Its Only 365 Days
133/366: DANCE BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON
12 May 12
I have been ridiculously excited about the Art Car Parade for at least two weeks now. It is the largest Art Car parade in the world involving over 200 entries. They have everything crazy from hearses painted with cats, to giant paper paper elephant cars, to a car shaped like a shoe, to snake cars, you name it. Knowing that the event was going to happen on Saturday, I pre-packed my camera bag two days ago alongside my collapsible chair. I texted friends and begged them to come with...but bestie flies back out today for Chicago..again (btw: did not get to see her at all while she was here this week), and other friends had to work, but I was determined to go see this thing.
8pm Friday...all hell breaks loose with the weather. I was watching something on tv and the National Weather Service broke in to inform me that my area and just about all other surrounding areas were in for flash flooding, hail, lighting, thunder, and that I should hunker down in an interior room of the house on the first floor. At the time it had just started to rain. And then it reallllly started to rain. Everything the weather service said sans the hail was in full force. The trees were shaking, the street was flooded, and how do you know its bad...there are two frogs that live in the old patio posts in my backyard, and about an hour in to the storm, I look out and they are hopping away and not a moment too soon, because the holes quickly flooded!
Usually storms like this last an hour to 2 hours and its no big deal, but this was something else. It just raged on and on. The rain gutters around my house were so full of debris from the pecan tree above, that they were overflowing and it looked like mini waterfalls coming off the side of the house. Storm still going strong, at 1:29am, the power went out. The lights had flickered off an on 2 hours earlier, but now they were out. It was so pitch black. I went and got the flashlight and lit up some candles. I looked at my cell phone, and thankfully I had charged this thing fully because I played some apps to pass the time hoping the light would come back on soon. I would have used the laptop, but I need a replacement battery big time, and it only works now if plugged in. An hour went by and still no power and the games had drained the battery half way, so I turned my phone off and went to sleep.
At exactly 4:28am I re-awoke in the dark and I thought, the power is still off and no sooner had I thought that, then it literally came back on. It was soo freaky. I mean, how random is that. I felt like one of those dogs that barks like mad when they know a storm is coming. Like here it is, power. I turned on the news and wanted to see if they were canceling the parade because there was city wide flooding but they kept saying the weather would be nice again by 1pm parade start time, but looking out the window...it was still storming full force! So I thought, surely, they are just doing a wait and see and off I went to finally get some sleep.
So, who has two thumbs and didn't set an alarm and woke up really late...this gal! I woke up at 12:46pm! I was so annoyed. Even more annoying was I popped up the windows and it was a sunny 86 degrees out, not a drop of rain in sight. Since the parade is two hours long, I thought ok, still have time to make it, but then I thought...well, what's the point if I miss some of it, plus I needed gas for the car and to take a shower, and to iron some clothes...well, I definitely pulled this one out of my arse, because I was out the door at 1:05 and I figured, okay I'll get there thirty late, but I'll get there.
You know when you make plans, the universe laughs...yeah...got downtown after having to stop at two gas stations because the one near my house was closed for remodeling with all the pumps shut down!!! and what do I find...over half the streets are closed off. I knew the parade routes would be shut down, but they were also doing construction and so round and round and around I drove...then I hit the parade path and cops detoured me around in yet another circle and from the brief corner of my eye, I saw the parade passing by with one of my favorite floats from other parades, the dancing queen, but it was back around town. It was hot. Car has no a/c. I was getting frustrated. This parade is a free event and the only parking was going to cost me 7-10$ for what would amount to about an hour and a half of the event. No thanks. I figured I could park further down, but every meter, every street parking spot was taken and construction consumed everything else. So with deep annoyed breath, I called it a day and rode home. So this marks year four I have missed this thing. I think I can officially call it...this event is cursed.
In other failure news, at the start of this year, I said I was going to be more active in the events and goings on in the city and to see and experience what's out there b/c I've been such a non participant...each month, I said I would check out at least one event. So far I've only managed to do this for January and for February. In subsequent months I missed the Japanese festival because I got the dates mixed up, I missed Mardi Gras because my besty had to go out of town...again and I wasn't going to that alone...so here is to hoping I can get back on track for June.
