Friday Night Lights

After visiting with Brandy around 5:30pm, I don't have any plans until 10pm - so I just kind of dip into Hell's Kitchen stores - browsing a bit and wondering why candles are so expensive these days. If anyone can enlighten me on the latter, I'd appreciate the insight.

I'm pulled away from the scented candle section of a home decor store by a text message from Heather: "At after-work drinks - go midtown east. Interested?"

I reply in favor and start to head east. Now, it's rush hour and I'm in the midtown - feeling the effects of workers escaping their weekday offices and tourists taking pictures and blocking traffic. It's like I've just been let out of a stadium, and I'm not making much progress on foot. So I hail and jump into a rickshaw. Yep, I became one of "those people."

The rickshaw ride is harrowing. My driver is ignoring every road rule and we're almost hit by a delivery truck. I hop out and throw him money - carrying on the last block myself.

Scene-setter: I'm in a tracksuit - straight from the gym. I walk in here:



So I get past the "I'm-Way-Too-Underdressed" feeling by quickly downing 2 vodka/tonics after finding Heather and her workmates. And let me tell you, her colleagues are crazy. First of all, EVERYONE had their blackberries plunked down on the table, which led to the inevitable "I-need-to-check-this-device-every-five-minutes" involuntary reflex.

One of Heather's bosses - Charles - has some serious ADD going on. This led to conversations taking on a certain "ping pong quality" which led to countless moments of confusion over topic, tone, and intention. When he got backed into a corner - forced to answer *2* questions on the same subject matter - he would start throwing things at people - like lime slices or salt or whatever was in front of him. Pretty soon, other people were throwing food at one another. Mind you, we are in fancy steakhouse and we are all adults.

The other boss - Peter - seemed easily offended by any comment made by anybody. I half-expected him to quote Travis Bickle in Taxi Driver: "You talkin' to me?" or go to blows with someone. He also had a "I'm-into-high-fashion-so-I'm-better-than-you" girl on his arm. I called out her snobbery when she told me she was from Virginia - and she didn't really like me for the rest of the night. Oh yeah, and she didn't even know who ABBA was. Lame.

Heather was inebriated after 2 martinis, and in a hug-fest outside the ladies room - she started crying. I didn't know how to respond, so I chalked it up to PMS and urged her to "pull it together." She also showed me how to walk a fashion runway and ran out of the place with a skullcap on.

Everyone discusses going to the next bar, but I'm still in a tracksuit and feel like funk. I decide to go home - and after an intoxicated shower where I struggle for balance, I'm dressed and back out the door in 45 minutes.

I meet up again with Heather's workmates at Back Fence in Village - and it's a dive. Peanut shells everywhere, 2 lame dudes horribly singing late 80s songs, and we have moved on to shots. Charles and I argued over greatest Hair Bands of all time, he kept requesting Poison, I painted Heather's eyelids with eyeliner, and yelled at some random guy for being mean to a girl in our group. We were a sad table.

I broke away from pack to hop in a cab to SoHo - to hit Anna's birthday party at M1-5. I was wasted, there were too many people, and I only stayed for an hour before back-track return to my new drinking buddy crew that is Heathers' coworkers.

We all picked up where we left off - Carey showed up like 3 hours late - and I think he was a bit surprised at how much alcohol was in Heather's system. Anyway, they retreated to a corner and did kissyface to really bad music. I told Charles that a girl in our group - Elena - was hot on his trail and was going to attack him once we left the bar... that led to people shoving her into a cab with me. Nice. Girl was insecure and kept asking me why her ex-boyfriend didn't want to take her back. She didn't have any cab money either. I was completely over her.

Stumbled to bed around 2am - forgot to take out my contacts - and woke up with a ripping headache. I sure hope Heather and her workmates invite me out again!