It’s June and that means it is parade season in Portland. Last year I went to the Starlight Parade, the Jr Rose Festival Parade, some of the Grand Floral Parade and Gay Pride. Put people in a line marching down the street and I will stop and stare…. and clap… and yell various supportive and appreciative things. I love a parade.
Lindsey and me lovin' the parade (Grand Floral)
I hit the Starlight Parade a couple weeks ago. Last year I had one of those really unfortunate experiences that leaves you seething and trying to think of witty comebacks for a year (but it is WAAAAAAY too late). Some nasty lady, (I keep thinking of her as being from Gresham, but I realize that is really unfair), had spread out about 3 blankets and was taking up about 20 feet of sidewalk for her party comprised of a pecked looking husband and two miserable teenage (redundant!) daughters. She marked her end of the great domain with a cooler. Once my friend Angela rapidly sat down when the police went by and put a smidge of her right butt cheek on the lady’s blanket. Woa! The lady was angry. The second time my poor father who had just had knee surgery tried to get up and sort of fell sideways because his knee wouldn’t bend, catching himself on the lady’s cooler. Yet again, she FREAKED out. HOW DARE WE TOUCH HER BLANKET? HOW DARE WE MOVE INTO HER SPACE?! Kendall pointed out that people who feel this way about others should not go down to a crowded urban event. It is about being together, not protecting “the domain”. If you want to sit on your fence line with a shotgun, stay in the country! (That’s what I always say).
Anyway, that was depressing. I don’t know why it affected me so much. I guess I kept thinking that I wanted to stay away from people like this in case armageddon is suddenly upon us. People like that would really suck to be with in a global emergency. I think about armageddon a lot. I worry that people will rip my vegetables out of my yard. I worry that if I ripped them out first that this would be like not sharing, and yet how could I share with all those starving people (you know, like if armageddon is upon us). I put those vegetables in there because I have the presence of mind to THINK AHEAD to global meltdown, so I think I have every right to pull out those beets to eat raw myself if it is indeed the end, and yet, I want nice, sharing people near me, especially during a parade. So obviously I need to work these issues out.
OKAY, but anyway, the point is that I had really nice experiences at the parade this year. The guy next to me said, “Oh please have a seat!”. Then he invited a whole family to sit in front of him. ”If you are sitting on the ground, I can certainly see right over you! Please sit down!”.
I love a parade. After the Starlight, I went to the Grand Floral Parade with our friend Lindsey. Lindsey is from the south and has an infectious enthusiasm for all things parade, with specific enthusiasm for marching bands. We rode bikes down to the route, bundled under a blanket and a tarp and had a great time. It was one of those days that threatens to rain but never quite gets around to it. Perfect for a parade.
Francis brought the perfect parade accoutrements... Playmobile in a little bag, bubbles, and a swirly ribbon stick for between floats.
2 Comments, Comment or Ping
It’s too bad that you had to experience that crazy lady. It is funny how people can get like that. Go to a happy event and spread the grumpies around. I totally hear you about letting it bother you. I was going to write this on the worst job ever entry, but never got around to it: I was yelled at by a co-worker when I worked at a canery during my college years. I had a very hard time letting that go. He was not of any ranking either… just a little worker like me. I figured that the reason why I couldn’t let it go is that I was not used to people yelling at me, I had no experience to fall back on and just brush it off. I was (and still am) used to working out conflict in a fairly civilized manner.
June 11th, 2009
People “saving their place” is just silly. Like are we animals or something? If there were more folks like that nice man, we would work it out so that everyone would have a good seat at the gay pride parade.
June 11th, 2009
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