St. Patrick's Day

When you’re not sure if you’re coming or going, how can you be either? This, my friends, is my thought of the day for you. I’m actually just stalling until I can remember what I did Friday night. Ah, yes…started at Morty and JK’s place to play some Wii…this video game system seems to be popping up everywhere lately…I don’t know that it’ll be too long before I have to get one of my own.

From there, we stopped at City Tavern for the first time in weeks, but our barman Chris wasn’t there, so it didn’t seem the same. I watch in horror as Julian, Mike and Morty have Patron shots. As in two each. I want to throw up just watching Mike trying not to throw up on the floor of the bar. From City, I hopped over to the Sunset where I met up with Charles, Bob, Ferrer, Derek and Jordan. At this point, seeing straight is not an option, they’re closing the bar and I pass out at Damie’s place so I can wake up at 8 the next morning to go to Kezar Stadium for a track meet.

Where my 2 miler PRs by 55 seconds. And my miler PRs by 9 seconds. It’s a good day out at the track when our Distance Medley squad takes second to Carlmont.

I run home, shower, and this all feels like the same day and routine of Friday night, except I head up to Mike and Julian’s place where I’m introduced to the drinking version of Liar’s Dice. After a few games, I manage to convince them to break out the Beirut, where Mike and I get beaten pretty badly. Then Sean and I get beaten. Then we leave.

This time, Chris is at City Tavern and we get some drinks. Julian mentions Merlin’s, to which I puke. The place is crowded as hell for St. Patrick’s Day, and I see an awesome shirt that reads “Fight me, I’m Scottish.” After chugging my red bull vodka in an attempt to get out of there, I smoke a joint on the sidewalk and start looking for a cab, which at that time of night, on St. Pat’s day in the Marina is not a very good endeavor. I finally spot one and watch as a girl runs across the street and jumps in. I’m feeling friendly, so I ask her if she’s going my way.

“Where’s that?”

“Where are you going?”

She tells me, and I tell her that it’s close enough to on my way, and there’s few enough cabs, that I’ll take my chances and split the cab with her. Instead, she pays the entire fare to her place, tips the cabbie and has him restart the meter. I don’t know if this helped me or not, mainly because I don’t know where she was in relation to where I was going.

Cabbie takes me to 8th and Folsom for the Cat Club, and it’s definitely one of the better nights I’ve been there. In fact, hilarity ensues on multiple levels. Carolina’s working the door and is shocked to see me out, though Aliza explains to her that this isn’t really a new thing. Joanna, Aliza, T, Zena and Jackie are all out en masse. As I walk towards Zena, she stares at me like I just fell out of the sky before going, “Oh my gosh, is that you!?” Apparently, taken out of context, I can look like a very different fellow and she didn’t recognize me.

I step to the bar and ask if they take card. They do, but their machine is broken. He points me towards their ATM machine, which is also out of order. I’m 2 dollars short of a red bull vodka and the guy next to me at the bar gives me the two. “I’ve been there” he tells me. I tell him I have often relied on the kindness of strangers. This isn’t really true at all, but it feels to me like it fits the situation and I enjoy the way it sounds…I heard someone say it once…think it was Blanche in Streetcar.

I’m trying to chat with Zena about a variety of topics, but keep getting interrupted by every girl in the bar coming up to her with mention of her being single. I feel like I’ve mistakenly sat down next to a movie star and have to wait while she signs glossy 8x10s of herself with the quote, “Single again, Love Z”

Joanna’s faded and tells me that we should consider making out later in the evening. Her exact words are, “why don’t I drink this, and you drink that, and we’ll see what happens.” This leaves me, literally, speechless. I have no idea what to say to that. I think I come back with, “that’s very flattering!”

Jackie gets me out on the dance floor, which is trouble no matter how you spell it. And let me tell you…that girl can cut rugs! In fact, for a moment, I feel like I’ve walked into a funhouse and am watching myself dance in the mirror, but all my clothes are different. And I’m wearing glasses. And I’m a girl. It’s confusing, then I realize that we just dance very similarly. Being this part of the night though, it takes me a good 3 minutes to piece this all together.

All of this goes on as Aliza is talking to the Jolly Green Giant. Now, this nickname used to be reserved for Courtney Greene from middle school, but this girl Jen gets it now. I walk up to the bar and see Jen. I’m about eye level with her neck. Then I look closer and realize that she’s leaning against the bar. She’s not even standing up straight! This girl HAS to be at least 6’2”…I feel generally short as it is, and this girl straight makes me feel like a dwarf.

Aliza asks my second opinion, and I tell her if she’s got the chance, she better take her home. It’s close to closing time, and we step outside, where I see my old friend Patrick. For those of you that don’t know, Patrick is the owner of the building that Cat Club is in, and I had the pleasure of meeting him several weeks ago (see previous blog, “ Cell Phone Stupidity”). I chat it up with him…not sure if he remembers where he knows me from, but he certainly smiles and pretends that he does, which in and of itself works for me.

Aliza and Jen have disappeared. I somehow (I think it’s with T), make it back to their place. But not before buying kit kat bars at their 7-11. I swear, nothing is cooler than having a 7-11 two doors down from you. I think I’m going to petition the church across the street from my apartment to give up some of their property for a 7-11 and the overall betterment of society.

I wake up this morning on their family room floor, nicely bundled in a blanket and sleeping bag, not too terribly hung over. Somewhere in the background, I can hear Aliza walking Jen to the door.