Saturday, February 24, 2007

Oops, I did it again...

Actually it was intentional. I hosted SoF practice this week. Yeah, it was a bit of a surprise to me as well. Since my last time hosting I've had the thought that I'd like to give it one more go sometime, just because I think the first try was awful.
Now I could pick it apart and do some serious self criticism here but I think I'll try not to. (I'll save that for school work) What I will do is say that I am glad that I was willing to give it another shot. There is a ton of stuff that could be improved, but it's ok. The main thing that stood out to me was that I wasn't nervous and scared the entire time. What happened happened. I doubt I'll ever be a great host, but I'm ok with that. I really don't want to be. What I wanted was to be able to host without being paralyzed with fear and without feeling like a frightened bunny the entire time. A little bit of the time I'm ok with. That I accomplished.
And now on to the highlight of the evening!
As it happened the Crazy Monkeys, our improv "rivals", were having a show in the lecture hall next to ours. I got a kick out of that. But that's not the highlight! The highlight occurred after both of our respective shows.
We were sitting complacently at Applebee's awaiting our table when who should walk in? Did you guess a group containing several of the Monkeys? You're right!
I don't think that they saw us immediately, but ended up being seated across the restaurant (actually just across the abyss which is the bar area between the two raised dining wings.) Anyhoo, after we've been there a bit a waitress comes over (not ours) and asks who is 21 or up. A couple of us raise our hands, somewhat reluctantly. It seemed a bit odd. She says, "Okay, can I see some ID?" I kinda wanted to say no. After all, it's not as if I asked for this relationship, she instigated the thing.
Murmurs ran around the table about the Monkeys involvement in this. Could it be that they were sending over shots? I ask Benji if he had his lighter on him. Seeing as I wouldn't drink a shot I figured the least I could do is set it on fire and toast the Monkeys with the flaming glass from across the way. He didn't. And they didn't as it turns out.
What did happen is that Andrew (red hair, very funny guy if you ever have a chance to meet him) had their waitress send us over a pitcher of beer and four glasses for the four of us over 21. Luck would have it that only two of those four even drank at all and those two not in excess, but we still highly appreciated the gesture.
Right away ideas of retaliation began buzzing about. Ryan's idea: "Can we send them birthday muffins or something?" (I've never had a birthday muffin, but I would like to some day.)
We consult the waitress and she agreed to get a birthday dessert for Andrew (it wasn't actually his birthday, that I know of)(just thought I'd throw that in)(in case you hadn't figured it out yet) and let us know so we could go and sing to him. It was agreed that the emissaries would consist of the four of us over 21 and our Captain.
The waitress alerts us that our time is nigh. She has a birthday parfait (I've never had that either) with balloons festively tied to the handle. We grab up our beer glasses and troop in a line behind her to the other side of the restaurant, stand in a line by Andrew's table, sing happy birthday to him (all the while swinging our beer glasses like so many drunken Irishmen) and then turn and leave.
I believe that before we walked away he said thank you and we thanked him back but that was the extent of the conversation.
Like a well trained SWAT team we had swept in, done the job quickly and efficiently and gotten back out with ease and finesse.
According to the people remaining at our table they had applauded our singing and a table near ours had joined in. Either it was so bad that they felt pity, or they just got caught up in the comedic joy of it all.
At any rate, it was spectacularly awesome.
Andrew took his balloons with him when they left.

~ "We're pirates damn it, not beatniks!" ~
~ Ryan "T. Rex" Garwood, Captain of the Ship of Fools

3 comments:

Ryan said...

For the record, I never suggested "birthday muffins" or anything of the sort. Birthday cake, ice cream, and/or brownies are how I roll.

Also, the Captain link takes you to the wrong Ryan. :)

Renee L. said...

Dude, I'm sure you said muffins! I remember it mainly because I thought it was hilarious.

luckeyfrog said...

I think I especially liked that our waitress was so awesome. She was a great sport, admitting that they didn't sing or do anything embarrassing with birthday desserts, but very willing to let some Fools do it.

I hope she got good tips, had a good time, and came home with a great story. :)