Ah, yes, the coming of a new season. For West Roxbury and Roslindale parents, that means getting up at some ungodly hour and standing in line to register their kids for programs at the Roche Community Center. Registration starts at 9; which means that some people get there at 5:45 a.m. to ensure they get their kids in. I'm a slug - I got there at 7:05 (after a stop at Dunkin' D's, natch) and the line, which started at the rear entrance of the community center, was already up to the entrance of West (it eventually snaked around onto Belgrade, back to the train tracks). A lot of people brought chairs; a guy behind me came with a plastic chaise lounge that he set up in the sun for a quick snooze.
Surprsingly, a couple weeks before a preliminary election, there was very little campaigning. Felix Arroyo showed up briefly and handed out leaflets. At-large candidate John Connolly took his time - as he worked the line, he stopped to talk (no surprise: education was a big topic). A couple of his people doled out Dunkin' Donuts coffee from one of those Box of Joe things. Weirdly, Maura Hennigan never introduced herself as she walked the line, handing out Lindt chocolate lollypops. Tom Menino, meanwhile, stationed himself inside the center, quietly watching the semi-awake parents step up to the registration tables.
Best overheard snippet from a conversation I sorta wish I had heard the rest of, but not enough to lean over and ask the woman what she was talking about because that would have been sorta rude:
If someone broke into my house, and was in the midst of killing me, it would totally be a valuable asset.
