WEEK OF AWESOME

Some of my friends here in Philadelphia and I decided to call the first week of August "The Week of Awesome". We determined that this would be a good opportunity for a lot of friendly activities because I would still be around, others would be finished with school/jobs, and still others would be home for short visits. And we did have a week of awesome activities. Here's a summary as I can recall.

Aug. 1-2: Ridiculous
Jamie, Meg, John and I went to Northern Liberties in Philly to a Bike Polo Fundraiser. Bike Polo is polo on a bike and the World Championships are being held Labor Day weekend. So the folks at this bike shop put on a party, $15 for a bottomless pint and free pizza. Also there was a raffle for all sorts of cycling items which Jamie and Megan won lots of. Sometime during the 4-5 hours we spent there getting progressively more tipsy, a plan was made. A plan to go to Atlantic City. So we made our way to 30th Street Station, ate some McDonald's because we were all being gross and then jumped on a NJ Transit train to AC. The cast of characters on the Saturday night train to AC are special and I'm sure we made quite an addition. Anyway, we got there and quickly found an Irish pub for some sustenance then, guided by Jamie's friend Brian, we went to a casino. John quickly separated from the group to gamble seriously while the rest of us had drinks and played some penny slots (unsuccessfully). Before we knew it, it was 4:30 in the morning and we decided to head back to the train station so we could get the 5:45 am train to Philly. While in the casino, none of us were tired (this we attributed to the crack that streams from casino lights) but the moment we sat down everyone was exhausted. We made quite an impression I'm sure as we slept on the train to Philly, sat on the platform floor to wait for the R5, and slept again all the way until Wynnewood. Then we walked back to my house and the rain started to pour down just as we turned into my street. John and I managed to get back to his apartment, were showered and in bed by 9 (this is Sunday morning now), and slept until 2. Needless to say, Week of Awesome events were postponed for the next 2 days as well recovered.

Aug. 5 : Phillies Game
By Wednesday, we felt well enough to be awesome again so Jamie, Meg, Audrey, Christine, Monica, and I all went to the Phillies game. We tailgated for a few hours and some Victory Golden Monkeys facilitated truth-telling. Also, Washers is a very difficult game. Finally we went into the stadium and ate lots of fries and stuff, watched little of the game (the Phillies won 7-0) and went back to my house. There I talked for an our about Jon and Kate Plus 8, much to Jamie and Megan's discomfort. They did manage to escape by midnight though.

Aug. 6: Mug Night
The next night we went to Erin Pub for Mug Night as we are wont to do. It was a good time that devolved into a dance party. Our group was the only group in the bar though as our dancing seemed to scare everyone else away. Perhaps the music selection wasn't varied enough for them. Anyway, everyone had fun and the fun continued at Audrey's house afterwards though John and I had to skip that because he needed to get home and go to bed so he would be able to go to work. He did manage to get to work on time, even a bit early!

Aug. 7: Shiny Shirt Night
And finally, Friday night. We decided that we should get dressed up in those bar shirts that we all have but never actually wear out. Unfortunately, most people didn't have bar shirts, were embarrassed by them, or had packed them and taken them to Vancouver already (me). Still, Megan looked very shiny in her shirt and I snagged a shirt from Erin and wore some obnoxious sparkly shoes Jamie bought. We went down to Fairmount and ended up at London Grill for awhile. We ate lots of bar food there and had delicious and girly drinks. Then we continued on to Urban Saloon where again, our night devolved into a dance party. While we weren't the only ones dancing, we were probably the most obnoxious, especially after we started requesting songs. Nevertheless, the night turned out pretty well. We were all fairly tired from the rest of the week so it wasn't quite going out with a bang, more like with an audible pop, but all fun.

And so Week of Awesome concluded. And it was awesome.