Theresa’s Coming and Going Away Party / Chicago / 3-19-11

My friend Theresa had been living in New Zealand and Australia for the past 2 1/2 years, but she made a triumphant return to the Windy City in March — her first visit back to the States since moving away. With her return, there of course were parties to welcome her back and then say goodbye again. I was so excited to see her I guess you could say I had a little too much wine. Like a lot of people, wine makes me sleepy. Even though I passed out during the middle of Theresa’s party at our friends Nora and Jason’s place in Logan Square, I feel this picture at least has some class because Esther and Theresa look so glamorous pointing out my “problem.”

FYF Fest / Los Angeles / Labor Day Weekend ’10

We finally made it from Chicago to the West Coast and rolled into Los Angeles just in time to hit up FYF Fest Labor Day weekend. Being out in the hot sun all day and drinking free beer made me a little sleepy. The nice big field seemed like the perfect place to take a break before seeing Ryan Gosling perform in his band. If only I got the chance to pass out on him, then my life would’ve been complete.

The Grand Canyon / Arizona / 9/10

As many of you know, I took an epic road trip over the summer which landed me at The Grand Canyon. It was a long day in the car and the canyon looks, well, grand, so I decided to take a little siesta. I know it looks kind of dangerous to lie down so close to the edge of an incalculable plunge, but sometimes you just gotta do what you gotta do.

Four Corners / Arizona, New Mexico, Utah and Colorado / 9/10

Yes, it is possible to pass out in four states at once. Along the way to The Grand Canyon, I just felt overcome with sleepiness, so I plopped down on the monument which just happened to be in four states. I should contact Guinness Book of World Records to see if this has ever happened before. I think I liked New Mexico the best. The vibes from the other states didn’t feel as welcoming. While I was passed out, some bikers at the site kept laughing at me. I mean, if you can make bikers laugh, then you’ve accomplished something.

Graceland / Memphis, TN / 8/10

It’s every American’s mandate to see Elvis’ home in their lifetime. In August of 2010, Adam, Auriane and I drove down to Memphis from Nashville and paid our respects to The King. It also happened to be Elvis Week while we were there! We all know what a tortured soul The King was, so it made perfect sense to pay our respects with drugs and alcohol. Okay, just kidding. After leaving Elvis’ car museum, we decided to take a little nap. Feeling refreshed, we stole his plane. Good times.

Mayan Ruins / Tulum, Mexico / 5/10

While vacationing in Mexico, we made our way to the Mayan ruins in Tulum, Mexico. Our tour guide pointed out the Jeff Bridges film Against All Odds was filmed here. That’s about it he had to say about thousands of years of history. And you know what? I went home and watched that film. Jeff Bridges use to be hot! Speaking of hotness, it was a scorcher that day. After dipping my feet into the ocean and looking at what was left of a civilization, I decided to take a breather. I don’t think the Mayans would’ve minded me sleeping on their holy ground.

NYC Subway Station / NYC / 12-31-09

It was the last day of the year, so you know what that meant! Party time! I flew to NY earlier in the day solely to  hang out with my friends and ring in the new decade with them. We’d been at The Cake Shop drinking free PBR, which made me sleepy. It took forever for the train to arrive to our next destination, so I lied down next to this strange fish mural and took a brief nap. I may or may not have laid in homeless person urine. After a couple of minutes, I felt rejuvenated. It was only two hours ’til the new year — plenty of time to keep drinking!

Pitchfork Music Fest / Union Park / Chicago / 7/09

Three-day music fests can be quite exhausting, yet fun. There are more bands playing than you can possibly see. The sun blazes down on you. There’s beer and Sparks. The best part about throwing a music fest in a park, is there’s ample places to take a nap. Seriously, you can plant down anywhere and go to sleep. I saw a lot of kids doing this, so I took a  cue from them. I never did get to see the Walkmen.

A Friend’s Wedding / Bethesda, MD / 5/09

I’ve passed out at weddings before. This wedding wasn’t a novelty for me. After the initial cermony, I was greeted with a cocktail reception with free booze. I think we can all agree free drinks are the best part about a wedding…and of course seeing people  in love start their lives together. I had some wine and champagne and mixed drinks, and then had more wine with dinner. I had only had a little bread, so I was extra tired. I just needed to lay my head down for a minute, and oops, I feel asleep. Luckily I woke up in time for cupcakes.

SXSW Party / Austin, TX / 3/09

For the first time ever, I finally made it to Austin for the annual SXSW festival. Of course this entailed driving 18 hours straight from Chicago to Texas.  Once we got to TX, we recouped for an hour and then hit the Myopenbar party. After downing a couple of Budweiser tall boys, I was pretty sleepy. It’s understandable since I hadn’t slept much in the car. I find it apropos that I passed out in front of a giant sign that read, “Myopenbar.com.” It’s almost like the sign was created just for me to snuggle up to. After a quick nap, I rallied and partied into the wee hours.