Foundation Painting

I haven't made a post in over a week, so mostly I'm just making this post so my parents won't think I died (because I don't think I've posted anything on Facebook in that time, either).

I've been really busy, which is why I haven't posted much. That might seem weird since this week has been Fall Break in my district, but I've been doing a project around the house. Since we moved in almost two years ago the foundation has needed to be painted. Here's a photo from Meredith's birthday party last year which clearly shows how bad the foundation looks:

I actually made a post about this party, and I was embarrassed to put up many photos of the back yard because of the poor paint job.

That poor paint job was made even worse after we replaced the retaining walls in the front of the house. The area in front of the garage became an ugly mess, as evidenced by this picture:

So after working Monday and Tuesday getting stuff done at work that I can't do when students and teachers are in the building (network maintenance stuff), I spent all day Wednesday prepping the foundation and Thursday and Friday morning painting. This is what it looks like now:

Hidden Messages in Your Facebook Status

I spent four hours of the day yesterday talking with  8th grade students at Tichenor Middle School about social networking sites like Facebook.We were talking about the appropriate use of those sites in regards to school, but I also spent some time just talking with them about being careful what they post online, that sometimes your Facebook page says more than you intend. Afterward, it occurred to me that there are all kinds of hidden messages in Facebook statuses. Here are some examples:

Facebook Status: Having a great time at the beach. Can't believe I have to go back north Friday. (2 hours ago).
Hidden Message: No one's home at my house. Feel free to rob us.

Facebook Status: Fired up to watch The Office tonight. (37 minutes ago)
Hidden Message: I lead a really boring life.

Facebook Status: Hello? Is there anyone out there? (a few seconds ago)
Why has no one replied to my last status? (2 minutes ago)
What's your favorite thing about me? (7 minutes ago)
Feeling better. Maybe I was just hungry (12 minutes ago)
Why can't I ever get oatmeal off of the sides of my bowls? (15 minutes ago)
The oatmeal is eaten. (21 minutes ago)
I think oatmeal will be my breakfast of choice today. (26 minutes ago)
Anyone interested in going to lunch with me this PM? (33 minutes ago)
My face looks fat this morning (40 minutes ago)
Not feeling too good today. Wish it were spring again (42 minutes ago)
Hidden Message: Three possibilities--1) Unfriend me, 2) I'm addicted to Facebook, or 3) I'm REALLY self-obsessed.

Facebook Status: Center court third row at Rupp Arena, UK vs Florida (14 minutes ago)
Hidden Message: Hah! Loser! Comment on my post and tell me how jealous you are!

Facebook Status: If you believe that God is the Father of the Universe, and that we are all his children, and that LOVE is the most important thing on this planet, please make this your status and let everyone know where you stand. (about an hour ago)
Hidden Message: I have nothing original to say, so I'm going to waste your time with a "chain letter."

Facebook Status: TO ALL MY RELIGIOUS FRIENDS WHO ARE ASKING ME TO SAY I BELIEVE GOD IS THE FATHER OF THE UNIVERSE, I DO NOT BELIEVE IN GOD, AND I WISH YOU WOULD NOT WASTE MY TIME WITH SUCH RUBBISH! "THE TRULY ENLIGHTENED ARE THE ONES WHO BELIEVE THAT NONBELIEF IS THE KEY TO LIFE." --SOME OBSCURE ATHEIST (25 minutes ago)
Hidden Message: I'm kind of a jerk...

Facebook Status: I just found a great new product that will let you see exactly who's been viewing your Facebook profile, and that will pay you 10 cents for every visit to your profile. http://www.ssww.com/new/ (2 hours ago)
Hidden Message: My Facebook account has been hacked.

I could give more examples, but they'll have to wait for another post. I'm off now to update my own inane Facebook status...

Blueprint

About a month ago I posted a video of my older daughter's marching band performing at a football game. I guess it gave all of our distant family members (and anyone else who cared) a general idea of what the band's performance was like. However, it was early in the season, and many of the elements of the show had not been completed, AND the band members were NOT wearing their uniforms, AND the video quality on my still camera is pretty low. All in all, it was not too satisfactory.

I've been wanting to film them again, but the problem is that since then I've volunteered to be on the "prop crew," which is made up of parents and students not in marching band. We hustle the props and the instruments in the pit out onto the field, and we end up watching the performances crouched down at the base of the bleachers. Not the best place to film a show.

But then I found out that the video below existed. It's video of the band's performance last Saturday at the Boyle County Marching Band Competition. My daughter's school finished first in Class A and second overall, just behind state powerhouse Paul Lawrence Dunbar.

The theme of the show is "Blueprint," and it is visually about architecture. The show is in three movements, and in the first movement three of the flag girls are drawing designs at an architect's table (only one of the tables can be seen in the video, waaayy off to the left). During each movement the band assembles a different piece of architecture. In the first movement, they assemble the green frame of a house. In the second movement, three blue arches are created. And in the final movement, a yellow and orange bridge is constructed.

Here are my three favorite moments in the performance:

1) Right at the beginning of the performance (at about the 0:27 mark), the band members rise in a wave. Then, just before the wave reaches the back of the line, the entire band "snaps" into place. It's cool. 

2) In the third movement, right after the flag girls assemble the bridge, half of the flag girls come in front of the bridge and start dancing. The other half go behind the bridge and pick up two flags each. They then toss one of the two flags in sequence to the other girls, and then they all break into...uh, not dance...uh, flag waving, I guess. That happens at about the 6:28 mark. 

3) The very end of the performance. At about the 7:18 mark, the band begins playing its loudest, most emphatic part of the entire show. And then, just a few seconds later, the bottom drops out of their playing and they begin playing very softly, only to return to a louder playing soon after. It isn't really conveyed really well in the video below, but there's something very dramatic about the soft playing. It's almost like someone whispering. 

Anyway, I see myself working props for the rest of the season, so I WON'T be recording their performance with my video camera. Out of town family members will have to settle for this video:

(I can't see the video.)