Just got back
from the "swanky" party. I'm in the process of cooking myself something
hot and salty. I'm not sure what yet, but water is on the boil. So we'll
see what comes up.
I've eaten
now. It was chicken-flavored noodles.
Anyhow,
I suppose I'll write about the party, then go to bed. I know
I won't have time to write about it tomorrow, because I have all sorts
of shit to do for Friday, and it might not all get done anyway.
So it was
sort of a working night. I had to get there early and help a little
bit here and there setting up, putting tons of magazines out everywhere,
etc. Then I sat around for a while, had a few vodka tonics, talked
with some of the other interns, felt old, and checked out the scene.
Among those on the guest list were James Gandolfini and Tony Sirico from
the Sopranos, a few members of Limp Bizkit, and various media people.
The only famous person reported to be there was Wyclef Jean of the Fugees.
I didn't actually see him. But I was told he was there.
After an
hour of sitting around, i felt sort of guilty, even though I wasn't being
paid to be there, so I wandered outside. After two minutes of standing
there, James, Jed,
and two guys from James' work showed up. The line for the party was
all the way around the block, so they got to feel all cool when one of
the magazine people moved the ropes to let them in without the wait.
And I felt kinda cool for hooking them up. So then I went inside
for a while, had a few more drinks, and scoped the scene some more. It
was pretty crowded. The club was fairly small for such a large gathering.
All the beautiful people were out. Lots of waifish models, gay guys,
big fake boobs, etc. But it was sort of cool. I had to wear
a t-shirt with the magazine's name on it, which at first made me feel like
a big boob, but in the end it helped me avoid a lot of fucking hassles.
I probably didn't spend that much time working, really, maybe 40 minutes
working the front, checking to see who was on the list. It was definitely
an interesting experience. I got to be that guy, that guy at the
club who decides whether or not you're getting into the party. Sort
of. I mean, everybody got in who showed up. But they didn't know that,
and some weren't too sure. So that was sort of fun to watch.
While I
was working the front, PFC Kathy showed up,
followed shortly by Caryn and a friend from Entertainment Weekly.
After that, I ditched the working stuff as soon as I saw another person
working there. And moments after I found our little booth in the
back, Jen showed up as well. So almost all my friends in NY, an open
bar, a festive atmosphere, and some satisfaction from being somehow connected
to all that was going on, made for a pretty good time. It was just
the sort of place that I never go, or would ever choose to go to.
Which made it all the more interesting. Just a different sort of people.
Not necessarily good, but interesting. I don't really like club music,
but I was sort of digging it anyway. It suited the place. Just a
completely different experience. My first "industry" party.
Not bad. It wasn't really what I might call super, but definitely
noteworthy.
Around 11,
everybody wanted to go home, so we got up and I changed out of my shirt,
and we walked out. When we got out, Jen seemed sort of pissed that
we all were leaving, because she came all the way down and was only there
for less than two hours. So I told her I'd stay with her, since I
was in no particular rush to get anywhere. When I tried to go back
in, I was stopped by some dude asking me if I had a ticket. I tried to
explain that I'd just left, and that I worked for the company throwing
the party, but of course he had to cop a big 'tude. The shirt!
I left it in my bag, and gave it to Jed to take home. I walked by
the same guy earlier, and he stopped me, then saw the shirt and let me
by. So I had to get somebody from work to get us back in. Once
back in, it was disappointind to find out that they were now charging for
drinks. 16 bucks for two glorified dixie cups of rum and coke.
So that sucked. But Jen wanted to stay, so I was happy to buy the
drinks. She was hoping to meet a man amongst the "so many hot guys"
in the club. But we left about an hour later. She said her biggest
disappointment was that she "wasted a good outfit on nothing." I could
certainly relate. When you don't have a huge wardrobe, every day
counts. Anyway, i knew what she was talking about.
So after
that, we still didn't really want to go home, so we walked across the street
to Union Square Park. There are basically two types of people there
at around midnight. Couples in love, and homeless people. Sort of
a weird mix. I thought that maybe each couple should pick and "sponsor"
a homeless person. The selection process is what intrigued me the most.
Kind of like in grade school. "Who doesn't have a partner? Raise
your hand!" you know the drill. So to get in the spirit of
things, we sat down on a bench and made out for a while. Her breath
kind of stank, but whatever, we're young, were sort of drunk, and it was
a nice, cool New York evening. And you know, being New York and all,
you can get away with a lot more in public than you can anywhere else.
Nothing like a little public semi-nudity, you know.
I'm totally
kidding. About the making out part. the rest is true.
Except the semi-nudity. But it was a nice night anyway. Just
thought the old journal could use a little more pizzaz. But it was
kind of scandalous, wasn't it. Oh, and I can't really speak for the quality
of her breath, either. But if anyone would like to get a first-person account,
email
me and we'll work something out.
In the park,
some guy wearing a shirt that said "stond" stopped me and asked me if I
could be any animal, what would I be. Boy, did he get more than he
bargained for. I talked his fucking ear off. First I said a moose,
which was the first thing that popped into my mind. Then all sorts
of shit. Like could i be a magical or mythical creature, like a unicorn
or phoenix or an eskimo? I finally settled on a centaur. you know, the
half man, half horse? He thought I was talking about minotaurs, and foolishly
made reference to labyrinths and whatnot. I had to set him straight. But
all in good fun. Interesting night, interesting night.
But work
is okay. I'm starting to feel more comfortable. It's weird to be in a place
where the work you do has tangible results. Also, I spend most of the day
occupied on various tasks. Very little idle time. And when
there is, I go looking for work. I hate sitting around and doing
nothing. Ok, I actually really love that. But not when I'm at work. When
I'm at work, funny as it sounds, I actually want to be working. I
hate sitting around feeling utterly useless and helpless as everybody else
inthe office is buzzing around. So it's nice to keep busy. What's
happening to me. But it's stuff I'm interested in. I had no idea how a
magazine worked, and I'm starting to learn little things here and there.
And I got to go to a party I wouldn't have gone to otherwise. So
it's not bad. Except for the fact that I have to make the three dollars
in my pocket last three more days. I see a lot of hotdogs in my future.
Well, three, anyway.