Derby Aftermath.

With my annual assault on my liver over, here's what Derby weekend consisted of for me.

Thursday-The Queen, Disco Dan, and I got on the road around 4. Traffic was surprisingly bearable and we made good time. We caught up with T-ROC and Lady Beth in L'town, then proceeded to Buca De Beppo, one of our annual Derby stops. We then retired to our hotel for a night of bourbon guzzling and Jager shots.

Friday-I awoke wired with the kind of energy that comes from too much Four Roses and Jager. After rousting the group, I proceeded to consume the first beer of the day. One of my better ideas. We parked at BJ's on Rodman Street, one of my favorite places on the planet. The world's best eggrolls and fried bologna sandwiches are produced there. We headed to the track after a few drinks and some food. It rained violently most of the day. At one point, I considered hearding animals two by two and building an arc. The rain did subside enough to allow us to take in the Oaks from the grandstand. Drinking and hilarity ensued after the races. The Oaks now has it's own signature drink, the Lily. Finlandia, Cranberry Juice, and Triple Sec. A little bit sweet, but not awful.

Saturday-Derby Day. I was nowhere near as energetic as the day before. We made our way to BJ's and a wonderful pork chop sandwich helped revive me. On to the races, where we downed copious numbers of mint juleps and had a huge time. Fortunately, we were spared the sight of Eight Belles going down, because the track feed stayed focused on Big Brown. Back to BJ's for soul food, dancing, and drinking. All in all, a glorious day.

Sunday-A quick brunch and on the road. Again, traffic was no problem. Returned to Knoxville, made some phone calls, and headed to the Downtown Grill and Brewery for drinks, conversation, and video game bowling. A fine way to cap a quality weekend.