I’m Not Drunk; It’s Windy.

Thursday, April 5^th.  4:30pm.  Opening day.  ‘For what?’ you ask (or if you didn’t, shmaybe you were there – did you see me? ‘cause I totally waved to you).  Opening day at the Greenville Drive.  First game of the season.  But I digress…

4:30pm and brooding.  The sky was the cumulonimbal equivalent to the moment right after my mom discovered I had taken her car in the middle of the night when I was sixteen, but right before I arrived home.  This was the type of looming moment where the Universe has fully inhaled into the “AhhHHHH-“, but you don’t know if the “CHOO!” is going to hit you in the face or politely wipe out Gaffney instead.

At 4:30pm I was preparing a new shirt for my stilt costume.  Today I would be greeting people as they entered the baseball stadium; hooping, dancing, and 9 feet tall.  The Greenville Drive hired me as part of a whole crew of people there to make the pre-game experience more exciting, more engaging, and more FUN!  My kind of people!

But the swirly looming early booming of far-off sky-cloud bowling gave me the foresight to weather-channel my suspicions into fruition or submission.  (Have I lost you?  Come on, you have to keep up or we’ll never get to 4:31.)

You know how the weather map of the Upstate is usually blue or green when they show it on the telly?  Well, today it looked like someone had thrown a tomato at a baboon’s booty.  If someone had shown me the map as part of a Rorschach test, I would assume they wanted the answer to be “Maelstrom”.

(Note to self:  use “Maelstrom” in conversation more…)

So, at 4:35, somewhere between “WHOA.” and “REALLY?  Really..?”, my brain came to grips with the idea that I very well be a nine foot rainbow kite flying high over downtown Greenville today.  And since the thought to me was both dangerous AND hilarious, I pressed on.

Opening day was FanTAStic!  There were face-painters and a balloon artist and a fun play-zone for the kids.  Reedy Rip’it was there, and John Hoppe’s brass band was performing for all the fans as they entered the gate.  The looming clouds loomed and the brooding squall brooded, but as though Mayor White ordered it himself, the rain held off.

As for me, the wind nearly got the best of me several times, but with my ecstatic Muppet-ish style of dancing, I don’t think anyone could tell the difference.

~ TimTv – unfeathered kite on untethered flight

(editor’s note:  Photo 1 – I wrangled this gaggle of Greenville’s finest into a quick shot.  I think they were looking for a “Special-Op” rather than a photo-op…  Photos 2 & 3 – this is Jamie, my boss for the day.  I had to include both pictures, because the only thing better than her inCREDible smile is what her feet do when she’s giddy.  Fun is contagious.)
 

NEED FUN?  COME SHARE MINE!

• Thur. April 12 – Today The Moon Tomorrow The Sun& Signs of Iris@ Gottrocks – Doors at 9pm – This will rock your socks AND dance your pants.
• Fri. April 13 – WSBF Springfest – 3pm-2am! – 14 bands on 2 stages @ Clemson – ‘Nuff said!
• Every Friday night – Alchemy Improv Comedy – 9:30pm @ Coffee Underground in Greenville – They’re so clever I want to eat their heads.