#HatofSummer Video #2: Whits Frozen Custard

I bought this hat a few weeks ago.

I was in Delaware, attending Grace's latest concert band performance at Ohio Wesleyan. It was a rare opportunity to get the whole family together to see Grace's concert. Sarah and her boyfriend drove up from Columbus. Jay didn't have a Friday night conflict of some kind. And even though it was (maybe?) the worst snow storm of this winter, we all made it there and back home again.

After the concert was over, we drove in the snowfall and trudged through the sidewalks of downtown Delaware to have a quick late night dessert at the Delaware Whits. And there, beside the counter, was this hat.

It looks bright and nice and I decided then to buy it!

So, will it be this year's #HatofSummer?

 

#HatofSummer Video 1: Seersucker

Today, the Google Form opened to receive votes for the 2024 #HatofSummer.

So, I'm posting video number 1 here to start publicizing the choices for #OfficialHat2024.

And, to peek behind the curtain a bit, I have a bit of dilemma. You see, I make the videos and I don't open the voting until all of the videos are ready. But when I have all of the videos ready and I open up the official voting, I am reluctant to post all of the hat videos in a block. Because I want to tease out the time period of new videos to try and draw people in. (You see I still labor--after all these years of evidence to the contrary--under the delusion that I will ever be able to generate any sort of Internet interest in the things that I do.)

So, I have videos ready. And I want to time delay video presentation. BUT . . . the Google Form already tells you what the hat choices are--even if you don't have all of the videos to watch yet.

But does it matter?

Untimately, no. I doesn't matter.

So I guess what I will do is this--

I've posted video 1: Seersucker now. Here. And you can start voting now. Over on this linked Google Form. But you will also see the other choices, even if you don't have the full context. But I'll be releasing those videos in a sort of accelerated pace over the next few days. It won't matter or make any difference. But that is what I've chosen to do.

Happy voting!

 

#HatofSummer 2024 is Coming Soon!

Even though there is snow on the ground outside the window as I type this, Spring is soon to arrive. And that means that the videos for the 2024 Hat of Summer are in preparation now.

And so, I spent some time this weekend working on the ins and outs and I got this teaser trailer put together.

I hope that you like it.

And I really hope that you keep your eyes open for the other videos that are to come.

Next up will be a rules video, separate from the hat-specific videos. (It's odd that I haven't made a rules only video in the past, but I'm excited to put it together.)

The hat videos and the Google form for voting are soon to be made and will be live soon. As always, I thank you for your attention and your interest in this weird little annual project of mine.

Checking In . . . 2024 Style

I was mentally preparing myself to be mad that I've ignored the blog. But when I loaded up the CMS, I see that I did post in early December. It hasn't event been two full months of inactivity! Wonderful!

*pats self on back*

***

ANYWAY . . . my one fan asked me to update WWYG?! and so I will do so. (When you read it, you'll wonder why bother?)

Earlier this morning while doing my morning walk I listened to a podcast that discusses and judges series finale episodes. The show being examined was Mad Men. Was the finale a good one?

Without rewatching/refamiliarizing myself with the show as a whole (which I did watch in real time and did enjoy), I can't form much of an opinion on the finale itself. I don't remember being very polarized with at the time. I'm sure it was of a high quality and well considered--as was almost all of Mad Men itself. (It does goad me to consider making it a rewatch . . . but there are other things that I REALLY SHOULD (have to?) complete first . . .

My point is that listening to Mad Men and the discussion centering around the thesis of the show and the goals of the finale made me think about midlife crises. And it made me wonder if I have had/will have/am having one.

Am I mired in my daily schedule? Do I even want to get out of it? Do  I have malaise? And what would/could I even do otherwise? Best to avoid and not think about it! Don't try to fix what ain't broke! Recognize what you've got and don't get distracted by phantoms of what else!

Okay.

Repress.

***

Jay got some good school news last night! Their application for the half-day school curriculum at Fort Hayes was accepted. And they seemed very happy about it. I hope it will be a good academic fit for them and that it helps them explore the career field that they are right now interested in. There will be scheduling challenges to overcome for next year, but I am confident that those can be figured out. And Jay may have to make some changes by dropping a few after school performance things next year to make this work and make the schedule flow. But if it is what they want to do, then I hope it results in good things.

***

Lastly, I've had a few random thoughts about Hat of Summer as the calendar shifted to a new year. It is still many months until we begin the approach to Memorial Day weekend. But if I can get inspired, maybe I can start making the odd video here and there. Uploading them to Private of course. Don't want to make the voting period drag on for too long. But shooting, editing, and banking would be a good use of time when I've got nothing else happening. (I make it sound like it is such an ordeal. The videos--as you know--are incredibly simple. But I am--as you know--of limited skill.)

And I guess that is it for now.

Better than nothing? That is for you to decide.

Football Counter-Programming 2023: Week 14

 

Did you think I was done just because YOUR team got eliminated last weekend?

Well, even though the field has been winnowed and there are fewer games on the schedule during a Saturday, that doesn't mean that College Football has gone away. And wherever there is a pigskin (p)rumble going on somewhere, I'll be there . . . in spirit . . . because I can't afford to go to all of these games and the whole reason for this thread is to NOT promote . . . anyway . . . you get it.

BUT!

What/how can I distract you from the various conference championship games? How can I convince you not to watch was is (in theory at least) the BEST matchups between the BEST teams in YOUR chosen conference?

The best thing I can do, as always, is turn my attention to the marching band.

I don't know if you've heard this about me, but I'm into marching band. I like it. I have participated in it. I support it. I assist with it. My kids were/are in it. etc.

And I'm not sure you know, but this past marching band season was a historically good one for my kid's High School. The Marching Warriors did quite well at (al)most all of the competitions that we entered this year. And the "NonStop" show (based on Hamilton--ever heard of it?) was a crowd favorite and one of more technically challenging shows that the Marching Warriors have done in a long time.

And the band program is blessed with creative people who have done a great job this year and in many past years to capture the experience of the show with drones, multiple cameras, on camera recording, and kid-mounted GoPro videos that put you inside the show in very fun ways.

So, today, I am going to encourage you to wander over the the Westerville North Bands YouTube channel and peruse the Playlists. You will find several videos of the NonStop show from a crowd angle (in the stands) and if you check out the GoPro Playlist you will find many more POV recordings of the show from various band members. Those POV videos are so fun because you get to see and hear the kids in their element. But you also gain a stronger appreciation for the effort and skill that is required to be a marcher/performer/musician. If you have never been in a marching band, you might not fully comprehend the challenges. Challenges that these kids have dedicated many months of their year meeting and exceeding.

So, celebrate something other than football today.

You'll be glad you did.

Main WNHS Bands YouTube Channel: https://www.youtube.com/@WNHSBands

Playlists: https://www.youtube.com/@WNHSBands/playlists

GoPros: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLfh8d2Vy4QbZKs_1QkScjgxCxdBqq44F-