Thursday, December 30, 2004
Ecstasy/Agony
Hello, everyone. My holiday weekend was quite eventful, and I'll try to sum it all up succinctly for you now. Your patience is appreciated and will be rewarded, if I may be so bold.
Saturday - 12/25
I spent Christmas day primarily with my friends and their respective families. Firstly, we visited my friend Mike's house and he gave Ben and I a nice little present. He made us CDs with some recordings we had made and some new beats for which we will (hopefully) write and record some rhymes. Afterwards we went to Ben's father's house for a big dinner with both halves of Ben's family. They were very happy to invite me into their home and I appreciated their generosity tremendously. We had a wonderful goose dinner, an animal I had never eaten before, along with roast beef and some exciting side dishes including Yorkshire Pudding. As a guest, I tried to shy away from eating too much, but as goose does not keep well I was urged to eat more. As if feeding me wasn't enough, they even gave me a nice present: a new desk lamp which is much nicer than the one I have at school.
After a few hours we left and Ben and I returned to Mike's house for some casual partying to prep us for the more intensive partying to follow on Sunday. I consciously avoided drinking too much as I knew I would be drinking a lot the next day so I didn't want to push myself too hard. We stayed up real late (although I did nod off a little early) and I slept at Ben's house. All in all, it was probably one of the nicest Christmases I ever had, considering I've spent most of them at work or at the movies.
Sunday - 12/26
After a late night, we all slept in on Sunday. The party was hosted by Dani who is dating my friend Dylan. He initially suggested the party would start at 4 but in reality it was much closer to 8. As an offering to the party we brought a very large bottle of Southern Comfort (a.k.a. "SoCo"). By the time most of our "crew" arrived at Dani's house, the other revelers seemed a bit tired; there was some lethargic karaoke coming from a dark living room but the party felt, in my humble opinion, dead. However, we presumed that the sudden influx of more partygoers (not to mention the hard liquor) would revive the festivities, and we were right. Mike, who is a professional DJ, killed the karaoke and starting playing party music to invigorate everyone. Drinks were thrown around and the party was back on track. I was drinking particularly heavily considering the high alcoholic content of SoCo.
The party received another kick when Meredith, Dylan's younger sister, arrived with a gaggle of her friends around 11. Many of these folks we had met before so the party got a little more casual. Unfortunately, by this point I was already under heavy influence of SoCo. This meant I wasn't my usual shy self but it also meant I couldn't quite formulate my ideas into cohesive sentences. Still, I was talking and hanging out so I was still having fun.
The big moment came when a return to the karaoke was heralded. I requested an opportunity to sing one of my favorites, Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York." I can honestly say that everyone really liked it, especially since I was adding a lot of personal "flavor" to my rendition with my exaggerated physical gesturing. After the song ended, the karaoke machine just kept going to the next song, so I ended up singing a couple songs in a row. I remember stumbling through "Mack the Knife" and another Sinatra tune, "My Way," but to be honest I was so positively hammered by that point I don't have total recall of my performance. Eventually I passed out on the couch. Photos of the event, including my apparently impressive sleeping positions, will be provided as soon as I receive them.
Unfortunately, I drank far, far too much alcohol and my body didn't like it one bit. I didn't stay asleep for too long because I had to throw up. Violently. Several times. This isn't the first time this has happened, but that doesn't make the aftermath any easier. Intense vomiting/dry heaves left me with a purple-tinted face and red-stained eyes. Eventually I settled on the couch again but I felt terrible.
Monday - 12/27
I did very little on Monday besides drink water and walk from the couch to the toilet. Eventually the nausea subsided and I got in a decent nap. Dani was very concerned about me and said it was perfectly alright if I spent an extra night there. I had hoped one of my friends might have given me a ride home, but they all left while I was napping. By 5PM I was pretty much OK save for a hangover, so when Dani, Dylan and some of her German friends went to dinner, I tagged along and ate something. We went to a slightly overpriced steakhouse in Stamford, CT, but it was pretty tasty so I didn't mind. For the record, I had Tortellini Alfredo.
