Fear and Loathing in downtown Missoula

It never ceases to amaze me about how clueless I can be about the goings on of the world around me. I came downtown tonight to my usual coffee shop haunt to journal and blog only to find hordes of people milling about the streets dressed up like dead people. The line in the coffee shop was ten times longer than I've ever seen it, but one of the baristas spotted me in the line and asked if I was having my usual (I tip every time when I'm in here so that certainly paid off tonight). I asked him what was going on and he said that it's "The Day of The Dead" and that a parade was going to start in about 30 minutes. Really? That would explain all the people dressed up like dead people standing around expectantly. I had to ask a young college student if she would move her stuff off an empty chair in the window, she gave me a withering look like I had large, herpes infected pustules ready to erupt at any moment on my face but she moved her stuff for me so I could have my preferred window seat for people watching. I got my journaling done and now the parade is streaming past. Wow, I didn't know they made inflatable, buffalo shaped sex toys as large as a bus these days. I have no idea what you would do with such a thing or what it has to do with dead people, but one just went by. There goes a woman with a rainbow, lightup hula hoop, I don't even think I would have to be high to enjoy a hip gyrating performance of that. It never ceases to amaze me the places people will bring their dogs in public. I see two couples together with 4 very large dogs standing out there. If I brought the terrierists to this sort of thing, I'm pretty sure that they would find a way to set fire to the parade and wreack havoc upon an unsuspecting crowd. Hey look, there's that woman who works at Target that looks EXACTLY like my ex-wife. I swear she's in there every time I'm in Target, I can feel her watching me, I think she's stalking me. Maybe I should marry her so she kind find her true love in the bridal party just like my last wife did. That wasn't cynical, I'm a great matchmaker in that respect. Well, I think I'm going to enjoy the rest of the parade and stop the "Fear and Loathing".