A Reason to Be Proud of Vancouver

Vancouver, Washington is often known as ""The 'Couve or "Vantucky." Not very flattering. Attemps to co-opt "Vangroovy" from the Vancouver up north have fallen flat.

Vancouver is Portland's poor red-headed step-child.

But next Tuesday America's Vancouver has a special role in the inauguration of Barack Obama. Indeed the entire Pacific Northwest will be represented by Vancouver--in the form of a marching band.

Evergreen High School's award winning marching band is one of only about two dozen bands to be chosen to march in the Inaguration Day Parade. More than 1400 schools applied.

Since 2000, Evergreen has captured the Pacific Northwest marching band circuit title four times, and finished second another three times. The band also has earned Sweepstakes awards in either Portland’s Grand Floral or Starlight parades the past five years.

Evergreen High School is not our family's school. In fact, it's not even in our school district. But Vancouver kids are headed to Washington D.C. for an experience they'll never forget and the opportunity to be a small part of a truly historic event. Congratulations!

Further proof that marching bands are awesome!

Middle School Marching Band

I'm a little jealous that my kids get to be in marching band in MIDDLE school. But only a little. Also very proud that they are marching in my footsteps.
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Who said they could grow up so freaking fast?
Gretchen 06.15.07 - 6:35 pm

Why won't my phone ring?

I've been out of work for 13 weeks. This is a long time. While there are some definite pluses about unemployment (school field trips, weekday sex, art projects), the major downsides (no paycheck, no insurance) are a little overwhelming.

I have applied for more than 30 full-time jobs in Vancouver and Portland. (And I've been honestly qualified for most of them.) I have received one phone call from a potential employer. I have had zero interviews.

I check my phone, my email and my mailbox, with OCD-like regularity. And yet, still nothing.

I keep telling The Artist that the situation will change in the blink of an eye. I'll get a call, an interview and a job offer at any moment--and then I'll think "wait, I'm not ready" because of all my unfinished projects that will now be on hold while I work 40+ hours/week. Having a job really cuts into your free time.

Free time that I'm obviously not using to blog. So here's a few bullets to let you all know how it's going (other than the unemployment):

• The Magician helped a friend film the Downtown Vancouver Association's first Clean-Up and then won a generous gift certificate to BeigeBlond, a rather posh salon--and he gave it to me. Can you say mani-pedi?
  

• Last week, The Artist made a 3'x7' painting of a hermaphrodite and then sold it to Brett, the fabulous owner of the aforementioned salon. How fabulous is Brett? When I had my hair done there before my trip to San Francisco ($200 for color, cut and unnecessary "product"), he was wearing camo Carhartts--that he'd bedazzled with rhinestones.

• The Star and I spent hours at the mall this week looking for an affordable sundress for her to wear for her end-of-year band concert, since 8th-graders are exempt from the white-shirt/black-skirt rule. But we found nothing she liked that was under $5o. So we headed to the fabric store, where she got everything we needed for about $20. Guess what I'll be doing tonight?

• Yesterday was the Junior Rose Parade. I was able to spend the day as water-bearer, since I have no job. As you know, I love marching bands and parades, so this was really fun. Except that one of our students was running around during the hurry-up-and-wait stage and tripped, bloodying his knee and snapping his clarinet in half. Fortunately, he wasn't my kid. Now we're just waiting for the judging results. If our band wins best band overall, the band director will shave his "freakishly round" head (his words). The kids did a pretty good job, but I think Mr. Conditt's hair is safe. UPDATE: While a Vancouver middle school did win the Sweepstakes Award, it wasn't our band. We won third place in the out-of-state small band division.
  

• I've been drafted to be on both the promotions and the fund raising committees for the gallery. The Artist points out that perhaps one family member dedicating as many as 20 (unpaid) hours a week to the art gallery is enough, but this is really just my social life. I'm no longer attending the UU church or in my own band, so this is my chance to hang out with People Whose Underwear I Don't Wash. How refreshing. (Full disclosure: both kids actually do their own laundry now, but comments about underwear are funny. To me.)

• And speaking of underwear: June 16th is the Pretty Panty Ride, part of Pedalpalooza!, Portland/Vancouver's big bike festival. I'll be flying my pretty panties like a flag. (Full disclosure: the panties I'll be exhibiting are a size that fit The Star's tiny teen buns, not my own ass--which would take a much longer bicycle safety flag than is available.)

So generally life is good. The bad stuff is being ignored, the fun stuff celebrated. I'm hunting for a job while working a few hours a week (see Citizens Against Reservation Shopping for info on the anti-casino PR I'm assisting) and trying to catch up on projects that I usually don't have time for.

But now I have to go check my mail...
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Your phone would ring with a call from me, but I don't have a current number for you . . . email me your digits . . .
Gretchen 06.07.07 - 12:41 pm

Rockin' the Band Geek Gene

People say that The Magician looks a lot like me. He also has my laziness and lack of motivation--except for brief flashes of passion: his for cooking and mine for all things fiber arts. The Star looks like herself. Her nose isn't really like anyone else's in the family and her blond curly hair is an anomoly. But she's got her dad's need to constantly create and my mom's blue eyes and social leadership skills.

