Blown Fuse

Crop Walk

On Sunday I raced down here from Maryland and made it just in time for play with the Durham Community Concert Band at the Durham Crop Walk. I literally raced into the house to change clothes, printed off some directions, and was out on the road again in ten minutes.

I was going to use the fact that I was running so damn late to excuse myself from the event. After all, our "stage" was the front lawn of the Duke Chapel. When I learned that would be where the venue was set up, my skin began to crawl. After all - I'm a UNC alum. I'd only been to Duke's campus once and that was for some lame-ass fraternity party during my freshman year of college.

Anyway, because I share music and a stand with someone, I knew I had to swallow my pride and hoof it down there. Because my driving instructions were quite crap, I spent 20 minutes driving around Duke (which is 3 miles from my house). By the time I found the parking deck we were assigned to I discovered that about half the band was trickling out of it at the same time as me. So, I wasn't the only late one.

The most awkward part of the performance was when the conductor allowed some girl from the audience sit in the empty chair next to me to look on at our music. Normally, I would have been cool with that, but I know for a fact that my personal performance sucked eggs. 80% of the music we played was new to me. Nearsightedness and sight-reading don't go well together.

Anyway. I'm glad I went. You can't really feel good about the compliments a group gets if you don't show up.

We have our big spring concert coming up on Sunday...I'll see if I can get some video clips of me pretending to be a flute genius.

Is that a violin in your trunk or are you just happy to see me?

When I ordered my new flute I also orderd a Schirmer etude book - you know, to get my chops back up.

Well, they sent me the wrong book. It's Tartini: The Art of Bowing for the Violin.

I don't play violin, nor do I have any intentions of beginning to. I asked for an exchage and they told me to keep it and pass it on to a friend who can use it.

Any amateur violinists out there want it? I'll mail it to you for free.