Saturday night, after watching in a daze as Notre Dame got beat up again, and then having life and the world around me return back to normal as my hated rival UCLA got crushed by unranked Utah, USC put the hurt on Nebraska in Nebraska, we moved the party up to the city to Palomino as requested for Dad’s Bachelor Party. We’ve got a crew of about 12 for dinner…Marc, JK, Topher, Damie, Exile, Daw, Ballin, Chaz, Gavroche, myself and of course the man of the hour, Pops.
The dinner is phenomenal…we get appetizer orders of potato crisps in gorgonzola and a king crab/artichoke dip. I follow that up with lobster ravioli which is spectacular. What is not spectacular, however, is the service. After being seated, when the waiter finally does come over twenty minutes later, he takes our drink, appetizer and entrée orders all at the same time. Fine dining what? The food, the drinks, the check-ups are all incredibly slow to come, and often, you need to ask several times before our server remembers something. But hey, he gets the 103 dollar tip on the automatic gratuity, so what does he care, right?
I think one of the best moments comes when the check arrives and Dad gets to sit there without reaching for his wallet. I don’t remember the last time I saw him that pleased.
After dinner, we head back to 3E for Beirut on a dual table set-up. In the first round, Pops and I, with him playing only his third Beirut game ever, push Team Damie to the end and lose by a cup. But how can you not be proud of a 55 year old Dad sinking ping pong balls with you?! It’s your standard fare with the usual suspects…I get to bed around 3:30 or so, but not before cleaning up all the red cups and watching last week’s premiere of Always Sunny in Philly again.
Most importantly, though, a great group of people got together and had a very good time sending off the man into his new soon to be married life. It wasn’t your typical bachelor party…no naked women being paid to degrade themselves or revel in their own sexuality (depending on your point of view, of course), no borderline activity that would need to be confessed before the taking of the nuptials, no end to the evening with the guest of honor face down in a gutter for anyone that doesn't know my Dad, that's just not his style…just a group of people coming together to honor a guy that has brought them friendship and joy over the years. It felt amazing to know that someone who has had such a huge impact on my life had touched the lives of my friends in a way that would prompt the outpouring of goodwill and merry making on that level in honor of his wedding. Big thanks to all of you for helping to make my Dad’s bachelor party a success…I know he really enjoyed himself, and I’m pretty sure the rest of us did too.
Congratulations Dad, and best wishes for your future with KT!
Next up…The Wedding.
Pictures: Coach and Fiance in monochrome, Topher and Marc, Chaz and Gavroche, Pops and myself, Damie, Gavroche/Exile/Daw, Ballin and I.
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