Let's talk about the people

Before I do the review of the Boathouse, which will include a feeble attempt to recall stuff that happened during the Bash itself, I need to talk about something that made this whole trip special.

The people that were there. Those that I surrounded by myself with in liquory (HA! How is that for a made up word!) goodness. Not your average group of sin seekers. Much better.

Let's start at the top: Al and Eva. The best party hosts one could ever party with. Eva gets extra credit for playing taxi driver as well. Al, what is there to say? The man throws a great party.

I now understand why Al gives so much credit to Big Mike as well. How do you describe this guy? Well, beside Big. It may be all heart. I knew I liked him when I heard him respond to some comment about someone "pacing" themselves. Big Mike shot back "That means you are not trying to get drunk!" Or at least that is what I think I heard. It may be paraphrased a bit but echos my sentiments on the subject. Why must I say this again and again? THERE IS NO SUCH THING AS PACING YOURSELF WHEN IT COMES TO DRINKING. Big Mike may be one of the most generous guys I have ever met. He picked up the bar tab on Friday. I was about to insist tossing some cash in but someone else beat me to it. He was firm with him. Just from seeing that, I knew a simple thank you would do. It was an argument that was neither to be had, nor won.

Landow- One of Al's sidekicks. I hate him because he bluffed me into laying down my Kings at the poker table. But seriously he is a good guy. He put down his fair share of Yuenglings as well. Next time, I sit on his left.

The McGrupp's- Dr. Pauly and Derek. They know how to hit it hard and have a good time. C'mon, anyone who can create the Good and Plenty Championship will know how to make anytime a good time. Hopefully next time their hotel room will have better ventilation and a skunk won't die in it.

Bobby Bracelet. What is there to say about the 860th best poker player in the world as of June 2, 2005. Well, he is funny. And he likes chicks with big boobies and 70s bush.

Jason Spaceman and his wife Rachel- I had my best conversation of the night with Mrs. Spaceman. She is a great example of why I like going off to meet up with this group. I talk with people whose interests/backgrounds/life experiences are much different from mine. Rachel is an art professor. She gave me a lesson on how one grades art. This blew me away as it really piqued my curiosity. Isn't art subjective? How do you know if the artist has drawn/painted/traced anything once twice, a dozen times? She explained to me how it is done. And I still remember what she said. She put up with a drunk asking art questions, which was something to begin with, but made me understand a bit of what she does. I truly learned something from her. It was a conversation I enjoyed.

Otis and Badblood, members of the G-Vegas crew. These are guys you can interact with a little, listen to a lot and just observe how they do things and learn something. I didn't get to see Otis fall though. One part of the legend I have yet to experience.

Carter. The name rang a bell from reading other's blogs. But the way I ended up recognizing him was from the Wall Street Journal and his digital camera. I noticed the sticker on the camera said Dickball. No wait, that's DC Kickball. I had recalled reading an article in the WSJ earlier this year about two competing kickball organizations in the DC area. Carter was the guy whose mug was pictured in the story. Any guy who can take a razzing about Dickball has to be ok.

F-Train. The man who reviews the NYC poker rooms. I love reading those. He also took some cash off of me with his set of 5s. He was also pretty damn drunk come end of the night. From what I have read, he won an award for such drunkenness.

Terry and Bob, the bartenders at the Boathouse. It is hard enough to find a good bar to spend your life in. It gets easier when you have good bartenders. Both Bob and Terry (Hey, nice haircut!) were quick with a beer and good conversation.

Scuba Steve. The DJ. No, he wasn't responsible for the crap that was played Friday night. I bet he needed to disinfect the equipment from the crap those chumps played. He has made my workdays go quicker with some of the music he has popped onto Al's site. At first, I didn't know what to make of it when he started mixing (I think that is the term) Rush's Tom Sawyer. But I listed with an open mind and ended up being impressed. Nice. I just wish I could remember what he played next. I know I asked for some thrash but I think the band started up before he could do anything. Oh well, next time.

That is all I can recall right now. I apologize to anyone left out here. I'll buy you a beer in Vegas in December.

Next up...a review of the Boathouse and random notes about the Bash.