The Power of 10

True to my word, I have been terrible at keeping this blog "updated" (imagine me doing air-quotes when saying "updated"). I am emphasizing "update" because this blog has yet to really serve any purpose aside from the reminiscing of the past or random thoughts, rather than a journal of day-to-day (or week-to-week) activities... that's mainly due to the fact that nothing particularly noteworthy is happening (except for maybe my joining an 8-ball league--next entry maybe).

That said, I did have another moment today (or maybe yesterday) when I started thinking about the past... There was this episode of This American Life that featured one of their older episodes--from 1997--which was recorded and broadcast at a time when the internet was first blooming, and the topic of discussion was this whole new concept of interacting online and meeting people randomly using this new technology. What was fascinating about it is how the shock and awe of the power of the net back then seems ridiculous to us now. We take for granted that virtually everyone now has cell phones, internet, instant messaging and e-mail. We as a society now acknowledge that on-line dating is basically understood as an acceptable means to meet new people. Back then, all these things were in their infancy . . . and the world was skeptical. That was 10 years ago.

The feeling of a decade connotes, to me, a very long period of time... and when I think of "10 years ago," I often and impulsively think to childhood, which is strange, because I am getting at an age where actually 20 years ago is childhood. 10 years ago, I was in high school, with a driver's license, no car, and even less fashion sense than I have now. So feel free to join me, as I take a journey back to my past, 10 years prior to this one....

July 1997--It's summer, and most likely I am at band-camp... no, not the Hollywoodified version you see in American Pie where kids are actually somewhere in the woods at a camp. This "camp" took place on campus of Washington High school--while part of the day was inside playing music, the rest of the day was spent outside on the basketball courts or the driver's ed driving course where there was ample room to march around (without the splendor of a bright blue uniform, white shoes, gloves and a hat with a feather plume). Here, we veterans (Juniors and Seniors) taught the newbies (Freshman) how to march, stand at attention, and change direction swiftly, sharply, with military precision. Now, just imagine a field of maybe 50-60 teenagers marching around with our hands clasped in front of our noses pretending to hold instruments (actually holding a musical instrument while moving was far too advanced and would come at a later time), straight-faced, in shorts and t-shirts in the sweltering Florida sun on the asphalt of a driver's ed course where lines were chalked down to emulate a football field. In the background you can hear the methodical beat of a single drum, or the clapping of the drum-major, or the 50-year old band director yelling the count through a Mega-phone. That's real band camp. Boot camp--for band nerds.

Why did I do this for four years? So I might write about it 10 years later, laughing at the ridiculousness of the situation that at the time seemed like serious matters; and so you can now make fun of me for it.