Well, you may not hate me for this (Erin Wirtz will NEVER hate me, I also note), but sometimes I have a few things to talk about that are on my mind each day. You know, just random thoughts that run through my head at night when I'm trying to get to sleep and whatnot, or perhaps thoughts that are there with me when I wake up in the morning. Enjoy these thoughts if you agree, or burn down my house if you don't.

2004 Notes by Christopher
2003 Notes by Christopher
2002 Notes by Christopher
2001 Notes by Christopher

December 28, 2005

I am on my last day here in Denver for the holidays, and it's been, well, I'm not so sure how to describe how the last week has been. It's had it's ups and downs, I guess. I've had some good times with the family here in Denver, and that's always nice. However, there has been some sad news, both from here and in North Dakota, that has kind of rocked a lot of lives and such. This has been the most mixed emotion-filled breaks ever, I would contend.

I won't go into too much of it from my side, that's for another day and another long update. I will, however, say that you should all keep the Beseler family in your thoughts and/or prayers for the next week or so. Erika and Aaron lost their father this week, and I can only imagine how difficult this must be for them. I'm thinking of you two, and your whole family.

I'll have more to update in just a couple of days, I'll be back in Fargo tomorrow. More soon...

December 22, 2005

Well, the end of the year is coming upon us, and I'm running out of time to add to the blog for 2005. It's been a long year. I probably say that every year, but it's been a long year- a truly long year. I'm glad that it's over in the respect that the long year will finally end, but I guess I dread 2006 since it's going to be another long year. Am I trying to actually say something here? I'm starting to think that I'm not. Ok, moving on...

It's been a busy last ten days or so. I had three nights in a row of gigs, which is something that I don't get to do too often. It started with a three-hour show at the Ho-Do with Jeff Mooridian. It was a pretty laid back and quiet show, where we played some jazz, some Christmas, and some blues tunes. Jeff is a great singer and guitar player, and it was a pleasure to work with him at the bar. His son came out and did some cool Jaco-esqe stuff on solo bass, then came up and sat in on some other stuff, which gave me a break. There was a hand percussionist named Randy where as well, and it was a challenge to play with a percussionist rather than a drummer, though Randy did a very fine job. Thursday night, we did the Doublewood jazz gig. The weather didn't do much for us, as it was snowing and blowing and the roads were in pretty rough shape. Nonetheless, we played well and managed to record five or six songs as well. I think the group played better than ever, and I guess that can be attributed to the fact that Russ and Tim have both been practicing like crazy. Friday night, we did the graduation party for four girls at NDSU. It was an interesting time to put it lightly. The night started out a little rough with the crowd not really getting into it. The third and fourth sets were real good, with plenty of sauced up people on the floor. Following the show, the drunk people put on a good show for us. There were two fights outside of the gig, and we got to help three drunk people get unstuck in the snow. A picture will follow shortly of a few people we helped out who got stuck in a way that I can't even describe in words on this site. Wait for the picture, it's priceless.

Saturday night, we went to the wedding of Joel Thompson and Erika Beseler. It was the last wedding of the year (thankfully, there's been too many of them!) and it was a nice wedding. I was delighted to see a picture of Joel at Jass in the Zoro cape which appeared on the Powerpoint presentation before the wedding started, and it gave us Jassers some good laughs. The ceremony was nice, and Jenny and Tim both played in the ceremony. Joel's dad did a really nice job with the homily, and it was just a nice ceremony overall. We went to the reception for a little bit, ate, visited, then left as the dance started. We went to Tim and Ruth's, had a few beers, then headed out the Ho-Do for the after-party. It was a nice time there, as well. Later that night, I discovered Eric Solberg in the upstairs lounge, as his gig with Lorrie Line had brought him to town. A few of us along with Eric made the trek to my house where we continued to drink until I went to bed. Sunday morning was far from nice, with my whiskey and beer hangover that I completely deserved. It made church interesting. After that, I met up with Rick for breakfast as we always do when he's in town, then I came home and laid around- the only remedy for a hangover of that calliber.

Last night, I played in a brass quartet for the Oak Grove Lutheran School Christmas show. I tell you what, I had a wonderful time playing, but had an even better time enjoying the two shows. The choirs were great and the band played well, but my heart almost stopped for the Madrigal Singers, which put on a performance that I almost couldn't believe. They sang very, very well, and their demeanor and energy created within the ensemble almost took my breath away. I can't say enough about them. They kept the crowd in their grasp for their entire chamber section of the show, and I was taken away, nearly into tears, the first time I heard them. An incredible amount of credit must be given to Paul Barta for his work with the group, and of course much credit must also be given to those kids. They're in high school! Congratulations to Oak Grove on a stunning show that I will most certainly never forget.

Following the show, Brian Berg, Brian Tucker, and Paul Barta came out to the Ho-Do for a post-show drink. (Paul had a Diet Coke, but we can call it a drink) Ty Andrews was there playing with Flatlands, and that was nice to watch. Al showed up later and we shared a drink and some conversation, then I got home.

Today, I need to get a shower, go cash a work check, shop for Christmas, eat with Dano, have a drink with Robin, then get home and pack and be in bed no later than 11:30 so I can roll out of bed at 5:45 and get on the road to be in Bismarck by 8:30. I take off for Denver for Christmas tomorrow. I hope to get some update time out there, but we'll see. If I don't get that time, I want to wish you all a Happy Holidays and a Merry Christmas. Be safe, and we'll see you soon...

December 11, 2005

Erin Ott says that I like men. I do indeed like some men, but not in that way. Or, do I? Good Lord, I've said too much.

It's been a long time since my last update, and I admit that I've been slacking. I made a promise to update more often, and I have most certainly not kept up my end of the bargain. I admit it, and I'll try to get on here and do more updating as Christmas nears.

A lot has been happening, but nothing that really requires a huge entry. I've been playing a good handful of gigs, which has been nice, and I'm hanging in there when it comes to living life. I find myself tired and worn out, but I guess that's not all that different from any other time I've ever talked on the site. Work has been going well for the most part, and the gigs with Tripp 40 are going fine. I'm looking forward to another month and half of playing with them before I depart their band and set off for a hopeful long tenure with the new and revitalized Patents Pending, which is showing some great signs of things to come, perhaps as early as February. I've been talking with and dealing with Gary Bitzer, the man who runs the music scene in the town, and things look bright and hopeful as we prepare for more gigs in the near future. Keep tuned in for more on that.

My personal life is pretty much the normal. No girlfriend, though I'm sure you didn't have to ask. I guess having the time to even really think about it has been limited, though I admit that I think about crap like that all of the time. I'm getting old, damn it! The new semester is coming up, and after a lot of thought, I'm pretty sure I won't be coming back to school this year at all, except for maybe playing in the jazz band since a bunch of people want me to come back. I do want to come back and play one more time around, and after that, I think I'm done with music at NDSU altogether. The Concert Band did auditions before the semester ended, and I didn't know about it, so I didn't get a chance to audition, which for about thirteen seconds, pissed me off. Congratulations to Pat Thiel, though, he assumes the throne as section leader of the new and young bone section. I wish I would've known about the auditions, but the more I think about it, I don't think Dr. O really wanted me back in there, anyhow. It's just the feeling that I get.

Things at the house are alright. We pretty much take things from day to day. I've cut down a little bit on my partying, I guess. I took a minute to realize that I had been drinking a lot more than I had been a year ago, and I took note, sort of. I'm trying to not to go out or drink at home on consecutive days anymore. I did it for about six weeks straight, and it was costing me a lot of money and sleep, so call this a responsible moment in life.

A few more jazz gigs have come up as of late, and that's really exciting to me. I so seldom get to play jazz anymore, I'd guess that 85% of my current gigs are on rock bass. The jazz gigs I have this month are on bass, but I'm still excited about it. In January, I'll get some more horn time with JAG and a couple other gigs, so that'll be nice. Keep your eyes on the event page, you'll know where me and my friends are playing, I'll keep that updated.

Let's see, notable stuff. I went to Jess and Raylene's recital last week. It was really good, and I enjoyed both of their works. I admit that I don't get too excited about clarinet recitals, but it was a good show, and I'm glad I had the time to go. The jazz band and lab band also played a show last week, and the energy in both bands is high, so that was nice. Wittkop came out of the gates with some great solos, as did Brandon Aune in the lab band. Matt Patnode knows how to bring out the best in those cats. For the record: if Dan Carlson dances during the show anymore, I'll kick him in the face. Actually, I can't handle his dancing, it's his little shaker-thing he does that kills me. If you don't understand, talk to me of Jesse Braunagel, we're on a crusade to eliminate these unattractive people.

Guard has been alright, too. Our rock band, Blues in Green, went out a handful of days ago and did a two night weekend stand in Wishik and Edgeley. The shows went well, and we got some really positive feedback from our performances. Also, we got our first huge fan, an eight-year old cutie names Rebecca in Edgeley. She danced all night, and when she came up to me and asked for autographs and thanked us for playing, it damn near melted me into a puddle. I love kids. Anyhow, to Becca out in Edgeley, we won't forget you!

Just a note to some of you (and you know who you are), I miss seeing a lot of you out there. We're all busy and I know that all of you, as well as I, have too much on our plates. I haven't forgotten about any of you, I swear.

Otherwise, life goes on. I still don't feel incredibly happy around here, but I suspect that I never will, and leaving here is still on the horizon. It certainly seems to be a more attractive idea as each issue comes flying at me. I'm not saying that the people have been unfair to me. I think life and fate are unfair, but what can you do about it? Apparently, all you can do is wonder, question, and if you're lucky, accept and understand it. Hard, ain't it? I know. Pass me another beer.

More soon...I promise.

November 21, 2005

More of the same, I guess, the usual for me. Just working, playing, and surviving the best I can, but than again, how is that really all that different from everyone else in the world. Things have been pretty much the usual, just another set of weeks doing the same thing day in and day out, not much changing. I still feel a bit in the dark these days, but I'm digging in and doing the usual- things feel as if they are getting into a routine, and I guess I can work with that.

Had a busy weekend. On Friday and Saturday, I was a faculty member of the Jazz Arts Group Jazzerama Festival, which gave young jazz musicians around town a two-day helping of jazz theory, education, and performance. I felt a bit out of my league working with the other faculty members, but it was really cool to be a part of it. Tom Strait, Simon Rowe, and Matt Patnode rounded out the lineup of big players, along with Simon's bass player Toby Curtright and Jim Knudson on drums. I had a good time jamming out in the faculty recitals, though I did learn a few good lessons myself- be ready for anything, and be ready to do it without any music. I survived. I take that as a good sign.

I also had Guard all weekend. Satuday featured some rehearsals, then a performance with Blues in Green at the Legion that night. We played in honor of Steve Frasse as he prepares to deploy overseas within weeks. We'll miss you Steve, come home to us safe. BIG played downstairs, and we had a good time overall. Eddie came out to sat in a whole set. Tintes, Jenny, and Derek also came out to see us play, which was really, really nice and strikingly touching in a way for me. It was somewhat of a bright light to see them out- friends I hadn't seen in a while out for a show, and that really did brighten up the night for me, thanks guys. Kacie played great drums, and the rest of the cats in the band did a good job for no rehearsal, which is a norm in that Guard Band chamber group. We hope to get a gig or two in Germany, we have the music for it, we'll see how that all works out.

Sunday Guard was a lot of rehearal, which somehow managed to drag on and on and on. I was so tired by the end of the day. I came home, watched football, slept after the game in my chair, woke up, went back to sleep in my bed, woke up at midnight, ate "dinner", then went back to sleep. Work today was boring and uneventful, but that's fine with me. I'm looking forward to getting home in a few days for Thanksgiving, it'll just be nice to relax for a day or two before thundering back down here for shows at Chumley's. Come out and see Tripp 40 play if you're around (and if you're 21). I'd like to see some more friends out on the town.

My Fantasy Team kicked ass on Sunday. Hey, I have to be excited about something in my life, and there it is! I'm not on top in the league, but I'm doing good, and I could see the playoffs, cross your fingers.

I can't believe that the year is nearly over. It went by quickly. It was a fun, strange, confusing, enjoyable at times, anger-riddled, frustration-filled, exciting, unique year overall. I look forward at looking back on it in a month...

More to come, I must go and grab some food...

November 6, 2005

I'm sorry for not updating for three weeks, things have been simply put, crazy and out of control is so many ways. I can't really even begin to think so much about what has been going on since I don't really want to re-hash it all in many cases. I'll do that in an upcoming For What It's Worth, but not here. I want to keep things running at a fairly positive note. Therefor, I'll keep to just the last week or so.

