Memorial Day Weekend: Segment 1
Segment 1: Tom's Birthday at the Zic house.
My boss was feeling generous and let me leave work early on Friday. It was especially good, because I had agreed to pick up Jamie (our semi-permanent houseguest)and her friend Jayme (which is not confusing at all) from the train station. The Southeast train station is the end of the line for the train from Grand Central, and therefore at 5PM on a Friday is not a fun place to be - commuters and their rides home just seem to act retarded on Fridays as a rule.
Since I got out of work early, I was able to relax once I got home, pack at a leisurely pace, and make some dinner. Around 6:15, I set out, expecting Long Island traffic to be horrendous. I think I may have actually made it in record time. I arrived at 7:50 and found Tom out back setting up decorations. He, Kristen, and I inflated palm trees, hung leis around the house, and strategically placed pineapple lids (for later use). Where was Bob through all of this? The Verrazano bridge, picking up his brother John who needed his broken down car towed to a Brooklyn garage.
Just before 9, Bob and John came in the door. Seconds later, Corbo and Danielle followed. They exchanged travel stories, only to find that Corbo saw John on the bridge, and even said "Hey, that looks like Bob's brother standing there, and that truck kind of looks like Bob's. Weird!" They were not alone, as it seemed half of the party passed them thoughtlessly.
The party and the following Saturday turned out to be a very nostalgic occasion, as there were a great deal of Marist people and we all had stories to share. I had no clue that Lacy was back on the East coast, and even less of a notion that she was dating and living with Pinder. She and I talked so much of Leo Hall and freshman year, and I now feel like I had forgotten so much from just seven years ago.
The party grew to a large social mass within the first hour. Bob was tethered to his three blenders making pina coladas, daquiris, and margaritas. He accidentally made me a super-strong pina colada, adding rum to the already fully-mixed TGIFridays mixers.
Corbo, Tom, and Mike caught me up on much of the higlights from Japan. About 5 drinks in for me, the beer pong table opened up. I grabbed Corbo as my partner, and we jumped in for game 3 of the night. There were like, four girls that all came to the party together, and two of them had rights to the table. It took me a throw or two to warm up, and then I just started nailing cups. I impressed even myself. The girls we were against felt cheated, because "nobody told [them] that Corbo and Way were this good." During this game, we began high-fiving after every good shot or block. Quickly this led to "Todd High-fives," styled after Todd from Scrubs; a very hard, loud five followed by a snap of the fingers. When two people do it right, it actually sounds pretty cool. We perfected it by the night's end.
We beat that team of girls, and then their friends stepped up to get beaten in turn. Our next opponents were Tom and Mike, who I think I actually dragged to the table individually. At this point, I was probably already at my limit of alcohol and simply didn't care.
It was hardfought, but Mike and Tom beat us in a close game. I don't know how long we waited, but soon enough, we were back at the table for a rematch. I don't really remember much of the game itself. This is where the night becomes "The Mystery Game," in which I am a detective, and assemble the story of the night through clues and hints given by other people.
Clues
-Tom was wearing two pineapple lids as antlers, and then nipple-tassels to distract us from making shots.
-Corbo and I won out rematch by like, five cups.
-Mike, in frustration, spiked a plactic margarita cup on the table, shattering it to bits.
-As the four girls (from earlier) were leaving, I Todd High-Fived one without really thinking, and made her yelp in pain. Tom then went to high-five her, and she hid her hand and ran out the door. Corbo laughed at all this because he is a bad person. =)
-I made someone call Hsien in Arizona. (Which I learned from my last post. I had no idea.)
-Mike almost snapped my phone in half, and I was going to let him. Corbo and Tom talked us both out of it somehow.
I guess I was social and like, alive for about an hour after that last game of pong. I don't remember any of it. I recall being in the living room while people were talking, and then I got up, opened the screen door, and went outside to sit on the stairs to the back porch for atleast an hour or two. I was planning to vomit, but it just didn't happen. Instead, I sat there with my head in my hands feeling unwell. During this time, Corbo talked Drew down off the roof, Ryan T was naked in the hot tub, and the party died and people went home.
All that remained when I got up off the steps were Ryan, Pinder, Lacy, Mike, and obviously Bob and John. I walked two feet into the house, and laid on the floor. I couldn't bring myself to explain, but I wanted to be close to outside if I did decide to throw up. Bob came and told me not to sleep there, that there was a couch in the front room for me to sleep on. Literally within a minute of laying on the floor, I felt ready to throw up. I bolted outside, turned the corner, and projectile-vomited onto some plants below. It was only about a second of puking, but it emptied my stomach instantly, allowing some relief. I stood there for a few more minutes just to be sure, and I recall Mike coming out to check on me.
