the dharma blog

So January has come and gone. The basic numbers to sum it all up:

• Four weeks at the Groveland Tap on Wednesday nights
• 16 Summits consumed.

My memory of the four unique Wednesday nights:

Week #1: A small crew. If I recall correctly: Scott and Laura, Andy, Katie and me. I don’t think Kristin was there. Maybe she was. If I forgot someone who was there: sorry. Sat at a good corner table in back. Memories: Scott not eating soon enough, getting kind of silly drunk. As only Scott can. Apparently lecturing Andy about how much he loves barcodes. Yes, UPC symbols. “They’re lines, but they’re numbers!” I had a whole friggin’ pound of buffalo wings and they were excellent.

Week #2: Katie and Laura both sick at home. Just me, Scott, Andy and Kristin and Kristin’s friend’s husband Charles. Charles is from the West African country of Cameroon originally. We were steeling ourselves for the coldest weekend yet of the winter that was coming up. Charles tells us in Cameroon “cold” is 50 degrees. It is forecast to be -15° this weekend. He works as a valet at a hotel downtown, outside, parking rich people’s cars. I hear he survived.

Week #3: The big week. A whole mess of people come out. Besides the people the previous two weeks, Cochrane, Schubert and Timmy come out from Stillwater, Sarah Carlson joins us in her new-that-night Subaru, and the Harholdt ladies, Katie and Sunday, come on down too. We have a good time. We are a big crew. Luckily, the place has two pool tables and no one ever is shooting pool. Not that Timmy, Gabe and Ryan couldn’t hold onto the table if they wanted, but it’s all theirs all night. It’s also the busiest week yet and we have to struggle a little before laying claim to a table.

Week #4: Last night. Kind of back to the basic crew, but good fun. Sunday and Sara join us again. Kristin, Katie, Sara and Sunday largely sit at a table and I think talk about wedding stuff (Andy and Kristin getting married in June). Not really Sunday’s scene so she also comes and hangs out with Scott, Andy and me as we talk and talk and talk about a mountain bike movie with a plot (like a porno with a plot) that we’re going to make for a festival.

But, here’s the kicker. It’s been good, good times at the Tap this month. Almost hard to see January nearly gone. But, hope was reaffirmed last night. February will see the debut of a Thursday night Leinenkugel’s tour! Yep, same deal, different night and different beer. It’ll be Original, Honeyweiss, Red and Creamy Dark.

Everyone is pretty stoked. Personally, I think four Summits for 10 bucks is a better value, but you won’t hear me complaining one bit.