Campfyre Stories

I got home on Sunday night, having left a little early to avoid the crush of people.  This meant that I missed Arlo’s set, but that’s ok.  I was toast by the time I left, and I think I might not have made it home in one piece had I left any later than I did.

There were a few people I didn’t get a chance to say goodbye to, but most of them I will see, if not next year, then before.  I caught as many people as I could, but I just had to go.

My cats were happy to see me, but not overjoyed, since Spawn spent time with them while I was gone.  They were well cared for and it was nice to not have to worry about any of that.

It took me two showers to get *actually* clean from the 5 days of festival grime, but I was happy to note a real tan underneath the layer of grime.

Monday morning, I wasn’t able to sleep in as late as I would have liked because I needed to return the car.  It seemed to go off without a hitch until I checked my account statement online to see that they had refunded me less than half of what I was owed.  Turns out that they charged me the gas fee for someone else…  but they’re a good company and are reimbursing me the money I am due. 

After getting back home, I realized that all the walking had taken a serious toll on my legs.  Walking hurts quite a bit, but it didn’t really hit me until after I was back.  I’m sure it will go away soon, but it meant that yesterday I was doing a whole lot of not moving at all.

I played video games instead.  Heh.

Spawn came over for the last day I’ll see him for a while.  He’s leaving either today (Tuesday) or tomorrow for Michigan to stay with his grandmother and film her telling her stories.  He should be making some good money, but he’s not especially keen on staying out there for 2 weeks.  I figure he’ll be that much happier to see me when he gets back.

We were hoping that he could come back alone on Amtrak, but in this litigious age, they are no longer allowing minors to ride during non-daylight hours, which means the 16 hours from Michigan is not possible for him.  This sucks for all of us, because the train is a very pleasant and safe way to travel.  Instead, he will be flying home alone.  Apparently the Powers That Be have determined that flying alone is better than taking the train alone. 

When I was Spawn’s age, I was taking the train regularly by myself and never had any problems. At all.  Travel in this country is becoming more and more obnoxious for everyone.  It’s almost as if they want everyone to stay home and never actually travel.  I think that if Spawn winds up experiencing half of the issues that I’ve been hearing about all over, I am going to raise some serious hell - both with the airline and with Amtrak.  Although he is flying Southwest, which is the one that seems to have the fewest problems, at least reported ones…

I had to explain to Spawn that I didn’t really miss ANYTHING about my real life while I was gone.  I missed him a little, only because I didn’t have a reliable partner for playing Cosmic Wimpout, but it was so nice to be away from my everyday routine that I just escaped without having any twangs of "I miss" going on.

But that part is over for this year and now it’s time to get back to reality.

The more I write while I’m here, the more I realize that I have a lot of individual stories than I am sharing.  What I’ve been writing is a real generalization and without nuances like inflection or gestures, some things cannot be accurately conveyed.  Maybe I’ll get to them, maybe not, but they’ll probably be told in some form to at least some people.

On to Sunday…

I write this as I sit in the parking lot preparing to leave.  This is the day we close.  The day we say goodbye for another year.  Frantically trying to fit in all the last-minute things we wanted to make a point to do.  New friends and connections made are put on hold for another year until we do it all again.

There are no regrets for me.  Every year becomes the best year yet and this is no exception.  But as good a year as this has been, coming home for 5 days, my other home waits for me.  My shower is calling, my bed is waiting.

And my cats are probably hungry.

The aftermath of the rain is scattered, brief showers, lots and lots of mud and a little apprehension.  Although I’ve been working like mad since before the festival started and during my off hours, I certainly was hearing the rumblings when I would slack off at other times.

It seems the rain infected some personalities that were already a little grey and cloudy.  Which was really a shame, because some of these people struck me as folks I probably would have gotten along well with, but people don’t always cope well with change and those folks who *also* have pessimistic outlooks are the ones who wind up making themselves more miserable when things they can’t control go awry.

When my mom asked "Did [my crew chief] talk to you?", I assumed it was bad things coming from those unhappy with my large personality and go-getter attitude.  When I spoke with my crew chief, it turned out to be a statement  from one of the Powers That Be of the festival that I was one of the few "with brains".  Only a few words being worth a million from this particular person, I feel well-acknowledged and this is the first year I feel that I have really come to be a part of the whole process, rather than "just" a volunteer.  I know quite a few ‘key’ people and can really be effective in getting things done.

