NTKOG #142: The kind of light, vibrant puppy who spends sunny weekend afternoons cavorting with the natives in massive displays of silliness.
I am,: on the artsy loner scale from F. Scott Fitzgerald to Edgar Allan Poe, somewhere around Raymond Carver. Klonopin Plus!
I am not: fond of situations in which I am likely to get touched.
The Scene: Postcard-perfect Cambridge on the loveliest weekend day of the year so far. The brilliant minds at Banditos Misteriosos coordinated a massive Boston pillow fight in Cambridge Common in honor of Second Annual International Pillow Fight Day. As of the afternoon before the event, 3700 madcap Bostonians had RSVPed. I was one of them.
As I got off the 66 bus, wadding my synthetic down pillow self-consciously into my messenger bag, I discovered the sheer enormity of over a thousand pillow-clutching revelers. From every direction, Bostonians streamed toward the park, wearing pajamas and tophats, newspaper fairy wings, ghoulish face paint, vibrant summer dresses, giant hamburger costumes — holding pillows, the whole lot of them.
Well, not all holding pillows. The directions on the Misteriosos website instructed pillow-duelists to enter the scene inconspicuously. And I’ve got to say, nothing screams inconspicuous like dozens of early-20something dudes preggo-waddling with king size pillows stuffed up their indie-tight T-shirts.
By the time I arrived in the park, three minutes before the all-in whistle, the line had already been drawn: bloggers and gawking types perched on the park’s stone benches, fighting for the best photo vantages. The rest of us pushed into the crowd, picking out the likeliest face-smack targets.
The moment my clock struck three, a fugue of “WOOOOOOOO!”s rose in a ripple and someone in the very thick of the combat zone threw a stuffed mackeral body pillow into the air.
SMACK! A cute undergrad in a houndstooth waistcoat thwacked my glasses askew. I threw ‘em in my bag and lunged blindly, first for him, then for the rest of the world.
There's just no way to express how very many people there were. Even when I left, twenty minutes into the fight, undergrads were still streaming up Mass Ave like salmon. Minus the spawning opportunities. (Well, or not. You know undergrads -- they'll have sex anywhere.)
After a few minutes, the reclusive photographer types grew a little more daring.
Dude with the green pillow smacked me in the face like fifteen seconds later. I THOROUGHLY APPROVE.
The Verdict: I was prepared, even as the starting gong was going off, to hate this one. I mean, festival atmosphere, swarms of undergrads, mandatory touching — what’s to like?! And the actual fight itself was only fun for the first few minutes. But, dude, if over a thousand people gathered in the spring sunshine for an afternoon of wanton fun doesn’t make you smile? You just might be dead.
{ 11 comments… read them below or add one }
Ah! If I’d known, I would’ve sent the kidlet over with her pillow to give you a whack!
I didn’t learn about it until I saw your tweet on Sunday afternoon! Then I packed up my pillow and flew immediately to the scene! What a great afternoon.
sounds fun/scary lol
Whoa, intense. I know they did one in Union Square a couple years ago, but I didn’t go. I’m more into the blowing bubble fests–they do one yearly in Times Sq.
How fun! Glad you enjoyed it!
If nothing else it must just be immensely cathartic and experience, hmm? Beating out your frustrations on another consenting adult, haha! Also potentially slightly kinky. Think about it.
I participated in a public pillow fight once…just once…
I was there! I was there! Look at my current Facebook default pic:
http://hphotos-snc3.fbcdn.net/hs385.snc3/23520_600330351018_1706955_35417991_7720475_n.jpg
I sort of hated it too. I loved that it happened, but the actual pillow fight was like one of those seizure-inducing Anime cartoons….only with B.O.
Oh yeah, and a little PS: I had agreed to meet up with my friend Juan (pictured) at the library at Harvard Law School and walk over to the Common together. Because I didn’t have a campus map, I was a total tourist and probably stopped no less than 10 students to ask them where the heck this library was. I kept wondering why everyone was being SO overly nice to me. Was it the beautiful weather? Was it the permanent self-satisfied glow of being a Harvard student, period? Was being helpful and courteous and charming part of the admissions criteria?
Just when I started to feel pretty good about things (“they must be smiling because they think I should go here”) I realized I was carrying a messenger bag emblazoned with the logo of my fancy-shmancy law firm that they all surely interviewed at for summer associate positions. No, guys, I’m not a recruiter–just a pillow fighter. Sorry to disappoint. :(
I think it sounds fabulous, except for the possible mass spread of bed bugs. Ick, my inner germaphobe would have totally spritzed with bleach water immediately after. (is that wrong? I care not a whit)
Ah, yes. I attended the pillow fight in San Francisco. I was stoked about going, but ended up with a headache and an unpleasant feeling about the whole ordeal. The best thing was people in that distinctive light blue helmet telling us about things we could do with our pillows other than fight.