Saturday, February 21, 2009

I Drink Alone

I have. I will. But I don't make a habit of it. Technically, last night, I didn't.

After work yesterday, I was supposed to meet a friend for a drink at happy hour. A gay happy hour.

G2H2 (Gay Guy's Happy Hour) is this great little event that happens once a month. Gay men take over a straight bar for happy hour.

Personally, I would like this to be more subversive than it is. It would be better if it seemed like flash mob or critical mass activity, but I believe it is a bit more planned than that. The G2H2 leaders get clearance from the actual bars and it is all very well executed. That being said, it is still an interesting idea.

In mid-afternoon, my friend Jon (not the same Jon I normally reference here) said he could not come because he had to pick-up a friend from the airport. Worst. Excuse. Ever. Undaunted, I decided to go anyway. Though I axed Denton, he wasn't up for it and went home right from work. So I went alone.

I can't say I drank alone because there must have been 300 guys who showed up. Nice turn out, no? And for all my attempts for being more social these last two years, I knew exactly ONE person there and one whom I knew of. The one person was a nurse at a place I worked two jobs ago. The one I knew of, was ex-blogger FaggotyAssFaggot. I did introduce myself to him, but it was a cool reception at best. Maybe he doesn't want to acknowledge (or have acknowledged) his past blogging life. I dunno.

There was something very different about this set-up - in a good way. With this many guys, it felt like a gay bar, but somehow it didn't. First, it was still light out when the event started. No disco naps needed and then getting dressed at 11:00 pm to make your debut thirty minutes later. No 168 beats per minute music that has had the same g-ddamn remix qualities since 1986. No Mariah, Whitney, Madonna or Taylor Dayne! And it wasn't so loud you couldn't have actual conversations.

It also wasn't horribly pretentious like so many gay bars can be - or make you feel. When I walked in, I was afraid I'd be leaning against a wall with my drink, like I had done so so many times. But those fears were put to rest quickly.

Two guys immediately came up and talked to me. Joe and Bob were from the Akron-Canton area. They come up for these things, as well......like I said, they are from Akron-Canton. What else are they going to do?

They asked if my wife knew I was there and then they gestured to my ring. Later some very good looking man came up to me and told me wanted to tell me he thought I was attractive, but then said he saw the ring.

What? Does the ring presence make me no longer attractive? Or just unable to make people think or say this? Hell - I don't know anyone would mind that affirmation regardless of their romantic attachments.....or jewelry enhancement.

That all being said, I would do this again. It beats actually going to gay bars and you still get the socialization. It would be better going with folks you know, but I don't think I'd have any issue going by my lonesome.



Song by: George Thorogood

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

We have a similar thing here called Takeover Friday. It's quite popular but we've never been. We just have too much to do after work, what with the gime or walking the girls or paying Princess...the list is endless! Glad you went and had a good time.

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