Wednesday, October 10, 2007
my new friend Joe
So yesterday I had both kids home sick. They both said they felt ill the night before and I know that there is a 24 hour thing going around. So when Eli, who sets his alarm for 5:30 when he doesn't have to leave for the bus until 7 AM (can we say neurotic?) did not get up until about 8 AM and Henry also slept in, I figured they were indeed sick. When they did finally get up Eli threw up and Henry had diarrhea. Then as kids do, the rest of the day they seemed pretty much fine. My attempts at them not having a FUN day were futile. If I want to work, they need to be engaged in some sort of electronic babysitter.
Around 3 PM I remembered that Henry had a dentist appointment and I had changed it once already and he seemed fine so we went. He had two cavities filled and let's just say my usual adult-like son needed me in there holding down his feet and hands.
Eli had a marching band event at Towson University at night. Twelve Baltimore County high school bands were performing in a showcase. He wanted to go and he seemed well enough. So on the way home from the dentist I stopped and picked up his band uniform at the dry cleaners. After parades and football games in this summer's amazing heat, the uniform practically was able to stand on its' own. Yes, a dry cleaners appointment was sorely needed.
I thought they needed to be there at 6:30 PM. Nope. Krishna calls. His friend's mother is on carpool duty. They will be picking him up at 5:45 PM.
Yikes. I throw together dinner, they eat and then Eli realizes that he doesn't have his trombone since he wasn't in school. Okay, Eli, how important is this because this is going to be a mad dash to get your trombone and you there on time. He wants to go.
I decide it makes more sense to go to TU first so I can ask the band director how I can get into the high school. Since not all the schools used school buses, there are tons of cars dropping off kids. We finally make it to the top and my new friend Joe (on his shirt) is directing traffic. I tell him my dilemma. I need to find the Towson High School band, not park and then leave.
We see the maroon band uniforms and he tells me how I can drive over to them. The band director says the school and the band room are open. Great. I wave to Joe as we barrel back out of the parking lot to rush over to the high school. The doors are locked but some kids are still there and suggest he go through the boys locker room doors which are open. The other side of the school though.
Finally Eli and his trombone get in and we are off back to TU. I say hi to Joe as I drop Eli off and say I will see him in a little while. I am coming back.
At this point I could have stayed home. Henry didn't want to go and I had a ride home for Eli. But I enjoy watching marching bands (who knew? actually I spent my childhood going to American Legion drum corps competitions and sort of liked it.) Also unbeknownst to Eli who thinks we say him in the Columbus Day parade on Sunday, we actually got there just as they were done. We told him he did great. So I felt like I really needed to be there. (can we say neurotic?)
But, no, I eat some of the chicken I left in the oven to dry out and hustle Henry out the door. I was driving on fumes with the engine putt putting during the mad dash so I need to stop for gas. I don't want to be late because my luck after paying $6 each, they will be first and we will again miss him. I only put in 5 gallons. Hmmmm. And that was $20?
So once again we drive up the long driveway to the TU Johnny Unitas Stadium and there is Joe now brandishing a glow-in-the-dark stick directing traffic. Hey Joe!
So we find the Towson Marching Band and sit next to them. Eli's turn won't be for an hour. But that is fine. Oh did I mention it was 90 degrees? But a nice breeze had come up.
I get to give Henry a socio-economic lesson. Some schools from less fortunate areas only have on t-shirts and pants. No heavy polyester uniforms with goofy hats. Okay, some bands are new. And apparently they all start out like that but Henry has a burgeoning sense of fairness in the world so I like to point out the inequities in our capitalistic society whenever I can.
He says he overhead the band director who is a bit of a pill say to someone when going over the schedule that Dundalk sucks. Well those kids were in the next row. In t-shirts. I tried to scan their faces to see if he indeed had said that and they heard. I SO hope not. But Henry (my hedda hopper) is like me. He sees and hears things others might miss.
Anyhoo, my alma mater, Parkville, is playing. Honestly I don't know if we had a marching band 28 (TWENTY EIGHT?????????????) years ago. Maybe. I wasn't into music or sports. They were good though.
Then, the breeze started getting ... breezier. I had reconnected with my friend Beth whose son went to different high school and hadn't seen in a while. We were sitting next to each other. She says she saw lightening. I said was that thunder? Henry says he felt a raindrop.
Then I look over to one of the band parents and she says they are going to call it. What? And before we know it it starts to pour, thunder and lightening. Now we have been in a drought all summer. Essentially no rain. But tonight? Of course. Imagine 12 bands, parents, instruments, etc. trying to get out of the stands.
Of course I can't find Eli, I tell Henry and Krishna to go up under cover. I stand there looking for Eli. Luckily Beth who always had extra chairs at soccer games and snacks to share, had an extra umbrella for me. I finally go up and there are the three boys. Fine. I tell them to wait and I will go get the car and to keep an eye out because they will have to run to the car because of all the traffic.
