The Attack of the Hippy-Eating Ooze, part 1
So. Yeah it's been a while. Lots of stuff to talk about, but I've got to start somewhere, right?
This past weekend was Hillside Festival. Or, as the locals know it, the Invasion of the "Hippies". It rained all weekend, so it was actually The Attack of the Hippy-Eating Ooze.
Mud? Oh yes, there will be mud.
Had a rental car for the weekend. Since eniastoa was volunteering at the festival, he camped out (something I'm sure he'll journal about). That wasn't on my list of fun weekend ideas, so I had a car to get out and about. I likes my creature comforts - especially a soft warm dry bed and fast internet connection. Heh.
Having been to Hillside before, I knew some important rules of parking in grassy fields: park on high spots, away from the idiots, with a clear trajectory to a non-primary exit. So, that's what I did. Thank goodness.
Remember the mud? Well, grassy fields being parked on by idiots tend to turn into mud pits really fast. Friday night was no problem.
Saturday night, however, was a challenge. I again had no problem - put 'er in low, drive slowly and deliberately, and you're golden. However, there were vehicles behind me that got stuck, or almost stuck. And they were annoyed because I got through fine but they didn't.
There was a minivan behind me, driven by a guy. He was swerving and sliding and getting nowhere fast. I was watching him in my rearview, in case I had to get the hell out of his way suddenly. So I saw his wife hitting him on the head and yelling at him. He stopped the van, and she got out. And this 7-months pregnant woman waddled towards me, yelling and waving her arms. I pulled over to a safe spot up the road, and walked over to her. She yelled at me, and I kid you not, "You obviously can drive. Would you mind driving my van out of the parking lot for me? My husband drives like shit, and if he gets it stuck I will kill him. And I don't want this baby to grow up without a father."
Now, usually I would not get into someone else's vehicle and drive it. But I made an exception in this case. There was a very annoyed, over-tired, wet, hungry pregnant woman in front of me, and she scared me. So of course I said I'd try, but didn't make any promises.
Of course, I got the van out no problem. The husband was ever so grateful, and slipped me a fiver as he apologized for his wife's "hormonality".
I laughed about it afterwards, and thought nothing more of it. Until today, when I dropped the car back at the rental company.
Apparently they knew of 7 vehicles they had rented out for Hillside patrons this weekend. Only 2 have made it back so far - all the others are still mired in the mud, and waiting to be towed out. My car was one of the two that returned. The other one was a minivan that looked somewhat familiar to me.
Yes, it was the one I drove out of the lot on Saturday night.
Apparently the husband was telling the staff about this wonderful angel, driving a car from the same rental company, who helped him live another day.
It's a nice feeling when one's works are appreciated.
This past weekend was Hillside Festival. Or, as the locals know it, the Invasion of the "Hippies". It rained all weekend, so it was actually The Attack of the Hippy-Eating Ooze.
Mud? Oh yes, there will be mud.
Had a rental car for the weekend. Since eniastoa was volunteering at the festival, he camped out (something I'm sure he'll journal about). That wasn't on my list of fun weekend ideas, so I had a car to get out and about. I likes my creature comforts - especially a soft warm dry bed and fast internet connection. Heh.
Having been to Hillside before, I knew some important rules of parking in grassy fields: park on high spots, away from the idiots, with a clear trajectory to a non-primary exit. So, that's what I did. Thank goodness.
Remember the mud? Well, grassy fields being parked on by idiots tend to turn into mud pits really fast. Friday night was no problem.
Saturday night, however, was a challenge. I again had no problem - put 'er in low, drive slowly and deliberately, and you're golden. However, there were vehicles behind me that got stuck, or almost stuck. And they were annoyed because I got through fine but they didn't.
There was a minivan behind me, driven by a guy. He was swerving and sliding and getting nowhere fast. I was watching him in my rearview, in case I had to get the hell out of his way suddenly. So I saw his wife hitting him on the head and yelling at him. He stopped the van, and she got out. And this 7-months pregnant woman waddled towards me, yelling and waving her arms. I pulled over to a safe spot up the road, and walked over to her. She yelled at me, and I kid you not, "You obviously can drive. Would you mind driving my van out of the parking lot for me? My husband drives like shit, and if he gets it stuck I will kill him. And I don't want this baby to grow up without a father."
Now, usually I would not get into someone else's vehicle and drive it. But I made an exception in this case. There was a very annoyed, over-tired, wet, hungry pregnant woman in front of me, and she scared me. So of course I said I'd try, but didn't make any promises.
Of course, I got the van out no problem. The husband was ever so grateful, and slipped me a fiver as he apologized for his wife's "hormonality".
I laughed about it afterwards, and thought nothing more of it. Until today, when I dropped the car back at the rental company.
Apparently they knew of 7 vehicles they had rented out for Hillside patrons this weekend. Only 2 have made it back so far - all the others are still mired in the mud, and waiting to be towed out. My car was one of the two that returned. The other one was a minivan that looked somewhat familiar to me.
Yes, it was the one I drove out of the lot on Saturday night.
Apparently the husband was telling the staff about this wonderful angel, driving a car from the same rental company, who helped him live another day.
It's a nice feeling when one's works are appreciated.