Carnaval 2003
Skip down to the photos if you don't want to read all this!
THE TIME HAS COME FOR CARNAVAL!!! (Actually, it's come and GONE, but that's not the point....) THE TIME HAS COME FOR CARNAVAL PHOTOS!!! Carvanal alone is practically enough reason to have a website to begin with, so this is like my favorite time of year. (Do I love this more or less than Halloween? I'll have to think on that one!)
I want to start with a few words. I heard a lot of stuff from folks this year about Carnaval and their reasons for not going, and it seemed to have a common theme of "fear of debauchery" or like this was some sort of giant ORGY or something where everyone is doing body shots and rolling about on the floor in a drunken or drug-filled haze. NOTHING COULD BE FURTHER FROM THE TRUTH, and it was really starting to upset me listening to these people. Sure, there's drinking by some of the crowd, and sure, there were people there on more than a natural high, and - GASP - I saw a few girls' nipples FLAGRANTLY displayed (perfectly legally, may I point out), but I want to go on record saying that Carnaval is
- some of the safest, best fun I have all year
- one of the HEALTHIEST things I do for myself all year
- an opportunity to dance and laugh with some of the nicest total strangers I could ever hope to meet
- one of the biggest creative outlets I have on ALL KINDS of levels
I feel FREE at Carnaval. I am surrounded by people of ALL AGES in all manner of dress. I saw people as young as in their early 20s and as old as in their late 70s. (I actually saw quite a few couples who were "seniors" all dressed up in their sequined dresses and masks, dancing the night away.) Some people were in jeans and t-shirts. Some women wore only bodypaint, thongs and heels - heck, some MEN wore only bodypaint, thongs and heels!!! EVERYONE was smiling. Everywhere I looked, people were smiling and laughing and everytime someone asked to take my photo, they always said "thank you" and I always had a big smile back with a reply of "happy Carnaval"!
The music was AMAZING. I danced almost all night, with two potty breaks (one to actually pee, one to use a little more "emergency glue" on J9's pasties) and only one rest break on the bleachers. I kept running into people I knew and the losing them in the crowd. I ran into Lois and Ryan twice, but lost them while J9 and I hunted for our husbands (Kearson was later found with Nate, who wore horns). I saw two old friends from high school, Chris and Carlos, and Chris and I only managed a quick hello before I lost him for the whole night. Carlos and I found each other later and shared several dances. Katherine, a friend from bellydance, wore a beautiful costume and an amazing mask, and we danced, too! As we would find friends in the crowd, we'd scream and dance and boogie and be so happy, and then WOOSH, someone would be taken off in the conga line and they were OFF! (Sondra told a story about putting her hands on her boyfriend Mel's shoulders just to keep track of him through the crowd and then suddenly people lined up behind them and it was POOF, Mel was leading a conga line!!)
So, basically, if you're not going to Carnaval, I sure don't know why. If you're afraid to go alone, find a friend to go with. Heck, Mac showed up as a surprise totally by himself. Sondra, Lane and I gave him some beads and later he was spotted in a conga line, having a great time. You don't need a costume, you don't need to drink, you only need to come with an open mind and happy feet and a willingness to let your spirit soar for a few hours. You only have from 9pm until 2am, when they turn the lights on, so it's this brief trip into another world. I guarantee you'll leave there with a happy heart and enough stored up mojo to get you through another month or so of winter - maybe until the bluebonnets perk up. Personally, Carnaval juice carries me through all kinds of rough times all year long. I think I speak for my "posse" when I say they feel the same way.
Oh, and as a footnote, J9 and I (we hung together a lot of the night) must have had our photos taken by strangers AT LEAST 200 times. It was CRAZY how many photos were taken. We felt like celebrities!!
So I was Carmen Miranda this year. I had a GREAT time getting my costume together, and even more fun wearing it. This is a good close-up of my makeup, and I love it that one of the sequins is catching the flash from the camera in my headdress. Lane, as usual, took most of these photos, and I am eternally grateful!
A good full-length shot of the whole costume. First, yes, that's fake tan (fake tan ROCKS). Second, I made everything you see here but the black pants and the red thong beneath it. The headdress weighs 4 1/2 lbs and I used probably 40 yards of fabric on the ruffles. Most everything was put together with Fabri-tac, probably the single coolest thing I've ever used for crafts. If you haven't used this stuff, RUN OUT AND GET SOME. It's expensive as far as glue goes, but it is SO WORTH it. Trust me on this. VERY LITTLE actual sewing went into this costume. Just glue, glue and more glue. :)
These are the boots I wore! They're seven inch (yes, SEVEN INCH) platform boots (made by Demonia - the style is called "Bolt" - I got mine from the SUPER helpful folks at funkefeet, who were WAY more helpful and responsive than ANYONE else I tried online. ORDER FROM THESE FOLKS! They rock! Including my headdress, I figure I was at least 6'4"!!!
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