my very kind two doors down neighbors have taken to asking me out on some of their date nights...  sometimes a movie, or dinner... it is very sweet of them while my boy is away....  

so last night, it was a hot air balloon festival.... and it was really worth the near heat stroke to see some 60 hot air balloons rise from the ground and fill up the sky....  i mean, i've seen hot air balloons go by before... but never that volume all at one time....  pretty neat...  there was a concert as the big crowd waited for the fireworks show.... (also really good)....  and soon Air Supply took the stage....   really.... Air Supply....  and they could still sing, and surprisingly all the songs were ones i remembered from a couple lifetimes ago... they've been at it for 35 years or something....   so we were in this vip section as my neighbor is a beer distributor guy... and the stage was right next to this small area....  

i guess the most surprising thing of the night was the pocket of air supply groupies.... they stood and swayed their hands back and forth in the thick heat....  and such a variety...  young and old,  straight and gay....  they remember from lifetimes ago as well..  there was this youngish asian lady.... and between each song she would yell 'i rove you'   really loud....   i wish i could explain the laughing in church moment... but i just got my giggle on to the point that i started to feel bad about it....  it had nothing to do with the music or really any of the individual fans.... but it was the scene... all of it put together.... on a airport runway....  and i couldn't stop laughing....    an older women that apparently gave up coloring her hair about a year ago...  bottom half blond, top half gray.... would yell at anyone who stepped in front of her bale of hay...  and it was scary confrontation.... she was right next to my neighbor and after each assault on a passerby, she'd look at her for validation....  it just went on and on... and then there was 'all out of love'.... the 15 minute version where the singers would sneak a word in here and there and let the groupies do the work.... 

a rather long explaination of how you just had to be there....   the fireworks though... and the balloon part...  nothing to laugh about... straight up so glad to have gotten to see it.....

i've read a few people that have indicated how sick they are of people saying how hot it is.... but lemme just say...  i'm going for shower number 3....  no blow dryer required....  as cold as i can stand it....  its freaking hell out there...  just saying....

and on the 9th day from today i'll do something i've never done before.... i pledge my love and caring to a boy that loves and cares back.... and even though it's just a formality.... one i've avoided for some stretch of time.... as it approaches i realize how important all these years have been....  and i know i'm doing it an odd way... maybe all wrong, us all alone... no showers or parties...  i couldn't be happier....  i can't wait....