Marching band begins again.

Dear Readers!
  Hello and greetings! It's 12:20 am the one time of day I feel fully awake and sparky, my friends tell me I need to sleep more, but I say "It's summer! Sleep is wasting time!" Or something like that. Anyway it's coming around to that time of year again, band season. Actually with the arrival of our new Director Mr. D, we have had bi-weekly practices all summer, so it's not quite the shock we usually get. In any case, I have to admit some parts of practice have been really fun. This week, we had rehearsal on Monday and Wednesday we solely worked on marching, drill, basics, and of course posture.

    In the past there were many parts of band I did like, but very few of them centered around the actual marching of drill or playing the music (for all you true band geeks out there, I'm sorry if I'm breaking your hearts) but this year there is something different in the air, a spark of enjoyment, that well may send up a wildfire of band love. For one thing the energy surrounding the band is COMPLETELY different this year, maybe that's just my opinion, but there you have it. Everything feels younger, fresher, and yet more serious. Instead of ages of warmups we have a quick to-the-point one, along with some music. Although I don't enjoy listening to mainy strains of modern music, music played while an action is going on always makes me feel like I'm in a movie, which even if the situation is dismal, makes it fun for me. So that has really helped. And then being older, a senior (can you believe that!), definetly adds a spark of fun. Running back and fourth to sets, high fiveing a friend, standing at attention head held high, shoulders back allowing yourself to carry your body in a way you don't do in normal crowds, there is something strangly fun about that.
     Also I think it's nice to have an active purpose again, at heart I'm an active person, I love to move to jump, but only with a true purpose. Helping my band become good, well I have deemed that a fit purpose. I just feel good about it this year, and even though half way through rehearsal, after an hour and half of standing on hot black asphalt and all you want to do is curl up in an air conditioned room, I keep going back. This year is going to be a good one, all parts of it. I state that here and now, and then with that I bid you good night.

Hallo Readers!

Hallo Readers! How are you all? As you can see I am in a chipper mood, as you can probably see. My mum stayed home from the temple tonight and we watched Whale Rider, possibly one of the best movies of all time. Oh and it's rained all day, which I positively love! I love rain, it's so wet, and fresh, like the world is getting a bath and you get to help. The thing is I wasn't in a good mood the whole day. In fact much of the day I was positively dreadful, but I decided about eight O' Clock that for the next 24 hours I will be blissful. Period. End of Story. So There. In any case I will just briefly mention the past week of my life since I last wrote. Had a party (was wonderful), finished online summer classes (happy day) realized I still have way to much work before end of summer (for the sake of fun, what possessed me to take AP classes?), went on a roller coaster of emotions (Oh being a teenager), tried to sew a dress (I'm still working on, ahhhh I hate patterns!), visited a farm and got to pet cows (I LOVE cows), went to band practice, and.... watched my babies grow! So yes... busy. I don't have much else to say, I mean there is a lot I COULD say, but not sure what to say, so I think I'll leave this entry as a check in one for now! P.S, picture credits: the two of archers were taken by me. They feature my friends Elfi (from the back) and Tori (closeup) the one of the group was taken by my dear father.

Happy Birthday... Me!

OK I'll say it completely without shame. I love my birthday, I love presents, I love the attention, I love that every birthday I have ever had (that I remember) has been a beautiful day, I know it's strange to write this the day AFTER my birthday, but to me it's the same day, haven't gone to bed yet, and this is the first time I had all day. So Yes, today I turned seventeen years old. For some reason beyond my comprehension seventeen feels soooooo much older then sixteen does! Last year I tried to make my birthday this huge special day cause it was my sweet sixteen, and Paz had flown in from Seattle, and I ended up not even enjoying myself! But this year I had so much fun! I relaxed in my P.J.'s all morning working on a sewing project and watching The Lord Of The Rings. Then went to lunch with my parents at my favorite restaurant, North Star Cafe, came home played with my .... one of my presents. Later in the evening I went to the temple and sat for Satsang, sorta kinda did Pratiksha Paada Pooja* and got birthday blessings from Swamiji. I am having a party tomorrow, but it will be a calm affair, with just some of my closest friends from Delaware. So what did I get? Well my sister gave me two pet baby geese. One week apart whom I named Gertrude (the older) and Gwenivere (The younger, and cuter, pictured above) I also got a brand new camera which is very nice, and took the wonderful pictures I hope you looked at. Also my dear friend Kismet made me the beautiful (vegan!) cake pictured above. Thank You! *Yippee footnotes! I have always wanted to do these, even though I hate it when other people use them, so distracting, anyway I haven't gone or watched Satsang in ages, but completely amazed myself by knowing almost every word to every Sanskrit mantra uttered during the long, but yes beautiful pooja. It was funny doing it, because I'm sitting there sideways to Swamiji, concentrating so hard on doing the pooja perfect, I was completely focused on the action itself and forgot to whom I was preforming. Then our temple head whispers to me to actually wave the lamp at Swamiji himself, not just his golden Paadukas (spelling?) sitting before us. Suddenly it hits me, wow! I'm doing Pooja to Swamiji! It was cool.

