Day 15 - 12:02 AM
Boston, MA

So I woke up earlier than I would have liked to normally, but it was for a good cause: food. I met my family at a restaurant about a block away form the hotel and had a wonderful delicious breakfast there with them before I had to say goodbye. I go back to the hotel room, back up, and head down to the lobby to wait for the bus to get there.

Once the bus is outside, we start loading it. I don't know why, but I've pretty much become a volunteer on luggage crew. I'm just better at spacial relations than most (thanks dad!) and help is always appreciated by them. So I load bags in the pouring rain until I cannot physically lift another bag, and then head onto the bus and crash.

The 'three hour' bus ride takes 8 because of traffic. Not fun.

We meet our hosts, and head out with them, and my host takes my friend Billy and me out to dinner at this place called 5 napkin burger (because you need 5 paper napkins to soak up all the grease, supposedly). The burger was not that greasy, but it was darned delicious. AFter that we headed home and called it a night.

I would write about today, but as of now my wrists really hurt and I'm tired, so I'm going to get off the computer. I'll tell you about today tomorrow. Or technically yesterday today. Either way, I'll be a day behind in my stories, which is becoming the usual. oh well. Here we come, concert!

NYC - pt 2

Day 14 - 11:16 PM
Boston, MA

So Zoe wakes up early, at about 8AM, and then comes in and wakes me up. It was kinda weird being woken up by someone else. Totally not used to that. But we get ready and head out to breakfast in this University of Michigan cafe named Grey Dog Cafe, and that was just a really great breakfast, and we talked until we were basically kicked out because they needed more table space. We say goodbye and then I hop on the subway to head north to go see my friend Lex.

Lex and I meet up, and now my phone is at around 5%, but it's all good because I don't need it anymore to navigate, but it was cutting it close. We go to his apartment and I meet his dad and his brother, and his dad shows me his sound shrine, with probably an easy $8000 of audio equipment pointed all at a chair, and it was some of the most incredible sounding music I've ever heard. Just really really a fascinating experience.

Lex and I head out then, and we just walk up and around central park for an hour and a half or so, up to the border of Harlem, and then back to the subway so I can finally head back to get ready for the concert. It was great to see him, and I can't wait to live with him next year.

So we get ready for the concert and head to Alice Tully at around 2:30, and spend the next 5 hours rehearsing and other things, which was really tiring leading up to it, but we all were so excited that it didn't really matter.

And so we put on a great show. It was awesome to see so much of my family out there in the audience - it was one of the best feelings I've felt as a performer ever. Second only to my senior recital, but it's still such a great feeling to know you're loved.

After the concert, I headed out to a late bite/coffee with my family and my grandparents, and we chatted for a while. Then I headed back to the hotel to hang with my brother and sister before eventually taking a cab back and calling it a night after a very, very long day.

NYC - pt 1

Day 14 - 11:03 PM
Boston, MA

Man I'm really bad at this daily thing. Just really not my strong suit. 

5/17

So we all hop on the bus in Philly that morning - we have to show up fairly early to load it - and head out to good ol' NYC. Everyone's really excited, because a number of people have never been before, and a number have only been once or twice. There's also the excitement of Alice Tully, which is a little bit of a big thing. 

We pull in at around 3:30 and get checked into the hotel, a cool art deco style modern hotel called the Ameritania, pretty nice but nothing special. Trying to solidify my plans for the time I'm there, I begin calling all of my friends in the city and scheduling things. A few clubbers want to walk to central park, so we hike over there for a bit and play a short game of ultimate frisbee in the outfield of some baseball fields. 

I then head back and shower before heading out to meet my friend Henry for lunch. I know I'm meeting him with a fellow clubber (all of us are in the music fraternity together), but then I find out that my friend Juha (a student from Finland - doing a little US tour before he heads back home) is in the city too! We all hang out for a while and then head to a hole in the wall restaurant with some amazing Burekas. 

Afterward, we walk around for a bit and then I get ready to head south to see my good friend Zoe. It takes a while for me to find the right station, but eventually I'm able to hop on the subway and get down to where she is. We meet up shortly thereafter and then head out on the town. She shows me around her neighborhood at school, which was really cool to see. We go in an around NYU, down some streets, and just have a good time chatting and catching up. 

We then head to a little pizza place so she can grab dinner, and this guy starts talking to us, and he's nice but kind of intruding on our conversation, and it was just kind of sad because there was a loneliness to him that made us think he really just wanted somebody to talk to. We head out though and walk around a bit more until we hit a coffee shop and she starts to do some work, just because she's swamped as school is ending. 

