A Time For Everything

Because of this...


There's no more of this...







Tonight's the first football game of the FWISD season and for the first time in four years, we're not there. I'm a little bit sad about that...

Our weekly football game was last night rather than tonight. It's going to be a long day.

On the football front, we won 54 to 47. It was a close game right up till the end. Our boys fought to hold on to the win, blocking a catch by the other team in their end zone in the last ten seconds of the game. Go, Hills!

On the band front, it was also pretty good. Sonshine had a good time.



Speaking of mums-- our Homecoming is in a month. Sonshine has never bought/made/given a mum to his girlfriend of the year. This year he doesn't have a choice. His sisters and I are going mum shopping next Tuesday and we're gonna make sure he has a nice mum to give to his sweet girlfriend. I told her last night since he'd never given one, he's been saving all his money up and that she was going to get a freakishly huge one. Her eyes got very big. We were joking and only because last week was Homecoming for the team/school we played and some of those girls ended up with mums that could have served as armor or a shield they were so large.

Stay tuned for the creation of the mum and then the giving and wearing of the mum!

Well, the game Friday night was all right. The football team lost, but it was a high scoring, relatively close game. I suppose it was nice for the other team to win since it was their homecoming. Their band was huge and put us to shame in both size, playing skill, and behavior. Sonshine did not have such a great night and, subsequently, neither did I. He's hanging in there though, but thinking he needs to lower his expectations. We'll see how that plan goes.

But the rest of the weekend went well. Okay, well, I binged on junk and failed to exercise and have been struggling with making good food choices all week. One of those bad choices was chocolate milk and Pepperidge Farm Chessman cookies!

However, in the interest of every day being special, I did drink my chocolate milk out of a wine-type glass!



Now, for something a little more interesting and fun--I caught a picture of a lizard with a grub in his mouth! I stepped onto the back porch and caught the little guy scurrying across the grass, then up the side of the stoop. He took a little detour up my leg, then jumped onto the brick of the house.

Here he is with the grub...

All that excitement over the first game of the season, all the worry over involvement and it may be a moot point.

The evening started off fine. I got to the band hall in plenty of time and took pictures and just sat and watched. Of course I'm used to the previous band director so many things were different, some a nice change of pace, others just different-not they way we're used to doing things. I heard several kids say they wished ms former band director was still there--even kids who butted heads with her.


I thought the buses were late, but in fact, we made it to Dallas and the host school in plenty of time, despite having difficulty finding the school tucked away as it was in a neighborhood. For the last three years, we've always had two buses for the kids and a truck for the instruments and paraphernalia. We had two buses for the kids, the instruments, and six adults. Can you say crowded? And hot. I got lucky and somehow ended up on the equipment bus with only a half dozen kids, one other parent, and the assistant band director.

Still, though, the evening was going along. Everyone seemed in fairly good spirits.



So we get to the other school, pile off the buses, and head into the stands. One good bit of luck--the school had no visitor stands. For those of you who don't live in Texas or eat, sleep, and breathe football--every, and I do mean every--football field/stadium I have been to is built so that home stands face east and visitor stands face west. That means visitors have the setting sun shining right into their faces for a good hour or two. At the beginning of the school year here in Texas, it's HOT HOT HOT!


We settle in place--with bass drums in front of brass--HUH??--and prepare to play the fight song. Half the kids don't know their music and they're not allowed to bring their binders with sheet music into the stands. Nor have they been given the little mini music things or lyres to attach to their instruments. We're not starting off well at all. Even to my untrained eye.


So we begin the first half of the game...and the kids are not playing much. Percussion is allowed to play a few cadences, but stand songs are few and far between, so the rest of the sections are a bit restless.

And eventually a fight broke out! First real altercation I've seen between band students since Sonshine and I have been in band. I know one of the boys already had something stuck in his craw before the game even started, however, had those children been playing music, the likelihood of that fight breaking out was slim to none. They would have been too busy playing to have any sort of conversation. Both boys were suspended and I heard one was kicked out completely. A shame.

So then it's almost half time and the kids leave the stands to prep for the half time show.... Since show music isn't even ready, not even a single movement, they're going to play a song for the color guard to dance to. Those poor girls, I come to find out, had three days to prepare a routine without a color guard instructor. Not good. I felt really bad for them, bless their hearts. Five returning members with a single year under their belt trying to teach five new girls a routine.

Sonshine's already feeling the disappointment creep up on him. And after the snack break, he spent most of the second half sitting with his fist in his hands. And did the band director or assistant band director notice? No. Because (a) he was hidden behind the bass drums and (b) the band director was busy facing the field and not the band...

