My oldest daughter, Cindy, who has played flute in her high school's marching band these past three years, was just selected today as the Drum Major for next season. This is a pretty big deal. It is a leadership position, which looks really good on an academic résumé, and she really wanted it. For the past few days she's been listening to a recording of a band audition piece and practicing her conducting nonstop. As DM, she won't be marching and playing her instrument, but instead standing up on the tall platform and conducting the band.

For me, it means spending some nights at high school football games, and maybe a few competitions. Funny, but I attended high school at a powerhouse football school and went the whole four years without attending a single game. In the past three seasons, I've gone to lots of high school games, but not to watch the game – I'm there to watch my daughter in the band. This next season will be a bit special, with Cindy leading the group.

Friday nights are my largest block of writing time for the week, as there's nothing worthwhile on TV and I can write late into the early morning hours, as I don't usually have to get up early on Saturday. High school football games are played on Friday night, so this messes me up a bit on my writing time. But, damn, I'm proud.

By the way, Cindy and I maintain the website for the band, which is here, for the really curious.