Well, since I last wrote in here, I've become a member of Tripp 40, a rock n' roll variety band out of Wahpeton. I know everyone in the band already, and transitioning into the band was not a problem, as I played with them a few times this summer in a sub spot. We've played a couple of shows together now. I'm the new bass player. They're old bass player is actually a guitar player by trade, and moved to the rhythm guitar spot for the time being. I'm enjoying some of it, though I have a long ways to go before I can say I know all of these songs down to the tee. They're pretty understanding, though. Ryan Sather is one of the major reasons I chose to jump into the waters with the band, as he's one of the musicians in the group that I do respect the most as a guitar player. It's always fun to step on stage with him.

Yesterday, we had a Jazz Arts show, which was quite enjoyable. Our guest artist was a vocalist named Stephanie Nakasian, and she was enjoyable to play with. I had the chance to do some soloing on her charts, including a feature with her, which was really, really fun. I felt really good about how I played, and that was nice, something I hadn't felt for a while as far as anything that I had played whether it was piano, bass, or trombone. Following the show, Dan Johnson and I went to the Ho-Do for some food and a drink, then left. I made my way over to my normal watering hole (Lauerman's) where there were quite a few of my friends hanging out in celebration of Steph Plante's 21st. It was fun, though I sort of had a rough night by the end. After a half dozen beers, I sort of sent myself down a quagmire of emotion fallout, and thankfully, Annika and Al were there to keep me in check. I made it through the night with their help, and that was really good. Thanks, cats.

Today, I had church, then had lunch with Joel and Erika. Following that, I went home, and I've been here watching football and updating the site, both good Sunday afternoon activities. My fantasy team, which has rocketed to the 2nd place slot over the last three weeks, is currently losing, which is a source of annoyance to me, which is adding to a somewhat frustrating and tough day. They'll turn it around. Half of my players are playing against the 49ers and the Saints. I shouldn't worry. Anyhow, later tonight, I'm going to Eddie and Jennifer's for some food, a beer, and some work on the upcoming tunes that the newly overhauled Patents Pending is going to be learning. We were hoping to test run a lot of those tunes at a December wedding, but that gig cancelled this weekend (not the wedding, no need for concern there) in favor of a DJ. So, I guess our test run will be sometime later in December somewhere. I'm going to scramble to find a chance for us to play as the full 7-piece before the end of the year, we have to do it. This is the test of the new PP plan, and if this doesn't work out, I'm not sure how we can make things go on. But, I remain optmistic. We have the talent, we have the musical ability, and we have the drive. Now, we just need to find gigs and not lose anymore of them that we already have.

This week will be the normal work week for me. I plan on hanging out on Friday, then going to Dickinson on Saturday to play with Tripp 40. I imagine we'll get back in the morning on Sunday. It might be a long weekend, but that's fine, I look forward to the chance to do some more playing.

Anyhow, that's about it for now, hopefully I can get back to updating this site more often. Don't quit visiting, I promose that our lack of work was a temporary lapse. More soon...

October 16, 2005

Just sitting here, it's the evening on Sunday, and I just got done watching a lot of sports today, mainly football and baseball. I'm sure Jessy is excited since his Cardinals are down 3-1 in the NLCS. I know Tim will be thrilled. Mainly, I was watching football, though, where I watched my Broncos take a great lead, then damn near blow it against the Patriots. Much to my satisfatcion (and relief), they hung on while the Patriots made a drive back to nearly even the score. On the other side of football, my fantasy team didn't really do all that well, and while I hold a 30 point lead at this point over my opponent, he does still have two players to play, and they're both high-powered running backs, so I'm not sure how things will pan out. Go me.

Last night was pretty fun, I went out and met with Matt and we had dinner with some of his family over at Famous Dave's. After that, we stopped downtown at Lauerman's for a few beers. Russ stopped in, as did Brad Baltrusch and Aaron Chapman. Keira Oscarson also met up with us, and after a few there, the three of us went down to Monty's where we drank a lot of wine. Tim also joined up with us there, and it was a good time. Following that, we made a quick trek to my house, had a few more drinks and a pizza, and called it a night. Matt drank just a little too much and passed out on the couch, and I had to work hard to wake him up for his cab ride home. After talking to him today, he apparently passed back out in the cab. Poor guy.

Today, I got up and went to church and played, then came home. From there, I just sat around and watched a lot of TV, about five hours worth, actually. And now, here I am. This week will be a lot of work, then into the weekend, it's the Homecoming gig we have on Satuday and the Katrina show on Sunday. Good times. Rick will be in town, too. I'm looking forward to all of that.

Well, there you have it, my exciting weekend. I'm going to make some dinner, maybe stop by Beseler's if I get the energy to do it, the go to sleep to get to work by 7 tomorrow morning. More soon...

October 15, 2005

Ah, yes, a day that I have nothing to do. A day off. What the hell are those? Well, at any rate, I'm happy to have a day with no agenda of any sort, and I plan on enjoying it.

I made it though the two days of work since I got back from the Cities, then I started my weekend last night. First thing I did was go buy some wine. I hadn't bought any in a long time, so I got myself a couple of bottles (a white and a red). Then, I came home and hung out with my roommates for a little bit before getting a shower and going over to pick up Haley. We went out to the Speak Easy and had a nice dinner and just enjoyed some good honest conversation about a variety of topics. It was really refreshing. I used to be able to have those types of conversations with a lot of different people, but time passes by, and you know how it works. Anyhow, it was really nice and the atmosphere was cool, and the moments were just...well, refreshing. I know I already said that, but that's what it was. After dinner, I gave Haley a tour of the house before I took her home.

I got back home and had some drinks. It was early, so I figured, why not? The roommates were all here, along with girlfriends. Beseler stopped by with Tanya. Joel stopped by with an intoxicated Erika. Tim stopped by. It was a fun night. Ended with Jessy and I eating pizza. Everyone knows what that means.

Tonight should be fun. I don't have any plans, but a bunch of folks called me this week to go out tonight, so I think it might be a big old night on the town for me. I'm looking forward to that. I actually heard from a lot of people that I don't get to hang out with very often, so I'm pretty amped up about all of that. If you want to go out this evening, you should let me know. Just call, it's going to be a party on Broadway...or something.

I'm starting to get really excited about the show next Saturday. The success of the Get Lei'd Show in 2004 was notable to us, and we hope to match that once again. I already have most of the props of the show, and the band is hired. The venue is secured. All we need is the bodies to show up. Let's make it happen, folks. Come out, unwind, and dance. You'll thank me later.

I don't know if I'll get to update tomorrow or not, but if I don't, HAPPY 21ST BIRTHDAY, EMMA AAVANG.

Well, not a whole lot more to think of at this point. I'm feeling very...I don't know, lost to a point, but not falling, you know what I mean? I'm not losing my mind over not understanding how things are. You know what, none of that made sense, did it? I'm just slipping by in a strange mood and daze right now, but I for some reason don't feel concern, but I don't feel any closure, either. Perhaps this is one moment of strange balance. It won't last forever, I'm sure, so I should be satisfied for the time being. I should enjoy this zen with a delicious sandwich. Simple pleasures, I need to enjoy them. More soon...

October 12, 2005

Not much going on tonight as I type this, I just watched the ALCS game between the Angels and the White Sox, and if you didn't see the way this thing ended, you need to tune in to the highlites, it was humorous at best. I won't go into it, but let's just say that AJ Pierzynski deserves an Oscar for his performance this lovely evening.

I went out to the Cities yesterday with Russ, Al, Annika, Tim, and Eddie, and we took in a great show downtown at the Fine Line as Soulive took the stage. I was absolutely intrgued by what I saw and heard from that band. I've always loved to hear them on recordings, but seeing this in person was the closest thing to a religious experiance that I can speak of. The band played hard aggressive songs back to back to back throughout the hour and a half show. I was mesmerized by them. If you haven't listened to any Soulive ever, you need to do that. Beleive me, you'll love it.

The Get Lei'd Show is now booked, and we're ready to do it next weekend. I'm amped about the whole thing, and I'm looking forward to doing it once again. It seems a little strange to doing the show even though I'm not in the marching band this year, but some things do have to go on, and that show is one of them. The Get Lei'd Parties of the past, from the ones that Sara Dau hosted to my three years of doing the duty have been fun times and have become important social staples in the band, and this show is my attempt to continue that. We can't let anyone take that last shard of fun away. So, that's my contribution. Be there, and have fun. I know we will.

I work a couple more days this week, then I have the whole weekend off, which I'm most certainly looking forward to. Not sure if there are any plans or whatnot, but I'm looking for stuff to do. Call me or something. Let's paint the town or whatever.

Not much else to talk of, so I'll get off of here for now. I hope to update more tomorrow...

October 7, 2005

I'm not sure why I'm posting right now, but I thought it might be fun to do so at this time. It's about 12:30, and we just got home from Lauerman's, which was actually really, really fun. Tim, Jessy, Tim Stine, and Eddie all showed up and we enjoyed many a-tap beers. I kind of think this is what I needed tonight, do just let loose for a while, and that was kind of theraputic, I guess. No, no, no, it's not Christopher engaging in irresponsible behaivior on a regular basis, I just wanted to have a good time. And, I did. I should stop typing now. More soon...

October 6, 2005

Pertaining to the October 4th entry, I just want everyone to know that I'm fine and that I'm not going crazy or drinking myself into a coma or anything like that. I had a great conversation last night with a good friend, and that did help quite a bit. Having a real live person with me to talk with is a big plus, and I just want everyone to know that I'm just fine, and life is going on as it normally does. I also had a good phone talk with another friend, and that was pleasent and appreciated very much. I do get emotional from time to time and when my mind wanders away on me, that's just how it works. I'm in a period in my life right now where a lot of things just aren't coming together the way I had hoped, but that's life. You're dealt a hand of cards, and you play them however you can. Bluff, pass, fold, whatever. I'm just facing a lot of things right now where I know that I'm not demanding any reasons, any excuses, or any apologies. I'm simply asking for a little understanding, and it's been really hard to figure out.

For those of you who have been coming to the site for the past few years, you know that I wear my emotions on my sleeve, that is, if you consider this site my shirt. It's my vent, and it's my way to let some things go or whatnot. So, if you're worried about me or concerned, please don't be, I'm just being the complicated person that I am, and for those of you who know me incredibly well, you more than likely do indeed understand.

Not much is new over the last few days. A lot of work. I had a Guard gig tonight, and it was pretty fun overall. We got three free drinks for doing it in additon to getting paid. Also got free dinner. It was a banquet at the Ramada. Always good food there. Tonight, I plan on going out with the boys here at the house to Lauerman's, where apparently it's Fifty Cent Tap Night. How can anyone turn that down? You can't. Go there. Beer is good for the soul. Actually, I can't really back that up.

Tomorrow, I have to work from noon to six, then back home here. Not sure what's going on tomorrow night, but I think I plan on going out with some friends and just trying to relax and ease my mind for once. Hanging out with my friends over a drink and good conversation can be a lifesaver. Saturday, I head up to Jesse's hometown to play a street dance, though I think it's been moved indoors since it snowed there yesterday. Speaking of snow, did you see the first snowflakes of the fall? They came down this morning. I was sad. Afterall, it's the first week of October, it's too early for this.

Well, not much else to talk of. I'm going to go get out of my Class A uniform now, then open a beer and watch some of the baseball game before heading out to the bar. Have a good night...

October 4, 2005

My mind is wandering, and that's never a good thing. Two thoughts run astray in my head.

How can it be that the people that you think have the best grasp on what's going on could possibly be the most clueless?

Oh, and whoever said that consequences for your actions, whether noble, honest, harmless, logical, or none of these at all, can be reflected in the the event of the past declaring war on your fate in the future is probably completely correct. Dead on, as a matter of fact.

Neither of these thoughts are storming on me. It's a light drizzle, but it won't stop. It's just me thinking much too hard about life. Everything, as a matter of fact. Not just one or two present situations. Life in general. They're just thoughts. My mind is my biggest enemy from time to time. To combat it, here comes another beer.

It doesn't have to be this way. It just is...for now.

October 3, 2005

Back again after a busy weekend, things have been an array of colors the last few days. A lot has happened since Friday and such, and with the weekend over, I'm right back into a week of work, which is always exciting and fun...or something.

Friday, I wrapped up work, then came home and teamed up with Tim Smith to clean the house up. We need to do that more often, really, but the place was really nice and fresh when we were done. Following that, I went over to Beseler's and ate pizza, then went and picked Haley up for the jazz band show. The show was really good. Both the lab band and the jazz ensemble did a good job, and I was most impressed by the new trumpet section, which cranked like never before.

