Jul. 6th, 2022 05:07 pm
Boys, boys, boys
I went at this holiday weekend full tilt and I'm still recovering from it.
Saturday was cocktails. Normally that would mean I'd stay in on Friday but![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png)
clintswan and I were celebrating the arrival of our swank new fridge. I thought we'd do that by doing some serious grocery shopping but when I went to where he was camped out on the back porch chattering away with our neighbours and reminded him, it became evident that's really not what he wanted to do with his evening.
So we went to the Anvil, where I posse of our friends were gathering. On the way, Clint started coughing and detoured us to the drugstore for some meds. As we were crossing Broadway towards the bar, I spotted halfway down the block a chubby bloke in a colourful form-fitting shirt. "Think he's going where we are?" I asked.
He was. He caught up to us while Clint was at the ATM and I was waiting at the bar. Vampire Hobbit skittered away to the back patio but I engaged your man in chitchat while the bartender went in search of Goldschläger for Clint's shot. He found one, and my new friend immediately ordered two and brought them to Clint so they could do them together. He glommed to us for the rest of the night and fit in so well you'd've thought he'd been part of our group from the beginning. One of my chub friends floated the notion that he was only into chubs, but I saw him flirting with everyone--me included.
We were responsible, however, and left shortly after 10 so we could do our shopping in the morning. There was less cleanup to do than I'd anticipated (or maybe I just wasn't as anxious about who was coming) so I asked for Clint's help with a somewhat gonzo idea: Monshu's lesbian friends--the couple who had been invaluable to us during his annus horribilis and then 86ed me shortly after his death--had invited me to a party at their place starting three hours before mine. I wanted to know if he'd drop me off there for about an hour and then whisk me away again.
He was amenable so I went. It was about as odd as I'd expected. They seemed surprised and genuinely pleased to see me. (I'd been waffling so much about going that I'd never RSVPed.) Particularly the one who hadn't spoken to me in five years, strangely enough; "We should get sushi together!" she said as I announced I was leaving. I'll believe that when it happens and not a moment before.
As for my cocktail evening, it went just about as swimmingly as I could have hoped. The neighbours were on the porch and in their cups and happy to make their seating available, the weather was perfect for al fresco drinking. Only a couple of the new folks I'd invited showed up but they were delightful. One spent a full hour studying my collection (which involved tasting all of the piscos and baijius) before launching into full-on mixmaster mode.
The result of this was that I never actually made it to the bar. A couple contingents went over, I promised to join them--even changing into my hoochie daddy shorts in preparation--and then ended up sitting at the dining room table jabbering and watching Squarebear's husband turn out one amazing cocktail after another until just shy of 3 a.m.
I wasn't even badly hungover the next morning and managed to get a couple chores completed and feed myself before heading over to the beach to meet yet another contingent of the RP bears. It was nice but I was a little too conscious of not burning and making it back home to rest and shower before my party that evening to really cut loose.
The party was hosted by a couple I knew in Lakeview. I think they're roughly my age, but they both seem to like them younger so the average age of the guests was probably about 20 years south of mine. This was enough to make my wingman uncomfy so he bounced, but I threw myself into it. I got some nice attention from a number of boys but the one I ended up on the couch with was a homely lad with mad talents. He was studying to be a surgeon before pivoting to culinary school, speaks five language (three of them learned on the job), and decided to get up and serenade us on the piano for a bit. He even gave me a ride home at the end of the night and didn't so much as ask for a peck on the cheek in return.
On Monday, the late nights (I don't think I was in bed before 4:30) were catching up with me and I almost gave the impromptu barbecue at our Chilean friend's place a miss. But Clint wanted to know and I knew he really wanted to see us both so I tagged along. We brought ćevapčići that he'd grilled along with some pita and kaymak to add to the spread. The average age was much higher and you could see it in the lethargy of the guests. We had to leave before one of us ended up sprawled out on the couch napping.
To my surprise, he also wanted to accompany me to my last gathering of the weekend, another casual potluck. This was at the home of someone I'd met very recently. (He says at the IML vendor market although I don't remember clearly.) There was a fair bit of overlap with the Lakeview party, which had the same effect on <lj user="clintswan" as it did on my other friend; after less than an hour, he'd buggered off to Touché. I, on the other hand, stayed until it got dark and the fireworks started launching from all the alleys around. Sitting out on the patio, I had a string of interesting conversations with--among others--an infectious disease expert and the boyfriend of an old trick who'd grown up just minutes away from my ultra-Catholic relatives in Kansas. Also, there was a boy there who I'd chatted up the night before and was hoping to make time with but, alas, my charm must have been at a low wattage.
