Friday Fill In #161

1. Wouldn’t it be easy to just drop everything, fly to Mexico, and say “T’ heck with the rest of it”?
2. I wish I could have one thing that went better than ever!
3. I love the taste of cinnamon and coffee.
4. My morning Wii Fit workouts take place in the living room.
5. The first thing we’re going to do is not spend too much time worrying about the second thing.
6. I’m hearing this drip, drip, drip; the weekend breakfast must be on, and that must be the coffee pot.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to being home with the family, tomorrow my plans include a gig at “The Whig and Courier in Bangor,” and Sunday, I want to do the same things I do every Sunday!

Friday Fill-In #160

1. You have a chance to become the official sponsor of some Billy Rhythm post; care to invest?
2. I have a craving for ice cream right now!
3. There is a story the gypsies know is true, that when your love wears golden earrings, she belongs to you.
4. Someone could put an offer on my house and pay later.
5. It’s time to rock!
6. The plane was supposed to go up in the air but couldn’t because the pilot lost the keys.
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to hanging out at home with the family, tomorrow my plans include making a yummy breakfast and playing a gig at The Myrtle St. Tavern, and Sunday, I want to celebrate Mom’s birthday!

Friday Fill In #158

I recognized the first line immediately as a Beatle lyric. I’ve decided NOT to post what actually goes in the blank.

1. There are places that people shouldn’t take their children; I’m always surprised at the kids parents will force through the Kiwanis Haunted House .
2. He decided he point the nose of his F-14 Tomcat straight up, hit the afterburner, and just blow those clouds away.
3. Standing in the dining room of my empty house in Rockland makes me think “Man, this place looks so spacious with nothing in it.”
4. Chef Boy’Ardee– oh boy.
5. He went out tiger hunting in order to prove his manliness. Unfortunately, he was killed on the return trip from slipping on an Egg McMuffin and cracking his head open.
6. I don’t have to do much to keep my mind from wandering .
7. And as for the weekend, tonight I’m looking forward to seeing my family before my gig, tomorrow my plans include playing a gig in Kenduskeag, and Sunday, I want to skip the church pot-luck supper (though I probably won’t)!

Mexican Weddings

This dream was from a couple of nights ago. I was in this town just outside of Mexico. Not Mexico, Maine, but Mexico Mexico. It was to be a little bit before Jim’s wedding, so I decided I’d walk over this little bridge into Mexico,  and go have a taco–just so I could say I had a taco in Mexico. Half-way across the bridge was the boarder patrol booth.

“Where are you going,” asked the boarder agent.
“I’d like to go into Mexico,” I replied.
“What’s the purpose of your trip?”
“I’d like to have a taco.”
He looked and me quizzically. “That’s the only reason?” I explained I was from Maine, only had a few hours, that I was there for a wedding, and that I’d like to be able to tell people I’d eaten tacos in Mexico. “Well, it’s really busy in town right now. Why don’t you come back after the wedding, and we’ll put you right through.” I agreed that would be fine.

So I walked to the town hall/high school where the wedding was to take place. It was a very large, very angular, brick building. A local historian was there, and he told me all about the building.  He said:

“The high school auditorium holds 24,000 people. And, we can fill it up, especially around town meeting time.”
I said “How many people live in town?”
“About 40,000,” he replied.

The building was big, but I thought “They can’t fit 24,000 people in here, no way.” I decided to scope things out. I wandered around the building, and found the stage entrance to the auditorium. I entered. It was big, but not that big. I figured the guy misspoke. The place held 2,400, maybe, but not 24,000. And, the hall was pretty beat up. I could tell from the percussion instruments on stage they looked like your typical high-school band instruments. Beat up, unloved, and un-cared-for. Things like sousaphones were being stored up in the balcony. Many of the seats were patched with duct tape. I thought “Why would Jim get married in a place like this?”

I was trying to figure out where I was supposed to go to get ready for this shindig. Someone pointed me to the orchestra pit, on stage left. I headed down there. There, behind a curtain, was Jim and his bride. Interestingly, Jim was getting married to Jeanine (his actual wife), but to Heather Schmidt (Jeanine’s maid of honor in Jim and Jeanine’s real wedding). She was lacing up her boots, when the music started blaring. Incidentally, the music Jim and Heater marched in to was the same song (“So Nice“) Jim and Jeanine actually marched out to! And they didn’t really march. No, it was almost a Broadway musical meets parade meets Sesame Street thing. About 100 people did a song and dance routine onto the stage, along with Jim and Heather. I apparently wasn’t at the rehearsal for this masterpiece, as people were dancing and singing with choreography and the whole bit. I was running around, trying to figure out where I was. I looked out into the audience just in time to see some curtains rising from the balcony, and see about 24,000 people that had been hidden behind some curtains. I thought “Dang, this place is huge!

I finally saw Jim and Heather standing in front of the officiant. As the best man, I figured I should stand up there by them somewhere. I found the bride’s mother, and she motioned me to come stand by her. The officiant was looking at us. She was dressed in a monk’s robe, and wore it hood down. I could see white medical tape across her neck, as well as a gauze pad, and a large scar. Apparently, she was recovering from a tracheotomy. She spoke in a very raspy voice. As she was speaking the opening lines, Heather’s mom tugged on my arm, and said something to me. I don’t remember what it was, but she stopped just in time for me to hear the preacher woman say “…will now lead us in prayer.” So I bowed. And waited. And waited. And waited. And then I thought, “Oh my heck, what if the preacher just said something like “And now the best man will lead us in prayer, and I couldn’t hear it because the bride’s mom was talking!” I looked around, anxious to see if someone was going to give me a cue or something. No one was looking. Every one was head down, eyes closed. But no one was speaking. I didn’t know what to do. Are they all waiting for me to lead the prayer?

Then I woke up.