When a Pedestal Falls

Usually I try to keep my blogs positive, or at least introspectively neutral, but I fear this one may break that trend. Earlier today I was forwarded a news article about a guy I went to high school with. He was a senior when I was freshman. The guy, let's call him Bill (not his real name), was my brother's classmate and teammate on the soccer team. Bill barely knew me. If he knew me at all it was as “Pat's little brother.” But he was a guy I looked up to back then, first as a soccer player and then as a person. Somebody an intimidated little freshman wanted to be like. And today I learned that just last week Bill turned a gun on himself...he's gone.

In high school he was a role model. A scholar athlete, honor role student, respected by the teachers, respected by his classmates (probably the most remarkable thing I saw in him - let's face it in high school people barely respected one another), and he was a genuinely nice guy. Never saw him pick on an underclassmen even during the whole varsity hazing period at the start of the soccer season, which I as a junior-varsity newbie soccer player was grateful for. Bill had a good head on his shoulders. The guy was going places. What the hell happened??

Bill had joined the military, not sure which branch, and served in Iraq. The article alluded to him suffering from PTSD and depression as a result of his time abroad. Police responded to calls of him threatening suicide, Bill wanted to speak to a veteran and when negotiations didn't pan out he ended it. A single moment, and the young man I remember, a person to be looked up to, left us.

I've always admired those who serve in the military. Despite the person, the character it takes to put yourself on the line for the sake of the country or to defend what you believe in is an admirable quality. So I guess it was no surprise to learn Bill served. But dang...

We all suffer through dark times and low points. Some more than others. To reach a point so low, a place so dark that leaving life becomes a viable option is...well I don't even know how to describe it. Torturous maybe?

But to think, that standup guy is gone. A guy I admired even more than my big brother – ok well maybe not. I'll drop the anti-family facade, I've looked up to and admired my brother my entire life. Even still to this day whether he realizes it or not. Maybe that's the silver lining? A sobering reaction to a devastating tragedy. A sense of thankfulness to those who've ventured to those dark places and found their way back. I've found that those who do make it back shine brighter than others. And the world is better for it. I'm glad you stuck around, seriously.

My sincere condolences to Bill's family. And to Bill, I hope the torment has ended and that you have found peace.

St Paddy's Day 2013

Clovers, whiskey, and green, green, green everywhere. Surefire signs that St. Patrick's Day was upon us. This year presented an interesting challenge in that this sacred day fell on a Sunday...meaning I had to work the next day. Couldn't make it a full on late, epic night like last year. But it was pretty awesome nonetheless.

Totally Epic


The first solution to my Sunday dilema was rather simple: begin the festivities on Saturday. And so I did! I met up with Jen, Sterling, Laura at Jen's house to try out a new game. The game is called Drunk Quest. Yep, it's that kind of game. We had everything needed to play in the spirit of St. Paddy's Day: people, Irish music, corned beef, shepherds pie, awesome Guiness cupcakes, whiskey, and booze. Game on!



Drunk Quest is a card game. Kind of felt like some sort of Dungeons and Dragons kind of thing. We each had a character, cards that did things, and there were monsters that could only be killed by drinking. Does it make sense? It didn't for us. The directions didn't help for squat so things were pretty confusing and frustration at the start. But we had a spark of inspiration. The more we drink, the more it will make sense. Surprisingly that's exactly what happened. We went from scratching our heads about what the different numbers on the cards meant to being legendary heroes from the lands of Vodkarthage, Rumblood, and Highbottle on a quest to slay the beasts that threaten our kingdoms. The game turned out to be pure awesome. More must join us next time.


Tullamore Dew,
Optimus approved


On Sunday, the actuall St. Paddy's Day, the plan was to hit up the block party downtown. But of course I had to keep in mind that it was Sunday...work tomorrow. The plan was to get to the party before 6pm, check it out, and be out of there before 10pm.



Guess what's in the box!!

I met up with Kim, my partner in crime for all things intoxicated, and we started things off with a shot of whiskey. Tullamore Dew to be precise. St. Paddy's calls for a quality spirit. Then we hit up the block party. The first thing of note to happen was the guy who puked in the middle of the street. A surefire way to make a clearing at any party. And it wasn't even 6pm yet. Guy must have been having a rough day...or a really good one depending how you look at it. But the puke isn't what made it noteworthy, it was the fact that the street vendors "cleaned" it up by covering it with a cardboard box. I can hear the guys from the Guiness commercials screaming BRILLIANT!! Eventually the puke was washed away but we avoided that area for the rest of the night.


We met up with Marlon, who turns out to have a knack for getting lost. He disappeared a number of times and we kept having to find the guy. Anyway, we kept up a constant, but moderate, flow of whiskey and beer. Kim and I got some fake Jameson Whiskey tattoos. We strolled in and out of Murphys, meandered through the alley next to O'Toole's, and checked out all the green people were wearing. My favorites were the guy dressed as the riddler, and a big burly dude who dyed his beard bright green.





Rockin the fake Jameson tats

There were two stages set up. One had a live band, the other a DJ. I didn't feel like watching a leprauchan rave so to the live band we went! They were pretty good. They played classic rock like Pink Floyd, CCR, and they even had their own rendition of Hotel California called Hotel Honolulu. It was about how Hawaii weather is perfect, the cops are lazy, and white people lounge around an "inherited" paradise. Funny song.





A shot of the stage and the band

Downtown was crowded all night but it was the good kind of crowded. Everything was jovial and pleseant...and green. But as time went on more people spilled onto the road and as it was starting to feel more packed we felt it was time to leave. It was a little before 10pm, perfect timing! A good Irish-themed weekend with good people, good whiskey, and good times! Now if this fake Jameson tattoo will just wash off...good thing I didn't put it somewhere ridiculous like my neck. 


Myself, Marlon, and Kim
Cheers!!