After work (and after I flew home to vacuum and do last-minute tidying), I drove to Huntington Beach’s Old World for their annual Oktoberfest to hang out with my staff and other coworkers. It was a bailiff’s 50th birthday, so she got adequately wasted. At one point, her friends switched out a shot with water, and she took the shot and commented dazedly about how “that’s strong stuff! Yeah! Whoo!”

Our clan took up 2 picnic tables against a wall and a conga line danced past us. I saw a guy who looked familiar and remarked to my court reporter how I thought that’s Steve, someone I knew from UCLA. And later, I saw Sabrina in line for the women’s restroom. Sabrina is another fellow Bruin and one of roommie Diana’s closest friends. I had a coworker take a picture of Sabrina and me on my cameraphone and sent the photo to Diana to freak her out. Turned out, a bunch of other UCLA people were there. I didn’t stop by to say hi as I shortly thereafter skidaddled out of there.

Interesting evening. Beer, buddies, and a pair of octagenarians doing Cirque du Soleil style contortionism. I kept wincing, hoping that that night wouldn’t be the night that one of these women broke a hip mid-act.