Branching out

I took a friend to the Ukulele band on Friday night. It was a really wonderful time, as the opening band was a great County Western Swing band, in the style of Bob Wills. Damn, but that kinds of music is just plain good.

The friend I took is the owner of a vintage clothing store and I’ve known him since my late teens. We are very close. Since he owns a vintage clothing store, he is always impeccably dressed. I look like a shlumpadink standing next to him. He is also my “Foodie” friend that likes upscale eateries for pre-function meals and drinks. He is also gay.

So our friendly close demeanor at nice restaurants and gatherings guarantees we get a second glance, followed by a knowing wink. We recognize the dilemma, and laugh about it, jokingly saying “Neither of us is going to get any, at this rate”.

But the Ukulele band was awesome, and watching the swing dancers was a treat. It would be fun to take a class to learn.

No phone numbers were gotten, and the one woman I talked to was more interested in my friend, as she was wearing a 1940's  day dress with matching bakelite accessories.

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I went to an amazing 40^th birthday party on Saturday night. The birthday boy invited people to “do their  thing” for about 10 minutes on stage. There was a little bit of everything. Some guitar players/singers, some poetry, a few amazing acrobatic couples yoga, including this tree trunk (I mean “this guy”) that stood with five (yes, 5) people standing and hanging off of him. There was a beautiful African instrument that I can’t remember the name of, but it was like a small finger harp inside the biggest gourd I’ve ever seen. There was even a tap dancing troupe!

I only knew  a small handful of people there, but the crowd was quite nice. The birthday boy runs in a younger crowd, so most of the people were about 30.  I tried to keep myself open, and not have my wall automatically come up. I talked with a bunch of folks, but no real connection was made with anyone. I don’t think I was “hip” enough for the crowd since I didn’t perform anything.

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Ecstatic Dance on Sunday morning was darn near incredible. Maybe it was the prompting of the party the night before, or maybe the new house is giving me some roots to stand up taller…… Whatever was going on, it felt great.  I was bouncing around giving hugs to people I barely know, and I felt like I really belonged in the space. I was even invited out to lunch afterwards with a group of people. It was fun socializing with these new friends. Now if I can only remember their names.