Tuesday and beyond
After a decent night's sleep in a bed (as opposed to the couch) I felt pretty near 100% on Tuesday. I hung out with Dani and her German friends for a while; we went shopping and just generally took it easy. Eventually I found my way back to New York City and the "weekend" officially ended at that point.
Do I regret it? I regret drinking too much and not being more careful, but I don't regret anything else I did while I was drunk. It's not like I did anything seriously shameful beyond vomiting, and I didn't vomit in front of anyone anyway. So the only caveat I take to New Year's Eve is to drink more beer rather than the hard shit. Beyond that, I've got no serious objectives for the rest of the year. Talk to you in '05 (that's Saturday, don't forget).
Saturday - 12/25
I spent Christmas day primarily with my friends and their respective families. Firstly, we visited my friend Mike's house and he gave Ben and I a nice little present. He made us CDs with some recordings we had made and some new beats for which we will (hopefully) write and record some rhymes. Afterwards we went to Ben's father's house for a big dinner with both halves of Ben's family. They were very happy to invite me into their home and I appreciated their generosity tremendously. We had a wonderful goose dinner, an animal I had never eaten before, along with roast beef and some exciting side dishes including Yorkshire Pudding. As a guest, I tried to shy away from eating too much, but as goose does not keep well I was urged to eat more. As if feeding me wasn't enough, they even gave me a nice present: a new desk lamp which is much nicer than the one I have at school.
After a few hours we left and Ben and I returned to Mike's house for some casual partying to prep us for the more intensive partying to follow on Sunday. I consciously avoided drinking too much as I knew I would be drinking a lot the next day so I didn't want to push myself too hard. We stayed up real late (although I did nod off a little early) and I slept at Ben's house. All in all, it was probably one of the nicest Christmases I ever had, considering I've spent most of them at work or at the movies.
Sunday - 12/26
After a late night, we all slept in on Sunday. The party was hosted by Dani who is dating my friend Dylan. He initially suggested the party would start at 4 but in reality it was much closer to 8. As an offering to the party we brought a very large bottle of Southern Comfort (a.k.a. "SoCo"). By the time most of our "crew" arrived at Dani's house, the other revelers seemed a bit tired; there was some lethargic karaoke coming from a dark living room but the party felt, in my humble opinion, dead. However, we presumed that the sudden influx of more partygoers (not to mention the hard liquor) would revive the festivities, and we were right. Mike, who is a professional DJ, killed the karaoke and starting playing party music to invigorate everyone. Drinks were thrown around and the party was back on track. I was drinking particularly heavily considering the high alcoholic content of SoCo.
The party received another kick when Meredith, Dylan's younger sister, arrived with a gaggle of her friends around 11. Many of these folks we had met before so the party got a little more casual. Unfortunately, by this point I was already under heavy influence of SoCo. This meant I wasn't my usual shy self but it also meant I couldn't quite formulate my ideas into cohesive sentences. Still, I was talking and hanging out so I was still having fun.
The big moment came when a return to the karaoke was heralded. I requested an opportunity to sing one of my favorites, Frank Sinatra's "New York, New York." I can honestly say that everyone really liked it, especially since I was adding a lot of personal "flavor" to my rendition with my exaggerated physical gesturing. After the song ended, the karaoke machine just kept going to the next song, so I ended up singing a couple songs in a row. I remember stumbling through "Mack the Knife" and another Sinatra tune, "My Way," but to be honest I was so positively hammered by that point I don't have total recall of my performance. Eventually I passed out on the couch. Photos of the event, including my apparently impressive sleeping positions, will be provided as soon as I receive them.
Unfortunately, I drank far, far too much alcohol and my body didn't like it one bit. I didn't stay asleep for too long because I had to throw up. Violently. Several times. This isn't the first time this has happened, but that doesn't make the aftermath any easier. Intense vomiting/dry heaves left me with a purple-tinted face and red-stained eyes. Eventually I settled on the couch again but I felt terrible.
