You've still got an engine to start?

I often debate that very question.

Saturday. Up at 7:30 instead of 5:00, a bit fuzzy headed, but feeling better for the sleep. I will take a bath, now, and think about breakfast. Carnavals tomorrow and Monday. I think they're still having the Oakland Carnaval festival or whatever they call it in the park. They had some car vandalism at last year's event, but that happened in the evening long after I'd left with camera and body intact. A tussle among the usual malcontents: drunks, punks, free livers, low life action photographers and Buffy The Vampire Slayer addicts. Not a clean living bunch. But I digress.

Later. Searching the web I find the Oakland Carnaval Festival, what I've been calling the Oakland Carnaval Festival, is actually the Carijama Festival which has evidently been held for the last 20 years in Mosswood Park (not far from my neighborhood) and this year, having had their request for a permit turned down due to the "difficulties" mentioned, is being held in front of Oakland City Hall. Carijama really has been a nice day in the sun listening to music, watching (and photographing) the small, but not too small mid day parade, but whatever happened last year - again, something about car vandalism late in the day, not in, but near the park - it will be a shame if holding it now at City Hall doesn't work out and we lose another festival in Oakland.

I note both the San Francisco Chronicle and the Oakland Tribune haven't listed Carijama as an event on their web sites. The Oakland Tribune building is located maybe two hundred yards from the City Hall. So much for reporting on the locals. No mention of the new location, no mention of Carijama at all. I assume this lapse has more to do with politics than any lack of interest of readers who might like to attend. A lot of people go to this thing, have gone to this thing, I suspect many will be there Monday, so no mention whatsoever? Maybe the festival organizers haven't donated the necessary funds to the local electors. You want to win a bid to build a building in the City? You pay your necessaries. You want to give a festival in a park? You pay your necessaries, preferably in cash through the usual suspects.

You don't know what you're talking about.

It really was (and, I hope, still remains) a good day in the sun and a lot of us (with little or no political clout) will miss it. I can sympathize with the residents around Mosswood Park. Lots of cars parked in their streets, lots of people streaming by (probably littering) on Memorial Day. Still, they live near a park, they get the benefits of the park every day of the year, maybe there's some inconvenience that comes with the territory. Parks are there to be used by all and once a year parking problems doesn't seem so great a burden. Or is that the past, a conceit of another generation? No more gatherings in Oakland; none with music, certainly, unless it's downtown with police protection.

You like the events in downtown Oakland.

True, but the atmosphere in Mosswood park is different. Oakland is about different. Oakland encourages different. Or is that diversity? We encourage diversity, not difference?

Pass the potato salad.

Indeed. It's Memorial Day weekend.