So I offer a ride to any denizens of
Berkeley or
Oakland who need a ride.
DrSeudo is interested, but has to cancel, but
Bindlenix contacts me to say that she and
Ouroboros will take me up on the offer. And whaddya know, turns out Ouroboros only lives five blocks from my house. So we head south to the meet, pondering the marvels of the human voice and
Tuvan
throat singing.
ON HOW WE GATHERED AND WHY IT TOOK ABOUT 90 MINUTES TO GET TO THE ACTUAL RAISING OF THE GLASS
Juliet and friend have a glass by the time we arrive, and Plonk is holding a bottle. Plonk, Factgirl, Akasha, RabidMonkey, Ouroborus, Bindlenix, and I order drinks when we sit at the table. And Juliet and friend order two more drinks apiece, as their glasses are empty. Plonk isn't drinking out of a glass, and he insists he's only on his second one. Drinks arrive, but then so do Nate and M_turner, without glasses. I mean, M_turner is wearing glasses, but no one suggests he raises them to the fallen. More ordering. By this time Juliet and friend have finished their two drinks, and order two more. Plonk orders his fourth, and when the drink orders arrive, but we can't lift a glass yet, as RabidMonkey and Akasha are empty. They order. LostandFound arrives, Juliet gets her friend to order six more, as it's not becoming for a lady --excuse me, an old lady, as Juliet is trying to forget she just had a birthday, and when she reveals exactly how old she is, factgirl and I roll our eyes and start in on our "When I was your age..." monologues. (Twentysomethings. Sheesh.) --unbecoming to order so many. Akasha, without a fake ID, and tired of pounding down the milk, growls at Juliet. LostandFound's drink arrives, but then Nate's cell phone rings. He has to take it-- it's his girlfriend. Or Lawnjart. It's hazy at this point, because Akasha has starting speaking in beeps, RabidMonkey is explaining how his current and my former employer are bringing porn to the masses, and more to the point, Plonk, on my immediate left, is insisting he's still on his second, is slurring his words and trying to convince me that the six cider bottles in front of him aren't his and why, just because he lives in Livermore, doesn't mean his cattle are radioactive from living next to a nuclear weapons lab...
The tab came to just over $290, including dinner, a 22% gratuity included on the food, and the $115 bar tab (gratuity not included) for three pear ciders, three black and tans, 1 Guiness, 2 Fuller's, 1 coke, Patron tequila (oops, must've left my ID at home, make that a milk. Two milks), 1 margarita, whatever LostandFound was drinking, a coffee for factgirl's long drive home, and about five "fruity girl drinks" with Midori, and 1 vodka martini which no one would drink (it made its way all around the table).