Somethin' Fishy.

I went to the Mermaid Parade for the first time this year. Now, I have lived in this city for several years and have always had great interest in attending, but for one reason or another even with the previous few years’ threat of extinction, it hasn’t happened until now. Earlier in the week emails had circulated amongst our friends trying to coordinate travel. A few were headed down on their own so we touched base with a couple who we had mentioned the plans to the night before. Confusion over the similar sounding names of a subway station (Atlantic/Pacific) and a neighborhood bar (Pacific Standard) garnered a gin and tonic and ride in the back of a friends company car. Amanda and I sat cross-legged like kids in the back of station wagon, as there were no seats in the vehicle that bore the name of a competing company of one of my jobs. If ever a time for over site, this was one, it isn’t often that we get to casually travel by car without a fare rate.
We hit traffic by the water where the Verrazano towered and crossed further down the road and above our heads. It was a little past two, and our friends had already arrived, but I refrained from letting it get the best of me. Anyway, the view, company, and soundtrack kept us going as we finished at a crawl for the last five miles
We finally got off the highway and miraculously came across an exiting vehicle at Mermaid and 17th super close to the festivities. Amanda hopped out to reserve as our friend backed in. A lucky happenstance, probably appreciated the most by our drivers wife who is several months with child.
The four of us headed up to the boardwalk, peeking at a pair exposed while polishing off a bag of cotton candy before we hit the planks.
We found out friends situated near the end of the line and settled in to watch the parade pass us by. I couldn’t help but notice the large number of BP/Oil Spill themes. Faces smeared with black makeup and slick stained fins were sad reminders of our current situation in an otherwise festive setting. Right now as I am writing, I have the day off to get some work done in the studio. I took a break from my work on some studies for a project I am participating in later in August to make some lunch. It’s been a busy week and the kitchen was sparse, but there were some scallions, cucumbers, and Green Goddess in the fridge and a can of tuna in the pantry.
Remember that whole Chicken of the Sea/Jessica Simpson thing a few years back? People really ate that up at her expense. However, this year at the parade people weren’t laughing while they held signs bearing the tuna companies logo and mermaidy mascot paired with anti-BP sentiment.
I flipped the can in my hand over to look at the expiration date, as it had been on the shelf for quite sometime. With all things considered didn’t seem like so much of a bad thing.
In doing so, I got the idea that there are a lot of things that you could figuratively flip over and see a “Best Before Date” of sorts. Obviously, the Gulf of Mexico was “Best Before 4/20/10” the opening credits to most movies and television shows (as well ad about billion other things) were “Best Before 09/11/01” and Lik-m-aid Fun Dip so much better before the color changing blue raspberry/green apple business got added to the triple pack in the late 90’s. The saliva triggered staining flavor still accompanies the far superior and more covertly consumed grape and cherry. Don’t even get me started on the 2 to 3 ratio of stick to dip absurdity. I’m sure I’m not the only one that this upsets. I take my candy consumption very seriously. This one time, I popped my peas and carrots color combo of skittles in my mouth expecting a limey orange goodness only to return the candy all slimy and slightly chewed back in to my hand for examination. You may or may not know this, but for a brief time lime was replaced green apple. This completely threw off favorite flavor combinations concocted and consumed for years. The alteration was short lived, the crap apple craziness stopped, and I’d like to think I had a part in that. After I got over the shock of what was happening in my mouth, I scoured the source for some sense of what had happened. There was no notice other than the text change from lime to green apple to give warning. I wasted no time in calling the customer service number that I found on the reverse side of the packaging, resolutely lodged my concern, and the original integrity of the red bag was restored. Well, a few months later, all signs pointed to back to lime. Now, I’m not claiming full responsibility for the companies retraction of infraction, I am sure there tens of hundreds who did the same. But the important thing is, a difference was made. The Moral? Let your voices be heard and let things stay at their best for evermore! Doot-doot doot-dah- doot. (that’d be the sound of the end of my public service message if I made it such.