music fest peeps

It had been some time since I'd been to a major music festival so when I embarked on my virgin experience of Coachella over the weekend I didn't have a lot of expectations other than hot weather, not showering, mass quantities of peeps, and drinking heavily. The hot weather, not showering, and mass quantities of peeps turned out to be accurate. Drinking heavily was a challenge, though, due to the heat and so I only managed a bit of that. One surprise or I guess not even surprise since I hadn't given it much thought were the types of people I encountered there.

There was an inordinate amount of people who would fit in the hipster category. As I may have mentioned elsewhere in this blog (or if not I often think about doing so in my mind) this is a designation of peeps that fascinates me to no end. When I mentioned to someone the mass quantities of hipsters at this music fest she said, "Well, think about the type of music there." Since I don't know much about the music tastes of hipsters I just pretended to understand. And made a mental note to include that in the unofficial hipster ethnography I'm currently researching.

The hipsters were especially fascinating because the common sense in me packed light sundresses, flip flogs, hats to keep the sun off my face, jeans and sweatshirts. My thinking behind this attire was that it was going to be hot during the day and cool down at night (check), I didn't want to burn in the barely shaded venue (check), and even if I'd been able to shower every day I would've been dirty in five minutes due to being in the desert (check). Somehow I missed the memo that I should've come prepared for a fashion show. I've never seen so many people in one place dressed to impress. I've also never seen so many Halloween costumes in April (or maybe even in October). I wish someone had told me to pack for a costume contest cuz I could've rocked it. I also saw (in 80 plus degree weather) fur boots, fur coats, one too many pairs of uggs, one too many pairs of butt cheeks peaking out of thongs, and my absolute favorite a gold sequined leotard with "Hova" on the butt. At least Jay-Z performed there.

Aside from the hipsters (or probably more accurately in conjunction with the hipsters) were the druggies. I'd also never been somewhere I encountered so much illicit drug use. People were strung out on everything from coke to LSD to Kool-Aid packets. And I could've tried anything I wanted if I'd really wanted to. I was offered party favors by two dudes but am still not sure what party favors are. By no means am I saying I was a saint (Muse was blur thanks to one too many drinks of almost straight rum) but I don't know how they did it for three straight days (or maybe longer). Come Monday morning I wanted to die (and I really only drank the one day) so I can't imagine how the mass quantities of hard core drug users were feeling.

Perhaps the most surprising group there were the teeny boppers. I hadn't expected to feel like the old folks home with our group of twelve mid twenty to early thirty year olds (Might explain why I couldn't hang with the druggies). I know all ages were welcome at the concert venuse but where we were camping it was 18 and up. Yet, I guarantee at least every other spot had at least one under 18 year old there. There's no way my parents would have ever let me go to something like that while I still lived under their roof ('Course my parents probably would've gone to the event in their younger years-had it existed-and known exactly what went on there.). Unfortunately we didn't captitalize on the opportunity to create a small business of selling our booze to our neighbors.

While the bands that performed there were all absolutely amazing I'd say the people watching comes in at a close second in a list of reasons to go to Coachella. And if I ever go back again I'm for sure bringing a notebook to record more specifics since it'd make great writing material. Wonder

he who cannot be named (blue pebble)

He who cannot be named will not be named for reasons that can't also be named; however, his antics are too good not to be mentioned as they occur. This is an oldie but a goodie. He who cannot be named tells these grandiose stories that even I (who would like to believe everything I'm told, but often has to think, wait is that really possible) question immediately. Another person who also cannot be named wasn't having the greatest time health-wise and so he who cannot be named proceeded to share his story of how he overcame brain cancer without any medical intervention whatsoever. Now, I'm a huge proponent of eastern medicine and the power of the mind and positive thinking; however, when he advised her that all she needed to do to become well was to get a blue pebble to focus on I questioned his expertise. There were also many inconsistencies in his story that surely would be questioned by the medical examining board. This story is to be continued as I'm waiting for confirmation of some of the details from my source...

i'm getting a river board?

