Since Mr. O. has recommended people check out this blog for details of last night's excursion, I guess I should probably post them. So, here she be:

The place: Cap City. The occasion: JG's grad party. But first, let me back up just a bit.

The night before (that would be Friday), I went over to JG/JW's spot, where we had to entertain ourselves for a while because JW's receiver is on the fritz. (Therefore, no DVD or PS2.) In town for the Saturday Night Main Event were DD (with A) and CE. Eventually, the receiver came back to life and stayed on long enough for us to watch Run Ronnie Run!, which was hilarious. ("I didn't even get my suck-off!") After the movie, I bailed back to my place and called it a night.

Now then, back to Saturday night. There was a really good/diverse crowd there: JG's friends from back home, his co-workers, the AU crowd (of which I am one), a couple of JW's friends from school, and a few other people. There was a great open bar, lively conversation all over the place, and Mr. O was at the top of his game. He had all of the best lines (though, I think I scored a decent one by describing one of the attendees as a combination of "Yeardley Smith and Tawny Kitaen," but you really had to be there) of the night. Anyway, as he said, because of some combinations of people, it was a real powderkeg in there. Luckily, no arrests were made (or even necessary), and the party went on without a hitch

The plan was for a group of us (basically, whoever wanted to go) to go to Bugsy's in Old Town after the party. Unfortunately, we didn't leave as one big group, but rather, in a few small groups. And that, my friends, is where my harrowing tale begins.

My group consisted of DD, A, and CE (DD and CE are childhood friends of JG/JW, and A is DD's fiancee). We were all kinda lit, though, CE and I were more in control of our senses. DD was pretty gone, and A...well, God bless her, she was just blasted. Now, keeping her steady wasn't a big problem (she was holding onto me...can I just say that DD is one helluva trusting man?) and getting from point A (Cap City) to point B (the Metro), wasn't much of a task. A bit of a slow trek, as A kept on yammering on about how she never usually gets this banged up, and how she works with adolescents (I suppose this is to add credibility to her statements). She keeps telling me how cool I am, and calls me Jack from time to time (after hearing the story of last week's Black Cat adventure), and unzips my coat, etc. Occasionally, she'll notice other people around her and calls out to them; thankfully, none of us got our asses kicked. Eventually, we're on the platform, but we're too far up, and none of us notice the train pull up well short of where we're sitting. I run for it, but the conductor refuses to reopen the doors. The others finally straggle up behind me, and we decide to stand there so we don't miss the next train. I suggest that CE, DD and I form a barrier around A, so she doesn't wind up on the tracks. Mission accomplished. We catch the train, transfer to another train two stops later (this included a trip down the escalator to the lower platform; thankfully, nobody took a header). We get on this train, and it's a good 15 minute ride or so to our destination. CE and DD are sitting in one seat, A and I are sitting behind them. The conversation, btw, really hasn't changed since we left Cap City, as A is talking about (read: repeating) the same stuff. Eventually, about a stop away from our destination, the conversation turns to A's engagement ring. It's a nice ring, bigass rock on it. Good for her. We get to Old Town, get off the train, and start our trek toward Bugsy's. DD is a bit more sobered up, so he's now in charge of his fiancee. So I'm a bit up ahead (since I know how to get to the place), walking with CE, while DD and A are a bit behind us. All of the sudden, "no! no! no!" (Or something to that effect.) I turn around to see what's going on...

DD: The ring is gone!
Me: Which ring?
DD: *silent*
Me: Her engagement ring?

So A and DD start to freak out, I'm not even sure what CE's reaction is at this point. I tell them all to stay put and I'll trace our steps back and see if I can find it on the ground. I make it all the way back to the station, and I'm looking in there, when the rest of them show up, having followed me back. I ask the station manager if it's okay if I go up and look on the platform. He says go ahead. I go up, look about: nothing. I go back down and start to talk to the station manager again about what can be done re: lost and found. Meanwhile, DD and A had gone up to the platform themselves. I go up (with the manager) to retrieve them. A is kinda losing it at this point, saying over and over that she's not leaving and she just wants to go home. With mine and DD's urging, we eventually get her downstairs. I pull out my cell phone, thinking about who I could call at the bar to debrief on this situation. Lo and behold, there's a message. It's Mr. O. I call him back and get his voice mail, just stating that we're at King Street, there's been a bit of a situation, and that we'll be there soon. Meanwhile, the station manager calls ahead to the end of the line, where the train has just arrived. They'll search the train and then call back. I ask CE to stay with the manager to wait for the call, while I go to trace our steps out of the station again. A little ways out and BAM! There it is. I pick it up and run back to the station yelling "I found it!" DD gives me a hug, A seems to be close to tears, and CE is just being as patient as can be. I thank the station manager for his help and patience. The guy was very cool and understanding about the whole thing. I put the ring on my keychain (I'm pretty much sober at this point) and we restart our hike down the street. I get the ringy-ring from Mr. O and I tell him to let JW or JG know that one of them may have to leave to go back to the spot to let DD and A in. By now, the wind is picking up a bit and I decide that we're just going to cab it. So we grab a cab and proceed to pay $10 (that's with tip) for a ride down the street. It was a total ripoff, but I wasn't going to argue at this point. I just wanted to get back with the rest of the group, where I could have a beer and a seat. By the way, the whole cab ride, A is still repeating things. But this time, it's "you found it? where did you find it? are you sure you have it? I owe you my life!" I'm being very patient about the whole thing, as I'm more relieved than anything else that the ring has been found and the whole mini-nightmare is over.

We get inside, order some drinks, and the rest of the night is very low-key. The only other highlights are "the line" ("Wow. You just got a lot uglier.") and JG trying to get a girl (the person at whom the previous line was directed; and for the record, she's not ugly, IMO) to flash me. After last call, we slip out, but before we do, I give the ring to DD to hold, as he is now sober enough. We start to hoof it up King Street in the cold. JG, CE, DD, A and "the ugly girl" eventually part from Mr. O and me, as we're going to the Metro, where I will catch a train and Mr. O will get a cab. I catch a train as soon as I get up on the platform and ride without incident, waking up two stops before my destination. I was able to make the trek through the cold without public urination, even passing a thicky-thick hooker with a skirt that wasn't even attempting to cover her ass (which is pretty much standard in these parts) on the way. That would be the final image of the night. Apropos of nothing, of course, but I thought it was worth mentioning. Why? Because the big ass is where it's at.

Good night, Springton! There will be no encores!