Beers, Blogs & Everyone Loves A Boston Girl

Sorry for the odd four liner earlier and the terribly shoddy cell phone pic. I had a lovely little Blue Moon buzz going when I wrote it and it had started to hit me that I would be waking up in 3.5 hours to work out and then, well, work. Back to the beer blogging extravaganza with Everyone Loves A Boston Girl’s Susie, in town for a quick sister/Wicked/cupcake visit.

Susie’s sister lives around the corner from a bar I’ve been to a handful of times with a rather entertaining pair of brothers I know. I think the last time I was inside Four Shadows, it was August and I was in tip-to-toe seersucker. No joke- a vest, wide leg trousers etc. Goodnight, I love theme parties.

Anyhow, that was the spot we’d picked for our little “revealing.” Fresh from the wild times of folding my laundry, eating my soup and watching Brokeback, I arrived at the bar and settled in with a brew for poor Sues who was coming straight from O’Hare. Need I mention that it’s also about 2 degrees here?

As I was thawing out, who happens upon me but my dear trainer Matt, henceforth known as Chester (alias is subject to change depending on how much he hates it and if I get extra lunges as a direct result). My default reaction is similar to being caught standing on the kitchen counter in 1988- an hour past bedtime and with my hand in a bag of top-shelf cookies. Yes, I have to be at the gym at 6am and I have clearly just arrived at a bar at 11pm….whoops!

It’s also really funny to run into someone you’re so used to seeing in one place (work, the gym…) in a very different element. Usually when I’m hanging out with these guys it is 6am, and I’m no make-up, no wake-up, bright red and reflective (in the "I’m so sweaty light reflects off of me" sense, not in the “let’s talk about Kierkegaard’s vision for human motivation” sense). He stayed for a few beers and it ended up being so fun -although the poor guy got more than he bargained for in Blogroll 101 once Susie, sister Beth and Beth’s boyfriend Adam arrived!

Now for the most obvious statement of the week:
It is downright hilarious to talk in person with someone who you’ve kept tabs on mutually for months but never technically met.

All of you blog bretheren know what I’m talking about here. There are things we know about each other that people we’ve known since birth don’t have a concept for. For the record, conversation picks up just where it left off at the last post but it’s the interactive version. Sues is every bit as fun and fantastic as you think/read she is!

Major props should also go out to the three non-bloggers at the table who managed to keep straight faces while Susie and I explained what must sound like War Craft 3 to those unfamiliar with this little pocket of communication. No, we’ve never met. Yes, I know she’s obsessed with Norway, talks to best friend Chels so much she should be hoarse and will eat pumpkin anything. She knows I love creepy fantasy flicks from the 80’s, need to use my headset while driving and that I’ve been working out lately (she knew this before she was having beers with my actual trainer). It’s not weird to us but I understand that it could give anyone else pause.

The group chatted and gossiped and drank. If it hadn’t been so late, I think both of us would have loved to have some other bloggers meet up but kicking off a happy hour at 11 on a frigid school night didn’t strike us as all that intuitive an idea for a bigger group. I am definitely still game for arranging a Chicago happy hour though- Feb 15 or 16, anyone?

I got home around 2am and up at 5:30 for my morning fun-run around the Loft. I think I almost fell asleep on a treadmill going 7mph but Day 3- Check! And tomorrow is my last consecutive day before I take Sunday off.

Now that I’ve been exercised and triple soy latte-ed, I think may bang out a pretty productive day before my nap and a fabulous Friday. Tonight: Tango Sur with one set of girlfriends and then The Changes show at Double Door with another. Life is good, even my avatar is happy☺