Pride and Heat

[rsc]

It seems to me that in recent years Boston has been relatively fortunate with the weather on Gay Pride Day -- certainly since 2002, when I started being involved in dance activities as part of Pride celebrations. It's been warm, but not excessively so.

Well, not this year. The Boston Globe says the high temperature for Saturday was 88F, but that's measured at the airport -- I wouldn't be surprised if it was well over 90 on Boston Common, where a number of us alternated between contra, English country, two-stepping, and square dancing (see pinkfish's post here), and either sitting at the table handing out literature or trying to find some shade. (jwg did in fact find some shade, and called me on my cell phone to tell me where to find it and him, but there was so much ambient noise that I couldn't hear him, although I did find him eventually.) I slathered myself repeatedly with sunscreen, and nonetheless ended up with a sunburned neck.

We had a good time anyway, and a lot of people took flyers, although as far as I know only one person showed up at the evening dance as a result.

As for the evening dance -- well, if next year I undertake to organize dancers for the afternoon of Pride and also volunteer to set up for the dance the same evening, will somebody please slap me? I was sweating profusely before the dancing even started.

But the dance was great fun nonetheless -- again, see pinkfish's entry -- and although we didn't get as big a crowd as on some past Pride Day dances, we had a good-sized group, including a few new people, and we got a good amount of money in our Live Music Fund, as always happens when the special matching grant is in effect. jwg and I were too pooped to go out for ice cream afterwards.

I didn't do anything to speak of on Sunday.

Comments

[bearfuz.livejournal.com]

I was disappointed that you two weren't at JP Licks with us afterwards, but you *did* look mighty tired as we said goodbye. Me, I was just sore. :-) Somehow I made it to upstate NY for the English dance I was to play the next day, but on Monday morning I slept till noon!! What a weekend!