Drink, Drugs & Rock n Roll (plus energy boosts, fast food, boating...)

The stage was set for some big entertainment this weekend.
And I'm not just talking about the various acts which were lined up for Rockness '09 - I'm on about the fun factor which Caitlind, Graeme and myself had planned out to make this Rockness experience the most kick ass highland music festival experience so far.
Saying that, our initial plans for a boozey pub night on Friday evening were scrapped at short notice when Graeme discovered he was due for a 5pm to 3am shift. Since we couldn't really change this - bad conscience and all - Caitlind and I naturally joined him. Although we did get to go to Burger King earlier on for some grub, and we did have a good laugh in Graeme's pink Audi on the way to Inverness, so really Friday wasn't too lost on the banter front.
Of course, the night shift was pretty ace too. There was a lot of variety in the casualties we met up at the Nesstival arena where Caitlind and I had been thrown to; ailments ranged between the less concerning problems like mild sun burn or plaster requests for paper cuts, and the more major issues like intoxication leading to reduced consciousness, tachycardia, and risk of hypothermia (the latter usually being due to their absence of clothing) or the occasional large nose bleed due to a drunken punch up. The usual for a music fest really.
We also discovered that night the life-saving properties of 'Monster' energy drinks. Need to be fully alert and awake for 10 hours straight? Give 'Red Bull' the kick, and pump yourself with this stuff. It's damn good and does the job. Plus the cans are big, so you get a lot of juice at one time. Good stuff.

Saturday was slightly more eventful, on both chillaxing and working fronts.
We were joined by Hannah during the day, and after the four of us had finally come round out of our comatose state and pulled ourselves out of bed, we decided it was time for lunch. Well, breakfast, technically. So we went to MacDonalds.
Then, after a spot of shopping (La Senza, Graeme?) and a quick stock up on energy boosts - this time Red Bull cos the multi-packs from Morrisons were good value -Hannah suggested a great place for a bit of wind-down time.
Invershneckie's Whin Park has a boating pond, and seeing as the sun was shining and we had all the time in the world to kill, we decided it would be good fun to make Graeme practice his boating skills and row us round the wee lake for a while. Ok, we didn't flog him for the whole time - we each had a turn in the rowing seat, with a "How to Row a Boat 101" from our swiftie pal.
Once we'd had our fill of splashing each other with oars and crashing into the mini islands, we decided it was time to return to the Youth Hostel - our home for the weekend - and get ready for our next 5pm - 3am stint.
Saturday at Nesstival was busy again, with yet another bundle of different casualties to deal with. Plus the same questions to answer, mainly:
"Where's the nearest toilet?"
"Can I use your toilet?"
"Can I take a short cut through your tent?"
"Do you guys have any sun cream/after sun?"
"Have you seen [insert name here]?"
"Do you have any water?"
"Do you have any condoms?"
I think that list pretty much covers it.
Once again, the Monster drinks were going down a treat, but another saving grace was the UK office's very own Operational Support Unit - aka, the Red Cross burger van. It had been driven up from London as a one-off deal, purely to feed the many first aid volunteers and ambo personnel who needed the sustenance during their long shifts. All free, and all ours.
Actually it was a very snazzy vehicle and well appreciated, though why it had blue lights and battenburg on it is a wonder. The only emergency I could see it responding to with blues and twos is if a first aider was starving somewhere.
Anyhoo, it shouldn't be dissed - I really think Northern Scotland could do with one. The constant supply of lasagna, mac 'n' cheese, late night pies, fruit, crisps, cakes and doughnuts (or 'Dougnuts', as someone had spelt it - great hilarity for Douglas) were welcomed with open arms and stomachs.

So, with Saturday night blending into Sunday morning, yet another shift came to a close.
Sunday was spent in Pizza Hut sharing a giant cheesey bites pizza (apart from Caitlind, who opted for a healthy Caesar salad) and relaxing on the grassy front of the Youth Hostel, after Caitlind and me truly clobbered Graeme in a wrestling match, or two. It was really fine, just lying about, using Graeme's gut as a pillow and soaking up the sun's warm rays, listening to music and having a blether. But sadly, the chilled out afternoon had to come to an end, and as we queued up to board the mini buses back to Rockness, the grey rain clouds loomed over us.
Seriously, that's not just for dramatic effect - the weather did change, but it's not like we were upset to return to the site. Actually we were really excited, cos Biffy Clyro and the Prodigy were away to play that night.
For once, I was not shoved up to to the Nesstival post. This time, both myself and Caitlind were let loose in the main stage Arena, within the confines of the main stage pit. And somehow, we ended up in the grab team.
I'll say it now - the grab team is awesome. I actually loved every minute of it. I'm not sure why really, 'cos on reflection you have to carry a heavy Alpine stretcher, O2 and a first aid kit, and usually you add a heavy unconscious person to the equation. But you also get to barge through a heaving mass of people, and you are never fully sure of what you're going to find when you reach the casualty. You also get to work as a real unit - team work is vital in the grab team, and I really liked that. I think it's just the overall adrenaline rush that kicks in with the job.
But last night, it was the Prodigy, and the Prodigy meant one hell of a rave, and a massive rave meant lot of casualties. Which meant a lot of shouts for us.
I totally surprised myself with the strength I found in me. I think I have adrenaline to thank for that, and possibly Monster energy drinks again. But I really, really enjoyed the buzz. I hate to admit that, because it's like taking thrills from other people's misfortunes. But while I did feel sorry for the folk we had to roughly lift and shift on the stretcher, I also loved the ability to part the crowd and fight through to the hospital tent, knowing that it was vital to get these casualties to safety, and while doing so knowing that the responsibility of another person's life was literally in our hands.
Even writing this now gives me shivers, lol.
Point is, I'd quite happily do that again, anytime, anywhere.
Aside from the change in role, the bands were pretty good. Biffy Clyro naturally put on a rocking performance, and the Prodigy almost lived up to their rave-ilicious reputation. I say almost 'cos I actually expected more of a head-banging performance from them, but then I'm not a great fan and I didn't really have much time to acknowledge their show. Either way though, the finale of Rockness '09 was pretty damned brilliant.

So, home we went, at four in the morning. Now I sit here, tired and trying my best to remember the best bits of the weekend. Actually, for being so shattered, I think it's a pretty good account.
It's definitely long enough.