Following that, a few of us went back to the house where we enjoyed some drinks. It started off pretty laid back, but getting into the night, things got a little crazy along the way. We let Russ mix drinks, which was a bad idea. He created something that damn near killed us (by us, I mean Russ and I). It was a very strange night overall with some situations, but I'm not really going to get into that here on the site for now. All I can say is that I felt very strange, and when I feel like that, I sometimes overdo the drinking deal, and that's just what I did. Probably not a good idea, but it seemed like the only thing to do in that situation.

Saturday morning was not pleasent as I had to get up and go to Gaurd in the morning. The day was pretty easy, though we did play quite a bit that day. When I got done with Guard, I came home, met up with Eddie, and we went to the Bison game. I had a really good time there. It was a good game, and I had a nice time visiting with the band. Dano and someone else pulled the Hanson Short on me, which I found to be amusing and even flattering to a point. After the game, Eddie and I came back to the house, ate a sandwich, then went to Pete's to meet with Jennifer and some of the Guard people. Avalanche was playing, and they sounded great, but I was kind of tired and didn't feel like loud music, so we left shortly after and met Rick over at Lauerman's for a beer. After some spirited political conversation, we came back to the house and watched a movie. I finally made it to bed much too late.

Sunday's Guard day took me to the dreaded Grand Forks area, where Blues and Green played a show for the first Sioux hockey game. The gig was fun overall. The REA is a nice place, too, worth the $100 million Ralph spent on it. I didn't care much for being on the UND campus, but it was a gig, and what can you do? I got home late around 9:00, did some laundry, then came home and went to bed. And, that was my weekend.

Not much going on this week as far as I know. I work, I teach lessons, and on Saturday, I have a Guard gig with Blues and Green for a street dance north of Jamestown. Should be fun. More to come this week...

September 29, 2005

Not much new as of late, thanks to everyone who has been coming to the site the last few days. I realize now that if I update more than once a week, more people will tune in. Novel idea. Anyhow, not really a lot has been going on. My back has been worked on twice this week with a pair of trips into the chiropracters office, which has worked alright, though my back still hurts. This pisses me off a little bit, I want it to feel better one of these days, but he says that it will take a little bit of time and little bit more adjustment. I have Guard this weekend and was supposed to take a PT test, but that's out of the question at this point. The doctor gave me an excusal from it, though I would actually like to take it. No big deal, I hope to take it on my own in about three weeks.

Otherwise, I've just been working and whatever I do after work. My lessons have been going well and my students are all doing well one month into things once again. I'm happy about that. I've had some time to hang out with friends as of late again, which is good. This week I've been able to see Eddie and Russ quite a bit. Also hung out with Tanya and Beseler for Monday Night Football. I've enjoyed some beers (which always helps me take my mind off of my back for a while...) and things have been good. Tomorrow night I'll take in the jazz band concert, which should be new and interesting since I've played in it for so long. The last time I heard this band play when I wasn't in it was December of 1999. Strange.

Well, not much else to speak of. More this weekend, I hope...

September 24, 2005

The Bison have lost the football game, and I am sad. What's that I hear...taps being sounded off in the background? With a heavy heart, I now take my leave to take a nap from this exhausting loss. Then, I shall calm myself with a trip to the bar alone since there's no one around here to hang out with. Sad. Very sad. These are the words of a sad Bison fan.

September 23, 2005

Just sitting around on a Friday evening updating the site before I head out to Monty's to see Tim play. It'll be a cold one out there, but his music is good, and that should keep me warm enough or something. Annika will join me out there, too. I'm hoping to find Rick Gion while I'm downtown, I think he's in town again this weekend.

So, I'm sitting here listening to Poison on Tim's computer. No kidding. And, I've been listening to it for about fifteen minutes. Every Rose Has It's Thorn is on right now. I already listened to hits to include Talk Dirty to Me and Nothing But a Good Time. I'm not sure why I'm mentioning this. I'm either really embarassed or just really honest...or both.

You know what's always nice- to be surprised by an e-mail from an old friend that you care about and miss. Don't you love those? I do.

Well, it's been another week of work, and now it's my weekend off. Of course, everyone is out of town. The marching band is taking off in minutes for Montana, and I have to admit for the first time this fall, I wish I was with them. Away games are always fun, and that game ahould be a really good one. I'll be watching it on TV here tomorrow afternoon. Aside from the band, Eddie and Jennifer took off for the Cities today, and Beseler is going there tomorrow. Everyone bailed out of town for the weekend, and here I am. At least Jessy and the boys are all here. Rick is in town, too. I'll make do.

Tim Smith went out last night and got all sorts of torn up. He proclaimed today that he would never drink again. But, who in the world would ever believe that? That's what I thought.

Fallen Angel is on now. I used to love this song...in seventh grade.

Not much else to speak of. I have Guard again next weekend, and then again the following weekend. My back is still hurting, and reluctantly, I plan on going to a doctor on Monday or Tuesday to get it looked at. I hate doctors and hospitals and all of that jazz. But, if it keeps hurting, I need find out what the hell is wrong with me and get it fixed. I also hate all of this because I don't really have the money to be doing it, but each morning when I wake up and have to crawl out of bed, I think it's a better idea.

Thanks to all of you who have stuck with checking out the site from time to time, I saw in our stats that we spiked earlier this week with over 300 hits two days in a row. Keep checking back, and do send us suggestions on what you want to see. You'd be surprised how much of those e-mails we listen to. Sign the guestbook and let us know you stopped in, too. After over four years of running this site, I can honestly say this is one my favorite things to do. Sharing it with you is part of it, and being able to look back at pictures, thoughts, and sections is cool when looking at it as an archive of my time here in Fargo. Through all of the changes, one thing has remained true all of time- this is my way to sharing my thoughts with you in it's most brutal honest form. It's also been a way to keep people in the loop, educate in a few cases, and humor you when possible. A big thank you to all of you and stuff.

Well, I seem to be getting more and more touchy-feely on this section as the minutes go by, so I'll get off of here for now. More later this weekend...

September 18, 2005

I'm fresh back from a weekend of National Guard, which took me to Valley City for a couple of days. The weekend overall was alright. We played a lot on Saturday. I played with the concert band (trombone), the Dixieland band (piano), the brass quintet (trombone), and the jazz ensemble (bass). I'm glad they can take advantage of all my instruments. Anyhow, it wasn't a bad weekend, really, we played and we made the folks with the 164th Association happy once again.

Not a lot has been going on as of late. Last week, I spent the week basically working and whatnot. I did something to my lower back on Wednesday, and it's been hurting since. It's getting better now, but it still hurts, especially when I sit around too long of if I lie down. The muscles tighen up and it's tough to move after that happens. For now, I'll stay with my Icy Hot patches and my extra-strength pain relivers.

I had a nice visit with Rick on Thursday night. He was in town for the weekend with Steve Joyce's wedding, which I had to miss, which was a bummer. Steve's a cool guy, and though I don't know his fiance too well, she seemed like a great person as well. I'm sure things went really well. I also had to miss out on Jennifer Schiff's wedding in Rugby, which I was originally supposed to perform at. Patents was going to go up and play the dance, but with Guard that took me out of the mix. Tim Stine was in Steve's wedding, too, while Eddie was in Washington for a wedding, also. So, it was a big wedding weekend. I had a lot of stuff I could've been going this weekend, though. The Jazz Arts Group played, but Jesse and I had to get subs for that, too. There was a home game for the Bison, but from what I saw on the TV, I didn't miss much in the shut-out win by the Bison. Anyhow, congratulations to everyone who got married (since that was apparently a popular wedding weekend). Most of all, Jenn, I wish I could've been up north for the party.

This week is just a basic week with work. I have the weekend off, which is nice. Rick will be in town again, I think, so I can hang out with him for a while, which will be nice. We've been talking some pretty heavy politics as of late, and I want to get involved. Watch out, you might see me doing just that.

Well, more to come shortly, my back is starting to hurt from sitting in front of the computer. Enjoy all of the new pics and stuff, sorry it took me so damned long to get them up. More soon...

September 10, 2005

My apologies, I've truly been slacking quite a bit on the site, and it's been over ten days since I last worked or even really thought about updating the site. Well, there should be quite a bit of updating from myself and Beseler this weekend, hopefully. We talked last night about getting up to date, and I'm making my side of the deal a reality at this moment.

It's been over a week now since I left the Radisson and began my work at the Doublewood, and after five days of work, I can say that I really enjoy the new job and the new hours. Not having to do overnights anymore is a blessing, really. I'm still feeling the effects of the changeover, though. I'm still trying to get used to sleeping every night, and that's been a bit of a challenge as of late. I normally can't seem to get to sleep until one thirty at the earliest at this time, but it's getting better. The first couple of days, I didn't get to bed until later than two thirty, so things are on the upswing. The job at the hotel is really good for me, it keeps me busy and keeps me moving nearly the entire time I'm at work. That in turn makes the time go by much faster, which is the best. The management is great for the most part, and things aren't the way they were when I left over a year and a half ago. It's all good, really.

I've been enjoying the evenings off also with Eddie and some of my other friends who come by and hang out a lot now. Eddie has gotten into a new "hobby", playing a lot of Bond here at the house. I think he might be addicted much to his wife's probably displeasure. But, I guess it does get me and Eddie to hang out more often, and now that I live a lot closer to him, it all works out for the most part. Aside from that, I've had some time to do a little writting and more practicing, which are both big deals to me. I have to say that I feel better and I'm happier now, and those were two things I wanted to happen with the new job. Mission accomplished. Now, it's about making some money and doing some other stuff I want to do now that I'm not in school and working normal hours. I think my trip to Jacksonville has become much more of a possibility, now, probably in November now since a few gigs and ideas have come up for October. I have my trip to Denver in December to hang out with my aunt and sister for Christmas to look forward to as well. The whole family from my mom's side should be there. It's going to be great, really.

Not a whole lot else to speak of, I guess. Things have just felt good for the most part. I miss the jazz band and the brass quintet at NDSU immensly right now, but I'll be back in the spring, hopefully. I do not miss marching band or some of the other "elements" involved, though I do miss some of the people in the band as well as the friendships and good times we all had socially and whatnot. I also miss writting for them and such. To me, it's just a few of the small things that really ruined it for me. But, this isn't the time nor the place to really blab about it. I've gotten "in trouble" for that before, and I don't really want to start a war about it now. It's water under the bridge, I guess.

Anyhow, more to come soon, I'll try to start updating on a daily basis. With this new schedule, I should be able to. More soon...

September 1, 2005

Well, it appears that I have survived my final night of work at the Radisson Hotel- Fargo. Thankfully, I won't have to even think about working overnight anymore for a while. This place drives me nuts, and the thoughts about being done have driven me to a new level of anger whenever I walked into this place over the past couple of weeks. But, it doesn't really matter, it's all over now, and I can now take a few days off before starting my new (old) job back at the Doublewood Inn once again.

Didn't do much yesterday. I'm flat-ass broke, and it sucks since I do have four nights off in a row coming up. But, I'll figure something out. I plan on going to the football game today if possible, I think I have enough bread in my reserve to do that much. I might get myself a case of beer to last me for the coming days, and that's about it. I hope to get a jam session together this weekend, too, though I'm not sure how well that will work out since it's Labor Day weekend, and I can guess that a handful of people are heading home for the holiday. That just made me realize that I'll be starting work on a holiday, so it might be a bit of a slow day for me. That's fine, I don't mind.

Did I mention that I'm happy that I'm done at the Radisson? If I didn't, I just thought I would let you know that nothing makes me happier than being done at this hole.

I see that gas is now $3.00 a gallon. That really sucks, especially considering the car that I'm driving these days. Someone told me that the price was going to skyrocket, but I didn't believe them. Shows you what the hell I know, huh? I still remember seeing gas for $.49 five and a half years ago in Texas. Times have changed.

Nothing else to say. This is my last posting from my overnight job at the hotel. Goodbye auditing and late night and early morning posts. More soon...

August 31, 2005

Just sitting here at work- one more night to go after I'm done with work this morning, and I'm amped about it. I trained my manager in tonight on the audit, and I'm glad that she's taking over, I don't want to do this crap anymore. These late nights are killing me, and even though this is the best time for me to update the site like crazy, I know I can find some time during the day to do it from now on. Help me survive one more grand night of this place, please.

Didn't do a whole lot yesterday. When I got home from work, I found that I couldn't fall asleep, which sort of sucked. I watched a lot of TV instead all morning, including the VH1 deal about how Motley Crue got back together again, which was actually quite interesting to say the least. I finally fell asleep around noon and slept until four or so, then got up and came up the stairs to find Eddie sitting in my living room playing Bond. He's a junkie, now. Beware, Jennifer, your husband has become a slave to a Game Cube.

