Chris was out with his parents and Kaia this afternoon. They went to Central Park and the playground there to let Kaia burn some energy and have fun with the sprinklers. They eventually made their way to the Other Half Brewery at Rockefeller Center, where I met them after I finished my work day. As soon as I arrived, I thought that Chris’s dad seemed quite happy… a bit happier than he normally is. While he’s always the kind of person who sees the bright side in things and always is deeply appreciative of the littlest things, this time, he just seemed a bit… TOO happy, as in, did he have too much to drink? By the time I had arrived, each of the adults had already consumed one full sized beer each, plus a beer flight. To me, that sounds like quite a bit of alcohol per person, and for Chris’s dad, it was probably a wee bit too much. He kept remarking how amazing of a day they’d had, what a great trip this was, over and over and over again. It was a lot more frequent and with a much bigger smile than usual. Then, we went to eat Korean BBQ at a restaurant across the street from the brewery, and again, over and over, he kept declaring that this was the very best Korean restaurant and food he’d ever had in his life, that this was just the best of the best. And the other three adults kept chuckling, remarking how drunk he was, and carried on. Plus, on the way home, he kept poking and slapping Chris’s mom, who kept raising her voice at him and telling him to knock it off because he was embarrassing her.

It was quite amusing, and quite the sight to see. While I’ve always known Chris’s dad as a person who does quite enjoy alcoholic beverages, and wine in particular, I don’t recall ever seeing him in a state I’d label as “drunk” before, and it’s been quite some time — over 11 years! It was good to see him let loose and have some fun.