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Today began like any other day. The sun rose and my alarm went off. What separates today from any other day, though, is something that I’ve looked forward to all week: Friday.
Friday is a day in a special category of its own. What makes Friday great is the culmination of the work week. It represents a changing of the guard: the work week ends and the weekend begins.
It’s been a long week and there’s a good chance I’ll mail it in today, as many of my colleagues and undoubtedly, many of you fine people also do. As the caffeine from my coffee hits the bloodstream, my mind is off wandering in a faraway place. My weekend docket is already full with thoughts of March Madness just around the corner (Let’s Go Mountaineers). I have a beer league hockey game tonight, which means some quality parking lot drinking for the 4th Period. Even though my neighbors will probably be working on their house in the morning, I’m sleeping in tomorrow. Above all, I can’t wait to get home and drink a beer.
To me, the weekend starts the second you close the office door and head out into the world. The entire drive home, all I can think about breaking free from the shackles of my business casual, putting on some gym shorts and one of my hundred ex-fraternity/bar/band/white t-shirts and cracking open a cold one.
Like the lighting of the Olympic Torch, the first Friday drink after work is like a ceremonial beginning to the weekend. It represents optimism and freedom, a reprieve from office life, if only for a few days. It could be the start of the best weekend you’ve ever had; a quiet, relaxing weekend filled with trips to the hardware store or freestyle it. Whatever lies ahead for your weekend, you’ve paid the price of adulthood and stayed (mostly) sober all week. You’re the master of your own domain. I’ll probably get drunk and try not to get thrown out of either of my hockey games, but I don’t want to box myself in to a corner and make promises that I may or may not be able to keep.
As I sit here writing this, the anticipation is killing me. As of 10:10 a.m. Eastern Standard Time, I still have the majority of my workday ahead of me. Earlier this week, I picked up a build-your-own six pack. I’ve finished it off all but one, and I’ve been saving the final one for this very afternoon. I knew Mother Nature was going to throw me a curveball with a few inches of snow, so the beer I’ve been saving is a Pecan Pie Chocolate Stout from Ocean City Brewing Company. Stouts pair with snow and cold weather like peas and carrots and since spring is about here, it will be my last cold weather stout until next fall.
The First Drink of the Weekend doesn’t have any limits and neither should you. Make your first drink a cocktail, a mixed drink, a beer you’ve never had, a shower beer or head straight to happy hour and drink in your monkey suit. When I reflect on the glory days of grad school, I can’t help but feel sentimental. Nostalgia sets in when I think about my favorite bar. You know the one, where drink specials seem completely catered specifically to your needs.
Friends, please join me today as we stand on the precipice of the weekend. If you were on the fence about going out, drink a beer about it and let the weekend take you into its warm embrace. I’ve always noticed that the booze tastes best after a hard fought week, just like it does after getting your sweat on at the gym or doing some yard work. You owe it to yourself to take a walk on the wild side; the only wrong way to do it is to not do it at all..
Respond
Madoff
I specialize in damage control, being the drunkest at any and all functions and social assassination. Always appreciate a strong gif game. Follow me on Twitter. Sometimes I put up cool stuff about golfing at the local dirt tracks.
@BLMInvestment
I wasn’t planning on it but this just convinced me to have a lunch beer. Cheers to the weekend!
Taking a three day weekend fishing trip starting 4 minutes ago. Can’t wait to crack that first beer. Cheers PGP.
Hope they bite for you.
I’ve had a lone Bells can in my refrigerator since Sunday. That bitch dies at 5:10 today.
Shower beer is still a staple in my weekend schedule as I wash away the filth of the previous week and long for new beginnings while drinking a cold one.
This is beautiful.
My friends and I take one Friday out of the year to ditch out around 2pm CST and watch a rugby match in Chicago. Today is that day. The beer will flow like wine.
Used vacation days for Thursday and Friday next week. Wasn’t going to drink tonight in anticipation of the bender that will be next week… but fuck it it’s Friday baby!
I took it deep last night and am hanging on for dear life at work today. This evening’s beer isn’t just a release, it’s a redemption.
One of the local bars has $10 buckets tonight, was already going to house one but this just inspired me to make it two. Great stuff.
With weekends being nonexistent during busy season, this both brought a tear to my eye and put some hope in my heart for late April. Beautifully written, Madoff
Gotchu man. Sorry about KU in the Big 12 tourney, was hoping we could do the rubber match.
They say there is such a thing as a good loss for a team. I don’t think that was a good loss for Kansas. Good luck to you guys today, tomorrow, and the next few weeks.
They are already a 1 or 2 seed, get more rest and they won the Big 12 outright. Could be worse. I’d rather be rested for March Madness than for Big 12 tournament.
I was looking at it from a momentum standpoint. Some not great stuff has happened off the court this season and it’s not good to lose you best player, if even only for a game, heading into the tournament. My concern is Josh Jackson’s attitude being “Fuck it.” next weekend since he’ll be a multi-millionaire in a few months. Hopefully Mason can keep everything together.