Memorial Day

Another long weekend has come and gone.  Weather was perfect for all of my weekend plans.  I had no big plans, but I kind of like it that way, especially after having 2 weddings on back to back weekends.

Saturday.  A slow, meandering day, topped off by a monthly beer meeting.  Our Tipplers Beer Society has been meeting for over a year.  And though we do drink a fair amount of beer, we actually discuss and evaluate the merits of each beer.  This past meeting featured summer beers (my least favorite seasonal).  Christ it seemed as though we spent a good part of the afternoon swilling back Lemon Pledge.  Horrific.

Sunday.  The Missus, my brothers and myself went to a German Spring Fest.  Great music, great food, and three giant liters of beer (including Hofbrau Oktoberfest).  Awesome.

Monday.  Lazy day.  Read a lot, watched TV, and played some Xbox.  Drank a few beers.

Also thought a lot about the people around the world who do what they do, so I can do what I want to do.  I toast their efforts and think about God Bless the USA by Lee Greenwood.  Cheers to all of the fine men and women who give so freely...

Thank you.

Weddings -- Part 2

The second wedding is over, and I've come out on the other side safe and sound.  And sane for the most part.

I would like to report that wedding number 2 went off without a hitch, but I'm afraid I can not.  About halfway throuh the reception the beautiful bride took an unfortuante tumble on the dance floor, spraining her knee.

Initially, people assumed that she would carry on.  That opinion changed when the ambulance and the EMTs showed up.  The music played on while she and her new husband fist-pumped their way out of the reception and to a local hispital.

The reception continued, though a bit of somberness had fallen over the crowd.  Fueled by Miller Lite and a bit of Jack Daniel's, I was able to carry on as well, even filling in for the groom for what seemed like a two hour Polish apron dance.

Good news, bride is OK and she and the groom are enjoying their honeymoon, though perhaps at a slower pace (stupid crutches).  They will certainly have an interesting story to tell for the rest of their lives.

Well until the next wedding...

Weddings...

Well, the first of two consecutive weekends of back-to-back weddings is over.  A drive to South Carolina, a quick two day stay, and then back home.

I am a veteran of over two decades of wonderful marriage.  It still makes me happy to go to a wedding (every now and then), and see a young couple embark on a life together.

Am I getting soft in my middle age?

To be truthful, I dreaded the drive, both there and back, and dreaded the ceremony.  I even dreaded the reception.  But you know what, it was ok.  Really better than OK.  Good food, good friends and family, a dance with the Missus, and an open bar all added to my enjoyment.

This Saturday's wedding I am dreading also.  I'm the best man, you know the toast giver, ring monitor, and all that other jazz.

I'm sure that once I get there and the festivities begin, I will enjoy myself as is usually the case.  Again, there should be good food, good friends and family, the beautiful Missus, and for the groom's sake, an open bar.

Cheers to Zack and Jen.  And cheers to last weekend's happy couple, Sara and Christopher. 

Death Comes in Threes?

Good morning.  Sorry about the delay.  I guess it has been a good delay since my last musing.  So many ideas to write about and so little time.  I've got to get better at organizing my ideas and dividing up the writing hours accordingly.

Anyway, I wanted to discuss the idea of death coming in threes.  I'm not superstitious at all, but apparently this notion of the three-pronged death cycle is quite old.

If we look at the music industry in the last two weeks, somewhat of a more open-mind than me, might link the deaths of three people.

George Jones, country legend, world-famous drinker and otherwise notorious outlaw, died on April 26th at the age of 81.  Less than a week later, Chris 'Mac Daddy' Kelly from Kris Kross, died at the age of 34 (way too early for anyone to die) on May 1st.

The very next day, May 2nd, Jeff Hanneman died.  Jeff was a guitartist for one of my absolute all-time favorite bands, Slayer.  He was only 49.  Too young.

I share a personal link with all three of these artists.

In the late 80s and early 90s I kind of liked rap.  I could understand what the artists were saying, and in general, it didn't suck like it does today.  But, to each his own.  I liked Kris Kross' big hit, Jump along with other artists like Public Enemy, LL Cool J, Kool Moe D, and A Tribe Called Quest.

Later I got into country music, preferring bluegrass and classic country to the newer pop-style country.  George Jones was always a favorite.  Still love two of his big hits today -- He Stopped Loving Her Today and I Don't Need Your Rockin' Chair.

My first love, though, was always rock n' roll.  Kiss, Slayer, Black Sabbath, Motley Crue, Saxon and countless others.  I still listen to the same old stuff today.  I like new rock n' roll, but it's just not the same.  Maybe I associate those old songs with my youth, or maybe the music was just better back then.

Whatever the case, it's only rock n' roll, but I love it.  Always have, always will.

I think I'll listen to Slayer's World Painted Blood today.