Good Weekend

This weekend went pretty well.  We spent all of Saturday at marching band, which can seem like a really long day if the kids aren't there to perform.  We had yet another football game during the early afternoon and then had to travel to Ridley HS for our first competition of the year that night.  I really can't stand having football games the day of shows, but the kids seem to be used to it and that's all that really matters.  I'm not the one who has to perform at night.

They had another substandard run at the football game (two weeks in a row...have to rectify that), but had a really solid run at the competition.  It started raining as soon as we entered the field and didn't stop the rest of the night.  Unfortunately, the circuit we compete in decided to go with digital voice recorders this year instead of tape recorders, so there was some fiddling around that had to be done before we went on and the kids ended up just standing there in the rain for a few minutes on the field in their opening set before everything got worked out.  Once they went on they had a good run.  We have some things that we have to fix and some attitudes that need to straighten out because they're adversely effecting the performances, but all in all it was a positive step.

Then, we sat around for 3 hours waiting for scores.  Ugh!  At least they had a good spread.  At most shows they have a hospitality room for band staffs and provide food and beverages while you listen to tapes (or digital recordings) and wait for the end of the show so you can talk to the judges.  My big thing is always getting a good meatball sandwich.  At every show I go to, I'm on the search for the meatballs and a nice roll.  I thank the band parents of the host school profusely when they have them, and when not I make a very kind suggestion that next year they consider having meatball sandwiches.  Of course, I still thank them for whatever they provide.

Ridley HS's show gets an A+ in my book...and why?  MEATBALL SANDWICHES!  Oh yeah.  And they were good.

Judges critique was productive for the most part, and we ended up clearly winning the show with a 70.75.  Again, it was a good first step, but all that means is that we're still 29.25 points away from our goal.  The kids have to rehearse with more energy and urgency.  They need to retain changes and fixes.  The staff needs to stay on point and keep the kids engaged in rehearsal.  It's difficult for everyone involved.  For the kids, it's hard enough to get them to focus for their hour and a half classes during the day (they have block scheduling)...now we're asking them to come in 2 nights a week and focus for 3 straight hours!  This, of course, is one of the benefits of being in marching band.  It teaches you focus and discipline...if you want to learn it.  If you don't, it really hurts the team.

The staff has worked all day, has dealt with real life nonsense all day...and now they have to come for little or no money and chase after kids all night who are mentally all over the place because of the reasons just mentioned.  It's rough for everyone, but that's what makes the activity so cool.  It's through these shared experiences of sucking it up, doing what needs to be done, and not complaining about it but relishing the opportunity to get better and seizing it...that bonds the members and staff together.  Marching band is the ultimate team sport.  There is no bench, everyone is a starter, and each coach is as important as the next.

So, this week will be interesting.  We have some major steps we need to take in order for this thing to turn out the way we want it to in November.  We have to put out the entire show this weekend, whether it looks good or not.  It has to be.  There are no logical stopping points between where we stopped this weekend and the end of the show.  The staff will have to be efficient in our use of time, and the kids are going to have to step up.  It's as simple as that.

My wife's parents visited yesterday.  That was nice.  I was extremely tired most of the day and didn't feel well at all, so I wasn't exactly the best company, but we went out to lunch, hit Lowes and Linvilla Orchards for a little while.  We watched some of the Eagles game as they thumped the Chiefs, watched some of the Phillies win over the Brewers, and even took in some of the NASCAR race in Dover.  They brought down our frozen wedding cake that we were supposed to eat on our 1st anniversary back on the 13th of September.  It's been frozen at their place out in central PA since the wedding, and we just haven't had the chance to go out and get it lately due to drum corps and whatnot.  It's thawing in the fridge now, and will taste great a couple of days from now.  I can't wait.  Our cake was phenomenal.

QUALITY

The Bushwackers philosophy:
--

QUALITY

We know it when we see it

and if we have personally contributed to its presence

it is a special joy.

The common denominator is concentration:

concentration of talent

concentration of experience

concentration of energy

extra hours, extra efforts, extra pains.

Of course, that's the cost of being better,

but for those who strive to set the standard

there is no other way.

Any performance can be better.

Every note, every movement improved

and few of us are satisfied.

Quality is yearning to be the best,

but few are willing to pay the price.

But we, as a corps, intend to continue...

searching...striving...sometimes soaring.

Our commitment is to add new dimensions to the meaning of Quality

and to be the rule by which others are measured.

My Grandmother, Lucy Kirkwood

I was going through my old blog seeing if there was anything of value there, and I came across this little blurb about my grandmother right after she passed away in March of 2008.  I don't want to lose this, so I'm posting it on this new blog.

Lucy M. (Bompadre) Kirkwood


KIRKWOOD

LUCY M. (nee Bompadre), age 83, March 18, 2008. Loving wife of the late Harry. Beloved mother of Ron (Betsy), Dennis (Rita), Kathy Marcinek (Len), Jeanne Kilian, and Carol Hosack (Fran). Stepmother of Denise Roth (Kerry) and mother-in-law of Rick Kilian. Cherished by 16 grandchildren and 7 great grand-children. Dear sister of Phil Maraini, Tony Bompadre, Alex Bompadre, and the late Sr. Amelia Frances, I.H.M. Relatives and friends are invited to her Viewing Tuesday 9 A.M. at Our Lady of Calvary Church, 11024 Knights Rd., Phila. PA 19154. Funeral Mass to follow 10 A.M. Interment George Washington Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, family prefers donations in her memory to Camilla Hall, P.O. Box 100, Immaculata PA 19345.

Eagle Scout Court of Honor

I spent most of yesterday with my father, which I normally don't get to do so that was nice. We first went to Best Buy to get him a new computer. His computer is a piece of garbage, and now that my sister has moved out and removed his profile from her computer, he can barely even check his email. It's time anyway. The poor guy has had hand-me-down computers since our first Gateway died.

So, I went to Best Buy last week to price out some deals, and things looked good. We got there, and all of the displays were still up. Some of the prices changed a bit, but in our favor. Hooray! No. The "sales guy," we'll call him Chet, came over and saw what we were looking at and told us he wasn't sure about inventory. "Things are screwed up," Chet said, "because the vendors don't want to ship computers with Windows Vista on it and then let you upgrade to Windows 7. They want to just ship them with Windows 7."

