Ups and Downs

I can happily report that I did indeed get the dye on the clothing although there were some twists and turns. The first color, which was intended to be the only color, did not come out as "wine" like it indicated on the bottle. It was hot pink. I made an executive decision that hot pink would not be period so I sent it through the dye cycle again with dark brown and now have the burgundy/wine/brick red color I was hoping for. Whew! Now that I know the secret combination, I will repeat the process with more material. I've decided that tan next to my face makes me look splotchy and the arm pits turn green if water hits my green bodice. This is earth-shattering stuff, I know.

The one thing about this time of year is that I tend to get all amped up. It may seem like an exaggeration but really, this festival catches you by surprise. You may walk in thinking "All I have to do is walk around and talk to people" like it'll be a ride on the bus where you'll say something to the person next to you and then they'll get off at the next stop and you'll never see them again. You'll walk out of the day having become invested in these stranger's lives and wanting to somehow make the next encounter better and god forbid if they clap for you, you'll want to take them home and make them dinner.

Last weekend there was a couple riding around in those Runaround Scooters. They came first thing in the morning where we made them race through the front gate. It may sound cruel, poking fun at the elderly, but we weren't doing that. They were all for it and the women tore off - I mean peddle to the metal - and won while her husband was looking at the map. The same couple showed up at closing gate NINE HOURS LATER and we did the same thing heading them out of the front gate. This time the husband won. This story may not translate well into a blog but if you were there, chances are you couldn't wipe the smile off of your face for several minutes.

I'm starting to blather on and am unable to communicate the thought correctly but let's just leave it with the statement that you become emotionally invested in strangers' lives and it spills out into the work week. You are suddenly thrust back into the day to day grind where people around you make a point of shutting down, building walls, and doing anything to not become emotionally invested. It turns me into a roller coaster of emotions. I'm very excited one minute, almost manic thinking about the next thing to do when the opportunity arises to feeling hurt and depressed from the lack of reciprocal energy. I mistake people's comments or lack of comments to mean that I have somehow screwed up or angered them when a month ago I wouldn't have given it another thought. Geezus, I gotta call that therapist.

So anyway, it's going to be an absolute beautiful weekend so head down to Shakopee and exchange some energy....or be a linesmen for scooter races.