It's that time again. Time for my annual toe-dip into the sporting world. I get to talk football and watch football and cheer for football, and it's my birthday present to myself and no one gets to stop me. In fact, this year, the game I'm attending will actually be on the day of my birthday, which makes it all the more fun for me. And that is what really matters on the annual day of self indulgence, is it not? This will be the 9th year in a row that I've gotten to attend a game, and it's the shortest commute I've ever had since I started my new tradition. In future years, I may go more than once a season now that we've moved back, but for now, one is enough.
My daughter and I went up to the band building and checked out a piccolo for me, and then zoomed downtown to march in the Buffalo Stampede-slash-Homecoming Parade. I don't know what all was going on at the front of the parade, but it made for slow moving in the way back, where a handful of alumni pulled up the rear of the marching band. I tried to play just a little, and without the music, did exceedingly poorly, and soon gave up and just clapped and danced and sang along with the fight songs. I still had fun, but tromping up and down Pearl Street and climbing up the hill to my daughter's car before heading back for dinner wore me out. My feet are already throbbing, and my knees told me that I'd better not try any funny stuff tomorrow.
Last year in alumni band, I got to see a woman I'd marched with for three of my four years in university. Tonight I got to see the woman who was by my side for all four years, first as a member of my four-person squad, then as the leader of it. It's the first time I've gotten to see her since before the kids were born. It made me feel good to have someone of my generation nearby, while all those young alums were grooving out in the parade, and my old friend and I were remembering how much more stoic we were expected to be when we marched in formation. Not that we were ever serious or quiet, we were just discouraged from dancing and taunting like the band does now.
Tomorrow I will have access to the sheet music for the fight songs, so perhaps I can do more than just mime playing and watch the fingers of any piccolo players who might be near enough to copy. Maybe by next year I'll actually have the music memorized again. Shoulder to shoulder we will fight! Fight! Fight-Fight-Fight!
No comments:
Post a Comment