Well it has been almost 6 weeks of being on tour. I think I have completely lost my mind!!! I need to get away so I can get a fresh view on the show. I am leaving for a week next week and I will re join the corps in Atlanta. I am excited to get home, although I need to teach a band camp next week so I can make some money. For some reason it is so easy to forget about everything when you are on the road. I don’t have any money, I haven’t paid bills in a long time and my phone is shut off. I need to pull it together. We are in Bristol right now and I love this town. It is so wild up here, everyone partying for the fourth. People were actually on the streets all ready at 10:30pm, we were on our way home from the show and saw them lined up and ready to go. We used to stay downtown and I remember the town getting insane the night of the 3^rd. People up all night screaming and getting drunk. One time in 1992 Rosie, Keith and myself snuck out after lights out and went and had pizza and a milk shake. We were so sneaky that we walked right past the staff meeting out side the school and didn’t even know it. We waited for our food and drinks and then all of a sudden Hop walked in the pizza place. I was so scared… Although there were 3 of us at the table he looked right at me and said “you have got to be kidding me”, ok maybe the words were a little harsher but this is the PG version… He told us we would be suspended from the show the next day. We left immediately and ran back to April’s bed and told her what happen. She told us that she would talk to him for us and not to worry. We went to sleep and never heard about the event again... Well we don’t stay in that school any more (I wonder why?) and I would probably be the one yelling at some of my students. Wow how times change..

Well from our preview show in allentown to the first show in annapolis to our second show in philly, we have been through the ringer!!! Preview show went really well. The allumni and cadets fans were really excited about the show. The corps was on fire, really aggressive and really exciting, that was friday, Saturday was the day of the first show, the corps had a great day. They were foaming at  the mouth and ready for the first show. They had a rehearsal from heaven all there all participating it was great. Saw lots of allumni, it was great.  Then we got to the show and I have never seen this group before. They were timid and scared little children. They looked so immature I barely recognized who it was out on the field. They definitely not acting like the students I have been teaching for the last month. All that prep for nothing. Really strange range of emotion.  We ended up in 4th place in guard, not good, behing cavies crown and bluecoats. Then came the next day yesterday in Pittsburgh, bad day of rehearsal. First really hot day and the members didnt react well to it at all. They were not pushing each other or helping each  other out. So therefore ths whole group didnt get better yesterday. We got to the show and had a decent warm up, sang a little wicked on the way to the gate and boom there were the cadets that I have been teaching for the past month. Really exciting show, they were aggressive looked like they were helping each other out, performing there hearts out.. So to say the least I am feeling a little better about where we are as a group right now. I know they have it in them it is just a matter of when they decide they want to do it. Which is definalty a lot better of not having the choice and just not being able to do it..

We have a full day of rehearsal today here in lovely California( California Pennsylvania that is..LOL) then we have 4 more shows this week. I am so excited I am going to see my brother this week, Curtis my Choreographer comes back this week. I was supposed to go home to celebrate gay pride this week but there is wat to much to be done here so I am postponing my trip home till next week. Which will be good because then I can catch back up with the corps in giant stadium next weekend. I am hoping we can have a good run of shows this week, we get joined by the phantom reg this week and loose the cavies. I think the Blue coats will be with us this week though. I will keep up a little more sorry it has been so long. Hope this reaches you all well.


J

Well I had a couple of days off last weekend and got to go home and see my apartment that I am never at. It would be so much cheaper for me to own a storage unit... I am back and refreshed, we are about 10 pages from the end of the show. Jeff is up to 185 pages of drill. This is definatly the most we ever have done at this time of year. It is a little overwelming for the members but most are holding on by a thread.. Some have totally lost it and are ttrying to recover.. This is always so much fun, watching some people that have never done this before try and keep it together. I am so excited to start having shows, seeing friends that only show up in the summer. Through all the years of corps I feel like I know someone in every state. Its funny a friend of mine from home asked me about a close friend this weekend and I said we met in 94. He was blown away that I am still in touch with people from back then. It is amazing know a person for so long. No matter how much time has past we always pick up from where we left off, like no time has passed. 

We have had rain for 3 days now, on monday when I got back we had to catch up to the corps and learn 40 pages of drill. Yes I said 40.. Couldnt believe how good the guard did. It was raining so hard the last part of the day and they still managed to have a great time and learn all that was asked of them. The harder the rain got the louder they counted and helped each other through a really hard day. I was in tears by the end of the day. How lucky am I to get to teach some amazing people everyday!!!!! Through the rain and being overloaded with information to push throught to the end of the day was just awesome.  I am lucky and honored to be able to do what I do here everyday!!

More for you later.. 
Have a great day........

