This One Time…

Holy crap is it fall. I walked out to my car this morning (we’ve been stuck parking OUTSIDE our garage for a few months now thanks to interior house projects needing space) and it was fa-reezing y’all.

Which ok I realize the term “freezing” is relative but the swap from 90+ degree days and 80 degree nights to 40 degree mornings is a shock to the system. I’m looking forward to all the aspects of fall but dang my blood needs to adjust. The one thing I don’t love about fall though is school bus traffic. Frowny face indeed.

Granted I do have some great memories from fall, but I try to avoid the “American Pie” experience by not starting all of them with “One time, at band camp” even though truth be told…most of the great ones are from that one time while we were at band camp. In fact, because its Monday and I am sure most of wish we were in bed let me tell you one now.

So, back when I was in band camp there was a tradition that on the last morning of sleep-away camp that the seniors would get to sleep in rather than report for morning drill. I.e. not report for marching and a fun run before breakfast at the butt crack of dawn AKA 6 a.m. during what was still technically summer vacation. (And you thought us nerds weren’t tough) So anyway, my senior rolls around and the group of us seniors were looking forward to this last day when we were informed that no we would NOT get to participate in this tradition.

We were less than pleased.

Being seniors though, we decided we would follow directions (sort of) and report as requested (sort of) by being in the appropriate spot at the appropriate time. Early even! That last morning the seniors gathered in the parking lot at 5:30 a.m., beating out the instructors AND other students (we were quite dedicated y’all) and then we settled in a group in the middle of said practice area. As the other students began to arrive they found a quandary…they were supposed to be grouped up in specific areas and well, we seniors had made it quite difficult. They didn’t want to tell us what to do but well they didn’t want to get in trouble. So they did their level best to follow the rules and get into formation.

Then…the instructors arrived. This is what they had to have seen. From freshman to Juniors, the parking lot full of students attempting to be in formation but having to work around the lump of senior bodies in the parking lot. Along with that lump of bodies were pillows, blankets, pajamas, slippers, and oh yes…sleeping bags. Yes…the seniors decided since they wanted us to report for duty and we wanted to sleep in as tradition dictated we’d just SLEEP our way to duty. Our morning instructor stood silent for a few minutes while the remaining student body giggled and snorted in laughter while standing at a very mess attention given the seniors were completely in the way of them marching anywhere and the seniors continued to snooze. After a minute or so though Jeff, the instructor, caved and said “You reported…now LEAVE!”

And without further ado the senior class grabbed our shit and left because by god we were going back to bed. One hour and a half later we lounged in the breakfast hall watching as the remaining students came filter in from their jog. It was good to be a top dog.

And that my friends, is why the “one time at band camp” stories crack me up…because you never know what may or may not have happened, but it was sure to have been a great time.