Last week was a big week for the blogger mafia (incidentally, I feel silly calling our group that, but the douche quotient is mitigated somewhat by the fact that we didn't give ourselves that name -- I repeat, somewhat). Wednesday was the last night of musical bingo, at least for the time being. Rheo, our bingo master of ceremonies, is out of town for a couple of months. As avid and loyal patrons of the hallowed host of bingo Wednesdays, we all agreed that we wouldn't abandon our weekly gathering there. In fact, we'll take advantage of warm summer evenings and actually congregate (get ready) OUTSIDE. Except now instead of going home reeking of the ghost of fried cheese past, we'll reek of outdoor aerated cigarette smoke. Jubilation! In addition, I had a little outdoor cookout toodleoo for Lesley in honor of her Peru trip. I wanted her to have one last kick ass bit Minnesota in her belly before pooping poison berries and fire ants in the jungle for two weeks. Plus I was overdue in general for hosting a cookout. Alas, in my rush to organize the affair somewhat last minute, I'm embarrassed to say that I neglected to invite a few people who I would have liked to have been there, some of whom are reading this post right now and wondering why they weren't invited. Because I'm an asshole, that's why. I apologize.
But enough apologizing. Let's get to the bingo pics.
Amber leans over to cut one, and Lesley pretends like nothing happened because we all know girls don't fart (between Alie and me there is at least one fart-related bingo caption every week).

Amber, even though it's not on the card, you're looking for "Hungry Like the Wolf."

Lesley has perfected flipping the "pig bird."

Apparently I'm trying to saw one of my fingers off. It was supposed to be a goodbye gift for Rheo, but then I realized he already has one of my toes.

Lesley hides demurely behind a delicate napkin. Once she receives word from her father that the dowry is paid in full by the Sultan of Brunei, she will emerge for the wedding.

I can't tell if the food was going in or coming back out.

"Dear LiveJournal, today a cute boy winked at me in the Tastee Freez parking lot. All I could think to do was squeeze one of the zits on his chin. He rode away on his Huffy and never looked back. I'm so embarrassed I could DIE!"

Lesley Em

Lesley Em's fans throw some sweet white chick gang signs.

And then there was the cookout on Saturday. Unfortunately a lot of the photos I took in my inebriated state could just as well been of a black panther swimming in an ink well, so not everyone at the shindig will be shown clearly. Later, I wisely turned the camera over to Hedy.
Lesley and Amber came a little early to help me set up, and I thanked them both profusely with my words. But their big payoff came later when I revealed that I would be serving NASCAR burgers! That's right! No cookout is complete without NASCAR brand frozen burger patties. Each package comes with a special shaker of NASCAR brand burger seasoning (
I'm not making this up). The burgers were delicious, but none of us trusted the seasoning. It's probably flecks of flaking, sunburned neck skin and garlicy mullet dandruff.

The weather was perfect. Forecast scattered thunderstorms never materialized. The daylight hours were warm and sunny, and the evening hours were cool, but not too cool. Perfect for lighting up the old fire pit.

I do believe this is the first photo of my brother and I as adults that I've ever posted here. Look at him. What a tool. A chiseled, handsome, successful tool. God damn him.

Loren has taken to buying shirt and hat combos from General Mills. Here he sports the latest from the Lucky Charms line. Unfortunately pants don't come with the combo. Fortunately the bottom of the photo cuts off just in the nick of time.

Kendra, Andy, Elizabeth, and Hedy warm up by the fire.

Bless her heart, Hedy showed up despite being hung over. But this is exactly how she sat all night.
Jeremy: "Hedy, want a burger?"
Hedy: "Shut uhhhp!! My head hurts!!"
Jeremy: "Got it. One hot dog coming right up!"
(ok, so she was in a good mood and took most of these photos with my camera while I drunkenly teetered in and out of my chair, but buy into my illusion, dammit!!)

Glowing white legs reflect the fire.

Loren offered Mary a sip of his screwdriver, but she misunderstood and punched him in the throat.

Amber: "Should we show these fuckers how we drink Twin Cities style, Jeremy?"
Jeremy: [glug] "What's that, Amber?"

Sandra is in hysterics as Alie burps the alphabet.

Amber uses Herbal Essences, and it shows.

The wind was a fierce mistress that cool May evening. Once the fire spread to Mrs O'Leary's cow, we knew life would never been the same.

Abysmal Chick and Sandra smile pretty for the camera.

Oops! Alie takes a little tumble. I'd laugh at her, but it's only by providence that the camera didn't capture my drunk ass doing the same fucking thing.

And if we zoom in on that shot a little closer, we see that Sandra has some fine, fine taste in outerwear. Available now in the afterglide crapeteria! Please buy something. Daddy has a coke habit to feed.

Amber had the ingenious idea to cook her hot dog over the open flame camp style. I was totally jeals.

Very funny with your camera angles, Hedy. Har de har. Grow up.

I summon the Devil from the flames so he can lick Amber's wiener.

Fuck it. I'll lick it instead. Chompin' down like he's been there before, folks. Hey-ohhhh!

Elizabeth: "Oh God, oh God, oh God! Anyone have another cigarette? This one is about a quarter of the way done, and I'm going to need another right god damn now!"

When wieners appear over her head, Amber hardly bats an eye anymore.

Hedy called these next few photos "Mr and Mrs Elizabeth: A Study in Sickenly Romantic Smoking"





Tiny Sandra tries to puff on Alie's giant cigarette.

Alie opens her mouth, and the trapped spirits of a thousand men make their escape. Sandra smiles knowingly and thinks, "That's why I keep my mouth shut, sister."

One of these chairs is not like the other.

Sandra's kickin' it Old Style.

The aftermath inside didn't compare to the fucksplosion in my back porch (don't even say it, Alie!).

Booze! Get your booze here!

To everyone who came, thanks for making it a raucous good time and for putting up with my foolish drunkardry. And when I left Kelly and Loren, who crashed for a while to sober up, my living room was spotless. When I got up from bed later to go to the bathroom, my coffee table was covered edge to edge in a quarter inch of water, and there were potato chips all over my couch and floor. I can't leave those methed up monkeys alone for 2 seconds! But no harm, no foul. I dried off the coffee table, and the potato chips will just rot away over time. No sense bending over to pick them up.