I taught a few lessons, then went to a JAG rehearsal. I came home after that and warmed up some leftovers, then watched TV and got ready for work. And, of course, here I am now. Not a whole lot else to really talk about, I guess. I did take a look at the jazz band roster while I was at JAG rehearsal, and that band does really look strange. I saw that Billy Fortier is playing bass bone, which was a bit of a surprise to me since he was the lead bone player at Jazz All State last year. I'll check into that before I come back to the band in the spring, he should be playing some tenor bone.

Anyhow, not much else to talk about now. More to come soon...

August 30, 2005

Another weekend has come and go. It wasn't such a bad one, either. I can't complain. Things started on Friday night with the dance at the music building at NDSU. Alterior Motiv did a really, really fine job, and I was impressed with the work done by Matt, Josh, Derek, Greg, and Elliott. Many props to those guys, it's hard music to do, and I only wish more people would've been there to see it. Speaking of that, I was really disappointed with the turnout for that show. By my estimation, we had about 40-50 people come out, which was much less than I was hoping for. Nonetheless, the band played pretty well, especially in the abscence of Tim Stine, our lead guitarist. Al Berg stepped up and took a shot at it, and I have to tell you, he was incredibly good for a guy who had never done it before. He learned a lot of riffs and was dead on when it came to most of the songs. He even sang a few. Great work to Al Berg on lead guitar for sure, we now have a quick answer for any other gigs that Tim can't make it to. Again, I sure wish more people would've been there to see it. After playing that show, I began to question whether to try to put a Get Leid Dance together again this year. I'll talk to the important folks about it sometime in the near future, but for now, the plan seems a bit more faded than it did a week ago. I wish more people, in particular the leadership and officers would've been there (thanks for stopping in, Matt Boeser), but we'll see what we can work together. Better promotion can be done later in the year with a listserv, so we'll see.

After the show, a handful of us met over at Lauerman's, and we had a nice night there. We had beers, played pinball and pool, and visited quite a bit. It was a relaxing way to end the night. Eddie and I ended the night with our traditional visit to the Fryin' Pan, which was nice, we don't get to do it a whole lot anymore.

Saturday, I did nothing for most of the day, which was welcomed- a Saturday without any plans. I did mow the lawn, though, we needed to do that after the rain last week. I met up with John and Jess along with Jessy and Erin before they went to the concert at the Civic, then headed to Chaus's for some poker and a few beers. After that, I met back up with those other four, then we went back to the house and hung out some more. It was a nice relaxing day that I was dying to have.

Sunday, I played church, then had breakfast with Eddie, Jennifer, and Kelby. Later that evening, Eddie rejoined me at the house, where a bunch of "Bonded", that meaning that we played Bond for quite some time on the old Game Cube. A few more people joined us later, and we played some poker, then called it a night.

So, the weekend was nice. Now, I'm working my third to last shift here at the Radisson. I'm happy to know that it's ending. Three nights in a row, then it's Thursday- the first Bison game of the season. Now, I'm really excited for that. It'll be the first Bison game I've seen from the stands since 2000. A handful of us plan on tailgating then going to the game. I'm curious to see the band, too, it'll also be strange watching them and not being out there playing or direction. But, those things have to pass, and that's what's happening right now.

Oh, and congratulations to Erin Ott and Frank Clemens for their new spots in the jazz ensemble, it was well deserved, you two.

More to come soon...

August 26, 2005

Patents Pending with Alterior Motiv
Tonight, 7:00-10:00
Outside, Main Entrance, Festival Concert Hall

Ok, with that out of the way, I'll post a brief note here on the site. Thursday was not the most exciting day ever (as I guessed in last nights posting). I slept. I got up, came over to work and grabbed my second to last paycheck, got home before the storm hit this afternoon, and watched a lot of TV. I even lowered myself to watching a DVD of Loaded Weapon, which despite being a really awful movie, I laughed a lot, anyhow. I was tired, afterall. Later on in the afternoon, Russ stopped by and grabbed a portion of his drums for a gig, then left. I made some dinner and watched more TV. Russ came back, dropped his stuff off, and left. I showered, and came to work. Sometime earlier in the day, I cut my hand on the screen door, and the thing wouldn't stop bleeding all day. That sort of sucked. I guess that was the hightlite of my day. Impressive, huh?

The weather looks to be nice for the show tonight, thankfully. It rained all damned day yesterday, so I was beginning to get a little worried about the fate of our outdoor show. But, it looks to be 77 and sunny today, with not a lot of chance of rain until late tonight. I hope a good amount of people come out for this show, it was kind of a pain in the ass to put together for all, but we got it set up. Hopefully more announcements go out today in rehearsals, and we see lots of people there. We'll see, you'll know if you go, or if you visit the site later in the weekend.

So, I'm sitting here waiting for the Fantasy Football Draft to complete. Pretty sad, huh? That's some exciting stuff to me. Beseler and I are in the league again. I plan on actually winning this time. Last year, I had nearly the most accumulated points out of the league, but I was second to last in the standings. Pretty sick, pretty sad, but that will all change, and I will win this year...or something. I'm pathetic.

Not much else to talk about at this time, I'm looking forward to the weekend, a few days off. I don't work tonight, Saturday, or Sunday. Get a hold of me if you want to go out or hang out or something...

August 25, 2005

Amazing, I see that Beseler has updated once again. That's nice to see for once. Just kidding, man, had to give you a little bit of crap for that. Anyhow, just sitting here at work, it's nearly 4:00am now. This job is slowly killing my brain cells. I'm so glad that I'm done in less than a week and a half. I got a call from the Doublewood today, and they offered me full-time daytime hours, which is exactly what I needed to see. I start on the 4th of September, I believe, and it'll take little or no time to get trained back in again. I'm sure not much has changed, and I look forward to being back with the old team again.

I got a bit of a rude awaking yesterday morning after work when I went outside to find that my car would not start. I walked over to the Firestone place right next to my workplace, and they came and towed the car into the shop. They replaced the started, which set me back quite a few bones, which really sucks. That was basically my rent money, so I'm going to have to kiss some ass to get a week floater loan until I get paid again here at work. Thankfully I'll be making a descent amount more of money over at the Doublewood, and in good time, I'll be able to save up a good stash of cash, hopefully.

Not a whole lot more to talk about, I guess. I got home from the car repair project around noon, watched some TV, slept for a while, made dinner, and slept a little more before heading out to work to get here. I don't suspect my Thursday will be a whole lot more exciting than just that. I'm looking forward to Friday night, it's another chance to play with the rock band, and that's always something enjoyable to do. More to come in a few...

August 24, 2005

Back again after a handful of days, and much has happened, mainly Tim and Ruth's wedding. The weekend was busy and fun. Friday, we did the rehearsal out at Yonker Farm, then went out to JoAnn and John Miller's place for beers and dinner. DJ and John cooked up one hell of a dinner on the grill, and a good time was had by all on the eve of the wedding.

Saturday, I ran my ass off all over town all day. I started by finishing up an arrangement for the brass quintet. It was the recessional that Tim called me and asked me to write the day before. They asked for When I'm 64, so I ran out and bought the album, listened to it a dozen times, then tossed out the best arrangement I could in the limited amount of time I had. Then, I went down to the Legion to set up the band for the dance that night. Following that, I cruised out to Yonker Farm and set up the sound system for the outdoor wedding, then got dressed quickly in my tux and met up with the whole wedding party for pictures. An hour later, I met with the brass quintet and took a listen to the recessional, which sounded pretty good if I do say so myself.

The wedding went off under perfect weather, and I was happy to he a groomsman in the celebration. I stood with many of Tim's best buddies from high school to include Lance, Jason, and Steve. Tim's brother was there, also, Scott. Things went well and quickly. We had a light dinner following, then I was off to the Legion to change costumes and get ready for the dance. People filed in around 9:15, and we played a really good show that night. Steve came up and gave a speech and toast to Colden, who would've been in the wedding if he had not tragically passed away earlier in the year.

After the dance, a handful of us went to close the night out at Monty's, which was nice. I went home after that, ate some pizza, and went to sleep after a long, long night. It had been a good day. The next morning, I got up for church, then met with Rick for lunch. Al and I sat at the Legion for almost two hours waiting to get in and tear down. However, no one had arranged for anyone to come in and unlock the doors, so it was sort of a waste. With that accepted, I went home and prepared for dinner. Al, Annika, Russ, Eddie, and Jennifer came over and we cooked out a feast. Jessy joined us as well. Later on, we had a nice poker game, which finished out the night.

Monday morning, Al, Tim, and I met up and tore down the bandstand. I spent the rest of the day relaxing at home. Eddie came over and we hung out most of the day. We didn't do a whole lot, just ate, played video games, and watched movies. After Eddie left that night, I relaxed on the couch and watched some TV. I eventually fell asleep in my chair, and John woke me up when he got home from work. I then went to sleep downstairs.

This is my next to last week here at the Radisson, and I'm thrilled to get out of here. My auditing days are nearly over, thank goodness. I'll be talking to the Doublewood this week about going back there, and I think that's pretty much sealed. I just need to find out what departments I'll be working in. I'm looking forward to going back, honestly.

Anyhow, I'm sure I bored the hell out of you with all of that, so I'll sign off for the time being. More to come shortly...

August 18, 2005

It's now Thursday, one day from the weekend of Tim and Ruth's wedding, and I'm getting pretty excited about it. It'll be a great time. Sather and I practiced last night for the dance, he's going to play well in place of Tim, and I'm really looking foward to the chance to work with him again.

On Tuesday, I played with the 188th Army Band Jazz Combo downtown. It went pretty well overall. We need a chance to get together and play a little more understand each other's style, but if we get more gigs, I can guarantee that we'll be working at it. Later on in the evening, I got together with Jennifer and Eddie for a couple of beers, then with Tim after that where we talked and shared some last thoughts about the wedding weekend.

Yesterday, I decided it was time to look at getting out of working here at the Radisson. This place makes me nervous, and the management just seems so screwed up. In my year and a half here, I've had five front desk managers and four general managers. What in the world is happening around this place? Also, the new front office manager is not the most impressive soul I've ever worked with, and I've pretty much had enough. Apparently, we're getting these new goofy uniforms, and I'm just tired of things here. In that time I've worked here, I've had no reviews and no raises. Time to book. I'm going to check with the Doublewood about coming back. All the reasons I left there have now disappeared, so I think it might be a good time to look at going back.

Anyhow, that's about all I know for now. More to come soon...

August 16, 2005

Again, I haven't updated this section of the site in over a week, and I'm sorry for that. Things have been crazy, and show no signs of slowing this week. One more wedding is right up the alley- Tim Stine and Ruth Meberg's celebration. Then, after that, I can relax and do have some time to myself.

I've decided to take a whole semester and not have anything to do with NDSU. It's nothing against the college or anything against the music department, it's just that I don't know what in the hell I want to do anymore. I know I want to keep playing my horn and bass. I know I want to keep arranging and composing stuff. I know I want to be a musician. But, at this point, I don't know if I want to go to school for it anymore. Last spring was a really hard time for me musically, and dealing with some of what I saw was a little difficult. Certain things seemed so juvenille to me, as far as management goes, and I did feel the shame of not being selected as a drum major. I know those things seem so small in the long run, but to me, dealing with failure, especially in front of my peers and my professors, is something I don't take well. When these things happen, no matter how small they might be, they really take a good bite out of the feeling that I have accomplished much in this town as a top-call jazz trombone player and a respected musician in the community. These things make me question the decisions that have been made for me by what I consider my superiors and my peers, those who I wish to look up to me in some way as a good example as a musician.

I think Eddie and Rick put it best, though, when they told me that the best thing that could've happened to me was to not be selected as a drum major of the Gold Star Band. No matter whether it was the students, the faculty, or politics that determined my fate (which I do admit, all of those possibilities still haunt me in so many ways), they do believe that not being a part of that organization is the best thing for me. I guess I can agree to a point, the freed up time will be valuable. I plan on taking the fall and part of the winter to regroup. I want to stop working overnights and start working regular hours. I want to get back into a normal sleep schedule. I want to catch up on finances. I want to basically get myself back into wack again, which is what I really need more than anything. This is the best way. I hope to rejoin school in the spring. I may come back with a new mission and new major. However, I do plan on playing again a little bit at school. I will continue my professional endeavors on the outside, and I will not stop practicing or working on music, because in the big picture, that's all that matters to me anyhow.

Anyhow, enough of that deep stuff. This past weekend was a really good time. I went up to Bemidji to be a part of Mike and Marcie Pagan's wedding. The trip got off to a bit of a bumpy start with me forgetting a piano stand (I was playing in the wedding) and getting a speeding ticket for 65 in a 55 near Bagley. I was in a bit of a bad mood when I got into town, but the rest of the weekend was really great. After the rehearsal on Friday afternoon, we all went out ot Lake Bemidji and had a great cooked out meal and enjoyed some beers. It was nice to be back together with a lot of my old high school buddies. It kind of substituted for my 10-year reunion, which I missed since I was playing Joan and Matt's wedding. It was well worth it to play the wedding, though, and a boring class reunion wasn't going to stop me from that!

