Posts from — November 2004

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone.

I think that Thanksgiving is one of the holidays I enjoy.. I get to see a lot of people and it falls during a time of year when I really need a holiday.

I’m running in the Manchester Road Race in the morning (4.78 miles). I haven’t trained for it much at all, but neither has Chris Horan, so we’ll keep each other company and have a good time. Too bad I never come up with a costume idea for the race, I should really do that.

35 people signed up to be in the band on Saturday. I guess that’s not too bad a turnout, especially our trumpet section should be really good. If you’d like to sign up late, get in touch with me ASAP, we’d still like to have you.

Writing on the laptop at home at night. Without music… this is tough since I almost always have music on when I’m at the computer. It’s quieter around here, my ears are ringing.

I’m glad to be away from Lehigh for a bit, the last two days were filled with so much work. My todo list for the next 3 is also imposing, but I do feel somewhat more relaxed. Part of me wishes I had the weekend to myself instead of going back to play with the band, but I’d never want to miss a performance. I sure hope it’s a thrilling win like the Hofstra game my freshman year. I also wish more people were going to attend the game, but whatever.

I’ll be at home until friday night, then back at LU through finals. One more week of classes, can’t wait until I’m through it… I have 1 final in 1 week after that.

Band final was today. I think it came out pretty good. I wish more people tried to answer some of the questions I posed, but hey, it’s the band final. One of my favorites:
The mother is 21 years older than the child. In 6 years from now, the mother will be 5 times as old as the child. Question: Where’s the father?

There is a very correct answer, solve the simultaneous equations and it will become clear. I also had a programming equation, and I think jack morgan was the only one to get it exactly correct without any input from me (he guessed intelligently).

Al talked to me and Mike before we left, and expressed how he thought this had been one of the best years since he’d started directing here. Definitely great to hear, and meant a lot to me, though I honestly don’t take too much credit for it. I’m having trouble articulating exactly why I think that, so I’ll just say that I inherited a very good set of people.

I’ve been experimenting with music from The Polyphonic Spree. I found them through the soundtrack from Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind. They may be a bit too strange and hippie for some people, but I’m no stranger to strange or hippie music. The songs “Light and Day” and “Hold Me Now” are recommended. The other stuff I’ve heard hasn’t stood out as much, but maybe something more will emerge as I listen more.

Well, I got pretty much all of my work done today, there was a whole lot of it. Tomorrow is going to be very busy, then I’m going home until Friday night. I’m really excited that we have a home playoff game and JMU’s band isn’t coming. I wish more band members were staying… almost every senior is but it drops off a lot after that. If you’re an alum, consider joining us for the day, we only have ~25 band members signed up so far. Not a big deal if you don’t want to, but I figured I’d ask.

Lots of little things to write about… I had a great time at SKIDMARK last night, I really enjoy playing alto sax and attempting to play things by ear. I’m not great at either, but I’m improving.

Life is pretty good right now, I suppose. Band is winding down, I only really have one more difficult week this semester. I’m looking forward to winter break.

Academically, I expect this to be my worst semester yet, maybe even my worst semester in 8 years. It’s a sacrifice I’ve made knowingly, though, and I’d make the same decisions again if I went back.

From Andy… http://homepages.paradise.net.nz/kiwif/truck.html

I really enjoyed the Wind Ensemble concert today. I thought the music selections were entertaining and the ensemble sounded excellent. Some of the people in WE said they didn’t enjoy the music at all… maybe it’s better when you don’t have to worry about all those “notes”.

Still haven’t written about Lehigh/Lafayette here, gotta find some time for it.

I hosted a party at my house tonight. I almost called it off since I wasn’t sure if there would be sufficient interest with the Wind Ensemble concert tomorrow and having lost to Lafayette, but some alumni convinced me I should do it. Definitely worthwhile, a lot of people made it and seemed to have a good time, I know I did. Dan, Jack, Michelle, and my housemates helped out to make everything happen, many thanks.

Not a huge mess to clean up once everyone left, too.

