Neuvo Net(flix) of November (11)

Saw some great movies this month. Thanksgiving is always Home for the Holidays, so you can count on a fantastic Holly Hunter/Robert Downey Jr tragicomedy with the family. Watched a few classics, some fresh goodies and a few dealing with some amazing historical events. And of course, the new Futurama.

6: The Postman Always Rings Twice (Jack Nicholson version)
8: Chariots of Fire
14: Thomas Crown Affair ('68), Rabbit-Proof Fence
18: Lost Boys of Sudan
22: Home for the Holidays (if you haven't seen this one, I recommend it for some of the universal truths, hilarious moments, melancholy feelings and Downey Jr's drugged up performance)
26: Bloody Sunday
27: Lord of War
28: Bender's Big Score
29: Bender's Big Score (yes, it's that funny)
30: Enchanted (not by choice...democratically voted on by a group of 15-18 year old girls, it may have been cheesy, but it wasn't horrible)

10 Things to Think About on a Thursday

One reader, upon reading my "10 Things to Think About on a Friday" post of last week suggested that I make it a weekly thing. I don't know if I will, but being out of town tomorrow, I thought I'd shoot one out early for your enjoyment. So here you go...contemplate them or not.

1) Who deserves a longer prison sentence: Michael Vick or Barry Bonds?
2) Who is/was more deserving of impeachment: President Clinton or President Bush?
3) If you were to become a prostitute (male or female, mind you), what would be your going rate for a blow job?
4) In the Craigslist missed connection section, there are only 6 posts that include the word Thursday. Are people not getting out on Thursdays?
5) Who would you rather be: Soulja Boy or an amoeba?
6) Would you rather be dunked over by Shaq or scored over by Terrell Owens?
7) Would you rather be the victim of global warming or a flash freeze?
8) In a battle to the death, who would win: T or Za?
9) Nacho Cheese Doritos or Cool Ranch?
10) Who do you suspect is a better kisser: Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie?

Good News Everyone!

Long the forgotten better sibling of The Simpsons, Futurama packed powerful comedic punches mixed in with a good amount of satire and parody aimed at our present from the distant future of the year 3000. Bender, Fry, Leela, Hermes, Amy, the Professor and Zoidberg are but a few of the characters that, on an intelligent humor level, far surpass anything Fox has put on since.

And then, it was canceled. With a futuristic setting and comedy that asks a little more attention and understanding from its viewers than a fat man hurting himself and yelling "D'oh", Futurama was unable to gain the following of the Simpsons due to being relatively new, and unable to match Family Guy in lowbrow high school vulgar humor focused on dick and fart jokes. Gag me. It never got past season 4. To this day though, I'll re-watch the episodes because of how hilarious they continue to be. Hearing Fry lament, "I can't wait til I'm old enough to feel ways about stuff," and Bender cry, "Who knew that playing God would have such horrible consequences?" are lines that never get old, and succinctly sum-up the type of humor the show was known for.

And now, it's back. Thanks to the creators and folks at both Fox and Cartoon Network, the show has been resurrected in the form of multiple straight to DVD movies, the first of which, Bender's Big Score, came out on Tuesday, the next of which is due sometime in early 2008. If you want to read the CNN article, you can find it here. If you're just looking to buy, go here!

Friday Night's Beach (Superman THAT!)

Following the eventful, family and food filled Thanksgiving week, Friday was the time to start the Christmas season with the annual trip to House of Prime Rib and Beach Blanket Babylon.

For those that don't know, House of Prime is one of the best restaurants for prime rib in the city. You start with a great salad, prime rib of course, Yorkshire pudding, mashed potatoes and creamed spinach. Hessica manages to spill twice during the meal (a glass of wine and my lemon drop), and we make it out in perfect time to head over to the Fugazi for BBB.

BBB is a satirical musical revue centered on Snow White's search for a prince in San Francisco and beyond. What's cool is that this has been a tradition for years, and now Shawna of our high school days is playing the lead. It makes the entire production a much more enjoyable experience when you know the star. After the performance, she comes out to say hello.

