Anand's going away party, coincidences and likely irreversible liver damage

Anand finally decided to stop holding everyone hostage - turns out his threat to locate himself away from the Least Coast wasn't just a bluff. I don't think it's too tough for anybody who knows the tall indian to picture him rolling down the PCH in a convertible, skipping work to sit on the beach, or becoming a vegetarian, so I'm sure this move will suit him well.

Funny story...and hopefully it doesn't fall into the "you had to be there category"...

So I order a vodka/soda and hand my card to the waitress; she walks away, but then comes right back and says "You're kidding, right?" I'm already in fine form at this point, so I have no idea how to formulate a response to this, but long story short, the guy who owns the bar we were at, Stitch (http://www.stitchnyc.com) is named Nicholas Cohen...same spelling and all. The other Nick Cohen is an Irish Jew; I guess you just need a semi-unusual background to end up with such a mixed race name. This is the first time either of us has ever met somebody with the same name, so next thing I know I'm drinking like a half dozen [unneeded] shots on the house, and we took some pictures. Cool guy, good bar, worked great for an unorganized group of 50, and a coincidence that would have left me confused even if that first vodka/soda had been my last.

Just like most celebratory nights with this group, we ended up at a sketchy karaoke place. This was a different one than we usually go to; it served alcohol (many are BYOB) which usually would be a good thing, but in this case was the bargoing equivalent of running up the score. I didn't wake up until 2.