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Jul. 4th, 2004 11:23 pmAs usual, when my life is busy and actually rather interesting, I'm too tired to write about it. Let's see...
First major event: June 29: my first Armstrong (6-pounder) gun race at the Fort. Upon the advice of my seniors, I accepted an invitation to join a team some time back. "It's a lot of fun!" they told us. To tell the truth: if I'd been able to do it without letting my team down, I would have quit some time ago. I'm not good at dealing with stressful and hurried situations, especially when handling gunpowder. And getting to the morning practices (in uniform and shone by 8 o'clock!) has done nothing but harm to my physical and mental health. All the same: once the race was underway and I realized I was capable of getting through without falling or disqualifying the team, it was a bit thrilling (if also terrifying). Each team is guaranteed to compete in at least two races. As luck would have it--and I suspect it was mostly luck--my team won that particular race.
Second major event: June 30: our first Sunset Ceremony (a.k.a. "show"). Also quite terrifying, but a bit more familiar because we've rehearsed everything at least a couple times. The Drums had a number of bizarre, superstitious, pagan-esque rituals to perform beforehand in order to assure a good show--all sanctified, nay, encouraged by the Drum Major, I might add. The strangest involved the ritual sacrifice of a spider, burnt in a shoe polish tin filled with Brasso. I didn't screw up anything noticeable (i.e. miss a step) during the Drums performance; other portions had minor mistakes. Nevertheless, the audience response was fantastic. I was assigned to meet-and-greet after the show and enjoyed it immensely.
My body is displaying some worrying symptoms. I have yet to get the persistent back, neck, and shoulder pain under any sort of control. (This affects everything from my sleep to my ability to sit in a chair, or play flute.) The newer development, however, is that my feet now go numb for extended periods of time, even when I'm not standing. I had to stay home on Thursday due to an inability to keep my balance when standing. Despite four consecutive days with very little walking or standing, I still have not regained feeling in my toes. Giving in to the seemingly inevitable, I scheduled an appointment to be fitted for orthotics.
And on Saturday, I saw The Producers again, for quite a bit less money this time. Quite enjoyable, thanks to a cheap pair of binoculars.
First major event: June 29: my first Armstrong (6-pounder) gun race at the Fort. Upon the advice of my seniors, I accepted an invitation to join a team some time back. "It's a lot of fun!" they told us. To tell the truth: if I'd been able to do it without letting my team down, I would have quit some time ago. I'm not good at dealing with stressful and hurried situations, especially when handling gunpowder. And getting to the morning practices (in uniform and shone by 8 o'clock!) has done nothing but harm to my physical and mental health. All the same: once the race was underway and I realized I was capable of getting through without falling or disqualifying the team, it was a bit thrilling (if also terrifying). Each team is guaranteed to compete in at least two races. As luck would have it--and I suspect it was mostly luck--my team won that particular race.
Second major event: June 30: our first Sunset Ceremony (a.k.a. "show"). Also quite terrifying, but a bit more familiar because we've rehearsed everything at least a couple times. The Drums had a number of bizarre, superstitious, pagan-esque rituals to perform beforehand in order to assure a good show--all sanctified, nay, encouraged by the Drum Major, I might add. The strangest involved the ritual sacrifice of a spider, burnt in a shoe polish tin filled with Brasso. I didn't screw up anything noticeable (i.e. miss a step) during the Drums performance; other portions had minor mistakes. Nevertheless, the audience response was fantastic. I was assigned to meet-and-greet after the show and enjoyed it immensely.
My body is displaying some worrying symptoms. I have yet to get the persistent back, neck, and shoulder pain under any sort of control. (This affects everything from my sleep to my ability to sit in a chair, or play flute.) The newer development, however, is that my feet now go numb for extended periods of time, even when I'm not standing. I had to stay home on Thursday due to an inability to keep my balance when standing. Despite four consecutive days with very little walking or standing, I still have not regained feeling in my toes. Giving in to the seemingly inevitable, I scheduled an appointment to be fitted for orthotics.
And on Saturday, I saw The Producers again, for quite a bit less money this time. Quite enjoyable, thanks to a cheap pair of binoculars.