After that, we were considering going to see a flick, but decided to just go back to her dorm and netflix it to save some money. We get about two thirds of the way through the movie before we just get tired and head off to sleep (separately).

Day 11 - 4:18 PM
New York, NY

The last few days have been simple and busy! Yet a lot of fun.

So the free day in DC was really relaxed. I ended up meeting with a friend from Bethesda and just hanging out with him and his friends for a few hours. After that, I took the Metro back into the city to meet up with some friends. We went to the museum of natural history and one of the cooler things there was that there was like an enclosed cage of butterflies that we got to walk through and have them landing on us and stuff. Pretty neat.

Then I walked back to around the metro center where Tammy (host mom) took John (guy i was housing with) and I out to dinner at this great place called Zaytinya. It was an awesome Mezze style mediterranean place, and the food was amazing. I even tasted snail (that's 25 cents when I get home, dad) and loved it.

After that John and I met up with some other people and did another walkaround of the national mall, finally taking the metro home and calling it a night.

5/16

The next day went by very quickly. We were up early to catch the bus at 9:30 at the train station, and we headed out towards Philly. We stopped at an indoor market once we got to the city, and had some great cheese steaks, of course. Then we headed to the concert venue and prepared for the show, all excited because this was the prank concert. Oh yeah.

So the beginning of the concert we do well, and then we hit our fourth set. As DR is introducing Chester, a piece which was the anthem of the Revolutionary War, our flautist and drummer don Tri-cone hats, much to everybody's amusement. We then, later on, in We Rise Again, don't move when we're supposed to at the modulation, but instead move on a second prank modulation as we walk out. Snaps to David, the pianist, for still playing along even though he was transposing everything on the page.

For the last prank, we get the pitches to the song we open the second half with, and start a completely different song that isn't even on the program. Although it wasn't flawless, it was pretty darn funny. The real prank comes during Varsity and the Victors, when DR calls Paul Rardin, the last conductor of the glee club (and my All-State Conductor) up to conduct, which was an incredible and emotional experience for all. Many of the clubbers were flat-out crying by the end. It was such a wonderful thing to see them caring so much about their old director.

Then we met our host families and such, and ours were really kind. We went to a diner which was great post-concert, and that grilled cheese hit the spot dead-on. Then we all hit the sack, exhausted from the day.

Day 9 - 10:36 AM
Silver Spring, MD

Yesterday was a completely full day, to say the least.

So we woke up at about 7:30, because the church we were performing at had an opening from 9-10am where we could drop our stuff off - otherwise we would have to carry it around DC all day with us. Our host mom, Tammy, rode the metro with us into DC and then let us loose. We dropped off our things at the church, and then waited around for some other people to show up. After a bit, we've got a sizable group going, and we decide that we're gonna head to the national mall.

We get there at about the halfway point between the Capitol Building and the Washington Monument, and decide we're going to head to the Lincoln Memorial (about a mile and a half away). We stop at the Vietnam Memorial along the way, which is always a somber and powerful experience, and then head up to see Lincoln. When we're there, looking out over the reflecting pool, theres a French school touring right next to us. I was trying to understand them (hint: I didn't) but then one girl sneezed and immediately I said "a vous souhaits", and panicked because I couldn't remember whether or not that actually meant bless you. Much to my relief, it did and I didn't look like a total fool.

After that, we head towards the capitol building (a solid 2 mile walk) because some people are going on tours. We drop some guys off, and then head out to get something to eat. We wander looking for a restaurant that isn't there anymore for about 15 minutes, then settle on an Irish pub. Cool note: It's police week in DC, where police forces from all over the country come to remember the fallen and participate in competitions, so there were a load of officers at the pub. After walking for miles, Corned beef and cabbage never tasted so good.

We head back to the capitol building as more people go on tours, but I stay outside because my feet are hurting and I'm not really in a touring mood. I was also carrying my friends small pocketknife for him (because you can't take it into any of the buildings), and then I realized I had to go to the bathroom. My options are: lose my friends leatherman, or walk a mile to the nearest bathroom. I end up doing the sketchiest thing (it's a wonder I wasn't tackled by secret service or something), which is dropping the pocketknife in a book by the library of congress, go in, use the restroom, and then run back out to pick up the knife out of the bush. Mission accomplished.

