Okay, so I’m trying to be really positive and upbeat about my move to the suburbs, about trying to capture my own little slice of Suma. We had the move yesterday, which was just horrible, but we at least had a bed to sleep in and food in the refrigerator.

And today, in our first day in our new home, there was a parade. I’d like to say that the local municipality is a big, big fan, but the parade was actually in honor of a children’s circus that’s been set up in Memorial Park, a few blocks from my home. To celebrate the circus, the village threw a parade down Main Street, a parade that was extensively advertised as including a LIVE ELEPHANT. Indeed, it was pointed out that it had been like 80 years since an elephant walked down the streets of Nyack, which seems impressive for those of you who track those sorts of thing. At the very least, I now have an interesting question for a bar bet.

But, as positive as I’m trying to be, I have to confess that the parade was a wee bit disappointing. Here’s how the parade went:

1. Two fire trucks.
2. A group of children, whom I later found out were the children performing in the circus, walking. Not doing anything, just walking.
3. A clown.
4. A juggler
5. An elephant, followed by a guy with a scooper, a backpack (you don’t want to know what’s in the backpack), and a shirt saying “What? And leave show business.” Which I thought was funny.

And then it was over. It was the shortest parade I ever saw. If I’d gone in to get a coffee, I would have missed it.

So, again, I’m happy to be in my new home, I’m excited to be part of a new community, and I love a parade. And it was a children’s thing, so I don’t want to be a curmudgeon. But, well, would it have killed them to maybe do another walk around the block, and pretend that the parade was twice as long?