Saturday, June 30, 2007

The Rooster has left the hen house.

So we had this big surprise concert the other day for the founder of our program. We had to plan the whole thing behind his back, so we came up with the code word "Rooster" for it, because we were premiering a new piece of band music dedicated to Max that was written by a world-renowned composer by a VERY similar name. If we were discussing anything and he walked into the room, one of us would quietly crow and everyone would divert. "When is the Rooster rehearsal?" "Do you have the Rooster badges?" "Donde esta la musica del 'Rooster'?"

Our cover was ALMOST blown when he unexpectedly went to town to go to dinner. (He usually NEVER leaves the house during the program.) He ran into one of our guest performers from Michigan. She teaches for us quite often and for her to be in town and not call him was very suspicious. I was talking a day off in no. California and got her call. So I was trying to tell her to lie to him and say that she WAS planning to surprise him on July 3 (our big graduation ceremony) but that he caught her. But his son said that no, he bought her story that they were just passing through and didn't want to do any "band stuff" this trip.

The look on his face when he walked into the hall and saw the band on stage says that he bought it. BIG time!

Poll change

Which of the annual "Sofa Bed Tour" locations would YOU rather visit?

Orlando, Florida (and the magical mouse house) 7% 1 vote
Wayne, Maine (home of Tubby's ice cream) 21% 3 votes
St. Louis, Missouri (sliding down the arch) 14% 2 votes
Chicago, Illinois (and Lou Malnati's pizza) 14% 2 votes
Ashland, Oregon (Omar's, anyone?) 36% 5 votes
San Francisco, California (Beach Blank Babylon and the Pez Museum) 7% 1 vote

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There was an awful lot of action this time around. Perhaps it's because this "Poll o' the Week" lasted about 4 weeks.

My mother is a technopeasant!

God bless my mom! She sent me an electronic card yesterday, since my birthday is tomorrow. It was the first time I ever got one from her. When I opened it, it was a slideshow of all 50 state flowers that formed an outline of an eagle at the end. Her message was "Hope you HAD (emphasis mine) a great birthday and 4th of July." Today is June 30. God love her!

Saturday, June 23, 2007

Sing Along for Stress Relief

We just finished Session A, Day 2. If you're in the program, you'll know what that means. Now that things have settled in, it was time to blow off some steam. We have staff/conductor dinner parties twice a week; the staff gets invited to one of the time, but I go help with the clean-up for all of them. The menu is the same every time - taco salad and ice cream pie in a chocolate crust. The first staff dinner party was tonight, but no taco salad for me tonight. My dinner night is Monday.

After clean-up, it was off to karaoke night at the Wild Goose. We knew it was going to be special when The Mayor called to tell them we were coming. I believe his exact words were "Get the beer on ice and the pig in the ground cuz we're coming." Their response was "We remember you from last year. Didn't you all get drunk and sing Johnny Cash all night?"

Some people have GREAT memories. Some have great taste.

Wednesday, June 20, 2007

Blood is NOT funny!

Unless you are listening to this little guy. Sorry - I was REALLY bored, and this is just hysterical!

EXHAUSTED!

Today is Day T-1 (Target minus 1) for ABC, the summer sleep-away camp for band directors. We the staff have been busting tail for the past 3 days getting everything set up and ready. Today is the entrance exam for the newbies, although the new "all computer" version had a glitch and I got the call: "BING! We need all the pencils you can find. STAT!" Happy to do it, but I had to sharpen them first.

I'm fading in and out of consciousness, though. All the newbies had to check in yesterday and were SUPPOSED to be in the dorms by 9 PM. I got the dubious honor of being on call for the those who were late due to bad travel mojo, something of which I am very familiar. There were only two, which wouldn't be so bad, but the first was at 1 AM and the second was at 2:30 AM. I barely slept in between and then had to open registration again at 7:30 AM today.

Can't wait to sleep today!

It's an epidemic!

Tia has joined the blogging world. She said she was inspired, and even suggested that PERHAPS "The Bing Blog" played a minor role. In any case, I wish her the best, and HIGHLY suggest you visit Life With Tia often, and post your words of encouragement to her. If you don't know her, you'll like her. After all, she IS a friend of mine. Unless you hate me, in which case why are you reading "The Bing Blog" in the first place? SHEESH! Get a life!

Monday, June 18, 2007

Monster vs. 3 year old

Since I was already on YouTube, I saw this and since it made me laugh, I thought I should share.

And watch your mouth around the children!

