The week in Westwood did not start gently. By Monday evening, it was already clear that this was going to be the kind of week that required a detailed debrief. Coleman, to lead with the most pressing item, found himself banned from ZBT. The circumstances are being withheld to protect what is left of his social standing, but the group is processing it. Ryan, Eitan, Will, Angie, JJ, BC, and Caden have been briefed. He knows what he did.
Tuesday recovered the week's momentum with a bar crawl along Broxton that hit Barney's, Rocco's, and Q's in approximately that order. The structure held. Barney's served as a reasonable starting point, Rocco's was the natural midpoint where most of the group's energy peaked and the conversations became somewhat less coherent, and Q's closed out the evening in the way Q's tends to: louder than expected, ending later than planned. Caden made a point of staying in order at every stop and is to be commended for his discipline. Not everyone can say the same.
Wednesday brought the group's Game of Thrones trivia outing, a competitive field, and a team name that should have been a good omen. "Tommen's Skydiving" is an excellent name. It reflects knowledge of source material, a commitment to the bit, and the kind of confidence that a genuinely competitive trivia team carries into a room. The group finished fifth. This is not what the name promised. Ryan maintains that the scoring in rounds three and four was suspect. The official result stands at fifth.
Thursday was adventure cooking, which is the kind of activity that sounds chaotic in advance and lands differently depending on how seriously the participants take the brief. By all accounts, the group took it seriously enough that the results were edible and the process was more organized than a Thursday evening cooking project among friends has any right to be. The evening also included a visit to Jameson's, which has quietly introduced smaller cup sizes. The group's feelings on this policy change are mixed, leaning negative. Eitan registered a formal objection. It is noted here for the record.
Friday was the day the women's basketball team defeated Texas in the Final Four, 51-44, to advance to Sunday's national championship game. The group watched, absorbed what had happened, and then spent most of the rest of the day in a state that can best be described as celebratory recovery. Will and Angie apparently handled the day better than most. JJ and BC did not. The less said about the group's collective productivity on Friday afternoon, the better for everyone involved.
Saturday took the group south. The OC, corgi beach, and a Long Beach stop on the way back produced the kind of day that is difficult to adequately summarize in print. Corgi beach requires no explanation if you have been. If you have not, the premise is exactly what it sounds like and the execution exceeds expectations. The group returned to Westwood in good spirits, which was helpful preparation for what Sunday had waiting.
Sunday ran two major events in parallel. In Phoenix, the UCLA women's basketball team defeated South Carolina 72-64 to win the program's first national championship. Lauren Betts posted 26 points and 14 rebounds. Kiki Rice and Gianna Kneepkens closed it out. The group watched from Westwood, and the reaction was appropriate to the moment. In the afternoon, the Amazon Prime Video advance screening of Balls Up at Mark 703 drew around 50 people, distributed merch, and screened a Mark Wahlberg comedy that delivered on its premise. It was, by most accounts, an ideal way to spend the hours between the end of the championship celebration and the start of another week.
What's coming this week: Tonight is the men's NCAA championship game between Florida and Houston, which deserves a watch party if the group can organize one on short notice. Later in the week, the plan includes daytime drinking at Waterfront in Venice Beach, which is the right call for a week following a national championship. Project Hail Mary is also hitting theaters, based on the Andy Weir novel, and anyone who read the book should make a point of going. It has been a long wait.