Since I get bored easily, and don’t really need to *see* the music, I have no problems giving up some of my "free" time.  I like the satisfaction of knowing I helped make things really happen.  I like even more when other people notice.

I realized that I tend to befriend people who are busy and/or self-motivated.  As a result, unless we schedule things, we have a hard time connecting.  That translates to FRFF as well.  I still run into people, but being understaffed and many of us taking on extra responsibilities, we usually find each other while one or both of us are en route to fix some kind of problem.

I was discussing this with a new friend and she agreed.  I think that volunteering attracts that kind of personality.  Sure, there are a few who do it to get into the Festival for free, but they usually don’t continue for the (probably) decade like me and so many others.

If my vacation consisted of anything else, I would probably need to have a planned schedule and itinerary.  Here, whenever I get bored there is something that needs doing.  Even though I brought books and games and things to do, I haven’t even wanted any of them.  For me busy is relaxing when it’s done in the right setting.

I was finally able to make time to play Cosmic Wimpout with my CW guy as well as do my annual late-night with my crew chief and other members of the crew.

I had been making myself a crown of glow sticks every night.  Two strands of three glow sticks twisted together.  On my way to bed Saturday night, it finally occurred to me to give it away before climbing into the tent.

Me:  Excuse me.  I’m heading to bed  *pull off crown*  Do you want this?

Random Girl:  Hell yeah!  Thank you.

Random Guy:  Wow, thanks.  You have a good night.

Me: You’re welcome.  Enjoy.

Random Guy:  Hey, sleep well!

Random Girl:  Yeah, enjoy the festival…  Tomorrow.

They kept talking and all I wanted to do was go to sleep so that I could wake up in the morning.  It was cool, though, since they seemed a little at a loss for something fun to do.

I think I made their night.

I burned the hell out of the back of neck because my hair was up and I sweated off all the sunscreen.  There was a little burn on my chest, but that’s not too bad.

Woke up *just* in time to make my crew meeting and was so tired that they sent me to get coffee so I could function.  I scheduled my shifts to get out of the heat of the day and proceeded to runaround tracking down the folks I wanted a chance to connect with.

During the meeting, though,  I heard someone shout "I knew this was where she’d be!"  My friend, KS, who moved to Boston around a year(?) ago and who I hadn’t seen in forever had come with some friends of his.  Real life meets Falcon Ridge…  Nice 

That evening I was completely wiped out.  It’s apparently going around, but every time I tried to just sit, something would come up.

My brother, Chaos, showed up with his girlfriend.  They got in the last possible minute to volunteer and immediately went hunting for "fun".  Their arrival saw me, once again, tracking down the right people to get things squared away.

Always on the move.  I tried to just sit and listen to music, but there was always SOMETHING that needed doing.  Of course, when I could, I just did it…  and then went back to try again to just sit and enjoy the music.  Finally, I left because a friend of mine was newly stationed in an isolated area and had never before been to the festival, so I headed toward the dance stage to keep her company.

Good thing I did, too, for 2 reasons.  1) she needed a little guidance in terms of getting acclimated and 2) the sky OPENED UP just before I had to leave.  Being the Very Good Friend I am, I bought her a rain poncho and trekked through the rain to bring it to her.  I rock.

Everything flooded, but not as badly as last year, except that Mom’s new tent (at the top of the hill, where I was sleeping) leaked at every seam.  By the time I got up there, Mom had moved all the gear out of the tent into her car and she and my niece were waiting for me.

Despite the drip-drip-drip, I actually slept that night.  And let me just say, I EARNED that sleep.

Our crew meeting wasn’t until 2pm, but I happened to wander past the tent around 10 to see a handful of people working out some basic logistical issues.  Logistics turned into running - picking up signs, fetching people, passing information, whatever was needed.  To the point where a couple of people/crews would roll their eyes when they saw me coming.  Even still, I wound up meeting a lot more key people than I had known before and it allowed me to more easily get things I needed (even if only information) than I previously could.

