Cornerstone 2003:
Melissa's Recollections & Reflections

I think some people have high expectations for this article, and I don't know if I can really live up to those expectations in writing this. It's very difficult to condense such an intense experience into a reasonably concise "article" format, but I am going to do my best. I hope it doesn't turn out to be too disappointing. And, thanks in advance for reading.

So, I am going to give it to you raw, the way I wrote it in my notebook as I was experiencing things. I faithfully kept journal entries for, oh, the first two days…heh. I'll fill in the rest of the gaps with equally enjoyable ramblings.

Tuesday, 7/1/03

So - the Cornerstone adventure has begun. It's hard at this point to ascertain which are the notable occurrences. Though I guess I am not really certain what makes something notable as opposed to forgettable. I am not really used to recording events or concrete happenings anymore. I come up with a thought, which spawns a lengthy inward-focused tangent. I need to stop being so selfish with my thought life. [I don't really know what the definition of "selfish" is, come to think of it…as opposed to self-centered…]

Anyway. Our camping arrangements feature a pretty random conglomeration of people. I think we're all introverts, but it works out rather well thus far. I am quite comfortable again. Cornerstone feels like some sort of strange "home" to me. My sense of humor has been waking up again, which is somewhat of a welcome relief.

Monday was spent in the van, mostly. Heh. We wandered from town to town in search of a bowling alley. We found one in Canton, after some really neat people helped Kevin with directions. Fun was had by all. The evening was full of silly conversation and ended with a bit of a serious one.

Tuesday, Tooth and Nail Day, is the "unofficial" first day of the festival. It began with The Great Shower Fiasco, in which I waited 30 minutes in line for a shower, then was told there was no longer any water. After 30 more minutes, I finally was able to experience the rotten-egg, freezing cold refreshment of a Cornerstone shower. Ah, the beauty. [I think Danny later called getting a shower the best moment in his life since his conversion experience.]

A lot of wandering was done throughout the day, running into various friends and acquaintances. Cornerstone has become a familiar place - people automatically have faces that I feel I've seen before, people with whom I have some sort of connection, even if it is never spoken. It's good to see friends from other states, the ones I can count on running into while walking near the food court or on my way through the chaotic merch tent. Hugs and hellos. Not much can usually be said at the time, but the feeling of home overwhelms and somehow speaks volumes.

The Canadians spent some time at our site, quoting Seinfield and proving to us just how stupid Americans really are. Kevin, Bubba, Anji and I went to watch Charisse and Shane play soccer. The original purpose was for Kevin to do some heckling, but after one scream of "Shane's a cheater!" Kevin's voice took a severe beating. So instead we watched soccer and listened to a Library Core (our term) band. Later we found out that the band's name was Dead Poetic, which seemed rather appropriate. The reason we coined the term in the first place was because one of the hardcore screams sounded distinctly like "library card!!!" over and again. Of course, that's been one of those jokes that haven't died quite yet.

The first show I (finally!) saw was Joy Electric. After a late start, Ronnie Martin proved again that he just doesn't disappoint. The infamous Juan was on stage, dressed in a shiny metallic red outfit. Orlando from Havalina danced it up onstage, reinforcing my theory that he is one of the most interesting people wandering about the festival (I can still picture him doing backflips with my friend Ryan at the late great Strand Theater in Marietta, Georgia). The set was short, but the energy high.

MewithoutYou was the next dish to be enjoyed. Seeing them play is generally an intense experience for me, partially because a band I played in went on a weeklong tour with them during a rather formative period of my life. Also, the content of the lyrics parallels another important experience in which I became almost a new person. They've always been an engaging band to watch, drawing the audience in, providing some strange sense of…community, almost. Honest music - not something as prevalent as one would imagine. And the Smiths-influenced stage presence somehow ends up becoming ridiculously endearing. These are real people. [& by the way, things seem to be going well for Mr. Aaron Weiss nowadays, & if anyone deserves things going well, it's Aaron. Of course, he would deny that, but that's part of what makes it true.]

After that set we went to the food court, where our drinks were inspected with a flashlight to see whether they contained alcohol. Mike Pritzl of Violet Burning fame noticed and came over to do the same thing. Heh.

next day >>