Oh! What a Circus!
1) i'm still not sure if last week was good or bad. I got an 81 and an 84 on my calc and circuits exams that I thought I fucked up. I keep forgetting that most grades are on a curve, which potentially means anything above an 80 could be an A. However, most of us on Co-Op are pretty smart, so I doubt I'm ahead of the curve. Also, I'm not really doing my homework, or at least doing it on time. I'm just getting lazy, which is REALLY bad because I got into that slump junior and senior year in high school (which got me a 3.48 GPA rather than the 3.5 I needed to be eligible for a bunch of scholarships). I keep letting that get to me, and I don't want it to happen again. Last semester, I had a 3.46 GPA bringing my cum from 3.64 to a 3.54 which is wayyyyyyyy too dangerously close 9I didn't make Dean's List because it's by semester, not cumulative). I hope today I can get EVERYTHING done and get myself back on track.
2) DWAT event yesterday down in Gaithursburg, MD- a two and a half hour drive away. I wasn't originally supposed to work that event, but Corey learned he had to go into UPS due to a computer glitch. He called me on Wednesday, I told him I could work it, but confirming that someone else was suppoed going with me. He said it's an event one person can handle, but he didn't want to put me in that scenario because I've only done 4 events. There are five other people working for Corey. Between Wednesday and today at least, ALL of their phone numbers (both home and cell) were disconnected (and none of them have e-mail). Corey finally called me Friday night saying he was fortunately able to contact Michelle to go with me. However, Michelle doesn't actually have a driver's license (which was REQUIRED to work for DWAT!) so I would have to do ALL of the driving (which I wasn't too excited about).
When Corey picked me up on Saturday morning, he said he had bad news and good news: Michelle decided that she actually couldn't work because she suddenly felt she had to visit her mother in the hospital. The good news was the problem was fixed at UPS so Corey was going to go with me. I was pumped- Corey is awesome, and at least during 5 hours of driving and a 6 hour event we'd get to know each other a little better. As expected, the day was good, but VERY tiring. I was thankful that I didn't have to drive back considering I passed out in the car. In general, i'm thankful for the experience, the day, and of course, the money.
read more at theimagineer livejournal.
3) Last night was Drum Corps International (DCI) opening day in Annapolis, MD (I was only an hour away at DWAT). It capped off the National Anthem Week, with all competing units and over 2,000 chorus school kids singing the national anthem at once (in addition, it was a nationwide event, people across the country were singing it). I was originally planning on watching the live webcast online, but I didn't get back from DWAT until 11:30. Here's the highlights of all competitions yesterday (not JUST annapolis): (don't worry, updates in the future won't be as detailed).
NOTE ABOUT SCORES: There are 16 categories, 8 judges each have 2 categories to score (ranging from General Effect (Brass/Visual), Music Performance, and Visual Performance). All total scores are out of 100pts. That's all you need to know.
1) Blue Devils- 75.9- No recap available, competed at separate event, NOT with other corps listed.
2) Cavaliers (aka "Cavies")- 73.9- Although came in 3rd for Music General Effect, nabbed 1st for Visual General Effect, which means that their show will be VERY interesting to watch (as usual, Cavalier's music might not be top notch, but they definitely have the best visual program in DCI).
3) Phantom Regiment- 72.8- Again, competed at separate event, NOT with other corps listed.
4) BlueCoats- 71.6- A HUGE gap between first and second! but shows that the BlueCoats definitely have potential this year to place for the first time in their history. Maybe the new badass standpoint is working?
5) The Cadets- 70.7- Nabbed best brass performance! Not surprising, considering the only tracks on their pre-season recording that are decent are thir show music tracks. It's obvious they put a shitload of effort into their show, but not much else. I admit, I'm not up to their par playing wise, which means I'll have motivation to practice!
6) Carolina Crown- 70.35- I know I didn't mention Crown before, but I didn't think they'd be in the running. Typically a 7-12th year end rank corps, this year have obviously shown great improvement. They nabbed 1st for Music General Effect, and also received the first audience-elected "hot chops of the night" (a phone texting survey sponsored by "chops saver" lip balm for brass players). It will be fun to see how they fare in the rest of the season (their show is called "Tribute to the Triple Crown" and is themed on horseracing and the William Tell Overture).
