Thoughts, on the Last Friday Before Band Camp

Summer started with a flash and a..... well, it never really got to the bang. I spent my birthday on the last day of school, so I could cherish it with the people I love, and I'm glad I did. I don't remember what happened for the next two weeks or so....most of it was spent unconscious, catching up on the sweet nectar of sleep, that blissful drug that the Sandman distributes so freely during summer, but during the school year holds it from me like Ms. K keeps her horns from Mr. Myers (GV Band members will notice that there are NEVER any horns in the JV Band, because Ms. K refuses to share the most divine instrument with Mr. Myers, or anyone else). After two weeks of wonderful, ecstatic unconsciousness, I opened my eyes, rolled out of bed, and suddenly I was on the other side of the Atlantic. Those three and a half weeks in Germany were some of the best times in my life. Ich habe viele Dinge gemacht, die ich nie vergessen werde. Vielleicht zu viel anrufen habe ich gemacht, weil es hat kein benutzen gehabt, aber das ist jetzt egal. Ich habe so viel gesehen, so viel gelernt, und so weiter. Nicht nur Deutsch habe ich gelernt. Ich habe auch viele über mich selbst gelernt. Ich bin ein Mann gewesen, als ich nach Deutschland gekommen bin, und ich bin ein verschiedene und bessere Mann gewesen, als ich zurückgekommen bin. No, I'm not translating all of that. Suffice it to say, I had wonderful time in Germany, and I learned as much about myself as I did about the German language. Immediately following Germany was a week-long tour through New England, looking at the lovely colleges of the Ivy League. And finally, I returned to beautiful Las Vegas and Green Valley, spending three blissful weeks before band camp, being with the friends that I had missed very, very much. Though those weeks were punctuated with bad points, including stupid Pre-Calculus homework and the death of my step-grandmother, I remain happy. Life is too good to let petty things bring you down.

So yes, I HAVE had a productive summer, even if the last day has pretty much gone to waste. Yes, school is coming back, and that means that sleeping for more than 4 hours a night is strictly a weekend thing, but that's okay! Life is good! I'm gonna have a great senior year! A solo in Marching Band, first horn in Symphonic Band, second trumpet in Jazz Band, everything else I'm gonna do in band, plus the huge volumes of knowledge that I will acquire in my classes all add up to a fantastic (though a little hectic) year! I'm thrilled for the nine months of insomnia to start again! And I say that completely devoid of sarcasm!

At last, I come to my point. I know that no one really cares much about what I did this summer, what I learned from it, or how excited I am to let the masochistic nature of IB continue to run its course through me. The point is, whether you spent your summer in Laguna, Hong Kong, or just sitting in front of your computer, begging your buddy list to show somebody sign on, doesn't matter. As long as you enjoyed it, and hopefully learned something from it, it's all good. Here's my big point: life is good. Bad things happen to good people, but that doesn't mean it's the good person's fault. It's no one's fault; bad things happen. Nevertheless, you have to look past it and enjoy life for what it is. Elton John is right: "...there is more to see than can ever be seen, more to do than can ever be done...", but that doesn't mean you shouldn't try. See everything, do everything, be happy. Don't let bad things hold you back; they often end up being helpful to you. So there ya go, GV Band. Life is good; enjoy it while you still have it.