Reboot!

 SWCJ Trip 2025

Travel Day

Saturday, April 12, 2025

I should have called yesterday a "no-travel" day.  Except for the ride to the airport, I went nowhere.

Unlike the old Southwest days where they could disembark and board a plane within an hour, it took forever to board today's American Airlines flight: already an hour just to board.  But I know that international flights are a whole different ballgame.  We were all sitting down finally by our departure time of 12:45 a.m., but nothing was happening.  Time ticked away and the announcements never came.  Then the pilot said that they found an issue and they needed to power down the entire aircraft, which means all of the passengers needed to disembark.  Because this was an international flight, we also had to take all of our belongings with us.  So we left the plane and waited some more at the gate.  

Top left corner is a reflection of
inside the airport, which makes 
this a weird picture, but I'm sharing anyway.

Meanwhile, I got a message from the airline on my phone, saying they couldn't rebook my connecting flight to Osaka.  So I talked to the gate agent, and she said there wouldn't be a problem because they have flights that go there about every hour.  I watched the lights in the plane go off and then come back on.  REBOOT!  Well, at least they dealt with the issue before we got off the ground and we could get off the plane and use restrooms and stuff.  Also, I was too tired to care that much, and still a little anxious about connecting to an Osaka flight.

So at about 2:30 am, we finally left LAX.  I had ordered the "bland" meal for my flight because they had described their vegetarian meal as "spicy".  (I prefer not to eat a lot on flights, especially long ones).  My food wasn't bad!   I could have added salt, I guess, but I was eating in the dark because I was too sleepy to eat at 3:30 a.m. Pacific Time when they had brought my food, which came before everyone else's because it was a special order.   They had turned off the cabin lights after serving to everyone else, which I pretty much slept through.  I could have turned on my light, but it wasn't really a problem.  My food was a chicken and wild rice dish with salad and balsamic dressing that was a little messy because of the packet.

I watched 3 of the offered movies.  Thanks for a big selection!  Movies:  Juror #2, Moana 2, and Godzilla MInus one.  So the theme was movies with a number, I guess!

We were also served breakfast, and my food was a scrambled egg with spinach and mushrooms, and a tomato on the side.  Not bad either!  I had little snack-type leftovers from both meals, which I ate eventually during the trip.  It looks like the regular dish had some kind of salsa, so I'm glad I ordered what I did.

Somehwere during the flight, we crossed the International Date Line.  I guess it was good that they served food based on Japan time.  

Next up:  Planes, trains, and automobiles 

Your Bag is Open!

 SWCJ Trip 2025

Travel Day

Friday, April 11, 2025

When the Star Wars Celebration folks announced that their next event would be in Tokyo, I wondered if I could go.  Japan has long been on my bucket list, and adding Star Wars to it would be awesome.  My family members were interested, too, and it became a serious thought when they realized that it was happening during the niece's Spring Break.  So they thought, let's try to get tickets, and go from there.  They did their trick of having a ton of devices ready to purchase, and I had 3 at my house on different servers.  I never got in.  But they were able to do so multiple times and got my information to purchase my badge and pre-order merchandise.  They also helped the niece's friend's family.  Japan was becoming a reality, and Bro started planning the trip.  They had been to Japan before, so they knew a little more about what they wanted to do.  So I booked some of my own stuff as I was planning on staying a couple of days longer than them, and I booked my own flights.  Bro was in charge of the Disneyland planning.  It maybe started to seem real when I renewed my passport and entered the information that I was planning on going to Japan.  Maybe even more real when I was trying to decide on the luggage situation.  I knew that I would definitely be bringing back a bunch of stuff, so I nestled my regular suitcase into a larger suitcase.  Even when I checked in for my flight, I still wasn't sure that it was real.

I took the day off to avoid being stressed out about packing, and was able to take a shower in the late afternoon to feel a little cleaner than I would be if I just took a shower in the morning.  12 hours is not pleasant to sit by stinky folks, and is also not pleasant if you know you're the one that's stinky.  I asked Lyft for a 7:30 pickup, and my driver was early by a couple of minutes and across the street instead of in front of my house.  He was Armenian and didn't speak a lot of English, but no big deal.  We communicated fine.  I said goodbye to Dad and Wonderpup and we were on our way.  There was a fire on the side of the freeway that slowed traffic, but he still got me to LAX in an hour!  

