A Time For Everything

The trees are beginning to bloom and my back yard is almost a foot tall again. Time to get the kiddos on yard duty. We're supposed to get rain today and tomorrow and I wish it would just fall already. We need it and it suits my mood (gloomy). Of course that means the grass will grow even more. :(

The writing is going well. I wrote 400+ words last night, which is double my M-F daily goal, so yay me. Of course, it's bare bones, mostly dialogue with a random thought here and an action tag there. But that's okay.

My online class is going well too. I need to do/post the assignment for this week. It's on my to do list for today.

Another hectic weekend coming up--Jazz on the Hill, dinner and silent auction on Friday and a stadium event to work on Saturday and then visitation with my daughter on Sunday. Her birthday is Friday and this will be the first one we've celebrated with her in three years.

Speaking of birthdays, I've decided and informed my family that my birthday will now be celebrated in conjunction with Mother's Day. We only have to eat out or cook special once, but I still get twice the presents. June is a crazy month in our house as the men prepare to leave for the fireworks store. And for the past three years they've also participated in a paintball event known as D-Day in Oklahoma and which generally takes place the same weekend as my birthday. So as of this year I'm not missing out anymore.

And a reminder for those participating in Black March--it starts Thursday.

And last but not least, my friend and critique partner, Clover's latest book is now available in paperback. It's called Highland Sorcery and is a lot of fun. If you like hot Scottish men with magical abilities, you're bound to enjoy it. It's available for the Kindle and the Nook as well, if you're so inclined, but I'll let you search that out yourself. :)

I won't, but I so want to.

As Band Booster president that is.

Last month we couldn't have either the board meeting or the regular meeting. The board meeting because we didn't have a quorum, the regular meeting because no parents sowed up. Oh, wait--one did, but she was 10 minutes late and we were just about to walk out the door. I haven't seen the treasurer in months and we don't have a budget.

I'm not hopeful about tonight's meetings. Really, what's the point? It's the same thing each month: we need people to become TABC certified and help us by working at Dallas Cowboys Stadium.

The band director has canceled a couple of fundraiser attempts--an arts/crafts fair for Christmas and a garage sale in the spring. I was going to recommend we kill the arts & craft fair anyway because we didn't really have enough time to plan it, but I think the garage sale would have been a big hit in our neighborhood. On the other hand, one less thing I have to worry about.

On the other hand, I have to revise and update the bylaws which is not a problem at all and write some policy and procedures. Not a big deal either.

So I'm going to get some feedback from the band director about what's next on the agenda and what she needs a hand with. We'll go from there.

I'm much rather be at home tonight, cozy, watching TV or reading, than at these meetings.

*sigh*

I've been skating, figuratively speaking.

I'm the band booster president. I'm not doing what I probably should be doing, though to be fair I don't really know what that is. The band director isn't that warm or fuzzy. She's not that forthcoming and she's incredibly busy. October holds not only football games, but marching competitions. We even have one of each on the 15th.

As the days and weeks and months have passed, I've learned the things I should have done. So far, I've been reactive, rather than proactive. And some things just can't get done after the fact. :(

There was no booster club last year and the director took on what she needed to. I don't know what the organization was like before that. The bylaws hadn't been looked at/updated/amended since 1984--and if they had, there was no evidence of it. There's no policy and procedure manual to say what should be done and when and by whom or what committees there should be. I'm sort of re-inventing the organization. Lucky me (and I say that *very* tongue in cheek.).

I have a pair of meetings this Thursday--a board and regular booster meeting. I hate these things because all I seem to do is beg people to give, whether it be bottle water, a case of soda, a box of snacks, or their time by taking the TABC training and working the concession stand. It's not my favorite thing to do and so far it hasn't really worked. I'm not really sure what it is I should be saying and doing otherwise. But I know as a parent I wouldn't to always be begged for help I may not be able to give.

Today and tomorrow will be spent preparing for both meetings. I got a lot done last week, thank goodness, so it'll mostly be finalizing agendas and jotting down notes.

Once we get through October and the last of our competitions, I can turn my attention to the bylaws, the policy & procedure manuals, and the next event: the Christmas concert. We talked about providing concessions as a minor fundraiser, so one of our discussions will be about that.

It's time to get a handle on this band booster thing--wish me luck.

I'm band booster prez. First board meeting Thursday evening. Oh boy, oh joy. Speaking in front of people used to scare the shspit out of me. Thanks to two years as writing group chapter prez, I can do it with few qualms. Well, as long as the group isn't too large. And I know what I'm talking about. If I had to speak to, say, a Cowboys Stadium full of people, I might faint from nerves. But I digress...

