What passes for culture

[apollinav]

In the on-going search for culture in the Ark-la-tex I went to the Minden Tartan Festival on Sat and a reenactment of the Battle of Pleasant Hill today (Sun).  I would have been done with the Tartan festive in all of 5mins or less if it hadn't been the band NeedFire they imported from Dallas.  NeedFire put on an excellent show - and I couldn't get enough of the bagpipe-rock.  The rest of the fest consisted of 'Looking up your Clan name' (Oooh!), smirking at people sweating in unyielding layers of wool, and looking at Highland cows.  Yes, that exciting.  Though I did hold my breath when the idiot at the hammer throw came frighteningly close to hitting the crowd.

Watching the Civil War reenactment this afternoon was a bit of something else entirely.  And as cringe-worthy as I find the 'The South Will Rise Again' mentality, the reenactors usually put on a decent show.  I was not disappointed.  The artillery was great.  They moved the earth with their resounding cannonades.  The Calvary looked dashing.  The men fearsome.  The Belles, well, some of them had the vapors for real.  Their encampment was excellent too.  Anything out-of-period was tucked away.  

But the most amazing thing of all was the invincibility of the men - or perhaps they couldn't shoot.  I'm not sure.  What I do know is that the first 15 minutes of close combat that filled the battlefield of thick smoke and the smell of blackpowder, not a single soldier was injured.  Historically the South won the engagement, but I wasn't sure how that was going to happen because the North apparently didn't have any casualties until they called for retreat.  In the final 5 minutes of battle all the bullets struck true.  Amazing.

And me?  I pulled my iPod out and threw on some tunes, because watching the reenactment was fun, but having a soundtrack to it was frickin' sweet.  There's got to be something wrong with me. 

Comments

[miamadwyn.livejournal.com]

I went to a clan gathering (note the C there, people) once and thought it was kinda cool, but we didn't have needfire. Maybe I should look them up.

The reenactment sounds interesting. I've never been to one of those. So, which music was your sountrack?

[apollinav.livejournal.com]

I listened to a mix of 80s tunes and thumping techno. I thought the techno would fit and work well with the battle, but it didn't. Neither did Linkin Park - too fast. The Clash's 'London Calling' was excellent for the Calvary charges. And there was some David Bowie thrown in for good measure, and well, Bowie is never amiss.

[miamadwyn.livejournal.com]

Bowie is so pretty, and he is a true neutral, goes with everything.

[apollinav.livejournal.com]

I forgot to mention NeedFire is on itunes.

And Bowie's Life on Mars was the hit that really worked best.

[miamadwyn.livejournal.com]

Oh yeah, it would.

[apollinav.livejournal.com]

It was a very surreal experience. A bit of escapism in the middle of 'real life' for the crowd, and me in the crowd.

[sc010f.livejournal.com]

Having the right soundtrack to mass slaughter (especially of aggressive northerners - of which I am one) is so essential. ;)

[apollinav.livejournal.com]

Those Northerners were hardy stock. Man they were like Supermen. Bullets came at them at point-blank range and they didn't even get a scratch on them until the battle was practically over. Incredible.

And going with 80s music was an excellent idea, but it would have been waaay too much to have gone with Wagner's Flight of the Valkyries.

[kariosis.livejournal.com]

Psht, nah, nothing wrong with you. I'd totally do that too. I do that at Rock concerts if I find the band to be some what atrocious. Funny, I've always wanted to go to a Civil War Re-enactment. Sounds like a blast.

[apollinav.livejournal.com]

The canons were definitely a blast. I was a very safe distance and they moved the earth. It was a good time. Not as rednecky as I anticipated.

[kariosis.livejournal.com]

You mean no one brought their sumbitchin' truckboattruck for ridulating and tailgatin' and showinoffamitizin'?

[apollinav.livejournal.com]

No, it was very much a family event. Well attended by a lot of people, and a very wholesome crowd. Though there was a hayride to get from the parking lot to the battlefield that was kinda hick-ish. Cute and fun, but hick-ish.

[kierkegaardwife.livejournal.com]

I find absolutely nothing abnormal about that. But then again... look who's talking. LOL. We're all mad here, darling. Tartan festival, you say? I once went to a Celtic festival--don't remember much as there was no eating or sleeping in that four day period (drinking out of public water fountains only and crashing on some acquaintance's parents' unheated basement in PA in the winter, nothing quite like being a poor student). I learned how to drive a standard on the beltway through D.C... talk about being high on life.

xx

[apollinav.livejournal.com]

I know it's not a contest... but you win. Hands down.

I also try to embrace the quirks, in myself and others.

I was wondering where you were. I don't recall seeing much of you lately on lj. Or maybe I'm just not with the program. How is life? New job?

[kierkegaardwife.livejournal.com]

Of course it isn't a contest, silly! Besides, you totally win the safety award. I should try to follow your example more often, LOL. It's just that Brother and Gaelic Storm were there and I just couldn't miss that, now, could I?

And of course, you're right. I haven't been around much. I've been indulging my antisocial streak. I'm contemplating cranking out a story tonight, but I've been thinking about that every night this week. I should just do it and be done (the problem with me and writing is that I NEVER get just one idea, I get two simultaneously and I never finish anything).

Oh, and from here you can clearly see... mah face. I'll probably take it down soon, but I did kind of want to put a face with a name and whatever, but I'm already sick of looking at it.

I start my job on Monday. Beginning with three months of training. I'm pretty excited. I have to do a dry run, I'm thinking Friday.

How's you?

xx

[apollinav.livejournal.com]

I is good.

I'm a natural introvert so I understand the antisocial streak very well. I am completely comfortable enough to drop inhibitions with a very few close friends or gobs of total strangers. But on the off-hand that someone might notice ME, and be disapproving, well, I clam up. I was raised in Virginia. We do disapproval right!

The pic is great. I love the wide-eyed innocent babydoll look. And it appears as if you're doing a classic 1920s makeup thing. So I threw my face up on the post. It's my pirate costume from 2 years ago. My hair is now chopped into a cropped pixie cut.

[kierkegaardwife.livejournal.com]

Funny. I always pictured you a red-head. I don't know why. You were raised in VA? I love it. I lived near Lynchburg for a while. Stupid people and their... disapprovingness. They shouldn't be that way. I'm sure you're perfectly fantastic; what I know of you certainly is.

I'm not sure what I was thinking with the make up, but I wasn't over the top enough. I made a few fatal errors. I had no liquid liner and the middle color should've been green. Next time... next time. I do kind of want to be a pin-up girl for Halloween. Perhaps that'll be my next make-up attack.

You're lovely! Pixie, huh? I wish I was that brave, but most days I need something to hide behind (yay for side-swept bangs!). I can't tell much about the pirate costume, but it's always fun to dress up. Last time I did, I was a... I have no idea the name for it, but I dressed up as one of these:

http://media.photobucket.com/image/dia%20de%20los%20muertos/loboloco13/Dia_De_Los_Muertos_.jpg

xx