Friday, November 24, 2006

STUFFED!!!


Thanksgiving Day came and went like a blur, but what a relaxing and fun day it was.

THANKSGIVING EVE

The festivities actually began the night before when i found myself managing the Pre-Thanksgiving Happy Hour. I entered towards the tail end of the soiree and happened upon a few of the regulars (who weren't traveling for the Turkey Day holidays). They were hanging out in the corner, enjoying birthday cocktails for one of their own. I came over and joined them for a few rounds, where we ended up debating (yet again) about football. During this time, a young lady, who was hanging out with her friends on the other side of the bar, turned to us and gave us a friendly toast. We waved back to her and I motioned for her to come and join us.


She strolled over to us and introduced herself to us; We did the same in turn. Right away, a couple of the guys must've said something under their breath or made a face or something, because she picked up on it right away and was immediately turned off by it. I, somehow, got her to stick around to chat some more (she was cute), but she was feeling defensive about the vibe she got from a couple of the guys. Turns out she was a high-school science teacher with one hell of a feisty streak; she was not going to put up with any crap from any guy, that's for sure. She eventually let her guard down and ended up hanging out with the guys the rest of the night.


In the meantime, the crowd consisted of a lot of Staten Islanders (there to hang out with their friend who was bartending) and tourists in town for the parade and basketball games. It was a good night overall and a nice start to the holiday weekend.

THANKSGIVING DAY

I was awakened fairly early in the A.M. by NAPOLEON DYNAMITE, who was ready to get things in gear for the big Thanksgivng Day dinner he'd planned for a few of his friends, myself included. Quite a few of us were invited (basically anyone from the Sunday Brew Crew who wasn't going home), and it was going to be one of those pot-luck affairs. I was actually looking forward to it for a number of reasons: For starters, we ordered a Turducken (A combination turkey+duck+chicken), popular in the southern part of the U.S. Second, anytime you can have a day to yourself where you can eat, drink and watch some football is like heaven, so you take advantage of it when you can.



When I arrived at NAPOLEON's apartment, his lovely fiance SMURFETTE greeted us warmly and invited us in. First let me say that they have a great apartment, with a beautiful view of the East River and the United Nations. By the time everyone had arrived, it became immediately apparent that we had more than enough food to feed everyone there, plus half of the U.N. Assembly. I have to give credit where credit is due; NAPOLEON and SMURFETTE put out a pretty mean spread. They did a great job with the turkey and the Turducken; MR. CHIPS and his lovely wife brought some kick-ass stuffing (two types- oyster-based and sausage based); ANGEL and SUSHI SAMBA brought some awesome deserts and yours truly pitched in with some pre-game apps and we all pitched in with plenty of booze to wash it all down. It was simply a great meal. One cool moment took place before we ate, where we each shared what it was we were thankful for; there were more than a few touching moments there that made it really feel like Thanksgiving.

The guest of honor... the Turducken!

The Turducken, surrounded by stuffing galore!

NAPOLEON, SMURFETTE, SUSHI SAMBA and his friend, PHILLIP playing Trivial Pursuit...

A long day of cooking, eating and boozing has caught up to our little friend...


A great view of the U.N.

Oops... Who spilled the gravy???



I have to say, for as much as some people knock NAPOLEON DYNAMITE for being loud, obnoxious or abrasive, I've said it before and I'll say it again, he is one of the nicest guys you will ever meet. This is a person that would give the shirt off of his back for you, bail you out of a jam, pitch in to help you out in a pinch, no questions asked. I've seen him do it time and time again. He is a guy who simply enjoys life. Some people may not be able to handle his personality and that's fine, but he can always count on me as a friend because I know I can always count on him to be the same. And I don't dole out that kind of praise easily. The guy's simply a class act.

The afternoon was fun- full of good food, lots of laughs and a great way to spend Thanksgiving. I only hope everyone else had as much fun as we did.

We're open today at our regular time, with the usual "Midday Happy Hour" ($3.00 Bud/Bud Light and Coors Light from 12-5pm); There will be plenty of college football action taking place all afternoon, and I'll be making a rare weekday appearance behind the stick, so stop by after you finish your Black Friday shopping experience. I got a feeling you'll need a drink once you see your credit card bill.

Enjoy your day!


NUFF SAID