Ramblings of a rural(ish) geek

(one of the three gigs last week was an indoor gig, so doesn't go on the summer record.)

Monday was FCB outreach. Concert went well, appreciative audience; many on their own balconies or even inside with open patio doors. It was a bit warm, but it wasn't humid, so it was pretty OK. The extra chair and stand I carry came in handy - the extra euph player that DC recruited didn't bring theirs....

Tuesday was LCCB in Howell. There was some concern that we wouldn't actually play, but the storms went through earlier in the afternoon, and had cleared the area by 5:30. There were some ominous clouds, and a few people got a few drops of rain on them, but it did not actually rain. There were a lot of people at the concert -- DM got to 100 and stopped counting.... That concert also went pretty well, by LCCB standards. I flailed a bit more at the marches than I usually do, but I blame that on tired music brain. (The TSax parts in marches are much different than BSax parts, and I'm still wrapping my brain around that.)

Thursday I worked a funeral meal at a church not my own. Which is both easier and harder than working SEMGS wakes, because I wasn't 'in charge'. (I used to be, until the chair of the memorial committee decided that I was cherry-picking because I declined hosting a funeral meal that she didn't want to host because "I work full-time". And what part of "I'm going to be out of town for a week without phone or email until the day before" makes you think that I can do it?) With bonus song leading, because Pastor saw me and said "Make sure you have all the music, I need strong singers." No Amazing Grace, thank Ghu. (He Leadeth Me, In the Garden, Hymn of Promise; and a bonus three-fold Amen at the end. A Capella, because the piano player didn't have music.) DS and I led the songs from the back of the congregation, because there was no way I was going to stand in front and lead unless specifically asked to do so. Strong voices from the back is just fine for a funeral. (DS is one of the other songleaders at church; the funeral was for the eldest child of the third.)

{edit for grammar}

The musicians won this week's matches, although both were close to cancellation due to air quality concerns. Both bands sent out emails saying 'concert is not cancelled. if you would be adversely affected by the poor air quality, please do not come. We will miss you, but your health is more important.' Tuesday evening, in Hamburg, I wore a KN94mask before and after the concert. (they tell us that anything less is pretty much physically unhelpful, but I have a pretty decent stash of 94s.) Wednesday evening we were on an island in the river, and the air quality was better, so I skipped the mask.

Next week there's only one match. But there are three the following week, to balance it out.

I really debated wearing a mask today when I was in AA, but decided that I wasn't going to be outside that long and I could deal with it. This may not have been the best decision, as I can still taste smoke.... (I had to take the Camry in to get two(!) brand new windshield chips/stars sealed before they spread.)

On my way home from AA, I could almost see the smoke & haze rolling in. J has wandered off to the "street festival" in chelsea this evening -- it's all been moved indoors if possible or cancelled if it can't be moved. In addition to the poor air quality, there's a decent chance of storms, and they don't want people outside in lightning storms....

Oh, right. Sunday was the LCCB spring concert. Entitled "Gags and Gimmicks", there was a surprising amount of good music in there. (Often, "funny" themed concerts are full of stupid things and simple music.) We did Typewriter, Grand Serenade for An Awful Lot of Winds & Percussion, Midnight Fire Alarm, Pie in the Face Polka (henry mancini), What's Up at the Symphony (Looney Tunes music) and a couple of other things I'm forgetting; and two encores, the second of which was subtitled "musician's strike", and when the notes ran out on your part, you were supposed to walk off stage. There was a certain amount of schtick involved in the concert, as you might expect, but I think we followed Mikey's* rules for Pep Band pretty well (play well, have fun, *look* like you're having fun). I was very tired when I got home after the concert.

Monday I worked 10-6:30p, getting the township hall set up for the election on Tuesday. I got to be IT minion for a bit, as well as a lot of "here, move this" "this other thing goes here" "make sure that this *other* thing is done". (I skipped FCB rehearsal, emailing people on Sunday saying "not happening. There are going to be too many roads closed between here and there." Even leaving work at 5, I would have been hard pressed to make it to a 7:30 rehearsal, much less a 6:30 set-up, because I needed to stop by home and get my gear for rehearsal and feed the cats.) The IT guy says he wants to get me familiarized with some of the setup stuff that he does, just so there are two people who know how to do it. whee? (competency rears its ugly head, right?)

