Most people under 21 can’t wait until the clock strikes 12 am on their 21^st birthday.  After this moment, they can throw away that fake ID and proudly display their own to the bouncer with a smile of complete satisfaction. Finally, the time has come and the wait is over. No more risk of getting caught. Or maybe you have been waiting until you are 21 to taste your first sip of alcohol. Let’s be real here folks, who are we kidding? Is there anything else about a 21^st birthday that is even as substantially significant as legally consuming your first alcoholic beverage? Probably not. So now to my point, is a 21^st birthday even remotely special for the guy or gal that has no desire to drink?  Isn’t it just a year older but the same as other in between birthdays? You know the birthday years in between the major ones that aren’t 13 (a teenager), 15 (Driver’s permit-in most states), 16 (Driver’s License), 17 (Legally watch rated-R movies), 18 (Finally legal), and more like 25, 30, etc. Who knows, I don’t because I couldn’t wait to have my first drink on the night of my 21^st birthday! What do you all think? Is a 21^st birthday special at all to those who don’t drink?

 

I’m not a big drinker, not at all. However, on occasion, I’ll have a glass of wine with dinner or throw down a couple of beers at a sports bar while watching my Miami Dolphins play (We are going to the Super Bowl this year). Despite not being a heavy drinker, or even a moderate drinker, during the weeks leading up to my 21^st birthday, I was still pretty excited to get into a bar and order an alcoholic beverage, simply because I now could, despite the fact that I don’t drink too often. I got a small group together of my closest friends, sisters, and of course my lovely boyfriend and planned a night out on the town after a home-cooked meal by my mom with everyone at my house. The night was great. I felt great, looked great, and the food was great!

We were all having a good time and around 10 pm (on the eve of my birthday) we went out. Even though it was a couple of hours early, I’m sure, just like everyone else probably is, I was anxious and didn’t want to wait until exactly midnight! We arrived at our first destination, a neat Irish Pub with a sweet band playing great music. Upon entering, the bouncer wished me a happy birthday. Things were going great. We left that bar and headed to our second destination. At 11:55 PM we arrived at a bar downtown. The bouncer wouldn’t let me in! I was completely denied! Not only had I already been allowed in the previous bar, but it was a merely five minutes before midnight! He got a lot of pleasure out of it too, watching me as I annoyingly waited next to him as the minutes, which seemed like for ever, slowly ticked down…5…4…3…2...1. What a douchebag! That was definitely his power trip of the night! Does anyone else have any similar stories? Probably not, because most bouncers probably aren’t that douchy!!

Jello shots are a party favorite that everybody loves. Here is a simple recipe for great Jello shots.

Ingredients:

• 5oz pack of Jello
• 250ml Vodka (Any brand)
• 5oz Boiling Water
• 7oz Cold Water

Instructions:

1. Pour 5oz of boiling water into a bowl.
2. Mix in the Jello mix and make sure that its fully dissolved
3. Add 7oz of cold water.
4. Add the Vodka.
5. Pour into shot sized cups and leave in the fridge to set overnight.

If you do not have a pack of Jello that is 5oz or you would like to make more than this amount then just simply use 80% of the required amount as per the Jello instructions and make up the complete amount using 20% Vodka.

Last week Wednesday was my best friend's 21st birthday. We had a group of 5 guys and 3 girls, and went to a South Beach night club. The club shall remain nameless, for reasons soon-to-be mentioned. Anyway, we rented a limo for the night that picked us up at my house. We pre-gamed at my house before leaving. We had mostly liquor and vodka, like we normally do. So as we are in the limo, we had a couple more drinks, which later proved to be completely stupid, since we apparently underestimated how much we drank. By time we got to the night club, we were all completely drunk, with the exception of 1 of the girls. Sounds like the recipe for a great night, right? WRONG.

The club started out fun, good music and lots of people. Well after 45 minutes or so, the first person went down, straight to the bathroom vomiting. Ok, 1 person down isn't so bad. While I was helping him in the bathroom, one of the guys in our group got in a fight with 2 bouncers. Apparently you are not supposed to grab the ass of a waitress. Who would have thought? Normally I am there to make sure that he doesn't act stupid when he is drunk, but I was busy helping my other friend who was vomitting. Oh yea, did I mention that I was drunk as hell too. Anyway, so after my friend stop vomiting, we re-grouped and decided that we should probably leave.

Alright, so the 8 of us decided to go to IHOP. Side note: Why do drunk people love IHOP? Anyway, while we were at IHOP, our limo driver decides that he wants to eat with us. Ok, nothing is wrong with that. Everyone has to eat, right. So as we are all eating, another person in the group decided to vomit. Apparently IHOP's not-so-cooked eggs and pancakes are a bad idea after liquor and vodka. After that, we went back to my house. At my house, 1 of the girls in our group then decides that we should all keep drinking. Its 3 AM at this point, and we are drunk as hell. So eventually everyone collaspes on my couch and floor. We all woke up the next morning with a pretty bad hangover. The really strange thing is that when we woke up, the limo driver was sleeping on my couch. Awkward.

I don't understand why celebrities' 21st birthdays are so special. They are normally alcoholics by 18 and drive cars worth more than most homes by 19. Whats the big deal? Like when Lindsay Lohan turned 21, what changed in her life? To be honest, I feel bad for most of them. Between the media, their messed-up childhood, and easy access to drugs, I am surprised when a child celebrity reaches 21 years of age without a criminal record.

My suggestion is that we start treating these celebrities as adults. Once they reach 21 years old, they should be treated as so, even if they are famous. If they get a DUI, they should serve time. If they get arrested for possession of cocaine, they should be punished. If they have a clean record, are a good role-model, and are famous for having an actual talent, then they should be celebrated. This is just my opinion. Let me know what you think...

So my 21st birthday is in three weeks and I have no plans. Most of my friends won't be in town, what do I do? I live in Gainesville, Florida, which is a college town. The only problem is that I expected to celebrate my 21st birthday with all my friends at a bar or club, but now I don't know if I want to go out if I only have 2 or 3 friends with me. Has anyone else had this problem?

I guess that the worse case scenario would be to have a party at my house with my friends that are in town, and assume that friends will bring friends, and some random people will show up. That way, hopefully it will turn into a party at some point. Should I pay for a keg, or should I expect others to pitch in for that? Should I expect my friends to plan everything, or should I tell my friends to? I don't want to sound desparate but I could really use the advice. Thanks for listening and I appreciate any advice that anyone can give.

Vomit. Strobe lights. Loud music. This was all before we left the apartment for my friend's birthday party at the local club. I do not recommend doing 21 shots for your 21st birthday, because it is just INSANE! Fortunately for us, the birthday boy slowed down on the shots and learned to enjoy the music. I guess that my friend, who shall remain nameless, has never had Tequilla before. Since we came with 3 girls, it was pretty cool to see my friend completely drunk but being taken care of by 3 beautiful young girls. Anyway, the night didn't stop at the club.

We left the club early and ended up at Denny's, which seems like the place that we always end up at 3am. Other than that, it was fun. The moral of my story is that you shouldn't have any expectations for a 21st birthday, just have fun. I am sure that other people have similar stories.

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