Song and dance

Blogging is the last thing I should be doing right now.  I ought to be grading the stack of papers sitting on the couch next to me, but I can't face them.  I spent several hours in the office today getting tomorrow's exams ready to administer first thing in the morning, but I still have plenty to do.  But here I am, hoping that the three hours I'll have between classes tomorrow will be enough to get the job done.  Maybe I'll get a few done in the morning with my coffee and be a little ahead of the game.

The Emperor and I went to Bigger College Town the other night to see the Royal Marine Band and Scots Guards perform, and it was worth the drive and the expense.  The Royal Marine Band is one of the finest bands I've ever heard -- they are as precise with their instruments as they are with their formations and marching.  The Scots Guards are fantastic pipers, and they had three Highland dancers with them.  While watching, I realized that this was the first time I'd seen adult men doing Highland dancing, and it was a revelation.  Young girls dancing with swords always struck me as slightly incongruous, and now that I've seen soldiers do the same moves, I can see why.  These guys had pretty stern game faces on while performing, and the dance had a defiant, celebratory tone that a twelve year old girl just can't put across.

There is no more jaunty marcher than a British soldier on parade, I will tell you that.

Part of the problem with not wanting to grade is that I came back from Bigger College Town with the beginnings of a cold, or maybe a cough, so I'm not feeling very well and definitely not in the mood for wading through undergraduate writing attempts.  They should be glad I'm not wielding the correction pen tonight.

Bed.  I should go to bed and see if I can get past this cough thing without falling into it.  Good night.