Then Tuesday was the election. They'd decided that the AV board didn't need to show up until noon, as there were just barely 500 ballots to process. Which was nice, because I got to rest a little bit. My back and right leg are still not at all happy with all the standing/moving things/walking I've been doing since last Thursday anyway, and then there's the bruising from the accident.... Didn't get out of the hall until 10 pm, due in part to people telling me "oh, X doesn't go there", putting it somewhere else, and then finding out 30 minutes later that, yes, X *does* go there and then they have to figure out where they put it.

J got home from his bike trip on Monday with a lovely cold picked up somewhere along the route. (COVID test negative.) He's actually been sleeping upstairs in the guest room. (Usually when he's sick *I'm* the one sleeping up there, so this is kinda nice. :) )

My alarm went off at 7am, and I looked at it, said "my 8am appointment is at 3:30 this week" and rolled over and went back to sleep. The cats were annoyed, as they're used to getting noms sometime between 7:30 and 8am. They do seem to have gotten over it, at least a little.

ETA: [insurance company] just called, and the Camry is at the repair shop. She said I should hear from them later today or tomorrow with a timeframe for repair. so that's progressing.

[* Mikey was the Michigan Tech Pep Band director when I played there.]

Next time for sure! But I did get keys, and there is a call in to the security provider to get me a code for the alarm system. And I'm listed on the internal employee/staff list (mailing address is wrong, and it has a personal email address rather than the work one, but I'm on the list!).

Farmington band has been much more freeform than usual, and it's weirding me out. We've had only two rehearsals this month anyway (legal/school holiday one Monday), and both of them have been short. Maestro planned on doing a piece this week, but only about a third of the band actually had copies, because the music team had collected originals after the last rehearsal and were supposed to copy them and distribute copies, but didn't. And then there's the music that was put in the folder in September and about a third of the band turned it in in December because they didn't read the Keep This Music list correctly. sigh.

Perhaps to keep things balanced, Livingston has been more difficult than usual. It's a very ambitious program, and I've been doing more flailing than I usually do in that band. We're down to two saxes (plus a tenor when she doesn't have a contra-alto clarinet part), so I've got some 2nd alto music in my folder as well as some 2nd bassoon parts. Yesterday I was playing Bass Clarinet cues off the 2nd Bassoon part -- it's been a few years since I transposed on the fly, and I messed up.

And today it snows.

Tonight's concert in Fowlerville was cancelled due to "unstable" weather. By which they mean "it might rain, it might not, and there's no way of knowing which cloud is going to dump on you", if the weather pattern at my house is any indication..... Three rain bearing clouds, one with rumbles of thunder, went over while I was weeding without a drop of rain falling; and then a much lighter colored cloud dumped a soaking rain on me with no warning. That's really bad weather for an outdoor concert - no time to cover music or instruments.

Last night's FCB rehearsal was cut short because of the heavy overcast -- it got dark early. And it was *almost* raining - low brass had water droplets forming on their horns, and some people's music got damp, but it never really rained.

Thanksgiving dinner was quiet. I fumbled timing a bit -- not entirely my fault, I don't think. My suspicion is that the new microwave is not quite as powerful as the old one, and cooking just takes longer in it. But it was done, and the rolls hadn't cooled off, so that was good.

Yesterday's FCB rehearsal was cancelled on account of somebody thought it would be fun to threaten the school and the police closed the building to evening activities. And we have a concert in less than two weeks. Ah well, being under-rehearsed just enhances concentration, right?

Tonight is the last LCCB rehearsal for the year - concert is this weekend. I need to go make my holiday accent - uniform is concert blacks with a 'festive' scarf or tie. I don't do loose scarves as a general rule, and certainly not with a bari sax hanging around my neck, so I'm making a red cowl. My partner in the bari sax section will be missing the February LCCB concert - something about an anniversary trip to Barbados.

Most of the holiday weekend storm missed us. We got high winds on Wednesday, and some rain on Saturday, but no wintry mix or snow. We got a slight dusting of snow Sunday night, but five miles away in town they didn't even get that. No sun, and not above freezing yesterday, so the snow is still on the grass but gone off the paving.

I need to do the holiday baking, especially since most of it is being sent off to points south (Mum + AC get a box, and EU gets a box). I'll be stuck home on Thursday while my car is in the shop, so I think that's what I'll do then.