01 October 2004:

Lessee. . . Jim took a day of vacation today. . . Nook co-hosted the pre-Meet pasta dinner tonight with two of her teammates. . . Valdemort came home (Jim in driver's seat, Ernie in her lap) for the weekend (bike - tune-up; trombone - replace missing cork; printer - replaced by new multifunction unit; books - homework; iBook - homework/iChat; laundry - ?). . . Big home football game at GB, against Carman-Ainsworth (we're winning, as of the half - everybody went except me, somehow). . . I took The Boyz to Squirrel Park for exercise - saw part of the Cross-Country Team (Nook & her buds) playing on the jungle gym & swings (nostalgia moments, I guess). . .

03 October 2004:

We think (hope!) that Veeps had a good weekend at home!! She got caught up on sleep (A-#1 importance!). She went to the local football game Friday evening (with Dad) to watch the HS Marching Band do their shows at pre-game & halftime; got to see the "new" marching band tractor/trailer combo displayed during the game, with its newly-applied lettering (beautiful job!) - Veeps spent quite a number of hours last spring, along with other Band members & Band Boosters, helping refurbish the former Moving Van in preparation for its transformation. Then, Saturday was spent catching up with herself, getting some foodstuffs to keep in her dorm room, selecting a special grillable meal, then . . . ZOOMING down to Clarkston for the MCBA competition to root for her Alma Mater marching band! [Incidentally, the Marching Band placed 2nd, with a Caption Award for "Best Music"!! And, got the highest score for a first competition for GBHS in years! Go Bobcats!]

The Boyz went with us to take Veeps back to MSU; Sam, as is becoming usual, didn't want to venture far from the van at first (Ernie, however, now negotiates the stairways in the dorm without problems - terazzo can be scary for dogz). Amanda seems to have warmed up to Ernie (who COULDN'T like him?), too. Had the best pizza in ages at the Pizza House with her (that is, once we FOUND the place. . . but that's a whole 'nother story! ;-).

Nook had the Saturday Cross-Country meet "off", so we took advantage and went shopping for accessories/shoes for her Homecoming dress - that was fun! Turns out she "got asked to" the Homecoming Dance. . . which is the same day as a big Cross Country Invitational. . . which is the same day as a home game for MSU (therefore, Veeps is marching). . . which, incidentally, is also MSU Homecoming. . . which means that, since Nook's plans came AFTER we had already purchased tickets to the game, Nook has to be "temporarily adopted" by one of her friends in XC who's also going, so she can manage the Invitational, getting spiffed up, and getting to the Dinner and Dance without us around! Hopefully, someone will take pix for us. . .

04 October 2004: Val's IM "away message (1:00 p.m.)" tells it all (except for her newly-declared major, which is. . . TA-DA!! Meteorology!!), in our "Guest Blog":

dr. winkler told me to go see dr. fujita who said to go see the geological science office in room 206 who told me to go talk to the university undergrad division in 170 bessey hall, and when i got there, the door was locked and i looked at the sign which said that they were closed between 12 pm and 1 pm, and i looked at my watch -- it was 12:02, so i left and went to lunch.

NOW i'm off to declare my major and then to class!

--
Meteorology/Atmospheric Sciences Concentration
Earth Sciences
Michigan State University

05 October 2004: OK - here goes, the Renegade Sophomore Girls' Homecoming Shirt Design (PDF format - you need Adobe Acrobat Reader) - this MAY download instead of opening in your browser, depending on your setup:

And, a peek at the MSU Spartan Marching Band's Lightweight marching jacket (the white one), compared to the Heavyweight (green):

06 October 2004: The Varsity XC Teams were "supposed" to go to Linden Park for their "pre-race" practice today. . . but for undisclosed reasons, that did not happen. . . got a call from Nook (unexpectedly) at 4:30 "ready for pickup!". Worked out OK, though, so she was able to go to the Pasta Supper after all (but had cancelled out on the babysitting job yesterday, thinking she was going to be in Linden instead).

Veeps is in Grand Ledge this evening with the MSU Marching Band. . . they are the Exhibition for a High School Marching Band Competition there this evening! Can you imagine, being in a high school marching band, and getting to see a Big 10 Marching Band as the Exhibition?? Whoa!!

