Beuna Vida (Click to see animation)

The object of the game is simple:  Touch the Wall.  It's such an innocuous task.  One must have touched several walls on any given day, maybe thousands in a lifetime.  Maybe more, who's to say?  But then the challenge is placed directly in front of the competitor and he or she is forced to imagine the consequences of their daring.  Breathe deep, collect your thoughts, imagine fingertips brushing, scraping on the surface of the wall.  It's so dark.  It's wet.  What will happen?

Drive By Press at Bonnaroo 2011

Bonnaroo wasn't unlike what I expected, but I wasn't completely ready for the experience.  Words that come to mind:  Massive Dusty Stoned Survival.

As a working environment, this music festival was a strange proving ground.  It didn't seem as if many of the vendors actually enjoyed the work.  It was simply another stop on the tour.  An oft-heard comment: "I said last year would be the last year."  The event staff were largely local, seasonal hires from the surrounding community.  Some were having a great time, others looked miserable.  The big draw was free entry, and they only had to work 8 hour shifts, where as us vendors pulled consecutive 16-hour days.

Still, the experience as a whole was rewarding.  Almost any feat of endurance gives me a charge.  Reflecting, it sounds so like such an ordeal, but it really wasn't.  I stayed busy.  Ate often and drank plenty of water.  Missed John Waters, but saw plenty of interesting things just staring right out of the booth.  Wore sunglasses almost non-stop.  Had to, or too much dust would get in my eyes.

What a weird place.  They say it rains every year, but not the summer I was there.  Sunny days, here I come!

Short Lines