Review: St. Patrick's Day

I'm not a big parade guy, and I probably didn't get into my first NYC St. Patrick's Day the way I was expecting to, but I still had an oustanding time.

It was just XBox and I over at The Ginger Man in Midtown. In previous years, I'd hit Chicago, or if I'm in the hometown, I'd do some bar-hopping with a sizable group of friends, and take in the world's best sporting event on the big screens -- March Madness. Usually I'd get started pretty early.

But Saturday, we hit the bar at about 5 p.m. and left after 10, if I'm not mistaken. And there's a good chance that I am.

(Blame the late start on Xavier's admirable effort in forcing overtime with No. 1 seed Ohio State. Had to watch that one alone at the crib.)

Once we got to the bar, however, volume seemed to be the early priority, but not by choice. XBox said something about a Hoegaarden -- (Check out the backyard; what do you think of my ho garden?) -- so I ordered two of those when the hurried barmaid finally approached. Considering the occasion and the subsequent crowd size, indecisiveness, typically one of my most noticeable qualities, should not have been an option here. But XBox is charming and attractive, so she can get away with it here. She didn't like the looks of the Hoegaarden when she approached the line, so she audibled to a Michelob Ultra, and I was left being double-fisted with still two hours of daylight left, typically not a move that allows me to be standing at the end of the evening.

We found a comfortable spot at the back bar and watched some games on the one small TV there, but didn't have to wait too long when we were in need of fresh beverages. We met a couple who, as it turned out, knew some people XBox knew. The diversion was fine, as it allowed me to direct my attention to the games while she conversed with our new friends.

I also tried to leave some of those audio blogs that y'all love so much, in order to keep track of my worsening condition. But I actually didn't get too sloppy, so there will be no such postings. I figure this blog entry has been entertaining enough.