I wait outside, reading my book, for a while until one of the tours end, and then we walk back to the church for the rehearsal hall. The rehearsal goes fine, and we were singing with Duke Ellington HS of the Arts that night, and the high school guys were great and a lot of fun to be around. In between rehearsal and the concert, a bunch of us run to Au Bon Pain and stuff ourselves. It was glorious.

The concert goes off without too big of a hitch (DR accidentally skipped a song), and then it's over. A bunch of the glee club alumni and current clubbers all head to a restaurant/bar and we hang out there for the next two hours, chatting away and trading stories. We sang some songs too, and the other people in the bar loved it.

At around 11:45, I head out back to Metro Center to catch the train back to Tammy's town, and I get on the train, but get off the wrong stop, just one short. I ask around and find out that another train is running, but little do I know it takes 45 minutes to get there, leaving me sitting along at a station for the better part of an hour. Finally, I get to the right stop, and it now being 1:00AM, decide that a slow walk isn't the best of ideas, so in khaki's, a sweatshirt, and wearing a backpack, I run a mile back to Tammy's house where I finally call it a night.

Now I'm about to get ready to head to DC for our actual free day. Hopefully this'll be a lot of fun!

Day 7 - 11:30 PM
Silver Spring, MD


So beat bus was early today, but of course it took an hour to load the bus, so despite being there at 8:55, we only left at around 10:00. We kept going for a while, stopping for gas, etc, until we hit a mall where we stopped for about and hour and a half. At first, a group and I were just walking around, and then we found a Lego store, so we had to stop. We looked around for a bit, but ended up making some minifigures of some guys in club for about 15 minutes.

Then we headed to lunch with DR and Stephen, the assistant conductor, at California Pizza Kitchen, which is a great restaurant, by the way. But then we headed back to the bus. Nap time, 2.0.

We stop at the Air and Space Museum, and I volunteered to be part of the luggage crew, which was only DR, Stephen, my friend Chase and I. We had to rearrange all of the luggage because we were dropped off at three different locations today for host stays, a relative logistical nightmare. After a while I got to go in for about half an hour, and let me tell you, it was cool. Got to see the Discovery shuttle, which was so crazy awesome. There was a computer built at the same time - a mobile computer - which weighed more than a few tons, and had the mind blowing capacity of 2kb.

After that is where the real fun begins. There's an uneventful drive back with less clubbers - the hosts picked many up outside of the museum - until we park to drop some people off in DC. We pull inbetween two buildings and are unloading the bus for a while until the police come and tell us we have to move, which requires backing a coach bus into 5 lanes of traffic. We somehow maneuver it after 10 minutes back into the road, and we're on our way once again.

Not for long. We make one turn, and have to back up on a busy road during rush hour because the clearing was too low for the bus. Two clubbers run out and stand in traffic so we are able to actually turn the bus around, and then we get back on the road. The rest of the drive has about 7 K-turns, U-turns, ohcrapineedtomakealeftnotgostraight-turns, and even more. We somehow end up getting to the Metro station in Bathesda, Maryland finally, where we meet our host parents.

Our host mom takes my friend Jon and I out for Thai food, and I just had some good pad thai which felt really great, and then we headed back to the house where we've just been relaxing and I've been blogging for the last 45 minutes or so. At this point, I'm definitely beat and need to get some rest before the next concert. After this, we're past the halfway point, and headed towards Philly - aka tour prank concert.

Day 7 - 11:00 PM
Silver Spring, MD

Sorry I got behind a day again! It's somewhat difficult when days get busy - with either concerts or socializing, there usually isn't a whole lot of time to sit down and relax.

So yesterday.

Waking up wasn't bad at all, but it wasn't long before we were on the road headed towards central Richmond. We pull up to Virginia Commonwealth University's auditorium - our concert venue - and unload the bus. As clubbers filter in, we kind of just hang around until everyone is there (some were hotel, some were host stays, so we didn't all arrive at the same time). One of the things we were doing was playing 'chill face', a hackeysack game, but the chill version... i.e. we would call each other out for trying too hard because we all felt particularly lazy at that moment.

After we all get settled in and get ready to rehearse, we find out that we're cutting a set from the performance, which means less time standing. victory of the day, without a doubt. We start and stop songs to get a feel for it, and soon we're done rehearsing. A few friends and I walk some blocks down the road to a cuban joint and order lunch, which takes much too long to get to us, but we're able to eat it on the brick wall of a park before we have to head back.

