Better Days
January 23, 2009.
Previously...
My work schedule was pretty convenient in the fact that I always got every other Friday off. Usually there'd be some jaunt I'd take to Miami (and crash at Gina's) or wherever. Unfortunately, the weather was not going to cooperate. Too cold, and cold pretty much everywhere I wanted to go. So any plans I had of leaving town for a little R&R got railroaded.
A good development for me was that with Red leaving town with her mister to far flung Tallahassee, I had the apartment to myself. That was a good thing, just to have a little quiet and solitude, amongst other things.
I still had the euphoric feelings of the inauguration in my mind, but thinking about how jacked up the whole planet was as a whole...there was going to be a whole lot of work to be done. And from what I saw in politics thus far, that work was going to be extremely messy. But being the political junkie that I was, I thought it would be fun to watch.
There were still no bites on my resume. While I was finally going to have my final evaluation for my upcoming raise, I was still intent on getting out of Orlando for good. Maybe there was a way to jumpstart things in that department, but nothing sprung to mind. This was going to be an exercise in patience. That was something I wasn't accustomed to.
And Now...
It was a relaxing Friday night. I was on my way downtown, even though I had the apartment to myself. Traffic was never bad just after 7pm, but the parking situation always was. Even with the recently risen parking rates, I was adamantly opposed to parking somewhere that cost money to park in. I paid taxes, why should I have to pay for parking? After driving in circles searching, to no avail...I gave it up and settled for parking in the public library car park.
I got to Pine Street Bar and Grill and grabbed a stool at the bar. A few seconds later there was a Jack & Coke in front of me. Friday night was almost always a Jack night. The weeknights I settled on Vodka Cran or Vodka and Red Bull, depending on my mood. One of my old mates from days gone by, Jorge, popped up after I had run into Gordon. He told me that he was out with his lady, Tanya, and one of his mates, Hector, over at Matador. Seeing as none of the usual suspects were out yet, I decided to join him.
We ended up at Matador, which was literally two doors down from Pine. Jorge and I caught up on old times with Tanya. They were planning on heading down to some bar that I never heard of before...a place called NV (pronounced 'envy'). There was news of a burlesque show that was going on, which was the main draw.
I noticed a familiar face up in the loft area, and after a quick text telling him to 'look down and to the left', Chris, Liz, and Jon came down and we all said hello. They were out looking to do something else besides hitting up Independent Bar and were also on the way to NV. I introed them to my mates, and we all made our way down the street to our next destination.
NV, probably walked by it dozens of times, and never noticed it. Honestly, it was quite a small venue, with a long narrow bar, vintage/postmodern decor, and very dark. There was an loft area that had more seating, but was extremely foggy (and lights rotating through) from the fog machine.
We had arrived right before the first show was to begin, and the place got a bit crowded. The burlesque performer (a strikingly beautiful blonde), dressed in all manner of lingerie danced her way down the stairs from the loft, with the bright lights playing along with the fog...to a mix of old school (and by old school, I mean 1920's) music that eventually flourished into acid jazz, industrial, and trip hop. She worked the crowd, flirting it up with anyone (Jorge got some love at one point) who struck her fancy. All in all a good show, and worth it. My only quibble (and it was a small quibble) was that it was only a beer and wine joint.
The show ended, and we vibed about how good it was. A little something different than anything I'd seen downtown in a while. And that was something this city needed, in a bad way. It was time to run off, and we all went our separate ways, not before agreeing to hang out in the near future.
January 24, 2009.
The day was full of absolutely nothing. I literally did nothing, and it was perfect. Well, there may have been a bit of grocery shopping. But most of the day was spent in front of the TV playing FIFA 09, Madden 09, and NBA Live 09. Oh, I spoke to Gina along the way. She bugged me about my current singularity, but I changed the subject. We were trying to go to the Ultra Music Festival in Miami in late March. Unfortunately for us, the logistics of that were complicated. I could definitely go, but getting her down here affordably was the problem.
Saturday night was Saturday night. Me getting dressed up, running out the door, and landing wherever I landed. Most usually that meant I-Bar. And that's where I ended up. I was chatting it up with a few mates when I got a call from Keri, who recently returned from Seattle. She was going out, but wanted to go somewhere different. Though I was quite surprised that her idea of different meant Tabu. I hadn't been then there in a few years.
I was up for whatever, and so she and one of her mates met up with me. Inside, the place hadn't changed much, save for the bartenders...didn't recognize any of them. It was a good time, as we danced like crazy. And as many know, it takes a lot for me to dance, but when I do, I can move. And move I did.
It was fun hanging out with people I hadn't seen in forever. I don't know if it was timing, or whatever...and it didn't matter. I was a bit happier, that's what mattered...especially after all of the nonsense that I've dealt with this past year.
Next: Something about an after party, a poetry slam, and funny girls telling dirty jokes. Oh, and there may be a way out of Orlando after all.
