Hedonism Weekend: Day One
Well I helped my friends Justin and Jenn move out of their parents home and into their first apartment. I must admit it’s a nice apartment and I am jealous. I’m more happy/relived for them than jealous but I still am. Only because I live at home and I don’t have the opportunity to “create” my own little world. Everything in my room has to be approved of before it can be moved, and or added to. As a consequence most of my stuff is in three large bins. Normally that isn’t horrible (I don’t like clutter a whole lot, and having all my stuff out and about would make more clutter than I think I could stand) except its terribly restrictive. My parents and I have come to a sort of agreement that I can mold my room in my own image. But it still has to be approved before anything can happen. And having seen all of my friends in their living space, it makes me a bit forlorn I am unable to emulate them in any way shape or form. But truly this is the best for them and I can’t do anything other than wish them well, and help out when I’m able. Whatever small feelings of jealousy faded pretty quick once I thought about it seriously.
Justin, Jenn, their two friends and now mine Luke, and his roommate Brandon along with myself carted stuff back and forth all day. It was hot, muggy, sweaty nasty work. But it was satisfying once we got everything into the house. Luke, Brandon, Justin playing the role of helper monkey and myself building the furniture. They had been planning this move for quite awhile and had bought a futon, entertainment center, a TV, a dinning room table, and a computer desk. I built the futon, helped with the computer desk, and eventually built the entertainment center. It took us the better part of the afternoon getting everything build while Justin and Jenn unpacked the essential stuff like telephones, and clothes, and shower curtains. Once we were done Justin and I took the boxes to the dumpster, we had so many we took the van I was driving. After we get a good bit thrown away Jenn comes running up. The entertainment center they had bought was too small. It was supposed to fit a 27’ inch screen but it measured out to only 24 inches. The TV itself was 27.5 inches. So we had to take it back. They needed to go grocery shopping so we did that while we were out as well. By this time Luke, and Brandon had split so it was just the three of us. I got the new entertainment center build b the time they were done unpacking the groceries, so Justin and I hooked up the electronic equipment. This took quite awhile. At about midnight or so I said my goodbyes and went to make my special guest appearance at this so called “Hedonism Weekend.”
Now the night gets interesting. I arrive and I see some old friends and make with the small talk and get right into the flow of things. My mojo was working, I was witty, I was debonair, I was suave, and gentlemanly. I carried on conversations with grace and charm. Although it may seem I’m bragging, I’m not. I was in the zone of party conversation. I met quite a few wonderful people and a few not so wonderful people. After some time passes Andy pulled me aside with one of the hosts Will and explains that there was some minor drama earlier in the night and this one person was still kinda pissy about it and I ought not bring it up, or anyone relating to it. Will and I got into a prophetic conversation about how we both don’t like drama of the serious nature. I don’t mind theater and theatrics has its place. That I don’t mind, people don’t seem to take it as seriously. So I kept Andy’s words of warning in my mind but I never paid it much mind. This one kid was bad news and that was that. I stayed away from him and all was well. The conversations continued to flow as intellectual waters.
…then something happened. I’m not sure what, but something happened. These two overly masculine fellows decided to try and start a fight with my friend Ben. Bucky, one of the other hosts got into the middle of it and tried to calm them down. Ben suddenly wasn’t a problem. He calmed down so fast I think it left a crater, I am of the understanding the he is either ex-military, or reservist. Either way that kind of mental diffusion only comes with training. Bucky missed this point and knowing Ben’s potential ignored the other guy. The other guy advanced on the both of them ready to go at it. In a crowd of maybe 15 with a good many of them being male did nothing but watch. Which I can’t really begrudge them that. I understand what their thinking. Most people aren’t like me and either don’t see real fights often, or they haven been in them in a long time if at all. So I stepped up to bat. I didn’t want to see anyone go to jail or do something really stupid. I held the other guy in the most half hearted way I could. It was a half nelson, except I didn’t grip my hands together to form a tight bond. I excepted this guy to calm down and I was just going to let the adrenaline run through. So he does the natural thing and tries to pry me off. I wasn’t coming off so he tried to use a simple thumb lock, which is where you grab someone’s thumb in the palm of your hand with four fingers on their palm with the thumb underneath it. Pretty simple move and damned effected. Someway she couldn’t or didn’t know how to, do it properly. I just hung on until I figured he would wear himself out. Then his friend got involved. All hell hadn’t broken out quite yet and I was intent on not letting it go beyond this point. Ben got into it again and to his credit he had forgotten whatever was bothering him and this first fella. Some pushing and shoving took place, nothing real serious but I wrenched this first guys arm around and I was telling him to calm down or he was going to get seriously hurt. Basically I had him in a one handed arm lock. Which is a nice little suppression move that is designed for more serious situations. It allows the person who is doing the holding the ability to break several major bone in the arm and hand with the right applied pressure. As I command this guy to calm down if he didn’t I would apply more pressure, I didn’t want to break anything so I lead him around a bit into a position where I could control his whole body, which when you have an effective lock then its real damned easy. He ate some concrete, but this other guy happened to have knocked off my glasses. Normally when my glasses are knocked off in anger its grounds (anyone with glasses will attest to this) for an extreme beat down. Those glasses are expensive. So I grabbed his larynx and squeezed until his eyes went back into his head for a second, then I’d let up enough for him to get air. Luckily Ben was doing his thing with this guy (I think he hit Ben’s glasses as well, which made me take control of both of them) so they eventually succumbs to my commands, and calmed down. Ben and I walked away with nothing really wrong with us, I later found out that Ben is about to have surgery on his shoulder so when the other guy got away it made sense. Eventually one of the girls they were with totally flipped out and went bazoo on these guys. It was quite humorous. Especially when her shirt came off and she exposed a not so pretty bosom. Afterwards Tom, his girlfriend, and a bunch of us went to “Steak and Shake” and for stepping up to the plate and trying to help out Ben and diffusing the situation, Ben bought me dinner. I had an eqq sandwich with a strawberry milkshake. Oh and I had wonderful conversations. Apparently my mojo was still in effect.