Monday - 12/27
I did very little on Monday besides drink water and walk from the couch to the toilet. Eventually the nausea subsided and I got in a decent nap. Dani was very concerned about me and said it was perfectly alright if I spent an extra night there. I had hoped one of my friends might have given me a ride home, but they all left while I was napping. By 5PM I was pretty much OK save for a hangover, so when Dani, Dylan and some of her German friends went to dinner, I tagged along and ate something. We went to a slightly overpriced steakhouse in Stamford, CT, but it was pretty tasty so I didn't mind. For the record, I had Tortellini Alfredo.
Tuesday and beyond
After a decent night's sleep in a bed (as opposed to the couch) I felt pretty near 100% on Tuesday. I hung out with Dani and her German friends for a while; we went shopping and just generally took it easy. Eventually I found my way back to New York City and the "weekend" officially ended at that point.
Do I regret it? I regret drinking too much and not being more careful, but I don't regret anything else I did while I was drunk. It's not like I did anything seriously shameful beyond vomiting, and I didn't vomit in front of anyone anyway. So the only caveat I take to New Year's Eve is to drink more beer rather than the hard shit. Beyond that, I've got no serious objectives for the rest of the year. Talk to you in '05 (that's Saturday, don't forget).
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Drinking problem? It was just an accident, don't be ridiculous. If I trip and fall on the ice, does that mean I have a walking problem?
I am extremely happy that somebody has finally said something about his apparent drinking problem. I have been reading this blog for weeks now and it seems very clear to me what Dan is trying to do. Dan writes that he very lonely (which means that he does not even have a girlfriend), according to my standards he sucks in school (who gets a C in something as simple as a lower division history class?) and with his major he has to know that he is not going anywhere. Maybe if Dan would stop drinking, he would do better with all of the above!
Melissa
Melissa
# posted by 
: 03 January, 2005 09:28
: 03 January, 2005 09:28
Why the hate? Are you trying to make me mad? Certainly you can't be serious. I don't know what's up with these personal attacks.
Drinking too much at a (as in one, not two but one) party does not equal a drinking problem. If you're implying I can't hold my liquor, that's one thing, but to presume alcoholism after an accident is illogical. Or are you arguing that getting drunk (which I have done occasionally as noted in this blog) is an automatic indication of a problem? Again I must disagree.
As far as me "sucking" in school, go fuck yourself. I made Dean's List for the first time in my life, and to return to school after ten years is no simple task. One my problems used to be holding myself to standards that were too high. My parents contributed to that, not that it was their fault that I had problems, but I've since learned that I can make mistakes and still be a good student. A C+ is a mistake, and it's not even a big one. Even if I did "suck" at school, you've got some nerve to judge me like that. And for the record, since assumptions are running rampant around here, I rarely drink at school. At most it's once a weekend, but that's the exception, not the rule.
As far as me not having a girlfriend, that's true, I'm not seeing anyone right now. It has nothing to do with my drinking, that's for sure. And again, check yourself with that judgemental attitude.
コメントがあります？ Type something, please. It's less work for me.Drinking too much at a (as in one, not two but one) party does not equal a drinking problem. If you're implying I can't hold my liquor, that's one thing, but to presume alcoholism after an accident is illogical. Or are you arguing that getting drunk (which I have done occasionally as noted in this blog) is an automatic indication of a problem? Again I must disagree.
As far as me "sucking" in school, go fuck yourself. I made Dean's List for the first time in my life, and to return to school after ten years is no simple task. One my problems used to be holding myself to standards that were too high. My parents contributed to that, not that it was their fault that I had problems, but I've since learned that I can make mistakes and still be a good student. A C+ is a mistake, and it's not even a big one. Even if I did "suck" at school, you've got some nerve to judge me like that. And for the record, since assumptions are running rampant around here, I rarely drink at school. At most it's once a weekend, but that's the exception, not the rule.
As far as me not having a girlfriend, that's true, I'm not seeing anyone right now. It has nothing to do with my drinking, that's for sure. And again, check yourself with that judgemental attitude.
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