I enjoyed a relaxing night in the hotel that night. I had a room at the Holiday Inn Express, which by the way, is a really nice little hotel. I watched the Vikings play preseason ball against the Chiefs. I took a long shower and just enjoyed some time. I got a really good nights rest, and I went into Saturday feeling pretty good. I played the wedding, then headed to the reception where we enjoyed a great dinner, then much celebration. The Glen Levitt took good care of me, and by 12:45, I was ready to go home. I took a shuttle back to the hotel and fell off the earth for a few hours. I got up in the morning, took a cab to my car, and took off for Fargo. I got home without incident or any other run-ins with the law, thank God. The $122 ticket I already have is enough, thank you very much.

As for this week, I work a little bit. I hate my job more than ever now, and I look forward to not working overnights anymore soon. I may actually look for a new job altogether now that I think about it. We'll see. I'll keep you posted. Anyhow, tonight, Sather and I will work through all of the Patents tunes. I work Wednesday and Thursday, then it's right into the Stine/Meberg weekend, which I look forward to.

More to come soon, I should get a few things done here at work...

August 8, 2005

My apologies for not updating in a while, last week was completely devoted to preparing for the wedding gigs I had this past weekend. It was a lot of work, but completely worth it, things seemed to have gone pretty well.

Friday was a wedding dance for Greg and Megan Sturdevant. I picked up all of the sound gear in the morning, then went to the Radisson and set up the bandstand. The band arrived around 4:00, and we did our final touches before departing to get ready for the show. I did a quick trip home to change and shower, and got back to the hotel fairly quickly. Al and I had dinner and visited with a handful of friends before we prepared for the show. The dance was a big success for us. We had a really good time for the most part playing. It was the first nights of full playing for Kacie Hughes and Beseler, and despite a few bumps here and there, things went fine and we had a really good show.

On Saturday, we packed up the truck and the cars, and we headed out to Jamestown. I rehearsed with my brass quintet first at the church in Jamestown, then went back to the Quality Inn to rehearse with the rock band. The ceremony went well, and the quintet played a good ceremony. Back at the hotel, we all ate dinner, then played what I would consider one of our finest shows in some time. The ebb and flow of the show as apparent, and things went really, really well. The energy and whatnot with the band was right there in the pocket, and I was truly pleased with how well things went. Beseler and Kacie felt more comfortable at that show, and it showed. We kept everyone on the dance floor for a good majority of the night, and when we cranked up the last song, we still had a full dance floor, which is hard to do at a lot of weddings.

After the show, we retreated to our hotel rooms. Beseler and I had some drinks, along with Al. The rest of the band went to sleep. Us three made the most out of the bottle of Morgan that Joan's dad had purchased for us.

In the morning, Beseler and I got up and tore down the bandstand, then we went and woke the rest of the band up. We were loaded out fairly quickly and on the road a little bit after 11. Al, Annika, and I stopped in town to get some breakfast, then got back to town around 2:00 or so. I spent the rest of the day resting, watching TV, and sleeping in preparation for work, where I am right now. All in all, it was a very good weekend, and I'm really happy with how well things went. All of that work was quite worth it.

This week is a much slower one than last. I work two more days this week, then I go to Bemidji for Mike and Marcie's wedding. I'm looking forward to the trip up there. I'll be playing piano for the ceremony, then I'll have no responsibility at all during the reception, which will be a nice break. I plan on staying around there for a good portion of the evening, then going back to my hotel room to relax and get a truly good nights rest in a sleep number bed.

I heard that I missed out on a great wedding with Dana and Brandon. Congratulations to the two of them. They both leave town on Tuesday. More to come in a few...

July 29, 2005

Here's the last entry of the week, I'm taking the weekend off from working the site. Actually, I'm taking the weekend off in general, both from the site and work. I'll still be busy with a gig tomorrow and church on Sunday along with a rehearsal for next weekend's weddings. But, it'll still be slower than usual for me.

I didn't do anything today. Surprise, huh? I came home from work and watched some TV while Jessy got ready for school and Tim went to work. I fell asleep watching TV and woke up around 11:30. I transferred myself to the basement and into my own bed and slept for a while longer. I woke up to the sound of bottles clanging around 3:30. Much not to my surprise, Tim and John were already drinking. I waited for them to leave (they apparently ran out of whiskey) and I got up. I ran a few errands and stopped at the grocery store, then came home to find the two of them sitting in the living room just drunk out of their heads. I looked at the clock, it was about 4:45. No surprises, once again.

Tim went to his bedroom and passed out at 5:14. John called him some names. He told me that he was going to keep drinking to "stay on the same level" for a while. His plan was to drink until 1am, then go to bed. Well, that didn't exactly work out the way he planned- he was fast asleep on the couch around 5:42. Good work, boys.

More come next week, I'm out of here...

July 28, 2005

Oh my God, is this week over with yet? I'm dragging like you wouldn't believe right now. I'm on my third auditing shift of the week, and I feel like it's never going to end. It's now quarter to four in the morning, and I'm practically begging for eight to roll around. This is no good. After this shift, I'll have one more to go, then a few days off. I need it. I just want to sleep in for once, and sleep at night, too, when there's no light or noise anywhere. Thankfully, Saturday will be one of those days. I plan on hanging out on Friday night and having some drinks with the boys and girls, then sleeping in until whenever. The gig is in DL on Saturday, so I'm sure we won't leave town until 5:00 or later. That gives me all day Saturday to just relax. I'm looking forward to it.

It was another sitting around all day and doing nothing day. I slept until about 3:30, then got up and watched Gilmore Girls (yeah, yeah...) Then, I took Jesse Braunagel's sound gear back to his house. Following that, I came home and made a huge steak. It was delicious. Then, I watched A Few Good Men with Tim before getting ready for work and coming here.

More soon, hopefully more exciting things to talk about. I think Jenny got home last night from her long trip around Europe. If you're reading this, CALL ME.

July 27, 2005

Not a whole lot to talk about, I didn't do a whole lot yesterday. I ran some errands right away after work yesterday, then came home around 10:00 or so. I watched some TV, then fell asleep and didn't get up until around 5:30 or so. Tim Stine was over playing video games with Tim and Jessy. I sort of just bummer around all evening for the most part. I went and bought some groceries, then made some dinner. Tim was drinking bourbon and watching TV for most of that night. We watched a movie (I forgot the name of it already) on Lifetime, of all channels. Don't worry, it wasn't a Lifetime original movie for women. It was that one movie with Jennifer Lopez and George Clooney. It's going to bother me until I remember the name of it, damn it. Anyhow, we watched that movie until I had to shower and come to work, where I am now. Exciting stuff, I bet you can hardly handle it. Anyhow, Wednesday will be more of the same. Really, this week is pretty much that way- hanging out and working. My next day off is Friday, then I have the gig in DL on Saturday. I'm such a bore.

Al and Annika are now on their honeymoon. I hope they're having fun doing whatever they're doing. I think they're in Maine right now. Al was planning on doing some fishing out there, I'm sure it's beautiful up there right now.

Anyhow, more to come, hopefully Russ made it home to Denver safely today, I imagine that he did. More soon...

July 26, 2005

I had a pretty fun weekend overall with the wedding for Al and Annika Berg. We took a trip out to Gary, Minnesota for the wedding ceremony out on the farm on Saturday. The ceremony was short and sweet, which is always nice- about 17 minutes, by my estimation. A jazz quintet went out there to play after the ceremony. Eddie, myself, Craig Hillig, Tim, and Joel all played in that group. It was really, really hot out which was a little miserable, but we avoided the rain, so that was nice. The food was excellent and the people were nice and friendly, and overall, we had a great time. We came back to town that evening and relaxed at the house. Craig and Eddie had a beer when we got back, and Eddie ended up staying for a while after the trip to eat Chineese and play video games- a good end to the day. Russ showed up later and had a few beers before we all headed to bed.

Sunday, Patents Pending regrouped and played the wedding dance that evening. It was a good gig overall. The crowd thinned fairly quickly, which was to be expected for a Sunday night. However, we had a good time playing the dance. A handful of people came out and made it a great time. Al joined us on stage for a few songs, and played out last official Patents gig with Russ in the band on drums. I gave a heartfelt thank you to Russ at the end of the gig, which I think he was very deserving of. Russ moved out to Denver a few weeks ago and came back to town for the festivities of the wedding. He'll be on his way back to Denver today- in about a half an hour, as a matter of fact. We're all looking forward to playing with him again sometime in the near future. I have a feeling it won't be too long.

As for this week, it looks to be kind of a long one. I'm in the middle of working my first night of four in a row. Saturday, I head out to DL with Tripp 40 for a show at Soo Pass Ranch, which should be a really fun show. I'm looking forward to it very much. I'm trying to get as many of my friends to make the trip out there as possible. It would be very cool to rock out with a handful of friends.

Patents Pending looks down the road now at a much different look for the next two gigs in less than two weeks. Beseler will be stepping in for those gigs on bass, while Kacie Hughes will be drumming the band, sharing duties from now on with Joel Thompson. I'm going to play some trombone for the next few gigs for fun. It should be a treat to try it out, playing with Eddie on sax. I have some high hopes to be able to book a few more gigs the rest of the year. To be able to play once or twice a month is sort of my goal. I have plenty of players who can play the gig these days. I was saddened to have to cancel one gig for September, though. It turns out that due to scheduling, we won't be able to play Jen Schiff's wedding in Rugby, which is a total bummer. Tim has a wedding he has to be in here in Fargo, and Eddie has a family engagement that weekend in Bismarck. Without Eddie, we could get by, but with out him and Tim, that's spreading things a little thin. But, that's how it works, I talked to Jen the other day, and she told me that she understood. I'm grateful for understanding people. It's very rare that I ever have to cancel on a gig that I've promised to do, and I hate like hell to ever have to do that.

Anyhow, things are alright. Just busy. I have four weddings to go over the next month or so. I'm looking more forward now to Tim and Ruth's wedding in August. It's going to be a really fun with a lot of his friends and family around- many of whom are musicians. I think my mom and dad are coming out for the wedding, also, which will be nice. I'm sure it'll be the same deal as Eddie and Al's weddings- strange to be marrying off friends. But, we're all growing up, and that's how it works.

Well, nothing more to really mention at this time, more in a few...

July 14, 2005

This is my third night/morning in a row at work, and I tell you what, I really hate this job. Actually, it's not the job that's so bad, it's just these hours are really starting to kill me. Ugh. I'm having a much harder time dealing with customers anymore. Whenever they call and ask for stuff, I want to tell them 'no' and hang up. I told my boss here that I was interested in no longer auditing anymore come the end of August. Hopefully that request is fulfilled. I plan on looking for a different job anyhow. I'll stay on here if nothing else works out, I guess it's not such a bad job, but I kind of want to apply for a job working for the North Dakota Democrats, following in Rick's footsteps, though not toward as high of a position as he's looking at getting.

Later on today after I get off of work and get some sleep, I plan on heading out to Al's place and picking up my lawn mower. I want to finally get a chance to cut the grass which I can compare a little more to a jungle in Vietnam at this point. I guess we really need to get the lawn back to a controlable level shortly. Our neighbors all have nicely groomed lawns, so I should follow suit. Anyhow, Tim and I plan going out south to get the mower, and I plan on mowing the lawn during the evening hours, hopefully not getting completely killed by mosquitos.

I'm organizing a little get-together for Al this Friday, not so much a bachelor party, as I don't think he'd really want to do that, but more of a chance to enjoy some final drinks with him before he makes his major life shift into marriage. Things probably won't be a whole lot different aside from Annika's new last name, but it's a major symbolic deal, so I'm looking forward to taking Al out one last time tommorow. All are welcome (including girls for this event) to come and toast Al away.

Anyhow, not much else to talk of. When I was getting ready to leave for work, all three of my roommates were on track to reach a drunk level. So far, after nearly a month of living with those guys, I have to admit that I enjoy the setup. We rarely get time to all hang out together, but we've had some fun times, and though I imagine I'll get a little slack for saying this, I don't know why Dan had such a hard time living with these cats. We keep a clean house, we take care of business that needs to be taken care of, and we all get along just fine so far. If anything changes, I'm sure you'll hear it right here on the site.

Nothing else to speak of right now, more to come shortly...

July 13, 2005

Sorry about the lapse in updates. I got back into town late Saturday, and finished up my Annual Training period on Sunday.

