And Old Home Week Begins Once Again

SAN ANTONIO--After a day's delay because of the weather, we finally arrived at TMEA in the middle of the afternoon. While it's colder than usual down here, it's also nice and sunny, which makes for much nicer walks from the hotel to the convention center (and believe me, the walks are needed, what with all the amazing food choices down here). Within five minutes of leaving the hotel, I had already run into nine people I knew; as I said on Facebook, this has to be the greatest "family reunion" of music teachers that there is, anywhere. I've never felt more at home in a city that I only visit for five days every year.

One thing's for sure; either my alma mater has exploded in popularity (as if it hadn't been wildly popular in the first place), or we just got off to a really late start. Whatever it was, the One O'Clock Lab Band's performance in the newly-renovated Lila Cockrell Theatre was more-than-standing-room only well before the downbeat, which I don't think was the case the last time they played here six or seven years ago. I got to hear most of the concert from the hallway and actually see the last tune (the iconic "Got a Match?").

It's been a tiring day of driving, and with a belly full of Mexican food, I'm comfortably settled in my hotel room. There's an early meeting tomorrow, followed by a fun-filled, action-packed day. In other words, a typical TMEA.

Blowing out the candles: Happy 10th birthday to my oldest nephew, Noah. The story of his actual day of birth (which was also during TMEA) has been blogged before, on the occasion of his third birthday.