Marimba Ponies

Ummmm....no comment. The video speaks for itself. FREAKIN' amazing! I love the cymbal player.

And this one just kills me. Couldn't they just buy him a stepstool or something?

Amazing!

Friday, June 15, 2007

In case you were thinking...

THIS would make a WONDERFUL addition to the collection for anyone who may be having a birthday sometime soon. (I'm referring to the gift boxed set at the bottom.)

THESE are also very nice.

Thursday, June 14, 2007

Does Madonna need a nanny?

Last night, Donald Miller talked about how good stories are written and how we're to live our lives like a good story. He talked about his 25 year old friend who is currently working to build 1000 wells in Africa. Martha asked on the way out if it made me want to sell everything I own and more to some 3rd World country. I don't need Donald Miller to tell me what a selfish loser I am; I am FULLY capable of feeling that on my own, thank you very much!

Martha said she had a dream last night about being Madonna's nanny. When she woke up, she realized that it pertained to last night's message and perhaps God was calling her out for a bigger purpose. It definitely would be a challenge, as she really doesn't care much for Madonna.

As for me, God might be calling, but it's going straight to voicemail.

Wednesday, June 13, 2007

I kept the receipt!

After reading this, I don't feel so guilty that I want to return the "gift." I've been wearing it like a trooper, but t isn't really my style.

Hurricane Preparedness

This e-mail was sent to me today...I wish I could claim it as original material!
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To: Ex-Floridians, present Floridians, those who visit Florida, future Floridians or those who know a Floridian.

We're about to enter the peak of the hurricane season. Any day now, you're going to turn on the TV and see a weather person pointing to some radar blob out in the Atlantic or Gulf of Mexico and making two basic meteorological points:

(1) There is no need to panic.
(2) We could all be killed.

Yes, hurricane season is an exciting time to be in Florida. If you're new to the area, you're probably wondering what you need to do to prepare for the possibility that we'll get hit by "the big one.''

Based on our experiences, we recommend that you follow this simple three-step hurricane preparedness plan:

STEP 1. Buy enough food and bottled water to last your family for at least three days.
STEP 2. Put these supplies into your car.
STEP 3. Drive to Iowa and remain there until Thanksgiving.

Unfortunately, statistics show that most people will not follow this sensible plan. Most people will foolishly stay here in Florida.

We'll start with one of the most important hurricane preparedness items:

HOMEOWNERS' INSURANCE: If you own a home, you must have hurricane insurance. Fortunately, this insurance is cheap and easy to get, as long as your home meets two basic requirements:

(1) It is reasonably well-built, and
(2) It is located in Iowa.

Unfortunately, if your home is located in Florida, or any other area that might actually be hit by a hurricane, most insurance companies would prefer not to sell you hurricane insurance, because then they might be required to pay YOU money, and that is certainly not why they got into the insurance business in the first place.

So you'll have to scrounge around for an insurance company, which will charge you an annual premium roughly equal to the replacement value of your house. At any moment, this company can drop you like used dental floss.

Since Hurricane Andrew, I have had an estimated 27 different home-insurance companies. This week, I'm covered by the Bob and Big Stan Insurance Company, under a policy which states that, in addition to my premium, Bob and Big Stan are entitled, on demand, to my kidneys.

SHUTTERS: Your house should have hurricane shutters on all the windows and all the doors. There are several types of shutters, with advantages and disadvantages:

Plywood shutters: The advantage is that, because you make them yourself, they're cheap. The disadvantage is that, because you make them yourself, they will fall off.

Sheet-metal shutters: The advantage is that these work well, once you get them all up. The disadvantage is that once you get them all up, your hands will be useless bleeding stumps, and it will be December.

Roll-down shutters: The advantages are that they're very easy to use, and will definitely protect your house. The disadvantage is that you will have to sell your house to pay for them.

"Hurricane-proof'' windows: These are the newest wrinkle in hurricane protection: They look like ordinary windows, but they can withstand hurricane winds! You can be sure of this, because the salesman says so. He lives in Iowa.

"Hurricane Proofing Your Property: As the hurricane approaches, check your yard for movable objects like barbecue grills, planters, patio furniture, visiting relatives, etc.; you should, as a precaution, throw these items into your swimming pool (if you don't have a swimming pool, you should have one built immediately). Otherwise, the hurricane winds will turn these objects into deadly missiles.