I was dropped off at Terminal B / Tom Bradley International, then realized that I needed to drop off my bag at American Airlines Terminal 4, which wasn't too far, but I still needed to go back outside to get there.  At first, I was in the wrong section where the privileged members check in.  One of the AA employees commented on my Star Wars shirt, and he asked if I was going to SWC.  YES!  He said that he was going, too!  He was going to fly out next week, and his name is Gary.  Then when I was walking to the peon area, a guy came up to me to tell me that my bag was open.  I asked him if he saw anything fall out, and he said no.  I'm lucky I packed so tightly and nobody had grabbed anything, as I checked my bag to make sure.  

I needed to correct my boarding pass to ensure my TSA pre-check because I was approved after I had booked my flight, and the app was not working right.  Then I left the desk without my Global Entry pass.  What a mess I am!  Lucky for me, I could hear the attendant calling my name!  It was nice to be able to go through TSA Pre-check at the AA terminal and then go through some corridors to get back to Tom Bradley, because it had been a big chaotic in the main terminal.  They had a display of old flight attendant uniforms from the 70s, when they were stylish.  My favorite was the one from Pan Am, mostly because it was so iconic.  Continental was very classy, and Pacific Airways had hot pants!  I also liked the groovy tights that another airline wore.  I don't know why I didn't take pictures, because they were really cool.   

I love to stop at the Duty Free shop!  I went to the Jo Malone section and was disappointed that they had discontinued my favorite scent: blue agave with cacao.  I purchased a different scent from the very nice lady who had me sniff all the different kinds that could work instead.  She was excited that I was on my way to Japan for the first time and could tell that it was a bucket list item for me.

I had two hours before boarding, so I started my journal and watched planes at a totally different gate because there was more activity on the tarmac to watch at this window.  My plane is scheduled to leave shortly after midnight!

My view while I journaled

Next up:  Flying Over The Ocean 

BOOM!

 DCI Finals
Saturday, August 9, 2025
View from FloMarching Broadcast
Bro's House, CA 

Bro and I watched the All-Age Finals as I blogged about DCI Semifinals.  I liked that the Govenaires stole the DCI Founders trophy, and the use of the Bluecoats' current coat.  I also liked seeing hats, and I heard some great music.  The Colt Cadets did a great job of playing their cadence as the corps entered the field for Retreat.  Congratulations to the Reading Buccaneers on your win!  

We had some time before Finals festivities, and tried to watch the SoundSport broadcast, but neither of us really liked what we were hearing, so Bro put that on mute while we listened to other music and Bro fried up the frozen lumpia that I had brought from Costco.  Yes, folks, if you go to the right Costco, you can find lumpia!  And it was yummy.  We all ate our lunch before sitting down for the main event. 

The IN-Pact band played a couple of songs (wow, there were a LOT of them on the field!), and V showed B who Al Chez was, because she had pointed him out in the stands when we were in Allentown.

The United States Marine Corps Commandant's Own played their Music in Motion show.  I recognized the first song, but didn't figure it out.  They also played "The Sound of Silence" and "Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy".  I enjoyed the whole program, and seeing them live is one of the things I miss about not being in Indy.  I love hearing them play the Marine Corps hymn, and my favorite march, "Stars and Stripes Forever", and there's nothing like hearing them play our national anthem, because they don't butcher it at all.  Thanks, USMC!

BLUE KNIGHTS

Their shoes are the same color as their uniform.  V likes the blue ones.  Me, too.  The lead doesn't catch the rifle on the big hit.  Maybe that's following the Drip theme, as you don't actually get the drip of water when you expect it in real life.  

COLTS

B:  Too much talking.

O thought that the drawing of John Lennon was Harry Potter.  I guess she thought the wisp of hari was the lightning bolt.  Bro wants pajamas of some of the uniforms.  Only V noticed the flags with words on them until she pointed them out on the screen today.  O asked why they kept showing the lead guy, and V told her it was because he was the lead.  I told her it was because he was cute, but I'm sure V is more corrrect.

TROOPERS

I cried!  The drum major toook off her hat and sang along to the last song as she cried, which did not help me hold back my tears.  Oh, they made a formation of the devil mask!  Neato.  They also formed the symbol of the crossed swords.  What a beautiful tribute, Troopers.

BLUE STARS

The audience did the wave while waiting for the corps to start.  When the soloist put down his horn, V said, "Mustache?!"  That's what I thought the other day!  The different colored uniforms were in different Olympic rings.  V was also surprised by the bicycle being ridden on the field, and doesn't remember seeing it in Allentown either.

