Monday, February 12, 2007

The Burning Hula Suppository Barbecue

One of the best things about my friend, Ben, is that he regularly throws very eclectic parties...

... where one never quite knows exactly what to expect.

His sister was in town the past weekend (she sells crystals and was here to buy stones at the gem show) so he wanted to introduce her to his interesting hodgepodge of friends on Saturday night.

The party divided itself into three groups... the sister & family with Ben's elderly neighbors on the couch in the living room, the drunks hanging out around the bar, and the astronomers grilling veggies out back.

I tried my hand at all three groups. First, I tested out his dread locked sister & her crowd. I learned all about her wedding a couple years ago at "Burning Man," we talked about the baby she's going to have in July, and then we tossed around baby names for awhile, which was fun considering she and her husband made up a joint (no pun intended) last name at "Burning Man," which they've now taken legally. I promise you, it's a last name you would never have in real life.

After a while, I needed to stretch my legs. This is when I discovered the astronomers outside hula-hooping. I immediately jumped for a hoop and found that I wasn't half bad.

However, I wasn't as talented as French Stefanie...

... who seriously could hold the Guinness World record for longest continuous hula-hooping, including tricks and hand motions... all while barely moving her hips. It was very impressive.

However, American Stephanie could give her a run for her money...

... performing the seemingly painful "neck hula." I didn't even bother trying that.

Their amazing skills, and my subsequent admission of total hula mediocrity, forced me indoors to hang out with the drunks at the bar, where I really should have started the whole evening.

I finished the night with this motley crew...

... composed of a geologist, a landscape architect, two astrophysicists (one American/one German), a preschool teacher (who wasn't the girl!), and a planetary scientist.

We discussed Chinese wooden puzzles, the Yucatan crater, the extinction of the dinosaurs, my ex-Luftwaffe boyfriend turned music producer, summer camps for the disabled, black russians & kahlua, and genetic testing.

However, when Vengali found these behind the vodka as he was bartending...

... Ben had some explaining to do.

Obviously a party is not complete until the hemorrhoidal suppositories come out from behind the bar.

1 comment:

JC said...

I tried to hula hoop many a time when I was a kid. I could never do it worth a shit. I suck.