The Boyz got Squirrel Park'd at lunchtime today (absolutely GORGEOUS outside) - they were pretty content for the rest of the afternoon, so I could work in relative peace. Then, they got "blockered" this evening, which is usually good enough to settle them down for the rest of the evening. Although, it IS difficult to see Ernie after the sun goes down. . .

Today was Jim's turn to go to Warren! Then, he has to go again tomorrow (yeah, I go down there tomorrow, too - but we won't be able to carpool). My assignment in Warren is wrapping up - only have a couple weeks to go; I have my contract house looking for something new to go to, but nothing's materialized yet. Hopefully, soon.

First Flute Choir of the year tonight! We had the usual 4 this time, but sounds like there's 3 more who'll be joining us! That'll be great to be able to play pieces bigger than trios & quartets!!

07 October 2004: Guest entry regarding some "excitement" at the MSU Campus this morning (Thanx to Liz E):

From roksmeyesox: kudos to the construction workers who started the fire in IM West this morning, thus making my thursday far more eventful than any thursday should be.

FYI, IM West, according to Veeps, backs right up to the new construction going on at the Spartan Stadium. Veeps said that while she was at breaky today, first an ambulance roared past (no biggie, happens once or twice a week), then, what caught everyone's attention, was that it was followed by a police car, a fire truck, another fire truck, and another fire truck! She saw the battery of emergency vehicles at IM West on her way to her first class. . .

Nook ran in the Genesee County Invitational this afternoon . . . got another PR (by 20-some seconds, so she ran 3 miles in 21 min. 40-something seconds); got 16th in her division (the BIG High Schools), was 6 places away from being "All-County" for her division, and 31st overall. Good job, Nook! And, don't be disappointed, you have 2 more seasons to get there! Next goal for this season - make it to State!!

The GBHS Band Boosters are gearing up for the Ribbon-Cutting/Dedication Ceremony for the new Band Trailer (and tractor) Friday at 5 p.m. I was at the Band Room collecting some of the early refreshment drop-offs, and quickie-coordinating what the heck we're supposed to be doing tomorrow with the Pres & VP of the BB. We'll get there, even if it's by the skin of our teeth!! I rescued a couple trays' worth of cupcakes from someone's birthday celebration (right at the end of the Marching Band rehearsal) to add to our reception cache (they sure look good!!).

09 October 2004: Jim, Nook, & I went to the MSU game today - primarily to see the Marching Band, of course!! (What else is worth looking at, eh?)

I missed the Pre-Game show, because of the goofy anti-terrorist rule about bag sizes. . . my little tote was just too BIG to be allowed into the stadium!! So, I hoofed it back to the van and back, and as I'm rounding the stadium to the appropriate gate, I hear the band announced. . . hear the band play. . . get thru the ticket takers this time (yes, she remembered me, and asked if I found my car OK, which I did, thank-you-very-much). . . Nook met me at the ticket-takers' and led me up a ramp, up another ramp, and up, and up. . . . lost count of how far up to Section 122!! By the time we got to our seats, Pre-Game was OVER! Jim said it was a very good Pre Game show (you GO, SMB!!).

The Halftime Show was really good! We had the added benefit of the Marching Illini as the guests of our Band!! So, the Halftime Show was 2 Bands; I don't have to tell you, though, which I thought was the better one. . . :-D

10 October 2004: This says it all for today (click the picture for the link):

12 October 2004: Light workout day for the Cross Country teams; tomorrow is a meet in Owosso! Heard they're only taking the top 5 Varsity for each team, so looks like Nook is going! Pasta Dinner tonight (I swear these Cross kids LIVE for these team pasta dinners!!).

Finally remembered to rescue my purple tub from the band room. . . it'd been there since the Trailer Dedication on Friday evening!!

Am I a proud SMB Parent or not?? Got my "SPARTAN MARCHING BAND" window sticker into the back window of my Road Warrior!!