CAVALIERS

Oh, a hat formation!  We wondered what was on the necklaces, and I think they were gears, like for the Green Machine.  We agree that they need a crazy drill moment like what the Cavaliers are known for.  The hats they wore at the end were inside the big props.  V and O ate watermelon in tribute to the props.

MANDARINS

Why is the hair sooooo sparkly?  Aw, it's the last time for us to watch the pretty pretty.

<Intermission>

The Legacy Impact Award was given to John Phillips, DCI Judge Administrator.  He was present for the change from the tick system to the current system.

Selfie time happened, featuring Pringles.

PHREGIMENT

The drum major has a chevron on his arm with "SUTA" underneath it.  I don't now my interpretation of this show, but it was lovely, despite the curtains blowing too much.

CROWN

DEVOURED.  V got to see the people on the props this time.

BLUE DEVILS

The trio was much better today.  There was much discussion about their color guard uniforms, especially those with the guys' nipples showing.  

V: Why are they even wearing anything?  

Such a beautimus last segment in the circle.

SCV

I yelled "VANGUARD!!" a few times just to make sure I got it in there.  Such a good show!  The drum notes are equal to the horns in rhythm, even when they're playing lots and lots of them.  

BOSTON CRUSADERS

YES!!!  Nice work all around, Boston.  They got a well-deserved standing ovation at the end of their first segment, and they showed the Bomb Moms standing, too.  

BLOO

Awesome job, Bloo.  Their glasses didn't have any lenses.  Their fans should be wearing them, too.  If they win this year, look out for a bunch of corps next year with eyewear.

After seeing all of this, we did not know who would win.  Bro knew that it would come down to the percussion score because that was the biggest divide this week.  And even then, it depended on the gap of that score because everything else was so even.  

Retreat

The USMC played as the corps entered the field.  I did not know that Bro knew so many lyrics to "A World of Cheeses".  

The Trooper had a bird statue with them.  I dont' know why.

We were told that the saying for the Mandarins' show is "Let me fall if I must fall. The one I am becoming will catch me."  Deep.  I like it.

Yay!  Vanguard made their V!

Scores

12) 87.45 -- Blue Knights

Jim Jones Leadership Award:  Drum Major Mattie from the Blue Stars

11) 88.05 -- The Colts

10) 90.05 -- The Troopers

This is the 1st score of at least 90 for Troop.  Congrats!

George Zingali Color Guard Award:  Boston Crusaders

9) 90.80 -- The Cavaliers

John Brazale Visual Performance Award:  Bluecoats

8) 91.175 -- The Blue Stars

Jim Ott Brass Award:  Boston Crusaders

7) 92.825 -- The Mandarins

6) 94..30 -- Phantom Regiment

Fred Sanford Percussion Award:  Boston Crusaders

5) 94.80 -- Carolina Crown

4) 95.788 -- Blue Devils

Don Angelica General Effect Award:  The Bluecoats

3) 96.70 -- Santa Clara Vanguard

So very proud of Vanguard getting
the Bronze!!!

2) 98.25 -- The Bluecoats

The crowd went wild.  The people in our house cheered.  They did it!!!!

1) 98.425 -- Boston Crusaders

This was the first DCI win for the Crusaders, celebrating their 85th anniversary.  AWESOME.

Even the Blue Devils fans were happy.

Flo Marching does not broadcast the encore, which is a bummer.  There are some videos already available today, so do a search for them on YouTube, and there will be many more once the kids upload what they recorded from the field with their GoPro cameras.  I'd rather not link here because I'd like for them to stay up.  Watch the crowd, though, and enjoy the victory run of BOOM!

It's been quite a year.  As Bro told us at the beginning of the season, per the oracle, if you start your season in the West, you're likely to win because you're being pushed by performing with BD and SCV, along with a few other World Class corps.  We wonder if the next tour will include more folks from the East.  I'm happy that SCV made such great strides since their off year.  

Congratulations to all of the corps for keeping us on the edge of our seats all the way to the very end!  

It's A Noboe

  DCI Semifinals

Friday, August 8, 2025

View from FloMarching Broadcast

Bro's House, CA

By the time I woke up this morning, Bro had already logged onto FloMarching to watch the corps competing in the All-Age competition.  He was about to walk the pup pup, so he put it on pause while I took a shower.  I will not be blogging about the All-Age corps.  Instead, I wrote my blog from DCI Prelims while I watched.  I contemplated writing this blog live during Semis, but maybe for Finals?  I don't know.  I like having my little notebook and not being able to read it the next day.  