From Extra Point

No. 8 Lehigh (9-1) at Lafayette (7-3), 12:30

In college’s most-played rivalry, the Mountain Hawks and the Leopards meet for the 140th time Saturday in Easton in a series that dates back to 1884. Well, the Engineers and the Leopards met in almost all of those games, but Lehigh has had some success in the series with the Mountain Hawks nickname. Lehigh has captured eight of the last nine meetings since 1995, though Lafayette still holds a 72-62-5 edge in the series and a 38-22-5 advantage in Easton. Bragging rights are always on the line, but few of those 139 meetings held as much importance in conference and postseason hopes for both teams as Saturday’s tilt will. Lehigh, as expected, has already won at least a part of the Patriot League title for the fifth time in seven years and first time since 2001. The Brown and White might be in position to make the playoffs with a loss, but will not want to test making the postseason without the automatic berth. A 9-2 record would leave Lehigh with few quality wins and a need to make a case for two Patriot League teams. That Lafayette is playing for a share of the Patriot League title and an automatic berth in the playoffs is more of a surprise. The Leopards lost 13 starters from last season’s team that finished 2-5 in the Patriot League. In addition, Lafayette played four of six conference games on the road. Coming into the finale with a 4-1 conference record is a major accomplishment in itself no matter what happens on Saturday. The Leopards win with a running game that averages 4.8 yards per carry and 218 yards per game. Running back Joe McCourt and quarterback Brad Maurer are both over the 500-yard mark for the year, with McCourt exceeding 1,000 yards. Stopping that duo will be tough for Lehigh’s defense, but the Mountain Hawks have shown the ability to stop the run this season. Lehigh ranks 10th in the nation in rushing defense and is holding opponents under three yards per carry. The Brown and White held Colgate’s Jamaal Branch to 29 yards on 16 carries and shut down Bucknell’s potent rushing attack to three yards per carry. If they can do the same against Lafayette and force the Leopards to go to the air, the Brown and White defense should be able to shut down the Leopards’ attack. When Lehigh has the ball, look for a mix of Eric Rath running and Mark Borda passing. Rath has 876 yards and 11 touchdowns on the ground, while Borda has improved every week in his first season with 24 touchdowns against just six interceptions. With Lafayette holding opponents to 3.4 yards per carry, the burden could fall on Borda. The quarterback has proven very capable this year, and I think he’ll be the difference in the game. The rushing attacks will basically cancel each other out, but Borda is a much more efficient passer than Maurer and Lehigh’s offense isn’t as one-dimensional. Lehigh has the best winning percentage in I-AA in the past six seasons, so the coaching staff and the players know something about how to win games. I’ll be traveling to this game for many reasons. It’s a close drive on a busy Saturday. It’s a rivalry. The winner gets the automatic berth to the playoffs. And It’s the biggest game in I-AA Saturday. No other contest has two teams fighting for a playoff spot, and bubble teams from around the nation will be watching intently and pulling hard for the Mountain Hawks. If Lehigh wins, the Mountain Hawks are in and Lafayette is out. If the Leopards win, Lehigh adds its name to a crowded at-large pool fighting for precious few spots. Lehigh is the more complete team, and has the defense to shut down the Leopards. Lehigh will win and provide some help to Cal Poly, Wofford, South Carolina State and anyone else that falls on the bubble. Prediction: Lehigh 27, Lafayette 17

Before I take a much-needed and academically unfriendly nap, I’m gonna write about being thrown in the mud.

If you don’t know already, there’s a tradition in the 97 of having the writers of each field show thrown in a mud pit. The freshman dig the pit (or are supposed to, FROSH), and they have to chase/carry the drill writers and toss them in (gently, depending on the quality of the drill). Chris Worton and I wrote the drill for the Lafayette game, so we were to be thrown in, and Sarah and Kristin hadn’t been thrown in yet (because of rain), so they were put on the same day.

So, after the last time running through the drill, I waited until the very end of the last note, put my instrument down, and started sprinting toward the gate. Granted, I could probably outrun most people in the band, but I was disappointed more people didn’t try to get me (I’m not quite sure what happened to chris, sarah and kristin). I played all the way through the stomp, so they had time for a head start. Karl was following me pretty well, we’re about the same speed but I had a reasonable distance between us. I knew he wouldn’t be faster than me, but I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to escape him if he could go for long enough, so I took a left by Stabler and started running in the pitch black near the trees because I remember him telling me that his vision wasn’t very good, so I figured he wouldn’t follow. It turned out this was the case, so I ended up hanging out behind Stabler for a while, then just walking myself to the mud, which was a bit sad. If I had a car I could have just left, but I wanted to go in the mud anyway.

I had suggested offhand a while ago that they should make jello for us, so John, Emily and Rachel had made a whole lot to throw at us in the mud, I think it made a really sweet addition. Sarah took a picture of all of us after we walked back to the fieldhouse, but it was on a film camera so I won’t see it for a while. Definitely a fun time, though.