Systematic SNAFU: Like OMG it's Paula!!

Early morning, thursday, Sept 18th.... The sleepy little town of Mayberry.... oops Harpers Ferry was a flurry with local residents like Barney and Goober and Otis and Opie, looking to get themselves a look at anyone or anything that might appear important. See, Good Morning America had arrived late in the night on a special GMA train and had parked themselves in a secret location.... (further down the tracks) Now they were due to arrive back in town at any moment, and even the aunt Bee wannabe's were primping. The sun was just busting over the mountain ridge and already local residents could be heard chirping like little spring birds in heat.... some even more intent on being noticed would loudly guffaw at any stupid thing said. Hoping, just hoping that camera would be pointed their way. Now don't get me completely wrong, it was nice that GMA picked Harpers Ferry, but let’s face facts... We've had the cameras here before and the outcome is never pleasant. The rumors about who might make a surprise appearance started two days ago from Michele Obama and Joe Biden to the man himself, Barack. Let’s hope none of them show up, because Barney and his crew won't be able to handle it. Besides they're too busy watching the "chosen" ones. Too busy looking for that cloud of "morning smoke" to be able to pay any attention to what matters. I watched the train last night after it pulled in..... too many lights and like expected, a surly bunch of un-showered crew wishing they were somewhere else and loudly claiming so. There were other locals down at the train and as I stood and watched......... them, more so than the train, I couldn't help but wonder what it was that made them all act so damn stupid. What is it about an opportunity to get a glimpse of someone famous that makes the average under achiever act like a smitten school girl? I took my dogs and went home passing even more partiers along the way. I just didn't get it. I guess living in DC for so many years I've become jaded to the polish they always put on events like this. I won't whore myself for the benefit of someone’s ratings or some small towns need to be noticed. It causes me a sort of nausea watching my town grasp at any possible chance of "being" a celebrity. Are they all suffering such bruised egos that they constantly require praise? Damn, they're like puppies who finally learn to pee outside, but you still have to say "good Puppy" when they do it for fear they'll just piss in the house if you don't. Sitting here at my computer window, I can hear the humm of generators and the occasional shrieking roar of gaggles of women happy to see ......... something. I guess it's a personality flaw that I can't bounce around in public and be what others claim as "being themselves". I guess in my attempt to be a little more reserved with my emotions, I'm the one who loses out. LOLOLOLOL yeah right! We walked down to the Harper House Porch to watch the train arrive. Thankfully we had it to ourselves. There's nothing like being able to observe an event undisturbed. The first people to get off the train were the camera crew..... the retarded crowd cheered. They could have sprayed them with urine and they would have cheered. Anyhow, we took a couple pictures just like we always do to remember things and walked around to watch Paula Deen. That right folks.... Deen, no relation.

They make the crowd look huge on TV, but the only thing huge here were a few of the onlookers. Thank the gods Harpers Ferry is such a large zip code, because that’s the only way most of these people could claim they were from here.

Again we picked a Prime location to watch from.... well that was until people saw us, and shortly afterwards joined us along the fence. It was all good though, because they were a bunch of high schoolers and we totally used them to our advantage. I had them yell "Paula", when she turned to look, I snapped the shot!

I could only watch the camera guys set up a "fake wave shot" so many times before I had to leave. Everything was so staged... I guess that's necessary to make a good show, but truthfully.... even Paula’s hair is fake.... she has extensions. She pulled one out and the makeup/hair girl had to rush in and fluff.

We really should have joined the group who hiked across the river to MD Heights. At least that way we could have claimed we actually DID something today. The train is gone; the glory seekers have climbed back into wherever it is they hide away, until their next strained and most likely failed attempt, at becoming something other than average. The sad fact is, that so many people rely on this type of artificial praise and public recognition in order to justify their existence. It just saddens me to see it happen so close and so frequently, thus explaining my funky mood. I can only hope that the day will come when as individuals and as a community we can rise above vanity and self pride. Maybe come November we'll have a real reason to be proud again and it not be selfish pride, but pride in others. Perhaps it's the lack of leadership that’s put this country and the small towns that make this country into such a negative space. I'm sure there are those of you who might disagree with me and label me a malcontent..... go ahead. I still have my new attitude and things are looking up, but that doesn't mean I'm gonna sugar coat crap and feed it to you. I don't want to be like the others, always laughing at anything, hoping something worthwhile will come along. How can we learn to appreciate what’s real when we live a daily fantasy? Get real people. Get educated. Get over yourselves. This country is circling in a clockwise motion…….. and when it’s all said and done, we’re not gonna remember the Paula Deens and the cameras. We’re just going to be reminded how we let the lights and a chance to be a micro celebrity, distract us from what really matters. While GMA paraded around Harpers Ferry pretending to know how to make and enjoy apple dumplings, soldiers were still dying fighting a useless war. Our economy continued to crash around us……….. silently…… and why?..... because we were too busy smiling at the pretty lights.