Maybe I'm amazed at the way...

"you love me all the time... maybe I'm afraid of the way I love you... maybe I'm amazed at the way you pulled me out of time... and hung me on a line... maybe I'm amazed at the way I really need you" Maybe I'm Amazed - Paul McCartney (1970)

So the final leg of Sid's Wedding Tour '08 ended on Aug 16th when 2 of my close friends finally wed the night after being together for about 13 or so.... 13 years, hey!!! This bad boy was a matter o' formality as Dino & Melissa's dedication to each other well proceeded the wedding. But it was time to celebrate, and that we did, as it was a wedding filled with tons of old friends we hadn't seen in a while.

Melissa is the younger sister of one of my closest friend in the world Jason Griswoldian and by the transitive property, Meliss is kinda like a lil' sister to me too. My man Dino and I go back to the Little League South days in Waterford back in 1985... Premium pride baby!! In fact, that squad also included Dino' best man Ben Swain and Melissa's cousin Jay Messina... so it was like a lil' mini reunion and and great to know friendships can seemingly last forever.

And ya know it's gonna be a good show whent the Saunders boys are in the house. I mean, who doesn't like my man Dwayne... he's quite simply one of the funniest mutha-fckers on earth and I've known that cat since we's was 5 years old. 30 years laughin' with that dude. And his younger brother Gayle cracks me up too... Actually, Gayle and I played ball together in the Elks days of the Babe Ruth league. That cat was a great athlete.

But the day belong to Dino & Melissa... as I stated earlier, I go way back with both of them, but our friendship strengthened during a few month stint down in Atlanta back in 2003. That was when they let me set up shop at their pad to clear my mind of disaster of which was my divorce back in Connecticut. It was then that we really connected, just talkin' about life... the highs and lows, decisions, expectations, disappointments, curiosities, dreams, embarrassments, obstacles, and everything else that life may throw ya. It was a refresher being down there, one of the most important times in my life that I'll never forget.

So for me, I have all the confidence in the world that D-$$ and Melissa will spend their lives together forever. It was the time that I spent with them that I learned more about acceptance and compatability then any other time I can remember. I couldn't be happier for them and hope my friendship with both lasts just as long. Congratulations!!!

I'm just sitting here watching...

"...the wheels go round and round... I really love to watch them roll... no longer riding on the merry-go-round... I just had to let go" Watching the Wheels - John Lennon (1980)

This week, I lost a good friend when Tommy Parrish passed away. For those of you who don't know, Tommy (or TP as we affectionately called him) was Richie's original crew chief when the 65 Mini Stock debuted at the Speedbowl during the 1999 season. TP battled some health issues over the years, but stayed around in a more limited role and always stayed loyal to Richie's racing career right up to his cameo in the 46 ARTS machine just a few weeks back.

TP is actually the reason everyone down at the 'bowl calls me Sid. Back in the day, to avoid us both sayin' "huh" anytime someone said "Hey Tom", my cousin Rich suggested callin' me Sid as he knew that my close friends called me that. Tommy was just good people, and only days before his 41st birthday, he left us far too early...

Life's too fuckin' short I tell ya!

Tommy (middle) was a founding member of when of the most popular teams to ever grace the Sailfest Wiffle Ball Tournament - THE HOT HOGS

Tommy (to the left of Richie) was one of the most loyal members of the Big Ball Motorsports operation

I'll miss you man!!

Rest in peace good friend

Your boy Sid

My Baby, my baby and of course...

"... I'll do anything for her ... my baby got sauce... your baby ain't sweet like mine... she's got sauce" Baby Got Sauce - G. Love & Special Sauce (1995)

On July 26th, my boy Russ tied the knot with his girl Kate. Flanked by his Pleasure Beach (CT) based wedding party, 'Dino' and Kate were married in the church on Providence College campus. Ceremony was a tad long, but which ones aren't these days. My man Russ struggled a lil' gettin' Kate's ring on her finger and someone dropped their camera or some shit and made all kinds of racket. In the end, another friend enter's into the lifelong promise to share his life. All the best to the happy couple!!

... and the reception was outta control. Let's just say it was open bar and there was also a shuttle back to the hotel. How sweet is that?? As we get older, weddings sure are a hell of alot more fun. Maybe cuz life's filled with so many responsibilities, it's not often we can get totally ripped with little worries... case in point, check out your boy:

Freakin' tremendous!!

Post-reception ran til 4pm with Matt Valentine pullin' the upset special 1st place showing. Homeboy changed into his Red Sox pajamas and ended up passed out fetal position while me, Mayor Tim, Joe and D-Lamb threw down some grits til 4am. Needless to say, it was a painful ride back to CT the next morning. Especially when the breakfast buffet makes ya a lil' gassy!!

Wedding #3 outta 4 for me this summer. Next one on the 16th, and that'll be a show... I'm callin' it now, suckas!!

Laids

"I say to myself..."

"... 'You're such a lucky guy'... to have a girl like her is truly a dream come true... out of all of the fellas in the world she belongs to you... but it was just my imagination running away with me" Just My Imagination - Temptations (1972)

So I was reading up on the blog to see where I left off. Indeed I was happier than a pig in shit when I last left off. I had just started dating Barbara Jean, a native Southerner who was living in New Hampshire, who I met thru mutual friends at a Labor Day BBQ. Although the distance made me feel like Anthony Michael Hall in the Breakfast Club lying about a girlfriend in Niagra Falls, we did fall pretty hard for each other and tried to make it work through weekend roadtrips and endless phone calls in between. But eventually, it just got to be too much...

But we both had obligations where we live that meant neither of us could seriously entertain relocating, so the relationship could only go so far. No hope to spend our everyday lives together without at least one of us making huge sacrifices... and I don't think either of us were ready to even contemplate doing, so eventually and amicably, we split. We still email now and then to stay in touch, as she really was a sweetheart. So it's back into bachelorhood I go...

Freakin' wonderful!!

"Don't call it a comeback..."

"... I been here for years" Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J (1990) So it's been some freakin' time since I've been out in blogger world, eh?? Well, the wait is over... back by popular demand, it's time to catch up into the mind of one fucked up dude. We're gonna mix it up now, use some elements from my quality post-race recaps I do for the Waterford Speedbowl NASCAR short-track on jeff-pearl.com. One of those nuggets include using some lyrical titles from my endless vault of useless music trivia. Another will be gettin' more photos into the mix... changin' up the font colors only does so much, so I'll try to get s'more photos going too... Lots to get to, so stay tuned...