Fulfilling my duties in this position is going to stretch me further as a person. I'm not really looking forward to it, cuz growth and change can be scary. But I knew the job was dangerous when I took it, but take it I did. For my kid. For the other band kids I'd grown to love last year. For the band director. And yes for myself. I'm a volunteer. I like to be part of a group. Sometimes, yes, I even like to be in charge. Even though I'm more of an introvert than an extrovert.

Now, I didn't seek out the job. The band director asked me if I'd do it. Last summer the co-prez died and his wife did not rise to the occasion and the band director ran the band on her own last year. It was a lot of work and pressure for her especially as she's also the primary care-giver for her 85-year-old mother who is somewhat incapacitated. I readily agreed to take it on.

And now my heartstrings are being tugged. Almost half these band kids can't afford or won't be able to pay their band fees. Now the band director doesn't turn them away, she waives the fees she can and the band booster picks up the rest. But that means we have to raise just that much more money to cover those costs. And now it seems our major source of income--the NFL--may not pull through for us. As long as the lock out goes on, there are no NFL games for us to work at Cowboys Stadium. Yes, there are other events scattered here and there at the stadium like concerts and soccer, but we never make nearly as much money. We average $1500 an NFL game times three or four time a month...

So I'm in "beg" mode. I've modified a letter provided by the band director and will be soliciting sponsorships for twenty-five kids. And that's just for marching season. Other things, including band trip scholarships, will come later.

So shameless plug, if you can spare $5 or $10 (more is of course welcome), please consider making a donation to the EHHS Highlander Band. Visit their website: www.ehhsmusic.org and the Paypal button is at the top. If you'd rather pay by check, make checks payable to EHHS Band Boosters and mail to EHHS Band Boosters, 5701 Shelton Street, Fort Worth, Texas 76112. And pass the word if you know of others who'd interested and willing in supporting the arts, but especially supporting the kids here on the east side in Fort Worth. (Thanks!)

And that wasn't even the point of this post! Oh well.

If you have ideas for how to raise money please let me know. Though, FYI, direct selling doesn't work well around here. We're having two car washes the next two Saturday mornings and the band director is thinking of doing a "movie in the parking lot". I have some ideas on how to expand that...

And now it's time to get some other stuff done!

Keep cool!

(Update on new roof and writing room soon.)

I worked Cowboys Stadium yesterday on behalf of the band. It was Gold Cup Soccer which meant lots and lots of Spanish speaking fans. Luckily one of my fellow cashiers spoke Spanish.

And those folks are crazy about their soccer. Not even Cowboys fans have rivaled the revelry.

At some point during half time of the first game or immediately after, there was a group right outside or stand chanting and beating on drums. Oi! You know for a few minutes it was fun, but after fifteen I was ready to scream. Plus, I couldn't hear my customers hardly at all. I had to practically read lips. And add to that the aforementioned language barrier...well... I was also in training for being "stand manager". Basically handling the setup/shutdown of the stand and taking care of the money. If I do it for ten games, Sonshine's band trip next spring is paid in full. An approximately $300 value at this point. Is it worth it? It only comes out to about $2.50 an hour, but I'd work that many games anyway, so...

The jury's still out. :|

I'm dragging because I didn't get home until after eleven and my poor body's aching as I was on my feet and on the go for ten straight hours. (Yep, it's a tough gig. Only stupid dedicated parents need apply.)

How was your weekend?

I am the Band Booster president for 2011-2012 school year.

I was voted in last night by a vote of the parents in attendance of the spring band concert. I don't know...it seemed very lackadaisical and I'm not even sure if it was binding. I mean, I was PTA president for two years and president of my writers group for two years and we never held a vote that way.

Are band booster clubs run like PTAs or other non-profit groups? I would think so. A quick Google search pulled up several minutes from various booster clubs and it appears as if they do. Good.

I'll be working closely with the band director to see what's needed, though we already have a handful more parents on the board this year than last. Now we need to round up the parents of the incoming freshmen. (Though that won't be my job.)

Ironically, I'll finally be getting to know the mom of one of sonshine's oldest friends. These two have known each other since kindergarten. I'm not saying they've been the best of buds since then, but they've been friends. I never really met this other boy's parents though I know who they are and I love this kid like he's my own. Anyway, so now I'll finally get to know his mom.

So I'm excited to take this on, to help the band director, and make next year a brilliant one for all the kids.