[joshlemonlymon-blog]

I am constantly amazed by the people I surround myself with.  I made a decision on Saturday that was both a long time coming, and brash at the same time. I quit my position at IndianaMarching after a fantastic 4 years. I have made and built unbelievable connections during my time there, but it was one failed relationship that was the straw that broke the camels back. 

Not really going to go into detail because that’s not what this is about. 

I just finished my 10th Bands of America Grand Nationals, and third as Event Staff. I can’t even figure out where to begin. The people I get the honor of working alongside are truly what’s right with this country. These are people who spend hours, days, weeks, months, years to give students all across this country a positively life changing experience. If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t even be where I am, today. How could you now want to be surrounded by inspiring people? I consider it an honor doing what I love next to people who are doing what they love. THAT is what I want to do for the rest of my life. Screw money. We get one life, that’s it. 

This weekend we saw Castle HS make finals for the first time in their school history, and deservedly so. Their show was built around an amazing singer and flutist. She stole that show. All season long were comments like, “you have to hear this girl sing!” or “she is the best I’ve ever heard” or “she made me cry it was so beautiful.” They are all true. I did cry during her performance of “Defying Gravity” in finals. It was perfection, emotional driven and performed to perfection. 

After a night of celebrating an amazing season, and along side her peers, her, her father, and her grandmother were killed in a horrific accident on their way back home to Newburgh. 

I have received countless texts and messages about her the last day and a half, and my Facebook feed is almost exclusively showing her family and the Castle Band family support. It’s not just Indiana people, it’s band people from across the country. In times of such grief, to see such a diverse group of people come together to support our friends in times of tragedy warms my heart. 

I am at a loss of words. A beautiful soul was taken from us to early. A soul with an amazing future ahead of her. I may have never met her, but we were family. As cliche as it sounds, band is one big family. While the scores may say that there are winners and losers, there is no loser. We share in the common bond of music, friendship, and passion. That is what this is about. It’s not politics, it’s not scores, it’s not anything but supporting our friends. 

We are ALL Castle.

[joshlemonlymon-blog]

social media got you down? be more like beyoncé

"We could instead use social media as a prism to which we can project only what we want others to see."

That right there is what I strive for what my Facebook presence. I think my difference in social media philosophy is that each platform is for a different thing. Tumblr for me is more anonymous, and truly reflects the things I like and believe. Twitter is my rapid fire information delivery system, and his were more likely to talk about things that are happening as they go on like when I go to a band contest or WG I or something along those lines. Facebook on the other hand, is where I specifically think through each post, each like, each comment that I make.

For me, Facebook is a status indicator. I still live at home and am working on my zillionth year of college, but what I put on Facebook shows me traveling to different places doing what I love. It shows me spending time with influential people. Of course most of the time I'm either at school or at work or sitting at home watching the West Wing – but nobody gives two shits about that, and I know that I certainly wouldn't want to read day after day about some boring ass person watching the West Wing for the ninth time, but I would be more interested in seeing where my friends happy traveling across the country doing what they love.

signed,

not beyonce

[joshlemonlymon-blog]

revising your writing again? blame the modernists

Revising never used to be a thing, huh? Well, glad to know that I am in good company because I rarely revise, much to the chagrin of my professors. My reasoning comes from two points, first that I am a member of the Church of procrastination. Second, because while I'm writing to spend a great deal of time thinking about exactly what I want to say before I actually write it down, so I guess in theory you could say that I'm revising on the go.

Will this particular article deals more with the technological evolution of writing and the processes involved, the letter half discusses educational values of revision. I think by teaching people how to revise, it helps make them a better first draft writer because they know the revision steps and can fix those common errors as they're writing. Bringing it back to her reflection on my own personal writing style, I suppose that if what I am writing is going to be published for many to read I would greatly consider revision more frequently, but if what I'm writing is only going to be read by one or two people, i.e. a professor, then one draft will suffice.

signed,

a nonrevisionist 

[joshlemonlymon-blog]

citizen four

I really guess I'm in the minority on this whole government spying thing. I've read things about it, I've watched things about it, I discussed it with people, and I still really just don't care. I really don't care the Facebook selling my information, I don't care that the websites I go to are recorded in history forever, I don't really even care if someone listens in on my phone conversations or reads my text messages.

I guess the one thing I would care about is someone stealing my credit card  information, though they would be quite disappointed to see my bank account, because I know I sure am. I would surmise that the results of this is that I don't have much to hide, I don't work on any secret projects, my involvement in the marching arts activity doesn't conceal government secrets, and while I certainly think my life is interesting and exciting, I would imagine to the outside it's pretty average and boring to most. I don't think there's anyone dying to read my top 30 HornRank poll, or know who I thought would be the 10th band in the ISSMA Class B North Regional, or even read my tumblr blog rambling on about how much I don't care if they read my tumblr blog.

signed, 

apathetic. 

[joshlemonlymon-blog]

the game of facebook

I think everything is a game, Facebook notwithstanding. Life is a game, driving is a game, school is a game, work is a game, everything that has an end is a game. The rules of the game differ, the play of the game may differ, but there is a final point and when you reach the final point, you win.

For me personally, I updated my Facebook status more times than I have ever have my entire life this summer– why was this? Well, I wanted to have a reminder of all the amazing experiences I had touring the country with some of my now closest friends. There was a chance that if I didn't record these moments of history that I may forget about something. That would be a loss. While that may not be a loss to my Facebook friends, it would be a loss to me. I'm now able, especially since I don't keep a diary, or a journal, or a blog of my life. Facebook is a live action blog of my life, if I remember to update it.

signed

that annoying facebooker

[joshlemonlymon-blog]

Tweeting in class, eh?

Yeah, it breaks the standard rules, but that was the point. What was especially amusing about the scenario was being able to [sorta] see into the minds of the people sitting around me. I saw jokes being made (and made a few of them myself), photos being sent, actual “scholarly” thoughts, and much more. I would surmise that the point was to watch this documentary and think about it in different ways (i.e. the thoughts of others). 

I think because I was engaged in another activity, I didn’t pay as much attention to the entire film as I would have if I wasn’t Tweeting along. That being said, being able to Tweet along made the overall experience a little better. It infused humor and perspective into an otherwise dry topic (lets face it, font isn’t *that* exciting).