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I woke up on the couch to Ryan T's chainsaw snore. I laughed at the nightstand, which now looked like a minor arsenal with everything from my pockets laid out on it. I guess I atleast had the consciousness to not sleep on phone and keys and the like. Everyone else seemed to be asleep still, so I got in my car and sought food. Found a Quizzno's, got a veggie thing and a gatorade, and ate half in the car. I went back to Bob's to find people still unconscious. It was only about 11AM, so I got my book from the car and started reading.
Eventually John came downstairs to survey the scene. It was not a complete disaster area at all. He told me some hysterical stories of his youth in the house, one involving poo, a broom, and a chinese food container. Soon enough Corbo, Brick, and Tom showed up. It was a typical Saturday hang with them all. Chatting it up, getting food and drink at Croxley's, then relaxing at Tom's house.
In the Gleeson establishment, Tom's brother Jim was watching all of the fight scenes from the Rocky series. By the time Rocky V came around, we were all willing to do something else. Tom suggested watching Children of Men on his HDDVD setup upstairs. This was a great idea. I really enjoyed the movie, and especially the sheer number of long, continuous shots it contained.
Afterward, Ryan, Pinder, and Lacy headed home, and the remaining 8 of us headed to dinner at "Smokin' Al's" a decent barbecue joint. There was a grand total of 9 things on the menu that a vegetarian could possibly order. French Onion soup, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob were placed before me...yay.
The night ended with us watching John take out some expert tracks in Guitar Hero I and II. We were back at Tom's and ready to sleep by 1:30. I was kind of sad by the early night, but looking back now, I am glad I got the sleep.
I left fairly early the next day; before noon, even. I had somehow forgotten to pack my toothbrush, and so by this time on Sunday I felt like such filth.
I wasn't sure if I was too late to go to Manhattan with Jason, so I decided if I got home and he was still there, I'd go with him. Otherwise, I'd go buy Odin Sphere, stay in, and rest up.
My boss was feeling generous and let me leave work early on Friday. It was especially good, because I had agreed to pick up Jamie (our semi-permanent houseguest)and her friend Jayme (which is not confusing at all) from the train station. The Southeast train station is the end of the line for the train from Grand Central, and therefore at 5PM on a Friday is not a fun place to be - commuters and their rides home just seem to act retarded on Fridays as a rule.
Since I got out of work early, I was able to relax once I got home, pack at a leisurely pace, and make some dinner. Around 6:15, I set out, expecting Long Island traffic to be horrendous. I think I may have actually made it in record time. I arrived at 7:50 and found Tom out back setting up decorations. He, Kristen, and I inflated palm trees, hung leis around the house, and strategically placed pineapple lids (for later use). Where was Bob through all of this? The Verrazano bridge, picking up his brother John who needed his broken down car towed to a Brooklyn garage.
Just before 9, Bob and John came in the door. Seconds later, Corbo and Danielle followed. They exchanged travel stories, only to find that Corbo saw John on the bridge, and even said "Hey, that looks like Bob's brother standing there, and that truck kind of looks like Bob's. Weird!" They were not alone, as it seemed half of the party passed them thoughtlessly.
The party and the following Saturday turned out to be a very nostalgic occasion, as there were a great deal of Marist people and we all had stories to share. I had no clue that Lacy was back on the East coast, and even less of a notion that she was dating and living with Pinder. She and I talked so much of Leo Hall and freshman year, and I now feel like I had forgotten so much from just seven years ago.
The party grew to a large social mass within the first hour. Bob was tethered to his three blenders making pina coladas, daquiris, and margaritas. He accidentally made me a super-strong pina colada, adding rum to the already fully-mixed TGIFridays mixers.
Corbo, Tom, and Mike caught me up on much of the higlights from Japan. About 5 drinks in for me, the beer pong table opened up. I grabbed Corbo as my partner, and we jumped in for game 3 of the night. There were like, four girls that all came to the party together, and two of them had rights to the table. It took me a throw or two to warm up, and then I just started nailing cups. I impressed even myself. The girls we were against felt cheated, because "nobody told [them] that Corbo and Way were this good." During this game, we began high-fiving after every good shot or block. Quickly this led to "Todd High-fives," styled after Todd from Scrubs; a very hard, loud five followed by a snap of the fingers. When two people do it right, it actually sounds pretty cool. We perfected it by the night's end.
