No Highlights from BronyCon 2018 today: IRL version · 11:31pm Oct 14th, 2018
Previous Highlight (Publication Order): The Grand Galloping Gala
In which IRL issues aplenty means no BronyCon Highlight today.
October 14, 2018
Four months and change after BronyCon
Today was quite the unusual day. Last night, I had set my alarm for 3:30 AM. No, it's not because I had some crazy early-morning workout to do or because I had to help out at my church. It was because I and some other people volunteered to give out water at this month's Making Strides Against Breast Cancer walk. Our contact with the group told us that we needed to be at Central Park at 6:30 AM, meaning that if I wanted to do my usual morning routine (pray, shower, eat breakfast), I had to wake up that early.
After a few mishaps (namely, being directed to an incorrect intersection—on the _wrong_ end of Central Park, to boot!), my siblings and I made it to our water booth, where we met up with the other two members of our group.
In total, three groups were assigned to that station: my group, which represented an up-and-coming nonprofit; a college basketball team; and a sorority.
The walk itself was scheduled to run from 8:00 AM to 1:00 PM, and there was an ebb and flow of people coming to our water station. The sorority girls were quite energetic, cheering when a large group of people passed by, and shouting out breast-cancer survivors that walked by. (Breast-cancer survivors had a white sash that said "Survivor" in pink.)
Unfortunately, the girls left around 11:00 AM—the worst possible time for the rest of us. As the day approached noon, the crowds reached a fever pitch. We could barely remove the bottles of water from the pallets fast enough, the crowds were that large and many water bottles were disappearing from the station that quickly. We definitely could have used the extra manpower--as well as the cheering for the survivors that inevitably crossed out station.
Around half-past twelve, the crush diminished to its pre-noon ebb and flow, and by quarter to one, the crowd diminished to a trickle. Fortunately, there were only a handful of bottles to give away, and due to the hustling skills of one of my companions, we were able to get the table empty in no time.
After that, we ended up walking towards the finish line (taking a twisty shortcut through an area of Central Park known as the Ramble) in order to meet up with our contact from the walk. After that, we went our own separate ways.
My siblings and I ended up leaving the park at 62nd Street and 5th Avenue—a problem, since my car was at _90th_ Street and 5th Ave! My sister especially did _not_ want to walk all that way up. Complicating matters further was that this area of 5th Avenue was blocked off for the Hispanic Day Parade. My brother-in-law eventually decided to go ahead to get the car, while my sister and I stopped to rest our aching feet at 73rd and 5th, a few blocks north of the end of the parade route.
By the time we got in the car, it was a bit after 2:00 PM.
We stopped by a Haitian restaurant to get some food, and by 4:00 PM, I left my sister's house (where I was staying on Saturday night). But my night is not done yet!
An acquaintance of mine needs my help for a very important writing project, and that, unfortunately, takes priority. Hence no BronyCon Highlight for today.
But hopefully this diversion into quite the unusual Sunday makes up for it.
Next Week (hopefully): The Highlights "'That Game that Nobody Ever Wins'" and "Family Feud and the Ponies' Court"
