Man Shower aka Man Gathering aka Wii Party

As my brother Mike pointed out, the nomenclature for any assembly of the male of the species needs to be considered carefully. In our terms, a Man Shower is non-existent, because a "Shower" implies formal invitations, wrapped gifts, and "ooos" and "aahhhs." Men would never be caught behaving as such in public. Meanwhile, a Man Gathering is the correct term for a celebration held prior to a man's wedding, featuring a mass e-mail invitation, grilled meat, and gifts - mainly tools - that, if wrapped, are wrapped only in the plastic bag from the store.

What happened a couple weeks ago, while my wife enjoyed her baby shower, was in the spirit of the Man Gathering, but should be appropriately titled a Wii Party.

A Wii Party involves a group of men - namely your fathers, brothers, and good friends - who gather around pizza, sports paraphernalia, popcorn, a stuffed lion, and two Nintendo Wiis - one projected on a big screen; the other on a flatscreen TV.


The Wii Party was thrown by some of my good male friends in Columbus, in a separate room in the Darby House, while Beth's baby shower was held down the hall. It makes perfect sense to do that - that way husbands and wives can be invited to the events, and enjoy themselves in different ways. All in all, it was a great time - the weather was beautiful that day, and the views out the window showed off the woods and the Big Darby Creek.

The scheduling worked out so that all of my family could be there, as well as a good number of friends from in- and outside of Columbus. As the title implies, we hung out, played Wii on two different screens (with Mario Kart and Guitar Hero III dominating), ate pizza and popcorn, and generally explored the space. The Darby House is filled with fascinating memorabilia from John Gilbreath, the owner who passed away in 1988. Mr. Gilbreath was a businessman who owned the Pittsburgh Pirates and a number of racing horses - so the walls are filled pictures, trophies, and gear. There's even one case with various letters and gifts from different Presidents, Popes, and Queens.

A special thanks to all the guys who came, and for all their support as we make this big step. And a really big thanks to everyone who threw such a beautiful shower for my wife - I can't think of anything more honoring.