We did not take a selfie today, but I will be interspersing some photos of the decor Bro placed around the house for the occasion.  Don't be surprised if you see a lot of Vanguard!  

Bro's chair

Corps with * advance to Finals (top 12).

RIVER CITY RHYTHM -- 73.125

I got to watch this whole thing this time.  Ooh, a harmonica!  They kinda look like Roman Centurion soldiers, which doesn't fit the whole anti-establishment theme, but we did like the cap sleeves that are kind of like epaulets.

COLUMBIANS -- 74.50

I do not want to see your laundry drying.  I like when the show their blue rally towel, then they show the other side, which is the flower pattern.  If I was the girl in the pit, I would take that sprig of flowers home.  

CALGARY STAMPEDE SHOWBAND -- 75.250

R:  The solos are much cleaner today.

They have an invisible bass guitar.

Guard members lift up construction beams above their heads:

R:  They're strong!

SEATTLE CASCADES -- 77.050

Well, I fell asleep, but I was told that I didn't miss anything because their props still didn't work.  Bro searched through photos online of when they actually worked, and I texted my companions from the earlier season shows just to make sure my memory wasn't playing tricks on me.  So at one point, they all would flip around to show blue, or red, or the shimmery color for each color section.  That must have been very frustrating for the show designers for it to be so consistently not working to their vision.

GENESIS -- 77.700

O: Jellyfish!

B:  Why did you say that?

O:  Their skirts!

To spin the kaleidoscope by hand, or not to spin.  That's what we questioned.

BATTALION -- 79.125

Fire flags!  The sound is better today: we can hear the poetry narration.  Not that it's necessarily a good thing.

GOLD -- 79.9

Man, I really hoped they would get to 80 points.

S:  Why would you go to a barber who has blood all over his face?

The big red flag got caught on the barber chair stage, but they quickly fixed it.  Mostly.

SPARTANS -- 82.275

I wonder what they'll wear in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade tihs year.  I hope it will be their traditional black uniforms with the helmets and huge plumes.  It will be nice to hear the announcer introduce them as the current DCI Open Class champions.  I like the Spartans.

<Intermission>

Rally Towels from Prior SCV Years

CROSSMEN -- 82.225

Bones!!!  They showed a close-up.

O:  Oh, it's a mask?

S:  I hope so.

They should have another "Wait!" at the end, then the lead color gaurd stops, and the corps does a quick drill to form their marquis cross formation.  That would have been a really cool finals week surprise.

ACADEMY -- 83.313

We spent most of the show shoppping online for their umbrellas.  I want one to use for shade, maybe in purple.  Aw, they're crying because it's their last show.

MUSIC CITY -- 83.838

Very nice Dies Irae solo.  Pretty double flag work during the Doxology.  I like the purple in the color guard's hair.

PACIFIC CREST -- 84.825

They sound much better today and I could hear the solos, which were nicely done.  Oh, they have different-colored flags at the end with writing on them listing the 7 Deadly Sins.  The green and gold flags remind O of Loki.

PC represented alongside SCV
The pillow is made from a uniform from SCV's
"Les Miserables" show.

MADISON SCOUTS -- 85.35

Bro likes the soprano trumpet/slide trumpet at the end of the show.  I'm still Meh about it.  Steve Rondinaro interviewed the soloist after the show, and asked him to settle the debate about what instrument he is actually playing, as this is determined by the manufacturer.  He says it's a slide trumpet, and that it took him a few years to convince the showrunners to allow him to play it for a DCI show.

BLUE KNIGHTS -- 88.275*

The oboe soloist was very happy at the end of his song, and he should be!  Brandt announced the end a little too early.  Oops.

COLTS -- 88.528

S:  I don't know, it seems like they're wearing pajamas.  Oh, "In Restless Dreams".  I get it! 

TROOPERS -- 90.063*

The hat that they place on the pine box at the end belonged to Fred Morris, the corps director largely credited with the Troopers' resurgence in 2009.  He passed away last November.   The corps' social media reps are encouraging those in attendance to shine their flashlights on the Trooper as he exits.

<Intermission>

BLUE STARS -- 90.375*

S:  They should do the wave.

<Blue Stars do the wave.>

R:  There you go.  Tell them to do more stuff.

S: They should do backflips.

<Blue Stars does not do backflips.>

Olympic rings, but not entertwined.  I think "The Winner Takes It All" is my favorite show this year.   Dan Potter interviewed the hurdler, whom is actually a state medalist in hurdling in Nebraska!

