Descent into Madness '07 - A Recap

Last night, the JTC Board of Directors and several associates went out to enjoy a little something we like to call the "Descent into Madness". For a brief description of the history of this glorious event, see the end of my previous post.

Seeing how it's been a couple of years since we've had a "Descent", this year's event was aptly described by PChrist as a "rebuilding year". We were definitely a bit rusty with the old pub crawl, and there were several "lessons learned" which, I've documented below:

1) Don't leave the Descent to go play a soccer game - I really don't know what the hell I was thinking by doing this. It really cut into my drinking time and left me, later in the evening, as being more sober than anyone else - never a good spot to be in. The fact that I played like shit in said soccer game really is just salt in the wound.

Next time? Fake an injury. This is very believable, as I'm usually injured anyway.

2) Don't put Co-Co in charge - I think this exchange pretty much sums things up:

JohnnyM: "Hey - I thought we were going to the Rebel House"

Co-Co: "Yeah - we are."

JohnnyM: "But the Rebel House is south of where we are now."

Co-Co: "Really?"

JohnnyM: "Yes - really. I thought we were planning on heading north on this pub crawl."

Co-Co: "We are."

Next time? If you want something done right, do it yourself.

3) Don't have an important Leafs game on the night of the pub crawl - I'm not sure if this one is written in stone - if memory serves, during one DintoM a few years back, I clearly recall watching a Leafs playoff game at Scruffy's. Anyway - having important Leafs games really cuts down on your ability to move between bars, and if you do try to move bars, it's damn hard to get decent seats.

Next time? Ensure the Leafs have wrapped up a playoff spot months earlier, or better yet, aren't playing that night.

4) Have a proper itinerary - Back in the day, I used to have all the bars planned out with very specific time periods spent at each bar. I'd then crack the whip, and get people moving between the bars at the proper times - or leave them behind - which really kept the group going, ensuring that we hit the scheduled 4 - 5 bars.

Next time? See the response to item 2 above.

Keeping all four of these items in mind for next year will ensure that it's a night to remember. Book your calendars now - Descent into Madness '08 will be occurring on Thursday, March 20th, 2008.