EVACUATION ROUTE: If you live in a low-lying area, you should have an evacuation route planned out. (To determine whether you live in a low-lying area, look at your driver's license; if it says "Florida" you live in a low-lying area.) The purpose of having an evacuation route is to avoid being trapped in your home when a major storm hits. Instead, you will be trapped in a gigantic traffic jam several miles from your home, along with two hundred thousand other evacuees. So, as a bonus, you will not be lonely.

HURRICANE SUPPLIES: If you don't evacuate, you will need a mess of supplies. Do not buy them now! Florida tradition requires that you wait until the last possible minute, then go to the supermarket and get into vicious fights with strangers over who gets the last can of SPAM. In addition to food and water, you will need the following supplies:

23 Flashlights. At least $167 worth of batteries that turn out, when the power goes out, to be the wrong size for the flashlights.

Bleach. (No, I don't know what the bleach is for. NOBODY knows what the bleach is for. But it's traditional, so GET some!)

A 55-gallon drum of underarm deodorant.

A big knife that you can strap to your leg. (This will be useless in a hurricane, but it looks cool.)

A large quantity of raw chicken, to placate the alligators. (Ask anybody who went through Andrew; after the hurricane, there WILL be irate alligators.)

$35,000 in cash or diamonds so that, after the hurricane passes, you can buy a generator from a man with no discernible teeth.

Of course these are just basic precautions. As the hurricane draws near, it is vitally important that you keep abreast of the situation by turning on your television and watching TV reporters in rain slickers stand right next to the ocean and tell you over and over how vitally important it is for everybody to stay away from the ocean.

Good luck and remember: it's great living in paradise! Really!

Crackbox 360

I'm in Chicago visiting R, M and their new little one. SO cute, but you have to feel for the kid if you've met the parents. I'm starting the therapy fund now.

Anyway, they have an XBox 360 AND we unlocked the video version of Settlers of Catan. Just call it electronic crack and leave it at that!

We're going to church at the mothership tonight. Donald Miller (Blue Like Jazz) is speaking and David Crowder Band is performing. Should be fun!

Move over, Judy Garland

Just saw this and had to share it. Enjoy!

Monday, June 11, 2007

The Ice Man Cometh

Precious and I went to the Arch today. It was really high, but a little cloudy so I didn't get to slide down the feather side like Precious' dad says you're supposed to do. I finally got to see the movie that Tia quotes all the time..."and the thing was done...."

I got to see a puppet say "trap the beaver." This was a first for me, and I enjoyed it immensely. I tried to take a picture of it, but it was blurry. Then a bear ate the trapper, and being philosophically opposed to gratuitous violence, we left the puppet show.

Afterwards we met Scooter for dinner. Yummy, but alas, I didn't take a picture for my food diary. The highlight of our evening was the busboy for our table. I think it was his first job EVER (as he appeared to be about 12 years old) and he was bound and determined to do it well. His main job during the meal was to refresh the ice in our glasses. He did this about 12 times. At one point, Scooter's glass was nothing but ice while my glass was nothing but water. We giggled madly about this throughout the evening, then came back to Precious' house and recreated the event. We giggled some more.

And then, we were done.

Play Ball!

Yesterday, Precious and Scooter took me to a Cardinals game. It was a little rainy, but luckily, Precious has this genetic poncho trait and so we were quite prepared. The Cards won; it was very exciting. Afterwards, we did took the traditional post-game trip to Ted Drewes for frozen custard. I had the "Flying Dutchman" with chocolate, butterscotch and walnuts. I added that photo to my visual food diary.

Sunday, June 10, 2007

Meet me in St. Louis

So Precious (as I'm calling my St. Louis host, since she IS precious AND she collects Precious Moments) started the new leg of the sofa bed tour off with Mickey Mouse pancakes. See? She IS precious.

We're going to the Cardinals game today. It's "Pooches in the Park" and people paid $80 to bring their dogs to the park. I want to buy one of those "invisible dogs on a leash" and take my own. Either that or one of those fancy "dog purses" for my invisible chihuahua. It'd be funny and I have an invisible ticket.

Precious said no.

Travel Mojo

Getting from Maine to St. Louis yesterday was QUITE the challenge. The amazing thing is that NONE of the cities I went through were on the originally scheduled itinerary!

It started with an autmated call at 7 AM from the airline (which shall remain nameless) saying that my flight from Portland to La Guardia was going to be SO delayed that I would miss my connection to Pittsburgh, and the subsequent flight to St. Louis. When I got to the Portland airport, they "booked" (please note the quotes; they will reappear later in the saga) me on a direct flight on another airline from Boston to St. Louis and put me in a cab for a 2 hour ride to Boston.