CAVALIERS -- 90.50*

S:  That color guard guy got rejected by the Bluecoats beause he's not wearing the correct eyeglasses.  

A few of them got to wear the white hats at the end of the show, but we don't know why.  e color guard gal at the end almost didn't make it to catch the last pillar.

PHREGIMENT -- 93.95*

Great rifle work, color guard!  I like whn they catch from a high toss and they all give it one more twirl before stopping and doing the next move. 

Umbrella from Phregiment's 2005
"Gershwin" show

CAROLINA CROWN -- 94.238*

Bro kept yelling at them to form their traditional crown.  Do they always beat up on that one person who gets run past the point of no return at the end?

BLUE DEVILS -- 95.40*

R:  It's not an oboe.  It's a "noboe".

Eek!  The trio had some issues.  The ending in the circle is really cool with the flags.  It was new as of this week.

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD -- 96.063*

We're wondering what the guy with the Pringles can arms actually plays.  I still don't know when to yell "VANGUARD!!!"  I like when they spin and the rally towels spin with them.  Brandt just kinda gave up on saying names at the end and said, "Anyway..."

SCV Bear

BLUECOATS -- 97.763*

Bro got faked out by the fake ending.  Bro really likes the trombone solo.  

BOSTON CRUSADERS -- 97.575*

The superfans are dressed as cartoon bombs this year!  So funny.  I like the silver Crusaders logo on the drum major's jacket.  Some drops by the color guard. 

Encore Presentation

Open Class Champions: SPARTANS

Some of them are wearing their medals from all three years of the Threepeat.

Hall of Fame Inductees

Jack Bevins of Velvet Knights (Director)

Matt Harloff of Carolina Crown (Brass arranger and caption head)

Alan Kristenson of DCI Adjudicating Panel (and SCV drummer!)

Jim Moore -- of Spirit of Atlanta (Color Guard designer and choreographer)

Exhibition Performance

SPIRIT OF ATLANTA ALUMNI CORPS

• Georgia On My Mind
• Devil Went Down to Georgia
• Sweet Georgia Brown
• Let It Be Me

Bones was there!  The Crossmen and Spirit have close ties because Crossmen assisted Spirit when their bus crashed a long time ago.  Spirit reciprocated when a Crossmen bus died later that season.  Click here for a more detailed account of their storied relationship.  Spirit even has a "Crossmen" award that they give out every year.  That's way cool.

Oh, yay!  Their bowler hats from the Speakeasy show!  Love those!

The current Spirit drum major gave a pendant from her necklace to the Alumni drum major.  B asked if that was her mom, and I didn't think so, but maybe!

Age Out Ceremony

We didn't get to see whatever they were showing on the big board.  We were really just watching to wait for the rest of the scores.

We didn't really do much but talk to V about her business trip, from which she arrived sometime after the final competition performance.  I'm glad she gets to join us for Finals tomorrow!

 

Wait. Catch me!

 DCI Prelims

Thursday, August 7, 2025

View from FloMarching Broadcast

Bro's House, CA

Since we are not at Indianapolis this year for Finals Week, I asked Bro if we could watch the FloMarching broadcast from his house.  So he decorated the house with a few more drum corps items than usual, and set up the big TV to show the multi-cam feed, and another monitor next to it for the high-cam feed.  I had gone to Costco the day before to get some better-than-stadium snacks and we were all set!  

He had started the broadcast from the beginning, but I didn't arrive until later.  Apologies to the earlier corps for my tardiness, especially because I think that none of them qualified for Semi-finals, so I won't be able to see them.  

Scores marked with a * ranked in the top 25, and the corps move on to Semi-finals.

RIVER CITY RHYTHM -- 73.70*

Repertoire: "Winds of Change" - Blowin' In the Wind;  The Times They Are A-Changin';  Hurricane; When the Ship Comes In; Make You Feel My Love, all by B. Dylan

I arrived during this show, so I couldn't really follow anything. They have protest signs as part of the props, and what looks like newsprint on their uniforms.

<Intermission>

Time to get snacks ready!  I also took the opportunity to buy merchandise, as I would in Indy.  I didn't buy anything from the corps, though.  SDSU has cute Hello Kitty merch right now, and I'm repping for the nephew.

Also, we needed our traditional selfie.

The Niblings (O and B), Coda, Bro (R), and Me (S)
Can you find the 3 SCV bears?

