Saturday, February 17, 2007

Checking the List: A TMEA Primer

SAN ANTONIO--It's Saturday of TMEA; did I do all the usual stuff this year? Let's look at the list:
  • Spend quite a bit of time in the exhibit hall? Check.

  • Spend way too much money at this booth? Check.

  • Eat way too many big meals on the Riverwalk? Check.

  • See some people I hadn't seen in several years at the UNT reunion? Check.

  • Make jokes about how, when, I was in college, the free food at said reunion would serve as Friday night's dinner? Check.

  • Watch someone propose to his girlfriend during the serenade at the Sinfonia sing? Check (and this year, it happened twice).

  • Get to the convention center in time to see the high-school all-state jazz ensemble on Saturday morning, making it with just minutes to spare? Check.

  • Fight the crowds at the Rivercenter food court at lunchtime? Check.

  • Get a table there by spying someone about to leave one and pouncing on it 2.5 seconds after they'd gotten up? Check (and this time, a helpful lady even cleaned off the table while we waited).

  • See the Andean Fusion band playing some sort of a classic-rock cover song on ancient wooden flutes just outside that food court? Check (this year, the song was "Hotel California," and when I saw them today at lunch, I remarked that my TMEA was now complete).
I didn't get to see any of the high school all-state concert bands today; being involved with the community college groups means that those concerts are often scheduled on top of each other. (I also didn't get to try out any new horns this year, though there wasn't really anything I was definitely wanting to play.)

But despite the lack of interesting (at least to me) clinics this year, it was still a great hang as always; as I've said before, it's something I look forward to every year. Sure, it may be surprising to see me posting before midnight, but being beholden to the streetcar schedule may occasionally limit my nights out (though they did expand the service on my route to 12:30 a.m.). Still, I'm perfectly happy to get a little extra sleep before tomorrow's drive back.

COMING TOMORROW (once I'm back home): I have seen the CD store of the future, and it is good.

4 comments:

Ms. Worley said...

pleasure seeing you in SA as always!
I'm anxious to hear about the CD store of the future.... I don't know if this will be your topic, but I must mention that I was severely impressed by the "Hear Music" Starbucks on the Riverwalk... it's like iTunes with cover art. If you didn't catch it, I'll expound later.

Terri

Anonymous said...

I didn't check out that Hear Music thing, or hang anywhere on the Riverwalk. By the time I was out of the exhibit hall at 4:00pm I had spent over $900, and didn't feel like wading through the crowds of high school kiddies. Instead I met up with a friend in Austin and had a wonderfully refreshing (and very cheap.. thank GOD) Korean dinner.

Kev said...

Ms. W--see my next post; that is indeed the CD store of which I speak.

G--$900? Wow. And I thought the $68 I spent at Tap Music and the $49 at Hear Music was a bit too much. Whatdja buy--mouthpieces? A crate of reeds?

Anonymous said...

Kev-- [sarcasm] I bought your soul. They gave me a discount too. [/sarcasm]

I'll keep you in suspense until tomorrow. Text doesn't do it justice. >:}