I made a new friend on Saturday. This in and of itself isn't unusual; I’m always making new friends. I’m good at it. It’s kind of a strange talent I realize, not exactly something that can be put on the resume. Well, I suppose you could list people skills on there somewhere. I think the key is that I really like people (just not the boring ones) and I always assume they’re going to like me back (there’s always a cosmic shock when someone doesn’t). But now that I think about it, I wonder how many of my friends are actually aware that we’re friends…

Back to my new friend. I returned from an almost life ending surf sesh mid afternoon (I’m going to start practicing my underwater breathing skills in the bathtub each evening) and was standing on my apartment building’s front porch talking to one of my neighbors while holding my surfboard under my arm. Two middle aged men who were definitely a little off (they didn’t quite look homeless but they also didn’t quite not look homeless) stopped in front of our porch. The one asked if he could ask me something (I always wonder why people waste a question even asking this but then I go and do the same thing.). I said sure, positive this was going to be entertaining. I could tell my neighbor thought the same thing since he gave me the “oh, who’s Amanda going to talk to now” look and stopped talking himself.

The man said, “Have you ever seen one of those (he pointed to my surfboard) that’s a bit smaller with these things you can strap your feet into?” The way he was gesturing made me think he was talking about a snowboard so I said, “A snowboard?” He said, “No. It goes on a river.” I said, “Are you talking about a wakeboard? Like you ride on behind a boat?” He said, “No. My friend has one and you just wear it in a river.” I just shook my head and said I had no idea what he was talking about since I had no idea what he was talking about (and still don’t). He said, “I’ll have to bring one by.” At this point I was trying to figure out how to dissuade him from doing so since he still seemed to be a bit off and wasn’t sure us having the kind of friendship that involved me inviting him in for an alcoholic beverage (or even milk) was in my best interest. So I said, “Oh, you don’t have to do that.” He said, “No. I’m going to bring it over and you can have it.” Now he was offering to give me the river board. There was no other response to give other than, “Okay. Thanks.” Plus I am curious to find out what a river board is.


Might be able to surf the river on this... if there's a wake.

boring people

I think of myself as an unprejudiced person. I really like people and have been lucky enough to know enough exceptions to every “rule” that it’s easy for me to see people for who they are rather than the group they might represent. Then, it was pointed out to me by my friends that I am in fact prejudiced against boring people. And I realized they’re right. I really dislike (I’m avoiding the word hate because that’s pretty strong and I don’t particularly want them to die, just never cross paths with me) people who seem to lack even one interesting characteristic, experience, or fact about themselves. It’s ironic because I should find these people most interesting in that I thoroughly don’t understand how it’s possible to go through an entire life without exhibiting even a hint of personality. But even that doesn’t hold my interest enough to want to have an extended conversation (or even standard greeting) with them.

Now I can do small talk. I’m actually really good at it. But it’s kind of like foreplay in that you do it so you can get to the really good stuff (conversations and sex in case you’re lost in the metaphor). Actually that’s a poor metaphor because I consider foreplay to be really good stuff too. Hmmm… not sure of a good comparison. Let’s just say I enjoy deep, thought-provoking conversations that I leave feeling like I’ve grown in some way as a person (or at least have guffawed to the point I can feel a six-pack being formed) and I only put up with the small talk to get to that.

Needless to say boring people don’t contribute whatsoever to mental stimulation or a solid six-pack. Luckily I don’t encounter many boring people I have to spend a significant amount of time with. But when I do I’m at a complete loss. I’m able to penetrate many walls other people can’t during the getting to know you process but so far I’ve found boring people to have a layer of Kevlar. And I don’t own any kryptonite. I prefer avoidance at all costs because such situations are that uncomfortable for me.

The most uncomfortable situations with boring people are when these boring people are my friends’ significant others or good friends because they’re people I have to be around over and over if I want to continue to have our mutual non-boring friends in my life. But what’s really puzzling is that my friends (all of whom I consider to be some of the most interesting peeps on Earth) are attracted to boring people at all. Everyone explains it away as, well, they must be good in bed but I can’t imagine someone that boring gets freaky naked. How is that easier than getting interesting while clothed? And if there isn't any sex at all involved, then I don't see any potential appeal.

A fantastic example of this is an experience a friend of mine related to me having to do with a girlfriend of a friend no one in their group was too impressed with. A group of people (all of whom I know to be extremely easy to interact with) were standing in a circle talking and suddenly one of the guys realized someone was standing behind him in the corner. It turned out to be the girlfriend, who had stood there for who knows how long not saying a word or trying to get into the mix. To this day everyone is still baffled as to how she could have stood there for so long and why they’re still dating because her boyfriend has a lot of personality. Apparently enough for the both of them.

At any rate this post really has no point (which might momentarily make me boring, or else unable to finish what I start, which is debatably true at times) other than to publicly declare my prejudice against boring people and hopefully ward off future boring bores.