CALGARY STAMPEDE SHOWBAND -- 76.75*

Repertoire: "If We Build It" -- Road To Hell (Hadestown) by A. Mitchell; Wait for Me (Hadestown) by A. Mitchell; BPM 194: Tom Cruise Runs by A. Meredith; Bump by A. Meredith; Construction Études by J.  Meehan; Defying Gravity by J. Pero

Ooh, Hadestown trombone solo!  Nice!  From their uniforms, it looks like this show is about Bloody Chess.  Oh, that's right: they have woodwinds.  Sax solo for Defying Gravity.  We never found out why they were bloody nor was there any chess, so I don't know about those uniforms.

COLUMBIANS -- 74.75*

Repertoire: "Bloom" -- Can Ya Feel by B. Ridenour; We Bought a Zoo by J. P. Birgisson; Sunflower by A. R. Post; Go The Distance by A. Menken;  Spring 1 (from Recomposed) by M. Richter;  Make Our Garden Grow by L. Bernstein  

Bro did not like the gathering of their cap sleeves on the uniform.

O:  I don't like the top.  The blue looks cheap.

Well, OK, then!  Have I told you that the niece is quite fashionable?

Flowers and suns and sunflowers.  They have a formation of a flower with the stem.  Very busy flower pattern on the drums.  I like the little sprigs of flowers in the pit, though.

THE BATTALION -- 78.50*

Repertoire: "Foretold the Ravens" -- Commencement by J. Richards; Rite of Spring by I. Stravinsky;  Artemis and Apollo by J. Richards; Aspect by J. Richards

Their props are symbols in circles.  Perhaps this is how ravens communicate.  There is a scary weapon thing, and someone appears to have fangs.  Not sure if this is a piercing just for the show, or just a real-life thing.  Somebody lost a shoe by the 50, and we spent most of the time looking for it.  I like the feature for the contras.

Do you see the footless shoe?

GOLD -- 79.975*

AT the start of the show, the customer in the chair gets bloody by pulling out some red fringe-y fabric at his neck.  The guard has blood splatter on their faces for the whole show.  That's a big pie prop that they didn't have before.  Neither was that huge red flag going over the corps like a pool of blood.

SPARTANS -- 81.725*

This show will score pretty high.  I'm not sure now if we were underground because I see roots on their screens, which I thought were coral.  Whatevs.  It's pretty.

SEATTLE CASCADES -- 77.50*

The yellow props didn't work today, but we did get to see the final shimmery screens.  The final formation is like the pattern on their uniforms and whatever symbol they make with their fingers at the end of the show.

GENESIS -- 78.075*

Their skirts are actually strips of fabric, not one solid piece.  Bro ran to get a banana for the picture below to match the modified rifles.

I like this heart formation

MUSIC CITY -- 83.05*

O likes their sashes.  Those are clock gears on their uniforms.  It's difficult to see the clock numbers on the tarp when watching the broadcast.

THE ACADEMY -- 82.55*

Well, I finally got the chess piece that I wanted to see earlier today, because the drum major had a Knight chess piece on their stand.  Bro said it was their tradition, which I don't remember.  The drummers never take off thier jackets, which the rest of the corps does for the sunshine.

S: Why is it foggy again?

R: The fog always comes back in London.

CROSSMEN -- 82.50*

I like the uniform more now that I realized that the white stripes are the hashmarks of the crosswalk.  

B (before the show started): It's already funny.

(Others in our family did not understand why people in the crowd were laughing every time the recording said, "WAIT." like at a crosswalk.)

<Intermission>

We are now joined by the folks watching "Big, Loud, Live" in the theaters.

Hi, Glenn!

Hey!  It's Brandt Crocker announcing the corps!

PACIFIC CREST -- 83.863*

The soloists were having microphone issues.  Too many drops, Color Guard.  Oh, she has one of those little machines that spits out fake money for the greed portion.  But now they need to clean those up at the end.

SPIRIT OF ATLANTA -- 86.625*

The soloist kind of blew a kiss at the end.  

S: But it's not a romantic song!

The drum major waved at the end a made a delta with her hands.  I liked the show better when watching from the sidelines in Allentown.  

MADISON SCOUTS -- 85.55*

I now have a better view of the uniforms and I really don't like them.

R: Can you just pick a half and make it a whole?

"Toxic" does not need a soprano trombone solo.  Yet there it is.  

COLTS -- 88.038*

I like how the green pyramids match the field because they're not ready for you to look at them.  The guard catches were spot on.  Great job, Colts!

