OK... Take 2, This is a blog entry from over 4000 miles away!!! I am writing you from Krakow, POland! I have been traveling for the past couple of weeks! Here are the highlights:

I went on a cruise to the bahamas and key west florida. I caught a 3 foot baracuda fishing in the florida keys and I won $200 playing blackjack on the boat!!! (All skill, no luck of course!!!)

I snorkeled over a coral reef in the bahamas and I learned a new djembe beat from the captain of the boat. They have Bahamas/jamaican marching band. The music is called "junkanoo" (pronounced zshuh-kay-noo). It is really out of tune, but makes up for it in spirit and butt kicking factor!!!

I am now in poland for the next week and I will end my trip in Vienna, Austria. This year is the 250th birthday of his highness, Wolfgang amedeus mozart. There are supposedly 4 or five concerts a day of really really good mozart in vienna. I plan on listening to a lot of it....

Bottom line: If you are in band or percussion class, you will be exposed to Caribbean and or/mozart Music next year in some way (Trust me, it will be fun and inspiring!!!)

Poland is very inexpensive and beautiful!! The people speak polish, a little english and a little german, so I am doing ok (polish is very very hard to learn). I got an incredible meal with drinks for 40 zloty $1.00 = 3.08 zloty). It would have cost 25 or 30 bucks in the US. For instance, I am at the equivalent of LAN lords in poland, and it costs 5 zloty per hour. WHAT A VALUE!!!!

I have been thinking about this coming year. And I want you to know that I am very excited!!! I know I say this every year, but I mean it every year. The classes all have enough talent to run, and I feel very energized right now. I am VERY THANKFUL for the work that has already been put in by the minions over the summer. We will be having several more band wrokdays througout july and august. If you are interested, email me at smigellj@howellschools.com and I will include you on the "DL".

I also wanted to let everone know that the new booster board ROCKS. I cannot wait to work with them next year.

Ok.. so that is about it... it is time for the next world cup game. In Poland, they take thier Soccer, and wodka very seriously (I am only watching both, of course ;)


Smigell reporting from central europe.