All sorts of stuff...

Lots of stuff to talk about...in no particular order:

I'll admit it. Part of me thought that it was possible that O.J. Simpson didn't do it. I've been screwed by the justice system, I figured it was possible for him too. I know--I'm much too much of an optimist. I mean, this guy was a Heisman Trophy winner! And he saved that cat from the old lady's apartment in the "Towering Inferno". How could he possibly be a bad person?

After hearing about his week in Las Vegas, and subsequent arrest, I've come to the conclusion that it's time for me to cross over to the other side. And that the guy is severely clueless. To hear him try to "explain" things is so comical it's sad. At least no one was killed this time around.

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Toyota is running commercials on NBC's Sunday night football broadcasts where two guys drive around the country, filming high school football games, and the hype/tradition/rabidity of local teams. This past week they were in Helena to film my old HS in preparation of the game with the crosstown rivals. Footage should show up in a couple of weeks. Who knows? You might see me on national TV! (though I wouldn't put money on it...)

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Fire season continues here. I had to unload the symphony equipment truck this afternoon, and the smoke had a "fresher" taste to it. Nothing at all like what we had most of the summer. I hadn't heard of anything nearby, but there was much more of a campfire smell. Come to find out that there was a grass fire on the west edge of town, and 500 residents were evacuated. It was contained within hours, but not before destroying some outbuildings. No residences were destroyed. All officials involved feel that if the winds were just a bit stronger, then it would have definitely burned out some of the residential areas on that side of town. As it was, power was out for roughly 3000 homes on the west side of town. Scary stuff!

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All my important football teams won this weekend. Yay!

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Symphony concert last night was our opening concert of the new season. IT WENT GREAT!! I honestly don't remember when we've put together an entire concert that went as smoothly and "perfectly" as last night. I hope it's a trend that will continue through the season!

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The last Alive @ Five of the year was a good time. But damned chilly! Go here to read a column from one of our local reporters. He considers our possible disbanding as the "end of an era". Hmmm... Seems to be alot of that "end of an era" stuff going on these days.

Here's some pics of the evening (click 'em to big 'em!):

Before we even get started, I'm injured. This was nothing more than a very tiny scrape that just bled and bled and bled. Sort of added an Alice Cooper/Gene Simmons thing to the night. It was also an omen...I drew blood on three out of four days this past week. My shins look like I was practicing my wrist-slitting technique.

This week marked the two-year anniversary of the loss of my first camera. You remember. The one that some kid asked to use to take pictures of us while we were playing. The same kid I haven't seen since... This time around, I had relatives available to use the camera! BIL2 snuck up on stage early on in the evening to snap a few pics.

Mom & BIL2. Dad & BIL3

Towards the end of the night. The end of an era? Hard to say. No one has turned in their music or anything like that. "When" we come back, I'm sure it'll be different. How different is yet to be seen.

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So how was YOUR weekend?