13 October 2004: Salute! to the Grand Blanc Girls' Cross-Country Team for taking FIRST PLACE at the Owosso Tri-Meet!!! Nook was the runner that decided First Place for the Girls, setting a new PR of 21:28 for herself!! Not only that, but she was ahead of GB's 4th Varsity for the first 2 miles, and came in only 10 seconds behind her at the Finish. Whew!! You're catching up on her. . .

Jimbo's been twisting The Boyz' minds. . . he's experimenting with video editing on the computer, took some shots of the dogz, well, just "being dogz". . . and every time he plays back the clips. . . Ernie goes ON THE DEFENSE (and Sam sorta follows suit - he may be elderly, but he refuses to be left out of anything!). Picture the Little Guy, brindle fur hackled so high it's STRAIGHT UP; he doesn't know whether to growl or ask for "out", so he alternates between the two. Then, Mom's voice is heard emanating from the machine in front of Dad, and they both settle down, 'cuz the voice is from "over there", and Mom is "right here".

Broke down, made cookies tonight. Couldn't stand it any longer! My faves: Spiced Oatmeal with Chocolate Chips and Peanut Butter Chips; YUM!

Flute Choir tonight, we had 5 total in attendance, so we actually got to do something more than trios!! Woo-Hoo! All ranges in ability, which is good for all of us - by the time we perform, we sound pretty good!

15 October 2004: HOMECOMING!! For both the Bobcats and the Spartans!! Woo-woo!! Go favorite teams (especially the MARCHING BANDS)!!

It's official. . . my kids want me to resign from being "MOM", so, I'll just evolve into "MOTH-ER-R-R-R-R-R"!! I get it from Valdemort, I get it from Nook, even got it from Nook's friend Caren. Sigh. New role!!

"Rain, rain, go away. . . 'cuz we have a HOMECOMING PARADE to go to today!!"

Forgot to BLOG yesterday. . . not that there was much to talk about. So, just as well.

Addendum: The Spartan Marching Band meets Homecoming head-on!

WELCOME TO THE CRAZIEST WEEKEND OF THE YEAR!!
Friday
4-4:30: sectional
4:30-5:30ish: band practice
6: line up and start parade
6:30:parade "begins" (officially)
7:30 (?): FOOD!! then Midnight Madness
ASAP: BED

Saturday
6-6:30: time I want to get out of bed
7: time I probably will get out of bed
7:30-9:15ish: practice
9:15-10ish: tailgating with the bones, celebrating birthday with parents and buddies from GB
10:27: meeting at Adams Field for warmup
10:45: full band warmup and march to the stadium
12-5: GAMETIME!!
5-?: Homecoming dinner at Liz's
7ish: to Breslin for Spartan Spectacular
8-9:30ish: Spartan Spectacular

Sunday 1:45-3ish: Munn Ice Arena for the hockey game
6: meeting

16 October 2004: STILL Homecoming for the Spartans & GBHS!! Crazy schedules for everyone in this family today!!

Lessee. . .

Up before 6 a.m., showered, gave Valdemort her 6 a.m. "wake-up" call. Which worked. She said things were just too weird - having nightmares, only to be awakened by my phone call AND the SMB Trumpets going around at the same time playing random "cheers"!! [Don't ask, I'm not sure I fully understand the connections, either]

Nook was already up. Had to be at the HS by 6:45, so the Cross-Country Team could hit the road at 7:00 in order to get to the "Gabriel Richard Invitational" near Ann Arbor; the Girls ran at 9:00, the Boys at 9:35 a.m. Nook called me at 11:00 (while we were at MSU waiting for the SMB to start their march to the Stadium) to let us know she got home OK, and that she attained ANOTHER PR (21 min, 11 sec for 5K - Nook, YOU ROCK!). She maintains her standing as the #5 Varsity (out of 7); altho she is only about 15-20 seconds away from the #4 Varsity (and her PR's have been in the 15 seconds to full-minute improvements). Of course, #4 continues to improve, as well, so these kids do a great job of constantly raising the bar for each other).