One thing that does seem to be passed down from me: love of band.

Tuesday night was the middle school band concert. One of my kids participated in each of the performing groups--concert band, jazz band, beginning band and 6th grade honor band. And The Star's ensemble from the February solo and ensemble competition was featured. For middle school, these kids were great. Even The Artist (no Band gene!) was impressed. In fact, having him there was really positive, because he got a glimpse into the psyche of the band geek: the joy of making noise in concert with other noisy people, the applause, the joking comraderie.

The band director has invited The Magician to join the jazz band--one of only four 6th graders to get the upgrade. And my kid is stoked! Jazz band is going to be a huge challenge for him as a beginner--new notes and complicated rhythms. But he's found a class at school that interests him, and that's fantastic. If all he had to do at school was read Terry Pratchet and play his horn, he'd be a 4.0 student. I'm really glad that we bought the trumpet he wanted last year--I think having his own shiny silver horn (not a rental, not like anyone else's) is a boost for him.

Yesterday I accompanied the concert band (7th & 8th graders) to the Lower Columbia River Music Education Association band festival in Woodland, a cute town about twenty-five minutes north of Vancouver. Every time I volunteer at school, I'm reminded that I really like my own kids--everyone else's not so much. They were loud, they were rude, they were 12-14 years old. The competition went well though, despite a fire alarm in the middle of their final, and most difficult, piece. Fortunately it was a beautiful day and the 20 minutes they spent standing around outside the school wasn't a big deal. On returning to the stage, they focused immediately, played the piece and got quite a bit of praise from the judge, particularly for dealing so well with the interruption.

I'm still conflicted about my own marching band. I didn't pay my fee to participate this year, partly because my business travel schedule made it so difficult to get to rehersals. Now I've got the time, but driving to Beaverton is still a hassle and gas is about $2.99/gallon here. This is always the conundrum of unemployment: plenty of time to do cool things, but no money with which to do them. The marching band's first rehersal is April 8, so I guess I need to think about it a bit more.

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Dang. How'd she get so big and growed up?
Rikki 04.01.07 - 1:11 pm

I dunno, I think she looks a lot like the girl I met as a college freshman a million years ago (ok, well 20).
melissa 04.03.07 - 11:13 am

The Post in Which I Say Goodbye to Marching Band

After not registering for marching band by the orignal deadline of Dec. 5, or the extended deadline of Dec. 29, I made the difficult decision last night to forego marching band this year.

I really like marching band. The people are friendly and helpful. The music is challenging for someone who hasn't played in more than 15 years. The Grand Floral Parade--especially the adulation of the fans--is incredible. But it involves driving from Vancouver to Beaverton each week. Mind you, it doesn't look like a chore from the map, but the 25 minutes they estimate--unrealistic. It's a hassle. Gas is expensive. My business travel schedule will interfere with rehersals and then that challenging music will be impossible.

I alternately feel liberated by my decision and guilty. I don't want to be a quitter. But I also have a lot to deal with already: work, the household chores, the kids, The Artist's career, my own art projects, bills, and, as Eustace would put it on Courage the Cowardly Dog, "anything else I can think of."

So, for this year at least, I'm putting my saxophone away in order to focus on other important matters.

Full of Ideas

I'm fine. Thanks for asking.

I also have many ideas for a blog entry, though none is being written. So here's a synopsis:

• My vase came back from the art show in Friday Harbor. Which means no one bought it.
• I donated two artsy items to the silent auction at the gallery. My Super Happy Fun purse (shaped like a Chinese take-out container) sold for $30. My blue felted bowl sold for $20 and I'm about to finish another for an unsuccessful bidder. Of course, no pictures of either.
• Is The Magician headed down a slippery slope? We just learned that he's been banned from the Kwik-E-Mart down the street for attempting to shoplift a candy bar. This is only a few months after he pulled a knife (his mini multi-tool) on another kid.
• Last Wednesday was our 15th wedding anniversary and we spent it like we usually do--Christmas shopping for the kids.
• The Magician and The Star spent Wednesday night making homemade ravioli with a very cool childless couple who announced that they were the "most interesting, most polite" kids ever. So maybe there's still hope.
• I was going to apply for a great job, but lost my confidence when the 8-question supplemental questionnaire started with describing my most successful media campaign.
• I will be taking The Artist to San Francisco in January. It will be our first time together away from the children ever. In 15 years.
• The Star has a boyfriend. He came to the gallery on Saturday night for the opening of her art show--and brought her a gift. Good boy.
• I keep forgetting to turn in my renewal form for the marching band. It was due on Dec. 5.

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And we want long, detailed blog entries on all of these subjects. Hope you're doing well sweetie. We are pulling for you!

rosie Homepage 12.15.06 - 7:00 am