Social fun

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Social fun

Postby Enzo » Mon Mar 26, 2018 6:58 am

I don't generally care for weddings. They are like funerals with an extra stiff. Wring and I flew off to Las Vegas to "elope" when we married. But this weekend, the young man I have been mentoring in the arcane arts of show-biz electronics got married and we were invited. he is a good fellow, and a pretty good friend as well.

SO we piled in the car and took off to find the resort club venue. Maybe an hour drive. Down a winding little road to a lakeside, it was like a golf club without the links, a lakeside resort for hire. Inside were lots of uniformed people scurrying around. Seating chart had us at table #2, they ushered us into the hall, pointed out our table and guided us to the seats in the main floor.

As we arrived, so did a fellow with a guitar, "Hey, the band is here." My standard line. He hung around briefly before setting up on a chair up front and playing for the hall. Before he started, I chatted with him. I said, "You know there is always some asshole at every gig who hollers out Free Bird as a request." He agreed. I continued. "Well, I am that asshole, and for just a dollar I won't shout it out." he didn't bite though. I was hoping for some quick cash.

Table #2 was wring and I, my former business partner an his wife, a luthier from Elderly Instruments and his wife, plus the just mentioned guitarist. We are all people from the groom's musical world. Another talented guitarist was seated with us, but didn't show up.

As we sat in the seats, they played some music for the procession, and wring says, "Hey, it is the music from Princess Bride." Later verified by the groom. The hall was classy enough, tables all set in fancy fashion. Wedding pretty typical, a bit long winded preacher. And following remarks from family and wedding parties. After the ceremony, they had us all walk to the end room while they cleared the chairs. Tres odd. Then we all sat to table. A number of servers hovered around passing out small tastes of things. meatballs, little beef things, hot stuff with toast. There was also a bar, but I wasn't drinking.

Each table was set with silverware, glasses, etc, but also some swag. Each couple at our table got a pizza cutter printed "for a slice of love" and a ice cream scoop, for a little scoop of love. yeah, I know... I know the groom mainly from my profession, and as a technical person, we appreciate tools. At this point in life it is darn hard to find a tool I don't have, but I don't have either of these. Dinner was pretty good.

I called the guitarist "the band" but he was just the warm up. There was a real band too. Unfortunately the drummer forgot his cymbals, had to drive halfway back to Lansing for his kit. Someone drove from the other end with them to meet in the middle.

The couple had to do all the power schmoozing table to table. I envy them not.

We had to leave right after eating. SO I missed the band, and it turns out the groom also played later on. he is a talented player as well.

But we had to go to a social function elsewhere. Wring was meeting up with a party of friends from 50 years ago. After driving up and down a neighborhood with street names like Glengarry Drive, Glengarry Circle East, Glengarry Circle West, Glengarry Court, then calling the party several times asking how to find them. "We are on Glengarry at 1009." Thanks. The neighborhood is way upscale from me. LArge fancy homes with circular drives. None had address numbers on them, too gauche I guess. At one point we were standing on a sidewalk, and another driver pulled up and asked if we were looking for the party - he was lost trying to find the same place as we.

Eventually we found it. Wring rushes in, leaving me to park the car. As I walked up the driveway, I encountered two lovely young women in party dresses. One says "Hi, who are you?" Now 30-40 years ago, these ladies would be out of my league, but these days, I can talk to anyone, so I cleverly said, "I'm Enzo, I'm here with Wendy" They each introduced themselves. I explained I was just an old. worn-out hippie. One of them said that was OK, they were new hippies. And we all went inside, where I quickly lost track of them. it was a happening party.

The place was fancy, marble floors, wine cooler in the hall way. A bunch of food was laid out, but we had just come from dinner. A couch full was watching NCAA basketball playoffs in one room. Lots of smiling talking people. Wring introduces me to Bob and Carol. And takes off to schmooze. After a moment with B&C, I retired to the TV and watched BBall. I was driving, so no drinks for me. Other than wring bringing by a stream of childhood friends and making me a dog and pony show for her Enzo products, I had little to do other than run my smile muscles.

My face still hurts.

We have little or nothing on our busy social calendar, yet we had two in the same day.
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Re: Social fun

Postby Lianachan » Mon Mar 26, 2018 10:45 am

As I always do when you post like this, I've spent far too long looking for (and, I think, at) these places on Google maps. If I have it right, the party was something like an 80 mile drive from your place, and the houses are indeed pretty grand!
A-nis bidh fios aig daoine nuair a tha mi a 'mionnachadh aig dhaibh.
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Re: Social fun

Postby Heid the Ba » Mon Mar 26, 2018 3:07 pm

Excellent story Enzo. One of our nieces is getting married in July and I suspect we'll be shunted off to the old codgers' table while the young people have fun, which is as it should be.
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Re: Social fun

Postby Enzo » Mon Mar 26, 2018 4:28 pm

Oh yeah, way over my pay scale.

