Life in Maine (Part VI: Funky)

Funky:

1. My clothes, until yesterday, at which time the washer was hooked up to the water supply.

2. The music at the party to celebrate the engagement of Eric and Mildred.

I headed into town in clean clothes last night. Eric and Mildred will be getting married on October 7th of this year, and had planned last night as a pre-marriage celebration. And so, already cursing my future self (the one lacking sleep), I went into town with Sarah (a work associate and friend).

We arrived at the house where the official party was to take place, and enjoyed a bit of wine, some hors d'ouvres, and some slightly awkward conversations with a whole bunch of people I have never seen before. After watching Eric and Mildred open their gifts (camp baskets, soup set decorated with pictures of fish, etc.), we headed out to Woody's, a local drinking establishment.

Mildred had hired a band for the occasion, and the live music had attracted what seemed to my eyes to be at least half of Greenville's population. The band, which played funk and general 70's tunes, was decked out in strange wigs that mimicked afro hairstyles, leather pants, and barely buttoned polyester shirts. Mildred, getting into the spirit of the occasion, had also dressed up, and wore a skintight, one piece pink article that made her a star attraction at the bar.

As I knew almost nobody at the bar (Sarah left quite quickly), I had the chance to sit back and reflect a bit on the general crowd at the bar.

Some of my perceptions of Greenville Living:

1. There are quite a number of "rednecks" here (in addition of course, to the many kind, friendly, and wonderful people here).

2. Rednecks drink a lot.

3. There appear to be quite a lot of drugs here, which is unsurprising. My associate Mr. Weinstein and I had noted in our cross-country journey that meth seems to be a problem pretty much everywhere rural in the continental United States. I spoke to a few people over the course of the evening that seemed to have trouble with any brand of comprehension, and talking seemed to be rather difficult for them as well.

We left rather early, as soon as the band had finished, and Eric and Mildred informed me that we had left just in time, as some man legendary for his drinking exploits and fighting tendencies had just arrived. It would have been interesting to see that, but perhaps it is better to have missed any such show, especially as my outsider status would perhaps have thrust me into said show.

Anyway, things continue along the line of the status quo here in Township A, Range 12, Maine (that truly is the name of the town in which I am living). I finally get a couple of days off this week, and so I will hopefully get out of camp for at least a few hours and see what the area has to offer.