Tom dropped me off to get my car, Andy and Jason were outside so I talked with them to see what else if anything happened, and apparently Will got upset and went ot “talk” with these guys who where supposed to have left. That didn’t go so well.
And all this started because the guy Andy warned me about “pushed” some girl they happened to have known. As they later said “where we come from you don’t do that, you just don’t push girls around.” When pressed further they said they were from Greenville, so I naturally asked if in Greenville it isn’t okay to push girls then why do we have on of the highest incidences of spousal abuse in the nation. I’m fairly certain they just hadn’t thought about that before they went all apeshit on everyone and everything. The second guy wanted to make sure something happened to this bad seed who started it all, I assured him that something would then he in proper redneck-white trash-macho-republican-over compensation way threatened me. I wanted to remind him that I literally had his life in my hands not thirty minutes earlier, but I just said “Yeah, okay sure thing boss. I’ll get right on that” in the most sarcastic way I could muster. The girl who went apeshit apologized to me and Ben profusely, I thanked her for her kindness.
Aside from the stupid white trash bullshit drama they always bring I had a wonderful time with wonderful people. It made me miss the days at Clemson when I was sorta squatting with Emilie and Tom. Which made me regretful that I never attended a University with dorms, or at least a non-commuter attitude. I mentioned that to someone and she asked why don’t I just go to Clemson or something. “I would except I pay for all my college yearning and Clemson is just too expensive. I’ve gone a total of 3 years without having to get a student loan and I don’t want to start now. Although I’d be lying if I said I never dreamed about it.”
Here’s to Day Two….
Justin, Jenn, their two friends and now mine Luke, and his roommate Brandon along with myself carted stuff back and forth all day. It was hot, muggy, sweaty nasty work. But it was satisfying once we got everything into the house. Luke, Brandon, Justin playing the role of helper monkey and myself building the furniture. They had been planning this move for quite awhile and had bought a futon, entertainment center, a TV, a dinning room table, and a computer desk. I built the futon, helped with the computer desk, and eventually built the entertainment center. It took us the better part of the afternoon getting everything build while Justin and Jenn unpacked the essential stuff like telephones, and clothes, and shower curtains. Once we were done Justin and I took the boxes to the dumpster, we had so many we took the van I was driving. After we get a good bit thrown away Jenn comes running up. The entertainment center they had bought was too small. It was supposed to fit a 27’ inch screen but it measured out to only 24 inches. The TV itself was 27.5 inches. So we had to take it back. They needed to go grocery shopping so we did that while we were out as well. By this time Luke, and Brandon had split so it was just the three of us. I got the new entertainment center build b the time they were done unpacking the groceries, so Justin and I hooked up the electronic equipment. This took quite awhile. At about midnight or so I said my goodbyes and went to make my special guest appearance at this so called “Hedonism Weekend.”
Now the night gets interesting. I arrive and I see some old friends and make with the small talk and get right into the flow of things. My mojo was working, I was witty, I was debonair, I was suave, and gentlemanly. I carried on conversations with grace and charm. Although it may seem I’m bragging, I’m not. I was in the zone of party conversation. I met quite a few wonderful people and a few not so wonderful people. After some time passes Andy pulled me aside with one of the hosts Will and explains that there was some minor drama earlier in the night and this one person was still kinda pissy about it and I ought not bring it up, or anyone relating to it. Will and I got into a prophetic conversation about how we both don’t like drama of the serious nature. I don’t mind theater and theatrics has its place. That I don’t mind, people don’t seem to take it as seriously. So I kept Andy’s words of warning in my mind but I never paid it much mind. This one kid was bad news and that was that. I stayed away from him and all was well. The conversations continued to flow as intellectual waters.
