Happy 2010!

I am VERY excited for this brand new year!  But first, some old 2009 news:

Temple Football lost the EagleBank bowl game against UCLA, but they did have a respectable showing score-wise.  It was a very exciting game down in DC in historical RFK stadium (former Redskins stadium) and it was absolutely FREEZING!  But overall, the trip to DC was really nice because the whole band got to spend about 3 days there with lots of free time.  Some friends and I checked out all the historical monuments and sites and also went to the Holocaust Museum, which was very moving and interesting.  Ashley and her brother Jim also came down for the Bowl game so we got to hang out in DC that night.  The next day, the 3 of us all checked out the Museum of Crime and Punishment, which was probably the best $17 I’ve ever spent!  It was SO cool.  They had everything from medieval torture instruments, to info on all types of bank robbers like Bonnie & Clyde, all the “Public Enemies” from the 1930s, the mafia, and even present-day criminals from America’s 100 Most Wanted People.  It was seriously awesome!!

RFK Stadium

Andrew, Greg, Sara, and I in back of the White House

Me in back of the White House

Andrew, Me, Sara, and Greg in front of the Abe Lincoln Memorial

Front of the White House at night

Washington Monument

Washington Monument and the Capitol in the distance

Look who's in the lineup! Recognize anyone...?

Reading up on some famous prisons in the US like Alcatraz, Rikers, and Eastern State

Opening a door in the morgue...creeepy!

After 3 well spent days in DC, we drove back up to Philly for New Year’s Eve and Day.  This year I had a pretty low-key New Year’s but it was definitely the best New Year’s Eve and Day that I’ve ever had!  It was a lot of fun for sure.  We also got to see a little bit of the annual Mummer’s Day Parade since it literally passed by 4 blocks from my house!  Pretty cool.

On January 2nd, Temple Men’s Basketball played the #1 ranked team in the nation, Kansas.  It was a good game, but Temple just couldn’t catch a break and ended up losing by 30+ points.  But I did, however, make it onto national tv on ESPN!  Only for about 2.5 seconds though, haha.  But here is the picture:

Me and some surrounding trumpet players on ESPN!

Ashley & I  had her 2 little cousins up for the day/night.  They came out to the Temple game to support the Owls in their game against Kansas.  Afterward, we took them out to Spaghetti Warehouse.  We ate in the trolley car so the kids loved that and we played some race car games and the claw machine afterward.  It was fun!  The next morning we made breakfast and showed the kids Love Park and the new Comcast building and took lots of pictures.  Then we drove down to Delaware to drop them off and hang out at their house since their mom was having an Eagles party.  It was a lot of fun until the Eagles got shut out by the Cowboys 24-0.  I don’t want to talk about this anymore.  I’m feeling a little too much defeat from the past couple days.

Me with Ash's little cousins Jonathan and Lauren 🙂

Now it’s back to life, back to reality.  Back to work!!  I’m looking forward to the Men’s basketball game against St. Joe’s this upcoming Wednesday night.  More to come soon!!

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And this one time…at band camp…

Sorry..you can never resist that cliché.  It seems that WHENEVER I tell anyone I’m at band camp.. it is always brought up, so I figured I’d bring it up first this time, haha. Sunday evening was our first rehearsal and then we’ve had full days (9am-930pm) Mon, Tues, and today.  Today was our last full day and tomorrow we only have morning block til noon and then the parent preview at 2pm, when friends and family come to the turf field to see what we’ve done the past few days, etc.  

For anyone who doesn’t know, the Diamond Band usually does 3 shows throughout the football season.  We rehearse MWF from 4-6pm and have rehearsals and games on Saturday.  It’s a lot of fun and the rehearsal schedule isn’t bad at all.  The first show we’re doing this season is a Guitar Hero show, featuring Slither by Velvet Revolver, Crazy Train by Ozzy, and Carry On My Wayward Son by Kansas.  Talk about a good line-up, right?  The music is great!!  We got the entire show put on the field, marching and playing, by the end of tonight.  The drill is pretty cool, too, but it just needs to be cleaned.  Our first home football game is Saturday, September 6th vs. UCONN!  We will hopefully and finally get some justice, since we all know Temple won last year’s game at UCONN.  

Anyway, it’s been a long few days, so this is going to be a short post.  I’m exhausted!!  But of course I have some pics to post!!

 

Me and my trumpet at the turf field

 

Some people playing frisbee and relaxing before the night block started (630-930pm)

 

Erin with her baked potato at lunch in the new J&H Dining Hall!!!  It is beautiful inside!!

My trumpet music for Slither..those eighth notes are great to play!

 

Copy of a drill chart for one of the moves during Slither..it’s supposed to look like the actual Guitar Hero game where you can see the buttons moving toward you in the center..

View of the skyline from the field.. so pretty at dusk 🙂

 

That’s all I’ve got for now.. I’m beat!!  Gnight 🙂

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