Alumni-riffic Week

Wow... a busy social week and weekend... First of all, on Thursday, I received email to our group mailing list from Tappan (I saw him on my Chicago trip):

Subject: Super short notice

I'm randomly in Bahston until 8pm today. Anyone free to hang out?

Turns out the plan was meet up with some folks at Redbones for dinner. Woot! Was great to see him, and very nice to meet his girlfriend, Becca.


Then on Saturday, Perlick showed up in town--he's visiting Boston and New York, for a variety of reasons, including "I need a damn vacation," "It's time to experience a New England Winter again to appreciate being in the Bay Area," and "There's a cool talk in New York City that I want to see." Oh yeah, and tEp initiation. Woot! Peldges: initialized! Good to see a few drooling alums there.


We had a low key catch-up evening back in Arlington, including Bombay Sapphire G&Ts, using Q Tonic:

Q Tonic is dedicated to making the world’s best tonic water - a clean, crisp, completely ungeneric beverage that enhances the finest spirits or stands proudly on its own. We’ve used the best ingredients we could find. We went to the slopes of the Peruvian Andes for hand-picked quinine and to the Mexican countryside for organic agave, a sweetener better than honey with a gently rounded sweetness. We meticulously refined our recipe with both food scientists and mixologists. Then we worked with one of New York City’s best design shops to develop a bottle as beautiful as the liquid it holds. We think we’ve come up with a superior tonic water.


Well, it was definitely a winner for most pretentious packaging and description. I thought it was good, but not incredible--especially at $1.80 per G&T for the tonic--yes, the baby panda tears that they must use to make it the most utterly perfect tonic water are tasty, but color me unconvinced overall.

On Sunday, I threw a coffee hour to celebrate Perlick being in town--special guest appearances by Linder (+Aaron), Becca, and Morton & Sarah (+ Brynn).


After a bagel-based feast, we took a walk around town, ending up at the very Norman Rockwellesque skating pond here near Arlington Center:


Okay, I guess ice kiting wasn't that common in the Rockwell era.


And Teps on ice! Soon to be playing Radio City Music Hall:


The late evening wrapped up with a Superbowl Party--Sarah brought snacks, and I had fixin's to make pizza and salad. I have to say that it was pretty entertaining to hang out with two avid fans who really enjoy the game (Perlick and Morton), and who can analyze (and unpack) the arcana of the game so thoroughly for the rest of us. Although some of their discussions was as incomprehensible to me as listening to the cricket scores on the BBC ("... leg before wicket..."). But even as a non-football fan, the game was pretty darn exciting.

Anyway, power dinner at Mary's tomorrow! Woot! But--erk--I need a weekend to catch up!