A much more sane day than originally predicted. There were thousands of people down in Soulard, but the party could more aptly be described as abstract milling with drinks. There was never a crescendo of debauchery, not at least one that I witnessed. There was the expected minor nudity of the occasional flasher, both male and female, exemplars of all body parts revealed though not simultaneously. I saw as much cock as boob for those of you seeking gender equity in your festivals. Having done New Orleans several times, the current incarnation of St. Louis festivities is sadly not on the same map, though I’m told it once was. The bars now close at eleven, “to facilitate the cleanup in which we enlist the help of the homeless.” Thank you Fox News for so clearly and cheerily showing us our folly in messing up the streets that some people have to sleep on. We never did meet up with the rabbit or the Mexican so that plot line is undeveloped and most likely passed out in it’s hotel room, probably for the best. We did not meet Tyler or Bree at the Soulard Ale House as planned. We just really did our own thing, the three of us – there really is no way to meet up with people when you’re in a crowd of thousands – I suppose there is a way, but what’s the point – best rule – stick with the person that has the keys. I ran into several students from the HAC. I ran into Herbie from the ville, he shows up in the oddest of places – if you’re in the ville Herbie works at the liquor store across from the emergency room (ah the ville). Herbie drinks at Ryan’s. Herbie married the Pizza Hut girl, after she divorced his friend. No one went to his wedding as they were all at Ryan’s drinking, a small ceremony; of necessity. There are many more Herbie stories. I urinated on the second floor of a condemned building – more than once – actually I hit all three levels and the backyard. Yeah I’m going to have to be a tease again – there were some over the top moments, but we won’t be making those into public property – at one point I said to the guy next to me, “is there really a line for the dumpster?” Public festivals with drink equals public urinals. On the news tonight, “108 citations for public urination,” they missed a few thousand. All in all, the bus ride from Soulard to the link and then the link home provided ample sobering up periods, the return track was fucked up so they were alternating trains on a single track – took forever, but was safe(if you don’t think about trains accidentally heading towards one another on a single track), not to mention that I probably walked five miles at least today, which burns off the booze. I was drinking hurricanes juiced with vanilla vodka from the flasks to keep costs down – wow was it expensive – though I did well and only dropped 20$. Brad shows up at the house before we go, “The paper said no aluminum cans or glass.” “Well the flasks are steel.” “I guess they’re ok then.” I ran into a friend of mine’s step mom who has a show on KDHX radio – she’s lost her primary job and wants to enroll in the HAC – I’m never not at work even on a public binge – I set up an appointment to enroll for next week. One of the students thought Brad and I were together. I’m sure several people thought that as it wouldn’t be the first time. We would make a good writing team and are the best of friends, but I be the straight boy & Angela be my girl. V and I got Lee’s famous fried chicken on the way home – I slept for a few hours. Talked to Vanessa for a bit about boy trouble, Vanessa is an architect, so odd that we children have real jobs and real skills. Hannah runs a bingo palace, but wants to be a cop. I love Hannah. I meet the weirdest people, the become my close friends, and then they tell me all their shit – such an odd life. Hannah and I are in some ways the same person. She has a fierceness about her though that belies all my apologies, “fuck um if they can’t hang.” God I love that about her. Brad had planned that we would go back out tonight, perhaps dancing, but when we both came to consciousness around at nine, after a three hour nap, it turned out to be a blockbuster night. My neighbor Chad has some friends in – they parked me in and then Chad was too drunk to move his car so random friend did it. I rented Underworld and The Hours; Underworld wasn’t so bad. I would have recast the Craven character and re-edited the first three or so scenes and it would have been a much better film. I’ll watch The Hours Tomorrow and let you know. I’ve always been a big Virginia Woolf fan, “always.” I’ve been a Virginia Woolf fan since I read To The Lighthouse in college – I later taught it when I was teaching. It’s a great book particularly as regards what I would consider her literary theory about the “logic of images”. Not a bad lit crit theory for the blogging genre really. OK night world-more on the morrow. The stereo just turned itsel on downstairs, Fiona Apple, odd choice for a ghost to put on, but I suppose they’re happy just to get the buttons to work.