Hello from Mississippi!: Paint Me A Birmingham

I think that is a counry music title...

The carpooler and I had to attend an `MSDN launch event' in Birmingham, AL. It was a fun-filled trip involving beer, steak, liberty and bitchy waitresses.

For the duration of this blog entry, I'll address the carpooler as `78'. You'll discover why shortly.
78 and I arrived at Tuscalooga, Alabama around 8:00 p.m. Hungry and tired we find an Outback Steak House, located just off the interstate. 8:05 we're placing our orders. Both of us go with a 16oz prime rib. 78 takes his medium. I eat mine like a man, so I order it medium-rare.

I order water, 78 orders a bottle of Coors. Now, 78 is not a big drinker. He used to be back `in his youth', which was quite some time ago for him.

He sets the course for the night after taking his first sip. Immediately after the first sip, he, seemingly not of his own accord, blurts out, "Man that is good!".

After slapping down the first bottle, he orders Coors on tap. The next beer comes out in a 22oz mug (see picture below). Morgan, our perky waitress brings it out with a smile.

About 5 minutes later, 78 has topped off the first mug. Unwilling to limit his pleasure, 78 orders another one.

While sipping on the second one, our steaks come out. 1 pound of beef. Yumm! About half way through the steak, 78 orders another 22 ouncer. This puts us at three. I mention, "Damn thats your third one!" His reply, "No this is my second!"

At this point, the jokes were at the bottom of the barrel. You know, the kind you share with close friends and no one else! We're getting progressively louder and drunker (well 78 anyways).

Morgan brings the third beer out. 78 asks her, "How many of these have I had?" She responds three, without a smile. Her sense of humor having been eroded by the unrelenting jubilation emminating from our booth. Torwards the end of the night, our noise level was drowning out the din of the restaurant crowd.

Morgan's demeanor had went from somewhat perky to downright bitchy. I think it enraged her even more when we left her a big tip. I think 78 drank 78 total ounces of beer, not sure how many were in that first bottle...

Now, we head over to Birmingham to find our hotel. 78 and I are discussing the room we're sharing when I mention, "Man I need some lotion." At that point, I realize that was a dumb statement to blurt out without any preceding context. He looks at me blankly and says, "I'm sleeping in the car!"

I explain to 78 that my elbows get dry in the winter. That is why I needed the lotion. Luckily the hotel room had lotion. If it had not, I would have had dry elbows. There is no way in hell, I'm going down to the desk to ask for some lotion! (Think two guys in a room, neither one of them looking like `lotion users')

78 and I attend the event and head home at 5:00 p.m. The drive out of Birmingham is awful. Traffic everywhere and extremely congested interstates.

We decide to stop at Liberty Parkway. This is a section of Birmingham that has a miniature statue of liberty. I have pictures below.

It was quite moving to stand beneath a symbol of liberty. The light of liberty burning brightly in her right hand, the sound of the American flag flapping in the wind ... freedom just seemed to hang in the air.

I've posted pictures of lady liberty below. One of them actually has `78' in it. I juxtaposed him next to the statue, hoping to illustrate the magnitude of the monument.

One of many for the carpooler