Tale from the city

So the above is a clip from Saturday's show...although by this point I was standing in the second balcony, having left the mosh pit after it semi kicked my ass.

What happened was this: I, McPolack, being of sound mind and body, tarted up in my "Somerville is for lovers" t-shirt, a sweater I got for 5 bucks at Goodwill, a turtle belt I got for 2 bucks at a Unitarian thrift shop, a jean skirt, tights, my favorite sneakers, and twin blonde braids, made my way to the floor while the first band was playing. There were some dummies in front of us who clearly had no idea what was going to happen when GB started to play -- they had full cups of beer and were wearing fleeces and hats -- and when L tried to warn them they scoffed at her. It was a real treat to see how shocked they were when, en masse, people began screaming at the top of their lungs and jumping up and down. They were shoved out of the way by the force of the crowd.

I myself felt a bit like a wee fluffy lamb in that crowd of New Yorkers and I only lasted three songs in the pit. Despite having my arms up in front of me, I got the breath squeezed out of me several times, and the big-bellied man behind me who I hoped would cushion any blows disappeared. Then a bunch of people fell over all at once, and as I was bending over to pick a girl up by her armpits, my glasses fell off...

FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCKKKKKKKKK! I thought to myself.

But here's the thing. That group of frenzied sweaty moshers cleared a circle for me and helped me find my glasses. Another guy found my smashed glasses case on the floor and handed it to me. Only when I said I was OK did they go back to the crazy dancing. It was actually really wonderful. I left the mosh pit and went out front and got some masking tape for my glasses, then stood on the balcony doing some reserved bouncing for the rest of the show. The next day, I super-glued my my glasses back together. It feels SO GOOD to have experienced something like that -- being in an immense crowd of people at a punk show in NYC -- and good to know when it was time for me to get out. I took care of myself and I really lived, you know? It's been that kind of fall for me. I still feel happy and it's Monday afternoon.

It's good to be me.