Stop wandering into basements and opening unlabeled beer bottles… especially in a group gathering of desperately needed potential friendships…

(only those at the Home Community gathering at Eric and Debbie’s last night would get this, I know, but it just couldn’t go unmentioned on my blog.)

Full story provided upon request.

Maybe.

Depending on whether or not I’m over my mortification yet.

Edit: Ok, two requests in a few hours, I guess I have to dish…

Last night the home community met at Eric and Debbie’s, (yes, same new friend Eric I mentioned took us out to dinner last week!) where they dined us with rosemary chicken and salad and so on. I had been getting thirsty and noticed every one had cups of beer so I asked Debbie, from the sink, where I could find a beer. I then wandered down to the basement she mentioned to poke around in the fridge (I mean, who has beer on tap?!) Already scatter-brained after a long day of personal ups and downs, all I recall is seeing a few different beer bottles and some along the fridge door that were, it seemed to me, generic brown bottles with Widmer caps. I didn’t think about the fact that there was no label. I didn’t grow up around beer and really had my first beer maybe in the last year, so I’m definitely a newbie at this stuff. (Notice me shaping my hand into an “L” and placing it on my forehead?) I popped the cap and went back upstairs to join every one on the patio. I hadn’t taken my first sip when poor Eric’s face dropped… turns out the “generic beer” I had opened was a “mead” he had made himself (he’s a really smart bio chemist type guy!) from honey in the late 90’s and was saving his last few bottles for a “special occassion“). I’m sorry, but despite what any one says, he was definitely the most bummed I’d seen some one in a loooong time. And I was SO embarrassed! Jeremy and Bryan come in to check out the “scene” as we made our way into the kitchen (for some reason or another?) and luckily distracted Eric with questions about his mead and eventually a few glasses were poured of this stuff- which every one was stoked about because it was delicious. In the end, Eric SAYS he’s over it and glad every one enjoyed it so much- (he’s even coming over this Thursday to watch Grindhouse at our place) BUT I will NEVER live this one down. Just check out the following conversations that have circulated in the Home Community e-mail list today:

“Thanks everyone for coming over to our place for HC. I hope everyone
enjoyed the food and brews…. I’m stoked that everyone enjoyed my
mead. I have not opened one of those in a couple of years. I just found a book floating around here at the brewery: “Mad about Mead!”…If anyone would like to check it out, let me know. -Eric ”

“Ahhh yes, the infamous mead. At least now there is a Home Community “good ol days” memory that I am a part of- one of those that go down in history like the first grader who accidentally squished the classroom hamster… (no, analogy NOT drawn from personal experience…) The mead WAS wonderful- who wudda thunk it, as I was reaching for a generic widmer beer I was actually opening a home made mead made of fermented honey that has been saved for over a decade… leave it to me, I tell ya. -Viv”

“Well, as I told Eric, I’m glad I got to try it! Thanks Eric, and next time we’ll hold a bring-your-favorite-beverage-to-share night . . . Of course now, Vivian, we are all going to have some convoluted memory, like ‘remember the time Vivian drank too much mead and squished Debbie and Eric’s hamster?’ -Laura”

“Oh no! I’m not a hamster killer, I promise… gosh, it doesn’t help that I planned on getting a hamster for Ethan later this week- now you will all have dibbs on how long it will be before I kill it. Sheesh… – Viv”

“$5 she has an unfortunate hampster (I mean ‘lost in the garden’) event before next monday! Sure you thought you grabbed the shavings and took them to the compost!! Sure! I’ll believe ya’ -Jeremy”

“(Darn, now I have to think of another evil hamster killing plot….) -Viv”