I'm going to start off by wishing my brother Steve a happy birthday!
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In Tucson this weekend, we had the "Tucson Meet Yourself" festival, which has been an annual event since 1974. I didn't hear about this until last year, when I went with a good friend of mine from the singles group named Talena. Talena and I went again last night, and this time we were joined by my housesitter Barb, who I also met from the singles group.
Barb called me on Friday, wanting to get out of her house at one point during the weekend to go "do something". She mentioned the festival, and I thought yeah, let's do it, and I invited Talena to join us.
Tucson Meet Yourself takes place downtown, near the county and city government buildings. They have booths set up with almost every kind of cuisine imaginable, from every ethnic group that's represented in Tucson. A lot of these booths are set up by foreign students attending the University of Arizona, but other communities who are resident here get involved as well. I saw food booths representing Mexico, El Salvador, Hungary, Greece, Croatia, Colombia, Lebanon, Sweden, Thailand, France, Denmark.....I know I'm leaving out several nations here. I sampled an empanada from the Colombian food booth, which was manned by personnel from a local Colombian restaurant. I didn't know that we had such a restaurant here but after that meat filled empanada last night I want to go check them out.
The highlight, in my opinion, is the Scottish bagpipe band sponsored by the Seven Pipers (? I hope I got that name right) of Tucson. A parade of bagpipes and drums came up center aisle where the stage was set up, they got on stage, and treated us to a familiar bagpipe song which you know you've heard if you've ever listened to bagpipe ensembles. I think it might be a national song of Scotland.
There were also some singers, dancers, a band with flutes, guitar, and percussion. It was a real treat and a big hit with the crowd. I saw them last year, and I definitely wanted us to see them this year too. After that we wandered over one block, briefly watched a Cuban band, and then wandered over to another venue.
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Also last night was "Second Saturday". This is a monthly festival that started up downtown a few months back, and on the second Saturday night of each month downtown is treated to more booths, more food, street performers, and cars decorated in ways that you wouldn't think possible. It's too bad we didn't have a camera with us! The highlight of that was this street band called the "blahs". They were all painted in silver paint, along with their musical instruments all painted in silver. They stand stone still like statues, looking like statues with their paint, until someone drops a donation in the kitty.
Then they spring to life. They play, and they sing, but all lyrics have only one word repeated over and over. That word is "blah". I couldn't help but think of The Gong Show; these guys would have been on it if they had been around in the 70s.
The three of us are planning on going downtown again next month for "Second Saturday".
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The job situation is still unresolved, but I'm being kept busy. I'm doing some work for a project that I did some work for in the front half of 2008. My previous experience was a big help in landing this assignment, and the other help is that they have someone leaving the project and so I'm backfilling his position.
It is likely temporary as that funding alignments aren't done shifting, and I may find myself doing something different in three weeks. Thus I'm identifying with the new Bachman & Turner song, "That's What It Is". The nature of our business is in some churn right now as we're waiting for a new equilibrium to set in. Yep, that's what it is.
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It looks like I'll be heading up to San Jose for Christmas this year, and not Thanksgiving, as originally planned. For a while I really thought I'd be having my first Christmas in Arizona since 2000, but it's easier for everyone if I come up for Christmas.
It's somewhat easier for me too, as that I will have a longer string of days off. I may leave on the 17th again, like I've done the past two years, and arrive up there on the 18th, though it's possible I may wait until the 20th before leaving. I don't know.
For the return, my plans are to leave on the 27th, and to stop in Barstow. That will then give me the next day to drive the old US 66 from there to Needles, where I would stop again for the night, unless I get inspired to go to Kingman or down to Parker.
Day three would have me back in Tucson.
I've wanted to drive Route 66 for some time now, but my biggest regret about doing it will be not having company with me. But that's my situation. That's what it is.
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Monsoon season finally wound down. We had rain earlier this week but the clouds to the south have since stopped forming, and the temperatures are starting to ease down. October can be a beautiful time to visit southern Arizona.
Meantime, I'm gearing up for my annual trip to Portland. I'm really looking forward to it.
If I can, I'll check in from there next weekend.
If I can't, then this will be auf wiedersehen for now.
And don't forget to pet a dog or a cat.
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