Arrived MSU campus before 9:00 a.m. Met Val at the Bones' tailgate near the stadium - actually got to chat with her for a few minutes!! Then we were off to find the Thoman's tailgate near Breslin. Barely got back to the car to pull together the stuff Val wanted us to get for her and get it to her room (we passed her in the hallway as she was heading OUT for the warmup - we just dropped everything in her room and headed out to Adams Field ourselves).

Spartan's Homecoming game against the Minnesota Golden Gophers started at 12 Noon. The SMB - of course - started the game with their usual high-quality pre-game show, preceded by their adrenaline-boosting march to the stadium!!

Got back in time to run over to Nook's friend's house to take pre-homecoming dinner pictures; then drove 5 of the kids (the other 7 divided between 2 other cars) to the restaurant for their "dinner out", and we adults went to the Bob Evans next door for our supper. Then pick 'em up, haul 'em down to the high school for their dance. Next pickup? 11:00 p.m.

What's on our schedule for Sunday? SLEEP!!

17 October 2004: Some big news from YESTERDAY!! My cousin Bob's son Michael got married in St. Louis!! Welcome to the family, Catherine (Cathy) Elizabeth Erslon Carlson!!! (Pictures to come later. . . )

The Veeps tells me she didn't understand my blog entry where I'd "resigned" from "MOM"; it WAS just a joke. . . really!

GB is in a fight for its life. . . as its own entity as a city. No, no one is trying to dissolve it - it is extremely well-run/managed, financially very sound, etc., etc. Nope, there is one person - a CITY resident yet - a FORMER CITY COUNCILMAN yet [AHEM! his initials happen to be "Jeff Pardee" - local self-aggrandizing hemorrhoid]! - who has a burr up his backside that Grand Blanc CITY and Grand Blanc TOWNSHIP would be better off CONSOLIDATED! Aroo???? No way. Just thinking about it, means that the CITY would see a reduction in services (and probably no change in cost to residents); the TOWNSHIP would see an INCREASE in cost to residents and questionable changes in services. The CITY would become responsible for things that it has already corrected or made right, or just-plain-managed better within its boundaries that are basically CRAP by comparison for the Township. So, I have a stack of flyers that I get to help pass around my subdivision!! Just stick-em-in-doors, none of the actual "talking to people" kind of thing (that would take weeks. . . ). Just need to get out there and DO IT! Also have a sign in my yard!!

18 October 2004: Guest blog from the proud Grandma Roberta, regarding the wedding of her grandson Mike and Cathy!!

The afternoon ceremony was lovely,as was the reception. There were 260 people there of all ages. We took a lot of pictures and will see that you get some. Here's one of them attached. Tom and Bunny left this morning. Don and Jeanne left this afternoon from Mike and Cathy's house, where we gathered for brunch and saw them open their gifts. Pat and John fly back to CA tomorrow morning. I'll ride back to Columbus with Jim and Esther.

Addendum #2: I have FUSH PUPPIES!! [Translation for those who don't know us too well: Sam & Ernie are begging goldfish crackers from me!]

For those who may be interested, the Page 1 and Page 2 of the "Facts about Grand Blanc Consolidation" flyer.

19 October 2004: Jim's well into the process of demolishing the drywall in our basement. It already looks a bunch bigger!! 'Course that means gar-bage' out the kazoo for Monday, but-oh-well! This is a project that has been discussed for some years now (like, maybe the whole 7 we've been here). . . You GO Jimbo!!

Finished distributing the "NO against Consolidation" flyers for my part of the neighborhood this afternoon. A lot of "Vote NO against Consol" yard signs (including the one in my yard). Think this one won't pass. . . but it's already before the state boundary commission, so who knows what'll really happen??

"Big 9" League Cross Country Meet at Kearsley tomorrow!! Go GB XC!!

Through totally independent sources, "Under Armour" has been discovered by Valdemort (through SMB) and Nook (through Cross). Nook's used hers already and swears by it; the SMB highly recommended it to Veeps, so she ordered what she needed (since she can only use crew neck, and the stores here only have mock-turtleneck). Must be GOOD stuff!