I finally manage to get to the car in sandals that are falling off my feet and wait in the line of cars trying to escape. When I get to the place where the kids can run to the car, there is Joe trying to direct cars and school buses and crazy kids running here and there.
See you at the rain date performance Joe!
And so it goes.
Around 3 PM I remembered that Henry had a dentist appointment and I had changed it once already and he seemed fine so we went. He had two cavities filled and let's just say my usual adult-like son needed me in there holding down his feet and hands.
Eli had a marching band event at Towson University at night. Twelve Baltimore County high school bands were performing in a showcase. He wanted to go and he seemed well enough. So on the way home from the dentist I stopped and picked up his band uniform at the dry cleaners. After parades and football games in this summer's amazing heat, the uniform practically was able to stand on its' own. Yes, a dry cleaners appointment was sorely needed.
I thought they needed to be there at 6:30 PM. Nope. Krishna calls. His friend's mother is on carpool duty. They will be picking him up at 5:45 PM.
Yikes. I throw together dinner, they eat and then Eli realizes that he doesn't have his trombone since he wasn't in school. Okay, Eli, how important is this because this is going to be a mad dash to get your trombone and you there on time. He wants to go.
I decide it makes more sense to go to TU first so I can ask the band director how I can get into the high school. Since not all the schools used school buses, there are tons of cars dropping off kids. We finally make it to the top and my new friend Joe (on his shirt) is directing traffic. I tell him my dilemma. I need to find the Towson High School band, not park and then leave.
We see the maroon band uniforms and he tells me how I can drive over to them. The band director says the school and the band room are open. Great. I wave to Joe as we barrel back out of the parking lot to rush over to the high school. The doors are locked but some kids are still there and suggest he go through the boys locker room doors which are open. The other side of the school though.
Finally Eli and his trombone get in and we are off back to TU. I say hi to Joe as I drop Eli off and say I will see him in a little while. I am coming back.
At this point I could have stayed home. Henry didn't want to go and I had a ride home for Eli. But I enjoy watching marching bands (who knew? actually I spent my childhood going to American Legion drum corps competitions and sort of liked it.) Also unbeknownst to Eli who thinks we say him in the Columbus Day parade on Sunday, we actually got there just as they were done. We told him he did great. So I felt like I really needed to be there. (can we say neurotic?)
But, no, I eat some of the chicken I left in the oven to dry out and hustle Henry out the door. I was driving on fumes with the engine putt putting during the mad dash so I need to stop for gas. I don't want to be late because my luck after paying $6 each, they will be first and we will again miss him. I only put in 5 gallons. Hmmmm. And that was $20?
So once again we drive up the long driveway to the TU Johnny Unitas Stadium and there is Joe now brandishing a glow-in-the-dark stick directing traffic. Hey Joe!
So we find the Towson Marching Band and sit next to them. Eli's turn won't be for an hour. But that is fine. Oh did I mention it was 90 degrees? But a nice breeze had come up.
I get to give Henry a socio-economic lesson. Some schools from less fortunate areas only have on t-shirts and pants. No heavy polyester uniforms with goofy hats. Okay, some bands are new. And apparently they all start out like that but Henry has a burgeoning sense of fairness in the world so I like to point out the inequities in our capitalistic society whenever I can.
He says he overhead the band director who is a bit of a pill say to someone when going over the schedule that Dundalk sucks. Well those kids were in the next row. In t-shirts. I tried to scan their faces to see if he indeed had said that and they heard. I SO hope not. But Henry (my hedda hopper) is like me. He sees and hears things others might miss.
Anyhoo, my alma mater, Parkville, is playing. Honestly I don't know if we had a marching band 28 (TWENTY EIGHT?????????????) years ago. Maybe. I wasn't into music or sports. They were good though.
Then, the breeze started getting ... breezier. I had reconnected with my friend Beth whose son went to different high school and hadn't seen in a while. We were sitting next to each other. She says she saw lightening. I said was that thunder? Henry says he felt a raindrop.
Then I look over to one of the band parents and she says they are going to call it. What? And before we know it it starts to pour, thunder and lightening. Now we have been in a drought all summer. Essentially no rain. But tonight? Of course. Imagine 12 bands, parents, instruments, etc. trying to get out of the stands.
Of course I can't find Eli, I tell Henry and Krishna to go up under cover. I stand there looking for Eli. Luckily Beth who always had extra chairs at soccer games and snacks to share, had an extra umbrella for me. I finally go up and there are the three boys. Fine. I tell them to wait and I will go get the car and to keep an eye out because they will have to run to the car because of all the traffic.
I finally manage to get to the car in sandals that are falling off my feet and wait in the line of cars trying to escape. When I get to the place where the kids can run to the car, there is Joe trying to direct cars and school buses and crazy kids running here and there.
See you at the rain date performance Joe!
And so it goes.
