f rid ay

friday brought about an unfortunate dependency on luck (hidden), scheduling (puzzling), and other influences (distant) most often held back by intelligence (check) or greed (also check). you know, like the french tax allocation structure. subpar afternoon basketball only occasionally brought itself to dramatic moments, while even they turned sour with disappointing outcomes. team mascots (tiki gods from texas), statistical probabilities (regression models not included), and commentator qualifications (non-existent) were discussed ad nauseam. all of this seemed ok at the time. the waitstaff's early manhattan-like treatment (slight hints of disdain) of our early dinner decision slowly turned to decent service and better food. the scene moved from dinner to random bars to church (yes, in that order). thomas dybdahl provided a glorious and calming performance that seemed to quiet the city for just a moment. unfortunately, we had hit a highlight for the evening. a few unsuccessful attempts at promising venues led us out; to the outer circles of the city, to fairly forgettable music, to good liquor, and to uncrowded surroundings. somewhere between that point and saturday; mba students from berkely, invitations to go elsewhere (i expect to be approached in such a way), a series of club venues with a series of strong drinks (vodka remained popular). suggestions directed my way included berkely's business school supremacy, questions of limited artistic background, and the sharing of hotel beds. each was denied accordingly.