Soup of the Audible Sort.

Pre Note: I am trying not to offend my friends who work hard and do amazing jobs of creating these events. The events themselves are brilliant. My experiences are just tainted by my lack of ability to enjoy myself in environments created for fun.....

I don't like festivals.

Or at least i think i don't. Large groups of people don't do it for me, generally.

However, last year i attended Doune the Rabbit Hole and had a brilliant time. Chiefly due to people. Some drugs also (sorry parental units), but mostly just people. So this year i went to two festivals: Doune the Rabbit Hole and Audio Soup.

I worked at both (but only took my camera to one) mostly because i want to relieve my friends, at least a little bit, of the huge amounts of stress that comes with organizing and running a music festival. I also figure if i work through the day i can get my quiet time, miss all the waking up and daytime wandering (i'd struggle doing this in company, i am not human when i wake up.), and reduce the number of hours i am focused on enjoying myself and then jump in to the middle of the party where everyone is already having a good time, that i have not contributed to. So i can come and go as i please without taking away from their fun. I have fun just myself. I like just having little snip-its of group enjoyment and the rest of the time i like to wander alone in my own world.

I was in the box office all day at Doune. I had a lovely time there, in the box office. The residents were some of the most lovely people. They brought us wine, and chocolate profiteroles with cream, and cheese and crackers, and hot sausage rolls, and home made double baked chips, and tea on several occasions (which i cant thank then enough for). On the Saturday the lady from one of the cottages came down at the end of my shift, at 10pm, with a torch to take me back to her home and let me shower- a luxury i never underrate. After having, possibly one of the nicest shower of the year, i came out refreshed and warm to be greeted by a cup of tea and a bacon roll with not one, not two, but three bits of bacon on. It is this that made my weekend.

I also had a marvelous time at the festival, with friends. There was a tree in the middle of the site that had lights attached to the branches. I would be standing under this tree, when my friend would appear. He'd sweep me up in a waltz position and dance with me while reciting his poems. He would look into my eye and make me half fall in love, in under 30 seconds. Then he would finish his poem, kiss me on the hand, or the forehead, and evaporate into the darkness. Breaking my heart in the process. That was spectacular. Far too romantic for real life, but it was at a festival and it makes a good story.

The festivals were on consecutive weekends. So by the time i hit up audio soup i was tired. Damn tired. I was pretty sucky person because i was tired. Also because as a person i suck sometimes. I missed helping my best friend. I was not as helpful as i could have been ect ect ect. But the people are so lovely they didn't even mind. It ended up i worked the box office for the whole first day and then i got the rest of the weekend off (far too good a deal if you ask me).

After i had finished my shift i was ready for bed, far too many waking hours and like 12 of them working. I got ready to grit my teeth so i could face a night of excessive alcohol intake, music that would make my head ache worse and generally pretending i was having a great time, so as not to dampen everyone else's good time. This is what i was expecting. I forgot, or hadn't realized yet, the sort of people i had found myself surrounded by.

After i finished my shift, i ran from the box office, in the pitch black, to the festival sight trying to warm myself up. I found some friends and, all of a sudden, there was no obligation. No expectations. In fact there was sympathy and encouragement to go to bed. I had a hand taking all my crap round to a friends tent- i didn't have my own camp, and i got put up for the whole weekend by a marvelous family. I even got hugs goodnight- that made me cry, but only after i was in the tent and no-one could see.

 I am tired and sick so this is mushy. But these people are marvelous. They are genuine and kind. They sort of renewed my want for social interactions and friends. And i don't think they know that they make me happy.

Yet again i enjoyed a festival for large groups of, splendid, people.
And after a year of transitions, travels and brief encounters i've found some wonderful people to call friends.

This guy played at Doune. I enjoyed this:

Esperi