jchrisobrien

Last night Tatiana and I embarked on a visit to a select little party up in New Hampshire of a mutual friend of ours. But I didn't know I was her friend. This is a woman I saw perform at ManRay. My attempts to introduce myself to her were rather cooly received. Repeated introductions didn't seem to fix things either. Then she started talking to me a little more at the club. About a week ago, I got an email from Tatiana that I was invited to her birthday part, an invitation only event. Puzzled, I said I'd come along.

I wore The Cursed Outfit, as the invite said to wear fabulous attire. It actually worked! The zipper will work, though I should still have it replaced I suppose. I brought a batch of sangria with me, and we zipped up in T's hybrid car. I found out that there is a lot more to X than meets the eye. The house was small and cozy, and enfused with character. Drawings, pictures, artwork was everywhere. Food was in every room: lasagna, turkey, meatballs in sauce, all manner of desserts and breads and cheeses. And the guests were a wide and varied sort: club kids, middle aged and older men and women in dress clothing, lots of pagan and ren fair attire. Fortunately, there was one other person wearing PVC. The compliments and admiring eyes made me feel a lot better about being overdressed, and after a glass or two of sangria, I was chatting away.

That was one of the very nice things about the party. I didn't have my ususal anxiety when I went out. I noticed this during NYE as well. I was more vocal, more animated, and more comfortable. It's a very nice change of pace. I ran into a few old card playing friends from south of Boston. Seeing them in a completely different environment gave a whole new depth to their character. While there was some pretentiousness, and a few parties revealed their smarmy sides, the evening was very pleasant. I watched X's dance, I danced with X, others watched me dance. Not under the club lights, but in a brightly lit living room. It was a wonderful experience. I'd like to have a party sometime, where the goal is to dance. I remember when people used to dance at parties, back in college. There's been too little of that up here.

Eventually sleep caught up with us, along with some severe inebriation. Perhaps the absinthe had something to do with it, or the face that all the brandy floated on the top of my sangria! In either case, we drove home, blurring in and out of realitiy until I plunged into sleep around 4:30. T did not blur at all, she was a most responsible driver.