Impromptu Cookout

Got an invite from Liz and Steph today, and learned they were to be grilling in the backyard. Liz and I wandered over there around 6:30 or so, with some beers.

Firing up the grill…

There were additional folks in the backyard, who I didn’t really know. Turns out it was the downstairs neighbors (Evan and Ryan, I think were their names). And the two girls (Kristen and Colleen) were Ryan’s sisters, I believe. I know it’s only four people, but I somehow manage to mix up names easily.

In talking with Evan… we both remembered that we had met once before, almost two years ago at a prior backyard party here. Two years is a lot of time – and we were both surprised at how quickly that time seemed to have passed.

View of the apartment building, in the sun.

As the evening progressed, Ryan lit u a cigar and offered me one as well. I’m not much of a cigar connoisseur, but this one looked particularly fancy (read: expensive) to me.

During my hanging out with the neighbors, I was introduced to a game they invented called “Beer Darts.” Basically, two people sit opposite one another, with an open beer in front of them. Darts are thrown in turn, with each person trying to puncture the opponent’s can. Three punctures, and you win.

However – if your opponent punctures your can and it starts leaking beer? You have to plug it with a finger, and drink the beer down to such a level as it no longer leaks. So, naturally, hitting the can lower is better.

I watched a few rounds of this, and took a bit of video:

Birds on a wire, sunset.

Cosmo – who was the sweetest, nicest dog ever, save the massive amounts of drool coming out of his mouth.

Veggies and tofu. I love the cookouts here with Liz and Steph, as I end up munching on roasted veggies all night. There’s something indescribably delicious about chewing a slightly charred bit of onion, and washing it down with some cold beer. They kept on roasting veggies well into the night/dark, and we all kept eating it as fast as they arrived.

Lots of fun topics tonight. We kicked around the future of the book, the Library of Alexandria, Netflix, and bicycling in Chicago. I got to see Mandy for the first time in ages, and met her friend Keith – who was really fun to talk to. He’s currently working at a bike shop, but has a background in Engineering (and is pursuing his Master’s in Business).

Good time tonight, despite the fact that Liz and I cut out at around 10PM. Normally, these things go later into the evening… but given this weekend’s activites with moving, I needed an early night.

And so… I’m off to sleep.