As we're talking, a woman walks up, slightly drunk, having just seen the show, and wonders if she can smoke a cigarette around us. We tell her no problem and she goes in on how fun the show was, did we need any tickets for the next show, she had some she wasn't going to use. All this time, Shawna is standing there in her stage make-up trying to blend in. Suddenly, the woman recognizes her and shrieks, "You're Snow White!!!" and goes celebrity star-struck on us. She's asking for Shawna to get on their party bus and say something to the group, but being polite, she declines, "I'm just talking to my friends right now."

But I'm not going to let her politeness in talking to us stop her from continued fame and success. I say, "Shawna, we can talk to you all the time, say something to the people, they love you!" So she gets on the bus and thanks them for coming, rewarding them with her signature Snow White laugh. Priceless.

After the show, we head to ChengJ's apartment for pre-gaming activities with Gw, D (of -amie), Hessica, Sis, her friend Kara and myself, where we get into a spirited put down and ridicule session of Soulja Boy's Crank Dat dance. We've all read a blog about it and seen accompanying videos, and for the rest of the evening amuse ourselves by making fun of the following people/things, not necessarily in this order:

1) Soulja Boy
2) Anyone that listens seriously to Soulja Boy
3) Anyone who has memorized his dance, for any reason
4) Anyone that would spend time actually researching and writing about the artist/song/dance for any reason
5) The state of pop music in general and mainstream rap specifically

Needless to say, the catch phrase for the evening is, "Superman THAT, ho!" We head out to Circa where the crowd is swanky and I'm actually surprised there isn't any cover. Inside, continuing to make fun of everything around us, we get the DJ to play the Soulja Boy song so I can record Sis's friend doing the dance in the middle of the bar. Unfortunately, I don't think anyone but our group gets the idea that we're mocking, not supporting the song. Also unfortunately, I have continued my habit of videotaping things in very poor lighting (it's not my fault if all the things worth having on film happen in the dark!), so the video of her doing this dance is garbage. Afterwards, we head over to City Tavern to close the place down. The evening ends with a trip to Jack in the Box.

Thanksgiving #3

There's obviously a lot to be thankful for this week...music, multiple meals, friends and family. Thanksgiving #3 was the main event, the full family eat-a-thon at Madre's in HMB.

The standard of practice is an appetizer board with ham rolls, chips and salsa, baked brie, vegetables and dip and fresh prawns. This moves into a dinner with green beans, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, jello salad, and turkey. This year, P does the turkey right for me...he takes a few light meat pieces, melts some brie over them and tops the thing off with bacon.

After dinner, we watch Home for the Holidays (this happens every year) and we watch SC take down ASU. Tonight...House of Prime Rib

11 Songs to Be Thankful For

(for the full text of this article, see the Evolving Music blog)

In a mainstream musical landscape of, for the most part, rapidly declining talent and increasing acceptance of incredibly low musical standards (I mean, you have just read an entire blog about people actually performing and videotaping jack ass Soulja Boy's song, complete with the lyrics "superman dat ho," and didn't think it was entirely out of the ordinary, in fact, you were probably entertained), it's important to keep somewhat grounded by recognizing the unrecognized...the real musicians and rappers that slip through the crack because they can't sell or ink deals with the majors. Also in need of recognition are songs of the past that we sometimes discard as the next CD/download comes out.

On this Thanksgiving weekend, I give you a newly discovered or enjoyed song from each month of my musical year. Not all of them are new to this year, the month merely represents when I first heard them or came back to them. Some of them you might have heard, some you may not have, but the idea is these are songs that immediately sunk in and made an impression, and can probably offer you three minutes or more of something you'll enjoy more than taking a hammer to your head (which is what 94.9 makes me feel like doing). For whatever reason, of the 600 or so new/refound songs I've heard this year, these stood out and deserve a listen if you're looking for something new, or a revisit to a song you've heard that's worth hanging on to. Copyrights prevent us from posting the actual songs, but I'm sure y'all are smart enough to do a little research...

