I Survived RODEO HOUSTON 2006

Houston, Let's Rodeo!!! I went to the rodeo yesterday with several friends from church. We arrived early to look at the livestock show and eat some carnival food. Never mind about the carnival rides. Generally speaking, my age mates and I have outgrown excitement over ferris wheels and carousels, but not fried oreos and funnel cakes!

I hadn't been to the livestock show before, so that was fun. They had a lot of cute little animals like calves, chicks, and rabbits. We also saw many cows, goats, and other assorted farm animals. These weren't the typical run-of-the-mill animals though. They looked like they had been washed, brushed, and manicured within an inch of their lives! Someone told me that the prize-winning animals can sell for over $100,000!!!

The rodeo itself was the best part. The calf scramble is always hilarious, since it seems to mostly consist of various teenagers hanging for dear life onto the tails of obstinate and amused calves!

Clay Walker gave the concert, which included old favorites and new, first-time-in-concert numbers that will be on his new CD. I enjoyed it, except for the girls screaming behind us. I can live with a little screaming if there is truly cause for excitement, but it gets annoying when it occurs every few minutes, especially if the individual has been endowed with a particularly piercing voice.

A few memories and observations from this year's rodeo:

• How did friends go to huge events together before cell phones were invented? Countless people, my group included, where on the phone saying "Where are you? We're a little ways down from the Ford truck show behind the big white tent with picnic tables across from the north entrance to the livestock show on the opposite side of the Astrodome from the Ferris Wheel..."
• I found the mass transit system fascinating. Our city should be proud of the way they efficiently transport over 50,000 people from the stadium to the various Metro Park 'n Rides around town. On the other hand, though, when I was traveling through the crowd control mazes to board the shuttle, I decided I know what the cows in the livestock show feel like.
• The rodeo has to be one of the best places in the world for people watching. You have to watch out though. As a sense of propriety in public becomes more scarce, people watching becomes more of a hazardous sport.
• How does the stadium get away with charging $3.75 for a bottle of water?!? It's absolute robbery, especially when they don't let you bring anything in with you! You can't even bring in the $2.50 bottle of water you just had to buy in the carnival because they wouldn't let you bring anything on the bus with you!!
• Since I work in an insurance office, I was amused that the bull riding was sponsored by United HealthCare. I would think that bull riders would be bad for business for a health insurance company!
• Last but not least, this rodeo will go down in history as the year I got beer poured all over me. I was sitting in my seat, minding my own business and enjoying the show, when all of a sudden, I was assaulted by a big splash of icy cold liquid. It seems that the clumsy and perhaps tipsy individual behind me had her arms full of nachos, purse, program, shopping bag, and beer when she started to sit down, leaned forward, and proceeded to pour beer all over me. It was a very uncomfy experience because I was not only cold and wet, but I smelled like the town drunk! Thankfully, I dried off fairly quickly and didn't reek too badly. The lady offered to write a note for my mother explaining why I was arriving home smelling like beer, but I told her that would not be necessary.

As Bilbo Baggins says, "It a dangerous business, going out your door."