Yeah, I know I'm bad about keeping up with the posting of late. But not as bad as MAGGIE!!! Quick, everyone stare at her disapprovingly so she gets shamed into writing again! (Jk, sis. Love you :P)
So my 4th was absolutely SPECTACULAR. How much so, you ask?
THIS MUCH
I went to the Eno Festival with friends, planning to make a chill day of the whole affair: stroll a bit, look at chickens, paint a recycle bin or two, eat some grilled corn - you know, total Durhamite hippie. One thing I'd noticed in particular on the list of events, though, was a show by Paperhand Puppet Intervention (the pic above is from their website). If you are anything close to a Durhamite hippie (or just a Triangle hippie in general, I won't judge), you NEED to know about these guys. They use recycled and reclaimed materials to create puppets, masks, just beings in general of all kinds, and they put on one big new show every summer, in addition to doing smaller events throughout the year. Their work is absolutely breathtaking - I remember a piece in one of the shows where a number of black-clad performers scuttled around the stage with deathly white masks on the back of their heads - it's such a simple shift, but the entire way the body moves in relation to what you perceive as the face makes it supremely creepy, sending delicious chills up your back the whole time you watch. And that was only one scene! I have no idea how they keep coming up with all this fantastic (in the original meaning of the word) material!
So when I saw them listed in the events at the festival, I just about peed myself. Picked up my friends and high-tailed it over there to arrive with just a few minutes to spare, in which we made ourselves comfortable right in front of the stage and geeked out about the awesomeness that was to come. Except...it didn't. Although it was listed as "Paperhand Puppet Intervention," the event turned out to be several people who are part of that company playing music. No puppets. No masks. Just a total letdown. I mean, from what I heard before we walked away feeling cheated, it was perfectly fine music. But it's kind of like advertising "Calamity Jane and her Troupe of Death-Defying Stunt Monkeys!" and then revealing once the attendees get there that it's going to consist of CJ and her crew performing a tasteful selection of chamber music. I'm sure it would be a lovely performance, but it's still not in the least what the advertisement leads one to believe.
HOWEVER...all was not lost. We noticed an out-of-the-way corner next to a fence where there were quite a few unmistakably Paperhand puppets leaning, looking dejected and empty. Up strolls some dude and says 'Hey guys. You want to be in a parade?"
FUCK YES.
After a very brief lesson ("You pick this part up and wave it around. Don't drop it on anyone.") and some excited gathering of troops from the festival attendees, we were off. We paraded around the main loop of the grounds - I don't know if it was truly a mile, but this thing was heavy, so it sure felt like it. I got the middle part of the Green Man shown in the pic - it takes three people to move the whole thing, with one carrying the head and one moving each hand around. After some experimenting, I found that the whole getup (12-foot bamboo pole, 4-5 inches in diameter, with a large unwieldy object on the end furthest from me) was easiest to control if I balanced the end on the top of my leg. I now have a bruise on that area that is literally almost as big as my entire hand. Still worth it. Best part? The mother pointing out to her daughter that even though the big green person was so tall, it still had regular-sized feet! I did a little jig to accentuate said feet. The kid was just flabbergasted :D
Other than that, it's been fairly normal. Got out of work earlyish today and went shopping with Polly - we were unsuccessful on the search for jeans but found some nice sunglasses, which I've needed for a while. When my fashionista sister says I look "cool," I've learned it's best to trust her.
Dinner!
Seared scallops, re-pan-fried purple cabbage,a simple salad with greens, tomatoes and homemade green goddess dressing, milk and Guinness. Delish :)
In exercise news, I haven't been recording my workouts (although I haven't missed a Crossfit for a while and am running/walking at least a couple times a week again), but I thought you all should know that I am a total beast at jump-roping. 4 srs. w00t!
-N
No comments:
Post a Comment