I had two hopes concerning yesterday's wedding: That the ceremony would be brief and that there would be good eats at the reception. Whatever else happened, I'd consider the event a success if my hopes were manifested. They were.
Earlier in the day, I pretty much dicked around until it was absolutely imperative for me to get ready. I won't relive the unnecessary stress I put on myself rushing around multi-tasking and sweating like a pig on a rotisserie. Just know that I somehow got to the church with a few minutes to spare before the ceremony started. I even beat my sister and her family, who barely made it on time. They really need to get their act together.
The rain came down at almost precisely the same moment the ceremony began. I don't really believe in omens, but if I did, I'd say that certainly wasn't a good one. The priest looked like Cliff Claven and talked a lot about Jesus and love. He shared a couple of anecdotes that were meant to be funny, but weren't. At least not to me.
Every time he said something like "Jesus brought you together and Jesus will keep you together", I'd think: " How can you say that with any certainty? You can't even come close to proving that God exists and Jesus is his only son". I only felt a little guilty for having those thoughts. Maybe I've grown cynical over time --- I used to be more accepting of creation myths and religious dogma ---but I'd prefer to think I've just opened my eyes. I haven't just dumbly believed everything that's been presented to me. I know, this coming from a guy who's convinced there is a species or two of giant bipedal apes that exist in North America, but in the case of Bigfoot, there isn't only anecdotal evidence to go on.
My intention with this post is not to make it an essay on my religious beliefs, but I will say that, even though I think most organized religion has only a loose affiliation with the truth, I still believe there is something out there greater than all of us, a guiding force that cannot be pinned down, that is inexpressible. To see otherwise intelligent and seemingly thoughtful people buy into their faith without questioning it even a little bit, is a little disturbing to me, I confess. Know what, though? It looks like a lot of these "sheeple" are better adjusted than I am, leading healthy, fruitful lives. Maybe there's something to organized religion. They could serve better food during mass, though; one wafer and a little wine doesn't cut it. How about some bagel bites?
The ceremony, as I stated above, was brief and afterward we all filed out into the rain to head over to the reception in Andover. Once there, my sister told us she couldn't find the diaper bag she had left in the van when they headed into the church. It had her camera and check book and she was concerned that it was stolen. More on that later.
I sat with my family at a table that was placed as far back as you could get. I didn't care; we were situated so close to the kitchen that we had first dibs on all the food, of which there was a bounty. Scallops and bacon, spinach pie, quesadillas, chicken fingers, meatballs, and bread and cheese. All of these appetizers were delicious and they kept coming and coming. I felt like the Marx Bros. in Night At The Opera when they crashed the banquet on the ship they were stowaways on and stare wide-eyed at all the food being heaped on their plates. I've never been to a wedding with food as delicious and plentiful as this one.
When I saw that my nieces Kiley and Shannon were getting bored, I initiated a game of twenty questions with them and we played round after round until I got bored with their lack of skill (It took them nineteen questions to guess Dieter Dierks! What the fuck?). At one point, my cousin Michelle and her newly-anointed husband Michael made their way over to our table and said hello. It was strange seeing her all grown up. I still think of her as the little girl who used to follow me and her older brother around at the lake in Maine.
Her brother Brian came by a few minutes later. After talking with him for a bit, I discovered we live only a few minutes away from each other. I gave him my number and we made tentative plans to grab a drink some time along with his girlfriend, Hannah, whose uncle, she told me, had a bit part in Fanny and Alexander. I'm curious to know the details of that story. Maybe she could give me the juice on Liv Ullman.
I left the reception around ten and made the treacherous drive home through the brutal rain. I thought about how unlikely it is that I'll ever get married and that made me a little sad. It's still possible, obviously, but the odds are not in my favor, not at my age. Ah, but who wouldn't want to marry me? Don't answer that question.
My sister called me this morning and told me a guy had found her diaper bag on the side of the road in Reading, miles from the church. He dropped it off at the police station near his house in Everett. She asked me if I wouldn't mind picking it up for her. I told her I would and we marveled at why someone would steal a diaper bag from a church parking lot. And they didn't even take her check book or camera. Maybe they just wanted the diapers. Gross!
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I walked over to Rite Aid yesterday to purchase an iron, and on my way there I saw two women having an argument with a guy next to a moving truck. I noticed that the truck had sheared off a sizable branch from a tree on the sidewalk. That was what they were arguing about. He downplayed what happened. "It's just a tree branch", he said.
The women were in tears. "It's a living thing!", one of them sobbed.
You see some interesting things around here, to be sure.
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A word of congratulations to my friend and reader of this blog, Frank, for his recent nuptials. Love the pictures you posted, Frank; the joy in your faces is palpable. Wish you all the best!
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Went to the Greek festival on Central st. with Spira and Seany Boy Friday night. I hadn't eaten anything substantial since breakfast and I was starving. Each of us got a big plate of food and we sat under the big tent on the lawn and pigged out while we listened to an incredible group of musicians belt out some traditional greek music. After we ate, Spira joined the group of dancers in front of the band. It was a treat to watch, especially with all the hot women who were involved. I had tiny crushes on at least four women that night. We stayed longer than we intended to, but the music and the festive vibe made it hard to leave. A good night.
And speaking of good nights, I bid you all one because I'm out of here, bitches.
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