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The few people who've followed this journal since I started it more than a year ago may remember I wrote about Grand Illumination. Well, it's that time again. All day, the Historic Area has been full of trucks and festooned with yellow police tape, to keep tourists from blundering into the areas where the fireworks will be set off tonight. And the long-standing tradition of camping out to get the best seat for the show continues unabated. I arrived at work shortly after 8 this morning, and there were already people in lawn chairs out on the Palace Green. Personally, I think it's stupid to stake out a place that early, when the majority of the crowd doesn't arrive until after 4. But I guess it makes sense to them.

I was at the Palace today because I didn't sign up to work this evening in the Capitol. Giving tours all day would be stressful enough, but working there today would have meant getting locked in the building during the fireworks, because it's not considered safe to go back out while they're being shot off from our courtyard, and then talking to people for another two hours or so. This is one of the few days of the year where we actually let people in the Capitol after dark, but since I'm not working there today I have no idea what they'd actually see. It's not as though a big government building makes much sense as a hub of holiday activities. So I'm doing my old job today, checking tickets at the Palace and inwardly seething whenever someone comes up and asks, "Can't you just walk through the building on your own?". No, you can't, you moron, because you're not going to learn anything that way. Plus, we don't want you making off with any of the artifacts. xp

Last year, I decided not to stay around after work because it's so hectic and crowded; but this year, I'm going to venture back into the madness and check out the parties. Three of my friends from work are having parties, all within a block of the Capitol, and my plan is to spend a little time at all of them. With any luck, they'll last late enough that all the crowds will have gone home, and I can get back to my house without difficulty. Not that I plan on driving anywhere tonight; that wouldn't be sane even if I expected to be sober (and I seriously doubt I will be, after three parties). Walking is definitely the best option when the town is this congested.