Now this clearly falls under the "not my problem" heading, but apparently it was our problem. On planet earth, when you're a salesperson making a commission, it's your job to get the sale done no matter what. We gave him every opportunity. The first computer he had, but didn't have the monitor. We asked for a different monitor and he just dismissed the request. The other computer he didn't have at all, but said they usually get shipments in on Tuesdays (we're there on a Wednesday, so WTF?), and Thursdays. My father says, "Can I pay for the package now, and then pick it up?" He was GIVING the guy money...making this sale happen, but Chet had none of it. My father then said, "Can I give you my number and you can call me when they come in and we'll come right down and get it?" Chet started to say that WE could call HIM on Thursday or Friday when my father had enough, turned around, and walked away.

Best Buy people: when someone wants to buy something from you, figure it out. If you can't, get your manager. Don't let people walk out of your store. He didn't even try to sell us something they had in stock!

That has nothing to do with an Eagle Court of honor, but Best Buy gets my MORON OF THE DAY award.

Following our excursion to not buy a computer, we returned to Northeast Philadelphia where my father, the Scoutmaster of Troop 460 at Our Lady of Calvary Church, had to prepare for a court of honor that night.

For the uninitiated, a court of honor is a ceremony held by troops to honor scouts who have earned badges, ranks, and other fun stuff. 460 holds one twice a year...once around Christmas and the other in September. The September one is the big one, because all the kids went to summer camp and worked on merit badges there, so now they get to stand, uncomfortably, in front of all the kids and parents while my dad says how awesome they are. It's every kid's dream.

I remember quite a few of my courts of honor. Of course the big one, the special one, is if you should attain scouting's highest rank, the rank of Eagle Scout.

I earned my Eagle in 1995. I was a senior in high school and very distracted by all of the other activities I was in. From 6th until 9th grade, there was nothing in the world that mattered more to me than scouting. I studied hard, worked hard, learned a lot, ran for leadership positions, served in leadership positions. I even spent half of the summer after my freshman year at Ryan working at Treasure Island summer camp.

Then came band. The thing about scouting is that there's only guys in it...and most of them you see in school and hang out with all of the time anyway. It's guy overload...especially at that age. In band...there were GIRLS! Few, if any, had any interest in me...but it was the idea that one of them possibly, maybe could tolerate me long enough to smile and say "hi" that distracted me from other things that were important...like scouting.

But, I didn't quit. Yes, my father was my scoutmaster, and that's probably part of the reason why I didn't quit. It wasn't like he forbade me to quit or that he made me go to meetings or anything like that. In fact, during the marching band season we rehearsed Monday, Wednesday, and Thursday...so in high school it was difficult for me to get to our Wednesday night meetings from September to mid-November. In fact, my father was so hands off with me that it took new kids a while to make the connection that he was my father. At scouts, he wasn't my father. He wanted everything to seem fair to the other kids, so he over-corrected and went out of his way NOT to act like my father most of the time. But, I think that part of the reason I didn't quit was because he was a scout and only achieved the rank of Star. Yet here he was, back in scouting again after all of these years. Scouting was a big deal in my dad's family, and for the most part it was a big deal to me too. I wanted to make him and my family proud by going all the way and achieving what only my Uncle Joe Kilian did...make Eagle.

I had a history of sinus issues when I was a kid, and to make a long story short it all came to a head in January of 1992 (freshman year of HS) when my skull ruptured and a huge abscess formed in my left frontal and ethmoid sinus. Eventually, the pressure broke through my orbital bone and I began leaking cerebrospinal fluid (yeah, brain fluid) out of my eye socket. They didn't catch the big problem (holes in my head) until I was on the table in surgery. By that point, they had a big problem on their hands and they had to do all sorts of mean, nasty things that I've never really learned too much about because it makes me ill. I spent the next week or so (I don't remember because I kind of lost track of time) in intensive care with a catheter in my back draining fluid into a bag. I couldn't sit up. I received my last rights twice. It's a much more involved story, and there's a lot of back story and detail that goes along with it, including some of the events that happened the next few years...but I digress.

Why do I bring this up? Well, at the end of my second stay in the hospital for all of this, a doctor very nervously told me that I could no longer play wind instruments again...ever. Of course, I was wearing a "Sax Power" t-shirt at the time, and my mom was crying. Wonderful. This shattered my world, and I really had no idea what to do at that point.

I threw myself back into scouting. It was that following summer that I worked at Treasure Island. I became re-energized, and the whole event gave me a little more perspective on life than most 14 year olds tend to have. This was the catalyst behind me attaining Life rank, the rank just before Eagle.

The next year I spent more time in the hospital. It was a different hospital for different reasons, but no less traumatic, painful, or meaningful as far as the grand scope of my life is concerned. By this point I had received a second opinion on the wind instrument thing, and I was able to play....and play I did. Just as I had re-dedicated myself to scouting, when I was told that I could play again I didn't stop playing for 3 years. The saxophone became my life. My very identity was tied to that horn. They allowed me to play in the hospital, and it was a huge part of my recovery. I became a musician in the walls of that hospital and I developed a deep spirituality and closeness with God that is directly tied and completely inseparable from music.

Scouting took a back seat. I played in every available ensemble at school. I practiced long hours at home and at school. I would skip most of my lunch period to practice, and I would spend a couple hours after school in the band room playing. I fingered parts on a pen when I worked at the movie theater. Even if I couldn't physically play at work, I could still work on something...I could still get better. Every waking moment was an opportunity to improve.

My father stepped in around my senior year and was able to put aside his scoutmaster facade and really start working with me to focus and get my Eagle service project done. My mother was on board as well and she really pushed me in times when I wanted to play. My parents, like many Eagle Scout's parents, were instrumental in pushing me across the finish line. It was probably the last thing they really worked on together, because just a few months after I received my Eagle award at my Eagle Scout Court of Honor my parents split up and eventually divorced.

Last night, following the usual court of honor, they had an Eagle Court of Honor. It's a little unorthodox to have one in the context of a troop meeting or court of honor. They're usually a bigger deal, held in the church with friends and family, followed by a reception or something like that. For lots of reasons, that wasn't the case with this young man, and so they did it last night. I went, and I was able to participate in the event. I shared some readings in the ceremony with several other Eagle Scouts who were present, and we were able to be a part of this young man's moment.

Reading through the Eagle Pledge, and the Eagle Charge made me tear up. Seeing the banner that hangs in Calvary's gym with all of the Eagles in 460 since they were chartered in 1966...and there's my name...made me tear up. Wearing my Eagle Scout ring and shaking the hand of this new Eagle Scout made me emotional. It all brought me back to my moment, about 14 years ago, when I pinned my mom with the Eagle Mother's Pin and gave my dad his Eagle Father's tie tack.

