I was there.

Stumbling into work at 8:00 am to begin my sixteen-hour shift after a little over two hours of sleep was the price I paid for being able to say that. I think I shall say it again.

I was there.

Well, not all there.

Alecia Terry, Chuck Thursby, and Brian Haller had their official house-warming party. Well, it was a house-warming for them, but it was more of a changing of the guard for me and I'm sure for a few of the rest of the older crew in attendance. The condo they were moving into had been lived in and partied in for several years before that by Donovan Terry, Brian Goldstein, and Markus Roznowski. Many a good time was had there.

And now has been passed on to younger blood, whom I collectively refer to as "The Kids."

And I was there.

The kids had somehow acquired a keg and, succumbing to temptation, tapped it as soon as they got it. Earliest reports place that around 6:30 pm. Well done.

My old brain can't remember too well anymore, so I'll just rattle off a bit of what I remember:

Concerning DC:

Discovering that after half of a bottle of Jack Daniels he begins to reward anything that amuses him with a hearty laugh and a solid head-butt.

Arguing loudly in Scottish accents.

Sharing a shot of the finest super-market brand vodka we could find.

Not believing him when he told me that he had drank so much JD, and then finally believing him when I watched it all come back up.

After he had thrown up for the first time (I had been in the bathroom coaching him), we had rejoined the party and were trying to convince people that we had just been having a furious discussion on the state of the world.

Him throwing up on my hand after attempting to eat some bread. I had grabbed the nearest receptacle (a plastic cup) and he spewed in that. Mostly. Good call on the leather couch, Mr. and Mrs. Terry. Puke wipes right off. And off of my hand as well, so I had to laugh when it happened.

Concerning Trevor:

Sitting outside overlooking the parking lot having a square with the lad and discussing tattoos, petty theft, and getting drunk at work.
And of course, hitting the beer bong, although from what I understand we have to thank Andrew (is it Severyn?) for that fine feat of engineering.

Ha, and let it be noted that the only phone number I got that night was Trevor's.

Concerning Alyx:

I interrupted heart-to-heart talk in Alecia's room, and I felt bad about that. But I got to talk to Scott Haller, Brian's older brother, which was cool because he had also gone out with Kate and I had always assumed that he hated me. Hardly the case at all.

Hmm, that wasn't really about Alyx, was it? It was great seeing her and talking to her. Her boyfriend is cool, and unlike DC, can hold his half of the bottle of JD.

Oh, she'll probably claim that she drank six of those alco-pop fruit punch thingies she had, but I had at least half of two of them because she was just running around holding them. You beat your record of four, Miss Alyx, and I commend you for it. And I'm sorry I yoinked some of your drink. I owe you some more of those, whatever they were.

Concerning Alecia:

Again, I felt bad for interrupting heart-to-heart time, but I'm consoled by the fact that I could not interrupt Alecia's trip to Passed-Out Land, courtesy of the Captain. I do remember wanting to beat up some young whippersnapper that tried to go to sleep in her room and kept claiming that "It's cool, I'm with the band." I think that was his excuse every time he would do something to irritate someone that night. Who was that guy?

Concerning Tim:

Love Tim, he's great.

Concerning the other Old Folk:

We were all still standing at the end of the night.

Concerning Myself:

At one point in the evening I dubbed myself "Old Guillermo" and was going around denouncing "Young Guillermo" as a fool. I think it was because "Young Guillermo" had been cutting back on "Old Guillermo's" drinking. Seriously, what was "Young Guillermo" thinking?

This Sunday would have been Day Fourteen.

Conversing with people and hearing them actually refer to Girl #1, #2, and #3.
Chuck had his hookah set up on the balcony and that was good times. I'm not familiar with hookah terminology, but the part right below the coals wasn't sealed right so I wrapped my hand around it so that I could get a decent puff out of the thing. It was hot, but it was worth it. Oh, the things I will do for mango sheesha.

After my roommate Mai Linh poured the last of the beer from the keg, I removed my tap and was waving it around like a cavalry general drunkenly leading his drunken troops into battle. I was quite proud of the kids for having cashed it, although there was a tragic amount of half-full and half-empty cups strewn about. Oh, I heard that more than one person was going around scavenging the beer from those cups. Stupid alcoholics. They should have beer back at their place, like me. Ha, and I wonder if anyone tried to drink out of the cup DC puked in?

Now that would have been hilarious.

There is more to recall, but it is late and these old bones are groaning for some rest.

I was there.

Were you? And pray tell, what do you remember?