48 Bottles of HopSlam!

I’ve said it a million times. I love Fridays. And this one would be no exception. However, the fact that I was on-call through the weekend put an asterisk beside it. I over slept by several minutes, too, leaving me scrambling to catch up. But after a few minutes I decided to not let that be a factor as my morning progressed. This was the day that the weather was slated to break, but for the time being, it was still pretty chilly. It was only 15 degrees at 5:50am. Once again, there was enough ice in the roads and on the walks to make walking/running a dangerous exercise. I had to be careful. I found myself longing for dry roads and walks. It’s been a few weeks. It was after 6:40am when I hit the ice for my run. I bundled warmly. There was less ice on the roads but still many unavoidable slick stretches. I took my time navigating the ice, probably added five minutes to my overall run time. Mindy was ready to depart by the time I was back home. My eggs were setting on the island patiently waiting my return. I hurried off for a shower around 7:40am and returned ready for the bus stop at 7:53am. I wished Jacob a good weekend as he jumped on the bus. Jimaken would most likely be there to fetch him well before I get home later. Said they were planning to do a movie, but not sure which one. I was off to work earlier than usual – on the road by 8:08am. It wasn’t until I was exiting in Hilliard that I realized I had left my Blackberry and work badge at home. Crap! I made the decision right then to turn around and fetch both. I went the back way, down Old Dublin Rd to Trabue. Now, instead of being early, I was going to be a few minutes late. But being late by a few minutes paled in comparison to being without those two things all important items all day long. I was glad that I returned home. I shared coffee and conversation with my boss and peers. We made 11am lunch plans for Bravo to celebrate one of their birthday’s. That’s way early for me, but we wanted to beat the rush and leave early enough to accommodate Ken, who works 4am-12noon. 11am came around quickly. It was odd being at Bravo with the lot next to empty. We were seated right away. We ordered their spinach-artichoke dip served with flat bread for an appetizer. Of course everything comes with homemade bread and oil for dipping at Bravo. Knowing that, I ordered a bowl of lobster bisque as my entrée, nothing else. Everything was good. We had a nice time. We were back at the office by 12:40pm. The afternoon was extremely busy. There were many challenges to overcome. But that’s good. It helped the longer than normal afternoon go by quickly. So much was going on that any thought of cutting out early was impossible. I did, however, manage to get out of the office before 6pm. I left home ready to serve as the on-call. It was very nice outside. It was only about 38 degrees, but that felt incredibly warm after where we’ve been. There was a kid riding his bike in shorts in front of the house as I pulled up. As luck would have it, he wiped out right in front of me on one of the few remaining ice patches most likely leaving a nice raspberry on his bare leg. He told me he was OK, though. I leashed up Ykraps after greeting everyone. In this case, everyone was Mindy, Landon, and Rocky. Jacob & Bella were with their daddy for the weekend. Tonight was date night. Kara was set to arrive at 7pm to watch Landon and Rocky for a few hours. We had plans to visit Barley’s. Both of us were looking forward to it, having not been there for three weeks. That time came quick. Kara was a few minutes early. We left at 7:10pm. We drove the Honda. Mindy asked me to stop at an ATM for cash. We cut down 5th avenue, Grandview. That worked well because I planned to stop at Gentile’s for some more HopSlam. It’s brewed for six weeks out of each year then it will be gone until next year. We hit the ATM and then Gentiles. Mindy went in with me. She wanted to see if they had any Hoppin’ Frog Silky Porter. They did not. Immediately in the door we spotted about four cases of HopSlam setting out. Mindy suggested that she should/could buy me one for Valentines Day. I opted not at first. We went to the back to check their entire beer selection, just as I often do. More pointedly, we were looking for a stout to suit Mindy’s taste. At the time, I planned to grab just one six pack of HopSlam. We spotted some Sam Adams Imperial Stout. I didn’t know that Sam Adams bottled the stuff. It came in a four packer. We got one. As we walked up to the counter I decided that it made sense to get an entire case of HopSlam. What the heck, I like it so much and it’ll be gone soon. A case should last me a couple of months. Seeing what I was getting, Mindy asked if she could buy me yet another case of my favorite. Sure, why not. Consumed judiciously, I’d have enough HopSlam to last me well into summer. The stuff isn’t cheap. It’s $17.99 per six pack. But for my money, it’s the best. We arrive at Barley’s before 7:45pm. The bar was packed. Bob & Mary Ann were there tucked away at the end of the bar. Steve Won and Atlanta Tim were there too. In fact, many of our peeps were there. That’s why we love the place. I ordered a Double Dog DIPA after hearing that it was good. But sadly, to my taste buds, it was bad (buttery). I returned it and opted instead for a guest IPA. I shared the story of my most recent HopSlam acquisition with my friends. They seemed largely unimpressed. J I spent lots of time discussing my search for just the right snow skis for Mindy & I with Bob. By the way, Mary Ann spent her day off at Mad River Mt. Said it was fun. Bob recommended I give the Polaris Aspen Ski & Board a try, thinking that they may steer me to another ski other than what the kid at the Arlington store did. There aren’t too many options around town. That advice stuck. I filed it into memory for later. Still bent on skiing, we discussed the very real possibility of taking another ski trip in two weeks. There’s little doubt, Mindy & I have the fever. We even left open the possibility of flying out to Oregon for 5-days. However, more realistic might be a return to New York. Either way, we’d like to make the trip with our own ski gear. We made the pitch to the Imber’s hoping that they might be interested in going too. Having another couple certainly makes the trip more exciting. We’ll see. Rene told Mindy that she’d meet us at Barley’s, but she’s said that before and never shown. Tonight she made an appearance. She brought a gift for Mindy. Oops. We forgot hers. We still have it setting at home behind the couch. We hung out at Barley’s until 11pm or so. Rene talked Mindy & I into joining her for one drink at The Big Fat Greek, where her beau Johnny works. In fact, he owns the place. She invited a few others too but no one else accepted. The Big Fat is just up the road a few miles. We were there in short order. The restaurant was closed to common patrons, but they allowed us in to see Johnny. It was employees only. Mindy drank water. I had a Jack & Coke. Before I knew it, I had a large shot of Jack resting in front of me too. Oh boy! I must’ve had another Jack & Coke as well, and then some fruity drink. And just as you might guess, I was feeling no pain. Dammit, Rene does this to me frequently. Before leaving, I tipped Johnny well for his generosity. I didn’t want to seem like a sponge. We parted ways with Rene and Mindy drove us home, of course. I’ll admit it. I drank too much. It was 12:30am when we got home. Kara was fine with our later than usual arrival. Mindy paid her accordingly. We headed to bed soon after she left.