Then the lights got turned off with six minutes of game of play left. The game ended up being called. And we packed up our stuff and made the long journey home.

Not an auspicious start to the season.

I told my boy to not think about the band for the weekend. It's a long weekend and to just give it a rest, however, I woke up this morning thinking that he needed to at least let them know how he was feeling and give the band a chance to step up. I don't know if he will or if it will make a difference, but I'd hate for him just quit with attempting to effect the change he's looking for.

I'm feeling sad and disappointed on my boy's behalf right now. I told him I'd go talk to the band or send an e-mail to the band director if he wanted, but he's a big boy and I don't want to embarrass him either, so we'll see how it plays out.

Today is a good good day!!

First, I spoke with the band director last night and he welcomed my presence on the bus and at games and any amount of assistance I am willing to offer. So, whew!

I kept thinking about one thing Regina said Wednesday--and she always has a great perspective on things. She said she regretted the things she missed but never the things she attended. And she was right. I would've hated missing being at even one game. I mentioned Cowboy Stadium events and he doesn't seem like he's going to be as fanatical about them as our previous director, so that's good.

Anyway Friday Night Lights start tonight, and as always, our first game, more of an exhibition game, is across the Metroplex in another district. Woo hoo! Bring it on and more about the game probably Monday. Probably including pics 'cause I guess I also serve as the unofficial photographer.


Second, this is post #700! Can you believe it?? It seems just like yesterday I hit #500. I started way back in 2007, and my posts were hit and miss. I didn't start getting regular and prolific until 2011... And I've noted that since the beginning of this year my page views have doubled on average. That's so cool. I don't know who you all are--if you're really reading or just coming across me on accident, but it's still exciting. I hope a few more of you might comment every now and again. I'd love to have that interaction with you, meet you, get to know you a bit.


Third, my mini-weight-loss goal of reaching 137 lbs. by September 1. Well, that's Sunday. Today's Friday. For the past couple of days, my morning weight is 137.x and my evening weight is 139.x. I'm going to consider it a win. Mainly because the intent of the goal was to get under and stay under the 140 lb. mark. I won't feel super comfy splurging for a few more days, but I'm happy and excited and proud of myself for finally getting over this hurdle.

Fourth, it's a three-day weekend!!! I'm gonna spend time in my yard and cleaning the house and relaxing. No pressure on the house- or yard- work. Just getting stuff done here and there.

I have lots of things to celebrate. What about you??

What can you celebrate??

Thank goodness it's Friday!!!!

Yesterday was a crazy hectic loooong day and I can hardly wait for four o'clock.

Oh, man--I didn't take pictures of the mound of pasta I cooked. A whole turkey roaster full of spaghetti. But everyone, except my own Sonshine, loved it. Here's the food before it was cooked, though:



Once the masses were fed and the kids were all dressed, we headed to Dallas.


Thankfully, the band director grew up on that side of town and was able to direct us to the stadium without us hitting traffic--unlike the football team who walked on the field a mere 10 minutes prior to the scheduled start time. The officials gave them some extra time to warm up and ... we lost.

So far, 2 out of 2 games, we are the only band that has been dressed in marching uniforms and has actually marched. The other bands stand on the field and play. What have they been doing all summer??

And just as a side note, every HS football stadium in north Texas seems to be built the same way: home side facing due east, away side facing due west. What this means is that if you're the away team, you're in the sun until the sun falls below the stadium. And when it's 100+ degrees outside...UGH!! Luckily we were able to hide out under our bleachers for a while and the kids were only in the sun for about 45 minutes to an hour.

On another note, I want to know why FWISD, in its infinite wisdom makes us play a school in another district where we were warned not to respond should we hear impolite things said to us or on the off chance things are *thrown* at us. WHAT???

And not only that, there is road construction on every major highway in the DFW metroplex. I swear I'm not exaggerating. So that meant we were re-routed home (the long way) because our main thoroughfare was closed. We hit another closure and had to take a bit of a detour. We had FIVE buses and huge Enterprise rental truck (hauling instruments) in our caravan with the band director's bus leading the way. Then we hit more traffic backed up on another stretch of highway closer to home, so we got off the freeway, detoured around the traffic and got back on the freeway on the other side.

After all that, I had to follow the Enterprise truck to the rental place to bring the dad back to the school and his car. By the time I got home, it was almost one am. I am not a night person.

PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Children ARE on school buses late at night. Please don't cut them off because you're in a hurry.

