UFC 63 Party

Last night we had our friends Geoff and Jen, and Gary and Alice over to watch UFC 63. This was actually the first time we've had official guests in our new home, and it was muche fun.

I used to feel like I couldn't invite people over if everything about my home wasn't perfect, but I know that I can't live my whole life like that. If I have that attitude, then it'll always be something... Then before you know it, I'm dead, and I never had any parties.

I had guests last night and showed them my piles of unpacked boxes, my two unpainted, spackle-slathered bathrooms, my 32-year old kitchen wallpaper, and my nonexistent landscaping. Yay!

I do quite like our home, though, especially our artwork. We have some of my art on display, we have a painting by Cameron Moore, one by Lance Parker, one oil reproduction painted for my father in the 50's, we have a photograph of the Gates that we bought in NYC, we have a watercolor we bought on the street in NYC, we have a giant portrait of Marilyn Monroe, we have a wedding picture of ourselves. I love our artwork! But we still need more. :-)

Gary and Alice brought Shepherd's Pies, one meatless and one with chunks of dead animal. Oooh, the yumminess... Plus, they gave us the leftovers, and we had it again for breakfast this morning. Mmmmm... I think it was even better the second day.

Geoff and Jen brought us a housewarming gift, beer, more beer, and a beautiful red rose from their garden.

I had Fat Bastard chardonnay, which Jen liked (I am quite a fan of the Fat Bastard wines), and also Coppola claret. I don't quite like the Coppola claret as much as I liked the Coppola rosso, but the terrible Coppola people have stopped making the rosso, so the claret will have to suffice.

I wasn't sure how our fuzzy little monkey face kitty would enjoy having guests, but she was very sweet and social, if a little sheddy. Extra points to Jen for knowing the movie character that Sydney was named after! High Art is a completely wonderful little movie that it seems no one has ever seen.

UFC 63, baby! The main event was BJ Penn vs Matt Hughes in the welterweight title championship. Matt Hughes was originally scheduled to defend his title against Georges St. Pierre, but GSP was replaced by BJ Penn after an injury.

I didn't think BJ Penn was going to be any kind of a match for Matt Hughes, who has Pat Miletich and Rich Franklin in his corner, and is a typical Miletich-camp unstoppable machine. BJ started off strong and, I'm sure, actually won the first two rounds. He accidentally (?) gouged Matt in the eye with his thumb... He said it was an accident, but who punches with their thumb out at at 90-degree angle? Hm. Matt has taken worse than that (such as Frank Trigg's genuinely accidental groin kick) and kept going, so after being checked by the doctor, he was back in it.

By the third round BJ Penn looked really gassed -- just absolutely exhausted. (Since it was a championship fight it could have potentially gone 5 rounds, which I think might possibly have killed poor BJ.) Matt rocked him with an uppercut and then took him down -- despite Rich Franklin screaming at him to stay on his feet -- and ended up in side control, trapping BJ's arm. Once Matt goes into his ground & pound mode, it's all over. Big John stopped the fight at just under 4 minutes into the third round, and Matt Hughes retains his title. Woot! A country boy can survive... :-)

Greg and I are so excited to finally have some MMA friends to watch UFC events with. How can it be that not everyone loves this sport as much as we do? I can't wait 'till the next one!