Six Days In Jersey

Monday

Finished at work by 10 AM and was on the road by 11 following stops to drop off The Programming Assignment, acquire donuts (mmm...forbidden donuts...), and to fill my car's gas tank. The drive home was uneventful, and I was home before it was dark outside. Dad & Dan were surprised to see me; Amy was pissed off. Actually, I don't know that for a fact, but her reaction was "Oh my God, what are you doing here?!" Watched the Giants game, got disgusted, and went to bed.

Tuesday

Slept late on Tuesday, and didn't really accomplish all that much. Went bowling, however, and helped lose five points.

Wednesday

Woke up early to run some errands. First, to My Mall to pick up tickets for Harry Potter and Monsters Inc. on Saturday. Then, 50 minutes in the opposite direction to the Meadowlands to buy tickets to a Devils game over Christmas break. Finally, back up 17 to Victor's to pick up guitar strings and a slide.

Later, I went to Phil's for lunch with some of the old Hills gang, including Rob, Beth, Jessica, Joanna, Dan and Jenn. Sat around for awhile after finishing lunch BSing, and it was (surprisingly) not awkward at all.

Later that evening, I got all dressed up in my marching band uniform to prepare for the parade. Picked up at 8:30 to go to Karen's Aunt & Uncle's place in Edison. By 11:30, we were on the Turnpike headed for the Grover Cleveland rest stop, and we soon were waiting...and waiting and waiting

Thursday

and waiting and waiting for the MRD buses to arrive. Finally, at 1:30, over an hour late, they showed up and we boarded. Back on the road by 2 AM, at the Lincoln Tunnel by 3 AM, at 36th St. by 3:30 ready for rehearsal for the NBC cameras. Adrenaline adrenaline adrenaline for the rehearsal, then we kind of collapsed back onto the buses for the ride back to the hotel at 48th St. Breakfast was cold toast, awful scrambled eggs, and the fattiest bacon I have ever seen. I cleaned my plate, and at around 6:30 we boarded the buses again and headed uptown.

We arrived at our 81st St. lineup position by 7:15, but didn't step off until around 10:30. No matter, as we kept ourselves entertained with the celebrities in the area (Joe Torre, Rudy, Garfield, Bugs Bunny, Jimmy Neutron, Popeye, HHH, Kurt Angle, Vinnie Mac, Tony Bennett...a wide variety). Shortly before we stepped off, we verbally harassed O Town and Joey MacEntyre--a highlight.

Once we stepped off, the parade route absolutely flew. We played 76 Trombones, Robin Hood, and New World Symphony in constant (30 secs. between) rotation from 77th St. to 36th St., and we only played each five or six times. I've never walked so far, so fast. The performance for the cameras was actually not all that good, visually; sonically, we were as good as ever. On the tape, i.e. what NBC broadcasted, you can't tell anything was wrong, so I would call it a highly successful outing for the MRDs. After a ridiculously long photo session on the steps of the post office across from MSG, Karen & I hopped a bus to the ferry, and I drove us home. Frighteningly, I don't even remember the drive up the Palisades Parkway; I may have slept through it.

Thanksgiving dinner at the Weites' was delicious; great turkey, great potatos, great corn, great rolls...and great pies. I ate enough to make myself sick, but it was worth it; Thanksgiving comes but once a year. Afterward, I was asleep by 9 PM, ending my streak at 36 consecutive waking hours.

Friday

As a testament to my exhaustion, I don't really remember Friday all that well.

Saturday

Woke up early to make a pilgrimmage back to My Mall for Harry Potter and Monsters Inc. Quick reviews: both were great, but Monsters was one of the best movies I've seen all year. Pixar never ceases to amaze me, with either their features or their shorts. You owe it to yourself to see Monsters Inc. in a theater. Harry Potter was a faithful adaptation of the book, but I had the same problems with the movie that I did with the novel. Didn't keep me from enjoying it, however, and I look eagerly toward the sequels.

Sunday

Not a whole lot I can say about Sunday that hasn't already been said; it was the worst drive back to school I've ever had in my life. On a bright note, I can say that I survived it, though it was a difficult and frustrating end to an otherwise enjoyable break.