![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
You Put The "i" In Ohio
Jan. 8th, 2007 11:05 pmAs I was working out tonight I was watching the quite-overlong pre-game activities of the BCS Bowl on Fox. I'm not quite sure why we needed thirty minutes of televised proceedings when people just wanted to get to the game, but heck, the NCAA obviously have some Super Bowl envy. Just wait for the hours-long pregame that will be coming with that game.
I really don't care who wins the game though I'm a little surprised at the score at this point, expecting that Ohio State would be more dominate. Still, what got my attention was actually getting to see the Ohio State Band spelling out the famous script Ohio on the field. Rarely does television ever pay much attention to the bands, but yet, here was the entire pregame show from Ohio State. The Florida band did not get the same attention...their time was used for introducing your hosts and more commercials for tortilla chips.
Still, as an old tuba player, I watched with interest as the band swirled around to form the script "Ohio" as they've done for decades, occasionally seeing the drum major leading the way, and right behind her, the one tuba player who isn't with the rest of the group. I had never seen the whole drill before, and how it flowed out. I had always thought that the tuba player ran out from somewhere else in the formation to hit one of the most prestigious spots in all of college drill.
He was the dot of the "i" in Ohio. I know that the spot is generally taken by a Senior and it's considered to be quite the honor. Here he was, at the biggest game he'll ever be at, high stepping from where the "o" ended, following the drum major up to that spot, and you could see how excited he was as he took his bow.
I know, it's the geeky things that get me, but man, I would have loved to have been able to march that spot, as everyone in the stadium (well, the Ohio State fans) wait for you to get to that spot. The closest I think I ever got was the year we had more "Tubads" (as we were called) than actual sousaphones and I was the one who had to march with a silver horn while everyone else got gold ones. It was really a bad thing, but since it was so glaring, I often got the 50 yard line spots, or the pivot points and such so people might think, oh, we meant to do it that way.
Don't get me started on the year that there wasn't enough uniforms for the Tubads to have them. We ended up in black pants, white shirts and red blazers looking more like the Astrodome ushers than band members. We did get to wear our greek fisherman's hats and our "CHiPS" era mirrored sunglasses that year. While you don't need sunglasses in the Astrodome, it came in real handy when we went to the Aloha Bowl that Christmas.
I couldn't help but feel good for that guy out there, the center of attention for just a few seconds, and being able to always say that he dotted the "i", even if the team didn't do so well at the National Championship Game.
-----------------------------------------------------------
One more thing...the biggest Mac Geek day of the year is tomorrow. It's the Macworld Keynote. I hope Steve Jobs does introduce a phone because I want a new one and and Apple one could be good, especially if it's not overpriced. We'll see if he introduces one tomorrow. I'll be looking at the liveblogging coverage while I'm at work.
Also this week is the CES, the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, and so many companies are trying to make software and gadgets that allow you to move video, especially movies and TV shows from one device to another. I'm personally not so sure that I need to have a lot of video anywhere but my television and my Tivo, but I wait to be convinced otherwise.
Apple too is working on a device to allow you to take your iTunes purchases off your computer, and onto your television, easily, and perhaps wirelessly, but now with HD television finally gaining a foothold in the market, if it can't handle HD, there won't be a lot of interest in it.
I haven't bough a single show on iTunes yet, but I've bought hundreds of songs. I'm just not ready to store gigs of data for video. I'd really go more for a rental system - a sort of Netflix-iTunes hybrid that would allow me to watch a vast library, but not necessarily have to buy it all. I own less than 50 DVD's right now, and I really don't care to buy that many more. Here's a tip. I want to own my music, but I'd rather rent my movies, because I don't watch them over and over. If Apple can make this happen, I'll be very happy.
Of course Microsoft is trying to get to that point as well, but while Jobs will be getting all of the attention of a rockstar at his keynote, Bill Gates' keynote at CES, showing of some home gadgets, was pretty much yawned at. it's interesting how much the pitchman really makes the image of the company.
I really don't care who wins the game though I'm a little surprised at the score at this point, expecting that Ohio State would be more dominate. Still, what got my attention was actually getting to see the Ohio State Band spelling out the famous script Ohio on the field. Rarely does television ever pay much attention to the bands, but yet, here was the entire pregame show from Ohio State. The Florida band did not get the same attention...their time was used for introducing your hosts and more commercials for tortilla chips.
Still, as an old tuba player, I watched with interest as the band swirled around to form the script "Ohio" as they've done for decades, occasionally seeing the drum major leading the way, and right behind her, the one tuba player who isn't with the rest of the group. I had never seen the whole drill before, and how it flowed out. I had always thought that the tuba player ran out from somewhere else in the formation to hit one of the most prestigious spots in all of college drill.
He was the dot of the "i" in Ohio. I know that the spot is generally taken by a Senior and it's considered to be quite the honor. Here he was, at the biggest game he'll ever be at, high stepping from where the "o" ended, following the drum major up to that spot, and you could see how excited he was as he took his bow.
I know, it's the geeky things that get me, but man, I would have loved to have been able to march that spot, as everyone in the stadium (well, the Ohio State fans) wait for you to get to that spot. The closest I think I ever got was the year we had more "Tubads" (as we were called) than actual sousaphones and I was the one who had to march with a silver horn while everyone else got gold ones. It was really a bad thing, but since it was so glaring, I often got the 50 yard line spots, or the pivot points and such so people might think, oh, we meant to do it that way.
Don't get me started on the year that there wasn't enough uniforms for the Tubads to have them. We ended up in black pants, white shirts and red blazers looking more like the Astrodome ushers than band members. We did get to wear our greek fisherman's hats and our "CHiPS" era mirrored sunglasses that year. While you don't need sunglasses in the Astrodome, it came in real handy when we went to the Aloha Bowl that Christmas.
I couldn't help but feel good for that guy out there, the center of attention for just a few seconds, and being able to always say that he dotted the "i", even if the team didn't do so well at the National Championship Game.
-----------------------------------------------------------
One more thing...the biggest Mac Geek day of the year is tomorrow. It's the Macworld Keynote. I hope Steve Jobs does introduce a phone because I want a new one and and Apple one could be good, especially if it's not overpriced. We'll see if he introduces one tomorrow. I'll be looking at the liveblogging coverage while I'm at work.
Also this week is the CES, the Consumer Electronics Show in Vegas, and so many companies are trying to make software and gadgets that allow you to move video, especially movies and TV shows from one device to another. I'm personally not so sure that I need to have a lot of video anywhere but my television and my Tivo, but I wait to be convinced otherwise.
Apple too is working on a device to allow you to take your iTunes purchases off your computer, and onto your television, easily, and perhaps wirelessly, but now with HD television finally gaining a foothold in the market, if it can't handle HD, there won't be a lot of interest in it.
I haven't bough a single show on iTunes yet, but I've bought hundreds of songs. I'm just not ready to store gigs of data for video. I'd really go more for a rental system - a sort of Netflix-iTunes hybrid that would allow me to watch a vast library, but not necessarily have to buy it all. I own less than 50 DVD's right now, and I really don't care to buy that many more. Here's a tip. I want to own my music, but I'd rather rent my movies, because I don't watch them over and over. If Apple can make this happen, I'll be very happy.
Of course Microsoft is trying to get to that point as well, but while Jobs will be getting all of the attention of a rockstar at his keynote, Bill Gates' keynote at CES, showing of some home gadgets, was pretty much yawned at. it's interesting how much the pitchman really makes the image of the company.
