Tag Archives: holidays

Happy Holiday Recap: Part Two of Two

Posted on by
Reply

The frenzy continues with the second weekend of Christmas craziness…

Thursday, December 8: The Trolley Crawl..and I Get Schnokered on Schnapps
As we have for the last couple of years, the holiday trolley crawl always proves to be a must for the season. Knowing what a crazy weekend I had in store, I had cleverly prepared and had taken Friday off of work. This, knowingly, provided permission to my shiza-show-self to get extra holiday schnockered on schnapps during the trolley ride.

We met at Campus whereby a group of about 30 people joined the staff of our trolley and headed out to see the San Francisco city lights. We had the most amazing bartender, Rhonda, who served the stiffest drinks.

NOTE: I’m 99% certain she’s been our bartender before. This time, however, Greg had innocently misinformed her to have on board extra vodka, but since I had started the 7&7 trend, we drank through several bottles of seagrams instead.

During our ride, we drove through Pac Heights, Union Square, the Financial and up to Coit Tower. The view from the top was magnificent. Perfectly clear. It made for the perfect location to pop a squat. I’m not sure who took a series of photos on my camera phone at that point, but this is the most legible one I found.

From Coit we headed down to The Buena Vista for an Irish Coffee or two. From here things are a bit blurry…I recall a beach, a stalker, a new friend and then back to Campus. Facebook tells me I closed out the night with a wicked game of cards at Monaghan’s with Pat.  All in all, a good night for Christmas.

 

Friday December 9: Upstairs Dance Party…and It Goes All Night
Thursday night’s hangover lasted a little too long into Friday afternoon for my liking, but after being awoken by my two lovely man companions, Shanny, I was up and ready to face the day, in bed. I suppose it was around 6pm when I finally mustered the energy to shower and get all dolled up for Christie, Milo and Lauren’s 6th Annual Christmas Party.

Christie had gone all out this year. The apartment was filled with holiday cheer and lots of beer. All our friends were there and Christie’s punch you in the face punch knocked the dance right out of us. It was around 12am when the police finally stopped by, of their own accord, because Whitney Houston’s “I Want to Dance with Somebody” was blasting out of the fourth floor windows.

No warning could stop us. At this point only the strong survived. This is us doing the traditional peppermint patty shots late night.

I’m not sure how it happened, but the next thing I know it was 5:30am and I was hanging out with DTD and a bouncer from The Bus Stop named Yuri. Luckily I did manage to squeeze in a couple hours of sleep before I had to be ready to host brunch at our place before Santacon.

 

Saturday, December 10: Santacon…and a There’s a Shit-ton of Santas
By 9am I was up and costumed while Sean was already at the oven cooking up some tots, eggs and what seemed like 27 different types of sausage. From our house we hopped on the bus and headed down to Civic Center to begin marching.

In the past several years I’ve always started Santacon before the official 12pm call, however, I’ve never actually started at Civic Center, so this year we made it a priority.

Highlights from the rest of the day include sake bombs at 1pm, dancing down Polk Street behind a 6-person bike and amazing sound system, bad santas, naked santas, Christie’s parents at Savoy and finally closing out the night at our favorite spot, Marengo. (I’m shocked they served us too.) While I didn’t make it to 2am this year, I feel like I really did put my best food forward in scaring children by dressing up as a shiza-faced-santa-claus, forever ruining their image of the man who they thought only enjoyed milk.

Hope you have a very merry holiday. Cheers!

 

Happy Holiday Recap: Part One of Two

Posted on by
Reply

As quickly as November flew by, so did December…Tis the season I suppose…Lucky for me, the first week of the month I spent housesitting in the East Bay. It was the perfect opportunity to rest up and ready myself for the barrage of holiday happy hours, Christmas parties and seasonal social events. Upon returning to the city, the reindeer games began.

Saturday, December 4: Christmas Parties…and The Project Returns
The day was filled with cleaning our our apartment in prep for the move on January 1. My parents were in town to help me declutter, which meant no rest to be had as we worked from 9 to 5 cleaning out my hoarded shiza. That night, the parentals peaced out, the girls cooked at our place, with what little kitchenware I had not packed, and we readied ourselves for a night on the town.

