Hair

Ahhhhhh! Look what I did! Dyed my hair black!
The more I look at it, the more I like it. I've never tried black. The guy in the photo is Dave Knight. He's one of the drum majors in the marching band. Cool guy.

Good Old American Party

Well, I finally found that party I have been looking for since I got here. The best parties are the ones where you know everyone, cause you can have the best fun laughing at them being drunk. It was a Halloween/Birthday party, and everyone was in costume. I think that if I was here more often I could make some awesome costumes, and I could even make money making them for other people. There were some very inventive costumes, the pope, a girl with 'your mum' written on her shirt. 'your mum' jokes are very popular here. I like them, you could only get away with saying something like that in America, or I think that only an American would get away with saying it. Someone says something like 'this looks funny' and someone else would say 'your mum looks funny!'. But usually with a lot more sexual innuendo. Makes me laugh.

There was cake at the party, and bad music (which is funny at a band party, but there you go) and there was beer pong. Beer pong is played on a table tennis table and ping pong balls and people stand at either end and try to throw the ball in the cup of beer. If the ball goes in, the person drinks. Obviously you drink a lot really quickly, and the game gets harder to win the more you lose. The other one was 'flip cup' with two teams either side of a table. You have to skull the drink, then put the cup on the edge of the table and flick the edge of the cup so it flips over and lands upside down. Then the next person in line will go.

Everyone liked my costume, people got it first off. I had heaps of layers on so I wasn't too cold, but it has been freezing here lately! Like going to Kineton, hurt your lungs to breath kind of cold. And its only going to get worse. Typical weather during winter gets below zero. (32F, 0C).






















Today is really nice. I walked down to Barracks Road shopping centre and put the photos on disk. I had heaps of fun with taking photos of people. This digital camera has been invaluable. I have to get one for myself when I get back. Its so easy to take photos and get rid of the bad ones and put photos online and edit them. And I now have 4 disks of photos. Should last for a long long time. The girl in the photo is Teri Leventhal, she plays the trombone in the marching band and the wind ensemble.

Costume

Well, its done. I have finished sewing and cutting and shaping and now I have a costume that I can wear out to parties and stuff like that. Cause Halloween is on the monday there are parties all weekend. I am trying to find out if there is a band party, but there is limited information for those not in the know, as the band is so big now that no one wants to invite everyone to their house. Its over 200 people now.

I decided to go with the fairy wings idea, easy to make, easy to get supplies for. I would buy a costume, but I don't know where, and I don't have a car to go get it even if I did. There are so many places the bus just doesn't go.

So anyway, I went to the op shop and picked up two dresses, one black one with sparkly dots, and I also got a purple velvet skirt, I got wire coathangers from heaps of different people on the Gwathmey floor, (most people have plastic, but thats no good for fairy wings) and this guaze material for the wings. It took me a few hours over a few days, but it is done! NO MORE SEWING!

Actually I am really proud of myself, it turned out rather well. There will be photos. Now I have find a party to wear my costume to.

Halloween

Its that time of year again! Time to pull out the skeleton decorations, and put up some spider webs. Buy some candy and find a costume! Gather round and carve a pumpkin. Its Halloween!

What?

Halloween is turning out to be quite a big deal. There will be parties and functions on every night over the weekend, a yearly Haunted house, everyone dressing up and carving pumpkins. I'm going to try carving pumpkins on Sunday. Hope I don't cut myself.

All the talk is about what you are going to be for Halloween. I am going with a Dark Fairy, the simplest thing I could think of that I can make. Cut up a few dresses and get some wire coathangers for wings. Good thing I have watched Mum be creative for years, I have some idea of what I am doing.

I will be going down to the Lawn to see the kids trick or treating, this weekend will prove to be some fun.

If you ask nicely there might be some photos...might.

Grrrr, COLD

Welcome to the cold weather. I said that I was excited to be somewhere where it snows, but now the reality of the temperature required is coming in. And its hardly cold yet. There are a lot of mountains in the area, so the temperature will get below freezing apparently. Better get some thermal thingys. Lots of them. I wish the weather would make up its mind, its the transition to winter that is the hardest, when you rug up but then get really hot all the time, and then you don't go out with a coat and the rain comes in.

