Magic -- The Gathering

picture it: Kennedy's, early December. a drunk Mexican girl and a man named Snake venture out of the Mission to play some Buck Hunter. the game gets heated. after missing a shot that blows a hot streak, she slams down the plastic rifle in a wallop of sheer frustration. unbeknownst to her, a piece of the gun breaks off, flying across the room and hitting a nerd who is sitting at a table behind her, playing Magic: The Gathering. on a Sunday night. during NFL playoffs.

minutes later, the bartender shows up and tells our two protagonists that they have to go. because they broke the game and hit those boys. the man named Snake shoots one of the dirtiest, stinkiest stink eyes in the history of bullying in the direction of the nerds. heatedly, he tells the bartender that he has an open tab and since we have only just purchased this pitcher of Newcastle, we should get a refund. she agrees and heads back to the bar to bring back the credit card. the man named Snake orders our girl hero to chug as much of the pitcher as possible before she comes back. once the fiscal situation is cleared, the man named Snake menaces his way over to the nerds and unleashes a barrage of threats the likes of which are not usually heard in cities this side of the Mississippi.

so that was seven months ago. two days ago, i was telling Miss Bliss this story while we were chowing down on fried food at Rogue. no less than 15 minutes later, our girls found themselves at Kennedy's, playing Buck Hunter, surrounded by three tables of men, ages 14 to 65, playing -- wait for it -- Magic: The Gathering. w.t.f.