BLUE KNIGHTS -- 87.60*

They do not have a sleepy portion for Bro this year.  I really like their guard uniforms and pretty blue flags.

TROOPERS -- 90.325*

Aw, Brandt was having a little bit of trouble pronouncing the name of one of the drum majors.  The hats look weird with that uniform, so I'm glad they put on the duster jackets later, because then they look better.  Aha, we get the plot now, as Bro pointed out what's going on by showing us the drum major wearing black on the field.  So everything is nice and happy, but then the cellist starts playing, and we see the oil barrels from the 1st show of this series.  Then the devil returns!  And he kills our Trooper hero!  And that's what the pine box funeral is for, as we see the hero walking toward heaven at the end.  We're wondering what else is going to change as finals week progresses.  The drum major was crying during the funeral portion.  Very nicely done, and the sunburst was amazing today.  

<Intermission>

BLUE STARS -- 90.488*

We really like this show.  Very nice "Winner Takes It All" baritone solo.  Not sure if that bicycle was in Allentown.

CAVALIERS -- 91.163*

The sides of their props look like a tambourine without the little cymbals.  The corps has over 90 rookies, so they may be quite the threat in a couple of years.  Look out for the future of the Green Machine!

MANDARINS -- 92.45*

Not sure if that one pillar in the middle was supposed to be down or up.  You could get away with any falls in this show and it will look right.  "Catch me."

CAROLINA CROWN -- 94.638*

So many pointy things for the Point fo No Return.  One of the shoulder things from the color guard uniform fell on the field, and Bro was concerned that someone would slip on it.  Oh, so if you run in front of the scary red being, you can't go back to join your friends again.

O interpreted the show like the party in Hadestown when Persephone didn't come back.

Bro told me that people call Crown "God's Hornline".  Can't really argue with that talent!

PHANTOM REGIMENT -- 93.65*

Uh oh.  It's windy down there on the field of Lucas Oil.  In a dome.  So the air conditioning is on full blast, making their sheer curtains look like they're in a haunted house.  I know this show doesn't have a name, but are we to interpret it differently now?  It was just kind of a mess.  Bro has been telling the universe that Phregiment needs to put weights on the fabric to keep them from flying, but I guess they couldn't hear him from Rockford.

BLUE DEVILS -- 95.588*

Oh, that's a soprano sax?  Not an oboe?  My bad.  It's still pretty, though, and still fittingly ironic that a woodwind is playing "Uninvited" in a drum corps show.  There is still no big surprise ending.  YET.

SANTA CLARA VANGUARD -- 95.875*

Someone on the internet: "Get weird, Santa Clara!!"  I love that.  Bro had his Pringles props today because I had brought some little packs just for this occasion.  B did not put one on his head to emulate his dad, though.

BOSTON CRUSADERS -- 97.325*

I'm happy when the color guard soloist catches all of his equipment and shows that smile.  I like the music that's kind of reminiscent of the 50s when there was so much promise about atomic energy and its possibilities.  You know, before meltdowns and stuff.

BLUECOATS -- 97.15*

The corps members are all wearing the same glasses, but not the drum major or color guard.  I like the colors in this show.  Wouldn't it have been hot for the drummers in the glass-looking boxes when they were outside?  It must have been torture if they ever had to wait for the sound systems to be adjusted.

Way to go, Boston!  Try to hold on!  Recaps show that Boston's lead is mostly thanks to the big gap in their percussion score over the others.  We just wish that the drums would be highighted more by FloMarching, because the guard seems to get most of the attention.  Let's see what happens tomorrow. as all the corps adjust and ramp it up even more, now that we're down to the wire. It's exciting, folks!

So the night ended 3 hours than we're used to when we're in Indy, which is nice.  It's also nice that I was able to type this while watching the All Age corps competition online the next day.

Next up:  Semifinals

Employee Must "Wash Hands"

 Allentown Trip

 August 3 and 4, 2025

In the morning, we went to the Bethlehem Vintage Market in a.m..  I didn't get anything, but V and The Niece got a couple of good deals.  Then we went to a place that was supposed to have the best antique mall in LeHigh Valley but it was closed because they were relocating.   Epic fail.   I decided that we should all get something to eat,  and we went to Iron Hill Brewery.   I ordered Butterscotch Croissant French Toast Sticks and some bacon.   

The breading is a cornmeal crust.
The Niece said it tasted like churros.

