Day 90 – Hora Loca!

What a weekend! Last night’s gig was a great way to end a jam-packed week. It was a wedding gig, as I mentioned before and I’d never done a gig so fun that I didn’t mind staying a little longer. I have a few Venezuelan friends but I just forgot how these people can party. I say this with much love when I say you Latinos are CRAZY!

The evening was an interesting night of observation for me. The whole night was just filled with having a good time. There was Jack Daniels flowing freely and your choice of Cuban cigars to go around. Everyone was happy and dancing up a storm. I can’t remember the last time we’ve been able to pack the dance floor like that! It made me realize that we, in North American, have got absolutely no clue on how to live life. I mean really LIVE!  Take in the joy of the moment.

One new thing that I learned is that it is tradition in Venezuela to have something called Hora Loca at wedding receptions. Hora Loca means Crazy Hour. It is a time during the reception when everyone’s eaten, had a few drinks and are in full party mode when a traditional Merengue song is played and people in the wedding party break out all kinds of Carnival-type gag costumes. Everyone, including and most especially the bride and groom, put on crazy pimp hats, oversized sunglasses, butterfly wings, fake noses and even butts and dance up a storm. That’s considered the official inauguration of the evening’s festivities.  I was giddy with awe and excitement at how much fun everyone was having. Everyone got in on it from the parents of the newlyweds to the grandparents and neighbours. The whole lot! They even had streamer string cans and everyone was spraying each other with it. It was shear madness in the most joyous way possible.

I still can’t get over how beautiful the whole event was. It was an outdoor affair with the reception being held in a tent in the backyard. Not just any old backyard. This property was surrounded by a beautiful wooded area and the tent was set up to look like something out of a soap opera wedding. Someone said to me that they felt like they were in an episode of Days of our Lives and at any moment someone would come busting in to announce that they were carrying the groom’s baby. Of course that didn’t happen but it gives you some idea of what the set up was like. It was enough to get the imagination going. Very lavish yet simple in its staging.

It was a beautiful night with beautiful people. Every single person at this event was just…….. hmm. There are no words to describe the amazing energy I felt last night. We were all there – whether working or attending – to celebrate. These people made it feel like it was more than celebrating a wedding but it was celebrating life in general. Something we do very little of here.

Although, I thoroughly enjoyed it more than any wedding I’ve ever played at, I do have my fatigue limits. These guys could have easily partied full on until the sun came up but a few of the neighbours were already threatening to call the cops by 1 am so at that point we wound it down. Not to mention we still had a two-hour drive back to the city. But as we packed our gear, the thirty or so people who were left hanging around found themselves a boom box and the party continued. They broke out more cigars and I even saw a few people jump fully clothed into the pool. Did I forget to mention there was a pool? Yeah, this was a party right out of a night at the Playboy Mansion – only difference is everyone kept their clothes on.

Even though it was tough to keep my eyes open on the drive back, we made it and I was able to crawl into bed by 4 am. Needless to say I’m in a kind of useless state today but feel oddly happy. Anytime, I get to observe that kind of fun in a pure state, it leaves me feeling great. So many song ideas floating around in my head. Perhaps once I’ve had some time to settle in to the day, I’ll try to get some of them on paper. I’m excited about writing again. The more entries I write, the more I can feel my mojo coming back, so to speak. In fact, one of my dear friends has asked me to help her write a book about her life’s adventures. (She’s travelled the world and has had some pretty cool experiences.)  I’m very pumped about that.

Thanks so much to all of you that read my thoughts and continue to give me encouragement. No mater how silly, frivolous or serious the topic, if it stirs something in you in someway, that in turn inspires me to write. I’m feeling more and more alive by doing it. Being able to combine my two passions: music and writing is the most nurturing and euphoric thing I’ve experienced in a really long time. It actually helps me to feel like I’m somewhere in this existence of nowhere in particular.

Thank you so much.

Love you all dearly:)

Nowhere Girl