January: "Tulips (Club Version)" (Single) by Bloc Party. Actually a 2005 song, but hidden in single format, this one sounds just as relevant as their more current work. With the driving rock mixed with a melancholy edge, the song is at once both energizing and haunting. Honorable Mention: "Classical Hit" (Straight From the Crates, Vol. 1) by Phil Da Agony

February: "Float" (Half Full Ashtrays, Half Empty Glasses) by the Lab Rats. Off their 2006 self-release, "Float" provides some of the most intricate and touching lyrics of any of their songs. This group, independents out of Ohio, usually vent on the struggle of a below middle class life and the difficulties of getting their music conceived, written, produced and distributed. This one though finds a more harmonious tilt and examines the feeling of letting the tide of life come to you rather than chasing it. "Where you are right now is a specific composition of every single decision that you've made in the past." Honorable Mention: "In Love" (The Medicine) by Planet Asia feat. Jonell

March: "4 AM in 4 Parts" (Prox EP) by edIT. Off the 2006 various artist EP, this super glitch song displays edIT's diversity as he breaks the song into 4 parts to elicit different aspects and moods of the rave culture. A must listen for anyone trying to get a grasp of what edIT is all about. Honorable Mention: "Mirror in the Sky" (Atlantis - Hymns for Disco) by k-os

April: "Cooter Brown" (To Tha X-Treme) by Devin the Dude. Off his 2004 release, the laid back beat and old sample of this song had me cruising for weeks. His smooth delivery as he examines the issues in his life and his progress through them drift over this melody with a relaxed purpose that make it good for any mood. Honorable Mention: "Pusherman" (Supafly Soundtrack) by Curtis Mayfield

May: "Groundswell" (Moonbeams) by Throw Me the Statue. If you wonder why we keep plugging TMTS over here, it's because the music is worth the listen and you may not hear it elsewhere. This song, utilizing the same excellent mixture of driving rock, positive sounds and yet still slightly melancholy feel that made "Tulips" stick to me, does it with horns and an acoustic riff that you can take with you. Honorable Mention: "Do It" (Loose) by Nelly Furtado (I'm still dancing to this one, a rare tasty pop treat)

Article continues here.

Thanksgiving #2/Thanksgiving Eve

Thanksgiving #2 is at Pop's house on Wednesday night with him, KC and Sis...he does a pork loin roast, garlic mashed potatoes and a salad. I contribute a carrot cake from the Love Shack. Of course, I'm an idiot and forget to take pictures of this one, but Pops always puts on the good spread.

Following dinner, it's the standard Wednesday before Thanksgiving descent of everyone from the two major HSchools here. I'm talking down at the Steelhead, you can't walk two feet without needing to to say hello to someone you either a) haven't seen since last year, b) didn't ever want to see again, or c) don't remember from that sophomore journalism class that they obviously remember you from. I cab down from the apt with Hessica, Chuck and Gavroche.

For some reason they shut down the brewery early and the party moves to several other area bars...we end up at the Alibi, a pool hangout/bar off BAve. All is fine until on my way to the bathroom I'm confronted by about a 55 year old 5'4 woman with a mustache that tells me I'm cute and indicates something about taking me home. I disappear to somewhere else fast.

Then, as everyone is having a good time, two jack asses on the sidewalk outside the bar decide they're going to mix it up. One guy gets in the other guy's face and before you know it, these two fine gentlemen have brought the attention of about 10 cops to the area, who, once subduing the fighters, move inside to tell everyone the bar is closed. I'm sure everyone loves it when two people ruin it for the rest of us....the video is almost too dark to see anything, but you can kinda get the idea, especially with one guy's favorite line..."who the fuck you think you is?!" Ahh, Bgame.

Thanksgiving #1

What a great way to kick off the Thanksgiving week (which has somehow become a fat making tradition). It started with a Monday night Thanksgiving feast prepared by Chef C (some know her as Sexy), over at T and Za's place...It was a group of about 15-20, and the Chef put on a masterful show with a full turkey, mashed potatoes, homemade stuffing, carrots, a fresh salad and brussell sprouts (which you know I dodged!).

We burned two blunts (see K's hilarious quote on the right there about one of them), and the evening culminated with Za, accepting a dare, and drinking white wine from her shoe. Now that's a classy Thanksgiving.

Up next...Thanksgiving #2 at Padre's house.

