This was the absolute longest weekend of my life...and has turned out to be just as long of a blog. I'm pretty proud that I made it to the end relatively unscathed. It could've been much more taxing if I hadn't been smart. Thursday was the Triplets' 21st...success. Friday was the New Year's Eve shindig...relative success but draining. Saturday was Mummers...I'm now a champ. Today was a miserable Eagles game...no way to fail on this one. Details of these events are as follows:
Thursday was quite busy for everyone. Kerri and I were busy all day cleaning the house for the surprise dinner party for the kids. So many people showed up! I would guess there were about 50 people in this house at one point, and there certainly was plenty of hot, warm, delicious food thanks to the culinary expertise of Mrs. Gatti.
Round 2 commenced in Old City at Finnegan's wake. Surprisingly to only me, I guess, there weren't that many people there in the bar, but that didn't stop everyone from having a great time. On a side note, I asked my cousin, Denny Dodd, to be the final groomsman in my wedding. When I asked him if he wanted to, he said, "I don't know...you tell me." Sweet. So now my party is complete, and it's not a shabby group of dudes. That night wasn't a shabby way to begin the weekend, either. Let us continue.
On Friday, I was higher than anyone else in Philly. Main Line Affair (www.mainlineaffair.com) played at the Pyramid Club on top of the BNY Mellon building in Center City. It was such a cool view. Imagine being face-to-face with Billy Penn on top of City Hall...that's what we saw. Our view was of the eastern part of the city and across the Delaware River into NJ. They let off fireworks at midnight in Camden, and while our view was obstructed by the guests standing right in the windows, we could see some of the show. It was a marathon, and I didn't get back to my friend's house until 3 a.m.
Speaking of marathons, Saturday was one of the longest days of my life, and I won't give many reasons. I will say that the Mummers Parade is one of the coolest things in the country, and I know that people either love it or hate it here, but if you, like me, aren't originally from here, it's something worth seeing. Last year was an abbreviated version of it for me because I was a baby and had to leave early to go watch the Mountaineers lose to Florida State in the Gator Bowl...pathetic. This was long and arduous.
The day started, luckily, at 11 a.m. I don't think I would've gone the distance if we started at 9 like we did last year. We got to Engine 1 Ladder 5 in time to see the end of the Comics, the first group of Mummers. If you don't know Mummers, the Comics are the people sloppily dressed in ridiculous costumes that drink lots of beer during the entire parade. Also, there were brass bands from New Orleans playing in truck beds. They were hired guns. Next were the Fancies - the guys with large feathers and plumes. Their costumes weigh about 100 lbs. each. Finally, the String Bands arrived at the starting point. The String Bands are the main attraction. They rehearse year-round for this parade and are extremely serious about the event. It shows, and they certainly don't drink during the parade like the Comics. My horn partner in MLA is in the Avalon String Band...they made top 5 this year out of 17! Check them out at http://avalonstringband.com/. Also, check out the Mummers at http://mummers.com/.
Once the last String Band completed its performance, we regrouped and traveled to "2 Street," which is 2nd St. in South Philly. All of the Mummers relocated to this area, and they basically had a second parade on 2 Street. It felt like Mardi Gras with all the New Orleans brass bands still performing. The Comics led the way and were mixed among the crowd. Beads were flying, and the suds were, um, sudding? Anyway, this presumably lasted all night. I wouldn't know; we relocated again to a house party. Here is where I will end this story...
Kerri and I just got back from the Eagles loss to the Cowboys. It was a terrible game; cold, rainy, and miserable. Both of us were exhausted from Saturday, and because we couldn't sell the tickets, we couldn't let them go to waste. It's still the NFL...you would think the quality of play would be pretty good, right? Yeah...me too.
Thus concludes the longest weekend ever. I have tomorrow off, but I have to write out a lesson plan for my lessons tomorrow night. I'm teaching rhythm and need to be prepared. I also need to find another source of income since Parties and More is turning into a slumbering bear. Until next time.
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