The star of our show, waiting and ready for the curtain to rise.
Well, the keg is floating, the balloons are popped and there are baked beans on the rug—Kegtacular II has come and gone.
Let me get the disappointments out of the way. First of all, for my 29th birthday on Friday, God gave me a cold. Thanks, God, it’s just my size. So Saturday morning I lay in bed, Nyquil-addled, and wondered how on earth I would have the energy to stay upright, much less launch myself down the Slip ‘n Slide.
The balloons gather to watch a little pre-Kegtacular soccer.
Fortunately, the folks who did arrive were cool as hell and seemed to have a pretty good time.
And, meeting one of my requirements for a good party, there was a great mix of guests from different parts of our lives: Among them, CCB’s IT coworkers, my pals Big J and Little J, hockey players like the Harribles, Super Ref, Captain Beerslinger, and the Ice Hogs’ Karen and Andrea from Jake’s Downtown. In addition to being plenty entertaining in their own right, Karen and Andrea brought Rock Band for Wii, which was that magical party activity that gets people excited about making fools of themselves (see also: Slip n’ Slide, lower in this entry).
Karen and IT Guy Greg validated our decision to put the dart board in the garage.
In fact, our many toys came to good use, pulling the party to various activities in various rooms simultaneously, which is another of my party hallmarks. In front of the TV, Captain Beerslinger was singing “Suffragette City,” accompanied by Coach Mr. Harrible on drums, while in the garage IT Guy Greg and Karen played something they’d frighteningly labeled “Power Darts,” as Mr. Super Ref looked on from a safe distance, smoking a cigar in the driveway. Beer pong on the lanai, hot dogs in the kitchen, cryptic balloon games in the living room. But nothing lived up to its entertainment potential quite like the Slip ‘n Slide. Observe:
Kegtacular II–Best trick from Hannah Wallace on Vimeo.
(Search Vimeo for "Kegtacular" to see a video version of the above Slip ‘n Slide duel. Although a warning: There’s a few foul words on that one that make it not quite safe for work.)
The artist prepares.
In the end, everyone had burned away a good bit of energy and stress. And brain cells. Another sign of a good party. And so, with a couple of guys crashed on the couches, the Harribles in the guest room and an uncovered tub of potato salad on the lanai, we ended the evening with dreams of Kegtacular III. See you there?
THE AFTERMATH: Oh, the balloonmanity!