THA (Finals in Tobago)

So last night at THA, get to the practice yard from the maxi and wait around for a while because the racks are there but most of the pans are not. Most of us went to get something to eat. I went to a place called Royal Castle and got some BBQ chicken and macaroni pie. Then the pans got there and we set up and played through some parts. The pans were set up as they would be in the performance and today I was in the front row because the person normally there couldn’t be there. So we were playing and people were coming straight up to my pan which did get me flustered a bit but better now than at the real thing. Then we had to push our pans down the road toward the stage. Luckily this time it was not far at all. I heard the band before us finish and it was time to go on. We set up quick and got rolling. As soon as we started, three cameras came right in front of my pan. The adrenaline was flowing as well as my dance moves (hopefully) I really didn’t care I just wanted to play and have fun. Everything was going fine but in the middle of the song something felt off for a moment. I was too busy concentrating on playing and dancing to worry about. The first rule of performing, you are going to mess up, but don’t let it look like you messed up. Anyways we finished and sweat has soaked through my shirt. I thought I got sweaty at NIU steel band concerts. But its 80 degrees and humid out here. Not to mention my dance moves have vastly improved since then. It’s a good workout though. We move our racks out the other side of the stage and it is right across the street from the port, How convenient. Its like they planned it that way. (they did) We had to leave for Trinidad the next night for finals. But there was a stir amongst the band about the mess up. I finally heard that someone got off in the rhythm section bad after a big break and apparently a lot of people in the band looked back while playing. We had a band pow wow and got yelled at pretty good. There had been a lot of bad attitudes within the band for a while during practices in the last week. A lot of people didn’t think we would do well at THA because of the politics and junk. And now because of the negative attitude we just gave it away. So we packed up our pans, most of us got on the maxi, and went back to Buccoo. Lemon asked me to take Omari home and to bed so I did while he stayed to get the results. Omari was running around the lot most of the time there but when hit the maxi, he passed out on some girls shoulder. Luckily the driver lives in Lemons neighborhood so it was a short sleepwalk back home. I think he really has ON/OFF switch. When hes ON, he as off the walls, but when hes OFF its like hes in a coma. Anyway so I got him to bed and started some laundry. I called Lemon to ask if he had anything to wash and he said no and that we had got FIRST PLACE!!!! YAY! So I hung up and did my laundry. Lemon called me when he got back and there was a big party at the Panyard until about 430 in the morning. Taking, dancing, drinking, good times had by all. I think people are really starting to understand the real me. I feel like ive finally come out of my shell and they understand my humor.

So today I got up pretty late. However the last few hours weren’t that great because Omari thinks its hilarious to wake me up with loud music or other means. He didn’t go to school because the late night last night. I did eventually wake up and then got some food (saltfish, tasty) then went to the beach for a swim. I created a new exercise were I tread water with just my arms for like 10 minutes and the stick my legs straight out from my body (Pike position). Im actually feeling it in my upper body now and its nice and relaxing. Anyway, boring I know, I got done and went back for shower and get ready for a meeting at 6. I actually didn’t go until about 615. Oh no im late! Not. I ended up sitting around for an hour then I went to get some dinner and came back. Around 8 then the meeting started about 20 minutes later. We just got our uniform pants for the finals and found out the Maxi comes at 5 tomorrow morning. After that, the guys who go on the slow boat with the pans went to port as well as a handful of helpers (Me). What are we helping with you ask? Why I’ll tell you. We are helping push all the racks on the boat. Doesn’t sound hard right? They’re on wheels, no big deal. Until you have to push them up a wet, obstacle filled, 45 degree incline about a mile long. (not really a mile but had to be 100 meters). I had flashbacks of High School Football pushing the sleds up and down the field. Anyway, it wasn’t too bad. But I was soar from this “awesome new workout” I created. We got up to the top and we organized them. Then suddenly I was like “it smells like a sweaty farm up here?!” Then I turned around and there were about 20 goats caged in the back of a pickup truck just staring at me. Hateful eyes they had, hateful judging eyes.
I did seem like we were the most efficient pan moving crew of all the bands. Then we went back to the car and headed back to Buccoo, dropped some people off and finally got to Lemon’s. So now I am just about done packing. It has been tough because I am staying longer than everyone else. Finals are Saturday and everyone else is coming back Sunday. I am staying in Trinidad until either Wednesday or Thursday to hang with Seion and the gang for CARNIVAL! Exciting. I am packing my back pack to the brim. Hopefully I will have internet at the hotel. Otherwise there are going to be some really long blogs to come.

JUST IN CASE I DON’T HAVE INTERENT. I will post the info for Finals:
My band is the NLCB Buccooneers and we are playing second. The competition starts at 6 Trini Time and we should play between 615 and 7 is my guess. That’s 415 to 5 CST . The link to watch it online is http://www.ctntworld.com/livestream/ heres the link to the band order http://pantrinbago.co.tt/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=318:panorama-grand-finals-order-of-appearance&catid=40:news-articles&Itemid=55 I am in the medium band category and they go first.