Well, their definition of "booking" a flight and the new airline's definition did not seem to match. I ended up going on Airline A (which shall stay nameless, as I officially dislike them GREATLY) to Charlotte and THEN to St. Louis. I had a 10 minute layover. Thank goodness the gates were close!

The good news is I made it to St. Louis, and only 4 hours late.
The bad news is that I will try to avoid US Air at all costs in the future. Or is that good news?......

Friday, June 08, 2007

Thumbs undecided; nope, down....

Saw the movie Waitress tonight. I have to really process through it but I'm pretty sure I hated it. It was really well done, but just punched me the wrong way.

Let's see: Jenna is trapped in a miserable marriage, gets pregnant with a baby she doesn't want, has an affair with her married gynocologist but then everything is right with the world when the baby is born.

Yeah, I hated it.

Tubby's - 3rd time's the charm

Today's selection: Yellow Butter Brickle with granola coat and chocolate dip, plus I added some glazed pecans that I received as a gift from a student. YUMMY! Lamburrito had black raspberry with chocolate jimmys - also yummy! Then Tubby took us to his back office to see the new website. By the time we left, one of the employees was having a raspberry chocolate chip that looked DEEE-licious. Before I could wipe the drool off of my lip, there was a sample cone in my hand.

I'm leaving Maine tomorrow. I'll miss Tubby's tremendously.

Thursday, June 07, 2007

Tubby's report, take 2

Time: 2:30 PM
pre-ice cream warm-up act: grilled cheese for me, hot dog for lamburrito
main course: I chose the chocolate chip cookie dough in a cup, with the chocolate shell topping. Lamburrito discovered the "Almond Joy:" coconut ice cream, almond slivers and chocolate shell.

Tomorrow I'm going for something fruity.

More sugary delights

Due to technical difficulties, the image of the yummy chocolate covered cream puff that was happily consumed at Moody's diner yesterday is unavailable. We apologize for this inconvenience.

Tuesday, June 05, 2007

Tubby's Report

Tuesday, June 5, 2007
8:17 PM
61 degrees, partly cloudy
UV index: 0 Low
Winds from S @ 5 mph
Humidity: 94%
Pressure: 29.50 in.
Flavor: regular Butter Pecan sundae with hot fudge, whipped cream, chocolate sprinkles and a cherry.

Driving Ms. Bing

This was part of an e-mail exchange with D in Orlando. I spent the weekend up there but was too tired to drive home Sunday night. I got up at 5 AM Monday morning to drive back to Miami.
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I’m here, safe and sound (and TIRED) and JUST as I walked in to the office, my secretary told me she had my 10 o’clock on the phone. Seems the kid now wants to drop band and go to drama. Then I check my e-mail, and my advanced euphonium player decided to take study hall instead.

I guess the thing that pimps me off the most is that I got a call last week from a parent whose daughter wanted to switch from Chorus to Band and the principal convinced me that the chorus numbers were dangerously low, and asked if the student could just stay in chorus. But today I lost two. I’m ready to blow, because what they are saying (through actions, not words) is that any kid can change at any time, depending on who’s fielding the call that day, AND I could come back in July with significantly different numbers and instrumentation than I have right now.

That’s a very soothing, calming way to start a summer vacation.

HAPPY FREAKIN’ SUMMER VACATION!

Time to change the poll

WOW! This poll was up for quite a long time. So sorry I've been negligient. The last few weeks have been full of activity, and not much blog worthy inspiration....

Would you rather:
simultaneously sustain 20,000 mosquito bites 80% 4 votes
consume Charmin until you die? 20% 1 votes
5 votes total

Mr. G - Can You Move?

If you thought I was a whack job, you should really check THIS out!

(I apologize to the G Man, as this video doesn't not include the usual anonymity that The Bing Blog prefers, but it was just too good not to include!)

Sunday, June 03, 2007

The Annual Tour....

The summer vacation tour is gearing up, and should prove to be a good one. I'm currently on a short jaunt to Orlando. We went to SeaWorld yesterday, which I haven't been to in YEARS. Tuesday, I leave for the real deal. It looks like this:
June 5 - Maine
June 9 - St. Louis
June 12 - Chicago
June 16-July 11 - Ashland
July 12-16 - Orlando

Then a break, then:

Aug 2-5 - San Francisco.

The problem now is that I have to pack!