can i have a cookie?

Godamit the updated blogs sidebar on the main page STILL ISN'T WORKING for this blog...so nobodys come recently. STUPID.

edit...hm...worked that time...

They were this morning. I was up at 5:30 so I could be there by 7:15. My mouth tends to get dry when I'm performing so I drank a whole bottle of water in the 20 minutes or so before my audition. It worked, my tone actually sounded pretty good. My solo was probably the best I had ever played it, and I don't think the etudes could have been much better. Even my first and third scales, Eb and Db went good. The problem was the G scale I played, I had to start over at the top 2 or 3 times.

I was actually optimistic waiting for the recall list. They recalled 9 trombone players total. 4 trombone players from ny school auditioned, and 3 were recalled. I was not one of them.

The worst part about the whole thing is that I don't have an excuse. I've always had an excuse for everything, but this morning, everything was in my favor. I got there with plenty of time to spare, I didn't warm up too much or too little, I didn't feel too nervous or tired, I didn't have to wait outside the center very long, I was performing under completely ideal conditions, and I didn't even make the callbacks.

So my excuse, (and completely the truth) is that I didn't practice enough. Because I didn't. I had all summer to practice my scales, and I didn't realize how much that practice time would mean to me in a few months. This time, it was completely my fault, and that was kind of a hard thing to cope with for me, I like to blame people, make excuses, and generally sidestep my own faults.

Of course, it wasn't all in vain. I've gained a whole lot of skill and experience from it. Skill and experience that I will apply to jazz band, concert band, solo contest, jazz band auditions in the spring, and marching band.

Plus, there's always All-state next year.

got my drivers license.  In Iowa, its an 'intermediate liscence', I can't drive between 12:30 am and 5:30 am.  Doesn't really matter, I don't need to drive between those times anyway.  Pretty awesome.

Some kid I kind of know, Kerreck Petersen, got caught with an 'incendiary device', not a bomb, but it could cause a fire.  Some things the article doesn't tell you: his friend dared him to bring it.  When he did, the friend wimped out and told, Kerreck got sent to juvenille hall for 10 days.

I've been looking for a job.  I applied at Papa Murphy's, a pizza place with a 'take and bake' business model.  I also picked up an application from Happy Joe's, another pizza family restaurant type thing.  I want to apply at Click's, a cyberbar kind of place where you can play computer games, that would be awesome if I got a discount.

The group of band members auditioning for all-state does special things because we're just that great.  Today we took a bus to the capitol and played the Star Spangled Banner and America the Beautiful for a VFW tree planting ceremony type thing, I have no idea what is was for.  It was cold, but we were only outside for 20 minutes or so.

Thats really all I can think of for now...as you can tell, I do my best writing at night, and its only 6 PM right now.  I apologize for the poor quality of this post.  BTW, I still haven't seen my blog show up on the recently updated blogs sidebar...whatever, my hit count spikes whenever I post, so I'm assuming its working for some of you.

Cya all.

<-=>

Kind of random, here is a list of my favorite things I made a long time ago, I'm still adding to it.

Instrument: Trombone
Egg: Chicken
Country: Holland/The Netherlands
Intrument-related web forum: Trombone.org
Wheel on a car: Front and right
Pop: Anything from Coke
Political magazine: Time
Computer: Anthing but a Mac
Musical Style: Jazz
Person: Rob
Instrument: Trombone
Computer related magazine: Computer Game
Windshield wiper speed: 2
Land: Robland
State: Iowa
House: Mine
Time: 8:08 PM
Month: October
Bean: Lima
Gear (car): Reverse
Tomato-based dip: Salsa
Hemisphere: West
State: Iowa
TV Show: The Simpsons
Number: 0
Phobia: Hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia- The fear of long words
Pizza place: Godfathers
Radio@AOl station: Top Jazz
Ice Cream: Strawberry
Side Dish: Corn
Day: Saturday
Deadly consumer product: Ford Pinto
Simpsons character: Ralph Wiggum
Hair color: Green. Bright Green.
Watch: The Timex Ironman Triathlon with Indiglo
Comedical magazine: Mad
Trombone bore size: .515
ISP: AOL 9.0
Gear (bike): 3 - 4
Processor speed: 3.2 GHz
Heart-related disease: Arteriosclerosis
Last name: Lourens
Pastry: Dutch Letter
OS: Windows XP
Name: Rob
Trombone slide position: 4th
Political affilitiation: Liberal
Newspaper writer: Dave Barry
Informercial: Shark Cordless Sweeper
Trombone: Mine
Radio@AOL station: Top Jazz
School: UHS
Newspaper: The Des Moines Register
City: Des Moines
State: Iowa
Country: USA
Marching Band: The Marching J-Hawks
Instrument: Trombone
Dog: Mine
TV trivia show: Jeopardy
Country: Czechoslavakia-its fun to say
Avocoado-based dip: Guacomole
Commercial: That dum one with the singing snowmen
Mathematical Operation: Multiplication
Number: 0
AOL Hometown webpage: Mine
Internet service provider: MCHSI
School: UHS
Children's building set: Legos
Character Counts Pillar: Caring
House builder people: Regency Homes
2004 Presidential nominee: Kerry
Thing: Nothing

arghh...my blog still isn't showing up on the updated blogs list, at least for me. The stats page says I've gotten 150+ hits in the last hour... probably a bug, but whatever. Did anyone else see it there? Comments please.

