Sunday, September 26, 2010

Keep Fear Alive (for me anyway)

The possible trip to DC for the Stewart/Colbert rally is, to my mind, riskier than flying to Topeka. Remember, I'm doing my usual overanalysis. I probably have nothing to worry about. (repeat until believed)

* in an airport, you can't spit without hitting a security person. Nothing like that in the metro. Empty/lightly populated cars can be dangerous under normal circumstances.

* if the rally is the success they hope, then I'll have the opposite problem. There will be thousands of people getting on to the trains at the same time. I used to ride the New York City subway in rush hour. Overcrowded trains don't bother me. But I know that packed trains can be a different experience for women. Or someone who appears to be a woman. Or someone who appears to be a woman, but only at first glance.

* the mall won't be overcrowded, but where there's a large group of like-minded people, there are usually people freely chatting with strangers. It's a different dynamic than on the plane or in the airport where everyone is in their own shell. For the uninitiated: "the mall" refers to the area from the Washington Monument to the Capitol. Sometimes, it includes the area past the monument to the Lincoln Memorial.

* enthusiasm must be curbed. Shouting as a woman does not work for me!

* cameras and microphones will be in abundance. I don't mind being a tv, but I don't think I want to be on tv! I know I don't want my picture and voice on camera for broadcast. Someone will recognise my Noo Yawk accent and figure out the rest.

* the rally is from noon to three. That's a lot of time for me to be standing on my high heels.

I'm still not sure what the family/friend situation will be that weekend. I think there's a 50% chance that I'll be on my own that day. I'll update that over the next few weeks.

2 comments:

  1. I think you should keep going forward with your plans to attend the rally and maybe wear some ballet flats that fall into the sensible shoes category, or some cute booties that could be kinder to your feet than heels.

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  2. Meg- did you watch Colbert's hearing testimony the other day? Cracked me up!!!
    YOU cracked me up with "shouting as a woman doesn't work for me" and "don't think I want to be ON TV!" :)
    Sounds like a fun day in any case!! :)

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