Entries this day: outdoor_show pissed

outdoor show

8:18 am Saturday 14 April 2001

(written on my Handspring Visor and Targus Stowaway Keyboard)

I'm chillin' in the Ray Courtyard at Rice, ready to help with the Outdoor Show. I wrote to Abi yesterday and said I could help as early as 8am. She said to just meet her at the Ray Courtyard at 8; that she would be there.

False.

I called the station and he said that Michael K was up there, but that he hadn't seen Abi. 'I'm sure she or someone will be there soon.

8:25 am

True. Meg. Abi, Michael just showed up.

11:06 am

We've pretty much moved outside most of the CDs and T-shirts for sale. 4 tables and 8 or 9 bins full of CDs on the ground. U2 is being pumped through the speakers in a soundcheck type way.

Oh - this is cool-maybe... We have a bunch of carts with singles on them. That's a looped magnetic tape thing - old school KTRU stuff.

Now they have Rage or someone on the speakers. Meg winced as she walked up. It's not Rage - some hard rap rock combo.

It's Methods of Mayhem.

1:19 pm

I am having such a good time at the Outoor Show! Matty & Mossy are so good. This is all Allison W. has to say.

I helped Curtis and Johnny hang signs from trees and a lamp post.

About 120 people hanging out in this 1 acre area. Pretty good turnout.

Between bands he is playing 'Clever' by someone I don't remember who, but I reviewed the CD!!!!!

I don't know what I'm talking about; I'm just going to shut up and lick my ice cream.
- Mondro

Free FREE!!! Amy's Ice cream!! They brought about 6 gallons I'm guessing.

1:25 pm

Next band is starting. I can already tell I'm not going to like them and they are only doing soundcheck.

(the rest of this was written on 25 April from memory)

So the show was pretty chillin' relaxed fun. I described it later as "flawless" to the KTRU peeps who asked me about it. Really it was. Everyone had a great time and all the bands showed up and played. Free Amy's Ice Cream on top and I call it flawless!

I got to sit by Meg for a while and talk YRUU stuff with her, and with Ellen and update her on all the latest YAC happenings in the district. Totally great to connect with each of them.

I got to play frisbee with Mondro, using my magic magenta-in-UV-white-otherwise frisbee from Centex, plus a couple of other discs. We didn't play super long cause the sun was blazing hot, and the ground had lotsa lotsa lots of sticker/crab grass. Yeouch on the bare feet!

I talked to a couple of kids (11-13 years old probably) as they were digging through the old CD bins. They came across some of the CDs I had donated - Tiffany, Debbie Gibson, um,.. some others. Anyway, they were all halfway "you're weird" and halfway "wow!" when they found out they had been my CDs. They were funny.

I watched up close a band play, including a weird cool string instrument, the name of which I have forgotten. I had never seen one before. About 5 feet long with about 8 or 10 strings, each of which was on a bridge that could move, changing the tone of the strings. She played with by plucking or scraping or tapping and/or pulling the strings at the same time. Very cool.

About 1/2 way through the show I had to split for a family day.

Meg had joked, "Family Day? Like what have they ever done for you?"

I laughed with her - and really really hoped that family day would take my mind off of missing KTRU.

It didn't. It sucked. Click next to find out.

pissed

8:07am CDT Sunday 15 April 2001

This all happened yesterday after I left the Outdoor Show early at like 3:15pm to come home and spend time with my dad, his girlfriend Karen, and her daughter Elise (pronounced more like "Alisa").

Actually, background information: For Christmas my dad asked for dinner with Wende and me once per month. Quality time. Absolutely beautiful meaningful gift. No problem. ... Except that Wende and I keep ourselves pretty busy; it was difficult to squeeze in more than just a dinner on occasion. So in March, we scheduled dates for the next 3 months. April 14, May something and June something else. (oh shit today is the day before taxes are due, and I haven't sent in our investment club taxes)

My dad called a few days ago and said that the dinners of just hug, eat eat eat, hug, bye! were not quite as meaningful, filled with quality time as he had originally envisioned. He was right; the dinners certainly seemed like one more thing to do than relaxed quality time with family.

But yesterday was the KTRU Outdoor Show at Rice. Noon to 8pm of bands and fun chillin' in the sun. All free. I pretty much really really didn't want to miss this; it's the biggest KTRU event of the year. But, for my dad, for relaxed quality fun laughter games like Sorry! or Parcheesee (sp), Scrabble.. okay. I'll miss part of the Outdoor Show. I'll leave early and be home by 4pm.

Dad, Karen, Elise arrived just as we were done getting ready. Lovely timing. Dad and Karen cooked dinner as I slept on the living room floor, then sat by Elise looking through ridiculously expensive catalogue, talk talk whatever. Then dinner, which was great (the salad had a bit too much weird lettuce and stuff for me) and fresh cut fruit for dessert.

We cleared the table put all the dishes in dish washer and then I set up the table for games; I put Scrabble on it.

But they had to leave.

What? WHAT??? The Fucking KTRU Outdoor Show is just now finished meaning I can't go back to see the end, and you guys are fucking LEAVING??? What happened to the desire for quality time?? I wouldn't have fucking slept on the floor while you were cookin'! I woulda helped! What happened to wanting to play games? I REally would have fucking appreciated being told BEFORE I LEFT my friends to come see you just leave!!!

I was pissed. Visions of smashing something - throw the computer monitor out the window maybe, or dump the table over and throw Scrabble in an explosion of letters across the room. I was Butch without his gold watch.

But instead of acting on these impulses, I used the protocol I learned in I-group, and teach to people when appropriate.

"I feel angry, because I left the Outdoor Show to come play with you guys, and I expected to play games, but now you're leaving. I want.. I would have wanted to know of your plans before I left my friends."

"Let's take a walk."

Outside, my dad and I talked. He thanked me for being able to express my anger clearly and cleanly. He said he was (in general) having trouble asking for what he wanted or needed of people. He didn't make clear to me what he..

whatever; I don't know. nevermind. That's his work.

The point is that we decided to schedule a time for just he and I to hang out and play a game. Maybe Stratego, which we used to play when I was 7 or 8 or 10 or something. We haven't played that for years.

I was un-pissed. Yeah, I missed 1/2 of the Outdoor Show, but life is still good.