It made me think of the camping trips with Matt and Sal, going on hikes singing Billy Joel songs to keep our minds occupied and keep the pace up. I thought about complaining to my first scoutmaster, Mr. Straub, as a young scouter on his second camping trip in 1989 that the patrol leader was just telling us what to do...and thus learning what the term "delegating" means. I thought about all of the great scouts that I joined with or soon before, and how few of them made it to Eagle. I looked at my current situation in life and was able to look at it in the context of the whole of my life, and wondered what lessons I learned on my Trail to Eagle could help me today.

Eagle Scouts aren't perfect people. Your Eagle badge doesn't mean that you're going to be a doctor or a lawyer and have a great life. Sure, that happens for some...but for others of us, the lessons we learned on the Trail to Eagle are meant to help us through the difficult times by teaching us about work ethic, integrity, and honesty.

I'm again humbled by the accomplishment. I used to think that perhaps I didn't deserve it because my parents had to get involved and push me to finish. I had to ask for help...and when I didn't ask, they helped me anyway. But now I realize that doing it yourself is great, but it takes a lot for someone to admit they can't do it on their own and ask for help. It takes an even bigger person to recognize that someone is losing their way and reach out to help them. For me, my Eagle Scout award is shared fully with my parents.

Scouting has come under attack in the last 15 years or so for lots of reasons, some legitimate (like pedophiles) and some not (like the stupid City of Philadelphia trying to kick them out of a building downtown that the scouts built). There was the whole thing with the National office declaring that scouting is a religious based organization and has the right to refuse homosexuals. I've heard it all...but none of that stuff ever has to do with the kids. It's about the kids.

Scouting is about kids learning to be men, learning to be responsible American citizens, learning self reliance, self esteem, and the importance of hard work. Scouting isn't about adults making rules and writing memos and fighting over buildings. Scouting is one of the most worthwhile activities for a young boy that I can think of. Any organization that works so hard for the betterment of the youth of this country should be revered. Don't blame the scouting movement or kids in uniform for what the adults do or say. I've run across this in every activity I've been apart of, especially band...when parents forget WHY they're there...for the kids...and start exaggerating their importance in the whole thing...everything gets screwed up.

So, that's part of my Eagle story. There are so many layers to this, I could write a book (I almost have with the length of this post), but it probably wouldn't mean anything to anyone but me and maybe my kids. It just feels good to talk about this stuff...organize my thoughts and talk about something that means a lot to me, whether anyone ever reads this or not.

My Take on Michael Jackson

eah, it's been a while since the self proclaimed "King of Pop" died, but the time has come for me to weigh in on the life and death of one the musicians who has had the biggest influence on me:  Michael Jackson.

I was born in 77.  It's commonly accepted that children develop long term memory around the age of 3.  This was unfortunate for me, since that means I remember all of the 1980's...a decade known as much for its bad music as it was for big hair, male rock bands dressing like women and women digging it (?!?), personal computers with no internal hard drive, cell phones so big you had to carry them in a bag over your shoulder, and male shorts that were too short...seriously, who thought that was a good idea.

I hated 80's music, on the whole.  Now, don't get me wrong...I can dig on some early Madonna, Cindy Lauper, some Duran Duran, and some of the more popular stuff that didn't suck and had some redeeming musical content.  But, I was never into the whole synth sound.  I took up saxophone in 4th grade, and from that point forward there was nothing that pissed me off more than listening to someone like Steve Winwood playing a solo on a song that is obviously a saxophone patch of some kind (2:42 on the recording below), or backing brass hits played on a synth.  COME ON.  There are musicians out of work, and here you are with your crappy Moog rubbing it in their face.



I hate Steve Winwood.  It's true.  Not sure if you could tell.

Anyway, I spent a lot of time in doctors' offices as a child, so I had to listen to a lot of this nonsense.  It was always playing.  Maybe it reminds me of getting tubes in my ears or sinus surgery.  I don't know.  It sucks.

So, what's a 7 year old boy to do when all the music available to him is a steaming pile?  MICHAEL JACKSON.

I was not aware of "Off the Wall" when I first got into MJ.  "Thriller" was released in 1982, and I immediately begged my parents for it.  MJ engaged in a revolutionary marketing strategy, putting together a mini-movie / music video to be shown on the networks.  There was no MTV, and music videos in general were crappy and not often made since there was no outlet for it.  Later on the 80's there was Friday Night Videos, which premiered in 1983 as a network outlet for this blossoming art, but at the time there was nothing.  MJ said, "I'll see your nothing and raise you AWESOME!"  The world bought in, and Michael Jackson was instantly the coolest thing on the planet.

Once we got Thriller I listened to it constantly.  I learned the words to every song.  Are there synths in Thriller, absolutely...but the difference was that they weren't the central focus point like they are with morons like Steve Winwood.  The songs were built around MJ's vocal lines, RHYTHM, and the bass.  I hadn't been exposed to any pop music like this before, and it changed the way that I looked at music forever.

After Thriller, I became interested in buying up anything Michael Jackson that I could.  Of course, my parents had something to say about that, since at age 5 and 6 I had little of my own money.  What money I did have came from my $.50 a week allowance for folding my brother's and sister's reusable diapers and doing other chores.  That wasn't enough to buy a "Beat It" jacket with all those cool zippers.  I STILL want one of those things, but now I think my wife would have something to say about that.  DAMN!

Luckily, my dad was a Motown guy, so we went out and got some cool Jackson 5 stuff.  Unbelievable.  He was MY AGE (at the time) and he could sing like that.  I could barely roller skate, and here was this 6, 7 year old kid wailing on stage in front of thousands of screaming fans.  I wanted that life.  The interesting thing to me was how different the music was than what he ended up producing with Thriller.  I needed to find out how he got from point A to point C. 

Point B was "Off the Wall".  In my opinion, Off the Wall is Michael Jackson's magnum opus...it's his Sistine Chapel, his Mona Lisa.  Off the Wall is an album created by two geniuses, Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones.  This collaboration is how Michael became Michael.  This is still, to this day, one of my favorite albums of all time.  It's timeless. 

