had come and gone. Ursinus doesn't have a marching band and I'd never make it in drum corps. That's when it hit me: marching band is over for me.

I know what you're thinking: wow, this kid is a giant hypocrite. He claimed he hates marching band, and now he's singing its praises. Yeah, you're right. 100%. But I just happen to be at that phase of the summer where marching band looks like a really fun idea. When band camp is something to look forward to not just for the challenge of marching, but for the companionship of other members.

The mind weaves very interesting webs. I'm suprised I fell into this one. Nostalgia is king. Or queen.

PS - Speaking of nostalgia, I came across an interesting feature in iTunes that has a compilation of some of the most popular songs in any year from 1960 to 2005. It's really weird to look back on the individual years. I didn't become much of a mainstream music listener until freshman year of highschool, but even just looking at the popular songs from those years opens up a door to nostalgia and memories. Go ahead and try it. Even if you just listen to the 30 second samples per song (or sign up for Napster and listen to all of them for just $9.95 a month! if you're a iTunes hater :) ). See what pops up.

Namaste.