Ianqui posted something asking why bars have to be so loud you can't talk to the people you came with, let alone hit on strangers. I too desperately want to know the answer to this. On Saturday we went to a bar and sat outside in the 90-degree mugginess expressly to avoid the booming stereo. So what do they do but bring out a 3-foot-high speaker and aim it directly at us? Everybody outside was just hanging out, nobody danced, and anyway the music was plenty loud even before they brought the speaker out.

I find this very mysterious, like many other behaviors of seemingly sane people who are seemingly a lot like me.

We were in Charlotte for a family wedding. The bride and groom both went to N.C. State. When everyone in the wedding party came out and was "announced" at the reception, they all wore rubber animal noses. The bride and groom finally emerged with wolf noses and a grand Wolfpack cheer arose. There also was a lot of country music which seemed to have some kind of State or fraternity connection. It was prefaced by James Taylor's "Goin' to Carolina (In My Mind)," which they made us sing at my freshman orientation. I kept quiet about that, while pondering another mystery of mainstream thought, school spirit.

It was a nice wedding and we had lots of fun, both with the family and my friend TLC who we stayed with part of the time. But I must say I'm glad I don't live in Charlotte, where there are about 3 non-redneck bars and you have to drive everywhere. 

¶ 12:27 PM