I've been wetter, and I've been colder. But still, yesterday's game against the University of Georgia was undoubtedly one of the most physically uncomfortable situations I've ever been in.

Georgia weather, having decided a long time ago to screw the Tech band, changed its normal strategy of making it extraordinarily hot whenever we're outside to having the freezing rain begin just as we settled into our seats in the ginormous Sanford Stadium.
The band staff assistants (staff asses) had distributed plastic ponchos before hand so we put them on. I've never used a plastic poncho before and was surprised how well it kept my head, torso, and legs dry.

But my arms.....

Despite the rain we still had to play, so every time our instruments came up for a cheer the rain came down our sleeves and pooled water on my trombones ran down too. Not to mention we were crammed into our seats like nothing else so my trombone was at a 45 degree angle over the head of the 6'2" guy in front of me, so that the spit in my trombone ran back into my face. Then, when you put your horn down, the water ran out of your sleeves back onto your hands, which were still cold from holding your freezing metal instrument. You couldn't even warm your hands up by pulling them into your sleeves because your sleeves were so soaking wet.

Despite this, I thought it was a good game. The two other games I've been here for that we played against Georgia we got the pants beat off us. This year we kept it close, 16 to 13, didn't give up anything in the second half, etc. We still lost but considering two years ago the score was something like 51:7, we did pretty darn well against a nationally ranked team.

After the game we all hurried back to the buses (forgot to mention the bus Becky, Graham, Kim, Chad, and I were on broke down on the way up there, and had to get another bus to come pick us up, for the second away trip in a row), everyone rushed to put on dry clothes. It was like high school marching band again, tons of people in their underwear on the bus. Even Graham admitted it was cold. I gave my dry socks away to a freshman trombone named Brendan whose feet were freezing (my feet has somehow stayed dry). None of us had ever been so grateful for dry shirts.

At the end of the game I had noticed some signs the Georgia fans had had in the stands opposite ours, that said NERDS in our school colors. We know we're nerds, that doesn't bother us. We call ourselves nerds, all the time, actually. That must be how they make fun of us, which is odd. People here make fun of UGA students/fans, calling them rednecks and mocking the agriculture-based majors at their school (like the building labeled "Dairy Science"), which is a little more hard-hitting than "nerds".

It was kind of funny, as we were marching in their fans kept barking at us (they're the bulldogs), including one fan, who hid in some hedges to bark at us. We thought it was really funny that he was barking at us to mock us, but we weren't middle-aged men hiding in the bushes to pretend to be a dog.

After we got back various roommates and I had ice cream sandwiches with the white chocolate macademia nut cookies I'd made, and Brendan ended up coming too (he's cool) and we all talked until 1 in the morning. At one point I mentioned knitting and Brendan said his mom knits too and said if my mom and sister ever come here his mom'll show them all the yarn shops in Atlanta.

So the marching season is over. Just the band full-tackle football game today (called Toilet Bowl, I don't know why) at noon, band banquet tonight, a meeting Wednesday to turn in uniforms (which really need to be dry-cleaned after yesterday), and then one more meeting later to talk about Bowl Games. We're going to get a bowl, the question is just which one, and if the full band has to go. People keep emailing the band header about what bowl might want us. They're hoping not the Boise bowl again. Someone emailed last night saying we might be in whatever the Tangerine bowl is called now, and someone else says the Las Vegas bowl might happen. Either of those would be fun to go on (athletic association-paid for trips to Orlando or Las Vegas would be tight), but Boise bowl, not so much. But then full band doesn't go to that, so I'd get out of it.

One week of classes left and then finals. And then a real vacation. Yippee!