BeerPongaPalooza

Saturday night brings me to a Beirut tournament in the city. It's a closed double elimination bracket with matching uniforms and plenty of fanfare. Because every group plays Beirut differently, it's important to know the rules. The house rules for this game are as follows:
1) 10 cups, 1 rerack, your choice of when
2) A bounce can be swatted, but if it goes in, it counts for 2 cups
3) Finish your drink before you shoot
4) Both balls make, balls back
5) Rebounds are live and can be reshot if recovered
6) Elbow must behind the table mark
7) Both balls going in the same cup gets 3 cups.

Chaz comes as my partner and at 8:15 we're into the first round game. We get a nice easy draw on the first round, a twosome that have just met for the first time and don't have too much experience between them. It's a good game to get a rhythm. That's when we find there's been some shenanigans...apparently, the host team has not only given themselves the highest seed in the tournament, but scheduled themselves in for a first round bye. We're incensed, but we need to work on winning our games. The host team barely wins in OT, and we follow it up by playing two guys who have obviously been training.

Our second game is against Team Brown, a twosome that looks harmless enough. But on the first throw, they're following up the throw with a quick bounce that almost gets us twice (see rule 2). Luckily, the bounce isn't going down for them. Unluckily, they don't seem to need it as they start burying shots without really seeming to try. We get in a big hole and need some magic to turn the game around if we're going to win. Chaz knocks down a cup, and as I step up, I tell him, "I can hit that cup." I focus, and nail the cup. He and I start going crazy...rule 7 means we just took the lead. Then we're told that, apparently, sometime in Round 1, that rule was abolished, and no one told us. This takes some wind out of our sail...we thought we had just put ourselves back in a position to win. Then, to make matters entirely worse, they tell us that not only does it not count for 3, but it doesn't count for 2 either, and all we get for me hitting the same cup is the balls back. How much sense does it make when a bounce counts for 2 but the same cup counts for nothing? We go on, following the loss of adrenaline from the quick turnaround, to lose.

In the third game, we put up a good fight against the team in red, but again become victimized by the rules as we lose two cups on a bounce and can't find the tempo that we played with earlier. We make some good shots down the stretch, but it isn't enough to keep us from being eliminated. All in all, it's a fantastic tournament, but kids, make the rules solid before you head off into battles! We had a great time, but several times felt victimized by sudden changes in the rules...but hey, you have to make your cups, and while I give both of us high marks on a solid level of consistency throughout the three games, we didn't make the cups necessary to take us to the next level. One thing that's fantastic about playing Beirut with brackets and a closed format like this is that it forces social interaction with opposing teams that grows throughout the night as games go on and beers get downed.

Before we can stick around and see who brings home the trophy, we take a walk and end up with a few drinks in hand at the Marina bars before finding the crepe stand at 11th and Folsom. Think Nutella/Banana/Chocolate, Strawberry/Chocolate and Nutella/Banana/Coconut crepes.

Next up...another week of Thanksgiving.

10 Thoughts to Keep You Busy on a Friday

People. The weekend has come. It seemed like a quicker week than most, which is good. But the odds are that means the weekend is going to fly. And think about it...with Thanksgiving next week, followed closely by UCLA v. USC (1), Hanukkah (4), the Day of Infamy (7), my birthday (20), Christmas (25), New Year's (31), there's not a whole lot of year left at all. Where the hell did 2007 go? But that's all besides the point...you came here for 10 random thoughts to keep you busy on a Friday. Hey...it beats reading about the latest instances of STDs in Hollywood stars, or whatever else y'all do to keep yourselves busy.

1) Would you rather be the goose that laid the golden egg, or the cat that ate the canary?
2) Who would win in a dance-off: Santa Claus or the Easter Bunny?
3) How many oatmeal chocolate chip cookies by Cam F. do you think you could eat in one sitting?
4) Really...what is the difference between destiny and fate?
5) Who would win in a battle to the death: New/old roommate Hessica or just departed roommate JGlace?
6) If Michael Scott of the Office and Charlie of It's Always Sunny in Philadelphia got together, how long would it take for the overall IQ of the conversation to reach 0?
7) Why do people like to wake up and smell the coffee? Doesn't bacon smell better in the morning?
8) Cuban citizens have not overthrown Castro. American citizens elected George Bush twice. Which is worse?
9) If you woke up tomorrow morning with the strength and agility of a monkey, would you build a new house in the trees of a forest, or would you update your current residence with jungle gyms?
10) Would you rather die eating a bad blowfish or being eaten by a bad shark?

Happy Friday!

We Can See the Black Cat Changing Colors

When an evite list has 900 RSVPs on it, you know the party is either going to a) Get broken up within two hours, b) have no one show up because they're worried it'll be too crowded or c) will be the best party of the year. I know, I know, you're going to say that we're only in month 11/12 for the year, so how can this be the best? Well, you have PS and his friend Ams celebrating joint birthday parties on a Saturday night in a warehouse.

Night starts with me watching USC beat up on Cal. Doesn't get much sweeter than that. Watching it with Za, her brother (another USC student), McButter and Doyle, we're amped and a little faded by the time the game ends. Lucky for us, Maurod the Cabbie is out and about and takes us right to the party, despite the fact that we all have drinks in hand and there's five us us for the backseat. We get the j going and it's perfect timing by the time we pull up.

They've got a few guys working the door, and when we get in it's obvious that the warehouse is huge and if they can avoid the cops coming, the party will go all night. They've got the guest list and are checking peoples' names against their ids inside. There's an area to the left of the front door that has a large screen playing Baraka. This quickly becomes the smoking area. To the right is the dance/drink area with the stage set-up. By the time we get there at 10, the place is already packed, and it stays that way up until I make it out of there at 2.

A huge mixing table and numerous kegs throughout the warehouse make getting a drink easy, and by the time the bands start playing, the fade is on. McButter, Za and her brother have to leave early because apparently they tried to drink/smoke a bit too fast. This leaves me with Topher, ChengJ and a few others. As the party goes on, people leave, people arrive, but the warehouse is consistently full. The bands get peoples' attention and for a party where I'm sure there are numerous different genres listened to, it goes over surprisingly well.

It's after a majority of our friends have left and Topher and I are standing around that we realize, having kept drinking steadily and even sneaking him something to breathe on, we're beyond the point of being useful. It's around two at this point and we've run into virtually everyone we know at some point, blown several good opportunities to meet new people (if anyone knows Amy that listens to Metallica when she runs, I've been looking), and I've blown through seven js. At two, we understand that we're not going to be able to pull a recovery, so we head outside.

There, waiting for a cab to show up, we find a girl waiting for a cab to go to the Marina. I call Maurod, and he shows up right as a cab does. At this point, I'm extremely glad I can jump in Maurod's car and send Topher off to meet his destiny. I hear later that it could have, but did not, lead to anything.

The ride with Maurod leaves me at Za's place, drunk, spinning and hungry. Luckily for me, they live next to a 7-11. After ringing the bell for several minutes and finally getting someone to come down and let me in, I find the keys that Za gave me as she left the party in my back pocket. I sit down, try to control my spinning and eat a spicy dog with some water. T, Marge and Windy get back from their party at this point, and I make it about another thirty minutes before I go to sleep. On the floor. In their hallway.

Congratulations go to PS and his lady friend for throwing an amazing party. I'm told that the cops broke it up around 4:30. And yes, it was the party of the year thus far. Next up...Beirut Tournament.

Statues and Bimbo's

Friday night, Throw Me the Statue (aka Scott Reitherman) descended on Bimbo’s in the city to hype his new album Moonbeams and visit with the hometown folks on his way to the Troubadour in Los Angeles. Because of the nature of the concert, it was packed with the high school crowd.

I was excited to hear how the album songs translated to concert, knowing that Scott wasn’t bringing some of the session musicians brought on for the CD. With Aaron Goldman and two others, the four man set did a remarkable job of turning out the songs, often in ways that brought more energy to both the venue and the sound.

Despite the fact that it felt like a concert in high school, complete with Gavroche heckling Scott from the crowd, it was an impressive set in a great venue. For those that haven’t been to Bimbo’s, you should get out there if a band you’re even remotely interested in is playing. It’s spacious enough to provide comfort for everyone, and at the same time small and intimate enough that it feels almost like a coffee shop show of sorts.

While I don’t remember the set-list order, they came out and started “Written in Heart Signs, Faintly.” From there, they played “Lolita,” “Groundswells,” “Yucatan Gold” (which they made very cool by passing out shakers to the crowd and asking them to assist with percussion,) “Young Sensualists,” which was amped up with a strong amount of tempo and energy not found on the album version, and “About to Walk.” “Young Sensualists” surprised me the most…as the album opener, it’s a very nice song, albeit slightly lower on energy. In concert, the song found new life and was right up there with “Groundswells” and “Yucatan Gold” for me in terms of enjoyment.



What was most interesting to see was the transformation of one of our friends from a high school/gig musician to an actual rock band on stage. They fit perfectly into the crowd and the venue, looking well rehearsed, and easily poking fun at their own mistakes (“sometimes we like to test the patience of the audience by playing wrong notes. You guys are still here!”). What I didn’t expect was how easily, once off the stage, Scott went right back to being Scott. There were no handshakes or hellos in the lobby that felt forced. Scott was still Scott, and still genuinely glad that people came out and enjoyed his music. It didn’t feel like he was in the band and we were fans. It felt like he had just got done doing something and we were back at a party from high school or college. His parents came out as well. Mainly, everyone had a great time.

Scott certainly appears to have the right mix of crowd sensibility and notions of grandeur, while keeping a grounding that should keep him close to his closest friends and supporters. It makes for an interesting mix in a rock group, and one that will be interesting to chart as he gains a larger following (which will happen…they heard "Lolita" on KCRW in a cab ride home in Los Angeles following the Troubadour show).

At the end, no one was particularly impressed with Jens Lekman. It wasn’t that he was bad, he just wasn’t that interesting or pro-actively good. So we spend almost the entirety of his set deciding if we’re going to go somewhere else. This is debated on and voted on multiple times, and several times we actually almost leave. In the end though, we stay til they close it down and head out on our separate ways…waving to the Throw Me the Statue Tour van as it started off.

Throwing Statues

{For the full text of this article, please see the Evolving Music blog}

To know Scott Reitherman is to better understand the breadth and depth of his music. He's not content to put out a disc, or even more than a few tracks of similar sounding material. At times he keeps things very simple with easily to grab pop melodies and honest lyrics to sing along out loud with. At other times, the musical compositions are complex and layered, making you not sure where one musical influence ends and the next begins; the lyrics personal enough to make the listener feel almost excluded in an odd sort of way. Through all of them, Reitherman's unique voice continues the current musical trend in indie music vocals of on key but just off. And musically, he doesn't hesitate to get his hands dirty, being credited in the liner notes on vocals, guitar, keys, bass, melodica, accordian, glockenspiel, drums and percussion.

Moonbeams by Scott's mainly solo (except for when live) group Throw Me the Statue brings all of these sounds together for the first time. Previously, Throw Me the Statue could be heard on the Dr. Rhinocerous compilation CD from Baskerville Hill, but the first solo release, complete with well designed insert art and well-paid professional session musicians in places, finally showcases the diversity of the music and the inspiration behind it. You can hear traces of Radiohead, Nine Inch Nails, Bosstones, Postal Service and Death Cab, Say Hi to Your Mom and one of the other Baskerville Hill artists, Black Bear. Not to say that all of these artists had a hand in Reitherman's musical make-up, or were in his mind during the creation of the music (you always need to be careful when attributing influences to a writer or musician), but traces of those sounds are there. You can also simultaneously imagine watching him kneel down on the good side of an ice luge at a backyard high school party, lamenting a break-up, driving cross-country or making music on the floor of his Seattle apartment with the rain hammering the windows.

In an effort to get y'all to go out and support the band, see a show or get the CD, I'm not going to give you a track by track breakdown of sound description like I'll usually do with albums. The tracks I particularly enjoy are "Young Sensualists," "Yucatan Gold," "Groundswell," and "Take It or Leave It."

