The Journal...
Welcome to yet another installment of The Contest Journal.
This week Tim and I decided to go to Vincennes and catch the Pre-Season Spectacular hosted by the Vincennes Lincoln Pride of the Green.
All of the preparation Tim and I made on the SI web site had us primed and ready for the 2003 season to begin. So when we found out that our friends at Vincennes Lincoln were hosting a pre-season show, we jumped at the chance to attend it.
Since Vincennes was about an hour drive for us (or 15 minutes if Tim is driving), we had to make sure that we had plenty of music to play in the stereo on the way to the show. Choosing the proper music not only provides a "soundtrack" for the road trip, but it also sets the mood for the day. What CD gets us hyped up and ready to immerse ourselves in the world of pageantry? You guessed it! Barney and Friends, Live at Red Rocks. Nothing gets Tim and I pumped up like listening to Barney kick it 'old school' with tunes like "The Wheels on the Bus go Round and Round" and "John Jacob Jingleheimer Schmidt." The twenty minute drum solo in the middle was EXTREME!!! Baby Bop is lethal when she gets behind a trap set. I think my favorite part of the album (and the most intense) is the power ballad "I Love You, You Love Me." I still get cold chills when I hear that song.
Craving the excitement that only Indiana marching bands can provide, Tim and I decided to leave for the show really early. That way we could get there early, get really good seats and have a bird's eye view of the performances.
Finding the performance site turned out to be more difficult than we thought. We spent two and a half hours walking around campus and trying to find the football stadium. Finally four people named Alice (we knew that because it was on all of their shirts) pointed us in the right direction and Tim and I took off for the show. After driving around Knox County searching for the stadium for a couple more hours we finally reached the venue.
Somehow we still managed to get to the show pretty early, so we were hopeful that we would get great seats. Apparently everyone else had the same idea...
Since we had nowhere to sit, we decided to take a look around and familiarize ourselves with the surroundings. The facility was very nice and the Vincennes boosters were super friendly. Because it was pretty warm, we made a point to stop by the concession stand and have a couple drinks so we wouldn't get dehydrated. I was pretty thirsty already so I grabbed a Diet Mountain Dew and started chugging. For my money it doesn't get any better than Diet Mountain Dew. It's the nectar of the gods! Here's a photo of me downing a two liter Mountain Dew at the show right before I cracked open the container and licked out the residue.
The down side of chugging a carbonated beverage is that it makes you a little gassy. Of course it didn't help that I stuffed myself the night before at the all you can eat burrito and chili mondo festivo at the local Mexican restaurant. That became painfully apparent after my "exhaust fumes" drove away my good friend Stacy Milheiser. She didn't say anything, but her body language gave it away.
Others were quickly overcome by the noxious aroma as well, so I agreed to move to the other side of the stadium, which was down wind from everyone. Tim later confided in me that it really wasn't the smell, but the intense eye irritation that caused the biggest problem with everyone.
Fortunately, we were near a pharmacy that stocked not only the proper medication for my problem, but also in the strength to take on a colon as powerful as mine.
We had a lot of fun at the show and now we are even more excited about the upcoming season. Tim and I would like to thank
Jason King, Bill Marsh and the rest
of the staff and workers at Vincennes for their hospitality. We look forward to attending the show next year!
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