put a fork in me

My friends Bill and Sabrina have been married now for almost a week. Although they've acted like a married couple for at least two years. So, I'm waiting for pictures from the photographer via the married folks, in order to post some. I've got a couple of pictures, but I found it difficult to take pictures because I was in the wedding.
So me and friends arrived late Saturday night and for us drinking starts shortly after arrival. Not heavy drinking mind you, it was late. Eventually, we all headed off to bed and an inflatable bed was pulled out for me. I get to bed about 2:30am, yes, it's early but we have to get up to do some last minute stuff. Of course do you know what time I get up because the puppy is running around and runs over me, discovers its me and wants to play? Oh, about 4am. Then the sun floods the room at about 5:15am.
By about 10am, we're all up and eating breakfast (McD's provided by groom) and drinking beer. Of course we're not just drinking, but we're doing last minute stuff. Setting up lighting in the tent (Darius & I get that lovely honor) and doing sound checks, some rehearsals with and without music. We're also setting up the "open bar" and testing it out.
As far as music goes:
Prelude - Classical Music (i.e. Bach, Chopin, etc)
Processional - Enya
Recessional - Top Gun Anthem
Dinner - Sinatra
Garter - "The Stripper" David Rose
Bouquet Throw - Mission Impossible Theme
First Dance - "Eternal Flame" The Bangles
Bride/Father - "My Girl" The Temptations
Groom/Mother - "Moondance" Van Morrison

Music wasn't the problem. There were no big glitches in the whole thing which I thought wasn't possible. Oh, and it turns out that me and my fraternity brother Tim were the only two single people to show up. Look, had I known, I would've brought a date. But it's a wedding. You don't bring a date to a wedding. That's like bringing a deer carcass hunting.
Also, there was still no clear cut assignment of Best Man between me and Darius. We attempted to figure this out between us. Uh, let's see. Darius got to escort the MOH, carry the ring, and would go on to do the toast. While I had to plan the bachelor party, pick up the tuxes, and do the music. Of course going with the theme of the party, Bill didn't tell us we had to do a toast until the dinner. Ha. Darius was good on his feet and I just stood there like a mannequin.

Since we didn't know where they were registered, Wes and I got them a Top Gun poster (which we ironically got for them before the music was selected). Bill bought the guys in the wedding party, all gigantic beer mugs which we used that weekend. Also, Bill and Sabrina got me a Jack Daniels zippo, which is awesome because if you had to describe me in three words that'd be it. Or Lego Star Wars.

It was a good weekend even if I had a little too much to drink and ended up doing my best impersonation of a supermodel. Pictures to follow soon.

not my calling

So this week has been a strange one. My buddy decided at the last minute that he wants tuxs. Did I spell that right? So no big deal. I just have to pick up mine, his and the best man's. I mean, it's not like it's the last week of the quarter and I've got all these projects due.
Pfft. It's not like he asked me to do the music too. Oh wait. Yeah. I'm doing the whole music for the wedding. You wouldn't believe how much has to go into just planning the music. Prelude, Processional, Recessional, Reception, and the whole thing. Wow, is there alot. Somehow I've been promoted from groomsman to deejay.
Sidenote, somehow in the joking around with the musical selection, I managed to convince the bride and groom to use the Top Gun intro for the bridal march. I WAS JOKING! and somehow it made the list. Seriously! OK. It's not like I'm taking care of the lighting too. Wait a sec...

Also, I found out something weird about my bank. I can go in, deposit money, inquire about my statement, and do any number of things. Except withdraw from my account. Oh, I can withdraw but they'd charge me a dollar! A frickin' dollar to withdraw money from my own account? I wanted to withdraw money for the wedding, hundreds. The teller suggested I go out to the ATM and pull out the money there, then come back in so they can change the 20's into 100's. Grr. When did withdrawing money become so hard?

unconventional party

Even though it is the role of the best man and I ain't it, I've devised a cool bachelor party. This is taking into account for the wishes of the groom and bride. Now I would've happily planned a "traditional" bachelor party involving strip clubs, bars, strippers, and possibly a fight but I was glad to try to put this together too.

We've got a campsite reservation, where we'll live like men. Starting fires, roasting big ol' piles of meat, hunt and gather our food. Yeah, plus the drinking and more drinking, it'd be fun. OK, so we won't be hunting our food but there'll be fishing. Drunk fishing. We'll bring the meat in a cooler, and we'll roast what we can. Sing songs, tell stories, just like it's portrayed on cave walls.

I did have an idea to make a trip to a wind tunnel so we can simulate skydiving. (Skydiving would be a little too dangerous that this point) The only problem was that the nearest one that I could find was about 3.5-4hrs away, plus for $30 you only get like 3 minutes in the tunnel. There's a bunch of prep time like equipment and training, but still it's not a lot for that long of a drive. Not quite worth the hassle.

Maybe instead of celebrating my birthday in November, I'll move it to July. A few years ago, I opted to have a fun birthday and took my friends to the go-cart track but because it was November (in Indiana) we had to go to an indoor facility. Last year we got to go cliff jumping, which was awesomely awesome. Outdoors-y stuff is so much more fun during the summer. I think I'll take my friends skydiving this year. It's pretty darn safe, I mean the first couple of times it's always a tandem jump. It's not like they just take you up and toss you a parachute telling you "Good luck! See you on the ground!" or something like that. Just remember to go to the bathroom before you go up in the plane. There's nothing worse than landing with a wet pair of pants strapped to another man's chest. OK, there's the chute not opening, but at which point you'll wet yourself anyway.

my story

I consider B one of my good friends. I've known him for almost 10 years now. I met him in college, we joined the same fraternity, and we promptly dropped out of college... Not promptly, but it wasn't long before some drinking activities began to interfere with studying. Despite my joining the military and him returning home, we kept in contact with each other. There wasn't a ton of communication between us, but enough to keep the friendship going.

So two years ago, we both moved to Indiana. I was coming from Cincinnati and B was coming from St. Louis. I even moved into the same apartment complex as B because it was cheap and at least I'd know someone around there.

I don't know when it was, but somehow we stopped talking to each other. To be more specific (from my perspective) he stopped talking to me. I never saw him. He was working up in Kokomo and his girlfriend was up there too. Which I didn't think was too weird, I even understood it. He eventually moved in with his girlfriend into a new place that was sort of midway between where they lived. What irked me was the fact that even though I was never seeing or talking to him, he kept in contact with other mutual friends. Now, I haven't had a job for almost a year. I'm thinking that I've got plenty of time, but nothing. I know I sound like a girl complaining about not hanging out with a friend, but it pissed me off. I just didn't like hearing about fun stuff being done without me, secondhand from mutual friends. I learned from W that he had proposed to his girlfriend. I learned from W that they were moving (again), not that I know where they live now or have any idea where they'll be living in the future. I learned from W when the wedding was. I was really feeling left out. Or as we say in the Army, "butt sore." Yeah, it's as gay as you think it is.

Honestly, we didn't start hanging out again until the skichair was built and tested. We're guys, that's what happens. We don't hang out unless there's a possibility of a story out of it.

Still haven't gotten an invitation to the wedding, but he has asked me to participate in it. W, M, and I have gotten registered as ministers, just in case they need officiants (is that a word or spelled right?) Plus, I'm trying to put together kick-ass bachelor party options (although that isn't my job). That's what friends do.