I <3 Brad and Julie

This is Brad, the newest faculty of the Dance Program. For those of you who think my--now past :( --job of drumming for dancers is cushy at best, fuck you. What you don't understand is that I couldn't possibly ask for a better job than accompanying dancers. JKB is my Mankato mother:

Brad is my father who makes me do too many push-ups.

Ya see: Since I love my dancers incalculably, I feel as though I'm not just staff: I'm one of them. Brad has brought to the program not only good hair and shirts but a Conditioning class. Since I'm one of them, and they all take Brad's conditioning class, so do I. This is thankful and unfortunate: The thankful part is that Brad lets me take the class even though I'm not paying for it. The unfortunate part is that I can take the class only once a week rather than twice (because I teach at the same time as one of the two meetings each week). This is also thankful, though, since taking Brad's class once a week makes me more sore than italicized "font" words can convey.

I didn't shed tears Thursday night when I took a bow at the Dance concert. I might shed more than a few at Friday's concert, though. If not, consider this humble post as the public beginning of my privately shed tears for missing my Mankato Mother, Brad Who Makes Me Sore, and the Five Years' Worth of Dancers for Whom I've Drummed.

[choke choke]

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This is the email I wrote to Julie and Brad after writing this post:

Julie and Brad,

If tears could soak emails, this letter would be waterlogged.

I won't try to sum up how much I'm going to miss you, Julie. It's impossible.

Brad: Your addition to the program has made leaving even harder.

I have a blog that I keep regularly. I'd be honored if you two would read it now and in the future. http://antsonablog.blogspot.com

You two are the subject of my most recent post--Brad mostly, because the soreness that comes from your Conditioning class is easier to write about than how hard it will be to leave everyone.

Julie and Brad, this has been the hardest letter I've ever written.

Love and Thanks,
Jared

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This is going to be the roughest week. Expect a Farewell to English post very soon.

Mace...out