Patrickless picnic

It was all Patrick's idea. A picnic in the park! What could be better on a sunny August afternoon? He sent out a mass e-mail inviting everyone to gather at High Park's Hillside Gardens on Saturday at two. Jeremy talked to him on Friday, and Patrick seemed stoked about the whole thing, having bought a bottle of wine and masses of food.

So, a little late on Saturday -- say around 3 -- Buffy, Mo, Misha and I met up under a shady tree. But where was Patrick? They'd done a sweep of the area, and could find no trace of him. No matter: we had picnic blankets and lots of fruit.

More people showed up, with more food. Still no Patrick! He was unreachable by cellphone. Jeremy and Julie were a little worried. Buffy decided he was dead, and began putting dibs on his stuff. "I want his computer. No, not the whole computer, just the hard drive. And I want his fez."

A lazy game of croquet ensued. I wandered around and took photos of things. Patrick never showed up. Had he been run over by a streetcar? Abducted by aliens?

On Monday, I e-mailed Patrick & he e-mailed me back and told me what had happened. Turns out he'd been to see Gary Numan play at the Mod Club on Friday night, had a few drinks, and spontaneously decided to go on a massive bender. He took a taxi to the Junction, drank like a fish all night, and woke up on Saturday at 2, unable to move, moaning weakly when the phone rang. Alas! Hopefully the next time he organizes a successful event, he'll be able to join us.

More photos here.