Before I begin the bulk content of this post, let me make something perfectly clear: I love marching band. More than that, I am in love with marching band. BUGWB (the Baylor University Golden Wave Marching Band) has provided me with some of the most fulfilling experiences of my life, and the people I have met through the organization will be the friends I have for the rest of my life. There's nothing quite like the atmosphere before a football game surrounded by people such as yourself who have invested themselves so thoroughly into the event that they're willing to wear a wool uniform in 90+ degree heat. The yelling, the cheering, Les Mis intro at the opposing team's huddle, Bruin Pride block, the Tennessee Waltz... it's amazing. I love marching band.

That being said, so follows the rest of the post.

This season, in all likelihood, is going to kill me. The Baylor football schedule is as follows:

9/2 - TCU
9/9 - Northwestern State
*9/16 @ Washington State
9/23 - Army
9/30 - Kansas State
*10/7 @ Colorado
10/14 @Texas
10/21 - Kansas
10/28 - Texas A&M
11/4 @ Texas Tech (probably a pep band)
11/11 @ OSU (probably a pep band)
11/18 - OU

An asterisk indicates that the band will not be at that game. I'm speculating about the pep bands (smaller groups of musicians, usually core players and particularly spirited individuals, and the occasional sucker freshman who got talked into going), but if past trends and current talk is to be believed, this is the schedule for marching band this year. Add on to that a trip to Round Rock for an exhibitional show at a marching contest and you've got a whopping ELEVEN performances for BUGWB this year, with only two free weekends from the beginning of September until the end of November.

I have just done some math regarding my history of marching band. This year, my fifth year in college marching band (and quite certainly my last), added on to the six years in high school marching band (we start marching in seventh grade to make up for the small size of our high school and the lack of interest in the band program in general) makes eleven years in marching band. We averaged about ten games a year in high school, which equals 60 games in high school marching band. Add on to that the eight games from freshman year (68), eight from sophomore year (76), nine from junior year (85), and six more from my first senior year (91). Having said all of that, with the ten games we will be doing this year I will finish out my career on my 101st game as a band member. Forgive me for saying so, but holy balls. That's a lot of band. When I bow out of Tennessee Waltz for the last time, I get this feeling that I'll be pretty ready for it.

Now I lay me down to sleep.

Listening to - You & Me & The Bottle Makes Three Tonight (baby) by Big Bad Voodoo Daddy