A Night at Yates'

(William Butler Yeats, Irish Literary Giant)

Yeats' Pub was the destination for my night out last night, and I think I've found a new favorite in the area. The atmosphere (minus the looming cigarette smoke) was fabulous. While there was a very nice, roomy bar along one side, there were also plenty of booths, so you could theoretically escape the smoke on a slow night. Because our group multiplied as time passed, we ended up grabbing a booth in the back corner, which was perfect for our gathering. But, while the atmosphere and company were superior, the karaoke that replaced the Philadelphia tradition of Quizzo for the night was much less than that. I'm learning that one can judge a karaoke outfit by their songbooks...and the ones at Yeats' looked as though the guy had pitched the CDs on the Xerox machine and churned out the pages. Not nearly as lively as the karaoke experience at Gullifty's last week, but the night really wasn't centered around a karaoke mission, so I would say it was still a great experience.

Here's my top five favorites from the evening:
#1: Karaoke replaces Quizzo. While I'm sure I'll grow to love the game of Quizzo because some of my favorite partners in crime at Borders love it, I have to say I was not at all disappointed to learn that we had to just sit around listening to good music, drink, and chat for the night. This definitely seemed the better outcome over giving the brain cells a workout during a time of recreation.
#2: Smithwick's Beer on tap. Can I tell you how wonderful this was? This was a blast from the Dublin days since Mikey Quinn swore to drink this beer the entire 5 weeks while I signed on for the much more harsh, yet delicious, Guinness. Here in the States, however, Smithwick's is the way to go.
#3: Convincing Greg to throw a Halloween party...at his apartment. This involved a little team work, but we all pulled off the guilt trip well, and the party's at his place next Sunday--so Sara and I can use our genius and original yet-to-be-disclosed Halloween costumes not once but twice.
#4: From talk of butts to the butt of a joke. I knew it'd be an interesting night when the group's discussion basically began with reflections on the game of "Would you rather...?" The instance we used is, "Would you rather a butt for a forehead or feet dangling from your chin?" (I believe this was a camp memory from Sara's youth). I said butt, hands down...and it came back to haunt me when I became the butt of something that can't really be labeled a joke--but it turned out to be one nonetheless. In response to a story about a manager peeing in a bush after a boisterous Borders gathering and Jen's attempt to provide reassurance to this man about not being embarrased, etc., I responded with, "You should have just said you can pee in a bush anytime...in fact, I'll provide the bush." [Note: This is me, without knowing it, putting a completely derogatory statement into Jen's mouth.] This utterance was followed by a very profound silence during which Sara claims she gave me a look, but I was so slow on the uptake that I did not even notice the silence or the incredible mistake I had just made let alone Sara's glare...for what seemed like an eternity. Then, the laughing started, and it was difficult for all to gather composure. I would like to claim that this was all on purpose and just me going out on a wire for a good laugh with my new Philly friends (key phrase: "would like to claim").
#5: Pre and Post-game snacks with Sara. Pre-Yeats', Sara and I ventured to Dunkin' Donuts for a donut and iced mocha latte drink, which was so good. And then afterwards, we ironically gave McDonald's yet another try to no avail. You guessed it...mechanical problems a second time in a row at like 1am. Looking at the upside, though, we were able to bond with the occupants of the red Honda Civic in front of us.

I think that pretty much covers the night. It was a great gathering, and it renewed my confidence that this is where I belong for now. I can't really think of anything that tops laughing until you cry...or just letting out a genuine laugh with a group of great people around you.