Parking Lot Party

The recent rash of farlieonfootie corporate outings continued as approximately half the staff gathered to watch our beloved hometown Fort Lauderdale Strikers take on Cruzeiros of Brazil this past weekend.  Luckily for all involved, the beer was better than the soccer -- at least from the viewpoint of the Strikers fans.  Our pre-game staff meeting also came to several other incisive, beer-fueled findings on that fateful Sunday afternoon, some of which might even be classified as mildly interesting:

o So much of what makes attending a football match irresistible is the camraderie involved.  Even when your team gets absolutely smoked -- and the 4-0 scoreline failed to accurately reflect Cruzeiros' dominance -- the opportunity to get together and have some fun with family and friends while watching live football is hard to beat.  The largest crowd of the season, a festive atmosphere, and a stunning pre-game craft beer list certainly helped, but there's something special to be said for sitting outdoors on a beautiful afternoon or evening and watching 22 men kick the ball around.

o You know those pop-up tailgate tents that come with instructions claiming you only need two people to set them up?  Yeah, the manufacturers are lying.  Especially in high winds.  And also if your first assistant is not quite five feet tall.  Other than that, they're a breeze to set up.

o A cold beer on a hot day is hard to beat.  Sure, there's almost no such thing as a bad beer, but some beers are clearly better than others -- a founding principle of farlieonfootie.  The beers enjoyed on Sunday afternoon included Sierra Nevada Summerfest, Magic Hat Elder Betty, Lagunitas Little Sumpin' Sumpin' Ale, and the ultra-hard-to-beat local favorite Hop Gun IPA from South Florida's own Funky Buddha Brewery, located in Oakland Park, Florida.  If you find yourself down here on vacation make sure to stop by and check out the brewery -- you won't regret it.

o Fort Lauderdale's own LaSpada's Original Hoagies makes a damn good turkey sub.  Highly recommended.

o A pre-game football tailgate may be a peculiarly American habit, but it has a lot to recommend it.  Give us a couple hours, some good friends, good food, a little country music on the stereo (Lee Brice, Zac Brown Band, Florida Georgia Line, Little Big Town, and Brad Paisley are all making regular appearances on the company iPod these days), and most important of all, some excellent beer, and we're all in.  In fact, now that we're thinking of it, it may be time for another staff meeting....

This is farlieonfootie for June 26.