McBizzle’s Bizznass!

Last night the Tweeter Center was nuts… the music was a jammin’ good time. The Red Roof Inn was interesting… Maura did not know her own strength when she took on the ice machine. Kiki, Rob and I enjoyed the aftershow at the Red Roof as well. So maybe it sounds cliche, but “Hey Girl” really is O.A.R.’s best song. “Love and Memories” and “Wonderful Day” were also fantastic numbers last night… break it out with a reggae beat, friends.

Pictured: Maura and Kiki check out what some knucklehead did to the ice machine

The Alternate Routes should have been headlining and Grace Potter should have been opening for them… but no worries. The Routes came up from MD to play a show in Boston and will head back to Charlottesville, VA for a show tomorrow. Seriously, that is committment to the crowd.

It was windy as can be. Kudos to the band for going with the flow tonight.

Tonight the road trip afforded many opportunities to bring out the trusty digital camera, but I got lazy and ended up not taking any pics. Highlights included:

(1) A t-shirt at a Maine rest area that said, “If there is a guy sailing in the middle of the ocean without any women around, is he still wrong?” (My roommate says yes).
(2) The road signs in New Hampshire that have caused so much outrage, reading, “Welcome to New Hampshire. You’re gonna love it here.”

(3) Of course I was pretty excited to see the Brunswick exit, since that meant I would see Bridget soon. Bridget was the highlight of highlights.

Tomorrow I am taking “The Sandbox” (My 2000 Cherokee) to Maine for an evening with Bridget and family. I wish the circumstances could be better for bringing us together, but alas it is for a loss. The last time I was in Maine I got hammered by dinner time with some Apres Ski action at Sunday River. Chances are this trip will be a little bit different. I will however have lots of travel time if you want to catch up with phone time. I should be available between 3:15 and 5:45 and from 8:15 until whenever the heck I get home.

Pictured: Maura and McBain on the way to the Matterhorn

Last night was a great time. Although it started out with torential rain at the Waterfront Cafe, ABC moved it to Tia’s where we met up with Dee and Cathy. We were heroes for a long, late night. Good times.

Tonight afforded me the opportunity of sitting in the driver’s seat of Dad’s spanking new Jeep Commander. Like most Americans, Dad firmly believes that bigger is better. He traded in the Grand Cherokee for this 7-seater SUV. The 65th anniversary edition features chrome plates on the sides and skylights even in the backseats.

My favorite feature in this car however, is the safety features that start with yellow warning lights when you are close to hitting something in reverse. If that were not enough, when you get closer to hitting mentioned object, the stereosystem (which also rocks) mutes and the warning lights turn red. Not that I am bragging or anything… but with the number of said accidents of which I have been a part, this may be a good feature for me. (Knock on wood, but it has been over eight months since my last accident and that one did not even have a claim associated with it!)

This evening’s brownout in the city made me think back to the early days without power. Not to sound too nostalgiac, but even inconveniences of my childhood are good memories.

So I know some of you that never lost power as a child are going to think that I grew up in the sticks, but don’t you remember how fun it was to be without electricity? I distinctly remember watching The Wizard of Oz during Hurricane Bob and having the tv cut out just as the tornado was cutting through Dorothy’s Kansas. At this point, Mom got out the flashlights and candles and warned Billy and I not to stay in the room with the skylights and picture windows. As the days like this progressed, Grandma and Grandpa usually came over for dinner and bathing. (My family had a gas stove and gas hot water, where as most families were without these luxuries when the power was down.) The benefit of living on a state-maintained road was that the maintenance crews quickly cleaned up down lines and trees. Despite this fact, there was a hurricane back in the 1980s that caused my family to be without power for more than five days. Since it was summer we did not miss any school, but we still had adventures.

For some reason, it was always a good idea to make a fort out of blankets and chairs when I could not play outside. So… the doctors never technically diagnosed Billy and I with ADHD, but you can imagine what it is like telling the McKids they cannot play outside… there is no good to come of that. Usually the result is what Billy and I called “The Lawn Mower Show” or some such game. This game originated one night when Dad was “watching us” while he mowed the lawn. Billy and I discovered the joy of sailing down the stairs on a nylon sleeping bag! Whee!

Billy and I actually became different people in our play. Our play was nothing less than imaginative. When Billy put on Mom’s nightgown he would not answer to his given name; rather, he was transformed and only answered to the name “Sharon”. (Of course we came up with this name because one of the secretaries in my father’s office was named Sharon.)

I sincerely hope that some day my own children will experience the thrill of pure imaginative play. I really think that aspects in my life such as these are among the most beautiful times I can recall.