Best time of year

For Brian, this is the best time of the year. Not because of the weather, or for love of the trees decked out in autumn golds and reds, but because the Renaissance Festival gets underweigh. For six to seven weekends he dresses up in period clothing and stands in a booth, helping to sell expensive garments and lace women into corsets ("fluffing"). He's done it for close to half a dozen years with this vendor, but began his long run in the kitchens of the RenFest eateries at the age of 15, then moved to hawking food the following year, instead of preparing it.

It was during that second year he found employment with a vendor not working for the MRF, and was happy-ever-after.

He's made steady friendships over the years, and the time spent on the grounds (tho the days are long) buoys his mood and keeps his mind occupied. Even though the festival runs a short time, he makes a pretty good bundle of cash - if he doesn't decide to do something completely stupid like work for merchandise instead of pay (which he'd better NOT do again this year). Hopefully, the working hours will help to adjust his sleeping habits to a more normal schedule, which will carry on once the season ends.

His college classes will begin in a week or so, making the time he has to sit and mope about "stuff," and the likelihood of returning to the old sleeping-'til-noon-bit a tad more inconvenient. No, he's not carrying a full load, but he is going to have homework, and that means goofing off time will be knee-capped to allow for actual work (of some sort). [doing the happy dance - me, not him]

It really is the best time of the year.