80 miles sounds about right.

My table got the kitchen tools. I saw some of them at others, but a nearby table had young families, and there were plastic apples full of candy for the teens and tykes. I left with more goods than I arrived with.

I haven't given him my wedding gift yet, though I was over to the house recently and gave him a bunch of shop stuff.

I rarely go to weddings, but my standard gift is a picnic basket. I include a note to explain: "Married life is no picnic, but that's no reason not to try." I get a basket with a top lid, and either a table cloth or some dish towels in the classic red and white Italian restaurant pattern. I usually include something useful like a stainless mixing bowl and some wooden spoons, just so it isn't a total loss. But I make a collection of things like a bottle of aspirin for when she "has a headache". And for her, a deck of cards for when he isn't "in the mood". And from there, any other visual puns I can think of, or something off the wall like a quart of motor oil.

Actually, my favorite wedding gift - back when I could afford the gag - is three identical toasters in a big box. Used to be people joked about getting multiples of something, so I made it come true.


The wedding venue:
http://www.waldenwoods.com/

Sits right on Lake Walden. I noticed our table was right next to the wall of windows facing the lake. I was concerned a tsunami might come by and take us out. Then I noticed the photographer had the bride and groom out walking arm in arm by the lake while she took wistful pictures.
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Re: Social fun

Postby wring » Mon Mar 26, 2018 4:40 pm

We were at the 'after party', the actual gig was the exact same time as the wedding, but when I explained that I couldn't be there, I was offered up the alternative after one. The reason for the gig was my childhood home next door neighbor was turning 90. So all of her kids (one lived in the same area, it was his house we were at, one in Toledo OH, one in California, one in Sante Fe) were going to be there, hadn't seen them in 40 years at least. Also our former neighbors from across the street. Have remet them on facebook, share politics with the Sante Fe and female neighbor from across the street (the aforementioned Bob's sister). It was fun - I was the oldest of that whole group - I actually "babysat" the youngest 2 girls (their mom would let me 'keep an eye on 'em while she went to the store for 30 minutes). They were mostly my baby brother's age. But it was fun to see them all.
I'd posted that I was bringing Enzo gifts and mustard to the gig for them, and one protested "aren't you bringing ducks, too?" Of course, the ducks are a given. Had handed out about a dozen at the wedding already, but had plenty for the later gig as well. Saved an Obama duck for the Sante Fe woman. It was pretty funny - the neighbor kids kept bringing various people over to meet me, apparently I was quite the draw.

They had been good neighbors, we always joked that they were the Kendalls store 'cause we'd borrow the cup of sugar or milk or whatever all the time. I actually carry around with me a pic that their dad took of me, age about 10, holding our 2 Siamese cats- it's a nice pic- I'd once convinced some one it had been turned into a post card.
The best archival story about them (and they all remember this - it's a favorite story from our collective childhood) was the day my baby bro decided to get rid of the cobwebs beneath my parents bedroom window by holding a match to them, but it was really windy and hadn't rained in about 2 weeks, so the bushes in front of the window caught flame, the window fan pulled the flames into the house, the window casings and drapes all lit up. Dad who'd been napping leaped into action, rushing to the phone dialing numbers, then realized he didn't know the phone number to the fire dept (pre dialing 911 for emergencies), called to me to call the fire dept, I was busy trying to collect the cats, my mom and sister and dad all rushing around uselessly, meanwhile, our neighbor (the husband photographer, it was his widow who was turning 90) had calmly called the fire department and was turning his hose on the bushes, putting out the fire.

My brother didn't show his face outside for weeks. Had fun.
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Re: Social fun

Postby Lance » Mon Mar 26, 2018 9:29 pm

Enzo wrote:Wring introduces me to Bob and Carol.

Were Ted and Alice there too?
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Re: Social fun

Postby g-one » Tue Mar 27, 2018 7:22 pm

Enzo wrote:As we sat in the seats, they played some music for the procession, and wring says, "Hey, it is the music from Princess Bride." Later verified by the groom.

Hearing this, I'd kind of hoped the minister would have done a bit of the "wuuv, and mehwwidge" routine.
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Re: Social fun

Postby wring » Tue Mar 27, 2018 9:14 pm

nah, he played it straight. Kids these days. We, on the other hand, played everything for a joke at our wedding.
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