Also, if you see a caravan of buses (and possibly a large rental truck) try not to get in between them. (or for a very long time) Sometimes only the first bus driver knows where he/she is going and the others are following. When you get in between them it makes it difficult for all vehicles to make it through traffic lights and such.

Thank you.

Now for some pics of our night. The kids had fun last night!



My Brown-Eyed Girl is home and this weekend we will probably head to the lake.

What are your plans for the weekend??? Whatever they are, stay safe.

An unusual phenomenon for me, but for the last few days, man, I've been at loose ends. No desire to read, I'm busy revising rather than writing. Not in the mood to watch movies more than once a week. So I've taken to re-watching favorite TV shows: Friday Night Lights and Glee. I love these shows. Mainly because they're just plain good story-telling. FNL more than Glee, but they are slightly different animals.

FNL is a drama, a compelling drama. Sure, it has its moments of melodrama and wtf, but it's good 99% of the time. And, fyi, it's not about football. It's about the people who live, eat and breath football in a small Texas town. Kyle Chandler as Coach Eric Taylor was my draw. I love love love me some Kyle Chandler. Finding new talent and an awesome show was a bonus.

Glee is a comedy. Sometimes silly, sometimes over the top, but it's campy and fun and most of the time, the music is awesome. I've been introduced to some great music in genres I don't normally listen to. On the flip side, the younger generations are being exposed to music from the past and in genres they might not otherwise be open to. Make no mistake, though, Glee is not a children's show. As a parent, I'd be hard-pressed to allow any child of mine under sixteen to watch it. But I love it. There are some awfully talented young people on this show.

On another note, it's Friday. YAY. Tomorrow is the third Saturday, which means writing group and critique group meets tomorrow. YAY. I'll probably fill the rest of the weekend watching my shows and cleaning house.

Do you have big plans for the weekend?

So . . . Friday, Sonshine and the HS band left on their band trip. First stop was the Texas state capitol building, where, after a tour of the building and watching the state legislature convene, the kids played a 30-minute concert on the south steps.

I decided to drive down there to see them. Pics and video of that will be up tomorrow. :)

That was really exciting. It was.

But today I'm going fan girl squee and share silly pics of my side trip to Pflugerville where parts of one of my favorite TV shows (Friday Night Lights) were filmed.

Picture 01: The exit sign on I-35 northbound


Picture 02: We've left I-35 and are on FM 1825. Four miles to Pflugerville. While I was prepared to enjoy some scenery on a longer drive, I was quite glad that it ended up not being too much of a detour.


Picture 03: The stadium sign...even though I was playing hooky from work, it completely slipped my mind that it was a school day and that I probably shouldn't have been on campus. However, the school parking lot and stadium were right off the street, so I snuck in, took a couple of quick pictures and then got back on the road home.

Picture 04: The stands that are featured during the football game sequences--the show was also able to use Pflugerville football game footage as their own.

Marching band boy and his band competed in their first competition this past Saturday. They competed first and were the only school in their class, hence they took first place and got to bring home a huge trophy. They did good. They accomplished what the band director had hoped for. They got some feedback on their program and know where/what to fix. The next competition is Tuesday evening then the next two Saturdays. I'm pooped just thinking about it.

Back to Friday Night Lights. I finally got to see season four. I was expecting a wait for the physical disks, but by some miracle I discovered it had become available in the "Watch Instantly" section. WOOT. So between 7pm Saturday and 1PM Sunday, I watched all thirteen episodes of season four, crying through almost all of them. They were that intense and heart-wrenching. Kudos to Zach Gilford whose performances were just amazing. In a short story arc, Matt's father is killed by an IED in Iraq and his range of anger and sadness and confusion is just beautiful. I can't recommend this show enough.

I got sucked into a new TV show and am halfway through available episodes. (The fifth and final season begins in late October.)

Friday Night Lights was recommended to me by a friend and I finally decided to give it a try. Based on the movie and book of the same name, the show is compelling drama. At least to me. I don't think it's everyone's cup of tea, although it has won many awards and the actors who play the coach and his wife were nominated as best leading actor/actress.

It centers around the high school football team of a fictional west Texas town. The coach and his family serve as the central focal point, but the show also spends a lot of time following a handful of players and their lives/loves/family life. Not every character has a story in every episode although he or she may be seen as part of others' story lines. But I almost never realize a character is missing, 'cause what's onscreen is pretty riveting.

My biggest gripe is dropped plot lines. There are several times I've wondered, "Hey, what happened to so-and-so?"

What's your favorite compelling TV show?