The second half of my trip to Northampton has panned out nicely. The main event of the party has been well documented via social networking, but with a dearth of exposition.
This would be Dan and Rin's James Bond Cocktail Party - a superlative idea that appears to be code for "kind of a fancy cocktail version of a tupperwear party." Or at least it could be. The main highlight of this evening - aside from seeing a lot of slackers wearing second-hand tuxes and suits instead of jeans - was the erudite and enormous liquor library brought by our evening's bartender, Scott.
Scott is a practicing bartender and reputedly one of the best in the area, which I could believe. I actually went through a fancy cocktail phase about four years ago. I had a bit of a soft spot for frequenting Poppe's or Liberty on dates, telling the bartender a random adjective that I was feeling and asking for his/her full creativity. This was a bit like that. Most of the party attendees have settled on either the beer or simple hard liquor approach to drinking when they drink, so it was a particularly zesty innovation to have a bartender let loose in the kitchen/bar area and just start improvising. We had martini glasses filled with just about every kind of drink and while originally they were mixed upon individual order, as the night dragged on, many of the beverages became communal sampling sippers. While I think I may have had the sum of about 1.5 cocktails in the evening, I definitely tasted about twenty different ones to get to that number. Anyways, as party themes go, the "awesome mixed drinks" theme is enough in itself and - as was suggested frequently during the party - it could actually be an excellent side business model for somebody with mad mixology skillz, as Scott also made significant bank in tips.
Of course, it was - as mentioned - a chance to dress up and see others doing so. From my perspective, I can't say this was that novel since I just donned a tango dress and jewelry. And really, I have been to cocktail party fundraisers etc. with my father and others since I was a child, so I think perhaps the idea itself was less novel overall to me, although it was novel to see the novelty experienced by others who never imagined listening to piano type foxtrots and sipping from fancy glasses in suits. And it was fun to see the guys in suits (some of whom looked quite devilishly handsome!) and I, of course, never mind a chance to bling myself out. I did find some pretty awesome nail polish and take some poor self portraits of myself in a bathroom so it was all good.
More fun, I saw some familiar long-lost faces, mostly men and many from the Olive House era (read nearly ten years ago). It was interesting to see that most of us, despite still holding vestiges of that restless unsettled adolescence that haunted our twenties, have more or less gotten a little closer to becoming adults. Most of the people at the party were coupled (although actually for large portions of the evening, I was the sole female in the group, which it not an unfamiliar place to be at parties like this, so no mind), regularly employed, and not drawn to the idea of recklessly downing the strongest junk in the place, playing loud music and/or vomiting.
I had inadvertently invited my friend Fidel - he of the two children and honest-days' living - when I mentioned the party in passing conversation and he was like "Ima try to make it!" Since he was a coworker with Dan and Seth and turns out to Rin through another mutual coworker who once was also Rin's coworker at a previous job (it's a small valley after all!), this was not a problem. What with the kids and the job and visiting family, I was surprised - albeit delighted - he made it. Unsurprisingly, I think it was probably kind of a relief to have a chance to get out of the house and not be work-dude or daddy, as I suspect that's a large portion of the roles that people play once they have a 1 and 3 year old. Having thought we had said our goodbyes for this trip, I was pretty much unwilling to let a single bonus moment go to waste.
As we often seem to, we dove into some very engaging conversations about the nature of existence, perception, identity and reality with the excitement of college freshmen in their first philosophy class after their first pot brownies (toss in some love and childcare and a good dash of mixology for good measure)! Shook some cobwebs off my happily sotten soul.
Scott is a practicing bartender and reputedly one of the best in the area, which I could believe. I actually went through a fancy cocktail phase about four years ago. I had a bit of a soft spot for frequenting Poppe's or Liberty on dates, telling the bartender a random adjective that I was feeling and asking for his/her full creativity. This was a bit like that. Most of the party attendees have settled on either the beer or simple hard liquor approach to drinking when they drink, so it was a particularly zesty innovation to have a bartender let loose in the kitchen/bar area and just start improvising. We had martini glasses filled with just about every kind of drink and while originally they were mixed upon individual order, as the night dragged on, many of the beverages became communal sampling sippers. While I think I may have had the sum of about 1.5 cocktails in the evening, I definitely tasted about twenty different ones to get to that number. Anyways, as party themes go, the "awesome mixed drinks" theme is enough in itself and - as was suggested frequently during the party - it could actually be an excellent side business model for somebody with mad mixology skillz, as Scott also made significant bank in tips.