The rhythms were contagious and made me get off my white butt and dance around the basement like I was MJ.  I learned how to Moonwalk

I learned every word to every song.  My brother and sister got into it too!  When my parents would have to go out for some reason and my dad's folks would come over to watch us, we'd drag them down to the basement and put on lip syncing concerts for them.  BOY, were they pleased.  I immediately picked up on the fact that they did not enjoy the MJ like we did.  It didn't matter though.  Once we started, there was no stopping us because we "Don't Stop Til You Get Enough."

I remember everything from the hair on fire incident in the Pepsi commercial (I used to think he lived at the Pepsi plant near our house) to his ever changing look.  I wasn't too into "Bad," when it came out, and then pretty much everything after that goes into the trash for me. 

Rhythm is what I learned from Michael Jackson.  Layering of different rhythms, how it all works together, how rhythm can be melody, and the integration of all of the various elements of music. 

I learned melody and harmony from Elton John and Billy Joel.  MJ, EJ, and BJ were my best friends growing up.  I spent countless hours listening to song after song...each time focusing on a different instrument or a different moving line...trying to learn as much as I possibly could.  Of course, at the time I didn't realize that I was learning, or I probably wouldn't have done it.  I have always been a critical listener.  It's just how I enjoy music.  I didn't realize that most people just listen to music for entertainment.  I was truly hearing the music and dissecting it in my brain...practice for the musician I would later become.

In the 1990's I diversified my listening enjoyment a bit and got into the Stone Temple Pilots, Rage Against the Machine, Pearl Jam, and others...listening to music just for music's sake is a skill I had to teach myself.  But, I've always held onto my respect for Michael Jackson's contribution to the musical landscape.  His ability to rise above the nonsense in the 80's with Thriller and just do his own thing is why it has become such an endearing legacy.  He had as much of an effect on music as any composer ever had on their musical era.  Is his music as complex as Bach?  No...of course not...but like Bach, he worked and innovated within the established system and set himself apart.

Don't be so quick to discount popular music as legitimate music.  Music is music, and to dismiss Michael Jackson's influence on the art is closed minded and a mistake.

So, thank you, Michael Jackson, for working hard and doing what you did for so long.  It's a shame that things turned out for you like they did, but your legacy lives on in my life and in the lives of millions of others.  You may be gone, but you'll never be "...Out of My Life."

Kicking off the drum corps season

"dance one year in, kiss one goodbye."

That's a line from the Bushwackers' corps song "The Perfect Year," and it absolutely catches the spirit of this time of the year.

For 14 consecutive years now, I have ended my drum corps season Labor Day weekend, sulked around for a couple of weeks, and then got right back into the swing of things for the next season.  2010 has already started for both the Bushwackers and for me, and now it's time to really get this thing groovin'.

Last year was a difficult year competitively due to the fact that we were small, and there were some chemestry issues on the staff and within the membership to a certain degree.  A lot of that stuff has been dealt with so far, and a lot more is being worked on behind the scenes.  The corps is going through a metamorphosis, if you will, that is going to put us in a better position to have sustainable success.

Sustainable success should be the aim of every organization.  You can get a bunch of hired guns in there for one year and win, but what happens after that?  At what cost did victory come?  No...I want to help build a solid foundation here on which we can build sustainable success.

Drum corps has fundamentally changed.  I don't think that's news to anyone who's been in the activity for a while.  It used to be that you could have equipment held together with duct tape and willpower, uniforms with stains and tears in them, and dents in horns and whatnot and still be competitive.  You simply can't get away with that anymore.  Drum corps has become too corporate.  There's a lot of money that goes into each competitive season.  Staff salaries and equipment prices have gone through the roof...even in all-age corps. 

Like I said, there's a lot of work being done behind the scenes to help ensure that the Bushwackers will continue to ruin drum corps for many more years beyond 2010.  :)  I'm looking forward to being able to make some of the announcements that will be forthcoming from the corps.  It's an exciting time to be a Bushwacker.

If you're interested in more information, definitely visit http://www.bushwackers.org/ or just message me.  I have a lot of great plans in store for BUSH BRASS this year, so jump on board.  This is definitely the year you want to march here!

Interesting Weekend

It's 6 a.m. and I've been up for hours due to strange dreams about my brother and waking up to full on panic attacks.  Something is about to break...I can sense it.  Hopefully it's just my mind getting ready to do everything that's necessary right now to be successful.  I just wish I knew what the next step was.

Does LinkedIn work?  I checked my email and a friend added me to her network.  It was an old profile I set up the last time I was out of work, so I decided to go on and update everything, join some groups, try some networking.  I guess we'll see.  I've never had anyone tell me that they've found a job or success through LinkedIn, but it's certainly worth a shot.

I'm always on the razor's edge between success and total failure.  Most of the time I feel like I'm teetering to the wrong side.  I have little guidance...not many people to talk to about things, people to bounce ideas off of, people to help point me in the right direction.  I spend a lot of time just thinking and planning to myself, not really having any idea where I'm going or what the consequences of my actions might be down the road.  Right now, I just have so many situations that I don't have any idea how to control, fix, or deal with in general.  It's frustrating and creates a lot of anxiety for me...something that's not good for my psychological well being.  We all have our issues, and mine are well documented.  I've lived a really interesting life so far.  If I wrote some of this stuff down, most people wouldn't believe it.  Even the people who are close to me would have a hard time with it. 

I try not to be one of those ego-centric people who think that the world revolves around me and that the story of my life somehow impacts everyone I know.  I'm fully aware that we all have our own stories and that there are plenty out there way more successful and interesting than mine.  I'm simply stating that the list of things I've done with the backdrop of all the things that have happened to me in my life creates a very interesting story.  Quite honestly, it's amazing that I'm still alive, so it's hard to get down about things.  Right now, though, I'm finding it really difficult to be positive. 

Things obviously change when you get married.  For all intents and purposes I've been married to Dena for way longer than just the year it's been official.  I try hard to put her first and to do what's in the best interest of our shared life together.  I thought that taking the time now, while we don't have children, to start my own business...something I've always wanted to do...would be a great way to help ensure our financial future and give our future family the kind of life it deserves...the kind of life every man wants to provide for his family.  Unfortunately, I picked a bad time.  Teachers in her district don't get paid over the summer. 

So, what now?  I'm looking for a job...any job, really...but it's not really happening right now.  I've felt the full impact of this economic downturn, having been laid off from several jobs due to the financial constraints and downsizing.  I'm hoping that things turn around.  I know they will.  It's just that right now it's getting harder and harder to keep my chin up.  I've been in bigger pickles than this, but it's not just about me anymore.  I can't just quietly soldier through knowing that at some point I'll figure it out and things will be okay.  I have to solve the problems, and I have to do it now.

