Mechanical Bulls and Happy Hours

There's a bar in midtown Manhattan called Johnny Utah's that's known for having a mechanical bull. Some friends of mine chose this particular bar to host a happy hour fundraising event to raise money for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. $10 cover to go to the LLS, a few drink specials, and a big group of friends. And a mechanical bull.

I got to the bar around 6:30, had a $4 can of PBR but quickly decided that PBR should never be worth $4. Other than that, though, the whole thing was a lot of fun. Between 40 and 50 people showed up, which means between $400 or $500 went to the LLS.

I saw a lot of familiar faces, mostly people from college who I don't keep in touch with anymore. It was strange to see them all at a "fundraising event" and not in a dingy frat house basement. Whatever friendship we had back then didn't make the transition from beer-soaked kitchen floors to the real world.

And to be honest, I'm not too sad about it. You're friends with people whom you get along with in particular circumstances. When circumstances and/or locations change, you lose some of those friends and you make new ones. The people you keep in touch with despite changing circumstances are your "true" friends. And we all need as many of those as we can get.

Speaking of true friends, my roommate from college, Tom, and his girlfriend Abby (known affectionately in college as Tomabby) are coming down to New York this weekend for a visit. I'm wicked psyched because I haven't seen them in nearly a year.

I'll leave you with this, the aforementioned mechanical bull. Yee hah!