Annapolis, MD- The US Naval Academy

Sooooo...it rained ALL weekend. I went on an 8 hour bus trip...that is...8 hours EACH WAY!!! We had to leave sooo early both times that I was able to go to sleep easily and daydream nicely...I tried to read, but I didn't finish my short little book (and I didn't accomplish anything else) until this afternoon...I hate when they put on movies...because you can't escape the sound, and while I can ignore the pictures I can't concentrate with a movie blasting in my ears...so I'd give up and watch the movies half-heartedly. So, what did we do? We went to the Naval Academy to sing with the Men and Women's Glee Clubs. ---I just got interupted by my roommate coming in and now I need to tell her all about it.---There were lots of good looking young men in white shirts, pants, belts, hats and shoes!!!! It's pretty amazing...and for the rain they had stylish black raincoats. They have a beautiful campus, modern buildings mixing wonderfully with older ones...it all looks government-like...the style. They are on the water and there are lots of bridges!!! And now they are coming to visit us next weekend. I have never heared a full orchestra play G&S...the Overture to HMS Pinefore is amazing with the strings...and "We sail the ocean blue...and our saucy ship's a beauty...." is an amazing thing to hear an all male chorus of strong voices sing...especially when they are students at a Naval Academy!!! Hearing them sing Wagner's Pilgrim's Chorus, which is slow and quiet was wonderful...I could listen to it forever. It was even better in rehersal without the words...it was sooo sweet and gentle on a hum. I got to stand in front of the tenors, because they were in back of the Soprano's...and I love hearing the tenors!!! Also...our hotel, which I think the Academy paid for, had big rooms with livingroom areas and kitchenettes!!! We had an interesting incident this afternoon at the rest area trying to go in for lunch...we walked across some benches single file to get around a puddle...people with flip-flops went through the water..I didn't because I have a bandaid on because I stubbed my toe on a cobble at the Academy and my toe was bleeding (not badly, but bad enough to need a bandaid at first, and it hurt enough to want to protect it.) ... oh, yes, before our rehersal on Friday Dane, Molly and I did a little Shabbat singing. On Saturday we also felt like singing and did Havdalah...using the light for a candle, hotchocolate mix for spices and my raison instead of wine...all done sitting in the middle of Dane's hotel bed...we were sitting in a circle holding hands and singing when the pizza some girls ordered showed up...I think the pizza delivery man might have given us funny looks for our "Koom-bi-ya" moment (which I can't spell....so sound it out please.) One girl had home work so the three of us, and another girl joined us later, went to the vending room and sat on the floor to sing rounds..and three part songs. It sounded sooo good and echo-y and we could tune easily and I could sing strongly enough because the room amplified the sound!!!! Other girls kept walking past and doing double-takes to see us sitting in the room. (There was a door with a window.) So I have now been to Maryland...and a Naval Base, at that!!! Some of the Seniors got to stay with Officer's families and eat good food. We got to see the amazing dinninghall...it is really big!!! Oh, Smithies...and Smithies in Chorus. The boys kept asking us if it was true that Smith was 60% or 70% or 80% or 90% gay...and girls kept trying to trick boys into thinking they were, or saying things like "How do you know that I'm not?" The boys ended up asking if there were any Straight Smithies. Girls kept repeating among themselves..."Don't ask, don't tell." Oh, clash of cultures!!!! Our motto at Smith could be: "Ask and tell." Oh, dear... I love my school..but it's a bit nuts...that's probably why our house t-shirts, which I did not buy, say :"We don't need balls, 'cuz we've got nuts." And they have a picture of a squirrel. We have plenty of Squirrels on campus...and on occation...squirrels in Parsons House!!