Wait Until Next Year

Rivalry Continues

Special Orchestral Music Score
Samples - Film and Television

You'll have to read the previous post to fully appreciate this, but thought I'd best give an update. The Ohio State University Buckeyes football team did win the game! I know the celebration behind those pearly gates for my husband and his sister must be spectacular. Guess they must have finally coordinated their coaching techniques so the team could do their best. They've probably resumed fussin' though, about the fact the Buc's hedged on the offer for them to play in this season's January '08 Rose Bowl -- once the Big Ten Conference college football Holy Grail of Bowl games. Now there's a Bowl game for the national championship even grander to which college football teams aspire.

I can't really gloat about this Buc's win, because I hear from my Michigan side-of-the-family source (who's feeling quite glum) that the Wolverines didn't come even close to playing their best. The team is not hiding behind the fact the weather was lousy in Ann Arbor either, 'cause this time of year such weather, and even worse, is always a possibility, whether this game is played in Michigan or the Buckeye's home, Columbus, Ohio. What I'm hearing is "Wait until next year!" in true rivalry fashion.

Now, I have a confession to make about the night/wee morning hours when I finished writing that previous blog. I heard the sound of the morning papers smacking the concrete driveway as they were tossed from the black SUV which barely slowed as it passed my house. I thought I might as well bring in the papers, so I put my robe on over my warm flannel P.J.'s I had put on earlier in the evening when I readied for bed before writing that previous blog post. I grabbed my car keys that have the panic button, as I always do when I go out in the wee hours, though there are lights on the house entrance and street. The panic button is just precautionary as we have had various wildlife visit during those hours.

I fantasize should I encounter any unfriendly wildlife, the sudden noise of my car alarm might serve to deter any aggressive creature actions, at least long enough for me to get back inside the house. I don't mind encountering raccoons, opossums, the occasional house cat, but I've seen skunks, coyotes and know mountain lions, bobcats, even bears are potential rare visitors. Should the unwanted two legged human creature variety suddenly appear I figure my panic alarm would arouse help since our neighborhood is not over-exposed to the sounds of security and car alarms.

The brisk night air had an awakening effect as I walked through the welcomed creatureless slightly lighted dark, gathering the papers, then returning to the house's warmer interior. Feeling very alert, I decided to fix an early breakfast, a glass of pulpy orange juice, a microwave poached egg with soft yolk, whole wheat toast with a dab of blackberry jam on one slice, a bowl of fresh mixed fruit, and I brewed a pot of green tea. Quite awake after eating my special breakfast (usually it's oatmeal topped with just strawberries, blueberries, or some other single fruit,) I began leisurely reading the papers.

The next thing I knew it was only an hour or so before game time. I didn't dare go to sleep then, or I'd never wake up. So I poured myself some more tea, lamenting the fact I had allowed myself to pull this all nighter. I also felt sort of excited about doing so, as I always do whenever I stay up all night, like I'm doing something I shouldn't, but smug in the knowledge I can do as I please 'cause the next day's schedule is mine to change anyway I want.

I watched the first half of the game, no "Script Ohio" with the band at the beginning. Perhaps the statistic spewing talking heads at half-time would be silenced long enough to air some performance of either University band, but that was not to be -- at least while I was watching. By this time I was reclining on the sofa with a cozy warm blanket over me. Somehow, probably during a commercial, my eyelids drooped, closed and got stuck in that position.

The next thing I knew when they re-opened, two entirely different teams were playing football. Furthermore, I had to wait quite some time before I learned the final score of the game I had stayed up all night to watch. Expect my husband was too busy coaching his Bucs from on high to have noticed I had fallen asleep. Had he known, he would have arranged for bolts of lightening, or at least rolling waves of thunder to hover over our home to visually and auditorily express his shock and disbelief my adrenalin was at such a low level I could possibly sleep.

You might want to go to the previous post just to visit those YouTube marching band links. I don't have a musical link for John Tategenhorst's arrangement of OSU's "Hang On Sloopy" rally song, though you can read the lyrics. I'm confident if I had heard the bands I would have aroused to see the game's second half. Wonder if I'll feel compelled to watch this game again next year?

I just discovered and listened to excerpts from some of John's music. Included are some film and television scores, arrangements he's done for John Williams and Erich Kunzel. You can listen to John's music samples at his web site by clicking here: "John Tatgenhorst Music, Inc."