Saturday, August 11, 2007

As I Was Saying

...you have to start somewhere. It's true that I started a blog solely so that I could post comments on my friend's blog, which is quite good, by the way. Perhaps more on that later, but the point is that I had no intention of doing any actual blogging myself. Hence, the clever title, etc. Eventually, though, I thought that I might actually get around to it, you know...someday. I don't know why, but the thought of typing things about yourself that anyone in the world could read but that, more likely, no one in the world will ever read is strangely appealing. Anyway, it seems that today is the day. I'm not sure why.
I had always figured (and somewhat rehearsed) that my second post would be some elaborate introduction: The who-I-am, what-I-believe and why sort of thing. There will probably be time for that later, but I'm striking while the keys are hot and I just don't care to go into that sort of thing today. So you'll have to check back if you think that you might remotely care.
Whatever.
Last night I saw a local band that I've long heard acclaim for. Mood Area 52 played at Sam Bond's Garage. Being interested and not especially having anything better to do, I paid my $5.00, sat at the bar and drank some Ninkasi (so good, with just a hint of grapefruit) from a pint jar. The opener was frankly kind of a downer. I don't know. I don't have an especially keen ear for these kinds of things. It could be that he (and I didn't catch his name) might just be a hell of a good song writer. I couldn't tell, because I couldn't actually make out the stories behind the songs due to the monotone droning into the microphone. The guy next to me seemed somewhat of a normal sort of fellow and so I asked him if he'd ever seen Mood Area 52 before. He said that he had, that he knew the singer, that these guys weren't them and that he was actually kind of pissed off about the whole thing. Anyway, the singer managed to avoid taking his own life and after playing only one more song that at one point promised, eventually exited the stage.
Pint jar# 2. Mood Area 52 is kind of an ecclectic ensemble: More or less local talent. I believe the bass player to be French. Or at least from France. They announced that he flew in from Paris yesterday, at any rate. There were 4 or 5 other instruments and a singer who, according to my new friend, Joe, is an area teacher. I would categorize them as kind of a Pink Martini - Lite (I like the video). They were fun enough, but I don't know that I have to see them again sort of thing. Hey, again, what do I know about music? Not a hell of a lot, it's true. Actually, there's a hell of a lot that I don't know a hell of a lot about. You may as well be advised of that fact now.
I got to know Joe a little bit while we were waiting for the main event. Left to my own devices, I'm not too much for the light conversation, but Joe was the friendly sort and so it went. It did occur to me early on that Joe might be heteroflexible but that don't confront me, long as I get my rent money by next Friday. He asked what I did and so I told him. It turns out that he used to date someone in the trucking business and the name was familiar to me. Although he's 51, Joe and I both have 9 year-old sons and so we briefly engaged in that obligatory exchange, but didn't linger; seemingly agreeing that it's better to move on in life and in conversation. It didn't take long after that for Joe to disclose that he's a real tomcat. He did in fact seem to know a number of the women in the bar besides the singer.
Pint jar# 3 and slice of Greek pizza. Two 20-something women sitting at the end of the bar, next to Joe. One of them had some large-ish tattoo on her shoulders; not wings, really, but you get the idea. This is where Joe reveals to me - and this is funny - that he's 51. He tells me that he gets around but that, at his age, there are some things that he knows he just can't go for, like those two beautiful women sitting next to him. "That's maturity" he tells me. "A year ago" he confides, "I probably would have gone for it".
Sidebar: I think it's kind of funny that it's just assumed that I want to fuck every woman in the bar, too. He's sharing with me because it's kind of understood that we're members of the same fraternity. Maybe I need to change my look.
Anyway, it's more the whole conversation that's made me a little uncomfortable. I agreed that they were indeed attractive, but flatly allowed that I was neither interested nor looking to be. Which, of course, he toasted and then he and another guy who had sidled up immediately became embroiled in a conversation around northwest beers with said (young) women and began ordering them tastes of various flavors.
The band took a break and I headed for the door. I don't know. It was kind of hysterical.
Perhaps I'll figure out how to put links in my post and then you can take a few side trips if you care.
Wow. That was easy. I hope they actually point to their intended destinations.
OK. Now it's a legitimate blog. And I suppose that I've posted my way to immortality in the endless Google cache. We'll see if I'm ever motiviated to post again. No promises.
...and Publish.

1 Comments:

Blogger Flood said...

I love it. Don't stop.

8:54 AM  

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