I will most likely keep following these 6 corps (possible a seventh in the future). It's funny seeing scores now in the low 70s (note all 6 corps are within 5 points of each other) yet by August their scores will be in the high 90s (probably 3 points within each other). One tenth of a point could knock you out of finals!
Hope you had fun- There's more competitions tonight, so i'll have another update tomorrow. For now, it's back to the grind with more homework!
>-ttt-< :)
2) DWAT event yesterday down in Gaithursburg, MD- a two and a half hour drive away. I wasn't originally supposed to work that event, but Corey learned he had to go into UPS due to a computer glitch. He called me on Wednesday, I told him I could work it, but confirming that someone else was suppoed going with me. He said it's an event one person can handle, but he didn't want to put me in that scenario because I've only done 4 events. There are five other people working for Corey. Between Wednesday and today at least, ALL of their phone numbers (both home and cell) were disconnected (and none of them have e-mail). Corey finally called me Friday night saying he was fortunately able to contact Michelle to go with me. However, Michelle doesn't actually have a driver's license (which was REQUIRED to work for DWAT!) so I would have to do ALL of the driving (which I wasn't too excited about).
When Corey picked me up on Saturday morning, he said he had bad news and good news: Michelle decided that she actually couldn't work because she suddenly felt she had to visit her mother in the hospital. The good news was the problem was fixed at UPS so Corey was going to go with me. I was pumped- Corey is awesome, and at least during 5 hours of driving and a 6 hour event we'd get to know each other a little better. As expected, the day was good, but VERY tiring. I was thankful that I didn't have to drive back considering I passed out in the car. In general, i'm thankful for the experience, the day, and of course, the money.
read more at theimagineer livejournal.
3) Last night was Drum Corps International (DCI) opening day in Annapolis, MD (I was only an hour away at DWAT). It capped off the National Anthem Week, with all competing units and over 2,000 chorus school kids singing the national anthem at once (in addition, it was a nationwide event, people across the country were singing it). I was originally planning on watching the live webcast online, but I didn't get back from DWAT until 11:30. Here's the highlights of all competitions yesterday (not JUST annapolis): (don't worry, updates in the future won't be as detailed).
NOTE ABOUT SCORES: There are 16 categories, 8 judges each have 2 categories to score (ranging from General Effect (Brass/Visual), Music Performance, and Visual Performance). All total scores are out of 100pts. That's all you need to know.
1) Blue Devils- 75.9- No recap available, competed at separate event, NOT with other corps listed.
2) Cavaliers (aka "Cavies")- 73.9- Although came in 3rd for Music General Effect, nabbed 1st for Visual General Effect, which means that their show will be VERY interesting to watch (as usual, Cavalier's music might not be top notch, but they definitely have the best visual program in DCI).
3) Phantom Regiment- 72.8- Again, competed at separate event, NOT with other corps listed.
4) BlueCoats- 71.6- A HUGE gap between first and second! but shows that the BlueCoats definitely have potential this year to place for the first time in their history. Maybe the new badass standpoint is working?
5) The Cadets- 70.7- Nabbed best brass performance! Not surprising, considering the only tracks on their pre-season recording that are decent are thir show music tracks. It's obvious they put a shitload of effort into their show, but not much else. I admit, I'm not up to their par playing wise, which means I'll have motivation to practice!
6) Carolina Crown- 70.35- I know I didn't mention Crown before, but I didn't think they'd be in the running. Typically a 7-12th year end rank corps, this year have obviously shown great improvement. They nabbed 1st for Music General Effect, and also received the first audience-elected "hot chops of the night" (a phone texting survey sponsored by "chops saver" lip balm for brass players). It will be fun to see how they fare in the rest of the season (their show is called "Tribute to the Triple Crown" and is themed on horseracing and the William Tell Overture).
I will most likely keep following these 6 corps (possible a seventh in the future). It's funny seeing scores now in the low 70s (note all 6 corps are within 5 points of each other) yet by August their scores will be in the high 90s (probably 3 points within each other). One tenth of a point could knock you out of finals!
Hope you had fun- There's more competitions tonight, so i'll have another update tomorrow. For now, it's back to the grind with more homework!
>-ttt-< :)