Sunday, July 22, 2007

Ahh, the beauty of the countryside. Twitch, twitch.

The wedding was incredibly lovely. We were outside Saint Michael's, on the eastern shore of MD, at an inn right on the water. It made for a stunning backdrop for the entire weekend of events. And truthfully, I don't think Western weddings can even compare in terms of beauty to Indian weddings. I really don't.

Nobody we encountered had ever been involved with an Indian wedding before. The staff was delightful. And fascinated. And Friday night we took over one of two bars in town. It was like nothing this town had seen before, I'm willing to bet.

Tej has some incredibly beautiful cousins who live in England who were all here for the wedding. At some point late in the evening they got drunk and started serenading one of the bartenders with "You've Lost That Loving Feeling." They were a huge hit.

If I ever get married, I want them at my wedding. Seriously. I am going to ask Tej if The Cousins would be willing to hire themselves out for weddings. Because they are just fantastic. Gorgeous - both the men and the women - and hilariously fun, and they dance. Everyone should have these cousins at their wedding.

Since activities started Thursday evening, I felt like I was on a mini-vacation. Those little breaks from DC can be so nice. But I'm also glad to be home. I feel like I've been away from civilization for weeks. Cell phone coverage was almost non-existent where we were. We stayed in a charming inn, and the rooms had no TV. I've not seen a newspaper since Thursday morning.

Little breaks like this make me realize that I'm such a city person. It was beautiful, and I can definitely soak up the bucolic beauty of the countryside. For a little while. Like, this long weekend was a perfect amount of time.

But today, I was ready to go. I'd had enough of the tranquility. Enough of the peaceful water. Enough of the being all remote and quietly tucked away from everything.

The truth is, I get all twitchy when it's all grass and trees and water around. I want commotion. I want buildings. I want concrete. I want a Starbucks on the corner and, whether I access it or not, public transportation down the block. I want to be able to walk everywhere.

And so now I'm home, in my itty bitty city abode. I've just thrown some laundry in my little stacked washer, and when it's done I'm going to go for a city run. In my new running shoes, purchased from the Adidas outlet at half the cost of the exact same shoes I bought at Fleet Feet several months ago. Yay! A sporty bargain!

I'm certain to encounter many of the usual suspects on 14th Street - you know, the ones who will tell you you've got a lot of junk in the trunk for a white girl, or say "Damn, girl, you move fast!" or some such thing.

And later I will contemplate driving to Trader Joe's or Whole Foods because I have no food at home, and then I will weigh the hassle of looking for a new parking space, and will probably opt instead to go to the less fabulous Safeway because I am lazy about food shopping. And even though I don't love those things about the city, it all evens out.

Because this evening I will walk on over to Tryst to catch up with a friend of mine, and as I am walking home I know I will be delighted that all the places I like are walkable and that I live somewhere that suits me so well. And I'll be happy to be in DC in the perfect summer weather we're currently enjoying.

All happy happy, everything is right with the world.

Unless, of course, I get a ticket for jaywalking or get mugged or run over by a Metrobus or something on the way home.

10 comments:

  1. I have the same affinity for Persian weddings. Oh, and the 'aqd' parties that preclude the actual wedding...

    Never am I so comfortable dancing as I am when at a Persian wedding. Perhaps I need to go to Paper Moon in Georgetown when I get home... :)

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  2. I've never been to an actual Indian wedding but I love the wedding scenes in Bride and Predjudice, Bend it Like Beckham, and Monsoon Wedding.

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  3. PRECEDE, even.

    Damned fern languages.

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  4. I am so ready to move back to the city.....glad the wedding was fun!

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  5. It's good to be home... Where ever home is

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  6. Glad the wedding was fun. How did the scarves go over? Did you get the modeling you were hoping for?

    The British Indians at my brother's wedding were also a blast. Maybe it's a UK thing.

    Just be glad you don't live in VA, otherwise the jaywalking ticket wouuld cost you like $6000 now.

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  7. I absolutely HEART Indian weddings. They cost a bloody fortune but from what I can tell, it's all worth it. I would love to see pictures too!

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  8. ah, the eastern shore - we were just down the road past st. michael's for a week last month - it was amazing. no news, no email, no nothing.

    for me, though, i actually had a hard time with re-entry into DC. i've been thinking a fair amount over the past year about whether the city is ultimately for me, because after 5+ years in three different ones, i fear it's really starting to wear on me! the bad is starting to outweigh the good. i dunno...

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  9. Justin - Our weddings are just so quiet and colorless compared to so many other cultures. Paper Moon is Persian? I've never been.

    Dr. MVM - They're just beautiful! So much color, dancing, fun!

    DCup - I hear ya. I'm a city girl through and through.

    VVK - Yes. I was pretty delighted to crash on my couch yesterday.

    WiB - Thanks for asking! They liked the scarves! I only got pics of a couple people in them, though.

    And that whole VA ticket thing is insane. It makes me happy they can only inflict it on Virginians - not that I'm happy it's happening to you guys, but they shouldn't be able to bankrupt everyone to pay for their no-bid transportation contracts.

    MI - Pictures are up! :)

    Kate - Yah. Except for a stint in the Peace Corps, I've always been in big cities, and I know that's what suits me best. But my brother, on the other hand, really likes the suburbs - wants space and a lawn and no city commotion. I have friends who are happy in small towns. It took me quite a while to figure out the right kind of space for me.

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  10. Hi!
    Great one!I'm exactly like you, love the civilization!
    xoxo
    M.

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