hula hoops and hampster wheels

So this weekend was Gwendolyn's fantastic birthday bash weekend. It has been a nice weekend -- however not the usual for what I expect for a weekend in LaCrosse.

Let's start with the usual -- Usually we end up drinking, a lot, or more than my poor liver likes. (so in my terms that means more than 2 beers in a 24 hour period.) This also involves going from bar to bar sampling the fine establishments in downtown LaCrosse. Seriously -- there are bars everywhere -- and alcohol in LaCrosse is kept at competitive prices to suit the needs of many college students and 20/30 somethings who live here. Ok so one must be prepared -- somewhat sensible shoes are must, and 20 dollars is normally enough to get you good and drunk off your ass -- but for a birthday weekend, fancy drinks or shots might be required so maybe 40 tops and that should be enough to have a cab ride home. SO very economical for the weekend binge... how delightful. After consuming large amounts of alcohol, I'm normally up at 5:30 with horrible post-beer poo poos and a headache. This was not the case today.


Our Saturday birthday extravaganza was off to bad start when I spent hours -- wasted on listening to NPR. Now, mind you I like my radio with a certain kind of element, most will call this ridiculous -- but I like songs. I was mildly entertained for awhile -- but then craved TV, or real radio - not just podcast after podcast after podcast. No joke -- 9-5 of talk radio is enough to make me well, eager for alcohol. After we all got dressed for the day - we headed to Buzzard Billies - had a delightful meal -- followed by ice cream which I was to overstuffed to partake in. And now at 7:30 in the morning I have a sweet tooth and ice cream sounds delicious.

After dinner I inquired as to what we were going to do -- well we were going to go to someones house and watch tv and veg out for a little bit, maybe play games and start drinking. Woo hoo -- ok a plan. I love plans. After we have flipped -- or Jamie has flipped rather, we are all in tv la la land and are entranced by the happenings on Degrassi and Queen Bees- The Soup and some all in a week show -- we're laughing and playing games. Pretty soon the clock was way later than it should have been and we are going to McDonald's, quarter to midnight-- to get a snack, I'm not wasted and it's almost midnight, this is not how I envisioned this -- I'm sure Gwendolyn has not pictured this either- --but we are at McDonald's getting snacks -- I'm not hungry at all really -- but I know if I don't get anything -- I will suffer a horrible case of McDonald's envy and so alas I get the old stand by - the number 1. It is fantastic. I love it.
We return to the house with the air conditioning and tv and no NPR Podcasts anywhere to be seen. We eat. Now we are in the current moment. I'm wide awake. I've been up for almost two hours with painful stomach clenching gas that is both loud and smellier than Jamie's fridge, and a headache. It's like I'm hungover from McDonalds. I had a great time -- it was very mellow -- but I was a little pumped to be reckless and intoxicated. Yep, maybe I'm too old for that Shenanigans.