Tuesday, June 18, 2019

Just a couple of hours to go


You can feel the excitement in the air around here; the reunion starts soon, a new, Tuesday beginning, an extra day of music, camaraderie and sea stories. But this schedule change alters the usual sense of anticipation.

The runup to an NMA reunion has traditionally run on a reliable rhythm. A few early birds show over the weekend. By Sunday evening, a low-key "reunionette" is in progress.

On Monday, the tempo increases. More arrivals throughout the day. A truckload or two of equipment may pull up to the loading door. A lot of hard labor goes into reunion preparation.


On Tuesday, the fruits of that preparation come to flower. The set-up crew hauls gear around the hotel while our cadre of volunteers gets the registration room and small stores in order. Members pour into the hotel day and night and, by evening, we generally have enough MUs on board to form a pre-reunion jam session.


But, with the reunion beginning  earlier, everything has moved up a day. The lounge was filled with night-before arrivals last night, Monday night! The dance band gear and concert band stands were in place and it was only M-M-M-Monday! The reunion starts soon, and it's only Tuesday! 

Though it feels odd, it'll work out fine, probably better than ever. I'm just having a hard time dealing.

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