Proud Sunday

First of all, let me confess that I was bad and skipped church yesterday morning. I woke up in time for it, looked at the clock, realized my tummy was still bothering me, and rolled back over to catch another couple hours of sleep. Of course, the church I've been attended is Rochester First Unitarian, which many people wouldn't consider a "real church" anyway, so I figure I'm no worse off anyway. *g*

When I finally did roll myself out of bed, I did a few odds and ends and took my shower. Then I spent some time deciding whether or not to go to the Pride Picnic. I finally decided to go, so I put on my sunscreen, packed a small bag, and headed for the park where it was being held.

I figured parking might be problematic, so I decided to park on the opposite side of the Erie Canal from the picnic and walk in from there. After that, I found the tent where I could buy a ticket (which could've been marked a bit more clearly, in my opinion), then joined the line at the official entrance into the reserved area.

I had a fantastic time. I checked out the music over by the Roundhouse, but decided not to do any dancing. For starters, there were very few other people dancing. I'm not sure if that was because of how hot it was (and in the low seventies, it certainly could've been worse) or if everyone was just as self-conscious as I would've been. I did hang out there for a bit though, and my body even got into the rhythm.

I checked out the various organizations and vendors that were there. Suprisingly, I didn't pick up any pride paraphernalia. To be honest, there were only two vendors that I noticed. One was Outlandish, where I can go any time. And I didn't even catch a name on the other tent. That vendor had mostly hats with some shirts and jewelry. Nothing just spoke to me.

Speaking of paraphernalia, I got several chuckles out of the shirt I chose to wore for the day. I decided to wear my black tee shirt from Sikworld which says, "I may have a bad mouth, but I can do great things for it." Several people read it and started laughing. One person even commented, "I'm sure!" Fortunately (or unfortunately, depending on your persepctive), no one demanded proof of the claim.

One of the booths I checked out was looking for volunteers for upcoming HIV vaccine trials taking place at University of Rochester. The guy was giving information about the process and otherwise fielding questions. I thought about signing up, but eventually decided against it. Actually, I asked if being diabetic would impact my chances of being selected. The guy admitted that as a rule, they're ruling out any candidates with diabetes and a number of other health conditions due to concerns for said individual's health and safety. (Personally, I find it a bit odd as according to the information, the vaccinations they're testing are based on synthetic virus strains and actual infection through the program is impossible. But oh well.) I did get a small glow-in-the-dark frisbee though.

I eventually made my way to the volleyball nets. I decided to lay out my blanket several feet from the nets so that I could sunbathe and watch the more athletic types play. It was fun to watch in between moments where I closed my eyes. I don't think I ever fell asleep, but it was just pleasant to lay there soaking up the sun. And Only came close to being squashed by a (rather good looking) frisbee player a couple of times.

While there, I ran into a couple of the guys I've met at Game Night. Paul was one of the people playing volleyball. He was playing in black pants of all things! I thought he was nuts. (Though I have to admit, he looked pretty good in the outfit.) I also ran across Woody, who promised he really would be at Game Night at the end of this month. (He's missed the last three due to being crazy busy.) I gave him a bit of a hard time about that, but it was all in fun.

Eventually, I decided it was time to head home. I had gotten enough sun and eye candy for the day. Plus I was getting hungry and the picnic food didn't sound all that appealing to me.

Tonight, I'm going out with the Monday Cheap Night Dinner Group again. After that, I figure I'll take another walk around Park and East Avenue. I'm even planning on wearing my sandals again! *beg*