The concert goes, not great, not terrible, but it goes. There's a small reception afterward, and then we head back to the hotel. By the time we get back, it's already 6:30, and a few of us are planning to go to a movie, either Iron Man or the Great Gatsby. The vote wins for Iron man, and we head out to dinner before, which was pretty good, but nothing special. It's a bit of a hassle to find the theatre, which was about a half mile away, but we got in and the movie was pretty stellar. Definitely a recommend.

As we head out of the theatre, we end up walking around the entire mall, probably a solid 3/4 of a mile walking in the middle of the road and running to the other lane whenever there was a car coming. We finally see the lights of the hotel in the distance, and decide to head straight at all costs towards it... well maybe not all costs. We had to dodge a pond, but after that we headed straight. This took us over walls, through some trees, through a muddy wet marsh with chest-high grass, over parking lots, fences, and down 10 foot man made walls, and eventually we made it back. At this point, we all simply headed out separate ways and then hit the sack. The 9AM beat bus was gonna come way too early.

Day 5 - 11:23 PM

Short Pump, VA

Finally, we're caught up to the right day. now things are back on track. 

So today was mostly just a relaxing day. Despite staying up late last night, I managed to get up at about 8:30 (Beat bus was at ten) and both got breakfast and squeezed a workout/shower in. It felt really good to start my day that way. 

We got on the bus, and while it wasn't superb, we definitely had some form of air conditioning which was really a life saver. After about 5 minutes they decided to put on Monty Python, and knowing how carsick it makes me, I promptly went back to sleep. 

By the time I woke up, we were in Richmond, and getting dropped off at a park. The alumni association made sandwiches for us, but not enough, so a handful of people (myself included) didn't get one, though there were cookies and chips to stave off the hunger. 

We checked into the hotel and as I walked into the room, I was greeted by the delightful warmth of a stuffy room - with a broken air conditioner. What else would it be at this point? So I let the front desk know, and then in an effort to just get out and about a few friends and I went to the mall, which was about a mile away. 

We ended up walking around for a bit and then sat down for a lunch at California Pizza Kitchen (great pizza, by the way), and just talked for the next two and a half hours until we had finished and walked back. The rest of the night was really relaxing and was just a recovery with some chilling and a short swim. We've got a slightly early day tomorrow, with a concert in the afternoon, but after that we are free again. It should be a good show. 

Day 4 pt 2

Day 5 - 7:30 PM
Short Pump, VA

Still playing catchup - sorry about that.

So we get back on the bus after the high school concert and head back to the hotel/plantation where were staying, and we pull into this weird side place. Turns out it's a good ol southern buffet. Good being the operative word. There was some good food: a great sausage thing, and some kicking pudding (banana and oreo). For the most part, however, it was all really crappy southern fried food. When we go to head back on the bus (time to be on bus: 1:40), it turns out that every clubber has to pay separately, at this lovely establishment with a slow cashier and a single register. This process take about 45 minutes, and by the time were all on the bus, we're back to being drenched in sweat.

After an hour or so relaxing at the hotel - complete with a game of pool with a few friends - it's time to pack up the wagon and head out west... I mean, to the concert hall. We head there an hour earlier than originally intented, because theres a mechanics appointment that might end with the AC getting fixed. So we get the the rehearsal hall early and bum around for an hour before dinner, which was provided by a few community members. More free meals yay!

The concert goes off without a hitch, albeit sweaty, and DR has a resolution passed in his honor by Halifax County. We all then head back to the hotel and hang out in the bar area (the bar was closed, much to the dismay of some older clubbers) chatting, singing, and having a great time until about two in the morning. And so concludes day 4.

Day 4 pt 1

Day 5 - 6:56 PM

Short Pump, VA (Outside in Richmond)

Sorry I haven't blogged in a while - the internet was really terrible and at peak hours (when all of the clubbers are using there computers and such) it is all but impossible to get any sort of connection. I'll fill you in until about midday yesterday, and then put that in a second post. 

So last night after I blogged, I headed out to play some basketball, but some friends and I changed our mind and decided to play some tennis. My team ended up losing the set 6-4, but all in all it was a really fun thing to do and just relax. Afterward a bunch of clubbers hung out in a mixture of the pool and the sauna. I know what you're thinking - after sweating (profusely) for 9 hours on the bus, why the heck would I ever want to go in a sauna?

It's quite simple actually - being able to relax, be comfortable, and just breathe peacefully instead of being bored or worrying about ruining your clothes makes sweating a lovely experience. So that was a decent portion of the night, after which my roommates and I just kind of hung out and went to sleep, nothing extravagant. 

