LoveKathyG

Two words... Wilson Phillips Songbook...

Me too... * Cavies will take top spot * Little bit of shake-up in Top 3 as Phantom and SCV take #2 and #3 slots * Cadets won't like this year's outcome and will abandon years 3, 4 and 5 of the series. * The Big Blue Flip... In are the Stars. Out are the Knights. * Fierce battle for #5 between Cadets and Crown. * Bluecoats will be in a season-end battle for the #9 and #10 spot with Glassmen.

Don't love it. Looks very Music Man, which I love as a musical but not so much as a drum corps statement. Plus, it's really badly tailored. Pants are too long, and they make her look like she's got a major tummy pooch.

While I love a big splash right off the line, I'm a sucker for the very simple opener. What your favorite simple opener? You can define simple any way you want... For me... BD 1988 - "Happy Days" And I'm not much of a BD fan, so that's saying a lot. Not a lot of drill. Not a lot of volume. 22 full bars of nothing but pit and a few soloist. No guard equipment other than balloons. But one of the most effective and emotional openers ever for me.

"The guard 'look' needs help. Quick...don't think...gimme some ideas..." "White Tina Turner wigs..." "Good...keep going..." "Um... Barbarella boots!" "Love it! More!" "Brrrr...hamster cages...no...no... ROLLING...hamster cages." "YES! And I'm spent..." "Cig anyone?"

BD will probably be more technically proficient. I will probably respect BD's machine-like perfection. I will probably prefer Crown's version since I will probably determine that it has more heart. That's usually how it goes for me.

The direct quote from the press release is, "When I retired from The Cavaliers, I was looking to gain a position with a non- profit in an institutional advancement role." He's focusing on institutional advancement. That's non-profit speak for a wide umbrella that includes fundraising (primarily and ultimately), marketing, public relations, community relations, government relations, etc. I doubt very much he will be tasked with getting involved in the creative end of things...though the design and instructional staff would be silly not to use him as a consultant. The tell-tale sign as to how much this position is consultative and symbolic or even ornamental and how much it is actually functional will be whether he actually moves to Northern California.

Oh, BibbiDi BobbiDi BoreDom... I'm sorry... I'm just a little weary of celebrities telling me how to vote and drum corps telling me how clever they are...

I'm not sure, but I think I heard my penguin chick crying out to me after my long march in Antarctica.

I believe I would say, "My name is Indigo Montoya. You keeled my father. Prepare to die." or... "Would you like to buy a monkey?"

BD is Starbucks... Reliable. High quality. Profitable. Popular. Well designed. Brilliant marketing plan. A well-oiled machine. SCV is Bean Town in Sierra Madre, CA... One of a kind. Funky. Unique. Long on character. Charming. Lots of indy spirit. Different. I go miles out of my way, passing three Starbucks, to get to Bean Town every morning. In truth, I can get faster service, a wider menu, and coffee that's more reliably fresh at Starbucks...but it's just not Bean Town. And I prefer SCV to BD, no contest.

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Sometimes a big drum is just a big drum...

For me, long-time drum corps community member: 1. Phantom 2. Crown 3. SCV 4. BD 5. Cavs For the dozen newbies I drug to one of the three nights of Div 1 finals: 1. Crown 2. Crown 3. Crown 4. Crown 5. Crown

Electronics? Woodwinds? Voices? You're so limited in your thinking if that's "outside the box," drum corps elite and visionaries. Here's a woman who is really on the edge... http://video.yahoo.com/watch/1275278/4490453

Why exactly are we concerned that the activity appeals to limited segments of the population? This isn't about fair access. I totally support the idea of Affirmative Action in employment, higher education, etc. But this isn't an issue of equity or access. The trick to anything is knowing who you are and doing what you do as well as you possibly can. It is simply misguided and dangerous to think that you have to be all things to all people. All this hand wringing is simply silly.

A colleague at Taylor University, a small liberal arts school about an hour north of Indy, said she's gotten a couple calls from corps about staying there and using their stadium. There are a lot of small colleges with stadiums in that part of the country. Maybe that's the way some of the corps are planning to go.

I love that you're thinking outside the box, and I think it's ridiculous that any other poster laughed at your idea. Whether it's a good idea or not isn't the issue... You're thinking creatively, and I appreciate that.

One of the first things we learned in grad school is that creativity is just putting the pieces together in a different way to get an entirely new outcome. I guess you can argue that adding voice and electronics just introduces new pieces into the mix that can be configured into different outcomes...and that would be true. But for me, I'm always more impressed with the guy who takes a tic tac and a plate of dust and turns it into a gourmet meal than the guy who started out with a full pantry and a gift certificate to Wiliams and Sonoma where he can pick up the newest culinary gadget. I think that's my main beef with voice and electronics. The argument from the loudest proponents is that they feel they need some more creative tools to use. Well, it's not the tools, buddy. It's your mind that counts. Don't change the activity to compensate for the fact that your tired and/or bored and/or tapped.

I agree... BD's website is not visually attractive and is kind of a cluster you-know-what. I actually don't like going there at all. I wasn't aware that BK has a new site, but after spending a few minutes there I really like it a lot. And the banner is really beautiful. Very attractive site. Actually, my favorite site is DCI.org. It's very functional, easy to navigate, and is visually pleasing. I've been really impressed. What I've been most interested in is that none of these sites appear to be even close to 508 compliant. Is there no pressure to make these sites accessible?

What a silly idea...as silly as thinking that a WWF star might win the governorship in MN or that Stanford could actually beat USC. Things like that just don't happen, right? Every organization eventually outlives its usefulness. That's just a fact. So yes, DCI will eventually die. Whether there's another organization that picks up the baton is debatable. We Americans have a false sense of our institutions' stability. Anyone who has ever lived in a developing country for a any substantial period sees how shaky most institutions truly are, though. I don't see DCI dying any time soon, but think of all the factors that could easily spell the demise of the activity or at least the radical restructuring of it. All you need is a perfect storm...and those perfect storms do come around more than people think.

No, Boo. You're definitely not alone. I seriously never drank on tour. I learned the hard way...got rip-roaring, puking-my-guts-out drunk at 13 and didn't drink again until I was over 21. My stupidest free day mischief was in Tulsa. Yes, sadly we had a free day in Tulsa of all places. Some of us stumbled onto the campus of Oral Roberts University and put out their eternal flame by rapid fire splashing it with water from the pond it sits in the center of. We got busted by some staff member and chased off camups. Kind of lame but hillarious when you're 14 and on tour for the first time.

So much self-aggrandizement. So much martyrdom. So much Hopkins.

And Scouts will have to do their pirate show again if Tampa Bay wins another SB.

zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz... "My Kid Could Paint That."