Entry #19: Gay Bar

On Sunday I turned 23. I've never really celebrated my birthday with a big night out so this time around I decided to get people together. The big reason for not bothering before was the likely hassle of organising it.

It's fundamentally simple, I will be at this place at that time. The reality is some people you invite out are tentative, ignorant or unfaithful. I knew that also fundamentally there would be some people going out who I could guarantee on doing so and are reliably fun, so I beared this in mind while some friends didn't get back to me or cancelled. In the end, the turnout was Alex, Ben, Charlotte, Claire, Colette, Emma, Gina, Hannah, Hannah (and Steven), Natalie, and Stewart (and his friend Andy).

On a rather warm Saturday, we met in Tribeca then moved on to Poptastic. Everyone was enjoying Tribeca's atmosphere so we stayed here for a longer time. I'd had a few glasses of wine before going out, then in Tribeca each drink was different. The variety was further mixed when Hannah and Steven got me five different shots, they were impressed by my handling of the harshness and gave me a bottle of WKD to wash the rankness down. When we got to Poptastic we were told it had not yet opened its doors, so we wandered down Canal Street into Bar Below.

We had somehow become separate groups but the group gradually reformed in Bar Below, no thanks to my drunken disorganisation. I was trying to text Alex our whereabouts because she had been delayed out and was now en route, and then Hannah and Steven who were returning from the cash machine. I went to the toilets, Emma needed to go as well so we shared a cubicle. For some reason we ended up snogging in there.

Second attempt, all of us together, we went down into Poptastic, which could be compared with going into a trance because my time in there fleeted. I remember bits of dancing and my sister saying “Lewis! You're supposed to be gay!” when she saw me and Emma snogging again. It was a random thing, nothing would ever come of it. I also remember talking to a guy called Richy who I've chatted to over the Net for a couple of years. We did meet in person the last time I went to Poptastic, but he doesn't recall that. Could he have been more drunk than me?

Charlotte told me she was ready to go home because of hot air and sore feet but for me to stay. I didn't mind going home so we all went. In the runup to Saturday I advised the friends new to Poptastic about it having two rooms, but they stayed in the Kitsch Bitch Lounge. I only danced in the Indie Playground for a short time myself. And I never once sat down either, I guess that's the birthday boy's obligation. Absolutely everybody said they had a fun night, they liked every place we went to and would go again. I'm glad they liked the places I chose to go to because these are places I've thought of as good venues for good nights for a long time.

Back home, we stayed up listening to music though nobody had the energy to dance. Emma took an early exit and passed out in the spare bedroom, then Colette and Stewart (back together) went to sleep in my room, Gina made a new friend as she stuck to Andy for the duration, Charlotte had a long natter with Natalie in her bedroom, me and Alex also conversing copiously, and Ben flitting between us and upstairs. In preparation for morning hunger I'd bought lots of eggs and bacon for everyone, which went unopened as we chose the easier option of McDonald's breakfast.

On Sunday evening I went to stay at my mum's, she'd got me a bottle of wine but I would not let myself drink any more alcohol after the amount consumed Saturday through Sunday. We ate Chinese takeaway and watched Wife Swap. This week saw a liberal mother (the Escotts) swap with a strict Muslim (the Ahmeds). We felt the liberal mother went to great efforts to learn about the other family's way of life, but this was not reciprocated by the other mum who only wanted to teach about her way of life. She wanted to show Muslims as being a nice people, which was difficult to feel when we saw her telling the liberal family's daughter that her homosexuality was inappropriate.

She also said it was inappropriate for the Escott's younger daughter to be near their gay friends, because that would influence her to grow up gay. What was positive was in Wife Swap: The Aftermath we saw the Muslim children's disapproval of their mother's misguided attitude towards homosexuality. The lesbian daughter had asked her if there are any gay Muslims, already knowing there are, to which the conceited mother responded assuringly that a gay Muslim is not a true Muslim. I remember about this time a year ago there was a documentary on Channel 4 all about gay Muslims. With Islam being so much to do with how life is lived, gay Muslims must have an extra load of alientation to bear.

I had Monday booked off work, which together with the recent Bank Holidays means I'm having three four-day weeks. Mum and I went to Ikea and bought random bits, but we really went for the hot dogs. I even bought some of their bottled mustard.

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Entry #19, published on Wednesday, 18^th of April 2007 at 21:43 local time (Swatch Internet Time @893 .beats)

Returning in 2008 ;-)