Sunday, January 15, 2006

Crisis at the Gate


Tonight Max and I had a wonderful date, UT was hosting a celebration for the Longhorns. It was held at the stadium, free to the public. They said the first 65,000 would be allowed into the stadium, and the overflow crowds would see jumbotron screens at a couple of places around campus. After a lot of deliberation, Max and I mustered the bravery to try to attend, which meant we had to show up at the stadium at 3 so we'd be in line when the gates opened at 5:00 for the 6:30 event. Max isn't THAT patient, so I packed as though I'd be entertaining us for two or three hours in line.

We had just lived through a very funny story (not so funny at the time it happened) when this photo was taken. Since we never go to home games, I didn't know that the rule was, "NO BACKPACKS" and of course I had packed a backpack with all sorts of snacks, drinks and time killing devices for the 3 plus hours we would sit before being let into the stadium for today's event. I also had an ample amount of feminine supplies, well, just because.

Anyway at the gate they told me "No Backpack", and I asked if I could just take my chances, empty out the valuables, hide the backpack, and hopefully retrieve it later at the gate. The guard said it was our risk and "whatever". So Max and I started emptying out and loading up.

Digital camera, binoculars, wallet, cell phone, Nintendo game thing, two sketch books, some of today's paper, cookies, crackers, water bottle and Sprite can, sharpies, tampons, sanitary napkins, were all being stuffed into the pockets of my cargo pants, and into our arms. Eventually we got the bag mostly emptied, and I sort of grieved for the almost new backpack that we would surely lose during the event. But by then the guard who was looming over me had moved on to another crisis. So I rolled up the now empty backpack stuck it under my arm and told Max to "move it!"

Max got worried, "but Mom, they said no backpacks...."

I replied, "just walk quickly".

So we got into the stadium, and it was blissfully easy to find an excellent seat, and I was walking pretty quick and I'd hear behind me, "Mom, it's spilling". I turn around and see things -- mostly tampons -- spilling out of the boy's arm and onto the bleachers. I would stop and stuff them into my overflowing pockets, and then a few steps later, "Mom!...." finally when we found our seats, I unrolled the backpack and loaded it back up. Then it was just a great time! Posted by Picasa

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Oh my God Kathy, you have scarred your kid for life- breaking the rules AND dropping tampons all over the bleachers- poor kid!