Well we have gone through 2 1/2 weeks of spring training so far and it has been awesome. The Cadets are doing really well with minimal injuries, so far so good!  

We had the annual CBCCG 2007 prom last night, A midnight summer's dream. I am still a little bitter I was not on the prom court, but I will get over it. Griffen and Sandy won as out prom king and queen, all in all the members had a great night filled with dancing, relaxing and some wonderful celebration punch made by our very own Pat!!!! 

I am having such a great time here this year, I think because this is my third year as caption head I feel like the program is leading in the direction I want it too, not the direction it was headed. I love my staff, I will say it again I LOVE MY STAFF!!!! That makes this go so much smoother for us and the members. The majority of us, me, emma, michelle, travis, april and greg have been together since 03. Then with the additions of curtis and matt in 05 it made the team even more complete. This year also brought the return of john escalante back into the family, his last drum corps experience was in 96. All these ingredients are sure to make this an outstanding summer. 

I did have a couple of cry moments last nite at the prom. It is so amazing to see students that you have taught for so long  having such a great time with each other. We have fun and "Play" all day every day, but last night was time to let your hair down and just enjoy the people around you, and I did.

It is such a pleasure and a joy to do this everyday. I loved being a cadet and I still enjoy training new cadets. These kids right now have no idea how this experience is going to change there life.... 

We leave on tour tomorrow and thats when all the fun starts... Talk to you soon.

Well we are at 2 weeks here in WV and the weather has been awesome. We all have fantastic color and are staying dry. Which is good and bad.. The fields are getting really dried out.. It did rain yesterday and it is supposed to rain this weekend. Things are still going real well, we have learned and filled in most of the opener marching and spinning. We are all the way through blue shades marching wise, we are starting to fill it in today.

Johnny Escalante is in this week and it has been so nice to catch up with my friend. I have not seen him in a long time ... Well I have to get back to dance class to get some video..

Hell

just got done with our first drill  rehearsal. Went well. It is amazing having 75% of the corps with experience does to the overall group. It is so nice to say something and have 75% understand instead of the other way...We learned 19 pages of drill which takes us to letter B. That is where Travis's flag work starts. So they only did 3 cts of flag work but it is a really good three cts. We did review all that last night and so far they are doing a great job of making fixes, little things, but good to know they have the capacity to change. Greg and Curtis get here tomorow, which is good they are ready for dance class....... Caitlin is doing a great job of running the morning class and reviewing what curtis has done. Eric and Caitlin are doing a great job leading and controlling at the same time. I am so excited for you all to get here the guard and the drum corps are in a really cool space and there are magical things happening here all ready. We did 102 on the right and left side yesterday and had no breaks so I had to stop doing them... LOL    I always say when we have no breaks,,, Maybe I should stop saying that...Had funny staff stuff last night, I heard, I passed out on my bed at 12:30 and never made it out.. South Shore Drill Team did a show in the strawberry festival last night.. They started off with 8 boys flags performing to Gordon Lightfoots If you could read my mind... Really funny and really talented kids. They had about 45-50 kids in there 15 minute production.. OK thats all for now talk to you soon.


I am roaming up here so verizon members or texting or email is my only means of communication...

J

Well it has finally come after 13 hours of rehearsal the debut of the The CBCCG 07 in Buckhannon WV is only moments away.. Snack was a slice of pizza which was really taste, we are being fed really well. Cant wait for the parade, things went really well in the first block this morning, so I am excited to see how they put up with a little pressure..Greg is on his way here today. Yesterday we put the whole flag technique excersise together, minus the tosses. I went through the rifle and sabre excersise and did a bunch of tosses with them this morning. Sabres are rough I am still trying to figure out lines and stuff. We are planning on reviewing the all flag stuff in the opener tonite, after the strawberry festival that is... I hope you are all doing well. There are 36 people here right now, which means we are not traveling with any extra. We need another boy.. Ben from crossmen quit thursday nite at 10:30pm mind you..So we are down to 11.  All the new kids seem really good. There is a really cool vibe with this group.. Started to see funny things coming out of them lately. Gotta go!

Tags: starwbeery day.

Well we just got done with our first morning meeting and we are off!!!!!!  I had to run back up the 3 flights to my room, love it, to send out some stuff and wanted to let everyone know I am about 20 minutes away from my first S&R we the 2007 cadets.... So exiting I love this time off year.. So many options on where we can take ourselves on this journey we just entered into... I am so excited althought it is raining and I am stressing because we have to do the first day outside in the rain but we have the strawberr festival to get ready for. Ok I am off and I will wqrite some more later...

Current Location: WV Spring Training

About to hop in the shower and head to WV.