There's gotta be some kinda way outa here*

*Can't help with the BSG reference (I still miss it!) when I'm faced with the mazes of fences I saw on my way out of work today. Yes, it must be time for Oyster Bake once again. That rite of spring that transforms our usually quite lovely little campus into something that looks like a carnival being staged in a concentration camp.

Of course, it's all for a good cause—scholarships for deserving students that provide the raison d'etre for my job. But, gee, it sure is a pain! Compare the following scene of—hopefully—well-organized chaos to the bucolic view from my desk I shared with you a couple of months ago.


And if you think there are a lot of port-o-potties in the picture above, take a look at this scene at the left, one of the major comfort station colonies that has been set up next to the building where I have choir rehearsal. They've taken over the whole campus!

Of course, you've got to have the facilities for handling the end product of all that beer, I suppose, as well as the myriad other goodies that will be sold, consumed, littered, and excreted in the course of the 1½ day event. Some of the booths that will be selling the stuff—most of which is really quite tasty—you can see on the right.

Yes, this is not your usual school carnival, but a very, very, big event with 5 stages of live music (going pretty much simultaneously) and thousands and thousands of party animals eager to kick off Fiesta week in style. You really should come to San Antonio some April and take it in!

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In case you're wondering, I won't be attending the bash this year (that's why I took all these pre-event photos). We were hoping to go kayaking tomorrow instead but the weather forecast makes both that activity and the Bake less-than-attractive options. We need the rain, but St. Mary's also needs the scholarship money, so I really hope the young oyster-eaters, beer-drinkers and music fans aren't as deterred by the forecast as we old folks are. Take it from the official Bake mascot, Shuckie, as shown below....and ¡Viva Fiesta!

NOTE: I will be leaving for a librarians' meeting in Tampa, Florida, on Sunday and returning Wednesday. Depending on the availability and cost of hotel internet access, I may or may not be able to blog and tweet during this period. But I'll try and take some good photos of downtown Tampa (from past experience at these meetings I'll have precious little time for real sightseeing—we're not doctors, you know) and share them with you upon my return.