The Weekend Edition (Birthdays Rule)

This weekend (Sunday the 17th to be specific) I turned 26 years old. It was a very awesome weekend, as friends and family went out of there way all over the place to do awesome things for me. What I ever did to deserve them, I have no idea. All I know is I enjoyed their charity all weekend long. What went down?

• 2010 Great Alaskan Beer and Barley Wine Festival with Joanne, Cate, Darren, Eric, Jason, Becca, Kyle, and Jessi
• Riding the bull with Cate, Colver, Lorna and a bunch of others
• Drinks at Sub Zero with Colver, Lorna, Emily, Potts and more
• Bobby and I dominating downtown (I think)
• Delicious Middle Way breakfast with my sister
• Joanne and I, fake husband and wife date night! (Marian Call concert at Organic Oasis - so much deliciousness and good music, plus hanging with Eric and Olivia!)
• Emily making the most ridiculously awesome brunch ever for my birthday morning - biscuits & gravy, omelettes, coffee, and mimosas with Emily, Cate, Darren and Eric
• The Fantastic Mr. Fox at Bear Tooth with my sister Bobbie and niece Emily
• Delicious Club Paris steaks with Joanne and my parents
• Lost with Joanne

So yeah, it was a bit packed. The fun highlight was definitely the insanity that is the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival. It's always an amazing time and a great way to run into people you haven't seen in forever. Of course, it's also a recipe for complete and utter disaster with a sprinkling of embarassing moments. I spent the rest of the evening, or at least most of it, dancing like a fool at The Avenue. I mean come on, how often do you get a chance to dance to Major Lazer?

There is a distinct possibility that there are sections of the evening I do not remember, but hey, that'll happen. I woke up in one piece and as of yet I haven't found anyone that's mad at me, so apparently the night went okay for me. See below for some pics from the rest of the night.








The rest of the weekend was highlighted by the Marian Call concert and dinner at Organic Oasis plus the dinner at Club Paris with my parents and Joanne. Club Paris is my absolute favorite restaurant and to share a meal with my family and my fake wife was glorious. To top it off, my parents got me some great gifts, in particular some amazing Karl Kerschl prints and a t-shirt from his webcomic The Abominable Charles Christopher. A superb finale to the weekend. Check out the prints below.


However, I'd be lying if I didn't say the true highlight is the brunch Emily prepared for me on my birthday. Eric, Cate, Darren and I went over there, and Emily made phenomenal biscuits & gravy from scratch for everyone. For those that do not know, B&G are pretty much my favorite food ever. It's very difficult to find quality versions of it as well, and Emily knocked it out of the park. Throw in omelettes, tasty coffee, cinnamon rolls, mimosas, and T-Pain, and it was an awesome start to my 26th year of life. I'm an incredibly lucky person to have people like this in my life. See a pic below of part of the spread (note that it's small because I devoured it - also, Emily the chef is at the center of the picture).

The Weekend Edition

This weekend was pretty much out of control. Between Friday and Saturday, with one evening being a night where I was a tour guide to Anchorage bars and the other being the yearly (and amazing) Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival, I really don't think I need to drink again for the next few months. My liver is crying "uncle!" right now, and yesterday I felt like I was living in a microwave and was perpetually as tired as I've ever been.

Worth it!

What else happened?

• Dinner at Club Paris with mom and dad (mouthwateringly fantastic!)
• Battlestar Galactica premiering (can I use mouthwateringly fantastic again?)
• David Harper: Alaskan bar tour guide (awesome!)
• Let the Right One In with my mom
• Gumbo House for my birthday with my mom, dad, and sister
• Getting awesome new running shoes for my bday at Skinny Raven
• Beer and Barley Wine Festival!
• Random pics and amazing food with Hannah
• Dance party plus at the Avenue as per usual
• Snow City in the morning with Jason and Hannah
• Feeling like death but having a bunch of fun at Chuck E Cheese
• Watching Tropic Thunder on blu ray whilst trying to not pass out (I fail)

So yeah, it was a total blasty blast of a weekend, to steal a line from the Boss (of the Hannah Ross variety, not that more musical but slightly less awesome knock off of her Bruce Springsteen). What was the highlight?

For the second straight year, I went to the Great Alaska Beer and Barley Wine Festival, and it proceeded to be one of the most fun days around. It was an absolutely genius way to spend my birthday, and was full of great times, great friends (seriously, people were coming out of the woodwork for this thing), tons of beer, and heaps of ridiculousness.

Plus, through the intoxication, somehow everyone realized it was my birthday, so there was that added bonus of cheer and merriment to be shared amongst the group. Multiple times during the night Jason (or Blaze Town as I for some reason insistently refer to him as) and I commented that we wished this happened all the time, because it's always such a blast and everyone has such a good time. Well, I don't want that to happen. I'd be perpetually hungover and my liver would be in terrible shape.

But I do wish there were more events (possibly ones without alcohol) that could seemingly united all of the awesome Alaskans into one place more often. I guess that really proves the power of good beer. It's incentive to become social for those that are anti social and added power for those that are already social. One way or another, the Beer and Barley Wine Festival was once again a great success.

I already can't wait for next year!