You should all be very excited. This week, the Lush got her lazy ass off her couch, tore herself away from the Olympics, braved the cold and actually did her job and went to a bar.
No, I'm not talking about Pub Night here - sorry to disappoint, '06. My roommate's best friends from home came to visit this weekend, and although the night was not as crazy as my recent foray to Boston College, it was certainly one to be remembered (except for the parts I forget).
Expecting to have difficulty finding a table at dinner because it was Friday in the North End, we set out early. Since we ended up having no trouble at all, we were done and off to the bar by eight. We had intended to spend the night at Paddy O's, a Faneuil Hall favorite of ours.
Upon arrival, however, we found the cover band we like was not playing, and they were charging a 10 dollar cover... at eight! We all know the Lush is cheap, so that just did not fly.
It being colder than Canada outside, we headed into the nearest cover-free Irish-sounding bar - Hennessy's. We had to warm up, so we lit into a round of two-dollar drafts of Bud Heavy - the Lush is not one to turn down a drink special.
A round of Kamikazes and another of Bud Heavy, plus a table move (the Lush felt left out of the action in the back), and everyone was feeling pretty happy. Luckily, the new table had a better view of the Olympics and we set into mocking the ice dancers. We were quite happy with ourselves (although the neighboring table was not so amused).
The number one thing about Faneuil Hall bars on Fridays is free stuff. I always seem to end up with free drinks or merchandise. On the night in question we received free samples of Jameson Irish Whiskey and Pilsner Urquell beer. The Pilsner girls are extra dear to my heart because not only did we get to keep the glasses, they also gave us free CDs, even though we all answered their trivia questions incorrectly.
Shortly thereafter, our ranks began to swell as we were joined by various and sundry friends from Colby, Tufts and BC and three members of the Lush's own family, my sister and two cousins.
Here, things got a little crazy. The Lush is not a big dancer, but family pressure added to peer pressure can make that happen. Around this time, I discovered that the bar had an upstairs where, lo and behold, the cover band we had wanted to see at Paddy O's in the first place was playing. No one worry, I made it just in time for some Journey and the requisite fist pumping that accompanies it.
In such a large, ridiculous bar it became hard to keep track of everyone, especially since the Lush was so caught up in the dance. Some of our party report having met someone who they thought was perfect for me - apparently he only talked about ice hockey and Canada.
By the time the barmen were flicking the lights at 1:45, the Lush found herself wondering where the last six hours had gone. We climbed into cabs and headed for Somerville, having a lovely chat with our driver, bothering the driver of the semi next to us on the road, and, as I learned the next morning, making videos of ourselves. Video highlights include a two-minute soliloquy by the Lush about absolutely nothing but refusing to relinquish control of the camera.
To finish things up for the week, in the spirit of the Olympics, I will be awarding some medals for the evening's performances.
The gold medal goes to my elder cousin Laura for getting up on the downstairs stage to sing a lovely rendition of "Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" with a band entitled the Lisa Love Experience (No, not Lisa Loeb, sadly). She received bonus points for getting hit on by the female singer of said band that pushed her into the lead.
The silver medal goes to Ellen's friend Kara for becoming best friends for life with our old Jamaican cab driver, for trying to persuade him to come back to Minnesota with her, and for generally being the ridiculous Minnesotan equivalent of the Lush.
The bronze medal goes to the Lush herself. I have always wanted an Olympic medal, and let's admit it, this is my only chance to ever get one. I am also rewarding myself for just passing out on the couch when we got home, rather than drunk dialing anyone, falling down the stairs to my room, or otherwise embarrassing myself.
It is also important to note the disappointing fourth place finish, just out of medal contention, by the Lush Senior, my sister Jenn. While her performance was strong in the early rounds of competition due to her hot dance moves, this judge was not amused later in the game when she ditched us for another bar.
Lush's Note: By the time you are reading this, the Lush is probably embroiled in a judging scandal, because - and I can guarantee this - the fourth place finisher is most definitely bitter. To which the Lush responds: Jennifer, that is NOT in the Olympic spirit. What would Bode Miller do?
Oh yeah, he'd probably get drunk. I knew there was a good reason why I liked him.