Seven hours later, I threw my hands up and shouted "That’s it!  I am leaving."  The response to this was "I can’t believe you’re even still here."

I got the rest of the day off (considering every one else was working 2 hour shifts, it wasn’t surprising.)

First day of the festival and attendees start arriving.  Familiar faces that always remain nameless abound.  The music starts and the party starts going.

I actually left to drive around in the AC with a friend of mine to pick up some last minute forgotten items.  It was a great chance to catch up and a nice break from the chaos of arrivals.

I managed to get myself scheduled for a massage, which took away all the stress from Dad getting sick and everything else from the past 6+ months.

I met an owner of Pierce Bros. Coffee and talked cold-brewing with him while lamenting the lack of it available.  There are always fabulous conversations available, just for the asking.  I found several.

Also, I am an AWESOME mother.  Spawn didn’t come this year, *not* because he is currently at Movie-Making camp - that was figured out after the decision was made, but because of the trials he’s gone through in past years.  He just needed a break and I completely understand that.  In the course of networking, I have scored Spawn a spot working with A/V equipment for his volunteer work if he comes next year.  His crew chief missed him and was disappointed that he wasn’t here.  He’s also got some excellent work lined up (for Spawn and the other interested teens).

That night I don’t think I so much slept as passed out.

Despite my apprehension, I picked up the boat of a car with no real problems.  The car rental place stuck me with a Pontiac Grand Prix when all I really wanted was a compact car.  People seem to think this is because of gas mileage, which is partly true, but more than that, I prefer to drive a sporty little car.  I also am not a big fan of American cars.  To me, they tend to drive weird and accelerate poorly, but since they had limited vehicles, I didn’t have much in the way of options.

I was ready to hit the road by about 11:30, but wound up waiting for a long time for the rest of the gang.  A  few moments of last-minute running around and too much waiting got to me after only a few hours.  Eventually, I gave up and went down ahead of them.

Uneventful driving and then I’m there.  The staff t-shirts hadn’t yet come in, so they weren’t checking people in yet.  However, I found my crew chief early on and she took me around, showing me all the shiny newness and putting me to work as needed.

And there was to be plenty of newness as our crew merged with another meaning more work (as we figure out how it’s all going to work smoothly) and fewer combined people.  We also had the addition of security cameras and the craziness of organizing things in new ways so that we could go along with as few problems as possible.

Once checked in and settled, I took some time to help get the T-shirts/merchandise un/loaded to where it would wait for us to unpack and sell it, then the rest of the night became a matter of catching up with friends that I hadn’t seen in a year.  I impressed myself with as many names as I remembered, though still quite a few were forgotten.

Our camp was set up in a different area than we usually sleep - UP THE HILL.  A rather long walk and not convenient for popping in, but "we’ll know better next time"…  Also, directly across from rowdy drunks.  Sleeping posed a problem every night.

So I’m back now, after a most excellent Falcon Ridge (my 9th, I believe), tanned and not burned and mostly relaxed.  I did so much walking that my calves feel like they’re going to fall off.

While I was there, I went ahead and "blogged", although being entirely off the grid meant that I couldn’t post while there.  Being off the grid was so nice, too.  It meant no phone calls, no email, no nothing.  I was completely able to immerse myself in the festival and not worry about anything going on outside of it.

Only 33 emails waiting in my personal inbox, which is much better than I was expecting and only one or two actually needed a response from me.  One voicemail - thanks to the "I’m off the grid" message that I left.  No fires, no problems.

So I’m going to post the writing that I did while I was there.  In the meantime, I’m just trying to reacclimate to real life.

I am counting down the days until I go off the grid.  Once I leave on Wednesday, I am incommunicado for 5 full days and boy am I looking forward to that!  In the meantime, however, my schedule is packed while I try to finish up all the last minute stuff.  This weekend was a prime example.

Friday was the Harry Potter release party, clusterfuck that it was.  We arrived early, only to find that they weren’t handing out the designation bracelets based on when you got there to pick one up.  The entire thing was completely unorganized and it’s amazing that Spawn and I were able to get home before 1am.  But I don’t want to dwell on the negativity that the experience generated for me, so instead, some highlights.

