I went into the bank this morning to cash a check. In honor of Halloween, all the bank employees were in costume--except for the managers, who were wearing standard manager garb. They reminded me of Dave's college buddy who liked to show up at Halloween parties in a blazer and tie, and say he was a capitalist.
The choice of costumes among the non-capitalists at the bank included an angel, Sarah Palin, and prison stripes. The convict look was very popular--at least three people were wearing it. The lady in line ahead of me said she wasn't sure about people handling her money pretending to be criminals. I told her it was okay, it's the ones who aren't in jail you have to worry about. She agreed that was probably right.
One of the faux jailbirds, a chubby white lady, was wearing a big black Afro wig. While I stood there marveling at her, a black employee--the only one in the bank, I think--walked by. She's a very pretty woman, and she was wearing a gown and a jeweled headdress, a la Cleopatra. She looked fabulous. I wondered what she thought about the Afro.
The Sarah Palin wannabe's up-do was perfect. Her glasses weren't quite right, but a bank teller would be hard-pressed to afford the pricey frames the real barracuda wears. While Sarah was counting out the twenties, a pair of oversized TV screens behind her were treating us to the uplifting AM programming of Fox News. They were interviewing some author, who was saying Gee, he hoped race wouldn't be a factor in the presidential election, but we have to acknowledge that racism exists. As I listened to him, I looked around at the pretend Palin, the Afro lady, the black Cleopatra,the loafing bank bosses--and thought, This is the weirdest fucking Halloween moment I have ever had. I got my money and fled.
Fortunately, we have a fun weekend ahead to put all that out of my mind. Our friends Robert and Jean* in New Orleans are celebrating their 25th anniversary, and we've been invited to the bash. In addition to the party, the NOLA agenda includes seeing Prospect .1, and of course, visits to Bourbon French and Hové, where I plan to do my bit to stimulate the economy.
Dr. Michael White, a great traditional jazz artist, is going to play at the party. It should be a treat. I found this nice video of his band on Youtube. White is the one on clarinet. He's got a fine solo about halfway through.
*Shameless friend promotion: Jean makes the best pralines on Earth, and you can buy some here, just in time for the holidays!
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2 comments:
Waaaa! I wanna be in NOLA!!
Phil dragged me to a hockey game again last night and there was a costume contest between one of the periods. A couple dressed as the Wolf and Red Riding Hood won it, and they did look really good.
My surreal experience was seeing a woman in the crowd dressed like a nun give a referee the finger and shout some obscenity. It was so damn funny.
When we got home, I took a few minutes outside, alone, to stand under my trees in the dark and called on my ancestors to watch over and help me. It was such a beautiful night...perfect temp and clear as a bell.
Hope you have a wonderful time.
Gotta love those profane nuns, Mary. Did you say Phil dragged you to a hockey game again? He owes you a trip to New Orleans.
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