133/366: DANCE BY THE LIGHT OF THE MOON
12 May 12
I have been ridiculously excited about the Art Car Parade for at least two weeks now. It is the largest Art Car parade in the world involving over 200 entries. They have everything crazy from hearses painted with cats, to giant paper paper elephant cars, to a car shaped like a shoe, to snake cars, you name it. Knowing that the event was going to happen on Saturday, I pre-packed my camera bag two days ago alongside my collapsible chair. I texted friends and begged them to come with...but bestie flies back out today for Chicago..again (btw: did not get to see her at all while she was here this week), and other friends had to work, but I was determined to go see this thing.
8pm Friday...all hell breaks loose with the weather. I was watching something on tv and the National Weather Service broke in to inform me that my area and just about all other surrounding areas were in for flash flooding, hail, lighting, thunder, and that I should hunker down in an interior room of the house on the first floor. At the time it had just started to rain. And then it reallllly started to rain. Everything the weather service said sans the hail was in full force. The trees were shaking, the street was flooded, and how do you know its bad...there are two frogs that live in the old patio posts in my backyard, and about an hour in to the storm, I look out and they are hopping away and not a moment too soon, because the holes quickly flooded!
Usually storms like this last an hour to 2 hours and its no big deal, but this was something else. It just raged on and on. The rain gutters around my house were so full of debris from the pecan tree above, that they were overflowing and it looked like mini waterfalls coming off the side of the house. Storm still going strong, at 1:29am, the power went out. The lights had flickered off an on 2 hours earlier, but now they were out. It was so pitch black. I went and got the flashlight and lit up some candles. I looked at my cell phone, and thankfully I had charged this thing fully because I played some apps to pass the time hoping the light would come back on soon. I would have used the laptop, but I need a replacement battery big time, and it only works now if plugged in. An hour went by and still no power and the games had drained the battery half way, so I turned my phone off and went to sleep.
At exactly 4:28am I re-awoke in the dark and I thought, the power is still off and no sooner had I thought that, then it literally came back on. It was soo freaky. I mean, how random is that. I felt like one of those dogs that barks like mad when they know a storm is coming. Like here it is, power. I turned on the news and wanted to see if they were canceling the parade because there was city wide flooding but they kept saying the weather would be nice again by 1pm parade start time, but looking out the window...it was still storming full force! So I thought, surely, they are just doing a wait and see and off I went to finally get some sleep.
So, who has two thumbs and didn't set an alarm and woke up really late...this gal! I woke up at 12:46pm! I was so annoyed. Even more annoying was I popped up the windows and it was a sunny 86 degrees out, not a drop of rain in sight. Since the parade is two hours long, I thought ok, still have time to make it, but then I thought...well, what's the point if I miss some of it, plus I needed gas for the car and to take a shower, and to iron some clothes...well, I definitely pulled this one out of my arse, because I was out the door at 1:05 and I figured, okay I'll get there thirty late, but I'll get there.
You know when you make plans, the universe laughs...yeah...got downtown after having to stop at two gas stations because the one near my house was closed for remodeling with all the pumps shut down!!! and what do I find...over half the streets are closed off. I knew the parade routes would be shut down, but they were also doing construction and so round and round and around I drove...then I hit the parade path and cops detoured me around in yet another circle and from the brief corner of my eye, I saw the parade passing by with one of my favorite floats from other parades, the dancing queen, but it was back around town. It was hot. Car has no a/c. I was getting frustrated. This parade is a free event and the only parking was going to cost me 7-10$ for what would amount to about an hour and a half of the event. No thanks. I figured I could park further down, but every meter, every street parking spot was taken and construction consumed everything else. So with deep annoyed breath, I called it a day and rode home. So this marks year four I have missed this thing. I think I can officially call it...this event is cursed.
In other failure news, at the start of this year, I said I was going to be more active in the events and goings on in the city and to see and experience what's out there b/c I've been such a non participant...each month, I said I would check out at least one event. So far I've only managed to do this for January and for February. In subsequent months I missed the Japanese festival because I got the dates mixed up, I missed Mardi Gras because my besty had to go out of town...again and I wasn't going to that alone...so here is to hoping I can get back on track for June.