Go Penns Grove!

What a great day of band yesterday for the Penns Grove HS Marching Red Devil Band!  It was our first performance day of the year, and you never know how teenagers are going to handle that stuff.  We had a football game in the afternoon, and the band was okay.  We had some ensemble timing issues and some other things, but the important thing wasn't having a clean performance...but just getting all the nerves out and performing in front of a crowd for the first time.  We did it, no one got hurt too bad, and it was over with.  The kids handled it well, though, and were enthusiastic and even nervous a little bit for that first performance of the year.

At night we made the long trek to Pennsville (just right down the road) and performed in exhibition at the USSBA show they were hosting.  We had no real interest in competing this weekend.  We don't have the 3rd number on the field (at least performable) yet, and this was supposed to be all about working out the kinks in front of a crowd that actually cares, as opposed to a football crowd, without putting the extra stress of competition on the kids. 

What a great warm up and show.  From the moment the kids got off the bus it was "go time."  We had a great warm up/rehearsal block before the show, then marched over and took the field confidently and with energy.  Many of the ensemble issues from the football game were gone.  The kids put more energy into their performance, and the crowd was quite receptive.  I'll definitely take that for our first performances of the year.

Since we were in exhibition our scores weren't announced, but let's just say that we would have done really, really well.  :)

Friday night I finally was able to hook up with Jay Morlot, the director of the Bushwackers, and talk about the 2010 season.  Honestly, I really had no idea what I wanted to do next season.  2009 was way harder than it needed to be for a billion reasons.  I was frustrated and I needed to hear that the organization was as committed as my members, my staff, and myself to having a top notch, championship-caliber drum corps...and then would do what is necessary to make that happen.  I definitely got that impression from Jay.  There is a lot in the works, and I'm excited to announce that I'll be back on board as the brass caption head in 2010.  Now, it's time for full speed ahead on planning, recruiting, and all the things that it's going to take to make this thing happen.

We came in 9th place this year.  I simply can't have that.  It's time for a Bushwacker Revolution.

Today I'm off to participate in the 2nd annual Bushwackers Hall of Fame vote.  I helped start the Bushwackers HOF last year to honor our Bushwacker heroes and to help give Bush Alumni a way to get involved and remember their days as a Bushwacker and the people who influenced them.  I'm excited. 

Thanks for reading.  More tomorrow.

Why I won't ever move back to Philadelphia

I love Philadelphia. It's a great city with a diverse population, great neighborhoods, some good schools, lots to do, and a lot of pride. One thing they also have is a completely inept, corrupt government.

It's important to know that Philadelphia is a one horse town, or donkey as it were, because the only political party that holds any power at all in the city are the Democrats. Now, this isn't a 'dems suck, republicans rule' post. Competition is a good thing for business and politics. When there are no checks and balances, no competition for your jobs every election day, no competition for control of the government...you just do whatever the hell you want, citizens be damned.

And that's exactly what goes on in Philadelphia. You're talking about a city that took stimulus dollars, has had a 1% sales tax (in addition to the state sales tax of 6%) for years, and has a city wage tax somewhere in the neighborhood of 5-7%. With a city of 1.5 million people...the majority of whom work and pay that wage tax, then turn around and shop in the city, thus paying the sales tax...you'd think that the government would have enough money to not suck as badly as it does.

Yeah, well...apparently all of that isn't enough. While the city has made strides as far as cleaning up certain areas, bringing in developers to build beautiful condos and swanky areas around Spring Garden and other areas...while the city successfully negotiated and built 2 beautiful, world class stadiums that bring in millions of fans a year...all of whom buy something that then kicks back more money into the city's coffers...none of that was enough to avoid a budget crisis that almost cost hundreds of jobs (including police, which this city can't afford to cut back on). It's absolutely ridiculous. Where is the money going?

I was at a parade with the Archbishop Ryan HS Band right after Mayor Nutter was inaugurated. He showed up in a beautiful, new, black SUV with security and a whole entourage. Where does that money come from? What is going on in City Hall that, even with all of the sources of revenue that this city has going for it, they go on TV threatening jobs and a "doomsday budget" that shuts down libraries if "Harrisburg" doesn't do it's job and allow the city to raise its sales tax AGAIN and defer payments into the city's pension fund.

http://www.philly.com/philly/news/homepage/20090918_City_avoid___Doomsday_.html

Where is accountability in Philadelphia? Why was someone like John Street...someone the feds though enough of to put hidden cameras in his office...elected to two terms? Why do we keep electing City Council members to the mayor's office? I don't get it.

The city looks better than it ever has, but at what cost? Philadelphia has to bribe businesses to stay within the city limits by offering huge tax rebates to companies. Talk about a huge potential revenue stream! Instead, they just tax the hell out of the middle class. Open your eyes, Philadelphians! While people are sitting on their porches all day in North Philly collecting their welfare checks and not looking for a job, you're working hard and then giving a good bit of your paycheck to a city that can't manage the money. Why? You worked for that money. Is it supposed to be a privilege to live  and work in the City of Philadelphia?

                                                                                                                             
When will your government treat you like it's a privilege to have you as a citizen?

I'll tell you when...when you stop electing people just because they're Democrat and actually start LISTENING to the words that are coming out of their mouths and then get off your lazy butts and actually research their record.

They don't respect you. They flat out LIE to you and tell you what you want to hear so that you'll elect them, and then they do whatever the hell they want and blow you off when you say, "um...what?" You don't know what you're talking about. This is big boy, government stuff. You just do your job and go to work and keep giving us money. We'll create more programs for the people NOT PAYING TAXES...even wage taxes because they're not working...and give them YOUR money.

It's YOUR money. Yes, the federal, state, and local governments need some of your money so that they can operate...but it's YOUR money so you should have a say in how it's spent. Right? Doesn't that MAKE SENSE??

I moved out of Philadelphia about 3 years ago and I will never live within the city limits again if I can at all help it. I cannot and will not allow that city government to take 5-7% of my paycheck, then add 2% to everything I by just so they can go to Harrisburg and Washington DC and stand there with their hands out threatening to lay people off if they're not given more money.

They're blackmailing the state. This is wrong. Figure it out, Philadelphia. City Council and the mayor's office is laughing at you. They don't respect you. They're not helping you. They're stealing from you and then creating programs that make people dependent on the government.