We first hit up Kellan, Laura & Blaire’s Holiday Party on Fillmore. Both Kellan and Laura are amazing chefs and had whipped up a plethora of sweets and savories, including these amazing chorizo stuffed dates wrapped in bacon. Mmm good. After several Rosemary-Cran Vodka Tonics, we headed over to KT’s for the Boy’s Christmas Party.

Previously my number one favorite spot in the city, KT’s, has recently dropped to one of my least favorites. I’ve given it many an opportunity to redeem itself under the new management, but Saturday was the last straw. While those we knew provided great company and the 7&7′s contained the right amount of 7, the security blew. The space was overcrowded, Christie’s phone was stolen and they had let in one too many bridge and tunnel folks for my liking. I always know it’s a bad spot when I only have one photo to show for remembering I was there…

It was around midnight when we gave up on KT’s and headed up to Lion’s Den to meet up with MDID (i.e. Mike, Doug & Indian Doug). Everything was going great until “The Project” walked in. You may recall this man from February’s President’s Day Weekend shiza show. Quite honestly I barely recognized him…at this point things were pretty fuzzy, the bar was dark and I had worked hard to black out any photographic memories of him (no pun intended). He first approached Mary and shockingly remembered her name. (Creepy, right? I would give my left limb to go back in time and take a photo of the expression on Mary’s face as he walked up to give her a hug and say hi.)

Over the course of the next hour I utilized many tactics to avoid “The Project,” including, but not limited to, personal bodyguards, literally hiding under the bar, Mary’s verbal and extremely offensive insults, and at the very end of the night escaping to M&IDs apartment. “The Project’s” final words were, “So, are we gonna leave here and have some sex?” I mean who says that?! Really?! Thank gawd the boys can prove to be gentlemen when the time is right. So gross. Thanks for spreading the Christmas cheer “The Project.”

More to come from weekend number two…

What the F&%$ Happened to November?

Posted on by
Reply

I’m pretty sure there are 12 months in a year, however, yesterday I asked Mary if hours were counted differently in other parts of the world, so common sense like this may not be my strong suit. That said, based on my 2011 Standard Poodle Calendar, gifted to me by Christie last Christmas, the 11th month of the year is November and yet I don’t know where it went.

The months of November and December are by far my busiest professionally, but prove to also be the busiest personally. The holidays bring family, friends and acquaintances together more in 60 days than in the remaining 305 days combined. For me, this November was filled with the following and I encourage you to take note…

Boozing in Sonoma
Mary and her parents graciously invited me to a weekend in Sonoma for food, wine and good company. While I only ended up staying Friday night, the 24 hours were filled with all of that and more. We stayed in the amazing MacArthur Place, where we had a ridiculous space, including Lola’s very own day bed.

(NOTE: For those of you who don’t know, Lola can go everywhere now. Stop asking questions.)

While in Sonoma we dined at Cafe La Haye and The Fig Cafe, both absolutely delicious! And of course it wouldn’t be Sonoma without wine tasting, stopping at Benziger and Ledson Saturday afternoon. Unfortunately I did have to drive back to the city that evening and I did not want to be shiza-faced in front of Mary’s sweet parents, so the imbibing of the wine was limited to say the least. Even so, the getaway was fantastic!

Discovering Ram’s Gate
Less than a 40 minute drive from the city, Ram’s Gate Winery is the perfect location for a Sunday Funday. Now open for almost two months, we’ve been there three times and counting. In an attempt to become regulars we’ve been making the trip to Sonoma’s border on every free weekend to enjoy their lounge-like atmosphere, delicious grub and wildly refreshing champagne. I strongly encourage you do the same.

Rediscovering Lion’s Pub
If you’ve never been, you must, especially during the holidays. Lion’s Pub is a great bar in the heart of Pac Heights because…
- Their cocktails are made with fresh ingredients! I recommend any flavor mojito and definitely the caipirinha.
- There is a fireplace. Not kidding. Great for the winter season, especially around Christmas.
- It’s conveniently located near Solstice and Fish Bowl, which make for a quick crawl route.
- The have free cheese plates. Free. Need I say more?

