random thoughts – Day 1,166 – (Saturday) – art and culture

Vacation Day #3 opened early, when the neighbor’s drunken gathering erupted into a screaming match in the street at 2:00 a.m. Apparently, someone disrespected someone and soon there was a female screaming and a male screaming. One weird feature of my house seems to be that sounds from street level carry right up to my bedroom windows and can be heard louder and more clearly than when I’m downstairs.

Once awake, I had to get up and look out the window. Curious minds want to know. With a front row seat, it made more sense to watch the drama unfold instead of imagining what was going down. And it wasn't like I’d be able to sleep through it. From the window, I saw about a dozen people. Two men were holding back the screaming man and two women were holding back the screaming woman. Then the screaming woman stomped off and sat in a white Honda parked nearby. The guy kept yelling.

Meanwhile, a car with three women arrived, parked, and the occupants headed to the porch, seemingly unfazed by the yelling. The whole spectacle lasted between five and ten minutes and ended when an occupant of the first-floor unit came outside onto the porch and started screaming “everyone get the f*ck out and f*cking go home.” The three newest arrivals were the first to exit.

The production was not the highest quality. The start time was inconvenient and there was no Play Bill with cast bios and a synopsis, but the costuming accurately captured the everyday attire of the average contemporary late 20-something aged city dweller. The dialogue was repetitive and overly loud and the abrupt ending lacked resolution. It took a while to get back to sleep after all the excitement.

At the more normal awakening of 6:15 a.m., coffee was brewed and consumed, and Winston’s breakfast prepared before I headed out to the monthly Finnish Breakfast at Saima Park in Fitchburg. It’s always fun to see  my cousin and her husband, Mom and StepDad, and friends and their family.

From Saima, it was over to my sister’s for more coffee, needed thanks to the hella-early community theater production, before Sis, Eldest Niece, and I headed downtown to the Main Street Market of art vendors. The street was closed for a couple blocks and there was a nice variety of arts and crafts, along with food and beverage vendors. It was fun seeing the drawings, candles, sculptures, stickers, and knitwear, and chatting with the creators.

While downtown, we paused for a few minutes in Monument Park. Under a cloudless blue sky, the many white crosses and American flags commemorating the local military dead were on display for Memorial Day. It's important to remember.