05 August 2008

When Irish Eyes are Smilin'

Let me just say this: I love the Dublin Irish Festival. It doesn't matter how many years I attend or how hot it is, I love it. Yes, I have a sort of insider's view--but I'm still just amazed and impressed at the quality of this event. With 7 stages of Celtic backbeats jammin' for three days... and Riverdance-style dancers clogging, jigging and reeling ... you can't help but smile and ride the electricity. (You don't even NEED the beer... but its there if you want it.) Now, I know most of the folks who work year-round to pull this thing together (for 100,000 of their best "Irish for the day" friends) and these folks are the best of the best.

For various work and volunteer-related reasons, I was at the event for a good part of the weekend. For these duties (and maybe longevity plays a part here), my friend MJ gave me a volunteer shirt with "Weekend Captain" printed on the back. I didn't notice this until I put it on Friday night. I had to laugh. I kept asking her colleagues..."What the heck does that mean? What does a 'Weekend Captain' do??" D. in Festival Ops said, "I know ship captains can marry people!" Hmmm. In any case, I felt important. I've decided I'm going to be getting a lot of use out of that shirt from now on ... around home. I Double-Dog-Dare K & T to mess with my residential authority. I mean, I have an official shirt. I AM 'Weekend Captain." Hear me roar.