OH and By the way, thank you very much friends of facebook who wished me happy birthday. It was pretty awesome logging on and seeing all of your good wishes! Well that's all for now, hopefully I'll write about my party, and pet geese. Don't expect anything to soon though.

Boats and Electricity

It's funny the habits we humans get into. Habits such as flipping a light switch when one walks into a room. Two days ago at about 4:30 pm a huge storm swept though central Columbus area where I live devastating trees and soaking everything in one of the first rains of summer. And although the storm was interesting in itself it had even more interest for me. I and two good friends of mine a girl I like to call Elfi, and another friend called Tori and I were at the beginning of a simple, but fun adventure. Our plan was to put in my brand new (to me) canoe at a park in town and then canoe down river to my house where we would camp out in the yard All of this acting like the pioneers of the 1850s. (A great love of mine) silly perhaps, but safe and fun. Well in out long cotton dresses we started off on the journey safe and sound. The only issues being being startled by a large carp swimming near the surface of the water and having to drag the boat over some rocks as the water level was to shallow. Where we were in the river there where three bridges in a row. After passing under the first bridge we noticed dark clouds gathering in the sky. Summer had been so hot and dry we figured it would just a small rain and so kept on. Just as we reached the second bridge; large. Fat drops started to pour from the sky. We sat beneath the bridge in our boat hurriedly trying to cover our precious things. My dad called telling us a severe storm was on the way and we arranged to meet him at the third bridge which was a place we could pull out the canoe. About a quarter of the way there thunder started to boom around us and streaks of lightning lighted the sky. We kept trying to move forward until my dad appeared on the side of the bank halfway to that bridge and told us to pull up. We did so, the rain was pouring so hard no we were completely soaked and could barely see in front of us, there was no way we could have pulled the canoe up the steep embankment, but we had to get to shelter. We left the canoe under an over hanging tree and scrambled up the bank we started to walk to the library the closest building while my dad ran to the car, which was further away. Just as we reached the bike path that led along next to the river a huge cotton wood tree fell just where we had been on the shoreline. The three of us looked at each other and despite out wet dresses and heavy loads (paddles, a basket of food, life jackets, water bottles, and other things) started to run flat out. We had to struggle against the driving wind and rain and when we reached the “cover” of a handy overpass halfway to the library we stopped to catch some air. We were all laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation and also half crying at the close call we had just had. Then gathering up our wet skirts ran the final distance to the overhang of the library which was out of power. Later after many games of scrabble and using all the remaining power on my laptop to watch the lord of the rings. We still couldn't believe what had happened. By this point the power was off at my house and the many candles we had lit cast and eerie glow on the walls of the house. It's funny how the lack of power changes everything, one feels there isn't anything to do. Keeps being tricked by the lack of light insistently trying to turn on a light that isn't there. The temple too has no power and so all of our main volunteers spent the majority of the day at a nearby devotee's house who did have that precious electricity. I for one had to work on my online summer school. And despite this “inconvenience” I immensely enjoyed myself. Getting to hang out like a true temple family all day and then at night coming home to the novelty of a candle lit house. Reading by candle light and preparing my evening tea over a tiny propane gas stove. I suppose thats all. Oh just a word about the canoe as you can see from pictures above the cotton wood that feel landed exactly on the canoe and we couldn't budge it. When dad and I went the next morning to see if we could get it out, it had been stolen. So If anyone sees a large metal canoe laying suspiciously about please do tell! Besides that enjoy you lights and HOT water. My cold shower this morning was not the worse thing in the whole world, but there is something about hot water....