in which i damn thinspo sites and offer some optimism

If you're my friend on facebook, you probably saw me post a status saying 'there are times when I just really hate the world.'

Here's an example of why. http://fromthintofatandbackagain.tumblr.com/
Thinspo sites. Seriously. what. the. f.
Every single one of these should be shut down.  


Look I get that you have the First Amendment on your side and it's your lifestyle choice. You're going to say 'you don't understand me' and 'you have no right to tell me how I get to live' and 'it's my body, I can do with it what I want' and all that crap.


You're right in one regard. I'll never understand you. I've never come to the point that I've wanted to restrict or purge as an emotional response to what's wrong in my life (or for whatever reason you choose to do it). Because quite frankly I love food. So maybe I'll never fully understand how you choose to act the way you do. But I've seen what it does.

Eating disorders nearly killed one of my friends...twice.
Eating disorders nearly tore my family apart.
Eating disorders ruined me for months.


AND YOU DEDICATE A SITE TO SUPPORTING THIS?! 
You tell the world that this is fine. You tell the world that your struggles against the forces of food are some sort of valiant martyrdom and your self-destruction is a victory.


You are wrong. Terribly, completely, utterly wrong.


You are succumbing to the darkest forces known to man with every restriction, every purge, every dark thought.


Your beauty is not tied to your weight. Your value is not tied to your weight. 


Your beauty lies in who you are. And who you are is not your figure. Who you are is who you love, what you do, your passions, your dreams. And if any of those involve your figure, these aren't you. These are sick perversions. Don't let them define you.


I realize that platitudes like these don't work most of the time. I'm holding out hope that they'll work for someone. I realize that thinspo sites aren't going to go away because an angry teenager told them to. I'm hoping that this will diminish their power to some slight degree. 

this song...

All of the following happen when I listen to this song.

1. If I'm on shuffle (which is about 75% of my listening), I say something to the effect of "aw, yes!" or "good song!"
2. I am rendered speechless for about three minutes and forty-two seconds. 
3. I find it nearly impossible to think of anything else besides how incomparably beautiful this song is. 
4. I marvel at the fact that this isn't the version they put on the actual album.
5. I repeat the song at least once. I'm in the midst of my third play in a row right now.

Thrice, you never cease to amaze me. 

marching band challenge

Stolen from tumblr, though I'm not posting this in one-day increments. Sorry non-band kids, just bear with me here.

Day 1 - Name, instrument, position, school, background

Michael Denison, alto sax/bass drum 5-6
Souderton Area High School (Big Red Marching Band, Mirage Indoor Drumline), University of Maryland College Park, Chesapeake Indoor Percussion (not really a school, but I'm marching there anyway)

Background: played sax since 4th grade, marched 4 years in a pretty...unsuccessful high school band, marched indoor '07-08 and '09-10 at Souderton on bass 5, fell in love with percussion, marched bass 6 at UMCP, marching bass 5 at Chesapeake, looking to play percussion as much as I can, even though I'll probably never be able to play anything more than bottom bass.

Day 2 - Favorite Corps

DCI: Phantom Regiment. Such brilliant show design, and consistently amazing percussion.
WGI: Riverside Community College. Best tenor lines almost every year, and I love that they focus more on chops than gimmicks. I love Pulse and Rhythm X's show designs, but RCC makes me gasp just by watching their tenors' hands. Also, they've been dominating for a DECADE whereas RX and Pulse have come onto the scene pretty late--they'll have to have a few more good years before they supplant RCC.

Can you tell I like WGI more than DCI?

Day 3 - Favorite Show You’ve Performed

Mirage Indoor Drumline '09-10: A Cognitive View of Psychology
After marching my sophomore year, I came back to a bassline that had improved incredibly in two years. We couldn't split 16ths in Symmetrics...suddenly we were locking 32nds. The drill was awesome, even if I couldn't make half the sets. The music was really well-written, and I've never been more excited walking off the floor than I was after that show. Suck it, TIA judges.

Day 4 - Least Favorite Show You’ve Performed

University of Maryland '10, Dance Crazes
It just sucked. Dumb concept, could not motivate myself to learn the music, and it was over thanksgiving break. Close behind: Big Red Marching Band 07-08, America's Music: Aaron Copland. Did not translate to marching band AT ALL.

