Crowds chatter, announcers yell, and cigarette smoke fill the air. It’s before 11 AM; the Guinness is flowing and the huge Celtic men chuck rocks across the field. One is 6’8, long-haired and draws great attention with his flexing muscles and Aquaman resemblance. I eat a warm donut and get a latex elf ear put on one side and then the other as the parade begins to start.
Bagpipes blare and the parade of poodle hair dancers, police, kilted men, and little dogs begin. I regrettably miss most of it, well not miss it but rather don’t remember it as much as I could have, because there was kilted god across from me.
Under the “Do not park sign” stood a hot guy with a kilt. I really want to say I didn’t take a picture to show the cousins with me I couldn’t point him out to… but I totally did. I for sure looked too long at this guy, it was dumb.
“Let freedom swing” a t-shirt reads at the American kilt tent.
“Your ear looks like a tortilla chip. I want to bite it,” says a 63-year-old man while he reaches up and touches the latex on my sister's ear.
“It’s plastic,” she responds. I think time to fricking go before we say more weird things to my sister and I push her towards the shopping tent.
The highland games continued, and various bands played live under the pavilions. While watching the caber toss, Aquaman was not very good, a vodka and juice drinking old guy told me I “could have his spot” on the viewing steps. This was unsolicited but so was his talking to me in the first place. He then came back over and asked what was happening in the game and when I said I wasn’t sure he responded with “Next time I give you my spot pay more attention.” Now I was done with him and I turned back to the game, my friendly listening to him had been expended.
Later with the emergence of many different parties of friends was hanging on a grassy spot we were dubbed the “Crack” well he spelled it differently when he bounded back down the cement steps to the overpass but I can’t remember and it sounded like crack the drug.
I would 100% also believe he was on crack anyway so it's neither here nor there to me.
He explained it was a group chatting basically and was offered to join us. This was our humor for the evening. He danced and skip and chattered and gave many high fives and dropped to do push-ups for longer than I can even count. We found he lives 10 minutes from us and boy was tipsy to very drunk Southampton man a bit personal. Although worried he might run into the road above, he disappeared as strangely as he came and his cringing family followed suit.
The Celtic Classic was great fun and also filled with many people, memories, and stories. It was all over the place and my knee which was bothering me before is now royally screwed.
Knowing I have to write blogs I have tried to have this make me more aware and looking for the little things to paint in writing. It’s a good reminder that people are people and that being kind and generous with your time is good. If I feel a little uncomfortable at times, I don’t ignore that but also can wait out the storm if being nice is an option. Once the encounter can end I just end it as soon as possible without being rude.
Moral: Be courteous but keep yourself and the people with you safe and comfortable. Also if you keep seeing and making eye contact with the same kilted attractive man but arent gonna talk to him…. Stop.
Making eye contact with someone you don't want is always an uncomfortable feeling, but I understand what you mean.
Haha this is a great post Rayna! I've been to the Celtic festival before, and I can certainly say I can relate to your entertaining experiences. Oh eye contact... a blessing and a curse ;)