The Severed Cortex

This was the 2nd one we've attended. Both were held at the SWIC - Granite City campus which is ham dandy for us. I'd have to say that this year's gala was less organized than last years event. There were plenty of volunteers to help reign in the crowd, which was kind of a problem last year. This year's crowd was about the same as last time it seemed. Everything else was exactly the same as year. Same crafts for kids. Same food. Same Santa Claus. They attempted to let kids go as an age group to talk to Santa, but the whole thing fell apart around age 8 or 9. From that point it was sort of a free for all. Each kid got a gift bag with some candy and a gift card to Wal Mart. (I'm not thrilled it was Wal Mart, but it's probably the choice that makes the most sense). Gift bags aren't very exciting for kids and Robert was clearly not excited. Toys are exciting for kids. Last year there were toys, and lots of them. The kids got to pick out which present they wanted from a lofty stack perched precariously on several standard issue folding tables.

By the time we stood in line to get name tags, most of the tables were occupied. Actually, pretty much every table was occupied. There was one table occupied by a very grandmotherly black lady. At first I thought she was there with Robert's family, but I soon figured out that she had just been sitting there by herself and we sort of squatted on the rest of the chairs. I wound up sitting beside her and during the party announcements, the list of food was read aloud. At the mention of nachos I heard her say, "I sure would like to have some nachos". I asked her if it was OK if I got her some food and she seemed shocked that someone would even volunteer to do such a thing. I told her if I didn't do it my mother would drive up here and smack me on the head. It turned out that her sister worked for BBBS. From that point forward she told a half dozen people that I got food and coffee for her. Don't tell anyone that I was nice to the elderly.

After the party, Robert rode with me back over to his house. I tried to help his sister install the software for the mp3 player she received at school, but they managed to scratch the thing up so badly that it wouldn't play.