A flawless concert and a dysfunctional wedding

We saw Dave Brubeck in concert at the Blue Note tonight; it was definitely worth the two hour wait (note: standing in line, not seated). It was a once-in-a-lifetime experience to see this jazz icon playing, and most likely our first and last chance to see him in concert, given the fact that, now 87 years old (we didn't even know he was still around), Brubeck makes rare public appearances. The live performance of "Take Five" was unforgettable, although I must admit that probably much of the fascination and excitement comes from the mere thought of seeing a living legend. For the very same reason in 2002 I went to see Woody Allen playing the clarinet at the Carlyle. The major difference is that Brubeck can actually play. Also, he seemed to be having a good time, as opposed to Allen and his complete inability to forge any kind of connection to the listeners to the point of pathetic self-enclosure as if the public performance were a doctor's order.

Tonight's concert ranks very high on my list of extraordinary events I attended in NYC. It would have probably deserved the first place if it weren't for the wedding I attended the other day. The craziest wedding I saw. It was mine.

We got married at the New York City Hall on Friday November 23rd around 2.30 pm. Saying that we had a simple wedding would be lapsing into hyperbole. Thanks god we got a sense of what was awaiting us when we went to get our marriage license a couple of days before. The most personal touch in the whole procedure was the "congratulations and good luck, guys" shut over the counter by the clerk at the Western Union branch where we purchased the money order. The rest was all about standing in line in Kafkaesque corridors with bizarre people, mixed couples, visa seekers of all kinds. Russian mail-order-brides, a Mexican couple dressed in red from head to toe, a couple from the Bronx you would be terrified to run into at night, a German and an Ethiopian who had to "borrow" an Indian groom behind them in the line as witness as they didn't have one of their own... In a word, a zoo.

We were issued a marriage license on Wednesday. Called our designated witness on Thursday but since it was Thanksgiving we couldn't get hold of her. So we ended up sending a text message to her on Thursday night: "Getting married tomorrow. Wanna come?" and went to bed without knowing whether we would be able to get married the day after. She called the morning after. Screaming with excitement, she told us that she had other plans for the day but would call her husband who was out running some errands and ask her sister to babysit. This is how witness # 1 was notified with a text message and witness # 2 while he was shopping at Home Depot on Black Friday. After a quick sandwich at Pret-a-Manger, we met up with our witnesses at City Hall at 1.30.

From our side we did our utmost to make the experience as solemn as possible -e.g. I left my ipod at home. However, no matter how hard you try, the actual ceremony still takes less than ordering your food at McDonald's. The two of us and the witnesses standing before the officiant, the American and the NY State flags on the sides. The ceremony started with the formula "If anyone present can show just cause as to why this couple may not be legally joined together, you should now declare it, or hereafter hold your peace". Just like in the movies, cool! Well, actually first of all the officiant asked if we had rings. We didn't, so he said "All right, then just hold hands." True, we left the romance behind but as odd as it may sound, we managed not to lose much of the joy. We felt emotional during the ceremony and I was happy to have K. and her husband by our side; they are caring people and our closest friends in NY. We spent the rest of the day with them. A toast at the Ritz Hotel lounge in Battery Park followed by a lovely dinner at a French restaurant in Tribeca.

And They Lived Happily Ever After.