Day eight of AT featured us playing a concert at the Heritage Center in Bismarck, sharing the show with the Air Guard Band of the Northwest. It was a pretty warm day out there, but the setting was nice at the Heritage Center. The Air Guard band went first, and I tell you what, they were a great band. I really enjoyed the musicality that their band showcased, and I was very impressed with their work. Of course, I felt a little small when we went up and did our portion of the concert, and you could tell that a lot of other people were feeling the same way. Our show could've probably went a lot better than it did, but even if we would've played our best, we would've easilly still been outshadowed by their band. Nonetheless, the concert seemed to be a success with the crowd that was present, and that's what really counts, I guess. After the concert, we went back to the hotel to have beer and pizza with the other band, which was fun. I enjoyed some good conversation with many of the members of the Air Guard band. I found some joy in talking to these cats since they had played with my old friend, Glenn West. Glenn and I were stationed together both at the School of Music and at Fort Sam Houston. When Glenn got out of the Army, he joined the Air Gaurd Band of the Northwest and stayed there for three years before going back to active duty army when he get the thumbs up to join the West Point Army Band.

Day nine was a miserable one. We got into a bus and drove to McClusky, where we marched a short parade in the heat. Following that parade, we walked around the small town and sweated like there was no tomorrow. We grabbed some lunch and beer, then retreated immediately to the bus where the air conditioning was never turned off (thank God). We then played a Dixieland show for a half an hour outdoors before joining the marching band and playing another 20 minutes or so. By the end, we were all exhausted from the incredible heat. We changed into civilian clothes, then headed back to Fargo. When I got home, I ate some dinner, had a few beers, and went to bed. It was nice to be back in my own bed in my own home in the air conditioned comfort of my home.

Sunday, we met and unloaded the truck, and that was about it. I went home after that, took a long nap, then got up and bought some groceries. I had a little cook out with some of my friends that evening. I had pretty much planned the cookout with the intent mostly of hanging out with Eddie, but he never showed up which was a bit of a bummer, but what can you do? Robin, Steph, and Rob all came by along with Rick, Matt, and Keira. Tim showed up later in the evening, and we went out and grabbed a beer before he headed home for the night.

As far as the last couple of days, it's been back to work. I'm working the second of four nights right now. Once Friday comes around, I get into a van and head to Turtle Lake for a Guard gig, then back to Fargo that afternoon. Saturday, I go to Jamestown to play with Tripp 40. Nothing ever slows down, I tell you what. Anyhow, more to come shortly, I need to get off this computer and get some work done...

July 8, 2005

Last nights show in Mandan went pretty well, and we had over 150 in the crowd to see our commander conduct the band in his own hometown. CW4 Bill Franke was pretty proud of us, so that was kind of nice. The show went well despite the heat, although the temps did fall nicely toward the end of the show. The weather held out fine, and we didn't see the thunder and lightning come into Bismarck until around ten or so. I was pleased overall about how things went, and as I sit here at the business center of the Comfort Inn, I look forward to coming home tomorrow night.

We have three gigs left now, which includes a show with a Reserve Band with the US Air Force here in Bismarck at the Heritage Center. I'm really looking forward to seeing what this band has to offer. If they're anything like normal Air Force Bands, I think we're in for a treat. Tomorrow, we play a parade and a concert on the way back to Fargo, and we should be in no later than 8:30, hopefully. I'm looking forward to my own bed after nine days of hotel stays.

Anyhow, all is well. It's a steamy 92 degrees out right now, and thankfully we're playing indoors tonight. More to come, I guess the next time I update, I'll be home for a while. More soon...

July 7, 2005

Sorry that it's been so long since I've had a chance to update, however, I've been on the road for the last seven days with the 188th Army Band. I currently write to you as we're on the return route to Fargo. I'm in Bismarck right now. We came from Medora yesterday, and from several points in Montana the previous five days. Things are going alright for an annual training period, and I've had a moderate amount of fun at a minimum throughout the time with the band.

We took off on Friday morning, early, around 6:15am. We loaded up out at the Armory, got on the bus, and took off. Our first destination was Streeter, North Dakota. We got there and marched a very bad parade. This was not to say that the parade was so bad (though it most certainly wasn't alll that interesting), but the band looked and sounded like crap. It was the only gig we had there, and we were thankful to leave. From there, we drove on for the rest of the day, finally ending up in Glendive, Montana. That night, I simply stayed in the room and slept. You'd be surprised how tired you can get from just sitting on your ass in a moving bus all day.

Day two, Saturday, was another long travel day. We took off around 8:00 and traveled all the way to Great Falls, which was a long, long drive, by the way. We got out there and unloaded, and had the rest of the day off. That evening, I took it upon myself to go out and have a few beers with some of the boys, mainly Tim Knabe and Kevin Kosiak. I gambled a little on the electronic poker and won $25. I called that a good day, at least compared to some of my other days gambling in Fargo and elsewhere.

Day three, Sunday, was basically a free day. We slept in, then had a full concert band rehearsal outside. We followed that up with a short marching band rehearsal, then called it a day. The band drove down to the falls and we checked out some neat scenery, then back to the hotel. That evening, I worked on some music for the upcoming weddings, then Tim and I went out and ate some grub and looked at some used CD's, none of which we bought.

Day four was the Fourth of July. We had a lot of work to do that day. The marching band set up and marched a good parade, about a thousand times better than our most previous showing. The band looked well, and sounded great, and it was amazing to believe that we had done so horribly just three days before. After the parade, we went to the fairgrounds where we performed a concert. The crowd was a little disappointing, but that was alright. It was a descent show, and that was all I could ask for. After that, I went back to the hotel and took a good nap, then met up with Kevin for some drinks. The fireworks were going off all over town, so it was kind of noisy and a little hard to sleep that night. Apparently there are no laws against that sort of thing in town in Montana. Go figure.

Day five, we traveled out to Miles City, Montana, which was a pretty long haul. We got to Miles City around 4:00, then we began to prepare for our company party. We ate pizza and drank beer- two of my favorite things to do. Then, after our awards ceremony, Blues in Green (the Guard Band version of Patents Pending) performed. There was a lot of dancing and a lot of fun, and we had a good time that night.

Day six, Wednesday, had us traveling to Medora. We were finally back in state, and it more or less marked the fact that we were on the downhill back home. In Medora, the Dixie band played for an hour downtown, then the marching band played an opening sequence for the Medora Musical. I was surprised to see several of my friends and such from Fargo there. At the musical, I saw Brian Kirchhoff and Lora Slabodnik in the crowd. On my way downtown to the bar after the show, I also ran into one of the old night managers from the Radisson. Small world. Anyhow, we hit a bar, got some grub, then drank beer until close. A perfect way to end the night.

And so, here I am on day seven in Bismarck. We're here for two nights, then we're back to Fargo on Saturday night, which I look forward to. All of these hotels are wearing on me, and I just want to sleep in my own home in my own bed again. I'm not looking forward to going back to work, but the bills need to be paid, and that's just that. I look forward more to the paycheck I get for ten days of Guard. I can't wait. More to come soon...

June 28, 2005

Not a whole lot new to report, much like most of my posts as of late. Friday night, I went out to Monte's and watched Tim play for a while. I had a few beers there, which was my intention- to have only those two beers. However, after Tim got done playing, we went inside and found that Darrel Oscarson was there, and he insisted on getting us a beer. I talked to him for a little bit, then headed over to Lauerman's where Al and Annika were hanging out with Russ. Rick was also over there. We hung out there for a couple of beers, and before I knew it, it was last call. I had intended on being in bed by midnight, as I needed to get up at 5:30 to get to formation for one day of drill with the Guard band. Realizing that I needed some damned sleep, I headed home.

Of course, 5:30 came really quickly. I managed to get out of bed and into uniform and to the armory by the 6:30 form time. From there, we took off for Jud, where we marched a parade and played a concert. It was a nice day, at least, and the gigs went off just fine. We departed Jud that afternoon and got back into Fargo around 5:00 or so. I went home, rested up for a little bit, then finally met up with Russ around 8:00. We went to the Turf and had some dinner and a couple of beers, then back to the house to prepare for a little going away party and jam. Joel and Erika came over first, followed by Tim, Al, and Annika. Ryan and Robin stopped in for a few minutes, as did Rick and Steph. A couple of Russ's friends stopped in as well and we jammed out until late. My roommates also hung out, and we made good use of the basement bar, which was really fun.

Sunday, I played at church, then came home and napped for a little longer. Russ and I went and got a late lunch around 3:30. Then, I came home and hung out for a while. I had to work that night, which was a drag. I was still tired from the previous night, and knew that the night of work would drag on and on- which it, of course, did.

Yesterday, I stopped by the old apartment and threw some stuff out. I also helped Tim move his bed. After that, I came home and took a fairly long nap- I actually slept for about three hours, which was nice, though probably not enough sleep to make up for the last three days. I made some dinner, watched some TV with the roommates, then came to work, and here I am.

Later on today, I plan on stopping by the apartment and moving the remainder of my stuff, then tomorrow, I'll probably try to do some cleaning and whatnot. We need to check out of the place on Thursday afternoon, then it'll be the end of that place. I'm glad to be out of there, honestly. It was really hot in the summer, and I was finally fed up with that damned dog barking upstairs all of the time. However, it still seems a little strange to not be living with Tim anymore. But, he's in town for at least a year, so I'm not totally lost of him, at least for now. I'm starting to really look forward to his wedding coming up in less than two months, now.

Not a lot else to speak of, I guess. I guess I'll just sit here at work until 8:00 and then go home, sleep, and carry on. I take off this Friday for a week of Guard that will take me out to Montana. Not completely looking forward to that, but it's good money, and the schedule is actually looking fairly descent, so I guess I can't complain too much. More to come in a few...

June 24, 2005

Well, I'm mostly all moved into my new home, and I love the place. With some help from Ryan on Tuesday and Tim on Monday, I got all the big stuff and most of the little stuff into the house. My new roommates, Tim, Jessy, and John are all fine, and we're getting settled in pretty quickly. The jam room is ready to rock and roll down in the basement, and I'm looking forward to doing just that on Saturday night when we host a little going away bash for Russ Pfaff. Hopefully some nice jams will be coming out of the house that night.

The last few days have been filled with mostly moving and whatnot with the occasional social calls with a few of my friends. We have a complete bar down in the basement which may be our downfall, actually. Well, not really, we can control ourselves, but that bar is really something else- a thing of beauty, really.

Not a whole lot else to speak of, I guess. Though the past few days have been busy, it's been the moving deal that has filled most of my hours, and I guess I already covered that, so that's all I really have to mention at this time. I have guard this weekend along with Russ's party, then work again on Sunday. More to come shortly...

June 18, 2005

After three glorious nights of not having to work here at the hotel, I'm back again sitting in front of my auditor computer again. I'd love to say that it's nice to be back, but it really isn't.

The week was good for the most part. On Tuesday, I went up to the casino with Al and Joel to play a show for a private party, some Frank Sinatra and Liza Minelli impersonators who were doing this show for a party. We got up there and met with Russ Peterson, Tom Strait, and Ed Christianson. We were greeted by about 20 charts, which was a surprise to all of us- we had been told it would be a one-hour show, and this was most certainly much more than an hour. Nonetheless, we're musicians, so we sat down and rehearsed the music. It became a bit of a crunch as far as time went, as time was ticking down to the doors opening, and were being pressured to finish up. We managed to get through more or less all of the tunes, then took a short break to eat and change. The show went pretty well overall, according to Annika and Tim, who showed up to watch us play despite the fact that it was a private party show. The staff didn't seem to care much, so that was fine.

After playing the show, we all made our way down to the buffet where we ate free meals (they were in the contract). Following that, Al and Annika took off, while Joel, Tim, and I made our way to the gaming area. There, Tim and I made some money gambling, while Joel walked away the loser of the night. We only stuck around for a little over an hour before heading back into Fargo. When I got back, I met up with Rick over at Lauerman's with my winnings, and managed to 'liquify' them over a two hour period.

On Wednesday, we did it again, this time Erika came out with us. The show wasn't as good that night, and I most certainly didn't play my best bass ever, but on the good side of things, the casino made us shave off 40 minutes of the show, so it was over quickly. We did another trip through the buffet, then Erika and I went to the slots, where we both lost. Second-time luck was not a factor for me. We took off for Fargo after that. When I got home, I met up with Tim and Ruth, who were over at the Ho-Do with some friends. I had one beer, then went home. Rick stopped by, and we chatted outside while Ruth and Tim watched a movie inside. We drank Budweiser and enjoyed a nice night.

