Me (high school)

So I've procrastinated, wrote, deleted it, and procrastinated it again... The rest of my life just isn't that entertaining, but as I've said, I'm doing this for my own purposes and to try to kinda' jog my memory and notate what I do remember.

By the time I get to jr high/high school life was pretty normal. As I've procrastinated I've thought about how I want to go through the later bits of my life... (if a family of idiots from Jersey can get a reality show, mine isn't THAT boring...) I think the most effective way of doing this "for historical purposes" (by that I mean it's the easiest way to write...) is to just go through by school year and summer and tell my best stories from that year. With that said, here we go!

8th grade - Don't remember much, band band band. Get in trouble with Lonnie. We'd drink a 6 pack of Jolt Cola at lunch before band. Freeman LOVED us. Maybe... We locked his daughter in one of the instrument cages at one point, so maybe he didn't. Lonnie also made it a point to drop his tuba mouthpiece every concert. As a band teacher now, I'd want to punch Lonnie. Sometimes I want to punch him anyway. Hi Lonnie (as if he'd read this much of my BS)! Anyway, we broke into a concession stand that year thinking we were gonna raid the candy. Someone saw us and called the cops, Lonnie talked us out of it and we ended up not stealing anything, and not getting in trouble. Probably a good thing... whew!

Summer of 8th grade I worked at a Horse ranch for my Dad's cousin Andy in June. Cleaning horse stalls, feeding horses cleaning after the cows that were used to train the horses (it was a cutting horse ranch if you know what that is. If you don't, google it cause I ain't gonna 'splain it). Cows are friggin' disgusting. Their pen got up to my hips deep in their shit. Yuck. Anyway... I spent most of July at Anderson Island in the Puget Sound at my Aunt Tonja and Uncle Jeff's cabin. Good times. Girls. Wow. Girls in bathing suits. Oyve. Anyway...girls are gross... =) I learned to water ski, knee board, had some fun on the 4th (although Uncle Jeff didn't let me blow stuff up like I did in Renton!) and in all, good times were had. I was less awkward with girls after that summer, that's for sure...

9th grade - This was still Jr high in Marysville at the time. Again, not much to do in the Ville... I did wrestling, baseball, and band. I tried cross country, but didn't like it. I've since gotten into running a bit more, but as a 14 year old, running sucked. Probably the most important thing that year was meeting a gentleman names Rod Stubbs. He came by our school recruiting for the Seattle Cascades Drum and Bugle Corps. I won't go into that too much now, that's a post all in itself! But I will give a summary as we go...

That summer was my first with the (then) Crashcades. We did a field show based on the Musical "Showboat." Ooooold maan Riiveeeer...." Whatever! A crappy marching field show meant I got to get away from home for 2 1/2 months (while life was normal, it wasn't pleasant by any means... for more on that see my sisters blog...True Accounts of a Single-Mom). I grew up a lot that summer and learned a lot about playing music, and trumpet. Foremost being that high notes are cool

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-UxdCqOWVcA .

10th grade - So this was my first year at Marysville-Pilchuck High School. Once again, band band band. I did do other things, Spanish Club. I guess that counts as other stuff right? I did do baseball and wrestling, but I wasn't that into it. Drum corps kinda' made me think "If I could just do band all day, that'd be cool" and I started getting my trumpet player attitude of "Wow, if I were in charge, I could do way better." Not of my band director, he was great, still is! More in the drum corps scene, and honestly, I probably could've done better...but I loved it, so I kept with it. I kinda' got sick of high school that year and applied for Running Start through Everett Community College. I also had my first real girlfriend, Heidi A.. We started "going out" in October or so, and she dumped me on an all night New Years teen party thing sponsored by a church. At 10pm. The event ended at 7am. Not my best New Years Eve... ahhh teenage love! Anyway, I met other girls that year too. So that summer (1994)the Cascade's show was "La Vien Rose" The best part of the show was the car wash scene, well, it was supposed to be a carousel... but our execution was less than stellar. I also auditioned for the jazz band at MPHS. I figured it was the best was to get better at trumpet for drum corps. Our jazz band at the time was one of the best in the state of Washington. Up there with Garfield and Roosevelt, and I was right, I got better at trumpeting! Fun Fun!