Day 5 - Favorite Show You’ve Seen
Seen live? Whatever BD '07 (or was it '08?) was. They ROCKED Allentown that night.
Seen ever: Pulse '10: Worth the Wait. I still watch it periodically, and I'm still amazed. Yeah, I know, RCC is my favorite line, but that show was designed so well--the 'wait for it...WAIT FOR IT!!!,' the perfect body movements, the roll they locked for a minute, the stick tossing...everything.

Day 6 - Favorite Marching Memory
Walking off the floor after A Cognitive View of Psychology in finals. The energy we took off the floor was amazing. We threw down the best show of our lives, and we had every right to believe that we were going home with a medal, or at least the highest score Souderton had gotten in years.

Day 7 - Least Favorite Marching Memory
Hearing the scores after that show's finals. 86?! After getting 89 before prelims, 88 at prelims WITHOUT ELECTRICITY so you couldn't hear our pit, fixing everything...ARE YOU FREAKING SERIOUS, TIA?!?!

Don't know if I'll ever forgive them for that.

Day 8 - The One Feeling During The Season That You’ll Never Forget

Championships. Walking into Wildwood and seeing a stadium full of people, all of them interested in this art you've devoted months of your life to. And then, walking off knowing you had a great run at championships.

Day 9 - Biggest Marching Disappointment

I'm being really repetitive, but 2010 TIA finals after announcing the scores sucked. Also, coming to Maryland and realizing college band wasn't what I'd hoped, and championships in outdoor my freshman year. I thought we might have pulled off a Cinderella story and jumped up a few rankings...nope. (Then again, watching the video of that show, I see why we didn't score so high.)

Day 10 - Greatest Marching Achievement

Either finishing higher than last place in Mirage '08 in Open class with a line that was at least 60% noobs (including me), or making Chesapeake Percussion at all. Yeah it's a small line and only six people went out for bass, but man, these guys have CHOPS. I'm still trying to convince myself that I belong.

Day 11 - Favorite Marching Tradition

Maryland drumline: everyone gets a nickname. And of course there are others.

Day 12 - A Note To Your Director(s)

Dr. Sparks: Don't bother blowing smoke. You know there's a lot that could be done to improve this band. Make it happen.

Mr. Straka: You probably figured this out, but we disagree on almost everything when it comes to running a marching band. Here's to hoping Souderton keeps funding you guys long enough to give the band time to turn the corner and become elite.

Cameron: Your staff includes some of the craziest people I've ever met, but I've never been more excited to march a show in my life.

Day 13 - A Note To Your Section Leader

Winger: Thank God you told me about Peake...

Day 14 - Design Your Own Dream Show

This idea's been in my head for months. It'd probably work best as an indoor show.

Show name: Blade
Show concept: a look at the various uses and history of the sword.
Movement 1: Myth. Big fantasy-type music with someone in the line acting and discovering a sword of legend and fighting the forces of evil with it.
Movement 2: War. Really intense, fast-paced and dark music with a lot of violent body movements, lots of ensemble figures.
Movement 3: Honor. Ballad. Japanese-sounding, focus on the samurai's view that their sword housed their own soul. There might even be a fake hara-kiri in this, who knows? Ideally I wouldn't have the battery playing except maybe some bass drums on puffies.
Movement 4: Duel. The fastest movement of the bunch, and the lightest in mood. Two people would literally be having a swordfight on the floor, and the drill would move around them. And of course the fight would be in time with the music. At some point there may be a snare feature that ended with snare players stagefighting with their sticks...and then a big reprise of all four movements.

Not sure what the music would be, though. I might have a few bars of Sabre Dance in the duel movement just for kicks. "Clash on the Big Bridge" from the Final Fantasy XII score might make the cut for Duel, and maybe "Hold Fast Hope" by Thrice would work for War. "The Skeezix Dilemma Part 2" by Tourniquet might make an appearance too--the opening cello riff could work for part of Myth, and then it returns in double time at the end...just like the real song...

Day 15 - Your Statement To The World About Marching

Marching band, DCI, WGI. None of these are sports. They are something that is in my opinion far greater: an art. An art we can compete in. An art that offers the thrill of performing like no other. Any school that tries to deny its students the chance to march is being completely and utterly ridiculous. Everyone should have the opportunity to put on a challenging show and realize how fulfilling it is. I truly believe my time in marching band and drumline has made me a better person, and it can do the same to everyone.

Just don't call it a sport, okay?