Of course, it was - as mentioned - a chance to dress up and see others doing so. From my perspective, I can't say this was that novel since I just donned a tango dress and jewelry. And really, I have been to cocktail party fundraisers etc. with my father and others since I was a child, so I think perhaps the idea itself was less novel overall to me, although it was novel to see the novelty experienced by others who never imagined listening to piano type foxtrots and sipping from fancy glasses in suits. And it was fun to see the guys in suits (some of whom looked quite devilishly handsome!) and I, of course, never mind a chance to bling myself out. I did find some pretty awesome nail polish and take some poor self portraits of myself in a bathroom so it was all good.
More fun, I saw some familiar long-lost faces, mostly men and many from the Olive House era (read nearly ten years ago). It was interesting to see that most of us, despite still holding vestiges of that restless unsettled adolescence that haunted our twenties, have more or less gotten a little closer to becoming adults. Most of the people at the party were coupled (although actually for large portions of the evening, I was the sole female in the group, which it not an unfamiliar place to be at parties like this, so no mind), regularly employed, and not drawn to the idea of recklessly downing the strongest junk in the place, playing loud music and/or vomiting.
I had inadvertently invited my friend Fidel - he of the two children and honest-days' living - when I mentioned the party in passing conversation and he was like "Ima try to make it!" Since he was a coworker with Dan and Seth and turns out to Rin through another mutual coworker who once was also Rin's coworker at a previous job (it's a small valley after all!), this was not a problem. What with the kids and the job and visiting family, I was surprised - albeit delighted - he made it. Unsurprisingly, I think it was probably kind of a relief to have a chance to get out of the house and not be work-dude or daddy, as I suspect that's a large portion of the roles that people play once they have a 1 and 3 year old. Having thought we had said our goodbyes for this trip, I was pretty much unwilling to let a single bonus moment go to waste.
As we often seem to, we dove into some very engaging conversations about the nature of existence, perception, identity and reality with the excitement of college freshmen in their first philosophy class after their first pot brownies (toss in some love and childcare and a good dash of mixology for good measure)! Shook some cobwebs off my happily sotten soul.
I don't really know what it is that draws this out of me around him, but I suspect it's just the perfect amount of seriousness and unseriousness, attention and introspection, that allows a comfortable level of sincerity to be free-spoken and not embarrassed. Or something. We so rapidly slip into this space between spaces right into this world all our own, and play the strands and strings of the world around us with woven fingers. I dunno. More simply, maybe, we just hear each other. Most people make me feel like they either don't want to hear as much as tell, or they want to suck something straight from my inner depths and invade... the rare sort of middle ground apparently brings a broken dam's worth of ideas and reflections.
Amazing how easily so many interactions can pick up where they left off with friends I haven't seen - really seen - in nearly six years. More amazing because this can happen without the need for regressing or losing whatever we've become in the past however many years... These essential connections that transcend circumstance... blah blah blah time.
Amazing how easily so many interactions can pick up where they left off with friends I haven't seen - really seen - in nearly six years. More amazing because this can happen without the need for regressing or losing whatever we've become in the past however many years... These essential connections that transcend circumstance... blah blah blah time.
What am I, Pascal here? This is what happens when you can't leave the house because a window might break maybe if the storm ever actually comes...
Fidel left with some friends at some point, then came back to say goodbye. With one of those bittersweet (OMG I'm trampling that poor word to death this trip!!) goodbyes saturated in the knowledge it could well be another 6 years before we see each other again and somehow whenever we did it would be just like this again.
I sunk into the anonymity of the boozy swank surrounding us. Another old roommate from the Olive House, Tom, stopped by unattired for the occasion, but indulging in his best Bond impersonations. I asked about the movie I helped with, but I guess it's still in production. Someday... Someday! And the evening wound down. A few people came and left...
The party lasted until about four and a few stayed around until five. Which is amazingly late for me in the context of the last three years, if not the last five or six. But although I was definitely tired (I still don't sleep in very well), no worse for the wear. Nice to know I can still stay up past eleven in the proper context. I didn't sleep the rest of the morning, still buzzing on the evening.
At any rate, as we continue with reading twitter and checking the news, the rain has died down. I'm not sure if that qualifies as the proverbial calm before the storm (likely, regardless of the severity or lack thereof from the actual storm). Looking likely that we will lose power soon at any rate. Until then, more obsessive storm tracking!
At any rate, as we continue with reading twitter and checking the news, the rain has died down. I'm not sure if that qualifies as the proverbial calm before the storm (likely, regardless of the severity or lack thereof from the actual storm). Looking likely that we will lose power soon at any rate. Until then, more obsessive storm tracking!
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