Previously...
My work schedule was pretty convenient in the fact that I always got every other Friday off. Usually there'd be some jaunt I'd take to Miami (and crash at Gina's) or wherever. Unfortunately, the weather was not going to cooperate. Too cold, and cold pretty much everywhere I wanted to go. So any plans I had of leaving town for a little R&R got railroaded.
A good development for me was that with Red leaving town with her mister to far flung Tallahassee, I had the apartment to myself. That was a good thing, just to have a little quiet and solitude, amongst other things.
I still had the euphoric feelings of the inauguration in my mind, but thinking about how jacked up the whole planet was as a whole...there was going to be a whole lot of work to be done. And from what I saw in politics thus far, that work was going to be extremely messy. But being the political junkie that I was, I thought it would be fun to watch.
There were still no bites on my resume. While I was finally going to have my final evaluation for my upcoming raise, I was still intent on getting out of Orlando for good. Maybe there was a way to jumpstart things in that department, but nothing sprung to mind. This was going to be an exercise in patience. That was something I wasn't accustomed to.
And Now...
It was a relaxing Friday night. I was on my way downtown, even though I had the apartment to myself. Traffic was never bad just after 7pm, but the parking situation always was. Even with the recently risen parking rates, I was adamantly opposed to parking somewhere that cost money to park in. I paid taxes, why should I have to pay for parking? After driving in circles searching, to no avail...I gave it up and settled for parking in the public library car park.
I got to Pine Street Bar and Grill and grabbed a stool at the bar. A few seconds later there was a Jack & Coke in front of me. Friday night was almost always a Jack night. The weeknights I settled on Vodka Cran or Vodka and Red Bull, depending on my mood. One of my old mates from days gone by, Jorge, popped up after I had run into Gordon. He told me that he was out with his lady, Tanya, and one of his mates, Hector, over at Matador. Seeing as none of the usual suspects were out yet, I decided to join him.
We ended up at Matador, which was literally two doors down from Pine. Jorge and I caught up on old times with Tanya. They were planning on heading down to some bar that I never heard of before...a place called NV (pronounced 'envy'). There was news of a burlesque show that was going on, which was the main draw.
I noticed a familiar face up in the loft area, and after a quick text telling him to 'look down and to the left', Chris, Liz, and Jon came down and we all said hello. They were out looking to do something else besides hitting up Independent Bar and were also on the way to NV. I introed them to my mates, and we all made our way down the street to our next destination.
NV, probably walked by it dozens of times, and never noticed it. Honestly, it was quite a small venue, with a long narrow bar, vintage/postmodern decor, and very dark. There was an loft area that had more seating, but was extremely foggy (and lights rotating through) from the fog machine.
We had arrived right before the first show was to begin, and the place got a bit crowded. The burlesque performer (a strikingly beautiful blonde), dressed in all manner of lingerie danced her way down the stairs from the loft, with the bright lights playing along with the fog...to a mix of old school (and by old school, I mean 1920's) music that eventually flourished into acid jazz, industrial, and trip hop. She worked the crowd, flirting it up with anyone (Jorge got some love at one point) who struck her fancy. All in all a good show, and worth it. My only quibble (and it was a small quibble) was that it was only a beer and wine joint.
The show ended, and we vibed about how good it was. A little something different than anything I'd seen downtown in a while. And that was something this city needed, in a bad way. It was time to run off, and we all went our separate ways, not before agreeing to hang out in the near future.
January 24, 2009.
The day was full of absolutely nothing. I literally did nothing, and it was perfect. Well, there may have been a bit of grocery shopping. But most of the day was spent in front of the TV playing FIFA 09, Madden 09, and NBA Live 09. Oh, I spoke to Gina along the way. She bugged me about my current singularity, but I changed the subject. We were trying to go to the Ultra Music Festival in Miami in late March. Unfortunately for us, the logistics of that were complicated. I could definitely go, but getting her down here affordably was the problem.
Saturday night was Saturday night. Me getting dressed up, running out the door, and landing wherever I landed. Most usually that meant I-Bar. And that's where I ended up. I was chatting it up with a few mates when I got a call from Keri, who recently returned from Seattle. She was going out, but wanted to go somewhere different. Though I was quite surprised that her idea of different meant Tabu. I hadn't been then there in a few years.
I was up for whatever, and so she and one of her mates met up with me. Inside, the place hadn't changed much, save for the bartenders...didn't recognize any of them. It was a good time, as we danced like crazy. And as many know, it takes a lot for me to dance, but when I do, I can move. And move I did.
It was fun hanging out with people I hadn't seen in forever. I don't know if it was timing, or whatever...and it didn't matter. I was a bit happier, that's what mattered...especially after all of the nonsense that I've dealt with this past year.
Next: Something about an after party, a poetry slam, and funny girls telling dirty jokes. Oh, and there may be a way out of Orlando after all.