Homecoming headaches
It's my 25th reunion year for college, and once everything with the former president settled down, I decided to attend a few things--the concert and game like I've been doing, plus the tailgate/reception prior to the game. Avery reached out and will participate in those as well, though possibly on a truncated schedule as she had a potential conflict for the game. Her boyfriend would be coming to dinner and the concert on Friday, so that could be fun to watch him experience that.
And then something popped up for the concert: I was invited to perform in it. I agreed, and I was given the music...and I heard nothing more about it. I finally reached out to my college band director about it last week and went, hey, I kind of had plans to go to dinner before the concert; can you pass along some details so I can let my friend and her boyfriend know what's going on? And he finally shared some info late last week...which means my dinner plans, as originally planned, are off. He was all, oh, there will be time to get dinner between 6:30 and 7:30! ...Really? Has he tried to get dinner in an hour's time in downtown Naperville on a Friday? And that's not where we'd be getting dinner at anyway, and I'm not going to get there and secure parking then abandon my space, and I will have to freshen myself up after eating anyway, because it is terrible to eat and then play a wind instrument. You have to at least rinse your mouth with water, if not full-on brush your teeth.
At least I'm able to bring people along to the reception, even if I have no idea if there will be food-food there or not. I brought up the schedule to Avery and she and her boyfriend are game to go to the reception, if only to have a chance to hang out with me. There's an initial rehearsal with just the flutes--this would basically be how I discovered it's really only the flutes, not any alums ever, hence why trombone D hadn't heard anything about it--from 6-6:30, then the reception from 6:30-7:30, then rehearsal with the band at 7:30. Past that, I don't know. Larry figured the band would go on about 8:45. I'm hoping I can at least watch the choirs from our seats, since Avery did get me a ticket. Alas, no Chinese Kitchen at 5:15 like we've done in the past, where it takes us half an hour to order because we just start talking right away. I have to get to school and warm up and such, and I'll have to eat something beforehand just in case whatever's at the reception isn't anything that will sit well with me.
This has been my latest stressor, truthfully. I haven't slept well in a couple days, in part because I'm having anxiety about what instrument I'd be playing. I was the college's piccolo player for five years. If I'm doing the obbligato, I'd better be playing it on piccolo. And yet if I get there and that's my only instrument and they're all like, it's flute only, then it would be bad form to flounce, you know? So when I emailed Larry to say I'd have three at the reception and I'd make both rehearsals, I did ask about instruments. Like, I *really* don't want to do this on flute. I've been practicing it on piccolo. Hell, years ago during an alumni band concert, I performed it on piccolo with the college kids, who were grateful to have me there because they couldn't play it! According to trombone P, the flute section still can't handle it. Like, was I the last person who was able to play it with this group? Come on. That was in 1997, kids. (Our Chinese New Year performance down at the Hilton downtown, I believe, with the infamous Chinese dinner that was legit Chinese food, not American Chinese food, so a bunch of us went to Wendy's afterward.)
And then something popped up for the concert: I was invited to perform in it. I agreed, and I was given the music...and I heard nothing more about it. I finally reached out to my college band director about it last week and went, hey, I kind of had plans to go to dinner before the concert; can you pass along some details so I can let my friend and her boyfriend know what's going on? And he finally shared some info late last week...which means my dinner plans, as originally planned, are off. He was all, oh, there will be time to get dinner between 6:30 and 7:30! ...Really? Has he tried to get dinner in an hour's time in downtown Naperville on a Friday? And that's not where we'd be getting dinner at anyway, and I'm not going to get there and secure parking then abandon my space, and I will have to freshen myself up after eating anyway, because it is terrible to eat and then play a wind instrument. You have to at least rinse your mouth with water, if not full-on brush your teeth.
At least I'm able to bring people along to the reception, even if I have no idea if there will be food-food there or not. I brought up the schedule to Avery and she and her boyfriend are game to go to the reception, if only to have a chance to hang out with me. There's an initial rehearsal with just the flutes--this would basically be how I discovered it's really only the flutes, not any alums ever, hence why trombone D hadn't heard anything about it--from 6-6:30, then the reception from 6:30-7:30, then rehearsal with the band at 7:30. Past that, I don't know. Larry figured the band would go on about 8:45. I'm hoping I can at least watch the choirs from our seats, since Avery did get me a ticket. Alas, no Chinese Kitchen at 5:15 like we've done in the past, where it takes us half an hour to order because we just start talking right away. I have to get to school and warm up and such, and I'll have to eat something beforehand just in case whatever's at the reception isn't anything that will sit well with me.
This has been my latest stressor, truthfully. I haven't slept well in a couple days, in part because I'm having anxiety about what instrument I'd be playing. I was the college's piccolo player for five years. If I'm doing the obbligato, I'd better be playing it on piccolo. And yet if I get there and that's my only instrument and they're all like, it's flute only, then it would be bad form to flounce, you know? So when I emailed Larry to say I'd have three at the reception and I'd make both rehearsals, I did ask about instruments. Like, I *really* don't want to do this on flute. I've been practicing it on piccolo. Hell, years ago during an alumni band concert, I performed it on piccolo with the college kids, who were grateful to have me there because they couldn't play it! According to trombone P, the flute section still can't handle it. Like, was I the last person who was able to play it with this group? Come on. That was in 1997, kids. (Our Chinese New Year performance down at the Hilton downtown, I believe, with the infamous Chinese dinner that was legit Chinese food, not American Chinese food, so a bunch of us went to Wendy's afterward.)