Scanning Sunday

Two of my friends in college were bridesmaids in a wedding and were forced to wear puffy royal blue gowns … and of course the bride said, “You’ll wear them again – maybe to a New Year’s Eve party!” What kind of person would wear a puffy royal blue gown to New Year’s Eve? Maybe Fergie would … but just a regular Rhode Island girl? She’ll spritz her bangs and put on a little black dress with shiny black heels.

Anyway, the dresses were infamous and Jackie, who was one of the unfortunate bridesmaids, would sometimes put the dress on and come down the stairs, singing “Hit the Road, Jack” as though she were a pathetic lounge singer. We’d all be hanging out downstairs, Jackie would be dressed like a normal person, then she would disappear … and before we realized she was gone, back she would come, singing some cheeseball song, wearing her royal blue bridesmaid gown.

So that Halloween there was a huge bash at an infamous house in Eastward Look (down by Scarborough Beach). Jackie and I decided to go as the Sweeney Sisters (who were huge at the time). We both wore the royal blue bridesmaid gowns and false eyelashes. As much as we could, we tried to stay in character. We burst into the party singing “Clang Clang Clang Went the Trolley” and just took it from there.

At the end of the night, the entire party went down the end of the road to the beach and stood on the sand, shivering, holding beers, and singing and laughing. Jackie and I were still in our gowns. We must have looked insane. But it was Halloween we could get away with it.

Jim Simon posted a picture of us as the Sweeney Sisters on Facebook. I was so happy to see it again. Lunacy.

Jackie said, upon seeing the photo again, “I look like the secretary at the Woonsocket DMV” – which, I suppose, is truly LOCAL humor – and all of us Rhode Islanders have been laughing all day about it. There is no Woonsocket DMV, but that doesn’t matter. It’s the ENERGY she’s talking about … and she is right ON. She looks like the secretary at the Woonsocket DMV.