Timberrrrrrr!!!!

(mom, if you read this, please promise NOT to freak out and call me as soon as you're done. I'm fine, I promise!)

Yesterday was not a stellar one by any means. I discovered the bent gate, my work laptop decided to catch a bug, and I was involved in too many meetings where vendors were throwing each other under the bus in order to save themselves. The ONE thing I had to look forward to was SXSW and the Hotel Cafe show at the Parish.

I left work early to try and beat traffic, go home, change, and be downtown in time to get tickets. I learned during the film part of SXSW that if you wanted to see a show, you needed to arrive at least an hour beforehand. I wasn't taking any chances here, this was the one concert I wanted to see this entire weekend. I got there an hour and a half early. No one seemed to be on my same wavelength, apparently concerts don't require as much line waiting time. I checked inside with the staff who were still busy setting up and told me that about an hour before the show tickets would go on sale.

I decided to start the line outside for tickets. This may be the first time I was first in line for anything. The wait wasn't so bad. I made friends with other people in line, there was a huge drum circle down the street and the people watching was phenomenal.

bad lighting here, but you can see the masses of people

and Tigger too

At about 7:20, they were about to start letting people in. The badges (people who actually have something to do with the music industry) were let in first. Randomly, I started feeling nauseous. I figured it was because I hadn't had dinner yet, but didn't want to lose my place in line to go get food. As I began to feel dizzy as a result, I put my hands on my knees to catch my breath.

The next thing I remember are three cops surrounding me, a man yelling to "move her out of the way, she's holding up the line," and some lady freaking out that my lip was bleeding. Apparently I fainted and fell on my face... twice.

The cops propped me up to sit, where I lost consciousness, again. Then the trouble started. Enter an ambulance and fire truck to the scene. Really?!? How embarrassing! The cops stood me up and with one on each arm, carried me off the street telling me that I was going to be arrested for public intoxication. That woke me up. Holy cow! I could lose my job for something like this! Then it dawned on me, I wasn't drunk! I volunteered a breathalyzer to prove it, which they denied me, and began to question me on what sort of "recreational" drugs I take. "Um, nothing, I work in rehab" I got a look like this was something they heard all the time.

What really angers me about this, is the lack of compassion from the police. I understand that the majority of people falling over during this thing really are too drunk to handle themselves. But it was 7pm! Give me a break. Is it so hard to believe that something else may have been a factor? The tough guy act was completely unnecessary. How about concern for once?

I was told that my choices were to be arrested or go with the EMTs for testing. So off I went with the paramedics, luckily talking them out of not strapping me onto the gurney. I was hooked up to monitors, and the blood work/ blood pressure tests began. Now that the fear of being arrested was behind me, I was more focused on what I had done to myself. My face was so sore! "Er, do you have a mirror in here?" The two EMTs laughed. "If you're worried about your lip, it's not so bad. Nothing a little lipgloss won't hide"

Phew!

Question after question, they had no idea why I fainted. I proved that I had come to enough to be released and not taken to the ER for further tests and an IV for rehydration. Somehow I even convinced them to let me walk home alone.

Once home, I completely broke down sobbing. I was so mortified that this happened! And I was by myself, and most importantly, I missed the concert!

My knees were totally skinned (what am I, 10?) and my nose was really starting to throb. Nick assures me it's not broken. Since he's been in his share of fights, and his dad's a doctor, I'm going to go ahead and pretend he's qualified enough to make that call.

This morning my entire face is sore. My front teeth are loose from biting my lip and falling on them, and I'm just really tired. I used to faint a lot as a kid, but haven't in YEARS. And never to the point that I actually hurt myself in the process. This is just more proof that I should not be allowed to leave the house alone.

I've decided that as a consolation prize for all the trauma, I've earned myself a trip to LA and to go to the real Hotel Cafe for a show or two.