So tour this year pretty much rocked in almost every way possible.
Sarah and I sat next to each other on the bus (...well, we were basically glued at the hip the whole week, as usual), and while en route we played a rousing game of cows and dead people. Basically, when you see cows or a cemetery, the first person to shout cows or dead people gets a point. Whoever collects the most points wins. Points are taken away for false alarms (I once thought some sheep were cows, Sarah confused some bushes for them). I won, 150 to 121. The game itself was a riot, and kept us both from getting very bored on some very very long bus rides (seven hours in one go? what?), even though it did annoy some of those around us. In fact, we got the motormouth award for the week. We do awards on tour every night at dinner. There's whiz kid for someone who says or does something "intelligent" (Nathan R. won for forgetting that he played bass drum on one of the marches until after we performed it one night), sparkling Bob for a happy person, motormouth for someone who doesn't shut up, golden doorknob for someone who breaks something (Doc started this one when he went to leave a home stay and the knob came off of the door when he went to open it-it was gold), klutz, obnoxious, and the grump (for unhappy people). Someone gets the award every night, and then at the end someone gets it as an overall award for the week. Motormouth belongs to Sarah and I until the next time awards are done next year because while playing we never technically shut up. =D
All of our homestays were fantastic. For real. There was only one slightly awkward one, all of the others rocked. Our first one had an indoor pool and hot tub, along with world's fattest/friendliest cat. And we stayed in their daughter's room (she's at school in NY), and she had signed pictures of a fairly good portion of the HARRY POTTER CAST. =O
One of our host moms snuck a $20 bill in each mine and Sarah's lunches in the middle of the week, which was really random (we didn't discover the money until after we had been dropped off at our meeting place with the rest of the band). That home stay was also particularly awesome...the family was really, really nice. After we made our sandwiches, Sarah asked if they had any popcorn to munch on and our host dad proceeded to *make* some on the *stove* with real butter and *everything.* It was quite amazing popcorn...we only meant to ask if they had the microwave variety! We almost polished off a huge bowlfull while watching random stuff on TV. Also, while we were watching TV, our host mom came downstairs and turned on the fireplace so that we wouldn't get chilly (we were sharing a la-z-boy, wrapped in a comforter).
Our last homestay was in a 120 year old farmhouse that doesn't have any doors inside, aside from the one on the bathroom (there are curtians strung across door frames, but no actual doors to allow for ventilation in the summer back when there wasn't air conditioning). The frames themselves are a really weird small size, so getting doors (according to our host family) was going to involve knocking out the original door frames because they don't make doors in that small of a size. That morning we got a full country breakfast-biscuits and gravy, eggs, bacon, sausage, blueberry muffins, OJ, coffee or tea, the whole nine yards. It was quite amazing.
Our concerts went really, really well. Last year, I cried twice-the night before the last concert, because Melissa (my stand partner) was conducting the next night.
Backstory. At the end of each concert, we play Nearer My God to Thee and then sing The Lord Bless You and Keep You as a thank you to the audience. Over tour, seniors conduct it as a farewell.
Anyhoo. I cried the night before the last concert because that was my last time singing with Melissa H., and at the last concert because she was conducting.
This year I cried when Ashton conducted, completely lost it to the point where I couldn't sing or play when Sarah conducted, teared up with Jill, and could hardly sing/play on the last concert because it was the end. Holy emotional outbursts, batman.
The one downside of tour is the fact that it has irritated the living daylights out of my carpal tunnel from the constant playing and lifting things (suitcases, folder boxes). They're starting to calm down a little now, but boy were they bad on Friday. I hope they chill out more quickly, as I need to start practicing piano soon...blah. I can't wait to be done with that.
In other news, May term classes start tomorrow. Meh. It's only one class, so homework loads are really, really light. Band also starts, which marks the beginning of my tuba career, which will be...interesting. Seeing as I can't play low notes very well. Which is kind of the point of the tuba.
So we'll see how that tuba playing really goes tomorrow...
UNIDENTIFIED QUADRIPED!!!
