Happy Mardi Gras

One of the local radio stations was broadcasting live from The Strand (one of my favorite places) in Galveston for the big Mardi Gras festivities.
I could have sworn I heard Outlaw Dave say this was the 8th year for Mardi Gras Galveston.
Well, that can't be!
As much as I would love to think it's only been 8 years since I was in high school, I know that's not true.  I know it's been more than 8 years for Mardi Gras Galveston because I WENT to Mardi Gras in high school and that was *cough -more than 15- cough* years ago.
Even after high school, I found my way to The Strand for Mardi Gras.
I've endured being slammed in the head by a guy's huge arm while he was jumping for doubloons then being asked out by said guy when I called him a "fucking asshole" (I guess he's into that!).
I've seen people I went to high school with showing their tits for cheap plastic beads.
If I'm going to show my tits to a crowd of drunk guys, I want more than plastic beads.  I want diamonds or cash.

One year, with a former friend, we noticed two drunk guys holding each other up walking down the sidewalk.  When I pointed and laughed, my friend screamed, "Oh my God!  Those are my uncles!!!"
We picked them up and gave them a ride back to the mainland but not before one of them projectile vomited in my car, hitting me in the back of the head and showering his brother.
We stopped on the old causeway road to clean up which included the guys removing their soaked shirts and throwing them in the bushes.
We drove the rest of the way home with the windows down. 
I left Mardi Gras that year with a moon pie, a few beads and two drunk, shirtless Mexicans in the back of my car.

Good times...