Well I am not in Las Vegas nor DFW this weekend, but rather El Paso for a memorial to my friend Jay. It's been two weeks since he passed unexpectedly and my two other close ASU friends Jim and Ken decided to meet in El Paso to celebrate him while watching Ken's son play hockey for the El Paso Rhinos this weekend. Jay generally hated El Paso, mainly because it meant ASU was playing in the Sun Bowl rather than the Rose Bowl. So what better way to remember him than going to the Sun Bowl and popping a cold one outside the stadium (campus police didn't buy that we were tailgating early for next year's game). The fear of my own mortality after losing a good friend is setting in, and the loathing of wasting a lifetime watching ASU sports (two Rose Bowls and not much else) has led to a weekend of many beers and now a bottle of wine (bottle #1201 since I didn't bring one from home thanks to TSA carry on rules - luckily there was a Total Wine near our hotel - which by the way is the best chain wine store in the country). The bottle today is a 2014 Mantanzas Creek merlot - one of the first wineries Moshira and I ever visited way back in 1993. The winery has these beautiful lavender plants all throughout their vines and sells a ton of lavender merchandise. It seemed like the right wine to drink while remembering my friend. I'll miss Jay, the texting back and forth during ASU games, seeing him in the bars after home games, and just him being a great friend. Cheers!
Fear and Loathing in El Paso
clutes3
Pour one out for Jay. So sorry to hear about your loss.