20 October 2004:

Nook ran Varsity in the Big 9 League Meet this afternoon. Lots to smile about here:

• Nook set yet ANOTHER PR!! 20 min. 32 sec (an improvement of well over 30 seconds from the last race!!)
• GB Girls' Top 5 finishers were all in the TOP 20 OVERALL (Yep, Nook came in 17th out of 63 total!!)
• GB Girls' Top 5 finishers also all set PR's
• GB Girls came in 1st OVERALL - therefore, are the BIG 9 CHAMPIONS again (this time, tied with Flushing)!!

Grabbed Nook after the Varsity Boys' race and RAN back the HS to pick up her Biology homework; RAN home to let her change, let The Boyz out, feed The Boyz, pat The Boyz, load the trunk with shelves for Veeps, spare trombone for Veeps (while her Olds is at Marshall getting a significant marching-related slide-dent repaired), and related miscellany; locked up, hopped back into the Road Warrior, and zoomed over to EL to hook up with Veeps and deliver said goods.

Then, the fun really begins! Nook & I were hungry (that's right, it's 7:30, she's run a big race, and we've not had supper yet. . ), so we walked into The Pita Pit and ordered up. Probably the best pita sandwich I've had!! Then Veeps took us over to our new favorite ice cream place (Cold Stone Creamery), where you select your "base flavor" ice cream, then select what goes into it - the server places all the goodies on the ice cream, then proceeds to blend it all together BY HAND (well, OK, 2 ice cream paddles). Nothing smaller than a "Like It" size, so we were all STUFFED (and Jan's "like it" size wound up in a "love it" size dish. . . go figure!!).

21 October 2004:

*sigh* Today (I think) was the last "real" day of work in current contract position. For now, it'll be part-time hours tying up loose ends, etc., until I can land something new. Can't do the long-distance stuff anymore - too hard on car, too hard on ME! So, whatever comes up next, needs to be "local"!! [NOTE: SE Michigan is TERRIBLE for jobs]

22 October 2004: Valdemort the Transient has landed on Planet GB for approximately 21 hours (expecting to return to Home Base EL in time for dinner tomorrow). Plans for Saturday include:

• sleeping
• eating
• napping
• hooking up with Cristina to run to Durand to see the GBHS Marching Band compete
• running back to EL for Erin's concert

So, what happened today? Day off work for Jim & me. Nook to school . . . forgot lunch. . . Mom runs it to the Main Office . . . message posted on Message Board. . . Nook retrieves lunch from Main Office. . . she makes it thru the rest of the day and XC practice intact and happy. . . hooks up with friends at Big Boy . . . has milkshake for supper. . . declares it a "strange day for food".

Ran errands. . . stopped in Holly at The Windplayer - traded a stuffy student Bach for a pretty decent student Yamaha as practice marching horn for Valdemort. . .later, ran over to EL, retrieved Olds from Marshall - slide dent repaired and working beautifully!. . . oh, yeah, retrieved Valdemort for her GB respite. . .

23 October 2004:

24 October 2004: Lazy Sunday morning. We had Valdemort for approx. 22 hours this weekend!! She got the sleep she needed, a chance to catch up with herself. Plus, the Yamaha for which the Bach got traded. And a couple loads of laundry. A night-long snuggle with The Nernie. Returned her to EL before 7:30, so she could go to a concert @ Wharton, see her oboe friend perform.

This morning, The Nern looked in V's room for her. . .

BREAKING NEWS: The Grand Blanc Marching Band is going to STATE FINALS for the first time in almost 20 years!! Grand Blanc is currently holding 9th place. Their show is based on "Pirates of the Carribean". Competition is October 30 at the Pontiac Silverdome (same day as MSU vs. UM).

25 October 2004: Valdemort auditioned for Spartan Brass this evening [Spartan Brass is MSU's equivalent of "pep band"]. She thinks there were about 20 trombones competing for about 17-18 spots; probably won't know 'til next week the results.

"Dog Weather" today - not too hot, nor too cool

Tomorrow's the Freshman/Sophomore Cross-Country Meet in Swartz Creek; Nook and Erica are expected to "take" the meet!! However, one minor problem: I have no idea where the meet is to be held. . .

Spain Pictures from Liz's (niece/cousin) "study abroad" are posted!!