Babies, pregnancies and engagements, oh my

So between Thanksgiving and New Year’s, I’ve met three of my friends’ new babies for the first time, had two good friends get engaged, felt another friend’s pregnant belly, been told by my family that my already married sister, who got hitched at a court house, is expected to have a ceremony, and heard news of another friend’s pregnancy. In 2006, instead of Four Weddings and a Funeral, I can look forward to Three Weddings and Two Births.

Of course, I shouldn’t be surprised, as I’m at the age when such things are to be expected, but I was quite surprised at the onslaught of babies/pregnancies/wedding news in the span of basically a month. I guess when it rains it pours. I’ve also been asked to be a bridesmaid in one of the weddings, which I accepted with honor, but was informed I would have to be singing a song during the reception, a la Adam Sandler in the Wedding Singer. The wedding isn’t until August but I’ve already been brainstorming a good selection that will compliment what little vocal ability I have so I don’t come off as a bad Vegas lounge act. Or Bill Murray’s SNL wedding/barmitzvah singer character. Or drunk karaoke singer. Or bad dinner theater performer. Or cringeworthy American Idol contestant. The last time I had to sing at a wedding, I slept maybe a total of three hours the night before. Gotta keep going through the songbook in my head.

Spent New Year’s at the midnight run in Central Park, where you dance with runners before they start the race at midnight amidst fireworks. Instead of running, I was on purse patrol for my three friends running the race. It was quite fun, mostly because one was forced to dance to keep the blood pumping through your toes to keep from succumbing to frostbite. It was fun seeing everyone run in costume (saw two puppies, a robot, a few super heroes, a bunch of bananas, and the cast of the Wizard of Oz cross the finish line). But I also felt slightly old because I was actually into it. I was waving my hands in the air like I just don’t care to the likes of “Everybody Dance Now” and “It Takes Two” by Rob Base—when will DJs actually stop playing those songs? It brought back memories of going to a cheesy club like Webster Hall when I was 18 and still rocking the mall hair.

Random comment, but I saw a woman the other day eating a Peppermint Patty on the subway, not the mini ones, but the big ones that look like moon pies. I haven’t seen anyone eat a big Peppermint Patty in a long time; I didn’t even know they still made them.

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RCNY sighting: All the would be hypothermia victims running at the Central Park midnight run in tiny costumes. This includes you, guy in the pharaoh costume, guy in the Caesar costume, and anyone else with vast amounts of skin exposed in the sub-freezing temps.