"Getting rid of everything that doesn’t matter allows you to remember who you are. Simplicity doesn’t change who you are, it brings you back to who you are."

Saturday, September 3, 2011

Game On

"It's the most...won-der-ful time...of the year....."


SM comes in singing to me this morning.  

"Is it Christmas?"  I ask, smiling... (knowing full well what today is.)

"Nope.  It's the Ohio State season opener.  College football season has BEGUN."  SM says, his arms raised with joy.


SM is a die-hard Buckeye.  In honor of the "Joy of the Season" SM and I enjoyed our pre-game show (via the internet).

Nothing stirs my blood like the drums of the Ohio State Marching Band playing cadience as the rest of the band comes into line.  (A sight to behold if you're in person at OSU stadium.)  



The stadium reverberates with the drums.  And then the Ohio State fight song.  Wow.  SM cranked it up and I got a tear in my eye.  (I'm not into football but I was in a High School Marching Band when I was a teenager for 3 years.)  The snap and precision of "The Best Damn Band In The Land" is a signature of a classic drum and percussion.  Wiki says:

Each September, more than 400 student-musicians try out for one of the 225 open spots in the band. Every member, including those returning, must earn his or her spot each fall. The two-day tryout includes marching scores judged by squad leaders, a marching drill taught during tryouts, and musical auditions heard by School of Music faculty members and former directors of the marching band. The marching and music portions of tryouts each contribute to 50% of a candidate's audition. The final roster is announced at the end of the second day. Each year, some veterans are "cut," replaced by candidates who performed better in the tryout. New members are referred to as "rookies." Students are limited to five years in the band.
The band consists of 225 instrumentalists. 192 of these create the block band that is seen at every home game. The other 33 members are called alternates. These are members of the band who challenge the regular members every week for a spot in the 192-piece block. The alternates also understudy the week’s halftime show with the squad leader in case someone gets sick or injured before the performance. All music is memorized, verified during music checks each Friday.

We also found this amazing Skull Session (I wanna play drums Mom!)


These kids are dedicated.  They want to be there.  Kudo's to them and to the great job they do!


In honor of the "kick-off" of College Football season I made SM a big ole pot of Chili (using tomatoes and peppers from our garden I might add.)  It seems weird to be serving Chili when it's supposed to be 93 for a high today.  But football isn't football with out Chili, Taco chips and a cold beer.



So here's to the 2011 Football season!

GO BUCKS!!!!

1 comment:

  1. Well, I so rarely find a garden blogger who is also a football fan, I had to say hi!
    I will look forward to reading more of your blog!

    ReplyDelete