You know what’s awesome? When one of your friends wins a happy hour party at Howl at the Moon. You know what’s even awesomer? When at her free party you win your own free party :)

So Friday was MY Howl at the Moon happy hour party: free admission, free taco bar, cheap drinks, great music, amazing company, great fun. Let’s sum up the night in five six items or less…

1. Friends:

I think I had about 25-30 people show up for the party. Coworkers, friends, friends of friends, coworkers of friends…Awe-some. Erika and Joe(3) came and I haven’t seen them in almost a year! That has to change. It was great catching up with her, even if she brought with her proof of my ability to take any joke WAY too far :)

It’s always fun when you have most of your good friends all together in one place, and I sure had a lot of them there :) I love my friends. :)

2. Music:

I love Howl at the Moon because the pianists will play just about anything you request…well, as long as you give them some cash. This meant everything from “Rehab” to “Things that Make You go Hmmm” to “Piano Man.” Eric’s friend told me not to request Madonna or Bon Jovi because they’d be played anyways. So I spent $3 instead to hear “Blister in the Sun,” by the Violent Femmes. After a while of NOT hearing that song, I gave in and put in $5 to hear Madonna’s “Like a Prayer,” which, if you weren’t aware, is the best song ever written. After a bit they finally got to playing that, which totally meant getting to rock out. And then right after that they played Blister in the Sun, but they stopped it early. :( Finally around 9 I thought, I’ve been here FOUR HOURS and haven’t heard Bon Jovi! So I requested “Shot Through the Heart.” Finally around ELEVEN I heard my first Bon Jovi song and around ONE Shot Through the Heart. At least they played them :)

3. Drinks:

The first two drinks were a dollar and that rocks. I got two Sex on the Beaches. After that they were cheap till 8 so that meant more girly drinks, including a purple concoction the bartender whipped up for me. Later we had jello shots out of syringes and a cherry bomb in a test tube. Did I mention that I can’t take shots? Seriously, It took me about 50 times as long to finish each, but I did damnit.

4. Hot bartenders:

So I keep calling him a bartender, but I never actually saw him make a drink. I guess he was more of a server because he served the drinks. But whatever. He didn’t dance on the stage like the rest of the workers. I asked him why not and he said he worked crowd control weekends. Maybe we’ll have to go back on a weeknight to see him dance. Did I mention he had a lip ring? And that he was kind of totally hot? And that Nadia gave him my number on a napkin?

p.s. sorry its just a picture of the note and not a picture of him :(

5. Photos:

I ended up completely filling up my 4gig memory card with 475 photos. I tried shooting without a flash most of the night because flashes can be bothersome and also make the people look so damn washed out. People kept taking my camera and turning on the flash because they didn’t think they’d turn out. I personally think they are awesomer.

6. Time:

So I was at the bar until about 1:30am…Since I got there shortly after 5 that meant that I was at the bar for longer than I was at work that day. ‘Nuff said.

Photos Here!