The Daily Poop - Sat., 22JUN13

(5:30 a.m.) Yeah, I'm awake. Got up at 4:00 a.m. Duh. When I hit the rack last night, all kinds of last-minute things hit me--gotta print out my travel insurance card, repack this, reshuffle that.

And I checked the weather online, of course. Thunderstorm predictions have disappeared from Moline, IL, where I'll catch my plane, and Atlanta, GA, where I'll change flights. Norfolk still has thunderstorms on tap for my evening arrival, but at least, by that time, I'll be on the East Coast.

So wife should be home from her night shift in an hour, I'll through the bags in the car and off we go. Of course, being a gloom & doomer, there's a chance she'll be late, or her relief won't show. These things happen. But contingency plans abound. In my mind I can hear Peter, Paul and Mary singing about a jet plane. Except, oh babe, I don't hate to go.

Bless her heart, wife gave the okay for me to go a day early this year.In my case, "a day early" has a nontraditional meaning.  Although the NMA reunion doesn't officially start until Wednesday, lotsa members arrive on Tuesday, and by nightfall, we've generally got enough players to do some preparatory jamming. So I got in the habit of coming on Mondays. Then I started Live-Blogging the reunions, and started coming on Sundays to get set up. That's been my program for a few years. I get to chill and prepare before the wild times start rolling.



So for me, a day early is Saturday, though it will certainly be late when I get to the hotel.

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Speaking of the Live-Blog, to those MUs who have asked: Yes, you'll be able to follow the 2013 NMA reunion right here at NavyLyres. Somewhere between now and Wednesday morning, I'll pull the plug on the once-a-day Daily Poop and switch over Live-Blogging. This means more info, more frequently. Generally, I try to post through the day as events and time allow. I'm glad to know that the folk who can't come still  follow the reunion here. Makes my day.

So: Tomorrow morning, more Poop. Maybe Pre-Reunion Live-Blogging. Who knows?

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To those who are coming: I look forward to seeing you in a few days, both old friends from Navy bands here and there, and new friends I've made during my years in the association. To those who have to stay home: damn. Wish you could come, maybe next year, stay in touch. To those who haven't come to a reunion yet: time, like a Navy band, marches on. I regret all those years--five or more--that I put off coming to a reunion. Great friends, old and new, great memories, great music. And it's better than active duty: someone else makes your bed and nobody yells at you about your hair.

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Coffee. Shower. Reshuffle socks in luggage. Check tickets. Et cetera. Unless you hear differently, as of c. 7:00 a.m. Central Time:

 I. Am. Out. Of. Here.

The Daily Poop - Friday, 21JUN13

There's a chance of thunderstorms everywhere I want to go tomorrow, starting in Moline, IL, where I take off for the NMA reunion, Atlanta, GA, where I change flights, and Norfolk, VA, my destination. I find this nerve-wracking, all these 30% chances of flight-canceling weather.

On the other hand, storm warnings on the Weather Channel are like Breaking News on CNN; they gotta have something to scare up your attention. When you think about it, another way to say "30% chance of thunderstorms" would be "thunderstorms are unlikely, so have a nice day."

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I talked to NMA President Terry Chesson on the phone. He says that room reservations at the Holiday Inn are going extremely well. Combine this with the fact that every day, new members are listed on the front page of NMA website, and, as I've been hoping, the 2013 NMA reunion is shaping up to be a mega-blast.

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Sorry to see that Frank Bartley has had to cancel. Frank is an excellent bass player who knows most of the tunes and can fake the rest; in fact, that's probably why he was offered a last-minute can't-turn-it-down gig that conflicts with the reunion. As always, I'll start off the reunion doing my carpal-tunnel best as a bassist for a few sets, but after that, the members of the Senior Bass Clef Brigade will have to step forward. Rabbit, you coming, I hope?

The Daily Poop - Thurs., 20JUN13

The Daily Poop - Wed, 19JUN13

Normally, the middle of June brings Navy Week, the Blue Angels and Navy Band Great Lakes to my region of western Illinois. It's a wonderful warm-up for the NMA reunion.