We beat that team of girls, and then their friends stepped up to get beaten in turn. Our next opponents were Tom and Mike, who I think I actually dragged to the table individually. At this point, I was probably already at my limit of alcohol and simply didn't care.
It was hardfought, but Mike and Tom beat us in a close game. I don't know how long we waited, but soon enough, we were back at the table for a rematch. I don't really remember much of the game itself. This is where the night becomes "The Mystery Game," in which I am a detective, and assemble the story of the night through clues and hints given by other people.
Clues
-Tom was wearing two pineapple lids as antlers, and then nipple-tassels to distract us from making shots.
-Corbo and I won out rematch by like, five cups.
-Mike, in frustration, spiked a plactic margarita cup on the table, shattering it to bits.
-As the four girls (from earlier) were leaving, I Todd High-Fived one without really thinking, and made her yelp in pain. Tom then went to high-five her, and she hid her hand and ran out the door. Corbo laughed at all this because he is a bad person. =)
-I made someone call Hsien in Arizona. (Which I learned from my last post. I had no idea.)
-Mike almost snapped my phone in half, and I was going to let him. Corbo and Tom talked us both out of it somehow.
I guess I was social and like, alive for about an hour after that last game of pong. I don't remember any of it. I recall being in the living room while people were talking, and then I got up, opened the screen door, and went outside to sit on the stairs to the back porch for atleast an hour or two. I was planning to vomit, but it just didn't happen. Instead, I sat there with my head in my hands feeling unwell. During this time, Corbo talked Drew down off the roof, Ryan T was naked in the hot tub, and the party died and people went home.
All that remained when I got up off the steps were Ryan, Pinder, Lacy, Mike, and obviously Bob and John. I walked two feet into the house, and laid on the floor. I couldn't bring myself to explain, but I wanted to be close to outside if I did decide to throw up. Bob came and told me not to sleep there, that there was a couch in the front room for me to sleep on. Literally within a minute of laying on the floor, I felt ready to throw up. I bolted outside, turned the corner, and projectile-vomited onto some plants below. It was only about a second of puking, but it emptied my stomach instantly, allowing some relief. I stood there for a few more minutes just to be sure, and I recall Mike coming out to check on me.
----------
I woke up on the couch to Ryan T's chainsaw snore. I laughed at the nightstand, which now looked like a minor arsenal with everything from my pockets laid out on it. I guess I atleast had the consciousness to not sleep on phone and keys and the like. Everyone else seemed to be asleep still, so I got in my car and sought food. Found a Quizzno's, got a veggie thing and a gatorade, and ate half in the car. I went back to Bob's to find people still unconscious. It was only about 11AM, so I got my book from the car and started reading.
Eventually John came downstairs to survey the scene. It was not a complete disaster area at all. He told me some hysterical stories of his youth in the house, one involving poo, a broom, and a chinese food container. Soon enough Corbo, Brick, and Tom showed up. It was a typical Saturday hang with them all. Chatting it up, getting food and drink at Croxley's, then relaxing at Tom's house.
In the Gleeson establishment, Tom's brother Jim was watching all of the fight scenes from the Rocky series. By the time Rocky V came around, we were all willing to do something else. Tom suggested watching Children of Men on his HDDVD setup upstairs. This was a great idea. I really enjoyed the movie, and especially the sheer number of long, continuous shots it contained.
Afterward, Ryan, Pinder, and Lacy headed home, and the remaining 8 of us headed to dinner at "Smokin' Al's" a decent barbecue joint. There was a grand total of 9 things on the menu that a vegetarian could possibly order. French Onion soup, mashed potatoes, and corn on the cob were placed before me...yay.
The night ended with us watching John take out some expert tracks in Guitar Hero I and II. We were back at Tom's and ready to sleep by 1:30. I was kind of sad by the early night, but looking back now, I am glad I got the sleep.
I left fairly early the next day; before noon, even. I had somehow forgotten to pack my toothbrush, and so by this time on Sunday I felt like such filth.
I wasn't sure if I was too late to go to Manhattan with Jason, so I decided if I got home and he was still there, I'd go with him. Otherwise, I'd go buy Odin Sphere, stay in, and rest up.