Headed back to the old homestead again last weekend for the Metro New York Balloon Festival. Three days of music, monster trucks, helicopter rides, hot air balloons in the shape of Darth Vader's helmet, the Energizer Bunny, and a T-Rex with WWF wrestlers, vendors galore, some good rock cover bands, a beer tent fully stocked with Sam Adams Summer and Heine, and a little bit of hip hop.
This year, Long Island's Party 105 (otherwise known as Long Island's most annoying radio station playing nothing but "party hits") hosted Saturday's night's musical talents (or lack thereof is some cases) and called it MegaJam.
*******************************
A group of about 25 of us, all friends and family, occupied the beer tent for the entire duration of the festival on Saturday. [I'm not sure if this is a disgrace or an accomplishment.] We made friends with the skydivers teaching them what it means to NOT break the seal, watching videos of their jump earlier in the afternoon from Eddie's helmet cam, and "breaking it down" to some really bad local, no-name rappers.
My buddy Ben gangs up on me with Eddie (our new sky diver friend) and convinces me that I need to go sky diving. Ben has been before and has been dying to go back but can't find anyone to go with him.
"Come on, Dean! You have to come! You're the only broad crazy enough to do it."
"Fine." I've kind of always wanted to anyway, just been too afraid. Ben won't let me be afraid, so I guess now's a good a time as any.
Then. Here it comes. The highlight of my evening. When the radio personalities came on stage to announce the headliner for the weekend... NAUGHTY... BY... NATURE! I was pumped. How could I not be? Christ! I practically grew up on "Feel Me Flow" and "Ghetto Bastard". This is when I turn to Eddie (who had gorgeous blue eyes, shaggy blond hair and a boyish smile to die for) to see the look of excitement on his face.
Turns out Eddie grew up just a few blocks from my house, went to the neighboring school and is a few years older than me. So Naughty By Nature should be something exciting for him to see. Even if he didn't listen to them back in the day, it should take him back a bit, which can be a great thing.
"Who's this?" He asks.
"What? This is Naughty By Nature! You don't know who Naughty By Nature is?!"
"No."
"Where the hell were you during the 90s?"
Thinking to myself, maybe he just doesn't know their name. But I'm sure he'll know who they are when they play "Hip-Hop Hooray" and "O.P.P."
...He never heard of them. They didn't sound familiar to him at all. This is when I realize, after doing the statistics in my head (12 jumps a day, 5 days a week, 52 weeks a year) that after some 21,000 sky dives over the last seven years, he must've hit his head a lot.
Or he's musically retarded.
He asked for my number at the end of the night, and I was tempted to give him the old "It's not you, well, who am I kidding, it is you." But instead I just gave him my number and said I would be by sometime soon to sky dive.
When I say soon... I mean when I get over the fear of shitting myself on the way down and get the balls to go down to the airport. That, or when Ben drags me there/tricks me into going. Whichever comes first.
****************************
Eddie hasn't called. Which is a good thing.
Though I am afraid. He mentioned being out and about in the city this weekend and was looking for a tour guide/companion to spend the weekend with.
Fingers crossed that he doesn't call.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment