Free Pizza, Free Beer, Random Girl

This past weekend had it all.  From fun in the sun to heavy inebriation to massive amounts of food, nothing was overlooked.  And, in startling fashion, while I've had great weekends out lately, this one returned to the level of randomness that I had come to expect from weekends.  On Friday evening, after doing laundry and then leaving some of it accidentally in the washing machine, I head up to the city a bit on the later end to meet up with ChengJ, Topher, SG, Mr. Jang, Pao and Marc.  They're playing Bridge, which confuses the Hell out of me, so I watch until they switch to Liar's Dice, which I still only watch.  About 11:15 we decide to head down to Bar None where Sis is working as a beer promoter.  What this means is that for the next 40 minutes, we try to drink the free beer she brings us as fast as we can, and she tries to bring it faster than we can drink it.  This is a win-win competition.  

And talk about out there at the bar.  Not only is Weil from high school there, but one of Spearman and I's old colleagues from the law office is drinking as well.  Of course, the bar is filled with idiots, including two who at one point almost engage in a fight over a football jersey.  I send Marc over to break it up, he steps in and tells them to knock it off before security comes in and throws them all out of the bar.  Luckily, Marc wasn't close enough to be included.  Topher and SG get their ass kicked in a game of Beirut, and CA and Sis start to get marginally fed up with the douchebags hitting on them.

At 12, they get off work and we decide to head en masse over to the Silver Cloud to see Spooky.  There, a bachelorette party is in full swing, and, more importantly, the portable rum and coke I've been working on has started to hit the other members of my party, most notably Topher who has shared a great deal with me.  At around 1:30, CA and Sis are ready to head off, Topher has disappeared and ChengJ and I decide to make a last swing by City where they're in the process of kicking everyone out.  It gives me the spot I need to finish my drink and when we finally do leave at 2, we're both starving.  This is where the night gets odd.

We decide that the line at Orgasmica is once again too long, so we swing around the corner to Pizza Pino.  ChengJ introduces me to some of his friends and I remain outside smoking with them as he heads inside.  He's been in there about two minutes when a brawl breaks out at the corner of Fillmore and Lombard.  And I'm not talking about fisticuffs.  We've got about 15-20 people of mixed ethnicities and genders involved in some sort of dispute that has them throwing each other into walls, hitting each other, a great deal of yelling and to top it off, they can't seem to stay on the sidewalk, twice spilling into Lombard and almost getting one of the combatants hit.  I see one guy take a boot to the face while he's on the ground and another get clocked in the face after being pinned up against a building.  Of course, it's only after 5 minutes that the police finally cruise by, turn on the light and the entire mob scatters like roaches.  I realize that I've been engrossed in this fight for an awful long time and turn around to see that I can't see ChengJ in the pizza place.  

I stand around, slightly confused, looking in, looking down the sidewalk, wondering if perhaps I missed it when he tapped me on the shoulder and told me to come along.  I'm contemplating what kind of mission I need to embark on when I see ChengJ in the pizza spot, coming out from behind the counter with a large pizza in his hand.

I'm even more confused.  He gets out to the sidewalk and I ask him where the hell he went.  "I was making our pizza."  What do you mean, making it?  Well, turns out that ChengJ has gotten himself so in with the late night crew here that they allow him to go behind the counter and make his own pizza.  So the large he comes out with is not only hand produced by him, but, more importantly, only cost him three dollars.  So, there's free food.

Walking back to his place, trudging up the hill with pizza in one hand and the remnants of my rum and coke in the other, we pass by a girl sitting on a stoop.  She looks a bit upset, so I ask her if she's alright.  She says she is, ChengJ offers her a slice of pizza which she declines and we keep walking.  Up at the top of the hill, he and I are getting ready to go our separate ways when I turn around to kick a box off the sidewalk, only to find out upon almost cracking my toes that the box is actually a full 12 pack of beer.  Full as in un-opened at all.  I pick it up and hand it to him.  Thanks for the pizza, here's some free beer!

As I'm getting him into position to take a picture so I can tweet the fact that he's gotten free beer and free pizza all after 2am on a Saturday, the girl we passed earlier starts walking past us.  ChengJ asks her to jump in the picture with him, I snap the shot, bid adieu, and head to a cab as ChengJ starts back towards his apartment and the girl starts up the hill. I'm only 5 minutes at my destination when I get a text from him..."She came back."

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On Saturday after I almost induce a heart attack at Nini's, Chaz comes over at around 7 to start playing Beirut, which we decide will be well played with Mickey's instead of beer.  This is perhaps one of the greatest decisions of the evening.  The night wears on and Hosin and JPA show up from dinner to continue the festivities, including a rare appearance from Cam and Ri.  The highlight of the Beirut evening comes in Game 7 with Chaz and I tied 3-3.  I hit three cups in a row, and on the fourth cup, I shoot after Chaz starts moving the cup and sink it anyways.  That's the end of that, we play a few more games and head out for a Mateo Shit Show.  

We skip Glow, McGovern's and O'Neill's and head to our new favorite spot, Azul.  It looks like a shady dance club from the front, and the inside doesn't help that image with an all black interior and dance floor, but the back patio at this place is smoke friendly and incredibly pleasant to sit out on during a warm summer evening.  Of course, before we head out there, Hosin thinks it's a great idea to buy us all shots of Patron.  I'm in the mood, figure throwing one back shouldn't be too hard, and go for it.  I've got about a quarter of the shot in my mouth before I realize just how bad an idea it is, and spend the next five minutes on the patio attempting to contain myself and avoid puking.  Chaz isn't served much better, but, of course, Hosin leads the pack and invites us to finish our drinks.  

Jarles disappears, Hosin JPA and myself head up to Mr. Pizza Man where I have the bright idea to completely douse my slices of pizza with the parmesan cheese on the table.  Literally to the point that my pizza looks more like a snowstorm hit it than a piece of dough with cheese on it.  But, we trudge on home and call it an evening.  

And in case you're wondering, when I wake up, I indeed finish what was left of the slice that I had abandoned on the table the night before.

Next up?  Chaz's birthday weekend!