Not this year, of course; the sequester has taken care of that. The air show still goes on, though. This year it features "Tora! Tora! Tora!," a simulation of the attack on Pearl Harbor, featuring Japanese bombers, fighter planes and fiery explosions. Sorry, but an air show without the Blue Angels and a Navy band is like [fill in your own analogy here.]

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Here's someone who knows
how to pack for a reunion.

Packing for the reunion. Well, preparing, anyway. And, yep, gonna check in one bag and carry the other. I've been smashing everything into one bag for a number of years now. An extra bag will make it easier and--jeez, I could probably fit my ukulele in there!

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I think I'll hold my final Pre-NMA Reunion Weigh-in tonight. I know I've dipped down below my 1980 E-5 weight, and the suspense is killing me. Stay tuned.

The Daily Poop - Tues. 18JUN13

I just heard from Wilbur Smith. He and his wife just returned from a 7-day Alaskan cruise. I don't know how arduous such an endeavor is compared to, say, a visit to Olongapo City on the USS Blue Ridge, but I'm sure Smitty will have sea stories.

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I don't understand Facebook. Yeah, I use it, but I really don't know how it works. Things show up, disappear, and you never know where anything is going and who can see it. I just visited the Navy Musicians Association Reunion page, and the entire list of people attending is David Blakely, Deb Holl and me.

Now, I know this isn't true. But, just in case, it looks like maybe we can form a trio. Deb--do you play the bass?

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It is imperative that I obsess about Saturday's weather, since that's the day I'm flying out of here. NOAA says, "Mostly sunny with a slight chance of showers and thunderstorms."

I'll go with "mostly sunny."

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If you haven't made a 100% decision about attending the NMA reunion next week, it's not too late to say what the hell. You can register for the reunion and book your room at the hotel by phone--info is right here.

Or you can put it off for another year. Just remember, next year, you'll be a year older--if you're lucky.

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The Daily Poop - Mon., 17JUN13

Five days and a wake-up, if I remember my short-timer terminology correctly. I'm flying out of western Illinois on Saturday morning, giving myself a few days of preparatory down time before the reunion begins. It's not time to pack yet, but it's never too soon to start worrying about the weather; a moderate breeze can wreak havoc on flight schedules at cornfield airports.

Note to the wary: When it's barely two weeks until that once-a-year time time when you return to playing music, do not slice 1/4 inch into your finger tip with a 12-inch kitchen knife while chopping  onions, causing blood to fly. Believe me, I've tried it; it ruins your spirits and doesn't do much for the onions.

Coming soon: the final annual pre-NMA Reunion Weigh-in. In previous years, dieting and exercise have returned me to





 -- my CPO weight (as depicted in photos of me in my old khakis), and, last year,  









 -- my E-5 weight (a figure recollected by those who placed bets on the 1980 Hundred-dollar Weight Loss Challenge at the SOM--can a beer-guzzling, exercise-shunning MU2 lose 14 pounds in 14 days? They said it couldn't be done...)




So, the question this year is: when I step on the scales for the official weigh-in, will I have moved my weight back in time to, say E-4? Seaman deuce? Results will be posted later this week. I know that many of you are concerned about this, particularly those who come to the reunion every year and are impressed and gratified by the fact I don't rub my trimness into everybody's face.
 

The Daily Poop - Sun., 16JUN13

I fly to Virginia Beach for the NMA reunion one week from today. Yowza, I've got so much to do.

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I spent last night and most of today trying to print ^$!%@ pdf files of #$T&! concert band music. Everything went *#^$@!-ing wrong. I only do this once a year, right before the reunion, so I $&##-ing forget how to do it, and it drives me $(%$-ing crazy.

But it's done.Now I get to tape parts together. All the technical advances in music printing have not eliminated Scotch Tape and paper cuts.

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Pedal! I knew I forgot something. I'm making a packing list for the reunion, and I always bring a teeny-weeny piano pedal. Oh, it's such a bummer when there's no pedal and somebody wants to play a ballad.

Pedal!

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More names going up on the NMA website's list of new members. Hope these newbies will come to Virginia Beach.