I took Thursday basically off. All I did that day was teach a couple of lessons. Otherwise, the day was mine. I spent the day getting an eye exam and going out in the search of new glasses. I found a pair that worked out alright that I could get that day, which is what I was in search of. In the evening, I met up with Keira and Logan Oscarson at Lauerman's and we had some beers. It was really funny to watch Logan drink- all it took was one beer to get him loopy. Funny stuff. After Logan retired (at a whopping 10:00), Keira and I went over to Monte's where we enjoyed some conversation and drinks. Rick made a cameo appearance around midnight. Following that, I grabbed some Taco Bell and met Keira back at my house where we talked a little before I got too tired (which always happens to me whenever we drink, it's not you, Keira, it's me!) and went to bed.

Friday was a laid back day overall. I did a few errands here and there, but that was about it. I also got the keys to my new home, which was another landmark moment for me. I'm looking forward to living with the boys. After getting checked in, I took a good nap during the early evening, and hung out downtown until I had to be at work. And now, here I am.

I'll be working all this weekend. I'm working now, and I work tonight. Sunday, I have church and a JAG gig out at Island Park, come and see it if you get a chance, it's supposed to be a fairly nice day, I hear. More to come soon...

June 14, 2005

Not too much to talk of today, I guess, I get three nights off from working the hotel now, though it's still going to be pretty busy overall. Along with Al and Joel, I'll be heading out to the casino to play a couple of gigs tonight and tomorrow. It's a band backing up some Frank Sinatra and Liza Minelli impersonators. Thankfully, it pays fairly well, and it'll probably cover my rent that I need to pay for the new place I'm moving into. I'm playing with Al on keys, Joel on drums, Ed Christianson on bone, Russ Peterson on sax, and an undisclosed trumpet player. Should be fun, or at least entertaining.

Monday was quite the boring day for me. I didn't even leave the house. No kidding. The weather was no good, so going outside wasn't really an option. I just didn't have anything really exciting to do. I cleaned up the house, did some practicing on bass for my upcoming Tripp 40 gigs, and slept a lot. I figured I should do that since I wasn't going to get much sleep today heading into the gig at Shooting Star. I imagine we'll get back around 11 or so, and I'll be able to enjoy a beer or two on what little cash I happen to have on me. I'm not going to take any cash out for the next few days since I'll be within feet of blackjack tables both nights, and I, simply put, will spend any money I have in my pocket if we stay too long at the casino. This is not admission of a gambling problem, it's just that every time I go to a casino and try to gamble, I ALWAYS LOSE!

Hopefully this weather will clear up a little bit, I have a gig on Sunday outdoors for the Jazzin' June at Island Park, and I really need the money to get back up to par so I can pay the bills this month. I also need to start saving for a couple of trips that I have to make for weddings this summer.

Well, with all of that in mind, I guess I'll sign off for now. I need to get some work done here at work, anyhow. More in a few...

June 13, 2005

It was a pretty eventful weekend, and I enjoyed myself for the most part. Friday, after I finally got off of work, I went home and took a long nap before showering and getting ready to head off to Bismarck. I finally got out of town around 2:30 on my trek to Bismarck for Jennifer Braus's wedding. While I was looking forward to going to the wedding and such, I was not looking forward to driving back to Fargo after the reception. Due to my money constraints, I had planned to leave after the reception to hopefully get back into Fargo at a descent hour.

I got into Bismarck around quarter to six. I stopped at a rest stop to change into some dress clothes, then made my way into town and found the church quite easily. Once inside St. Mary's Catholic Church, I found a few familiar faces here and there. Andrew Jacobson had made the trip out to Bismarck, with his "date", Brandon Raboin. I eventually found Sara and Jon Bauman, which was nice. We chatted in the entry way for quite some time. The wedding party was all out in the entry way as well, which was a little unusual for a wedding. Even Jennifer was out there, which was even more unusual. We all visited until the priest came out and signaled for some silence. It was only then did I realize that no one was in the sanctuary yet, and that the entire wedding party and all of the spectators were still in the entry way. The priest did a prayer, then a guitar player started to play, and everyone processed into the sanctuary.

The wedding was quite unique to say the least. The bridesmaids were all wearing similarly designed dresses, but each dress was a different color. Jennifer's maid of honor was her sister, whom is fourteen years old, making her the youngest maid of honor I had ever seen at a wedding. The guys were all wearing the same suit jackets and pants, but different shirts and ties. The service was predominately Catholic, though it showed signs of a standard Protestant wedding as well. The music was alright, though each song must've had at least six verses. After an hour and a half service, we all left the church and headed down to the Country Club for some dinner and fellowship.

I was watching my watch, and realized as I was driving to the reception that it was nearly 8:00 already. I met up with James Prindiville out at the country club. At that point, I didn't know anything about the gig I was supposed to play at the reception. I simply brought my horn in with me, and that was about it. James and I shared some conversation and had a beer while awaiting the remainder of the wedding party's arrival.

It was shortly after that I found out that I was going to have to play for a short dance and not the reception. I was still watching the time and began to realize that I wasn't going to get out of town until nearly midnight. We ate dinner around 9:15, and the dance finally started at about 10:10. The first dance of the night was to a recording of Sting doing a song in seven. Classic Braus, that's what James said as the song played on. I had to agree.

The combo that played the dance was made up of myself on trombone and James on saxophone. The rhythm section was all UND cats. I knew of the piano player, Matt Strand, who is actually a pretty good sax player. I didn't know the bass player or the drum player. The drum player (forgive me for not remembering his name) was actually quite good, and I enjoyed his playing. The group was fun, and we played for nearly two hours before we surrendered to the CD player. It was at that point that I took my leave and jumped into the car for the long trip back.

The trip back to Fargo turned out to be even longer than I had expected. The drive was alright into Jamestown, where I stopped to fill up on gas and grab some snacks and a drink. Once I got east of Jamestown, however, things got a little more complicated. It started with patches of fog here and there. As I went further east, the patches became straight-ahead thick fog. I ended up slowing way down, and that made the trip much longer. I finally pulled into Fargo around quarter to four. I was tired beyond all belief, but wide awake from being scared of crashing in the fog.

Saturday was a day to just relax, which was nice. That evening, I met up with a handful of people at both Monte's and the Ho Do. It was a pretty nice evening. It was Tanya Matthies's last night in town, so that was kind of a bummer. I told her she should stay in town. I apparently wasn't convincing.

You know what was kind of crazy about the wedding in Bismarck? Something that was just kind of mind blowing was just how much Carolyn Braus is just like her sister in pretty much every way possible. No kidding. I could've closed my eyes and listened to Carolyn talk and picture Jenn sitting there. They share the same laugh, voice, and most impressive, mannerisms. Some of you viewers may recognize Carolyn's name from the Question and Answer page, which she frequently makes entries into. I told her at the wedding that I expected more questions soon. I'm sure she'll make good on that.

Well, this week is my money week. I have some good gigs and whatnot, plus I get paid at work, too. Most of that money will go into the deposit and rent for the house that I'm moving into soon. I'm excited to get into that house. It's going to be a good feeling getting back into a place that I can play my horns and bass any time I feel like it. The jam space in the basement will be in full effect soon. I'm looking forward to all of that.

Well, it's nearly 6:00am here at work, so I should probably get some stuff done before I leave an a couple of hours. More to come in a few...

June 9, 2005

I had a few nights off, and I guess that was alright. Monday night, we went out for Tim's birthday day. A handful of us met up at Tailgators that night. Eddie and Jennifer were there, along with Steve and Ruth. Eric Klotz and his Jennifer also showed up for the fun. Some beers were drank and lots of thoughts were shared, and it was a pretty good time overall. After hanging out there, Steve, Tim, and I retreated back to my house where Steve and I began to drink more. Rick Gion stopped in as well and had a beer or two. It was a pretty fun night overall. The day had been a little suspect for me. Lots of things were going wrong. First off, my phone got shut off because I apparently used about $80 worth of extra minutes in May (mostly during Jass), and I can't afford to get the thing turned back on for a few days. Next up, one of my contacts ripped, and again, I can't really afford to get that replaced right at this moment, so I'm being punished by wearing my glasses all of the time again. It felt like a Monday, that was for sure.

Tuesday, my car wouldn't start for some reason, so I had to walk to NDSU to teach some lessons. After that, I got home and beat my car up, and if finally started, thankfully. I went over to Lauerman's 2 and played some blackjack (and lost). I had three beers there and played some video touch by myself before finally heading over to the regular Lauerman's downtown in hopes that I would run into Rick or some of my other buddies. Sadly, no one showed up there, so I drank three beers by myself there before finally heading home around 11:30. I saw Rick driving around downtown, so I flagged him down and he came to the house where we had a few more beers since they were calling out to me from the fridge. A huge storm cell was moving into the area, so we sat around watching Team America while occasionally taking a gander at the radar. The storm ended up hitting Fargo around 1:40, but it wasn't the strong storm that was expected. We got a lot of rain and some wind, but not a whole lot more. The lightning was kind of neat and all, though. I cooked up a very late dinner as the rain was coming down, and Rick took off a little after two. I then went to bed.

I didn't do a whole lot on Wednesday. I bummed around the house all morning. I did the dishes and did some cleaing around the house, then went to the NDSU and practiced for an hour and half before coming back home again. During the evening, I stopped over at Beseler's and watched some movie with Ryan and Robin, who happened to be there as well. Then, I went home, cooked dinner, ate it, played Madden, then went to work, where I am right now. Exciting stuff, huh? That's my summer, folks. When I have the time to hang out, everyone is gone! Funny how that works. Anyhow, more to come soon, I sure hope I have more exciting stuff to talk about one of these days...

June 6, 2005

Well, another weekend has passed, and it was a good one. Friday, I enjoyed a very relaxed and enjoyable day. Upon getting home from work, I took a short nap, then ventured out to do a handful of things that I normally don't get to do. First off, I took a nice walk downtown. I ran a couple of errands, then enjoyed some coffee at Babb's. Then, I went to Zambroz and bought a book and a CD. They were sort of like my gifts to myself for my birthday. After that, I went home and took another short nap, then I met up with Beseler and we went over to Joel's place to celebrate his graduation from paramedics school. We ate some dinner, then headed downtown to Lauerman's, where we met up with several folks to include Mike and Jaime, Erin, Jess, and Matt Tompkins. From there, we went over to Monte's to watch Tim play on the patio. Showing up there included Joel and Erika, Robin and Ryan, Rob, Eddie, Sara, Tanya, and Becky. It was a really nice night on the patio, actually, nearly the perfect night at Monte's. Tim and Ruth joined us later on, and we enjoyed some drinks and whatnot. It was just nice to be out with a bunch of friends on my birthday, and that made it pretty nice and kind of special.

Saturday, I had a Jazz Arts rehearsal in the morning, then Jesse and I headed to Valley City to perform with the Guard Band. Once we got back to town, it began to rain like crazy, and that continued pretty much all day. I met up with Eddie and Jennifer at their place and we cooked some steaks. Kelby was in town, so that was fun. We all ended up heading over the Legion that night for some drinks. Flashback was playing downstairs, so Tim, Eddie, and I invaded the stage and played a couple of songs with Mike Silovich, Sr. on drums. Eventually, we all left, and I went over to Beseler's place where Tanya and Jess were hanging out and having some drinks. We watched Team America, which was a fairly good movie, though not nearly as funny as I had anticipated. I went home after the movie.

Sunday, I got up to go play at church. Tim was up and decided to come along and play, which was a surprise. We took off in the Galaxie, which ran out of gas halfway to church. A nice stranger stopped by and took me back to my place to get a gas can, and Tim and I ended up at church just a few minutes late. After our "grand entrance", we played some tunes and had a little fun. After church, we went back to the house, where I made some breakfast for both of us before we headed off to the Jazz Arts show, which moved indoors to NDSU from Trollwood due to the weather. After the show, I went over to Eddie and Jennifer's again where they made tacos for themselves, along with Rick and I. I then came to work, and here I am now.

I'm looking forward to a couple more days off starting tonight and continuing through Tuesday before I work on Wednesday and Thursday. I head out to Bismarck on Friday to play Jennifer Braus's wedding, then back to Fargo for the rest of the weekend.

Hopefully all is well with you. It's Tim's birthday today, so I look forward to celebrating that tonight. More soon...

June 3, 2005

Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday to me. Happy birthday dear Christopher (and Zach Steele and Brad Baltrusch...) Happy birthday to me (and those other people, too). Alright, with that out of the way, where's the bar...

June 2, 2005

Not much is new. I had a day off from work on Tuesday, so that was kind of nice. I found myself really bored, actually. I couldn't sleep after I got off of work around 8:30, so I did some cleaning and went for a walk over to Babb's, where I grabbed some coffee to guarantee that I wouldn't fall asleep again for a while. I checked my e-mail there and found a note from Dr. Olfert asking for his trombone back, which I never really had in my pocession except for the two hours I played it in front of him about three weeks ago. I stopped over at the school to try to find the horn, which I did not. Hopefully he did. I then went home and mowed the lawn. It was in serious need of it after all of the rain. Our landlord normally does it, but for some reason, he had been lazy or busy or something, so I took care of it. I went back to NDSU later that day and taught some trombone and bass lessons, then went over to Eddie and Jennifer's for some dinner. Following that, I met up with Rick at Lauerman's and kicked back a few beers. Eddie eventually joined up with us as well. To end the night, I stopped over at the Radisson to visit Rena, then went home and got a good nights rest for once. It never felt better.

