Currently it is 12:15 a.m., my friends, and I am in Miami with a plethora of Cadets past and present. We are at Nicole Martinez' house (color guard 2002-present -- she is awesome) and her dog, Tasha, is barking wildly because the doorbell rang. Why would we all be this late you ask? Well, I'm about to let you in on a little secret! One way or another, tons of Cadets happened to find themselves in South Florida due to spring break or vacation. We just got back from a rousing session of cosmic bowling. It was great. It's been a while since I've been bowling, so my first couple of bowls were a little lacking of talent. However, I quickly regained by bowling ability, and came back to place second out seven overall. Incredible. Special thanks to Ari Alonso, color guard 2003-2004, for typing the above paragraphs while I dictated them to her. She is awesome too. Next up is Matt Haines, (second baritone 2001-2002, first baritone 2003, drum major 2004, assistant director 2005). Take it away Matt! Hello faithful fans of Paula! I am a senior at Ithaca College, the coldest place in the world. On Monday I arrived in Ft. Lauderdale to enjoy my Spring Break with some Cadet friends and as soon as I got off the plane, I thought I was in heaven. In Ithaca the weather is currently 12 degrees. In Ft. Lauderdale, 80! Today was a "rainy day" in Ft. Lauderdale, but never once did I have trouble finding the sun. Ithaca hasn't seen the Milky Way's closest star since October. In Ft. Lauderdale, the streets are paved with happy, laughing people. Children running with lollipops, flowers and kittens in their hands; happy couples strolling down walking paths bordered with citrus trees. In Ithaca, there is snow -- so much snow. The first stop on this incredible journey was Paula's place of work -- The Macaroni Grill. Before we went inside the two of us enjoyed some of my mom's world-famous (well, famous to anyone who has sat in the back of the Cadet horn bus the last few years) pepperoni bread in the parking lot. Once we got inside, Paula was my waitress as I enjoyed delicious lasagna, chicken parmigiano, chicken canneloni, and the biggest piece of chocolate cake I've ever seen. Paula was a fantastic waitress (other than her slow water refills -- but shhh don't tell her I said anything) so of course I tipped her well. Next up was the mall, where we found the most incredible carousel in the universe. Not only were there your standard horses, this carousel also included a serpent dragon, a rooster, a zebra, a cat-devouring a fish, and some sort of demon pony. Naturally, once the ride started we ran from creature to creature taking as many pictures as possible. After we purchased some clothing, it was time to meet some Cadets at the Olive Garden. After the Macaroni Grill, I was so stuffed I promised myself I was never going to eat another big Italian meal again. Four hours later I was feasting on bread sticks and chicken alfredo pizza at the Olive Garden. There were about eight Cadets there, so we all caught up for awhile before the restaurant closed. Hieu and I were spending the night at Paula's, so the three of us made our way to her house. On the way we felt inspired to stop at Baskin Robbins to get an ice cream cake. This Oreo cake, which allegedly "serves six to eight people", was no problem for the three of us. Baskin Robbins, get it together -- seriously. We finished the night with a little "Mean Girls" and then prepared to wake up at 6 a.m. to drive to Orlando for some Disney World action. Well, I suppose we should have checked the weather before 6 a.m. We looked outside and noticed a downpour. We turned on the Weather Channel to learn of possible hailstorms, putting a serious dent into our plans. We decided to save Disney as a possibility for tomorrow and catch up on some sleep instead. The day consisted of Pollo Tropica, some more clothes shopping, a drive to Miami, Cold Stone Creamery (peanut butter cup perfection with cheesecake ice cream, mix in oreos, brownies, and top with whipped cream, thank you!), a barbecue, some bowling (that started off as an epic battle between my former co-drum major Will Plenk and ended up with him DESTROYING me by over 40 pins), and now some time in a hot tub! Since I'd prefer to be in that hot tub over writing this article (but hey, if I'd rather be writing this article than being in Ithaca, so don't feel too bad) I'm going to end my portion of this entry now. What will tomorrow bring? At this very moment we're still debating on Disney World. It's either that or the beach but, since we're a spontaneous bunch, we'll decide in the morning. If we do go to Disney, you can look forward to reading about Paula and I eating at every single country in Epcot in her next article. If we go to the beach, you can look forward to hearing about my destruction of the Cadets' color guard in beach volleyball. Have a great week, bye!
 
Paula Hyman is a fourth-year member of the Cadets where she is the mellophone section leader. She is 20 years old and currently single. Originally from South Florida, Paula recently made the move to Allentown, Pa., to work for YEA!, the umbrella organization of the Cadets, Crossmen and the U.S. Scholastic Band Association. She ages out in 2006.