#1 The Coast Guard Band

On Friday night my husband and I went to the free Coast Guard Band performance in Henderson. I was excited because this is my first “task” yet when we were walking around I noticed very quickly that we were the youngest people present. The person who was the next closest in age was maybe 20 years, yet he was only there to sell hot dogs. Let’s just say that the crowd was older and I thought that this was the worst idea and that this whole blog idea that I was excited about was a bust right out of the gate.

Then the band started to play and I looked around and noticed that over half then men in the audience were wearing a hat, jacket, or some other emblem of the US Military branch they were in. When the band played the montage of each military song then men all stood and were recognized for their service.

Warning; tirade approaching

Were has our patriotism for America gone? I haven’t lived through anything compared to my grandparents yet I can’t help be feeling like we are all just apathetic and indifferent. Politically there is so much going on that you may or may not agree with yet does that mean we need to bash our country and those who serve? I am guilty; I didn’t start loving America until I moved to Canada. Now, I am not bashing Canada either, it is an awesome country, yet lets be honest no one has it all together but that doesn’t mean we can be proud. If Canadians are so proud they tattoo maple leaves on their bodies (trust me there are a lot a maple leaves on skin up there) then why is it that Americans wave the flag on Fourth of July and September 11? It just seems like where did the other 363 days of the year go?

Tirade completed.
There is something that is amazing about listening to a real band play real music. It is talent. I know that there are studies about the effects of classical music on the brain yet this is the first time in my adult life that I really felt differently (http://http//cognitive-psychology.suite101.com/article.cfm/psychology_of_classical_music). I really felt like my brain way firing differently.

Overall the band was a successful evening and on top of that, it was free (well except for the $10 in hot dogs and water, but that was great too). Would I go again, in a moment’s notice, it was fun, reminded me to think about life a little more, and my neurons were ignited!