11th Grade - I started college that year. I didn't waste any time! My first quarter was chemistry and algebra. I learned that 1:30 is a bad time for me to take a class. I could NOT stay awake. I ended up having to withdraw that class. Chemistry I BARELY squeaked by with a D. Learning how college works early (I still didn't figure it out until my 3rd summer at Northwestern)! I only took one class the next quarter, I should explain too that I was only going to college part time so I could stay in band. I've had kids try and drop out of band to do running start as a band director now... I tell them this story =) Sometimes it keeps 'em in, sometimes it doesn't. But it always makes them think I'm a bigger band geek. Close Enough. I'd go to morning classes at MP then walk off campus (wave to the security guard who let me go, that worked in my favor as a senior!) and catch a bus to ECC, then hang around campus listening to music (Miles Davis Bitches Brew!) in the library or attempting to do homework, usually failing miserably at the HW. I took night classes there so I would be on campus for 5-6 hours. Another way of getting away from home for long periods of time...

Anyway, hangin' out on a community college campus got old pretty fast for a 16 year old, but Dad wouldn't let me drive until I had a job. In April of that year I got sick of the Community Transit (CT) and found a job at McDonalds. Ironic if you know me and how anti big corporation I am now, but I hadda get a job! Unfortunately, that also meant I had to cut my hair... the best way I attracted girls. Bummer! Eventually, I had to shave it all off anyway...but that's YEARS away still. So I started juggling work, drum corps, high school band, college, and dating! I was pretty happy with what I was doing back then, but looking back now as a parent, it was cake...

That summer (95 if you're following), was the beginning of the beginning for the Cascades. We were growing up and moving out of the little kid crap. Elton John was the beginning of the "Butt Rock" years for them. I honestly think the Cascades should've kept that going as their "thing," there's SO much opportunity there, but whatever. When I suggested that as a 20 year old, I was told "That concept is pretty limiting" by someone who lacked any creativity whatsoever. That was when I wrote 'em off and decided college was a higher priority. I digress! I also decided I wanted a little more responsibility playing and I got a solo (actually trio, but close enough). Good times! Every year with them made me want "it" more. It, I know now, was musical experience. I eventually achieved that goal, I'm still a junky but it's a lot harder to come by these days. My expectations are a little higher I guess.

SENIOR YEAR!!!!

I went from 4th trumpet to lead trumpet in jazz band, I wasn't ready for it, but there wasn't any other choice. Every festival that year the clinician that worked with us said "and who's the lead trumpet? You're almost there!" Again, looking back, I achieved a LOT in a short period of time, but as my wife would tell you, I'm not the most patient with myself, and I wanted to be Arturo Sandoval NOW!! Still working on that... I was the back up date for all the drum corps girls so I went to about 5 homecomings and 4 proms. That jazz band tux came in quite handy that's for sure! I even went to my own prom!! Which was kinda' weird actually, I was at MP for band and spanish. I didn't actually know anyone outside of those classes at school. So anyway, I skipped my first class that year, but it was after I got my final grade from my final class (junior english, I though I covered that with an english class at ECC, but it didn't, so I took it as a senior). That's when knowing the security gurad came in handy...once. So many people I know that got caught by him watched me drive by and wave... They were pissed! Anyway, what else is there to say. Senior year...I didn't party (if you read parts 1-4 of me, I'd seen enough of that for a while) so I didn't really belong anywhere, and high school was not the end of my education, not by a long shot! OH THAT!! So I applied at the University of Washington a week late, which meant I had to write an essay and why I should be accepted (later that became their SOP, but it wasn't for my year...). I got my letter while working at Precision Tune (an oil change place on state street) and Toni dropped it off for me. That was a HUGE relief because it was the only school I applied for!! WHEW!

Graduation! Mr. Hawke stepped aside as I passed the band and told me to conduct. Procession of the Nobles is in 3. I didn't know that then... oh boy... =)

So that summer was the Beatles summer for the Cascades. It was a hot mess at the beginning of the season, but something clicked that summer. We all got it together and achieved something new. Music! So fun!!! The ballad for that summer is now the corps song. Imagine. We made a peace sign and halted for some ridiculous amount of beats... cheesy, and awesome. It was a good summer for me personally too. I had a girlfriend on tour for once. 'Nuff said there! I was 18, graduated high school, ready for college, had the best summer of my life, and it was time for moving on! That Alice Cooper song comes to mind...

Next up. College! GO DAWGZ!!!!