This is our city, our country, and our lives. Be responsible for yourself, elect people who are going to serve you they way you deserve to be served, and live your life.

Unbelievable. Philadelphia government, I give you the one-fingered salute.

           

Former Philly Treasurer, Corey Kemp

CONVICTED

Former Councilman Rick Mariano

CONVICTED

How come every time I'm driving to rehearsal I end up getting tailgated by some young girl going 90 mph?

Marching Band and Rain Don't Mix

Well, it's Thursday and raining. That can mean only one thing...we have marching band rehearsal tonight! Oh yeah!

My wife is the band director at Penns Grove High School in South Jersey, and I teach her marching band. It's an interesting gig. One of the cool things about it is that there's a permanent scaffolding structure that allows you to get pretty high up and clean drill. The whole staff could fit up there if we wanted to. It's very convenient.

Anyway, unlike some other places I've taught Penns Grove does not rehearse on a parking lot. Yes, we actually have our own grass field with lights! Good stuff, but it makes rehearsing in inclement weather difficult. The kids don't care...you rehearse in the rain and the mud sometimes. That's just how it goes, but we have to take into consideration that it absolutely destroys the field. Oh well...we'll be out there tonight no matter what since this Saturday we have our first performances.

The opener is pretty cool. The show is a "comic bookey" detective/criminal/dame story. In the first act, the "dame" shows off her prized artwork which is then stolen by a masked burglar. The music in the beginning is all original and then it goes into an arrangement of the "Mission Impossible" theme song. Visually and musically it's pretty good for this time of year. Like many schools, it's hard to get the kids to really put a whole lot of energy into anything, so it's not as clean as it could be...but it's getting there.

The second number is an original composition...a jazzy tune where we meet our detective. The Dame, completely distraught by having her ugly artwork stolen tries to hire the detective, who is rather dismissive and not really all that interested. Of course, she flashes some money under his nose and he takes the case. We have a dancer in the band who is absolutely spectacular. She's "The Dame" and is featured in this song and throughout the show. The detective is played by an actor in the school plays who agreed to be in our little production. He does a good job. Oh, and the burglar is a kid in the pit.

The first part of the closer shows our detective on the prowl. Unfortunately, he's not a very good detective and while the band is marching around playing "James Bond" material, our detective is anything but James Bond. Eventually the whole band gets the detective's attention and points him in the right direction.

Our pit is somewhat on the field and set up in a type of "lair" situation. They're all dressed as burglars, and since they're obviously bad guys, they hide behind their instruments when the detective finally figures it out and arrives on the scene. There's a playful and fun "hide and seek" section between the detective and the pit, but he finally finds his man and they go spilling out onto the field chasing each other around.

During this and most of the rest of the show, the music is original in nature and rhythmic. The detective chases the burglar around for a bit, but loses him. The Dame isn't pleased and really starts giving the detective "the business," when he finds the burglar and finally gets the artwork back. It's hard to explain...it's all something you just need to see.

We have a cool prop that becomes, through MAGIC, a jail cell at the end of the show. The pit kids have some fun at the end as well, and we're done. There's a lot of thought and coordination that goes into doing a theme show like this, but I think that the kids appreciate it and enjoy it a lot more than if we just picked 3 songs and went out there and did that. Plus, it gives them an opportunity to put a little bit of themselves into the production instead of just acting like a bunch of robots out there for the duration of the show.

The staff is small, but good. We could really use another 2 or 3 people, but we just don't have the budget for it. It's okay, though. It's a small band, although we're the biggest we can be in our group. Hopefully the kids put the work in at home, come prepared to rehearsals, and perform when the time comes. If they do, we should be pretty successful this year. We'll see.

I'm not racist, so don't label me (a letter to a very special someone)

Sir,

Just because I disagree with someone doesn't mean I'm a racist. Just because I think that they have a hidden agenda (poorly hidden), are less than truthful, and completely and totally wrong doesn't mean I'm a racist bigot who hates people who are different than me.

Not everyone is a racist.  In fact, race wasn't even brought up in this debate until you opened your mouth.  Not all dissention has a racist undertone.  We have huge issues that we're debating here, and to label those who disagree as racist is just a tactic to try to get us to shut up.  It's not going to work this time.

You don't know me. You don't know what's in my heart. You don't know why I feel the way I do. For you to assume that I and many others are simply racist because we disagree is ludicrous and, quite frankly, extremely insulting.

Go away. Until I'm told otherwise, and I wouldn't be surprised if down the road I am told otherwise, I still have the freedom in this country to disagree and debate ideas. The fact that you resort to name calling simply because you can't fathom why anyone would disagree with this person is childish.

Sincerely,

Chris Kilian

Writing again!

I'm sitting down today with the task of writing pep music for football games. The pep music Penns Grove has is old, parts are missing, and there are a lot of errors. I got sick of it so I'm just writing a few tunes so we can actually sound decent at football games.

Picked up a gig finishing a show for a local band last night. I'm looking forward to getting started on that. I enjoy arranging a lot, and hope that for next season I can up my load. This year I got started so early on Centennial HS (MD), one of my loyal customers...January, in fact...that I was able to, for the first time, not really have to work on two projects at once. Generally speaking they all overlap. You write one band's opener, then go on to another opener. Finish the openers, and then work on the 2nd tune for each band. At least that's how I usually work if I have a lot of groups all lined up at the same time.

Ideally, enough bands sign on early enough that I'm able to schedule time to work on each show and not worry about any overlapping. This way I can just get myself in the mindset to write one show, then move onto the next. It's rare, but it's nice when it does happen.

This year I got into writing original compositions for two bands (Penns Grove and Crestwood). The shows aren't entirely composed, but a good portion of them are. I enjoy composing more than I remember. Coming out of college I tried doing it a bit, but wasn't in a real good head space for a long time. I found composing difficult and laborious...not artistic, and so I simply dismissed it as a skill I didn't possess. Over time it frustrated me, because I enjoyed arranging so much and the more I arranged the more "original" my arrangements became. They weren't transcriptions, but fresh arrangements and variations. I figured, if I could do that why couldn't I compose something original.

My thought at the time was that I couldn't write melody because, while I love lyrical melodies and lush harmonies, quite often my compositions tend to be more rhythmic. So, who's to say what's a better technique?  While some composers write lyrical melodies that flow from the instruments, others write more rhythmic motives and use the harmonic structure within those rhythms to construct their idea of melody. John Adam's "Short Ride in a Fast Machine," for instance, is rhythmic in nature, while the second movement from Samuel Barber's Piano Concerto is incredibly lyrical.