…then something happened. I’m not sure what, but something happened. These two overly masculine fellows decided to try and start a fight with my friend Ben. Bucky, one of the other hosts got into the middle of it and tried to calm them down. Ben suddenly wasn’t a problem. He calmed down so fast I think it left a crater, I am of the understanding the he is either ex-military, or reservist. Either way that kind of mental diffusion only comes with training. Bucky missed this point and knowing Ben’s potential ignored the other guy. The other guy advanced on the both of them ready to go at it. In a crowd of maybe 15 with a good many of them being male did nothing but watch. Which I can’t really begrudge them that. I understand what their thinking. Most people aren’t like me and either don’t see real fights often, or they haven been in them in a long time if at all. So I stepped up to bat. I didn’t want to see anyone go to jail or do something really stupid. I held the other guy in the most half hearted way I could. It was a half nelson, except I didn’t grip my hands together to form a tight bond. I excepted this guy to calm down and I was just going to let the adrenaline run through. So he does the natural thing and tries to pry me off. I wasn’t coming off so he tried to use a simple thumb lock, which is where you grab someone’s thumb in the palm of your hand with four fingers on their palm with the thumb underneath it. Pretty simple move and damned effected. Someway she couldn’t or didn’t know how to, do it properly. I just hung on until I figured he would wear himself out. Then his friend got involved. All hell hadn’t broken out quite yet and I was intent on not letting it go beyond this point. Ben got into it again and to his credit he had forgotten whatever was bothering him and this first fella. Some pushing and shoving took place, nothing real serious but I wrenched this first guys arm around and I was telling him to calm down or he was going to get seriously hurt. Basically I had him in a one handed arm lock. Which is a nice little suppression move that is designed for more serious situations. It allows the person who is doing the holding the ability to break several major bone in the arm and hand with the right applied pressure. As I command this guy to calm down if he didn’t I would apply more pressure, I didn’t want to break anything so I lead him around a bit into a position where I could control his whole body, which when you have an effective lock then its real damned easy. He ate some concrete, but this other guy happened to have knocked off my glasses. Normally when my glasses are knocked off in anger its grounds (anyone with glasses will attest to this) for an extreme beat down. Those glasses are expensive. So I grabbed his larynx and squeezed until his eyes went back into his head for a second, then I’d let up enough for him to get air. Luckily Ben was doing his thing with this guy (I think he hit Ben’s glasses as well, which made me take control of both of them) so they eventually succumbs to my commands, and calmed down. Ben and I walked away with nothing really wrong with us, I later found out that Ben is about to have surgery on his shoulder so when the other guy got away it made sense. Eventually one of the girls they were with totally flipped out and went bazoo on these guys. It was quite humorous. Especially when her shirt came off and she exposed a not so pretty bosom. Afterwards Tom, his girlfriend, and a bunch of us went to “Steak and Shake” and for stepping up to the plate and trying to help out Ben and diffusing the situation, Ben bought me dinner. I had an eqq sandwich with a strawberry milkshake. Oh and I had wonderful conversations. Apparently my mojo was still in effect.
Tom dropped me off to get my car, Andy and Jason were outside so I talked with them to see what else if anything happened, and apparently Will got upset and went ot “talk” with these guys who where supposed to have left. That didn’t go so well.
And all this started because the guy Andy warned me about “pushed” some girl they happened to have known. As they later said “where we come from you don’t do that, you just don’t push girls around.” When pressed further they said they were from Greenville, so I naturally asked if in Greenville it isn’t okay to push girls then why do we have on of the highest incidences of spousal abuse in the nation. I’m fairly certain they just hadn’t thought about that before they went all apeshit on everyone and everything. The second guy wanted to make sure something happened to this bad seed who started it all, I assured him that something would then he in proper redneck-white trash-macho-republican-over compensation way threatened me. I wanted to remind him that I literally had his life in my hands not thirty minutes earlier, but I just said “Yeah, okay sure thing boss. I’ll get right on that” in the most sarcastic way I could muster. The girl who went apeshit apologized to me and Ben profusely, I thanked her for her kindness.
Aside from the stupid white trash bullshit drama they always bring I had a wonderful time with wonderful people. It made me miss the days at Clemson when I was sorta squatting with Emilie and Tom. Which made me regretful that I never attended a University with dorms, or at least a non-commuter attitude. I mentioned that to someone and she asked why don’t I just go to Clemson or something. “I would except I pay for all my college yearning and Clemson is just too expensive. I’ve gone a total of 3 years without having to get a student loan and I don’t want to start now. Although I’d be lying if I said I never dreamed about it.”
Here’s to Day Two….