Wednesday, I didn't really accomplish much of anything. I slept in until noon, then got up and bummed around the house. I ran a few errands, then went to NDSU to teach another lesson, which unfortunatly was a no-show. However, I did visit with Tanya for a while, and I practiced for about an hour and a half, so the afternoon was not a waste. I went home, made dinner, then called Jeremy Middleton. We talked for nearly an hour until his little girl started to cry uncontrolably, so we hung up. I played some video games, then came to work, and here I am.

Tomorrow is my birthday. I get another year older. Not looking forward to that. However, I look forward to going to a bar and having some drinks. Things in life seem so complicated right now, and for ever question I've asked myself every question from the last three weeks or so from "how am I not a drum major" to "why do I want to be a musican" all the way to "why is my mind wandering everywhere" and "why do I think they're right, but I think they're wrong, too". Don't you hate it when you answer the question in your mind, but three hours later, you begin to pick apart that answer? This is what happens when I have some spare time- I have to think about stuff that I at one time had no time to think about. It's no good.

Anyhow, more to come. I work again tonight into the morning of my next birthday "celebration"...

May 31, 2005

I'm just winding down at work. I have to work a little later this morning, until 8:30, actually. Not a big deal, I need the money, anyhow. Things are alright. I'm feeling pretty relaxed, which is unusual for me. The week is going by sort of slowly, but that's alright, especially today. I don't work tonight, and I intend on relaxing and enjoying a few beers at the Lauerman's. I haven't been there in a while, and I'm starting to miss going there two or three times a week to hang with Rick and the gang. So, I'll get in there tonight and maybe again on Friday on my birthday. Yup, going to celebrate another one of those, I guess. It appears that a lot of people will be out of town this weekend, though, so it may be a quiet birthday of sorts. I guess that's ok, I almost feel too old to celebrate birthdays anymore. After all, what is there to celebrate- I'm getting older!

I'm looking forward to the weekend, actually. A relaxing birthday would be nice, then on Saturday, I have a rehearsal for JAG and a gig in Valley City with the Guard Dixie group, which is usually fun. Sunday, I play a JAG show at Trollwood, which is usually kind of a fun show to play. I need the bread, too, so it'll be fulfilling, and it'll be nice to play in a big band again. I guess Jass was the last time I did, but that wasn't a full show.

There's not a whole lot to speak of, I guess. I've been in a thinking mood lately, which is how it usually goes after a few weeks out of school and whatnot. You always have those initial two weeks of not missing anyone, but now the dust is settling, and I'm realizing how much less I have to do right now, and I want more to do, mostly with my friends. Jenny is leaving now for every weekday to do nannying in the Cities, which is a bummer of sorts, but she'll be back on weekend until she heads out to Europe. I'm a little bummed out that she'll be missing Al and Annika's fiesta, but that's how it works, and who would turn down a trip to Europe, anyhow. I've been thinking a lot about heading to Europe for a little trip within the next two years. I kind of want to do it like Erika did, just flying there and going from there. I want to give myself like 14-20 days to just bum around. All I would plan is a plane ticket there and a plane ticket back to the US. I have no idea if I could find anyone to go with me, but if I had to go alone, I would do that. The only difference between Erika's trip and mine is that I want to bring my horn, and hiking with a trombone could get a little tiring. I want to find some places to just sit in and play jazz. Apparently they love American jazzers over there, so I want to go and try to make some friends. We'll see. I just think it would be neat to get a new perspective on life in a different country. We'll see how that works out. First and formost, I need to get to Florida to see Jeremy, and he'll kick my ass if I don't get there soon.

The coffee is really strong here at the Radisson this morning. I think I might stay up when I get home from work, I guess it'll be damned near nine by the time I get there. I could probably go to the bank and get some money or something. Maybe I'll walk downtown today. It looks like it's going to be a really super nice day, anyhow, it might not hurt. I guess it might be a good idea since my car somehow managed to lose reverse in the last week, which is a little inconvenient if you're trying to park, well, anywhere. I've learned to deal with it, and I've only forgotten once and had to push my car out of a spot one time so far. If I had a few more dollars, I'd take the thing in and have a transmission specialist look at it, but for now, I'll just have to deal with it. No big deal, I can make it work.

Well, more to come in a few days, it's time for me to get off the internet before any of the management comes in. They frown upon us using the internet here. If they were to ask me why I do it, I'd ask them what the hell they'd do from 2:30am-6:30am at the Radisson. I bet they'd have no answer. Ha. More soon...

PS...to Haley- I know you can't believe I danced in Duluth, but I did. I think I'm getting more courage to dance even if I'm not sloshed. I'll keep working on it, someday you'll see me dancing. You'll join the elite ranks who have seen it, which pretty much only includes my JC Chumley's bunch...

May 30, 2005

I'm back in Fargo after a short trip out to Duluth, which I rather enjoyed. Just the idea of getting out of town was a nice one, and the trip out there with Al and Annika was really cool. I took off from Fargo on Saturday morning and drove up to Gary where I met Al and Annika at Annika's farm. I came in and made friends with her dog while enjoying three cups of coffee while Al tried to figure out how to put a new garbage disposal on a new sink. After he figured out that he needed more parts, we finally got on the road in the Lincoln.

The trip up was a pleasent one. I always enjoy that drive up, though it had been nearly two years since I had made that trip. The hills and the lakes of Minnesota are sometimes breathtaking to watch depending on the time of day and where you are. Seeing the wooded areas where we were driving was relaxing, and I really enjoyed the drive out.

We made it to Proctor with only a few minutes to spare before the wedding. We ran in and were seated near the back on the groom's side (the bride's side was completely packed, obviously because we were in her hometown). The ceremony was short and sweet, much like most Methodist weddings (I know, I'm Methodist as well) and took maybe twenty-five minutes or so. Following the wedding, I talked to a few people in the wedding party, then Al and Annika and I took off to go to the hotel. But first, we had to stop and get plumbing parts at Menards. I felt really stupid in a suit at Menards, but whatever.

We finally got checked into the Radisson, then headed over to the Greyson. We met up with Jenny and Nina there. I also had some time to talk to some of the old-timers from the Gold Star Band back in the day. Barry Peterson was there, as was Micah Johnson. We ate dinner, then the dance began. Al and I were quickly into the bar enjoying cocktails and such. Eventually, I was feeling good enough to laugh a lot, and later on, I even got out and danced. We stayed until the end of the dance, then went back to the Radisson after picking up some late-night Taco Johns.

Sunday morning, we got up at a reasonable ten or so and grabbed some breakfast in the revolving cafe on the top floor of the Radisson. We then headed out of the city and back to Gary. I slept a little bit on the ride back, as I was pretty worn out from the previous nights dancing and drinking. I then made the trek from Gary to Fargo, and that was pretty much my weekend.

This week will be kind of busy. I'm working right now, and I work tonight. I have Tuesday off, then I'm back at work for two more nights before Friday, when I celebrate another birthday. Fun times and stuff. Satuday, I have some Guard work to do as well as a JAG rehearsal that morning. I think Nina's boyfriend comes to town that day, also, so perhaps we'll see them out at Monte's or something.

The summer so far has been welcomed. I'm happy to have some down time, though I find myself getting a little bored from time to time. That's alright, I can appreciate that after such a busy fall, winter, and spring. Not much else to talk about here, so I guess I'll sign off for now if I haven't already lost your attention with my boring writting. More soon...

May 24, 2005

We made it thorough another Jass, believe it or not. The eleventh presentation and first in Fargo went off very well, and we enjoyed some fair weather and a great crowd out at Island Park. All four groups sounded excellent, and I was very excited about how it all worked out. All fifty-two members did a great job, and I can easily say without hesitation that the festival was a success.

We started everything out on Friday. Beseler and I arrived at the AFRC around 10:30 to begin loading out sound gear. Al met us up there a short while later and we loaded the truck, then set up rehearsal areas. I ran a few errands after that, then was back out at the AFRC for registration. Everyone got into town alright just before a huge storm nailed Fargo. Friday was a good productive evening of rehearsals. When that was all over, the staff met up at Monte's for a beer and planning. By the end of the day, I was beat, and I was in bed by midnight.

Saturday began with rehearsals at the AFRC, followed by the combo heading out to Hillsboro. There, we played for an hour and a half with a great combo- Russ, Tim, Al, myself, and Doug Woolverton on trumpet. That guy can play, let me tell you what. He came all the way from New York to play with us. He's a pro player out there where he's getting his feet planted in for one hell of a career as a musician. Anyhow, we had a great time playing for the Arts and Crafts Fair. When that was done, we headed back to Fargo in time for an improvisation clinic with Matt Patnode and Eddie Schwind. Following that, we held a picnic at Oak Grove and a dance at the Doublewood Inn where Patents Pending took the stage with nearly all of it's original members- Al, Eddie, Tim, Jesse, Russ, Chaus, and myself. Joining us up there also was Tanya, Beseler, and Doug. It was a very fun time despite how damned tired we all were at that point.

Sunday morning, I played church, then went to the park where Al and the crew had already gotten the sound all set. A dress rehearsal followed, then lunch was served. For the next hour and a half, I stared at the sky in hopes that no rain would fall. Much to my delight, none did fall. The show went off at 4pm, and it was a great presentation. I was incredibly proud of the work and effort all the members put into it, and overall, I could call it all a huge success for our first time in Fargo. Over 200 people were in attendance, and it was a wonderful time for us all. After the show, we tore everything down, then headed out to Al's for a post-festival party. It was a very fun and relaxing evening, and the perfect way to end the festival.

This week gives me three nights of work, and then a trip out to Duluth for Robin and Ryan's wedding. It should be a fun time. Al and I are going out there on Saturday, and I it'll be nice to be at that wedding since I don't have to do anything at all except come, eat, and drink. Well, celebrate, too, I guess, there's always that, too. I'm looking forward to getting out of town for a weekend, also.

So, it'll be a strange summer, I won't know what to do without any preparations for Jass, which I'm usually busy doing right now for an August showing. Eddie and Rick have already come up with some ideas for the next Jass in 2006, and I look forward to putting some of those ideas into play.

Well, not much else to talk of at the moment, all I know is that I'm at work and I'm tired as hell. More to come in a few...

May 12, 2005

Well, to put it lightly, Wednesday didn't go down as a day that I felt all that wonderful about. The results came in for the marching band, and I left the day feeling incredibly disappointed about the call. I have been ousted from my attempt to continue as a drum major after my first stint in 2004, and I feel like an incredible failure for that. I respect the process for which chooses these positions, and I have no confirmable reason to blame that otherwise in print. However, I can't help but feel very bad about how I fared in the deal.

I have failed at a lot of things, as have most of us. We can't always be on the long end of things. But, when it comes to musical failures, I always have a harder time dealing with those things. I enjoyed the time I had during the fall to conduct and write for the band. Writting for the band was what I considered one of my best contributions to the band. I do know that I could've been more assertive and I could've been a much better leader in that position- I admitted that wholeheartedly to a couple of section leaders and even Dr. Olfert. Perhaps this personal evaluation is a showing for my lack of accomplishment in that department.

I was very happy to see Pat Thiel back on the list, he was a rock as far as I was concerned as a drum major, and he'll be at his best back on the ladder. Chris Neu is a consistent guy in his position as he has shown over the past couple of years, and I rated him high in my observations as someone in front of the band. I even mentioned that in my drum major interview. If it's worth noting, I felt that Tanya Matthies and/or Erin Ott would've been very credible picks as well. This will be one of the first years aside from the 2003 season that I can remember where we didn't have at least one girl on the ladder. Regardless of their sex, though, they were two of my top picks.

I'll miss working with the band. I opted to go for drum major or nothing else, given the consideration of gigs and performances that I was missing out on the past few years due to football games. I was willing to skip out on the gigs and money to work with a great organization. However, despite my enjoyment of being a regular member of the band, my most important job is to continue to perform in and around Fargo, and those gigs are important to me. They weren't as important as being in a position to conduct and write, which I considered top priority over playing, which I could do plenty of outside of marching season. Being a drum major was much more important.

So, I look forward to going to some of the football games this year. I will enjoy the games from the tailgating area and from the stands, but not in the band. The members and the director have made their choice, and I respect that choice. I'll come and cheer on the Bison football team as I have done as a member of the band. I'll come and see the