Well, it’s Memorial Day again. They started assembling the fencing for the Tour of Somerville at 6 AM this morning. I was already up, though, because I’m an old man and I usually wake up before 6 now, whether I want to or not. It’s been relatively quiet outside so far. I went for a morning walk around 7:30. They were just about done with the fencing by then, and most of the tents and banners and stuff were also up. The “family fun ride” starts at 8 AM, in just a few minutes. I’m surprised they haven’t tested the PA system at all yet. Last year, they were doing that quite early, and it was a bit of an annoyance.
I haven’t decided if I’m going to engage with the race much this year, or just stew in my apartment and try to shut it out, which is pretty much what I did last year. I’m still on my Wheel of Time kick, and I’m well into book three, so I may spend the day reading, and ignore the race. If it gets really crowded outside (and I suspect it will), that’s probably what I’m going to want to do. I’m not as afraid of COVID as I was last year, but I’m still not enthusiastic about getting mixed up in a big crowd. I might try to venture out and buy a race t-shirt, if I can, but I’m guessing the t-shirt stand will probably be on the other side of the street, which will make it hard for me to get to.
I’m actually starting to feel a bit stressed just thinking about crowds right now, so I don’t know… I’d like to get into the spirit of things, but I’m not sure I can. Meanwhile, I’ve got WPRB playing, and the show on right now is called “The Cosmic Mosh,” so that’s fun. A little metal at 8 AM on a holiday is nice…