spent Sunday doing my annual volunteering stint at AIDS Walk and realized, again, that there are some really nasty people out there.

i started working at the event when Becca and i were dating. she was actually employed by AIDS Walk and i somehow got roped into volunteering. it's been fun, though, over the years, despite the crazy people and the long hours on my feet.

so what i do is stand in the back parking area (which is more a mess of streets all coming together than a parking lot) and make sure forty or fifty buses get parked correctly, dole out parking spots to VIPs, help with directions to where i might think parking for not-very-important people, keep everyone out of trouble, and provide an easy target for irate passers-by who think using the park for anything other than what they want to use it for is a crime.

now, before you get the wrong idea, let me explain that most of the people i deal with on that day are friendly, courteous human beings who've either shown up to give back to their community or were just driving by and got curious. i love those people. i enjoy talking with them and trying to help them out with directions. they get gold stars.

unfortunately, they are greatly over-shadowed by the occasional ogres who insist on flinging insults at me and speeding off in a huff. last year, as you may have read, i noted the correlation between car and driver: the nicer the car, the nastier the attitude. still holds true, although, i'd like to add a corollary: if you drive a shitty, beat-up truck and have been drinking since eight in the morning, you are prone to swear at everyone with in earshot, including other completely uninvolved drivers, nearly hit three people, speed off in a huff, return, swear some more, and force us to call the fuzz on your abusive ass.

he was the worst. the rest were just upset tennis players who were feeling put out because they had to drive an extra three-quarters of a mile to park near the tennis courts. they're merely tiny rainclouds on an otherwise sunny day.

oh, by the way, for the dark clouds and anyone else who's reading, if you go to the park on Sunday, regardless if there's an event going on or not, take the bus. parking is a bitch any weekend day there's a lack of fog and the bus is easy. you'll enjoy the day more and won't look like quite such an ass.

anyways, we raised $3.5 million for AIDS organizations and 25,000 people showed up to share in their community. not bad for a Sunday in July. even if i did have to get up at 5:00am.