![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
Past Times: Hard Fought Gains
Mar. 6th, 2004 11:54 pmNote: Past Time posts are long stories about my past that just shows a little of how I got here.
Ten years ago today, on a Sunday, I was lead, blindfolded into a room. It was a dark room, lit only by candles, with robed men and secrets. The ceremony was on, and with in an hour, I was officially initiated.
Today, in the hallway, there's a certificate that says that on this date, in 1994 I was initiated into Kappa Kappa Psi, but really it was a long process for me, a lot longer than the seven weeks of pledgeship that I had gone through.
You're probably thinking that pledging, or officially, joining (KKPsi doesn't want people to use the term "pledging" anymore, too negative), in 1994 seems a little late for someone who's now 36 years old, and you'd be right. My time in college wasn't a simple 4 and out. I took a long time going to school, trying to figure out what I wanted to do, being half way through a Drama degree before finding out I should try something else.
I switched to Journalism because I was already familiar with it from high school, and I had already been writing for the campus newspaper. Also during college I was an editor for the yearbook, worked behind the scenes for the theater, and played in the band. The band played for football and basketball games, and then there were parades, special events and the occasional rich alumni gig. I also worked part time, mostly for large department stores.
When I started with the Cougar Band coming from having played, and hating the saxophone. I had wanted to play a brass instrument, and this was my chance to change. I had been forced to go to sax in junior high when my band director was an idiot in teaching how to play brass, and I needed extra time to catch on. So he made an excuse that it was my braces, and told me to move to a woodwind instrument. Let me tell you, brass is where it's at, three keys lots of lip action and it's cold in the wintertime.
So, in changing I tried out the different instruments. Luckily, the band wasn't big enough to have things like tryouts. The University of Houston is a commuter school with no real school spirit. The band needed everybody they could get. So I tried the various instruments, and sort of settled on Tuba because it was easy to play, and Mike Allen was playing it. Mike Allen at that time looked like me, except five inches taller, with a big beard (I was clean shaven then) and long, flowing hair. He was also totally hairy, and tan from playing with the Madison Scouts Drum Corps all summer. He was really the first bear guy I really wanted.
I totally attribute my beard to Mike. We called him Ogre. I wanted to be like him, and be liked by him.
( A lot more about joining a frat... )
Ten years ago today, on a Sunday, I was lead, blindfolded into a room. It was a dark room, lit only by candles, with robed men and secrets. The ceremony was on, and with in an hour, I was officially initiated.
Today, in the hallway, there's a certificate that says that on this date, in 1994 I was initiated into Kappa Kappa Psi, but really it was a long process for me, a lot longer than the seven weeks of pledgeship that I had gone through.
You're probably thinking that pledging, or officially, joining (KKPsi doesn't want people to use the term "pledging" anymore, too negative), in 1994 seems a little late for someone who's now 36 years old, and you'd be right. My time in college wasn't a simple 4 and out. I took a long time going to school, trying to figure out what I wanted to do, being half way through a Drama degree before finding out I should try something else.
I switched to Journalism because I was already familiar with it from high school, and I had already been writing for the campus newspaper. Also during college I was an editor for the yearbook, worked behind the scenes for the theater, and played in the band. The band played for football and basketball games, and then there were parades, special events and the occasional rich alumni gig. I also worked part time, mostly for large department stores.
When I started with the Cougar Band coming from having played, and hating the saxophone. I had wanted to play a brass instrument, and this was my chance to change. I had been forced to go to sax in junior high when my band director was an idiot in teaching how to play brass, and I needed extra time to catch on. So he made an excuse that it was my braces, and told me to move to a woodwind instrument. Let me tell you, brass is where it's at, three keys lots of lip action and it's cold in the wintertime.
So, in changing I tried out the different instruments. Luckily, the band wasn't big enough to have things like tryouts. The University of Houston is a commuter school with no real school spirit. The band needed everybody they could get. So I tried the various instruments, and sort of settled on Tuba because it was easy to play, and Mike Allen was playing it. Mike Allen at that time looked like me, except five inches taller, with a big beard (I was clean shaven then) and long, flowing hair. He was also totally hairy, and tan from playing with the Madison Scouts Drum Corps all summer. He was really the first bear guy I really wanted.
I totally attribute my beard to Mike. We called him Ogre. I wanted to be like him, and be liked by him.
( A lot more about joining a frat... )
