Carnival: two days off from school and a weekend of relaxation, competition, and funnel cake (and partying. Lots of partying. Way too much partying). On Thursday time moves slowly, and you feel like you can do it all: buggy, booth, endless barbeques, concerts, holi, fireworks, mobot, a cappella, AB Comedy… The list goes on. And on. So you visit a booth or two, attend the comedy show, and call it a night.
The Friday sun rises. You’re a little hungover, but you tell yourself there’s still time… Until you fall back asleep, not to wake again until the day’s first barbeque has already begun. Unfortunately you’ve missed the first day of buggy. There’s always Facebook photos to depict the competition…
By Saturday Pittsburgh’s pissing (I mean raining) on Carnival, as expected. Now you don’t feel like doing anything. Another Carnival has gone by and you’ve lost all your Tartans pride. Sigh.
This year, the words above will NOT describe my Carnival. This year, I will defy sleep, gravity, and even time if I have to–whatever it takes to complete my Final Carnival Bucket List. That’s right, mobots got nothing on me: I have a time machine, baby. Anyway, if you see me walking aimlessly down Forbes this weekend, missing out on one of my bucket list items, I’d love for you to grab me and point me in the right direction. Here’s my list so you can be on the lookout:
Defy long lines. Visit every booth.
I’ll wake up to a beautiful day and say to myself, “No rain! Time to visit booths!” I’ll throw on a summer dress and sunglasses, grab my fully-charged camera and prance excitedly over to Midway. Unfortunately, every year what seems like every student in the school has my same idea, though. Unendurable long lines tempt me away from visiting my peers’ creations. This year I will not let the same thing happen. Rain or shine, long lines or no lines, I’ll make my way into every booth (even the ones that start falling apart by Saturday).
Tear myself out of bed before noon. See Buggy.
This year I will ignore the pains of sleep deprivation and get my butt over to Tech St. Browsing friends’ pictures and reading about buggy scandals after Sweepstakes is not the same as cheering on my peers as they use every muscle in their bodies to drive these incredible machines. That’s not to say, though, that I won’t be clutching a fresh cup of coffee for dear life.
Get off Midway. See Mobot.
Buggy’s, let’s say, more technological twin, Mobot is an event I’ve never made it to during my three previous years at CMU. But who doesn’t want to see the robots made by our peers go neck in neck outside of Doherty and Wean? Well. I know I want to see the mobots.
Actually make it to Carnival events.
I schedule event times in my calendar every year but somehow never manage to make it out to them. Between AB Comedy bringing Nick Offerman, student a cappella and dance group performances, caricaturists and face painting on Midway as well as Passion Pitt, holi, and CMU’s 2012 Film Festival, there’s simply too much to do on the pavement we used to call Morewood Parking Lot. I will put my time machine to good use and make it to everything. Well. At least to Nick Offerman.
Find. All. Free. Food.
Barbeques and free food events happen at lightning speed during Carnival. If I’m going to spend a weekend doing no work, I’ll need to compensate my non-productivity by spending no cash money on ingestibles.
Don’t look at me like that! I know we’re all doing the same this weekend.
Looking to live an action-packed Carnival, too? Visit Spring Carnival 2012’s website for event information. Or search the word “barbeque” in Facebook.