17.09.2001
feeling kinda
well, yesterday was long and strange. not bad, just... long and strange.
started late; i tried to get some stuff done during the day, with mixed success. at least the cats are fed and watered. managed to miss my bus on the way to work, tho, by about a minute. watched it drive by the end of the block as i trudged down. hmph. so i ended up having to walk up to the T station. not a bad walk, really. it was a beautiful afternoon, sunny and warmer than it has been in several days.
and the show was pretty easy. a local evangelical church rented out the place for their annual meet and greet. bit of a contrast to the stoner show in there not half a day before, i think. at least this crowd wasn't a big beer swilling group. ;)
no tickets, no fuss, just point people to empty seats and bathrooms. i was working the far ramp at one point, directing people upstairs, and realized that someone was setting up Radio Free Orpheum. couldn't quite figure that one out, until people started speaking. turns out he was providing Spanish translation for some of the crowd. and it was pretty interesting to stand and listen to the goings on in a foreign language.
it was, quite frankly, more interesting than listening in English. mind you, i don't have a problem with organized religion. but i do get bothered by any group, religous, political, what have you, that actively tries to convert people. had a moment when two women approached me in the lobby, and i sincerely thought they were trying to share the good news with me (their words, not mine). i shudder to think what they saw run across my face.
the up side was that it was nice to be around that many people who were truly happy. a little positive karma never hurts.
speaking of which, there's a bin in the lobby where people toss stuff during the shows - sweatshirts, mittens, that sort of thing. managed to get one of the head honchos to agree that i could bag it all up and take it to a local Goodwill or Salvation Army. he said he didn't want to do it before because he didn't like donating dirty items, and seemed reassured when i told him i was planning on taking it all home and running it thru the wash first. hey, i have to wash out stuff after the cats pee all over it; i doubt it could do much harm to toss all that stuff in the washer, in comparison. ;)
we mostly stood around talking and joking once people were seated. there just wasn't that much to do. and it was good to have a mellow afternoon. then ken suggested heading over to see the QE2, which is anchored here in Boston along with a few other cruise ships displaced by the recent events in New York. i'm not much for big boats; after a certain point, they're merely big floating hotels. but it sounded like a nice distraction, so we headed over after the show.
somehow, this turned into going to see O-Town. yes, O-Town. the pulled out of a Cracker Jack box boy band. them. they were down at the Pavilion. of course, we know most everyone down there, and T let us in the front gate. (odd to be searched by security on the way in...) now, why anyone ever bought his story that we'd paid hundreds for scalp tickets, i'll never know. but a few people did, and it was funny to watch their faces.
i bopped around, catching up with people, saying hi, enjoying the ocean breezes and thoroughly enjoying being at a show without working. i did observe at one point that, if ___ wasn't supposed to see us, we shouldn't be talking under a spotlight. ;) and then it dawned on me. i wasn't working. i could get a beer! whoo hoo!
two beers, a table by the rail on the harbor, and hanging out. it was mostly good, save the occasional interruption of planes. Logan is ramping back up, and i stopped talking to watch each and every plane fly overhead.
despite the urge to have things be 'normal' (in quotes, because who knows what that means these days), the topic of terrorism and war did come up. and i was asked if i would serve. much to my surprise, i found myself saying that i would enlist. now, before you think that i've gone completely off my rocker, let me clarify. i do not believe in violence, not even the death penalty. and i don't have the stomach for combat. but our country does need the armed forces, and violence, regrettably, is to some extent unavoidable. i would gladly take any noncombat position to support those willing to defend our country.
huh. imagine my surprise when those words came out of my mouth. never thought i'd hear myself saying that. and i meant it, too.
then, of course, the discussion turned to Vietnam. would i have done the same for that? nope. well, isn't it the same? and i don't think it is, at all. apples and oranges. Vietnam, we stuck our noses in where we weren't invited, didn't have a clear goal or enemy, and had no call to be there. this - this is a direct attack on our soil, our country. and a response is required. (note: disagree, if you want. i won't argue with you. i'll respect your opinions.)
hurumph. enough of that. there's a show going on! much like the rap show, i felt like an anthropologist in the Himalayas. i have *never* seen this kind of show. it was the most amazing phenomenon. every time someone thought they'd sighted a band member, high pitched squealing broke out, and everyone rushed to that corner of the venue. thank god we weren't on a ship; it would have capsized several times over. i just stood there, laughing, watching, and plugging my ears. it was amazing. was it like this for the Beatles, i wonder? and who knew that there were so many glowsticks in the world? they apparently are the teen equivalent of holding your lighter aloft during the good bits. note to band: if you're going to track all your instruments, at least pick a better riff.
we decided not to walk down to the QE2; bomb scares, security, all that stuff. not that we would have had to get too close to see the ship, but. as soon as the Boy Band started to butcher a perfectly good Beatles song, we got out of there and went to grab some food.
i don't even know how to describe the rest of the night. Eddie the Greek, schmoozing, karaoke, Svana (the opening act at the tent), a wedding party, beer, and Yuma, Arizona. *squinches up eyes* nope. i can't even explain how weird the rest of the night was. you just had to be there.