By the way, I love Samuel Barber's Piano Concerto. I find the second movement to be hauntingly beautiful. I'm not generally a big concerto guy. I love orchestral music, but the whole "you go ahead and show off how awesome you are" thing is just not my bag.

If you're a friend of mine and reading this, you're probably chuckling because you knew it was a matter of time before I started extolling the praises of Samuel Barber. So what! He's my favorite composer. I'll write more about him in the future, but here's an article I wrote for an online newspaper about Barber on his 99th birthday earlier this year.

March 12, 2009
----------------------------------------------------------

A very happy belated birthday to one of America's greatest composers, Samuel Osborne Barber! He would be 99 years of age.

Samuel Barber was born on March 9th, 1910 in West Chester, PA. The family home at 107 Church St. still stands and is just blocks from West Chester University. Barber is the composer of the famous "Adagio for Strings," which many people know from the movie "Platoon" and other films. In addition, Barber won Pulitzer Prizes for both his opera "Vanessa," and his incredible piano concerto

While Barber was born and raised in the rural and conservative West Chester, he was schooled in music at the Curtis Institute in Philadelphia. He was one of the first students to walk through Curtis' doors in 1924 and excelled as a student in piano, voice, and composition. It was here that he met his great friend, partner, and collaborator Gian Carlo Menotti. Barber's composition teacher at Curtis, Rosario Scalero, had great influence on the work of the young composer. Samuel Barber's music is unabashedly tonal and lyrical. He had an uncanny ability to relate to the heart and soul of the listener through his music.

Samuel Barber was a quiet, thoughtful man who stayed true to his musical convictions in an age of wild musical experimentation. While his relationship with Menotti became strained over the years, the two reconciled before his death. Barber died at the age of 71 on January 23rd, 1981 in New York. He is buried at the Oaklands Cemetery in West Chester with his parents and beloved sister. There is an empty plot next to Barber's that was reserved for Menotti, but when the composer died in 2007 he was instead buried in Scotland.

I should have written this for my first article because of my personal relationship with his music, but I did not think of it at the time. Samuel Barber's music has served as a great inspiration for me throughout my life, and to have lived so close to the childhood home of one of the greatest composers our country has produced was an amazing experience. In fact, I just took my wife to see his grave just a few weeks ago for the first time. I try to get there once a year or so to play some music, and clear away the leaves and grass...and just to say "hi."

Happy birthday, Samuel Barber!

I Love Drum Corps

Wow.  I love drum corps.

New shops!

As you may have seen in the right hand tool bar, I have 2 stores posted.  The first one is the official store for this blog.  The other one is a great shirt I did just for fun a couple of years ago.  The only person in the world who owns one is my cousin Dan, but I found the store again and added more items.  It's a conversation starter, for sure.

There is no known picture of Dan wearing the shirt, however I'm fairly certain (about 43% certain) that he's wearing it under his dress shirt in this picture.  I could be (and probably am) wrong.  Click on the image for a larger version that will help you locate Dan who may, or may not, be wearing the shirt.

Check it out!  Just click on the images and you'll be magically whisked away across the interwebs to a land of taxidermy and R.B.F. logo wear.  There may be punch and/or pie.  I cannot guarantee it.

Music camps and clinics

As some of you out there may know, I've been running my own little side business, C.E. Kilian Designs, for about 11 or 12 years now.  Basically, I provide marching arts services like arrangements, drill, and whatnot for band programs.  It's always been a side thing because it's impossible for me to write for more than 6 bands and still hold a normal job.  Well, since I work for myself now...it's time for this little side business to become much more than that.

I've been working on the website for a while now, and it's still going to change in the future.  We're looking to do a cool flash site that hopefully will launch before the 2010 writing season, but if not...it's not a big deal.  There's a lot of information on my site because I'm able to provide a lot of services.  If I can't do it myself, I know people who can...or I'll learn.  Right now I have everything from pre-written shows available in my store to custom arrangements, drill, compositions, original shows...you name it.

One thing I'd really like to get into, though, is teaching on-site clinics and camps at schools during the summer.  Yeah, there are companies that do this...but I think it's something I could do myself.  I have enough contacts and friends that basically anything you need, we can provide.  My personal areas of expertise would be in running camps for drum majors and student leaders, as well as music clinics for woodwinds and brass...but I have people who can do the drum thing, do the guard thing, really develop a killer woodwind and brass program, etc, etc. 

Something that most programs overlook is the "process"...how we're going to get from point A to point B, how to organize the season, how to organize an effective rehearsal, who does what and when, and what are the responsibilities of the field staff, members, and student leaders during a rehearsal.

This is another area I think we could really provide some assistance in.  There are methods that work and methods that don't.  I've experienced a lot of them on both sides, sometimes in the same season.  We could definitely come in, assess the way things are, make recommendations for how to run things more effectively, install the program if you want, and then watch your band get better quicker.

I've taught tons of camps and I've run plenty of clinics, but I think it would be a real thrill to take the team on the road all summer and show bands how to get it done.  It's a dream staff I've assembled, so it's well worth the money it costs...plus, it's likely cheaper than the camps they run around the country at local colleges and whatnot.  Kids and programs spend a fortune going to these camps where they're one of 400+ kids all learning the same things, things that may or may not apply to their band program.  I did it myself in high school.  I went to a local camp and learned NOTHING that applied to my band.  It was a waste.

Well...with our program, I'll personally talk to you on the phone and assess your needs, what's your "big picture," and put together a camp that fits your group specifically.  This way your kids get a camp customized to your program and learn skills that will directly translate to what their responsibilities as a member of the ensemble are.  Also, they won't be just a number or some kid with a name tag.  They'll get individual instruction.

A huge bonus of this is that if you have enough kids attend the clinic, you can bring in some of your staff for free and have them learn the techniques that we're teaching the students so that the program can carry on after we've left.

There's a lot of up-side to doing this for any band program.  Selfishly, I just think it would be a great way to spend my time during the summer.  I have such a passion for teaching kids, and it would be great to do it on a larger scale by flying around the country helping many more kids than I'm able to do sitting here in Southeast PA.

Anyway...that's what I've been up to all morning, thinking about this and updating my website, so there's your brain food blog for now.  Enjoy this random picture.

