Smells Like Money

OK, I got in from the trip at 12:45 last night and then had to teach starting at 8 this morning, so I'm more than a little bit wasted at the moment. I will recount the tale of the weekend sometime within the next few days, as I have mornings off during TAKS testing at the schools...so I'll catch up on sleep, and getting stuff done, and of course blogging. There are a few good stories and a lot of quotes, so stay tuned.

I guess I might as well go ahead and explain this "smelling the money" thing while I'm thinking about it: I mentioned that Greeley smells like cows sometimes; this is due to all the cattle-raising (and -slaughtering) facilities around the area. Sometimes, when the wind blows the wrong direction, it's pretty overwhelming. Supposedly, the locals get used to it over time (Demon Matt has an aunt and uncle who are profs at UNC, and they've evidently gotten acclimated over the years), but to a visitor, it can just about knock you over.

So three years ago, on my third trip to the festival, a bunch of us in the band with day jobs flew up a few days after the bus trip (much like I did this time). When the Greeley shuttle made its first stop, the door opened, and the stench just about made us pass out...except for this one lady--obviously a local--who just took a big whiff, closed her eyes and smiled, and said, "Smmmells like mmmmmoney!" (referring, of course, to the dramatic impact of the cattle operations on the local economy). The rest of us, of course, looked at her as if she were from Pluto. My personal thought was, if my money smelled like that, I'd burn my wallet...and the pants they were in, on general principle.

I'll catch up on the rest later.

This is totally wrong on so many levels...Today at lunch, I was waiting to use the restroom (it was a one-seater). I heard animated conversation coming from the other side of the door, which seemed to signify that someone was using their cell phone in the bathroom (eww). Then a door opens, and it turns out that this guy was not only doing that, but he was also in the women's bathroom at the time! There should be some sort of penalty for that...maybe, say, a good old-fashioned Singapore-style caning.