Check this out though, web cam! Mum said she had been looking at it a bit, and I told her I would be walking past there about 10 to 11, so mum and dad stayed up to see me on the web cam. Yay, internet!

http://www.virginia.edu/rcam/index.html

Wind Ensemble

I had the Wind Ensemble's concert today, and I felt that it went pretty well. I was listening to myself play, (only someone who plays a lot would know how to do this...), and I hit everything. I realised one of my most fundamental flaws in playing today, and it is that I don't focus enough when playing all the time, so that when it comes to concert and little solos and things I am not confident enough about what I am going to do. I was totally switched on today, and nothing was a problem for me; low, soft, high, it all came out. I have a recording of the concert today so I can listen back. I think that this new seated postition with the horn on the knee blocks a lot of the sound, but I'll be able to hear if I am at the right level. It was quite a high level concert today.

A Festival Worth Celebrating!

(Click for bigger size. Easier to read.)
Michael Leunig

Long Game, Boring Game.

Well.

Quote from the Trumpet section, end of third quarter...'This is the worst game of football I think I have ever seen! Both teams, they just don't want to win!'

Quote from the back of the bus after the game...'That was the worst game of football I have ever been to!'

That was about the whole of it. At least it was shorter than some of the games we've been to, but it still seemed to go on forever. You want to know why...the final score - North Carolina 7, UVA 5. 5! Neither side went anywhere much at all, they just kept falling all over eachother. Our team apparently played the same play the whole game. Or seemed like it.

It was a small band this time, everyone is getting more serious with their homework. Only the most hard core were there today. I was tired all day, I helped carry the equipment to the staduim, we had to push a big cart with sound gear on it up this big massive hill, everyone it seemed, had closer parking places than us. There was a good turn out of UVA fans, we sounded louder than the UNC fans. They had 4 F-16s fly over the staduim, I have gotten used to that tearing sound that they make. They said they were travelling 500miles an hour at 500 meters. Maybe not that low, but they looked cool none the less. That was the highlight for me. Made me think of Mark of course.

I had subway for dinner, yay! It is EXACTLY the same here as it is there. Right down to the maps on the walls. I spent a lot of time talking about how Aussie accents and pronounciations are different to Americans. They are going to teach me how to say things better, they say. I think I just sound stupid when I try it, but they like it. I'll do some listening to people talking and see if I can pin point a few specific things that can help. I would have to be here for a few years to start talking a little like them, I like my accent too much. I can't tell half the time what is the same and what is different about what I say, until they point something out.

Some of the band people are going to take me to Outback Steakhouse. Apparently American food with Australian subtitles. This will be interesting. Stay posted for that!

Snappy Bridge

I can't think of the number of times I wish I knew where to get one of these!

http://www.snappybridge.com/

AN ECONOMICAL SNAPPY BRIDGE WILL WORK FOR YOU!

Off to North Carolina

Its really foggy out this morning. We are having here warm days and then a cold day every now and then. Gradually easing into the colder weather. There is a big chance of rain over the weekend. Hurricane is just on the coast now.

I'm going with my host family to the Opp shop to see about a halloween costume. I have no idea what I am going to wear, I hope that I can find something!

I'm playing today at a third year ring ceremony, third years who are honors students. Off to North Carolina tomorrow. Day trip to play with the Marching Band. When we went to Boston they had to make a list of who could come, and some people who wanted to come couldn't. This time they are having trouble getting enough people to go, everyone has so much home work to do. I just have a lot of practice.

Had my horn sent to the reapir man, get it cleaned and a few naughty dints taken out. I have been playing the horn teachers spare horn. It will take a week or so for my horn and I to become friends again, the difference between my Yamaha and his Conn is very noticable, mainly in how easy it is to play.

Great Lesson

I had a fabulous lesson, meaning that I had done enough during the week that it showed up on tuesday. When the marching band is over all the things that I am struggling with currently will go away, and I will sound amazing! I am sooooo close to being good at this horn thing. The different between how I sounded, and how I sound now is so different. I am excited to come home and show everyone how much I have learnt.

