Highlights From Friday

In chronological order:

Walking through the N/U parking lot from my car to FAB at 6:40 am, it was still dark. In the distance, I saw the oddest thing: Two rabbits, sitting dead centre near the end of two side-by-side parking spaces. They were perfectly still, sitting with their ears straight up. I thought at first they were plastic garden statues or something. Then a third rabbit ran past in my peripheral vision and startled me. I was starting to think of the White Rabbit and Wonderland. I got closer to the two in the parking spaces, and one of their ears twitched and I jumped. I wandered in a circle around them, a passing girl not seeming to notice, and they still didn't move. I got within five feet of them before they actually started to leave, very slowly. It was the most surreal experience...

On the bus, Dr. Street had bought us food in case we hadn't eaten breakfast or something. He had a flat of bottled water, apples and bananas and cheesestrings. He was eating a cheesestring in bites and held it up and said "This is the cheese that makes the strings!" in the classic Dr. Street raised eyebrows lilting voice kind of way. I seemed to be the only one to find it funny, but I nearly died laughing.

Robert W. Smith has been raised in my esteem. I no longer think of him as not even being able to live up to Frank Tichelli, whom I'm sure you all know I hold in great disdain. I think he (Smith) relies on pedagogical elements too heavily for inspiration to call his music all that artistic, but he had some nice explanations for some of his music that made it seem more expressive.

After our concert of our own stuff, I was walking down the hall in RDC and ducked. I was pretty sure that something had nearly hit my head, but I couldn't tell you anything more than that. Turned out it was Mr. Speers, who I still have trouble calling Rob, swatting at me with a folder. A bunch of Ainlay alums gathered and we chatted. It was nice to see him again. Maybe I'll impose on him to do my rehearsal observation there, if he'll let me.

A bunch of us went to Moxie's after the concert because BP's was being evil. The waitress kicked ass! Calvin kept ordering iced tea refills, and said that he'd probably go through six glasses, so when he finished his fourth, the waitress brought him two pints for the last two. He and Todd Carson, who apparently dated Alicia again until a couple of months ago, had both ordered the X-Treme burger, and were making eachother finish everything on their plate, and with their drinks (Todd had two HUGE 710 ml Coronas), they each nearly died. It was amusing. ^_^ And the waitress gave all 13 of us seperate cheques! BP's wouldn't even let us order off the regular menu. And, of course, I had to have one of their sugar-rimmed "margaritas," which are really just Kool-Aid for university students. Chelsea Marndrusiak (sp?) had a Molson Kick, the beer with caffeine, and was rather jittery later, but I think that was just placebo effect. She said it tasted like normal beer, though, which makes me slightly curious to try it. And it came in an aluminum bottle...

We decided to leave at 6:30 so that we could stay for the U of L and U of C concerts, but the U of L one ran long and we didn't have time to stay for the U of C one. Mrs. Burns, whom nobody calls just Rita, was in the row in front of me in the audience, and I got to say hi to her, too. She thought I was in second year. If that were the case it would seem less unpleasant that I have two more years to go after this one. The U of L was a large group, weighing in at about 77 people. It was unweildly. And not that great. It was about at the level I'd like to see a good highschool band at. All of their music was very simple. 4/8/16-bar phrases with no independant lines. It was quite something having the melody always played by the trumpets, flutes, clarinets, trombones AND saxophones (or close to that) with a band that size. They also looked pretty bad. This one trumpet player had his shirt untucked and unbuttoned down to mid-chest and no bowtie. One of the percussionist's idea of concert dress was grey (not faded black, grey) pants and a black wifebeater-style tanktop. Even Peter wears proper concert dress, and he is, in his own words "more or less tghe limit case."

The bus rides to and from Red Deer were actually very nice. I had two seats to myself, so I was able to lay down and doze. It took me quite a while, but I've found the best way to sleep on a tour bus: On your back with your head towards the aisle, kind of sitting cross-legged against the wall, with your hands under your head. Seriously. I listened to Jens Lindeman and remembered that I am indeed a music student.

And then that night, I dreamt that Prison Break was with the brothers from Malcom in the Middle. Very bizarre...