Lake Neuron

DSC_4423

Originally uploaded by jicarney.

Well the Christmas parade was very nice tonight — and there was plenty of it. All three bands sounded great. (I think my alma mater was the best, but I’m obviously biased.) Turnout was great on the square (and everywhere else, if the traffic was any indication when I tried to get across town afterward).

More photos are here.

I’ll be working my normal shift at the paper this afternoon, and then I’ll grab dinner somehow, and then I will head for the square to photograph the annual Christmas parade.

I haven’t heard for sure, but I assume that all three of our public high schools will have their bands in the parade. When I was growing up, only the big high school in Shelbyville had a band, but now all three of our public high schools have bands, and they all sound great. I’m proud to say that my alma mater, Cascade, won awards at a big band competition this fall. Community High’s band played at our local Nashville Symphony concert this year, and Cascade will play in 2008, with Central presumably on tap for 2009.

Well, since I haven’t shown up the past couple of weeks, Cascade High School’s football team has regained its winning ways, with a 35-13 first-round playoff win tonight against Collinwood.

Originally, I had planned to stay home Friday night and finish studying for layspeaking class. But it had been such a long week, and my sister had driven up from Linden so that she and my nephew could go to the Cascade / Jo Byrns game. I decided to go with them. We enjoyed the outing, although obviously we were disappointed that Cascade lost.

Layspeaking class went very well today, and we stayed as scheduled within the first three chapters of the book, so I didn’t miss anything by going to the ball game. Jackie Clevenger is a great teacher, and it’s a really great group. I volunteered to do our opening devotional for the second half of the class next Saturday.

I got home tonight and did some polish work on my sermon for Cannon UMC for tomorrow. I printed out a copy, then read through it, then made a few more changes. I went to print out another copy and my ink cartridges ran out. So I dropped them off at Walgreens for re-filling (cheaper than a new cartridge but easier and — I hope — more reliable than filling them myself). Walgreens is close to my parents’ house, so I stopped by to see everyone. My sister and two of her three kids spent last night and were still there; they’ll leave later tonight. I watched more episodes of “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” than a single, 45-year-old man should be forced to watch.

Eventually, I returned home, stopping by Walgreens to pick up the filled cartridges.

Well, the Champions are now 8-0, with their second shutout in a row and their third of the season. They have outscored their opponents 317-54. But it’s all prelude to next week, when they will face the other unbeaten team in Region 5A, Jo Byrns. (I assume they’re still unbeaten, although tonight’s score hasn’t posted yet at the TSSAA web site.)

UPDATE: I stand corrected! Jo Byrns lost tonight, leaving Cascade in sole possession of the Region 5A lead.

The Cascade Champions are now 6-0, guaranteed a winning season, and have outscored their opponents by a total of 225 to 54.