Just what is a Wahoo, anyway?!

I don't remember if I said or not, but I found out that a Wahoo is a fish that drinks heaps of water when threatened to seem bigger and more threatening. Go figure college mascots. So UVA students are called Wahoos or Hoos.

The Good Old Song
This is from 1800 something, and we sing it when ever and where ever; when we make a touch down, when we win, before we end practice on game days, all the time. Its sung to the tune of Old Lang Syne.

The good old song
Of Wa Hoo Wa
We'll sing it o'er and o'er
It cheers our hearts
And warms our blood
To hear them chant and roar

We come from old Virginia
Where all is bright and gay
Let's all join hands and give a yell
For dear old UVA

(Chant)
Wa Hoo Wa, Wa Hoo Wa,
Uni-V-Virginia
Hoo Ra Ray, Hoo Ra Ray
Ray Ray, UVA!

Hoos VS Florida State

Oh. My. God. This game last night was incredible!!! First I will tell you that Virginia hasn't beaten Florida since 1995. 1995! They had the 1995 team there last night and they came out on the field to be celebrated, (oh, they also won the whole season, but that isn't as important as beating Florida apparently.) The game was broadcast live on ESPN, and it was at night, the kick off was at 7.30pm. There were 63,106 people in the stadium, 60,000 at least UVA people in orange. They were soooooo loud when cheering the band on when we came out, its a thrill to march out every time I do the pre game.

The team played well the first half, and everyone was excited when the score was UVA 18, FSU 10, and the half time show I just had so much fun with, looking around the staduim I almost forgot to play. Before we march on we stand on the sideline and wait for the last 3 or so minutes to be played, (with pauses this can take almost 10 mintues! Argh!) FSU kept playing this one chant all the time, it got boring really quickly.

FSU's mascot and team are the Seminoles, an Indian tribe from their area. The chant is the steriotypical indian dancing music, and they all make chopping motions with their arms like weilding an axe. Apparently last year UVA went to FSU and got flogged, and they told me that when 60,000 plus people are all chanting and chopping at you it is really scary. And the people in the second row of stands were throwing stuff at them. Glad it wasn't me.

During the half time show the big lights on one side of the staduim went out for some reason. So when it came time to resume the second half of the game there was a big delay while they figured out what the problem was. The second half was even more exciting than the first, and I found myself cheering and yelling with everyone else. Its an electric atmosphere. Came down to the last 50 seconds, and FSU had the ball, in the final 10 seconds we made an interception and then that was it, 60,000 people rushed the field! Wow, there is nothing like being there when something like that happens. The students section crushed the fence, and a group of boys climbed up on the goal post and tried to bring it down. The drumline played and we all sang their stupid chant back at them. We played for ages while they tried to clear the field again.

When we got back to the staduim it was 1.10am, and by the time I got home and to sleep it was 2am. I was told that the game last night was the most exciting that I will see, you would have thought that we'd won a grand final or something! Yay for college fooball when we win!

I AM SMRT

I just had a meeting with my Theory teacher, and he said that I was writing pretty high level music. Makes me feel good about all the hard work I've put in. So hey! I'm SMRT!

Photos From Washington

These photos I took while on the trip to Washington with the International group on campus. The buildings are all so beautiful. The second photo is of someone after their wedding, we same them near the war memorials. I love all the columns and Romanesque archeticture. I took the top one as the sun went down, I didn't have to photoshop it at all. The fourth photo you can see the Pentagon on the far bank of the river, and the bottom photo is the Jefferson Memorial, (founder of UVA!). The top photo is of the Washington memorial, and the two bottom photos were taken from the top of it earlier in the day.

Noah's Ark

When I got up on Friday to go to Boston, it was raining. And it didn't stop till midday Sunday. Welcome to fall weather. Welcome to Boston.

The trip had highs, and it had deep deep, wet, lows. In America, they only stop play for hurricanes. So in the steady downpour on Saturday we stood out in the rain for over 4 hours. I can definately say it is the worst thing I have had to do as a musician. I've done my time in the Shepp Brass Band, and its various competitions. I've waited out the four long years in the high school bands. I've sat around in the pit waiting for the actors to get ready. I've played in the heat and the cold. But this rain...

