Fest frenzy

This past weekend was extra fest-y in Chicago. I only made it to two. Deliberately skipped the Old Town Art Fest, even though it was only 2 blocks from my house, because the only things I saw coming out of it were yuppies and their SUV strollers, used to convey non-descript watercolors instead of their color coordinated children in mini-crocs. Ribfest is less my thing, although I have developed a taste for chicken wings. And I only found out about the Wells Arts Fest as I dashed to the St. Michael's Summerfest.

After a long walk up Clark, I met up with a bunch of people to hear a ho-hum cover band. They did the covers very precisely, but lacking any style or variation. To combat the music, Cafe BabaReeba had set up a stand selling sangria, which is a nice departure from the usual beer options. We made fun of a kid wearing a blue balloon around his waist (a wee bit obscene, but funny for the grownups), guessed the age of some of the drunker blondes, and generally had a pleasant time closing down their festival.

The other perk of closing it down was the vendors' desire to cut down on schlepping by essentially giving away alcohol. Woo! Beer became buy 1 get 11 free (I scouted out a group of girls who were happy to take it off our hands, especially since they didn't have to flirt overmuch to get it.) Got an extra sangria. This was bad news for me, since suddenly I was holding 2 cups having already had 2 sangrias. And I hadn't really eaten anything since my morning bowl of cereal. So I got extra opinionated and willing to share, which my companions alternately didn't notice or found amusing.

The evening's exploits involved a ride on the Brown line (I don't recommend inebriated, it's extra jerky), peeing at Coobah since their kitchen was closed (bummer!), a 3 taco dinner and falling asleep in a Cubs sweatshirt. Woo!

I woke up this morning grumpy and dehydrated, but largely unhungover. Maybe because I was doing my drinking at a Catholic church, God gave me a pass.

on iPod: "Everything's Just Wonderful" - Lily Allen