Sometimes life as an afro-wearing writer can be difficult. Sometimes it seems like I have become more famous for my larger-than-life hair than for the million or so words I have written online. Sometimes I feel my writing achievements have been unrecognized and unappreciated. Forget that I once won an award for Writer of the Year at my college newspaper. Forget that I was writing long, long before I donned an afro for the first time. Forget the fact that I have been read by hopefully close to a million people (or my family a million times).
Sometimes I feel like the Bee Girl of the blogosphere.
You remember the Bee Girl, right? She was the cute, awkward girl in the bee costume who danced in Blind Melon’s 1993 classic “No Rain” video. Try as she did, no one took her dancing seriously. They only laughed at her appearance. They made her feel bad, like she had no one to identify with, and not a friend in the world.
Then, after wandering aimlessly for what seemed like eternity, she finally found a place where she was accepted. A place where everyone wore bee costumes and the Bee Girl could dance and be herself and everyone loved her.
Although I have always considered minor league parks from Memphis to Melbourne (ok, Viera) a second home, last Thursday in Clearwater I finally found acceptance. I found people who were like me. People who loved baseball, who laughed and cheered, smiled and rooted, drank beer, ate hot dogs, and sang “Take Me Out to The Ballgame” while wearing giant afro wigs. I was not alone anymore.
Together we laughed and cheered, smiled and rooted, drank beer, ate hot dogs, and of course sang “Take Me Out to The Ballgame”. All while watching baseball.
Then, after the game, we danced the night away to the sounds of local funk band Disco Inferno.
It was 70's Night and it was perfect.
It was my Bee Girl moment.
Oh yeah, the Clearwater Threshers beat the Jupiter Hammerheads 9 to 1.
