Snowed out

Everything was all set for Saturday night. We had the makings of a great show. One of my groups, the Ninjas, was set to perform at Grape Street along with Industrial Improv and HARSH of NYC.

I was incredibly excited that we were playing Grape Street, as its about a mile from my house, and usually I need to come into the city for shows. So I'd been promoting the hell out of it... flyers, word of mouth, etc. I talked to so many people, and told them that they had to come to the show. This was also an opportunity to get people out that normally wouldn't come clear to Center City for a show.

Seeming as how the venue was so close to my house, I originally suggested that my fellow group members swing by my place to grab a beer. Jon and I also recommended that our new HellBaby people come see the show, as HARSH is basically the inspirational catalyst behind what we are doing with that group. So since it looked like I could have as many as a dozen people over before the show, why not just open it up and have a little pre-party. This decision was made a couple of days before hand, and I sent out general invites to all.

So then comes Friday, and the weather report calls for snow... a lot of it. Reports varied, but overall they were saying a lot of snow later in the evening/night. No worries, plan ahead as normal... we hear no word from the venue that they intend to close, so we press on.

Saturday morning comes, and seems like a normal cold day. I head out to the store to pick up all kinds of drinks and goodies. I swing by Javie's and grab a bunch of beer. I go by Marciano's and get a huge tomato pie. I head home and start cleaning.

2:30 - 3:00, the first of the flakes start. Nothing serious at all. If anything, it's helpful by keeping the beer cold.

4:30, flakes are at a minimum, still not sticking. BJ arrives, followed shortly there after by Jon, Diane, Jon's Dad and Corey.

5:00, more people start rolling in. I give a tour of my house. Corey inexplicably spills beer on the 2nd floor. No big deal, just wiped it up. I continue the tour, Jon hits his head against the wall, spills beer on the 3rd floor. Still no big deal, but pretty funny at this point.

5:30, standing outside with the guys, snow is starting to stick, but not much.

5:45, get a call from Mike saying Grape Street is cancelled. Say what? Apparently they are not even going to open their doors. Mike was standing a few feet from the front door when he got the call. He couldn't convince them to stay open. We madly call everyone we know and tell them the show is cancelled. Since there is no show, Jon's Dad heads home. We decide the party will go on, 'cause damn if people are going to come clear to Manayunk for nothing. We get word that the HARSH people, who came all the way from NYC to perform, are drinking it up at 30th St. Station, cause what else are they going to do, right?

6:00, Mike shows up at my house and joins the party already in progress. Snow is starting to stick more, but still nominal. We spend the next half hour cursing Grape Street for their idiocy. I talk to Eileen from HARSH... she is not as pissed, and they are making the best of it through cheap booze and cigarettes (well, at least by NYC standards).

7:00, a few more friends show up. Drinking games inevitably arise.

7:30, Mike and BJ head out and see if they can go meet up with the HARSH crew. We hear that Industrial people have joined them.

7:45, we start a game called "Psychiatry" where Corey and I have to go outside. The remaining people all decide on some condition/ailment they all have, then Corey and I return to the room and begin to ask probing questions so as to discover what this condition is. Note: This sounds so much like a shortform game, and oddly enough, it was recommended by the two people in the entire room who were NOT improvisers.

8:15, I get a call from Patti, saying she is at the Brew Pub with a few people that came to see the show, and wanted to know what was up. I had forgotten to call Patti, and so then informed her that it was cancelled. They decided to come over.

8:30, Corey and I *finally* figure out their stupid ass condition. Patti and crew show up. Among them is this guy Joe who was up from North Carolina looking at houses, and is interested in HellBaby. I told him to come see the show, and had forgotten about him once it got cancelled. I didn't have his number anyway. So that ended up working out. We found out from our newest guests that there were at least a dozen people standing outside the venue in the snow, waiting for the show. This both amazes and pisses me off further.

8:45, Jon and I head back over to Javie's for another case of beer. We quickly realize that we've left Patti, Joe and crew shortly after they've arrived, without introducing them to anyone. Oh well, they're improvisers... so they can adapt, right? Ha!

9:30, people start making their way home, as the snow is starting to come down pretty heavily. We quickly end up with just Patti and her b/f Peter and Joe and his friend Scott. Drinking games ensue. Some include rhythm and clapping. My corn-fedness is apparent to all.

10:45, final shots before the last of the group heads to catch the last train into the city.

10:55, I run through the snow to the train station to take Peter his bag that he left by the door. Made it just in time... I notice snow is about 1-2 inches, and falling heavily.

11:30, Leah and I start cleaning up and then head to bed.

It felt like it was much later at the end of the night, but then I realized we started at 4pm, and so got in a good seven hours of partying.

I woke up the next morning to 13" of snow, a cancelled Level 2 class, and a world that was entirely too bright. I spent nearly two hours shoveling out of the yard and unburying the car. I moved out of Colorado for a reason, damnit!