Wednesday, January 30, 2008

Yo ho..oh you know the rest..




Saturday I attended my first Gasparilla parade. It was interesting to say the least. Hundreds of thousands of people, most of them drunk, some stoned and almost all festooned with beads.

Really, the main reason I went was because my parents received tickets for one of the corporate tents that line the parade route. These tents offer many cool things, including food and drink, private port-a-potties, seating and the best chocolate chunk cookies I've had in a long while. Being that I live across the Bay from the festivities, the parking, traffic and the crowds on the parade route, don't tug at me to come. I'm happy to stay at home and catch some of the highligts on the TV.

I still can't say I understand the allure of the day. A bunch on grown men and women, dressing up in pirate garb, throwning beads and getting drunk? I don't know - maybe I'm a fuddy-duddy.

But I did have fun. Mainly the people watching. And did I mention those chocolate-chunk cookies? I don't know if I'd make the pirate-fest in Tampa a tradition, but I'd say try it at least once. Now what the heck does a person DO with all those beads?

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