That's Why...

So that's why we didn't have electricity yesterday! I didn't feel comfortable driving under this thing to get to work, but the road was closed going the other way.

Getting Ready for Irene

When I got to work this morning, the decision was made to close the restaurant. So, we ended up moving everything off of the porch and out of the dining room, just in case the worst happens with the hurricane. It was so unusual seeing the deck,

porch,

and dining room

with no tables. After clearing everything out, the windows were covered with plastic and secured with sandbags.

The windows on the porch were also taken out, but that happened after I left.

Ravens vs. Redskins

Whew, what a day! For practice and lunch, the weather held out, but during our concert, it started to rain. Then it started to rain harder. And it continued to rain hard during our march up the spine from Camden Yards to M&T Bank Stadium. I was soaked - almost to my underwear! But, luckily, before we went out to run our pregame show, the rain had stopped. So, aside from watching the game in a wet uniform, it was a good time. The Ravens beat the Redskins 31-34, and it was a really good game. The Redskins were ahead for the whole game, until the very end, where the Ravens pulled out a win.
We also had guests from NFL Films, who were filming the band for a 30 second spot called, "Spirit of the NFL." Look for it during the Ravens/Jets game, I think.

Earthquake

How exciting was that? 5.9 on the Richter scale centered near Richmond, Virginia! I wonder what it was here in Maryland (a co-worker is speculating around a 3).
I was standing in front of a fume hood, when the hood began to shake. I looked up, wondering if someone was doing work on the roof of the building. Then I thought, nah, maybe a big truck is going by. But as the next few seconds passed, and the shaking didn’t stop, I moved into the hallway, and saw my computer monitor through the office door shaking like crazy. I have never experienced an earthquake before, and it was really kind of cool.

Ravens vs. Chiefs

Today’s preseason game against the Chiefs was really disappointing, from my musical point-of-view. My disappointment came because of the weather. Prior to every game, the band performs a concert. Today, there was the danger of thunderstorms, so we cut the concert extremely short. The game went well, though, with the Ravens winning 13-31.

Birthday Shadowbox Sent

Well, I finally finished it!

A month after it was due to be sent out, I finally mailed out my Birthday Shadowbox. I will never let myself get that far behind again!

Howard County Fair

Today’s band gig was the Howard County Fair. Every year, we perform a concert, and march in the parade around the fairgrounds. This year, it rained a little on us. Other than that, we were fabulous, as usual.

Ravens Scrimmage and Martina's Party

This morning, the Pep Band performed for the Ravens Scrimmage.

We played outside the stadium for the fans waiting to get into the event. Then, we went inside the stadium and performed during the scrimmage. I must admit, it was a tad bit boring, but I think it was because I couldn’t understand what the announcers were saying. It would have been a lot more interesting if I understood what the team was doing out on the field.
Afterwards, I went to Marty & Martina’s annual end-of-summer party. I saw Dawn and Brenda (old co-workers from the Tidewater) and their spouses. Unfortunately, it rained pretty hard, so I left after about an hour and a half, but it was really nice to catch up with old friends.