A Snapshot: Wintertime in Hi X

"High Expectations", the high school varsity choir I sang in during my junior and senior year of high school, was a cornerstone of my teenage life (the others were probably Oinkari and the AP Nerds social group).  Hi X could get particularly hectic in the wintertime, since much of the group's tour funds came from singing carols for office holiday parties or private gatherings (often paid for by Boise High parents who knew the group could use the money.)  Ah, yes, my first foray into the entertainment business...

One particular vignette I remember with fondness was a cold morning in December, when a few of us Hi-Xers decorated for Kandor (a home and gift shop in downtown Boise) for Christmastime.  Ashley Dunbar's mom worked there, and we did it as a fundraising opportunity for Hi X. We had to get there really early in the morning (5:30?) and downed several cups of coffee from Kandor's free carafe to help us wake up.  I think Gregg was there, or some other boy I had a crush on because I remember being really excited to go down there, despite the ungodly hour. 

A typical week in December would see us trying to balance a heavy homework load, sometimes sports, and Hi X gigs.  I remember, several times, pulling on black tights as fast as I could while driving a stick shift car, brushing the lint off my Hi X dress, praying to the Gods of Professional Appearance that the dress would be relatively wrinkle-free as I stepped out of my car, and trying to stay on pitch in an a capella group when many of us were battling winter colds.  We somehow always pulled it together, though, even though I would get death glares from the director when I showed up in the nick of time to mouth the opening words of "Fum, Fum, Fum." To her, early was on time, on time was late, and late was unacceptable.