Monday, October 17, 2016

Three Beautiful Things 10/16/16: Private Eccentric Pleasure, Joyous Wedding Ceremony, Mirthful Reception

1.  After breakfast, I strolled down to Savannah's River Street and succeeded in not spraining an ankle walking on the cobblestone.  After a little bit of gawking, I sat down on a bench, put in my ear buds, and listened to this week's episode of The Big Listen. It's here. So, during each episode of The Big Listen, the program features recorded phone calls on the Pod Line -- it's listeners talking about a favorite podcast or two of theirs.  This segment of the show is accompanied by a minimalist music sound track and for some reason the music gives me a nostalgic feeling (nostalgic? already?) and I always picture myself driving down Kenilworth through Riverdale and Edmonston and other D.C. suburbs in Maryland, crossing over on Decatur to Baltimore Avenue to head south to Bladensburg Road and a visit to DC Brau.  Many years ago I used to keep track of what I called my private eccentric pleasures -- and this morning that phrase from nearly twenty-five years ago popped back into my mind and I smiled, thinking about how that little bit of music and my feelings of nostalgia about driving to DC Brau combine to give me a perfectly private eccentric pleasure.

2.  The wedding ceremony went beautifully. For my part, I got choked up as I opened the ceremony, took a pause, gathered myself, and then proceeded forward just fine.  Both Scott and Cate were very appreciative of what I said to the guests about the role friends and family play in the marriage covenant and expressed a lot of gratitude for my charge to them in their marriage. It was a joyous ceremony, intimate, held outside of Savannah in a small historic chapel amidst oak trees with Spanish moss hanging from ancient branches, a perfect setting for Cate and Scott to join their lives as husband and wife.

3.  The reception dinner was held at Garibaldi's Cafe in Savannah's Historic District and it was a mirthful celebration of the wedding. Merriment reached its peak after we finished eating dinner and the dance music began. I wished I was a little younger, longed for the days back in the early nineties when I used to dance for hours without stopping at the WOW Hall, but, when the B-52s' "Love Shack" came over the speakers, for about four minutes I felt some of that youthful energy again and gave dancing my ass off my best shot.  It was really fun to see Barbie and Parsa and to meet Holly and talk more with Tom and enjoy great conversations about Eugene and good times around the theater and our affection for mutual friends.

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