1989: 40 Thoughts in 40 Days

When I was thinking about this memory, all I could think of was a movie quote....

Oh relax...I'm not going any further with that line.  Because that would be...just very wrong...and inappropriate...and besides, that movie came out 10 years after the fact.  So when I was in band camp, it was a much more innocent time.  And to be honest, it was right up there with my summer camp experiences at Lake James.  Just....different.

During high school, my summers were filled with church camp, cheerleading camp, and yes...band camp.  Every year, I spent a week at Ohio Northern University with all of my fellow band nerds, and every year was better than the last.  I have friends to this day who I met there, and I learned a number of valuable lessons there:

• Never take your eye off of the director.  He will embarrass you if he's trying to get the attention of the entire group while tuning and warm-ups, and can't get you to look at him.  (Don't ask how I know this.)
• No matter how well you may know your formal recital piece...you can still get stage fright and completely blow the performance.  (Again...no questions please.)
• Befriending a klepto-maniac was probably not my wisest move.  No, I never joined in her escapades, I think I spent the entire week in shock and surprise every time she came back from the gift shop with her little stash of...whatever.  
• Choosing to sing a Top-40 pop song as a duet with a friend for the camp talent show may seem like a good idea, but the lyrics should not involve "adult activity" because the idea will most likely get scrapped.
• I discovered that I am NOT a morning person.

• My most valuable lesson learned?  How to open a combination lock.  I had never done it prior to arriving at camp, and when I got there I had to store my music and instrument in a locker with a combination lock.  Thank you to my Lima friends for teaching and being patient with me that first week!!

I also learned that I was falling completely in love with the school and the music program there at ONU.   I made the choice that this was where I wanted to continue my education after high school, and in 1989,  I sent in my application to be accepted into their Getty College of Arts and Sciences as a freshman music major.  (My acceptance letter came in December 1989, mid-way through my senior year of high school)

C.

(Michael W. Smith..I 2 (Eye)....epic album in my opinion.)