What started as a drunken pipe dream over 2 years ago is now a full fledged yearly tradition. I was a little bit worried that this year wasn't going to go as well as last, but all my fears were quelled when we entered that big beautiful park and it was completely empty and ready to be taken over by our gang of hooligans.
I arrived around noon with Jehan, Lauren and a keg. Shindig and his girlfriend were next to show up. They had with them the silver cup from last year that their team had won. I was so happy that they still had it! Last year Mariza was awesome enough to paint 3 mugs gold silver and bronze for the winning teams.
As more people started pouring in and enjoying our keg of Pabst I began to feel like it was really going to work. I was worried for a second that people were going to bitch out on me because I hadn't really done more than posted a couple Myspace event invites. But the turnout was really great. Old friends like Tai, Babak, Emily, Dana and lots more came through. About 60 throughout the day I think.
We didn't have teams with funny names and rules and score keeping this time around but I think the unplanned aspect of it made it a little less stressful. We just ended up playing rounds and rounds of flip cup which eventually organized itself into a boys vs. girls bragging rights challenge. I'm not ashamed to say that the girls kinda outperformed us that day...
I think it was thanks to the fact that they were CHEATING and had more team members than us!! :)
Anyway, it was fantastic. A real tribute to the undying spirit of alcoholism that my friends and I all share. Pretty much everyone stayed in the park, playing wiffle ball and enjoying Jehan's pork loin sandwiches until the sun went down. I must have personally consumed the equivalent of a 12 pack or more. And as a final farewell to the festivities, a single firework was blasted into the sky, which ended up getting us our only complaint of the day from the parks distant neighbors. Whoops!
Afterwards we went to barclays on college ave. to eat somehow. We were all so tired and smashed drunk we could barely keep our heads up! I don't think that more than 5 words were uttered at that table... :)
Then next few days I thought I would relax a bit but that didn't really happen. I hung out in SF with my friend Yumiko a couple times and did quite a bit of daytime drinking with her. I rested for about half a day after that before heading to the next big drunken adventure... Shabu-Shabu! An amazing all you can eat japanese stew and all you can drink beer and sake experience in Japantown.
They serve you plate after plate of this delicious, super thin beef that you can dunk in the stew for about 10 seconds before eating. I had been hoping to do this again ever since I first went with Robin and Casey almost 4 years ago. It was fairly pricy but worth it. Mariza's friend Sara that I had met at the food fest came and we were kind of overdoing it with the sake bombs! But it was great, Sara and I got to know each other pretty well in the next few days after discovering that we were both big fans of booze and cartoons.
That was a pretty intense night of drinking, lemme tell ya'. Jehan played me a message I left on his phone when I was smashed and I didn't even recognize my own voice!
Highlights of the last couple days there include hanging out with Parisa at her bar near Lake Merritt and, you guessed it, drinking all day! Kenya and Jehan and I enjoyed her kooky martinis and fancy fries. I think Parisa was a little dissapointed that we never had a solo kick it session while I was there.
As my trip drew to a close I finally got to see Billy's amazing new place in Rockridge and a few of us enjoyed some BBQ and a few rounds of Rockband. Is it weird to say that playing Rockband with 4 people on all instruments is so epically fun that it makes me want to cry?? Billy and his girlfriend covered the guitar and bass, with Sara on drums and me singing my little heart out to some Pixies tracks. (Here comes your maaaaa-aaan!!)
On my last night I had to gather the family one last time. We met up at the Missouri lounge. My favorite old haunt, and had a grand time. People who I hadn't gotten to see much showed up. All the guys who abandoned my beerlympics plan to go to Lake Tahoe (jerks!) And others who I just didn't get to see as much as I hoped. As expected, it was bittersweet. Mostly bitter. The dread was creeping up on me. I knew that in 24 hours I would be back in NY and hating life again. Not to sound too overly melodramatic or anything! And anyway, that night turned out to be the best of the trip overall so I can't complain :)
But all in all I'd have to say that this was an even better trip than last winter. I really needed this vacation. And the fact that in just one short year i'll be back in the bay with so much to look forward to will really help me get through this damn school shiiiet. I just hope that this initial homesickness leaves quickly. I wish I could immerse myself in all my amazing NY friends, but i'm so friggin' busy with this 8 to 4 hospital internship everyday that I can barely think!
Wish me luck. Wish yourself luck. Be good to each other. Drink a beer for me, friends!
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