11:58 PM |
Heartburn. Headache. Whatever. I am freezing. I am leaving the Pumpkin Festival. Problem is, I can't find the place where Crystal will pick me up. Figure I better not call until I find it because that may be hours because everything looks the same. If I can find the ferris wheel in front of the church I'm in. Turns out there are three ferris wheels and the parade is still happening. I think I know which way to go more or less but I can't cross the street because the parade is still going on. There is a cop right there holding the crowds back. After 8 or 10 festival queen floats, lady with stroller makes a break for it. I do not have a stroller and I usually play by the rules. 2 marching bands. Remember when only two or three girls could be majorettes and the other less talented were flag girls? I was a majorette at Azalea Middle School. I think this is when middle school came to be. Before that we had junior high. I think it had something to do with busing i.e. desesegration. My parents thought going to double sessions i.e. 3 hours of school a day was insufficient. Went to private school and was forever scarred by a class of 22 mean teenagers. Anyhow, when I was a majorette, we wore gold sequined leotards and the school board felt that we should not be showing our crotches so we had a black band with fringe on it slung over our hips which ended up looking like, well use your imagination. Just to set the record straight, I was a talented bass clarinet player but had a rough time marching with it as it was bigger than me. Really. I used to play clarinet but my fingers didn't cover the holes so I got the bass clarinet which has keys with actual keys over them. Later my son took up bass clarinet but his school didn't have a band. My tininess disappeared when I was 13 and grew six inches that year. Really. More beauty queens. I decided to make the leap. Done.
Checked for pony ride. This will confirm pickup location. And there are the ponies! Called for ride. Dearest Crystal from Circle Cabs sent dearest Mike to pick me up. Mike knows I am freezing and arrived with heat on full blast. I like Ohio guys who give you a ride. It is $10. Mike has 3 kids and the littlest one is a girl and cute as a button. She is 3.
Hightail it to room. It is as far away from the ice maker as possible which is a very good thing because the ice maker sounds like a jumbo jet. Unfortunately, there is a screeching little car with manual transmission trying to park somewhere. And then decides on somewhere else. And then they are swarming. I girl with a big blue pickup with crap in the bad backs in twice. It is not any different the second time because the first try was perfect. More noise. Afraid for Woody. Afraid for what's in Woody because I still don't have the locks working perfectly. Try to sleep. Look out again. The big food concession trailers are pulling in parking lot. Oh shit. Carnies. They are tricky. Afraid again for Woody. Get up every five minutes to check. So far so good. Go back to bed. And then the train goes by. This was to happen several times during the night. I had planned to sleep until 10 in the morning because my eyes are still really red from driving and the damn Lasik. Didn't make it. Note to self: stay in hotels far from festivals.