Music and a memory

Irish music is on my Pandora channel.  You know, I spent more time with Patrick in March than I did in December.  As hard as the holidays were, this is going to be so much more.

 The hustle and bustle of the holiday season is behind.  Spring is approaching; you can feel it in the air as the cold battles the lengthening days.  The sun shines brighter and stronger, reaching way down to the roots hidden beneath the soil and the snow.  Change and newness will soon abound.  The hibernation of the winter will draw to a close and the cocoon of home will soon be blasted open. 

Irish Christmas... this was our month!  We would usually end up at the 4-10 just laughing and raising a glass together.  Karaoke and Pat would try his damnedest to sing Kid Rock.  His stage name was P-Money. 

A funny story about P-Money vs Elvis:

It was my 27th birthday.  A huge group of us went to the Hu Ke Lau for karaoke night.  Patrick was with us, a bunch of theatre friends from Westfield State and a few others.  Seated behind us was an Elvis impersonator.  Young, skinny, hot Elvis.  He was great, we were cheering him on and having us a good ole time.  Patrick was in his gangsta clothing stage back then: big chains, light blue clothes and I don't remember much beyond that.  Anyhow...

Patrick, being the giant lug that he was, got up to use the restroom.  As he got up, his chair bumped Elvis' table.  He didn't realize it, so he just kept walking. 

Upon his return, Elvis leaped out of his chair and shoved Pat.  Patrick stumbled back and slammed into me, my chair was knocked over backwards and there I was, on the ground and completely stunned.

Across the bar, Ken (my then-husband) sees me fall and he FLIES across the room and does this Jimmy Superfly Snooka move and lands on Elvis.  Elvis starts swinging, Patrick starts swinging back.  Kink, Ken's friend, leaps over chairs and pushes tables over and causes a huge catastrophic mess while maintaining a safe distance.  Dan, who was chatting up some old friends, is chanting, "Oh my God! Oh my God!"

Ken picks up a chair and right as he is about to let loose.... 20 Oompa Loompa look-alikes come out from every nook and cranny.  Security guys, all in black, surround us and break up the hoopla.

As we are escorted out of the Hu Ke Lau, I'm the last to leave.  On each side of me is Dan and Kink.  And there, right at the exit is Elvis.  I let loose:

You asshole!  (SLAP- right across his face) Its my fricking birthday!  (SLAP! SLAP!)

And then we left and went to the 4-10 and had the greatest time.  We did group renditions of Summer Lovin' and Alice Cooper songs.  Patrick was right there, singing with the theatre people and drinking some pints with me.  It was awesome.

~~

I got a card in the mail yesterday from my Buddy in Florida.  Heather.  My best friend-turned-sister.  Its a St. Patrick's Day card and on the front it has a green lawn chair, on its arm rest a frothy glass of green beer and a top hat on its seat.  Inside were the words:

Happy St. Patrick's Day from Paddy O'Furniture!

My old nick-name for Pat.  I wrote about it a bit here.

Breathe.  Just breathe, right?