The next morning was another good time. I woke up at about 7:45, in time to catch the breakfast, but as I got up and laid lazily in bed, one of my roommates began to shower. Taking into account the fact that I had to pee real bad, it forced me to get out of bed and dressed in a matter of minutes so I could use the hotel lobby's bathroom. Then breakfast was good and all's well that end's well. 

At this point, we're heading to a mildly impromptu concert that DR set up for us at his old high school. We get there unsure of the songs were singing, performance hall, or really anything. We have a basic setlist we're going to go through, and when we get there, it all changes. We set up the stage in about 5 minutes and suddenly we're singing, without a clue as to what song will be next. Everything is at the mercy of DR. The concert goes off without a hitch (a few laughs from a stray moth that was fluttering near the assistant conductor, but thats all), and in 45 minutes, we're all packed up back on the bus and headed out. 

This is where I'll leave you until the next post! 

p.s. at this point we still don't have air conditioning in the lovely 80 degree southern spring. 

Day Three - 6:48 PM

South Boston, Virginia

We finally arrived at the hotel after what was the busride from hell. Despite being in the great May temperatures of the South, the bus company decided that a lack of air conditioning was perfectly acceptable. This paired with the fact that literally every seat on the bus being taken, and it was a solid 90 degrees in the bus for about 9 hours. 

We had some mishaps along the way - an open luggage door, a clubber getting really sick, etc, but there were some good parts as well. I had a great cracker barrel lunch with a few guys, one of which is a fellow Choral Education major (senior) who was able to give me some pointers in the conversation about my future, and we watched a handful of movies. 

Dinner just ended, and of course after a day full of sweat, it's time to go play some group organized sports before we hit the pool and just relax for the night. It's gonna be great!

Night of day two / technically day three - 12:32 AM
Hilton Head Island

The concert was a great success. It wasn't out best performance or the greatest we could have done, but it went solidly and without a hitch - which I feel was really paramount in setting the tone for the rest of tour.
A whole lot of us were very tired and in massive amounts of foot, knee, and scrapes/bruises pain from the early game of ultimate frisbee, myself included. I bruised the bottom of my feet, which I didn't even know was possible, but the concert still went well.
So now I've just been sitting with my two friends, Alex Rink and Luke Washer, and we've just been chatting about Glee Club in its entirety - issues, concerns, ideas, things of that sort. A lot of great ideas are being tossed around and its really great to listen to the passion these guys have for club.
It's just been a great few nights here in Hilton Head, and while I'm sad to go, I cannot wait to see how great this tour will be!
And now, it's sleep time.

Day Two - May 8th, 3:28 PM
Hilton Head Island

Finally catching a short moment to breathe - only 5 minutes or so - between another busy day. For the most part, that's how this tour is: a lot of fun but not a lot of down time.

My host parent, Bill Raisch, is an extremely kind man and has been nothing but welcoming and great to my friends Alex, Luke and I. We went to Harbor town today in the Sea Pines plantation and went up the lighthouse to get a great view of the town. Hilton Head is really such a beautiful area.

Then we all went to the beach, and had an absolute ball. It started off with an hour and a half game of Ultimate frisbee with about 20 people on each team, and the sand was nice and hard which made a great running surface... at first. A lot of people ended up getting blisters and/or cuts on their feet, which fortunately I avoided. Standing tonight at the concert won't be too bad. We then had a great lunch and headed home to change, ending the afternoon with a great easy sunburn.

For now though, we are headed off into what will be our first concert! Should be really exciting, and I'll be sure to fill you in on all of the details!

Day one - May 7th, 2:53 AM

I'm sitting here awake in the red house, all my friends having gone to sleep. I'm leaving to go catch the bus in only a few minutes, but for now I wanted to start this and get my thoughts down.

After a grand few days, capped off by a great night of bowling, I officially say goodbye to many of my brothers in Phi Mu Alpha and Ann Arbor. Many of these guys are some of my best friends, and it's always really difficult not knowing when I'll get to see many of them next.

"Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened."

This speaks so truly right now. While I am sad that I won't be around these people for a while, I know that I had one of the most enriching and fulfilling years of my life thanks to these guys. They are immensely talented, deeply caring, and stalwart friends, all of which I am so grateful for that I had the opportunity to become this close to them.

With this, I must head out to another group of great friends - the Men's Glee Club. Here's to a great tour.

Go blue.