Who else took it? Comments please.

I took it on Saturday.  I've been a good test taker, but even though it was just practice for us sophomores, I  felt an unusual amount of pressure.

Pressure, especially from anything involving public performing, has always been my weakness.  Don't know why.  Especially hurts my trombone playing, my mouth gets dry and I can hardly get a note out. I'm not even nervous, though. Anyway, I've gotten off topic.

The reading and first math section went ok, but I guess I was just tired by the time I got to the second math section, with some non-multiple choice questions.  I had to skip maybe 3 or 4 in that one, that's going to hurt.

Speaking of trombone playing, all-state auditions are this Saturday. I consider myself above average, but definintly not all-state material, at least not yet.

Back in 6th and 7th grade, I was good for my age, and my trombone teacher, (also a director at the high school), took every avilable oppurtunity to tell me that.  I think that's why I didn't practice close to what I should have to get better at a reasonable rate, especially over the summer.  I basically justified it by telling myself that I didn't need the practice, and I had enough natural talent to get by.

I now realize that not practicing much was the worst decision I have ever made.  I didn't realize how important and a big part of my life that band would be in High School, and I've paid for it.  I hate myself when I think about where I would be right now if only I had practiced a little more in Middle School, but all I can do now is do the best I can...and practice.

But, for one reason or another, I still don't, at least not as much as I probably should.  Too much homework, too little time, I find a reason to justify it somehow.  But I still think that one of the biggest factors that affected my development as a trombone player was probably my trombone teacher, and now director, telling me how unbelievably good I was.

Also, btw, my blog doesn't seem to be showing up on the 'recently updated blogs' sidebar at blog.com...whats up with that?

Marching band.

Wow.

I saw a drum corps t-shirt once that was made to look like a dictionary definition. It said: "To those who know, no explanation is necessary. To those who don't, no explanation is possible."

That's the only way I can explain why anybody would want to be in a marching band, at least our marching band.  Sometimes I don't even know why I voluntarily get up at 6 every morning before school for 2+ months to practice for 2 hours before school in the cold in preparation for the pep rallys nobody cares about, football halftime shows nobody watches, and the 4 contests (well, one is ours, so we don't compete) every year.  The biggest contest was last weekend. In the afternoon competition we finished 6th of 13 with the Best Horn Line caption.  10th of 13 in the more competitive night show.  This night show is what I want to talk about.

The head band director is better at giving pep talks than anyone I have ever met.  It's more than the words he says.  He somehow projects an aura, nearly visible in the dark, of experience and wisdom.  We stand in a courtyard area outside of the high school, and he tells us stories, about his basketball coaching years, back when the school he taught won at state for years in a row, and has never won since a kid named Seamus graduated. "You are now that band I've been waiting for." he said. "The Seamus band.  The Middle school band system has become better, I have become better, and you are the result. You are the best band I've ever had the honor of directing."

He gave the same speech last year, but somehow, I believed him.  As we marched partway there and stood in the dark, on a hill overlooking the brightly-lit million doller stadium, I believed him.  I believed him as we hit the first FFF, 'level 10' as he always said, a push with my trombone line in the front, and the crowd screamed.  Maybe we weren't the best band there, but, god, non-band members will never understand the feeling.

I pity your deprived souls.

From an AP article:

"WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Supreme Court said Tuesday it will take up the constitutionality of Ten Commandments displays on government land and buildings, a surprise announcement that puts justices in the middle of a politically sensitive issue."

So again with the ten commandments thing.  Whatever happened to the separation of church and state?  Why do they think they can stick a religious symbol on public land? There's a time and place for the ten commandments, but court houses, public schools, and other public grounds aren't it. 

Anyway, this is about as political as this blog'll get, at least until the elections over.  Personally, I'm sick of hearing about the whole thing.  Iowa is one of the 'battleground states', and we're getting hit bad with the TV commercials.  If you're into politics, FactCheck.org is a great place to read about stuff. It seems pretty neutral, just checks every detail that Bush and Kerry say.

I'll do my best to keep this blog from sucking like almost every other blog I've ever read, so bookmark me and come back sometime.