Interesting notes regarding September 14th

Just stumbled upon an interesting page http://www.history.com/this-day-in-history.do

According to these guys:

• George Frideric Handel completed "The Messiah" oratorio on this date in 1741.  I've never been a fan of Handel or "The Messiah."  I don't know why.  It's an opionion.  I guess I just prefer Bach.
• President William McKinley died due to infection from gun shot wounds he received 8 days prior.  Poor President McKinley.  We hardly knew you. 

Other McKinley facts for your noggen to crunch on:

1. He was the 25th President of the United States, following Grover Cleveland and succeeded by Theodore Roosevelt.
2. His original V.P. was Garret A. Hobart, who died of heart failure leaving the way for Teddy Roosevelt to take his place and eventually become president upon McKinley's death in 1901.  There was no vice president from 1899-1901.
3. He grew up in Ohio and served as governor from 1892-1896.
4. He fought in the Civil War in the United States Army, where his superior officer was Rutherford B. Hayes, another U.S. President.
5. He served 2 stints in the U.S. House of Representatives before leaving office to become governor.
6. McKinley was shot by Leon Frank Czlgosz at the Pan-American Exhibition in Buffalo, NY at 4:07 p.m. on September 5th, 1901.  He died 8 days later.

I already told you that I left for my honeymoon on this date.  I can't remember anything else of note that happened to me on 9.14 in the past, but I can't remember what I ate for breakfast either, so...

I miss Disney World

A year ago today I was on my way to Disney with my lovely wife Dena for our honeymoon. We'd both go back in a second. So much fun!

Welcome to Random Brain Food!

Howdy!  Welcome to my new blog.  I used to have a blog over here but now I don't.  I just felt like I had more to write about than just marching band and drum corps, and so here we are.

Most people know me because of my work with local marching bands or my associations with various drum corps...mostly the Bushwackers, of which I've been a member, staff member, and/or administrator (sometimes all at the same time) for 13 years.  This past season I was the drum major and the brass caption head.  In 2008 I was the program coordinator and brass arranger for the Fusion Core Drum & Bugle Corps.  We came in 2nd place at the DCA World Championships by just 0.2 and took home 3 caption awards (brass, color guard, and visual).  My drum corps experience has been cool, and I will be writing quite a bit about it.  So, if you enjoyed reading about that in my old blog don't fret.

In my old blog I talked a bit about my experiences teaching marching bands.  I'm still doing that, so I'll have plenty of brain nuggets and random thoughts as far as that's concerned.  I used to be at Archbishop Ryan HS in Philly, but no longer.  It's unfortunate and sad, but as Neil Peart says, "changes aren't permanent, but change is."  I'm now teaching at Penns Grove HS where my lovely wife, Dena Kilian, is the band director.  She let's me pretty much run the program side of things...the actual show, the thematic and stylistic direction of the group.  I write all the music and drill, a lot of the music is composed, and I help to manage the rest of the team (percussion and color guard) to design for and teach their captions in a way that will be consistent with the overall vision for the show and program.  Check out some of the music and info on this year's show, "Ya' Gotta Help Me!"

Right now I'm at a crossroads, which is why this is the best time to start a new blog.  In January I got laid off from my full time job...again.  I had been laid off twice the year before (including two weeks before my wedding!), and this was just the last straw.  I was, and am, absolutely sick and tired of working my butt off so that someone else can get rich.  It doesn't make any sense.  If I'm the one doing the work...if I'm the one producing, then why should I be the one making the money!?! 

Well, out of that came some conversation with a friend of mine about a business idea that I had.  He's killer at things that I'm not, so we decided to go in as partners on this idea.  I'll have more information on it later, because right now the whole thing is kind of in a holding pattern.  If I could, I'd be working on this stuff everyday, but the unfortunate reality is that we both still have bills to pay...and so we're dealing with that.  The idea will work, it's just apparently going to take longer than I wanted it to.

The other unfortunate reality is that our government is not exactly friendly to small businesses, and is becoming less and less friendly...if not downright mean and nasty.  There are no federal grants to start a small business...just state...and they're going to be taxing the living hell out of us, especially if this healthcare plan gets through.  Nevermind that our country is not built on the Wal-Marts, the Fords, the big corporations.  This country is built on small businesses and franchises run by hard working people who, like me, got sick of making other people rich and decided to go out on a limb and risk it all to try to achieve the American Dream...finding what you love to do, figuring out a way to get paid for it, and being in a position to provide your family with a comfortable living and everything they need.  Car dealerships, Dunkin' Donuts franchises, you name it. 

So, instead of encouraging people to start their own businesses and hire the 10% of Americans who are out of work, we'll just tax them and make them pay for the social services we'll create to coddle the Americans who refuse to find work, exploit the system, sue doctors for nonsense thus driving up the cost of malpractice insurance and...therefore...the overall price of healthcare, etc, etc.  IT'S BACKWARDS!  YOUR "LOGIC" IS BACKWARDS!

They're all liars...both sides of the aisle.  Why on earth...WHY ON EARTH would you ever trust anything to the government that you didn't have to?  Why would you want to take something like healthcare out of the private sector?  Because corporations are evil?  WHAT DO YOU THINK THE GOVERNMENT IS?!?!

It all needs fixing, I agree.  But the answers aren't as hard as they're making it, and making it harder for Americans to start their own businesses means more and more people unemployed and relying on the government.  That is what they want.

No.  This is my country.  This is my life.  I will start my business and I will be successful.  I will work hard, and my kids will go to college and my wife and I will go on vacations, and I'll be able to do the things that make life worth living because I EARNED it.

So, yes.  I will often go off on rants like this.  This isn't a place for us to argue about the issues.  This is my blog and it's my place to express my opinion.  If you hate it, I cordially invite you to click here.  Start your own blog.  Go off on your own rants.

Anyway, so now that the partnership thing is on hold until we can find alternate means of paying the bills and raise some capital to really get the thing off the ground (feel free to give me money.  I like money), I'm still working on other projects and trying to find another way to work for myself.  Any ideas, let me know.  I'm afraid I'm probably going to have to find a regular job and be stupidly miserable again and not have any time to work on my business.  Sigh.

So, this is all basic information and gives you a little bit of a taste of what Random Brain Food is going to be all about.  I'll have long posts, short posts when something pops into my head, I'll be posting from my phone, uploading photos, etc, etc.

Feel free to comment.  I do monitor all comments and have to approve them to be added, but I won't block a comment just because I don't agree with it.  I'm more concerned about content, as I'm sure students and other folks will be reading this and don't want to see you cursing me out for one reason or another.

Enjoy!