North Texas Irish Festival 1994

Title: Ticket stub from the 1994 North Texas Irish Festival
Date: March 5th, 1994
Category: Tocket Stub
Current status: Scrapbooked

The annual North Texas Irish Festival... since 1983, at the beginning of March, Dallas hold the NTIF to celebrate all things Irish. Last weekend was the 27th edition of the festival. I didn't go.

In 1994 though, I was still in the early stages of my love affair with Ireland. That love affair started around 1992, but I'm not certain when. I was infatuated with the place. Partly because Ireland just seemed so magical and different, and partly because I thought I had ancestors from there (I have yet to find a strong Irish line... Virtually every ancestor I've found was born on this continent before the Revolution and they all came from England and France. I'm still convinced I've got a strong Jewish line somewhere). I had all sorts of touristy Irish crap around. CDs of "traditional" music, flags, shamrocks, leprechauns... whatever nonsense I could find. I subscribed to an Irish-American weekly newspaper, I wore green (never mind the fact that at the time I was drifting between Protestant and Agnostic.... definitely not Catholic), I watched "Darby O'Gill and the Little People", followed the Republic of Ireland football team, and tried to eat corned beef.
So of course, when the Irish Festival rolled, I was really excited. Ray and I went out there. It was (and is) at Fair Park out in that wretched hellhole known as Dallas. I don't remember a lot of details about the visit... I remember wandering around, hearing a lot of music, looking at a lot of stuff for sale, consuming some not particularly authentic Irish food and drinks, and just generally being amused by the spectacle. I think that year I bought this hideous green vest. At the time, I thought it was pretty freakin cool. Now, I don't think it's cool nor can I fit in it. I've still got it somewhere I think. If I find it, I'll take a picture.
I know I went to more NTIFs than just this one. I believe I went to the '95 festival as a music reviewer for the TCU Daily Skiff. I must have been at at least one after 1996 because I know I've had a (terrible) plastic cup of Guinness.
I think my last attempt to go may have been in 2000. Ray and I went out there with the intention of going to the Irish Fest. We got out there mid morning or so, but then thought it would be fun to go to the Science Museum first. Then, I think we saw some limited engagement movie at the IMAX, perhaps Fantasia 2000. next up, The Irish Fest, right? Wrong! The Titanic exhibit was at Fair Park. Gotta see that.
By the time we got done fooling around at all the other things in Fair Park, it was getting dark and we were getting tired. We pretty much got up to the gate to go into the Festival, looked at each other, shrugged our shoulders, and went home.

I have since lost my love of Irish stuff. I'll be honest here... a big reason why is that for the 5 years I worked at the Bull & Bush, I'd say 85% of the true Irish that I met were jackasses. I'm not the only one that has this impression either. And before anybody jumps all over me for being a jerk, I freely admit that I possibly did not get a fair cross section of the full Irish population... just the ones that like to hang out in bars and drink. You can draw your own conclusions.

Birthday Card from Mom & Dad

Title: Homemade Birthday Card from my Parents
Date: Most likely May 27, 1988, my 13th birthday
Category: Birthday Card
Current Status: Scrapbook

I didn't usually get homemade birthday cards from my parents. They were typically store bought and often a little cheezy. I think my mom once gave me the same card three years in a row (the third time was on purpose).
I assume this "card" was in recognition of my achieving the age of 13, hence the goofy "you, teenager, you!" at the bottom. My parents, particularly my dad, seemed particularly fascinated by the aspect of their kids becoming teenagers. I'm not sure there was really that much difference between 12 and 13 really, but then, I don't have kids so I can't really be sure of just how exciting every little thing is.
Perhaps it was more of a milestone for my parents. The fact that I made it to the age of 13 before they actually decided to act on the near constant urge to strangle my sorry, trouble making butt. I can see how that would be exciting.
The bare bones greeting card was actually a way to show me what I would get for my birthday since they couldn't wrap it (or apparently, bring it home) :

Geez, Children's Palace... who even remembers Children's Palace? I remember I like Children's Palace better than Toys 'R Us, but I don't really know why. Figures I'd pick the loser in that horse race.
At any rate, dad borrowed a small pick-up truck belonging to the father of my buddy David Irvin and we went and picked up a 10-speed from the Children's Palace by the Parks mall on Cooper Street. It was blue with yellow trim. I think David got one shortly thereafter that was almost the same bike. Great. Bicycle twinkies.
I rode that bike all over for about 3 years, until I got my driver's license and then I didn't ride a bike again until about 4 years ago when I decided cycling would be a fun way to lose weight and/or spend a bunch of money.
I thought I still had this bike, but thinking about the garage at my mom's house (which I have spend a great deal of time working in the last few weeks), I can't picture it. There's my mom's ancient bike with the basket, dad's old bike from around the same time, dad's 10 speed from the '80s, kristen's pink huffy, and Kristen's scooter... but I can't remember seeing mine. I don't remember getting rid of it... huh. Weird.
I wanted a 10-speed to replace my previous bike, the infamous Huffy Sigma. I had gotten a Sigma for Christmas back in '86* I think, but then it was stolen over Spring Break in '88* when I stupidly left it outside of Rocky Stanzione's backyard fence... the one that faced Hawkins Cemetery Road. I was to lazy to pull it through the fence and so I left it on the ground, unchained, thinking nobody would steal it. Dumbass.

*all dates are guesses... I'm not really sure