The weekend was a study in contrast to last weekend in Maryland. Maryland was hot and we all got sunburnt. I still have sores from the massive coldsore that came over a week ago as a result of being sunburnt.

The bus trip was 12 hours. I laughed at the people putting bets on the arrival time of 2am and later. The winner of the bet was 2:25 am. We had 5 hours sleep and then off to the staduim. Boston seems to me to be spread out a lot, and the buildings are scattered around. I saw some beautiful houses, they are commonly three stories high, and weatherboard. Very big houses.

Despite the long bus trip I enjoyed the people I was with. I sat up the front and played cards with the band directors, they make me laugh so much. I sat further back and talked with some of the people in my section. I showed everyone the tube of vegimite that mum sent me, but only the bus driver was game to try it. They actually physically recoil from it. It makes me laugh, especially when I eat it in front of them. It has a pretty big reputation over here.

I had a really really nice piece of salmon at a place called the Salty Dog. The people I was eating with arent so familiar with good seafood. The food over here is really getting me down, I think that the extra sugar that I'm not used to is partly to blame for this constant tiredness that I am feeling. Here's to holding out to get good food at home.

Rolling Who?

The town of Charlottesville will be going crazy tonight, the Rolling Stones are playing a concert here. I have no idea how Charlottesville made it onto the tour list, but there you go. The staduim will be rocking tonight, around 70 semi trailers arrived two days ago to start setting up the stage. Its in the Scott Stadium where the football is played, at capacity over 63,000 can fit in the ground. All the roads will be closed tonight, I would have been here a few days ago myself if i was coming here to see them, or at least this morning at the crack of dawn. There will be no hotel rooms in the whole of the city available tonight for love or money.

Many of the students I have heard talking about it here are in mixed emotions about how they feel about the concert tonight. Some are in the 'who cares' mood, they don't know any of their music and just think that they are old and strange. Others love the thought that a rock group so famous is coming here. I think that its cool that they are here, but I plan to hide out in the dorm to stay away from the craziness. Maybe I could go and sit near the stadium and hear the concert. Hell, I could probably open my window and hear the concert with how loud concerts usually are.

Boston

Hey, Boston is on for this week. I am now signed up for bus one, the party bus for the uninformed...

Apparently Boston is really nice this time of year. I have been told that I must support the Red Socks, they play the White Socks this weekend when we are there. Should be a great trip. Nine hours on the bus is going to fly when you are on a party bus...

More Photos

Finally, the photos are off the camera and onto the disk! Yay! So, without further ado, I present to you, the Cavalier Marching Band Uniform...
















This is on the Maryland trip on the weekend. Everyone ended up hot and sunburnt. However we still looked snazzy, that's all that matters.
















This is preparing for the second game against Duke. See the white fluffy animal in my hand? That's a big white plume that goes in the hat. They look cool when everyone has one on. We also wear white gloves when playing. The uniforms are really heavy, especially with the cape on one shoulder. The outside of the cape is orange and the other side is white. I must be the sexiest person alive in this outfit...

Photos on my Page!

Hey, I have finally figured out how to upload the photos onto the webpage. I love the internet. I thought I would start out here, and then things will get better. I will be going to the photo shop today for the photos that are on my digital camera, and I should have them on a disk in a few days. The photos I have are ones that Mum and Dad sent to me. Love you Mum!
You two are so beautiful!

Sorry in advance

What a strange post. Sorry if it doesn't make sense but I like the craziness and I don't think I want to edit it anymore.

Fear the Turtle!?

Well, its 10:15, and I was thworted in my desire to shower in the best shower just now. So while I smell great, but you all can't tell, I thought I would tell you about the crazy day I had today.

Day started well, with the new phone setting the time doesn't mean that the alarm is set also. However I woke up myself at 5:01am, and leaving at 5:15 to go to the hall. Good old reliable always on time Leona.

The promised breakfast was packets of tiny muffins and those cheese dip things. And orange juice in a can. I am not in Shepparton anymore, Toto. That's not a real breakfast. Sigh.

