Friday Night Mayhem

There are times in one’s life when you go out with some friends, you either have a great night, or one of those nights which make your brain collapse in the sheer awesomeness which was that night. Friday night was no exception.

Sena and I left work to pick up a few gifts and then head to Trish’s. While we waited….and waited…and waited…we had a few beer and watched some TV. Then we got going out to the homestead where I was expecting some dinner ready for us as the crew had the entire day off while we had to work all day.

True to form, the crew at home were lazy all day and had nothing ready for us, so I had to haul out the meat to BBQ. I am making the situation sound worse than it is – I was fine with cooking up some sausages for all!

Fast fact: I did not know that it’s smarter to boil your sausages before throwing on the BBQ. Who else does that? I especially like how both Mike and Danny were giving each other the eye when I threw them on raw but they said nothing. Ya goofs, if you know I should boil them, you should tell me! 😉

Carol ended up cooking the sausages as the rest of us were in the middle of a mean game of washers. In the end, it took Sena and I awhile but we finally caught up and beat Mike and Danny as they had started to go back down in points (which happens if you bust at the end).

After a few drinks and a few laughs, we then headed downtown for the celebration of Trish and Carol’s birthday. What better place to end up, but the Heart and Crown. We were very excited as we had discovered that Shaydid was playing and it wasn’t until Trish pointed out that this was the same band we saw on Canada Day weekend who rocked our socks off! Let it be known that Trish was also trying to pick up the drummer last Canada Day weekend.

Us (to the lead singer): Hey, my friend thinks your drummer is hot.
Lead Singer: I do too! That’s why I married him! (while flashing the ring)

Woops! Sorry Trish. Didn’t see that happening! Ha ha.

We arrived just in time to grab Duncan off of the patio and we headed into the back area where the main act was coming on. We had an excellent vantage point and the night started off great when I was downstairs getting some beer and heard some sweet, sweet Pink Floyd playing. I thought it was through the radio, but no! It was the band! I raced upstairs and had forgotten that they have this amazing guitarist (who last time had a sweet, sweet moustache). This guy could shred.

The night starts up in fine fashion and all is good in the world.

Highlights of the Night:

– Alright, here’s where I throw a little back story. Years ago, Carrie, myself and others frequented the H&C a lot more than we do nowadays. During that time we noticed an old man who always was at the bar. He wasn’t a leery old man, he was a good time and we had a few pictures taken with him. We never knew the story behind him. Old-timers like that always have a great story attached to them.

Months after that moment, Carrie and I were searching through old pictures and had a good laugh when we realized that this old man had appeared in other pictures we had from before that moment! He’s been there forever! A permanent fixture one might say! From that point on, any night that we found this gentleman in the bar upped the greatness of the night.

This night was to be no exception. Sure enough, out of nowhere, the man shows up and I proclaim “This will be the best night ever!”. At this point, Carol and Danny realize that they did not go wrong in coming to Ottawa for Carol’s birthday. I’m sure they had their doubts…I mean, who wants to leave a slew of your friends back home for your birthday to come party with a bunch of people that you don’t really know? But this was not the case – this was the beginning of a grand night.

In the end, we found out quite a bit about this gentleman. His name is Roy and he was celebrating his 80th birthday! He also mentioned that his birthday was last weekend but he was still partying. I want to be this guy when I get to be 80!

– Here’s where the other highlight of the night occurs. At this point I need to get to a phone to call Carrie to tell her that the old man from the photographs is here at the bar and that she needs to get down here pronto. I ask Duncan for his phone to call Carrie. As soon as I mention her name she emerges from the crowd! At that point I whispered “I need to call Elizabeth Hurley.” but she didn’t appear so I thought I should get back to reality. Coincidences like these are not to be ignored – there was a reason she was at this spot at this time and it was to have a great night! She had a good laugh when she saw Roy dancing away in a t-shirt that said ‘LURE’ on it. Classic. CLASSIC!

– Let’s talk a little about the band Shaydid. I love this band. Honestly, I can now put them above Fortune’s Hand at this moment in time. Hey, we all know I love FH, but ever since their guitarist left, I don’t know…maybe the last time I saw them I was turned off by the entire crowd being followers of the new guitarist who were shouting his name during THE ENTIRE NIGHT. While I suppose that is cool in a way, it did get annoying after 30 minutes. So back to Shaydid, they have it all. An amazing guitarist, KEYBOARDS (a must for any classic rock band!) and let’s be honest, the singer is quite amazing. When they started Fleetwood Mac’s You Can Go Your Own Way I lost it as this has become a new/old favourite of mine. I love this tune. As Krista points out, it’s an excellent driving tune.

Shaydid never put on a bad show and I am looking forward to this Canada Day weekend when they return. I highly recommend that everyone mark their calendars now to see this band in action. They are over the top.

– Let’s not forget to talk about my new hat and how everyone was making a grab for it. Yikes! It was funny at first, but sometimes you have that fear that someone will not be a gentleman and leave the bar with it. I think I need to attach a chain to it.

I’m sure the others can add some memories in the comments section. All in all, I was once again impressed with the Heart and Crown. We ended the night by picking up a schwarma, checking out Vero’s new pad and heading home.