Meeting my Annual Quota

It's not that I don't like to go out, but it's just that I don't. So whenever I do, it's a big achievement for me, and I always joke about meeting my quota for the year of going out. Usually, I have an annual quota of two events. This year, I've far exceeded it AND BF's bringing me to Vegas in a month. :D

Last night, BF & I headed to a seedier area of downtown to hit up the Broadway Bar (IMO, anything south of 7th Street and east of Grand Ave. is "seedy"). We had the intentions of getting there early (like set-up crew early) and bouncing after he had his homie shot with his best friend (birthday girl). So we waited and waited and waited. As the DD, I was alotted one Jack & Coke, but since we kept waiting both for the jukebox to play our selected songs by the Pixies ("Gigantic" & our fave, "Where is my mind") and Portishead, and for the guests to arrive, I got another Jack & Coke. Birthday girl arrived almost an hour later and after that, the guests started pouring in and we all got tipsier and lovelier.

The interesting part is that I got to put names to a lot of faces. I hear about people so much but never meet them considering my quota for the past years. The craziest intro was meeting someone's wife. Unfortunately, recognition for her gets jacked every time b/c she's "so and so's wife." After we chatted for about half an hour, she said, "Y'know, I've met you before. I have an abnormal ability of remembering faces (just not names). Let me think."

And then she recalled when we met, which was at least 4 years ago at a good friend's house-party...where things got a little out of hand with some people, which is possibly why she remembered me. (I was trying to hold someone back from shanking somebody else. At the same time, I was standing there thinking, WTF am I doing?!)

The ensuing convo took a turn after we relived that moment b/c then BF's homie (another name I think I've heard quite often but have never met before) crashed our convo, asking BF, Wife, and I questions about the event. I said something to the effect of, "I was holding him back, telling him, 'please, no stabbings! I can stand shootings, but not stabbings.'"

BF's homie's eyes got all big: What? Shootings are okay, but no stabbings? Damn, now that's gangsta!

Wow, I don't think I've ever seriously been called gangsta. I mean, my friends joke around and call me a gangsta but that's just b/c I pick up gangsta lingo from the BF just for kicks. So, I'm flattered...yet I don't think I should be. ;)

But yah, as Wife & I had our Stellas, we chatted some more, with a few other friends crashing our convos from time to time.

Okay, so the best part was that we got a few Stellas on the house (I only had one b/c I was DD and for reals, I needed to sober up pronto). I was a little skeptical, but BF lives by the code that if you take care of an opposite-sexed bartender, s/he will take care of you for the rest of the night. So from the get-go, BF was throwing fat tips at her...and sure enough, she started showing him some love. No worries, I didn't get jealous b/c as long as she was charging him Jack & Cokes but pouring doubles for us, it was all to the G. Then the manager or superior bartender kept coming around giving BF poker chips (redeemable for a glass of wine or beer). I don't think the dude was gay, but BF thinks so. I think the dude was just happy about the tips and the business. BF thinks the dude kept giving him chips b/c he was gay. I don't know. I trust my gaydar more than his. I have to admit that BF does get hit on more often than other guys I know. Hey, I'll be the first to admit that when we first started talking and he wore his glasses, I thought there was a chance that he might play on the other team, too.

I'm just a hater b/c his eyelashes are twice as long and plush as mine. =P

BF also laughed heartily at me b/c we were sitting at the bar when our girl bartender poured him another stiff one and said, "It's from her" -- pointing to another girl across the bar. I was like, "Who?!" ready to loke up (yeah right). So what if I got a little jealous then. =P But it was cool; it was one of his homegirls from way back in the days.

So instead of leaving before my bedtime, we chilled until suddenly the "ugly lights" came on and last call was called. I could've had another Stella just out of greed, but I was pretty gone. At least the bar actually stayed open until 2 A.M. I'm hearing more and more these days about bars closing at 1:30 A.M.

For the first time this year, I woke up with a hangover. Definitely exceeded my quota for the year in that category, too.

Lastly, random: they were shooting "Transformers" right on the same block as the bar!