Bro thought we would get a kick out of the sign in the men's room.  The one in the women's room was slightly different, but still had errors like this one.  I mean, this is a restaurant chain.  NOBODY proofread these before they created them? Or do they actually think this is correct?

We were at a mall, so we decided to do some shopping.  I went into a place with all kinds of different Asian flavored chips, and found mine!  I was so happy to see the bag there.  I think the flavor is Japanese BBQ because there is a picture of skewered meat and Mt. Fuji.  The flavor reminds me of Filipino BBQ.  I also found some Hokkaido milk bread to buy.  Later at a kiosk,  I found reasonably priced boxes of Big Into Energy Labubu so I got one.  

We didn't do much else but relax at the hotel.   Well, after the housekeeping staff interrupted our attempt to relax by finally coming to clean the suite.  So we waited in a little sitting area nearby on our floor until she was done.   Bro ordered some dinner from Buffalo Wild Wings, and then afterward, we watched "The Matrix" because The Niece chose that over "Bring It On", neither of which she had seen yet.   Then The Niece needed to get in a little workout so V and I sat by the indoor pool while she swam for awhile.   I did bring my swimsuit but didn't feel like swimming, which is good because I forgot to bring a cover-up. I guess I could have changed in the attached restroom.  Whatevs.

The next morning,  we had our hotel breakfast and checked out.   Bro drove us to Philadelphia and parked a few blocks away from the Philadelphia Museum of Art.  V and I needed to use facilities but neither the gas station nor the CVS had them available to the public.  We ended up at Luigi's Pizza Fresca for a slice each.   It was fairly good and the theme in the restaurant was The Godfather,  so I took a selfie with Sofia Loren.

Then we walked over to the museum so that our own little Rocky and her family could climb those famous steps.   I decided not to do so, and tried to get a photo of them when they reached the top but The Nephew thought I was just waving and he took my photo instead.   

If you look closely, you can see 
The Nephew
Me, not taking the stairs

They had a gift shop there of Rocky stuff but we didn't get anything.

 
We didn't want to pay for parking again to take a photo with the LOVE sign,  so we skipped that and drove to Independence Hall National Park instead. None of us felt like taking a tour, and the museum wasn't open,  but we did go to the shop and I bought a trio of little books:  The Constitution, the Bill of Rights, and the Declaration of Independence.  I also got some stickers.   This year has been so eventful that I'll be making a sticker book to commemorate it.

Bronze Sculpture "The Signer"
Independence Hall
George Washington
Behind Independence Hall

We walked across the street to see the Liberty Bell exhibit.  It's different from the time we saw it when we were a lot younger,  and the bell doesn't seem as big,  but I love seeing this part of our nation's history.   There was one portion that showed prices for a band to get sheet music for the Liberty Bell march by John Philip Sousa, and I pressed the button above it to hear the march in its entirety.   

Pretty sure the family wondered where the heck I was that whole time.  V was taking a traditional photo of The Niece leaping in front of a display but was told right afterward,  "Oh, no, there is no jumping here!"  Even if it's controlled and perfectly balletic? Ok, lady, you were too late anyway.   

We then went to the airport and returned our rental car,  where we happened to see the same bright red jeep that was one of Bro's choices when we had arrived. 

V had a conference to attend in Cleveland,  but her flight departure time was at the exact same time as ours. I wanted a sticker of the Liberty Bell. So The Niece and I walked back to the shops and I found a few I liked.  

At least we found this sign
We had dinner at a place where you order from a QR code at your table.   I had scanned the menu earlier when we were sitting at a nearby gate but didn't realize that the code included the table number.   So the server was irritated when he brought the drink to that table, and I wasn't there.   Sorry, sir. V tried to get him to smile later but I guess he wasn't in the mood for that.  We went to our gate and eventually said our goodbyes to V before boarding our flight.   Our plane seemed to be refrigerated because the air conditioning was on full blast and you could see the fog blowing inside.   

Brrr!  It's cold in here!
There must be some Toros in the atmosphere!
(The Niece did not watch that movie, though)
Brrrrrr

We think that we might have seen V's plane on the tarmac as we both waited for our turns to take off.   Bro took a closer look at the photo later, though, and decided it wasn't hers after all.

The flight was a bit cold, but a pleasant one.  Once we arrived at LAX and got our car, Bro drove us back to their house and I drove home so that I could go into the office the next day.  Thank goodness there was a lot to do to keep me awake!

We're done with the drum corps travels for the year, but wait!  I'll be blogging about Finals week anyway.  Stay tuned!