Saturday was cocktails. Normally that would mean I'd stay in on Friday but
clintswan and I were celebrating the arrival of our swank new fridge. I thought we'd do that by doing some serious grocery shopping but when I went to where he was camped out on the back porch chattering away with our neighbours and reminded him, it became evident that's really not what he wanted to do with his evening.So we went to the Anvil, where I posse of our friends were gathering. On the way, Clint started coughing and detoured us to the drugstore for some meds. As we were crossing Broadway towards the bar, I spotted halfway down the block a chubby bloke in a colourful form-fitting shirt. "Think he's going where we are?" I asked.
He was. He caught up to us while Clint was at the ATM and I was waiting at the bar. Vampire Hobbit skittered away to the back patio but I engaged your man in chitchat while the bartender went in search of Goldschläger for Clint's shot. He found one, and my new friend immediately ordered two and brought them to Clint so they could do them together. He glommed to us for the rest of the night and fit in so well you'd've thought he'd been part of our group from the beginning. One of my chub friends floated the notion that he was only into chubs, but I saw him flirting with everyone--me included.
We were responsible, however, and left shortly after 10 so we could do our shopping in the morning. There was less cleanup to do than I'd anticipated (or maybe I just wasn't as anxious about who was coming) so I asked for Clint's help with a somewhat gonzo idea: Monshu's lesbian friends--the couple who had been invaluable to us during his annus horribilis and then 86ed me shortly after his death--had invited me to a party at their place starting three hours before mine. I wanted to know if he'd drop me off there for about an hour and then whisk me away again.
He was amenable so I went. It was about as odd as I'd expected. They seemed surprised and genuinely pleased to see me. (I'd been waffling so much about going that I'd never RSVPed.) Particularly the one who hadn't spoken to me in five years, strangely enough; "We should get sushi together!" she said as I announced I was leaving. I'll believe that when it happens and not a moment before.
As for my cocktail evening, it went just about as swimmingly as I could have hoped. The neighbours were on the porch and in their cups and happy to make their seating available, the weather was perfect for al fresco drinking. Only a couple of the new folks I'd invited showed up but they were delightful. One spent a full hour studying my collection (which involved tasting all of the piscos and baijius) before launching into full-on mixmaster mode.
The result of this was that I never actually made it to the bar. A couple contingents went over, I promised to join them--even changing into my hoochie daddy shorts in preparation--and then ended up sitting at the dining room table jabbering and watching Squarebear's husband turn out one amazing cocktail after another until just shy of 3 a.m.
I wasn't even badly hungover the next morning and managed to get a couple chores completed and feed myself before heading over to the beach to meet yet another contingent of the RP bears. It was nice but I was a little too conscious of not burning and making it back home to rest and shower before my party that evening to really cut loose.
The party was hosted by a couple I knew in Lakeview. I think they're roughly my age, but they both seem to like them younger so the average age of the guests was probably about 20 years south of mine. This was enough to make my wingman uncomfy so he bounced, but I threw myself into it. I got some nice attention from a number of boys but the one I ended up on the couch with was a homely lad with mad talents. He was studying to be a surgeon before pivoting to culinary school, speaks five language (three of them learned on the job), and decided to get up and serenade us on the piano for a bit. He even gave me a ride home at the end of the night and didn't so much as ask for a peck on the cheek in return.
On Monday, the late nights (I don't think I was in bed before 4:30) were catching up with me and I almost gave the impromptu barbecue at our Chilean friend's place a miss. But Clint wanted to know and I knew he really wanted to see us both so I tagged along. We brought ćevapčići that he'd grilled along with some pita and kaymak to add to the spread. The average age was much higher and you could see it in the lethargy of the guests. We had to leave before one of us ended up sprawled out on the couch napping.
To my surprise, he also wanted to accompany me to my last gathering of the weekend, another casual potluck. This was at the home of someone I'd met very recently. (He says at the IML vendor market although I don't remember clearly.) There was a fair bit of overlap with the Lakeview party, which had the same effect on <lj user="clintswan" as it did on my other friend; after less than an hour, he'd buggered off to Touché. I, on the other hand, stayed until it got dark and the fireworks started launching from all the alleys around. Sitting out on the patio, I had a string of interesting conversations with--among others--an infectious disease expert and the boyfriend of an old trick who'd grown up just minutes away from my ultra-Catholic relatives in Kansas. Also, there was a boy there who I'd chatted up the night before and was hoping to make time with but, alas, my charm must have been at a low wattage.