The people dressing up, for the most part, were nothing spectacular.  Pretty much all things we had seen before at previous release parties, with one notable exception:  the guy walking around in a bowler hat, suit jacket, tie and hawaiian shorts.  He was the epitome of a wizard trying to emulate a muggle.  I pointed him out to Spawn who giggled and considered going up and asking him about his getup.  We decided that even if we did ask, he would tell us that he wasn’t a wizard at all…  that he was, in fact, really a muggle, just like the rest of us.  What more would you expect from a wizard trying to blend in?

I overheard a few boys outside at one point in the evening.  They were probably late-teens/early-twenties.  "You know, I kind of hate to say it, but I think that Harry Potter might be our generation’s Star Wars."  I thought that was an excellent point.  Even when Episode 1 came out, sure, kids went to see it, but the ones who dressed up and stood in line were the ones who embraced the original trilogy and wore costumes and bought the toys, games, books, etc.  Harry Potter and Star Wars may seem like a strange comparison, but it’s extremely apt.

I did manage to finish the book over the weekend and found that I was disappointed in the ending.  Or at least disappointed in the epilogue because it left so many questions or maybe even opened the door for ones I wouldn’t otherwise ask.  There were quite a few upsetting things in the book, but no real surprises, I felt.  I mean, the end of the series, so how much do you have to preserve, really?

(Please don’t post spoilers in the comments, I will delete them so that my readers aren’t spoiled by my blog.  That would just give me guilt.)

So Spawn and I stayed up reading until the sun came up Saturday morning.  After sleeping ridiculously late, I headed out to the farewell party for two of my friends who are moving to a different state.  It was a nice, mellow party and I had the chance to chat with some people I hadn’t seen in over a year, which was a nice thing.  It felt like a really good note for them to leave on.

Sunday was a day with my niece and trying to kick the house in shape before I leave.  Laundry and dishes and cleaning all the nooks and crannies…  but I still haven’t started packing yet.

So I have to pack and buy a sleeping bag…  figure out how to get all my paperwork in order to rent the car and wrap up everything at work.  I leave on Wednesday and no one can get in touch with me until I come home.  I can’t wait, but I wish I were closer to being ready for it…

This one just made me laugh.

******

Unnamed friend:  Check out my new shirt.  It’s ~soft~.
Me:  Oooh, it is soft.  *pause*  And pink.
Unnamed friend:  It’s not pink!  It’s orange!
Me:  It’s NOT orange.  It’s pink.  *points to the orange jelly bracelet he’s wearing*  THAT is orange.
Unnamed friend:  Well…  it’s kind of orange.  It’s not pink!
Me:  Sorry, man, it really is.

*he goes away for a few, comes back*

Unnamed friend:  It’s not pink.
Me:  It is, but it’s not pink like *points to MP3 player case*  It’s a much manlier shade of pink.
Unnamed friend:  Hrm…  manly pink.

*he leaves again, comes back*

Unnamed friend:  …and besides, it puts me higher up in the class system, since only higher class people wear gay colors like this.

*This is the point where I just completely lose it and the whole floor can hear me cracking up.  He leaves and comes back again.*

Unnamed friend:  Salmon.  It’s called salmon.
Me:  Salmon is a kind of pink.
Unnamed friend:  No.  It’s just salmon.  Not pink.  Salmon.

*Then he gave me a cookie.  Oatmeal raisin.  So I guess that means we’re still friends, even if his shirt is pink.*

It’s almost like life has decided that I’m going to NEED and earn my upcoming trip to Falcon Ridge.

• Three times in the past 4 days I have forgotten my security badge (which I need to get into work) and realized only once I was about a half a block to the bus stop.
• My bag with my breakfast split - first the handles, then the bottom - and I had to chase my apple across the parking lot.
• All my projects exploded this morning…  I hate when people yell at me.  It makes me panic.
• I’m not sleeping really.
• It’s threatening to rain.

The good stuff is that I’ll be able to make my friends’ going away party, all my ducks are in a row for Falcon Ridge and I have less than a week until I get there.

Hey, at least the snakes are quiet today…  it’s the little things that make all the difference, no?