I must offer my sincerest apologies in advance during this holiday season.  On account of Snowpocalypse 2009, my Christmas cards are being mailed out later than usual.  I had planned on sending them out on Saturday, but Mother Nature’s fury scuttled my plans to visit the Post Office.

Be on the lookout for your annual dose of holiday cheer, coming to your mailbox soon!

We partook in the Chef’s Tasting Journey, essentially a multiple-course meal prepared by the chef.  Some of us in the group partook in the wine pairings courtesy of the somelier.  The rest of us opted for what was before us.

The menu is below.

I will admit to enjoying good food, but I have to admit that everything on this menu was pretty tasty.  The desert was also quite good.  According to my friends who enjoyed the wine pairings, they were also quite good.  The entire meal took well over 3 hours, and I will merely say that it was quite expensive.  It was well worth it, though.

The championship game was a good game, and the outcome was the preferred one: BU won their 29th Beanpot. 

Photos are being posted to Flickr of the festivities. 

What is bad holiday attire?  Any article of clothing that happens to be festooned with some ostentatious holiday ornament.  Have that incredibly large Christmas sweater from your Aunt Edith?  Wear it!  Have some very bad sweatshirt with a reindeer whose nose lights up?  Wear it!  Have some incredibly plaid Christmas jacket?  Wear it!  Have reindeer antlers or a Santa hat?  Wear those, too!  In other words, if it is something you would prefer not to be caught dead wearing, this is the bar crawl to wear it on.

The actual route of the bar crawl is still being determined, but it will be in the Federal Hill and South Baltimore neighborhood.  What better way to get together with friends before the holidays then to put on your worst piece of seasonal clothing and grab some beers!

Sound off if you are in for what should be a festive occasion.

As the night ended, one of my friends–Ivars–reminded me of something I sometimes forget: I have some damn good friends.  My friends came out and joined me on Monday night to celebrate my advancing years.

The Roman orator Cicero said it best:

Friendship is nothing else than an accord in all things, human and divine, conjoined with mutual goodwill and affection, and I am inclined to think that, with the exception of wisdom, no better thing has been given to man by the immortal gods.

• The Henry Ford
  • My friend and I went to the Ford Rouge Factory tour during the afternoon at The Henry Ford.  Surprisingly, some of the movies during the tour really make you think about how far manufacturing has come in the more than 100 years since Ford introduced the assembly line method of production.
• Red Wings Hockey
  • I took in my first Detroit Red Wings hockey game on Friday night, watching the Red Wings defeat the Atlanta Thrashers 5-3.  I had a fun time at the Joe Louis Arena, and taking in a hockey game on Friday night reminded me of college hockey games at BU.  It helps that the Red Wings wear the same color jerseys as my alma mater.
• Michigan-Michigan State Football
  • While we did not go to the game in Ann Arbor, we met up with some friends to watch the game.  Admittedly, seeing the rivalry close-up was pretty fun.  Folks around here are pretty into their Michigan or Michigan State football.  Personally, I like seeing Michigan lose, so being around for that was enjoyable.
• Detroit Lions Football
  • While the product on the field is not what the fans would like, the facility at Ford Field is an excellent one.  We started by tailgating at Nemo’s, near the old Tigers Stadium.  We then hopped on a shuttle bus to take us near the field to head to the game.  The field is right next to Comerica Park, where the TIgers play.  Watching a game in a domed stadium is a different experience.  I am a little partial to M&T, but I ascribe that to my homerism.  Unfortunately, the Redskins won.

Tomorrow, I will be working remotely while I get ready to fly back to Baltimore.  It has been a fun trip, and the break was a welcome one, especially catching up with two good friends.

For a good baseball trip, St. Louis has to be included.  They have some great fans, and the new ballpark is a great place to watch a baseball game.  My lone complaint: Beer, in the city that is (currently) the capital of American brewing, is insanely pricey.  Admittedly, beer was more expensive than it is at Camden Yards.

Again, though, a great time was had.  Nothing like catching up with a good friend to put things into perspective and act as a nice respite from the usual monotony.

On Friday night, a number of us got together at Little Havana for dinner and drinks.  For the second week in a row, it was a night that involved tasty mojitos.  Following that, we made the rounds at a few different places in South Baltimore, ending the night with some others at Ropewalk/McFaul’s.

On Saturday we headed downtown to see how hot it was and grab some lunch.  It was pretty hot, but the walk was good to get rid of some of the alcohol-induced fog from the night before.  Saturday evening was more of a reunion night as other people joined our merry band that could not make it out for one reason or another on Friday night.  My friend who lives just outside of the city came into town for drinks and food, and Kyle’s friend and his wife came up from DC for the evening.

Today, we braved the heat and long drive to take in a Nationals game at Nationals Park in Washington DC.  I will post separately on my visit to the ballpark, but we were quite fortunate that our seats were in the shade.  As my friend said, I do not think we would have made it the full nine innings if we had to endure the heat and sun.  Still, even in the shade I got some sun–my arms and face have some sunburned effects after I eschewed sunblock when I saw where we were sitting.

Now, as I sit here winding down the weekend, I can reflect on a weekend that passed by all to quickly.  Once again, we all came together to partake in the idyllic pursuits we once enjoyed more frequently.

He enjoyed the house, paying compliments that it nor the host did not deserve.  Nonetheless, I promised to make a visit to NYC to see his new place in Brooklyn–and to see if it lives up to the views I have seen in photographs. 

This summer, the onus is on my to pay a visit.  Just get some good plans lined up when I am in town, George.   

I look forward to our next gathering.