We picked up some Northern Virginia people on the way to the stadium. When I get out of the city of Charlottesville, I can see more of the American countryside that I expected to see. There are all over the place these little housing groups with houses that could be upmarket Kialla Lakes. And the shops are familiar but still strange. BB&T 24 hour drive through banking. Burger King. Pizza Hut. Bodo's. It all just says American to me.

We pulled up at the Stadium, College Park, home to the Maryland Terrapins. Terps for short. Guess what the mascot is. No, you'll never guess. A turtle. A what? What the hell is scary about a turtle? Phhhft, no one I was with could tell me. Someone nearby was saying 'Oh, the scary turtle comes to taunt me, oh oh, I think I will just walk away...!' Coincidently, students at UVA, Virginia, are called Wahoos. I found out what this really means, it is a fish in the wild that drinks in heaps of water to swell up and be more threatening. Yeah, that's scary too. Mascots are so funny. Now I get a sense of why South Park made such a big deal about it.

To be in the Virginia marching band and march out on the field is one kind of experience, but going to someone else's stadium and watching them march is quite another. (yes, it's already turned into an us and them thing with me. I like being a part of something.) I forget sometimes that this band is only two years old, and they are new to a lot of the things that we are doing as much as I am. We were suprised to notice upon arrival to the stands that Maryland has the same uniforms as we do, (stay posted for photos, I promise), except their colours are blue white are red. As opposed to blue white and orange. We had a lot of stand rivalry, we would play loud tunes and they would try to play louder or better tunes. Some of them are the same that every band must play, and some of the newer ones are ones that we had written for us. For example a little selection of Black Eyed Peas don't funk with my heart. (though for the obvious parallel between one of the words there, it is called don't mess with my heart. Hehe)

The marching was incredible. That was their half time show as well, 'The Incredibles'. Some of the music was not loud enough for the staduim, but the marching was spot on. They spelled out USA, and Maryland in curly script writing. I thought they were pretty cool. I got into the spirit of the football too, and figured out why they like it. By the end of the first quarter no one had scored yet and I was getting bored. But then they scored, and then only a minute later we scored through their defensive. I have almost got a grip on the rules, there are four chances each time you have the ball to make ten yards. In all it was a frustrating game cause the first half went for over 2 hours! They stop the clock every time the play stops, and everyone stands around talking about what to do next. So you can have minutes between plays if there is a time out or a review of something controversial. Everyone got a little sunburned.

The trip back was long and fairly quiet. We stopped for tea at this place called Fuddruckers. When they said last week that we were going there, everyone cheered. Except me, I went, what? Where? Huh? Its a place that makes good burgers, I really enjoyed mine. Comes with wedges and drinks. I got a thickshake because everyone was saying how good they are. But it comes with whipped cream on top and it was just too rich and too much. They had one movie out of all the people on the four buses. Mr Hollands Opus. I read someone elses magazine and got bus sick. I am still feeling queasy now. It was that thickshake. I need a drink of water I think. Or some sleep, hey what a good idea! Anyway, all this talk doesn't even give half of what I saw and felt today. I felt fully how lucky I am to be here and accepted in American college and to see what it is like. I don't think it had quite settled in, what exactly is a little country town Aussie girl doing here? Everyone loves that I am Australian. They have either been there for something, lots of school trips to Sydney and the outback there. There is this one guy who likes accents and is trying out his on me. Its not even close, but so different that everyone goes 'hey you're so cool'. There are a lot of things that we say that they don't. I am getting better at saying my name so it is understood. It's going to be a long process in reverse when I get home. That makes me laugh. I am starting to pick up the way they say things, I am going to practice really hard for you all. See how authentic i can sound. Or just how strange. Goodnight all. Thanks for reading all of this that I put up on here. It's nice to know that people read it.

Oh, and guess what! I'll be home in Melbourne at around 9am on the 5th of janurary. There will be a party the weekend after that so keep an eye out for the dates. Suppose I had better talk to Mark first before I invite heaps of people over. Not that he will mind. He's lonely right now. Sigh. I am feeling less lonely for company as the days goes by, but no less lonely for Mark. Isn't love grand. Oh boy, can you tell how tired I am? I had better stop typ