December Fourth

Most people are aware of the celebrations that occur all over Canada (and parts of the UK) on June 4th.  It is The Day That Everything Happens, also known as trash my house day.  A day when ordinary schmucks like you and me can call in sick to work, eat too many waffles, and injure ourselves on the slip'n'slide.  But how many of you knew that in the southern hemisphere, this holi-est of days is observed on December 4th?  Seven of you?  Huh.

There was a preternatural calm on the streets of San Telmo the night of December 3rd.  You could smell the anticipation, and it smelled suspiciously like dog poop.  We awoke at the crack of 10, not wanting to miss a single moment.  The day began with a hearty waffle feast: raspberries for Brendan; ham and cheese for me; ham, cheese, and creamy white whiskey sauce for Mike.  Then, a cabbie took us the long way around to Paloko Bowl to get our hands dirty.  Once again, the children were banished to the basement, so we could bowl in relative peace.  There was one little kid who wasn't bowling, and he became our biggest fan.  His name was Ignacio, and he helped us out by sticking his head into the ball return to watch for returning balls.  Who got the highest score?  A gentleman never tells!  It was me.

After bowling, we came back to my apartment to invent the card and dice game called Tarty Humps.  What a stinker!  It quickly became obvious why no one had ever played it before.  Everyone just saves their trump cards until the end, and they're worthless!  After we abandoned Tarty Humps, there was a gala screening of El Gran Lebowski.  Watching a movie that you have memorized overdubbed in Spanish is a far more effective way than Rosetta Stone to learn a new language.  Now I need to find an occasion to say, "Just because we're bereaved, doesn't make us saps!"  Following the movie we went out for dinner, then to a nightclub around the corner so Mike could give us dance lessons.

It was a great day, but bittersweet.  I missed having the regular June 4th pals around, but was happy that I didn't have to clean fruit off of the ceiling.  Oh, and for those keeping score at home, Schoobs 2010 Part II was mate, Fernet Branca, and Mariposa.