puppetmaker | A Well Done Roast

There are places I go and I can't quite believe that I am there.

Last night was one of those nights as Peter and I went to the Friars Club so Peter could participate in the George Takei Roast. It was the second in the series of contest roasts for The Friars Club Presents: So You Think You can Roast. Peter was not one of the contestants but was asked to speak which was why we were there. This was a Friars only event.

The Friars Club is an old monastery that was converted into a private club for comedians and their guests that has been around for over 100 years. The Friars' leadership is made up of a series of positions similar to those in an Abbey, including positions such as "Abbot," "Dean," "Prior," and "Scribe.". All members in good standing are called Friars. Both Ed Sullivan and Frank Sinatra have been Abbots.

The architecture of the building is stunning. The stained glass is amazing. The photo collection is beyond words. And the food was top class. We started with cocktails in the lounge then had a wonderful steak dinner and then went to the Roast itself.

And George was well roasted indeed. 5 (well 6 since there were a set of twins that worked together) comedians took their turn at the contest. These will be up for viewing probably by the beginning of next week at the site. There were other comedians as well including Jim David and Gilbert Gottfried. The Roast master was an old friend of George's Alec Mapa who is a stitch and a half.

I am very proud of Peter because he held his own with people who do stand-up for a living in front of a crowd of people who know what's funny. And they thought he was very funny. I was getting compliments from various people about his part of the roast.

Behind the cut are a few pictures since I didn't want to kill anyone's dial-up.

We had a lot of fun. This morning my throat hurts and my sides hurt but it was from laughing harder than I had done in a very long time.

I am grateful for opportunities like this.