this is what is new with me

this is what is new with me

As I mentioned in my last post, I just got home from a weekend in Illinois. It was fun but a LOT of driving. All the tollbooths we encountered were under construction. I got to learn the joys of driving a manual in a stop-and-go traffic jam that lasted almost an hour. Fun times.

Everything else about the trip was fun, though. We got down there just in time for my family's BBQ on Saturday. I was a little disappointed that there were only about six entries in the contest this year, but there was still plenty of food, and it was all really good. I voted for my dad's yummy cuban pork, but ultimately it was my uncle's pesto-and-asparagus-stuffed flank steak that won.

It was really nice to see my family again. I think we all decided that we've had our share of bad luck in the past year or so. I got hurt in the accident, My grandma has been sick (though she seems to be doing a little better now), one of my aunts broke her neck, one of my uncles had surgery on his stomach or something, and most recently, one of my uncles had a stroke (but he'll be okay). Hopefully we're due for some better luck now.

After everyone stuffed their faces with BBQ, we set up Raji's drumset and a bunch of guitars and had a jam session. I played a while on my Rhodes piano, which made me happy because I miss it. It's been hanging out in IL because it's such a hassle to move it anywhere. My aunt & uncle are hosting an exchange student from Chile, who played guitar with us too. He's good, and it's always cool when music can bridge a cultural gap.

Sunday's to-do list included Portillo's Italian beef sandwiches for lunch and some Chicago pizza for dinner. We did other stuff too but it was secondary to food. It's probably a good thing I don't live down there - I would gain a lot of weight!

We got up early Monday morning to get back in time for rehearsal at Chi-Hi. Rehearsals have been going pretty well, although I'm finding I have no patience for some of the attitudes I've encountered. Maybe I'm just getting old. Anyway, Ryan and I wrote up some stuff for the kids to play during the intro of the drum feature. That one was a challenge for me because the wind parts didn't lend themselves easily to mallet parts, but I fixed that problem by having the kids play other instruments instead. I have to write out music for the closer over the weekend. I don't think I'll have too much trouble with that one, since Andrei let me borrow the score for the concert band arrangement. Also, about a decade ago that same piece was part of Chi-Hi's marching show. Ryan, Sazama and I dug out G's arrangement of the music, and after looking through it, I have a better idea of what to do.

Speaking of G, I went down to Harmony Courtyard a few days ago with Ryan and Sazama on our way to lunch. The courtyard used to be an abandoned lot between two buildings on Bridge Street (which is the main drag downtown). Now it's been turned into a nice little park, flanked by new murals depicting some of the town's history. A large portion of one of the murals (the wall area most visible from the street) is dedicated to the marching band. It was compiled from a few different photos - the main one is of G walking in front of the band before one of the competitions a couple years ago. All the other people who were killed in the accident are on there, too. It's kind of weird to see the band on the murals that otherwise depict the town's history. It reminded me how much of an impact the accident had on the community. It has already become part of the town's history, and not just because it was painted on some wall.