Is it me, or the room is moving?

I’ve been searching and trying to remember a good drinking story that I could write about. I guess I’m boring, because I don’t really drink. Really. Never really did either. A friend once told me that I was boring because I always remembered what happened the morning after… Go figure.

I never got drunk. I never tried to get drunk either. I don’t really understand why someone would actually try to get drunk. If it happens because you’re having a good time, enjoying yourself and drinking, it’s one thing, but to go out with the intent of getting hammered, I just don’t get that. Over the years a few people did try to get me drunk, but it didn’t happen. I don’t know if it’s because I don’t completely let go, or because I’m afraid to act stupid or if my “reasonable self” always stopped me before getting there. I’ve been “happy” once or twice. ‘Told you I was boring!

When I turned eighteen (our legal drinking age in Québec) I went out with friends to mark the occasion. That evening I drank eighteen B-52s. A friend had pre-ordered them and had them lined up on the bar by the dance floor. He knew I just love sweet shooters, and was hoping to get me hammered. I danced all night and drank all shooters. Once I sat down, the room started spinning. To "help" me, he ordered a cognac. I took one sip and decided to go back on the dance floor. Not long after I called a cab home. I remember the look on my mother’s face when she opened the door and I came in with my snifter of cognac (which I still have by the way!). I got undressed and went to bed. I would lie if I would say that it was a pleasant night, because it wasn’t, but I didn’t get sick!

Because I very rarely drink, it doesn’t take me much to feel the effect of alcohol. I can’t even finish a Corona without falling asleep. The Coronita is much better sized for me. I do like beer a bit but much prefer mixed drinks. In 1999 I went to Japan. It was for the 7th World Karate Tournament. While in Tokyo, I met people from all over the world and one night we ended up in a basement of a restaurant having a great meal and where sake was flowing freely. I discovered that I liked sake. As the meal progressed the sake consumption did as well. At one point I was feeling no pain. So much so that I got up and sang! I did karaoke in Japan… We had a blast. This was also the evening that I realised that “Manhattan Ice Tea” wasn’t just a type of ice tea, but that there was some booze in that drink. That time though, I went to bed happy, didn’t get sick and only felt a bit slow the next morning.

Oh, I could tell you that I woke up one morning with an ex-boyfriend lying next to me in my bed who had the face of a clown on his belly, which was actually from my make-up from the Halloween’s party the night before at my place...

I could tell you how freaked out he was and how he wanted to take a shower before going home to his girlfriend who would assuredly kill him if she ever saw his orange belly AND knew where he had spent the night...

But, you see, that time I wasn’t drunk. He was! ...and I don't tell other people's story. Hee.

A Toast to Selection Sunday

Cross posted from Order from Chaos.

Selection Sunday will take place on Sunday March 9. But we need a little more time to iron out the rules for our version of March Madness - March Drunken Madness. In this post, I referred to two drunk stories from yours truly and a blogging friend, Amy in Ohio. I challenged my readers to contribute their best drinking stories and we would have our own little bracket challenge to see who has the best story.

Comments trickled in and it would seem that we have the following competitors:

• the aforementioned Amy in Ohio
• Brave Astronaut (that's me)
• despite her note that "how drunk could you be if you remember the story," I'm pulling Stitch Bitch in.
• C in DC offers boring stories, but there has to be a Cinderella story in every tournament.
• The 6th Floor Blog will play the part of the Big East in the tournament, as we will give them the option of sending six stories for consideration.
• NJM is trolling through her drunken depths to find a winner. She will guest blog through this portal.
• I recently heard a good story from OSG, so I'm snagging him for an entry.
• C in DC, NJM, and I have all decided that the bearded one, Kim, must have several good stories, so we hope he will play along.
• If he can stop fighting with anonymous commentators, will ADR offer a story?
• If he can stop shoveling snow for a moment, will Archivalist offer up an anecdote?
• Certainly Special K and HAH must have a memory they are trying to keep quiet, but would love to share with all of us? They can even have two entries.
• Hey, the name of her blog is "Stories to Tell." Surely one of them must involve alcohol.
  

If we get all of the above to play, that's eighteen of us. Am I missing anyone? If you would like to get in on the fun, let me know. If I have drafted you for this and you want out, please let me know that as well.

We could use Order from Chaos as the central location for the stories. I think I could manage to get a poll feature that would allow people to vote for the stories. I propose the first round of stories be posted on Sunday March 9, with voting to take place through Friday March 14. Second round stories would go up on Sunday March 16 and voting through Friday March 21. If we get our numbers right, final four stories would be posted on Sunday March 23 and voting for those stories to go through Wednesday March 26. The Championship round would post on Friday March 28 and voting would cease on on Monday March 31 (I'll even suspend Recipe Monday for it!)

I will come up with a good prize for the winner and a plan on getting it to the "Lord (or Lady) of the Drunks." Questions? Comments? Moans of Despair? Cries of Anguish? Let me know in the comments.

The Rules

• Pick your best drinking story. It may be a personal experience or something you witnessed, but not something you heard from your cousin's best friend's sister's boyfriend about this time they went to 31 Flavors in 1986.
  
• Use as many hyperlinks as you want, but do not embed photos/videos in the narrative.
  
• Contestants will be randomly seeded by Amy and Brave Astronaut.
  
• Post it to the blog and send an email to either Amy or Brave Astronaut, who will then create a poll on the side of the blog for your competition.
  
• Tell everybody you know to go to the blog and vote for you. Repeatedly.
  
• If you make it to the Championship Round, you will have the option of going with the story that got you there, or substituting a new one.