Inspirational

Ever notice how things happen in your life that just plain inspire you? Ever notice how those things don't generally happen online, but out there, in the big, wide, real world?? At least, that's how it happens for me! I do something or see something and it just causes me to want to keep living that way. It may be hard for people to find inspiration in their every day, but they tend to chain themselves to their habits and lifestyle choices like their lives depend on it. In reality, their lives are being taken apart by the very things they are clinging to make them whole!

Therefore, I am learning how to be more efficient on my computer so that I can spend more time off of it, more time getting out, and more time letting life happen to me. I have a little notebook where I can jot things down and be inspired for writing later. What a fun life this is turning out to be!

Get Ready For It...

School is in session! Well, not right at this second, because it is the weekend... but it will be tomorrow! Busy, busy. I have a lot to look forward to this semester, and not a lot of time to do it all, Hopefully I can get my schedule all hammered out so that I have time to do everything that I want to do.

I think the problem is that I want to do too much. And then I want to be a writer on top of all of that? You have got to be kidding me... I mean, I have got to be kidding myself because I can't possibly do all the things I want to do, plus get back in shape, plus write, plus keep my sanity. Alright kids, help me out here. I think I'm turning into a crazy teacher!

Confidence

DCI Championships was great! I loved seeing all of my favorite corps perform for the last time. There were so many who didn't make it but deserved the honor, and so many who also performed their heart out on that night! I love The Cadets's show the most, Christmas is my absolute favorite holiday!

Band camp season also went quite well for me. I am really becoming more confident in my skills as a guard instructor. I have even been thinking about the possibility of instructing a drum corps color guard sometime soon, what do you think of that? It would definitely be a lot of fun, but I would have to really strive to do it since I generally have very packed summers as it currently stands.

Unfortunately, all of this has really put me behind on writing and lowered my confidence in my writing skills as well. I do have good news there; I have a couple of family members who have volunteered to do some proof-reading so that I don't have to rely on just one friend all the time anymore. It will make things go a lot faster when I get to that stage. Now if I could just sit down and write for a few days straight...

Thoughts forgotten & DCI Finals

I bet you thought I had forgotten about you this week, didn't you!! Nope, nope, just been busy as always. I've also been turning to my handwritten journal for a lot of my writing lately since it isn't always inspirations I want to share with the world.

This week is world championships for drum corps international, so if you know what that is all about then you are probably as excited as me and most of my friends. We are heading to Indianapolis and it is really going to be a blast of a time. I'm cheering for the Cadets this year for sure (I have been cheering for them for the past couple of years), and Carolina Crown too because their new guard caption head is a really awesome guy. I had the pleasure of meeting him at the Muncie, IN show. I can't wait to see Bluecoats again with their incredible glamor (I swear, they sneeze glitter!) and Blue Stars with their lovely ocean-themed show. I love mermaids when I was growing up, so that is a true treat for me.

Spirit is pretty phenomenal this year (I mean, come on, they have a Vegas showgirl on the field! Mad props) although I am really upset with the amount of recordings they are depending upon. If I wanted to hear Frank Sinatra or Lady Gaga performing, I would be at a concert or just turning the radio up in the car. I go to drum corps shows to see what amazing things the KIDS are capable of doing, and puching "play" on an iPod doesn't count.

Fan favorite for me this year is Glassmen with their "face" flags. I wish I could've been on Glassmen's guard this year JUST so I can have a flag with a picture of my own face on it! That would be awful if you got the wrong flag during a performance, though, so I'm glad they have that organized.

There are LOTS of other great shows on this year. I'm busying myself with DCI's free live webcast of prelims right now... anybody could check it out too! Have fun and good luck to all my friends marching!