My self-imposed beer embargo managed to last a whole week. Which is actually pretty good I think, for someone with nothing to do. After doing not much of anything yesterday afternoon, I went for another brief jog, came home, and prepared to go meet Jed, James, and Jen in Manhattan. I hadn't heard from Jen from On My Turf, so I figured oh well. Luckily, I decided to brush my teeth for some reason before leaving, keeping me in the apartment for a few extra minutes, and she called as I was on my way out the door. We chatted briefly, and I gave her my cell phone number and headed in to the city.I waited for James and Jed at The Living Room on Stanton st. I hate when I rush to get someplace and wait another half an hour for whoever I'm meeting. There was a band playing, which wasn't too horribly bad but wasn't conducive to conversation, so we left to go somewhere else. I stopped at a guitar store with James for a bit, while he looked for a steel guitar. I like guitar stores, but I hate hanging out in them. I hate salespeople who hover over you and ask if you need help, and I hate having to figure out something to play on a guitar when I pick it up. But the guys in this particular place were pretty cool. the guitar in the window was the same as one of mine, a Les Paul Deluxe, which I very rarely see. They were selling it for $1300. It had a big crack in it too. So it's nice to know that if need be, my guitar could pay for at least a month of my rent. Anyway, we walked down the street to this bar with no name that James knew of. Lately I really, really hate going out to bars. And this was no exception. I really didn't feel like drinking. It just gets really old. I hadn't seen James in a while though, so it was nice that the four of us got to hang out.
Anyway, the bar we were at was crowded and loud, and we had scoped out he bar next door on our many runs to the convenience store for assorted chips and Raisinets. I felt like throwing up from all the crap I was eating, but couldn't seem to stop. By the time we were settled into our 3rd bar, I was fairly out of my head. The bar was not too bad though. Nice cushy booths in the front. And not a bad musical selection on the juke box either. They didn't serve liquor though, although the bar was still festooned with various different bottles, which turned out to be all wine bottles upon closer examination. So the no beer thing couldn't last. I need my social crutches, you know.
It was a pretty fun time at the 3rd bar though. We just sat there, chatting, and appreciating the Rolling Stones' "Wild Horses," which was played several times. It's always seemed like a very un-Rolling Stones song to me. Jen was wearing this orange velure shirt, and I amused myself for quite some time trying it on. It was a really tight fit, but, I thought, in a chessy rockstar kind of way. Besides that, i don't really remember any particular conversation, just a vague sense of satisfaction.
So we were sitting in this bar Iggy's around midnite when On My Turf Jen called. I gave her our approximate location, and some extremely vague "directions," and she headed over. She was only coming from CBGBs, which was not so far away. But I can barely find my way around the lower east side and had absolutely no idea where it was in relation to Iggy's, so i was somewhat amazed that she found the place with little problem. before coming she asked "are your friends nice?" or cool or something like that. That actually struck me as a really good question. Before she arrived we were making all sorts of predictions on what she'd be like or look like or whatever. I had absolutley no idea what she looked like, and everytime someone walked into the bar I kind of reflexively wondered if it was her and if I would be shocked, pleased, or freaked out if it was her. Sure it was all horribly shallow and stupid, but what else would we be thinking? Anyway, James left before she showed, and eventually jen's rommate Kelly arrived.
So she eventually showed up with her friend Heather, who kind of reminded me of James in her demeanor. It was kind of weird, in an interesting kind of way. Because we kind of knew each other, but not really at all, just little bits of info from the things we've read. I didn't really know all that much about this Jen gal, accept that she lives in DC with her boyfriend, she has a dog, and beer is her best friend. So at one point I just started asking her inane sorts of questions, like her last name, age, and favorite color. I don't recall the answer to most of these questions. Particularly her last name. I was at the point where no matter how many times she said it there was no way I could comprehend it or remember it.She was very gregarious and outgoing, much moreso than myself. Lately whenever I go out, I tend to just shut up and not say much at all. Jed was kind of out of it by then as well, and spent most of the remainder of the evening staring at the table and wondering what else was going on. And of course I'm naturally uncomfortable in front of new people, and get a little weird. And I'm always uncomfortable when people i know from two different realms meet. But not unpleasantly so.
Anyway, I was mostly relieved that she was not a greasy, chubby man named Hector, and was actually quite pleasant. Both her and Heather seemed generally a-ok. In generic terms, you could say they were funny, smart, and cute. Still, at times I felt like a big dork, which is standard operating procedure these days. Maybe I have social anxiety disorder. They make a pill for that.
So anyhow, I feel like total poo-poo this afternoon. I don't feel like going out or anything. Jed's going to a party uptown, but I think I'll just stay home. No one's around though. I suppose I could do some sort of reading or learning tonight. I also saw an ad for a wonderful new ab machine, which was significantly less expensive than the torso track. It's a blatant ripoff, but I'm always drawn in by the magical promise of fitness from litle excercise.Speaking of dork, I took my digital camera yesterday for a few pictures. I thought I hadn't had any in a while, and I was bored, so here they are. They're all from Iggy's.
Jed and Jen outside of Iggy's
here's a series of James at the Jukebox.
The pensive look of a serious musician, contemplating his musical choice
Note the beard. does it make him look rugged?
A grainy, dark picture of Jen, Me, and James. I'm wearing jen's orange velure shirt. I think she looks kind of seductive.
Jen and Me. I think I look sort of evil.