What's amazing about it all is that growing up in the Bay Area, we saw plenty of shows over the years at Bimbo's 365 club. Now, we welcome Scott as TMTS back to San Francisco to play there. You can see Throw Me the Statue performing with Jens Lekman November 9th at Bimbo's 365 in San Francisco, or November 10th at the Troubadour in Los Angeles. You'll have to get there early though, the word is they're sold out and you'll have to scalp. Come February of 2008, you can pick up the tweaked and re-released version of Moonbeams from the indie label Secretly Canadian. Congratulations Reitherman!

Fore!

Friday night was nice and easy…dinner out at Mercury, chill City, and a little babysitting duty (but no names to avoid further embarrassment!). When I wake up on Saturday en route to Nini’s and call Topher, I come to find that AR’s birthday celebration is happening, and once again it’s golfing time! To see what this golf thing is all about, read about the last time I had 12 Hours of Drinking.

I rally Hessica and we head to the first hole, Bar None, at 4pm. The idea here is that par at a bar is 2 beers, 1 mixed drink or 1 shot. It’s AR, Gies, Topher, Boyle, Paolo, Marc and a crew of AR’s friends, the majority of which I have never met. By the time the entire golf crew is assembled, we’re numbering around 20 or so. I start off on the right foot by birdying the first hole before we move on to Blue Light.

Blue Light is significantly more crowded, and we don’t help matters with the size of our crew. I’m hoping to put two more away, but the time limit for this one is shorter and I get accosted and dragged into a hostile conversation against my will. I’m all for argument and debate, especially if only for debate’s sake, but I can’t stand being involved in a “conversation” where one party doesn’t want to listen to anything that’s being said, nor take into consideration a different point of view. This is the type of conversation that I’m held in for the majority of the Blue Light time. It takes away my thirst and leaves me a seething, frustrated individual. I resolve to no longer talk to someone who steamrolls an entire conversation and arrogantly believes everything they say is correct without any supporting evidence. It is a decision that may prove to salvage me yet, and certainly helps keep me out of trouble for the rest of the evening.

By the time we move on to City Tavern, it’s only edging on 7pm, which, considering I’m four drinks deep already is a cause of concern. Here I birdie again, manage to avoid any more unpleasant conversations, and watch Oregon finish off ASU. It’s a little strange to be in City Tavern at a time when parents are there with their children. I almost feel like the kids are in a spot to be corrupted. And our crew coming in during the middle of dinner doesn’t help.

Finally, we end up across the street at Kelly’s where Chaz and Gavroche meet us, the scorecards are tallied, and I lose even after making eagle. It serves me right though, because I can’t shoot, and even as the bartender is pouring me free shots and flirting with me, all I can do is pass them to Chaz when she isn’t looking and smile. I tell her she’s mean, which I almost think she takes as a compliment. At this point, I’m on the verge of losing coherency, and don’t have really any clue what time it is. The bar is filling up and a girl calls me over when she thinks I’m talking shit about her. I explain to her that really, I was telling Hessica that she must think we’re ass holes, so I was actually talking shit about us.

What I don’t remember about this bar until I talk with Chaz about it the next day is that I apparently got a little too close to the door with a lit J for the bouncer’s liking, he grabbed me, took the j out of my mouth, threw it on the ground and told me to never come back. I guess some people just don’t like the green…I mean, all he had to do was ask me to move. He tells them that they need to take me elsewhere. I hope he doesn't remember me next week!

Golf comes to a close and we skip to another part of town for Windy’s birthday party where it’s about 20-30 people celebrating at her apartment. I finish off the last of the 7 js at this point, squawk gibberish for a good portion of the time and take a ton of pictures. Again, I have no idea what time it is when we leave here and head to Mel’s, where I finish off the night with a vanilla malt, tuna melt and fries with mayonnaise. I’m told that after I get home, I speak in tongues while claiming that I’m totally awake. Now THAT’S the kind of ending I like to an evening!

Pictures: Gies and the birthday girl, the other birthday girl of the night, the golf crew on the corner, golf girls, Gavroche and Hessica, Windy blows out her candles, my standard post-golf look (where are my eyes exactly?)