Dancing with SuperBad at Maggie McGarry’s
Maggie McGarry’s has and continues to be a great place for ridiculous late night dancing. Avoiding house and club music at all cost, they feature live rock and pop bands, such as SuperBad. Wizz, the bouncer at Maggie’s, says “SuperBad is my most favorite band here…They’re killer,” which, despite his creepy long hair and sullen face, I can’t argue with the man. They’re so good, my cousin Risa, who rarely stays out past 10pm, didn’t leave the dance floor until 2am! If you want to get you’re groove on, this is the spot.

Thanksgiving
No November would be complete without a turkey, mashed potatoes, stuffing, green bean casserole, marshmallow yams and gravy. Not unlike any family holiday, the gang gathered together in the East Bay for cooking, eating, drinking, boardgames and good times. The clan continues to grow and we’re up to 30+ these days, with 26 in attendance at this year’s feast, 32 including the 6 six dogs.

Getting together with my extended family always reminds me of everything I have to be thankful for. Friends, family and Lola make me a very lucky person. Although the Holiday Season is just kicking into high gear, take a moment to stop and enjoy it. I’m sure you have a lot to gives thanks for too. Cheers!

 

Drinko de Mayo…Mas Margaritas Por Favor

Posted on by
Reply

I get it. It’s several weeks later. Quite honestly Cinco de Mayo was an amazing night, but outside of finally stepping foot in Marengo after my 27th birthday incident, nothing momentous really occurred. I would like to point out, however, Pier 23, has turned into our annual Cinco de Mayo celebration caliente spot!

And of course after several rounds of margaritas, we headed back to the hood…Shocking, but with these two on the side of the road, it took quite a while to catch a ride.

Unfortunately on my way into the bar, I somehow managed to roll my ankle and before we could hit up Union Street, I had to change into flats. FML.

From our apartment we arrived to Marengo, grabbed some whiskey at the bar and then several mini burgers and fries!

That night Christie had to hold me up as I hobbled home on my one good foot. Sadly no amount of margaritas or whiskey could make the pain go away…but I did put my best foot forward. (Ha! Get it?!)

 

Happy Belated St Patrick’s Day

Posted on by
Reply

With a promotion at work happening the next day I couldn’t justify getting wasted on the actual St Patrick’s Day, Wednesday, March 17. Yes, a sign I’m actually growing up. Sooo with beautiful weather on our side, Greg and Andy decided to throw their own little Irish themed bash on Saturday afternoon.

Around 11am Greg served me the first of several Irish Car Bombs. By noon several more people joined, including my favorites, Joanie & Chachie (aka my parents) and Steve and Julie, my favorite family friends! Not only was my family there, but little Varni and in-law Varni also joined in on the fun!

Chachie (aka Dad) & Steve / Julie, Joanie (aka Mom) & Nat / Little Varni, in-law Varni & Varni

Even Lola enjoyed a day in the sun! (See Danny does love Lola.)

The day went on…we enjoyed flip cup, beer pong, cigars and good times…One Car Bomb after another, slowly people’s dignity slipped away…

Greg attempted to seduce my mother…

Julie had one too many Car Bombs…

And Brooks, Stina and I figured out what the boys could do with the open space in the family room…

I made it out to Delaney’s that night, but since I had drunkenly brought Lola with me, I only managed to make it through one beer before I decided to head home…Although I did learn she loves the bar just like her mother.

All in all I’m proud to say I made it another year celebrating St Patrick’s Day with my family BUT without peeing my pants! Pat on the back to me…get it?!

Do You Believe in Santa?

Posted on by
Reply

What a holiday season! As promised…here’s a quick recap of the 2009 Christmas season…from cocktail parties to santa pub crawls we surely made the most of every Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

A couple of quick highlights…

1. As always: Pearl. Pearl is a cardigan I purchased for an ugly sweater party a couple years back. That’s her on the right. Everyone loves her and she comes to at least one holiday event every year. She attended Christie, Barbs and Jen’s Soiree this year!

Pearl

2. Santacon = I’m Famous. For this year’s Santacon, we were featured in local San Francisco newspapers. I’m in the back with a HUGE smily on my face.

3. Mind Erasers & Peppermint Patty Shots. I don’t think the mind erasers are specific to holiday, as those are delicious anytime of year, but the peppermint patty shots are most definitely! I believe we went through two bottles of schnapps this year! Kudos.

There’s a lot more than just news coverage and booze…Check it out:


Download Video