I was so tired at work today, I didn't think that I was going to make it to quiting time. I was on the phone for awhile with Marvin last night but I'm always taking naps, I didn't think it would have such an impact. At 4:00, even though I needed to get ready for First Friday, I had to return my red box and get an energy drink, which added an extra twenty minutes to the moment when I would be home.
I got ready quasi-fast and headed downtown to meet Coleman at 6:30 at the Metropolitan Contemporary Art Museum. I had bought tickets in advance with the "Meet Up" that I joined, and we got wrist bands at the entrance. The museum looks very interesting but I didn't get to see it because as soon as we entered Coleman was approached by two women that he went to college with. Then those women had friends approach our group, everyone was very friendly and they were excited to tell me their Chicago snow stories.
When we broke away to get drinks, we learned that we had to go to another kiosk to get tickets to use to buy the drinks. Coleman wound up buying me 2 white wine spritzers and I was feeling pretty good. We staked out a table outside and we talked with two more of Coleman's friends, they were at his party a few weeks ago, but I didn't recognize them. We ran into one more acquaintance of Coleman's from college who is a Zumba instructor at the YMCA in downtown Chicago, I have her card, I might have to check that out.
My drinks were spread out over the evening, and when we took seats on the steps outside, Coleman and I crossed a friendship bridge. The name of this bridge is the blues, I used to think that my parents were the only ones who listened to certain artists, gone are those assumptions. Johnnie Taylor, Peggy Scott Adams and Clarence Carter were artists that we both knew. He was telling me about Millie Something and Etta Jones, Someone LaSalle, and Bobby Blue Bland that I need to check out.
It was nice that he could have spent the night following around the familiar faces that he encountered but he stayed with me instead. We left after an hour and a half because he had another party to go to on the north side. Before he did that, we had to check out one of the gay bars close to the museum. This place is called Second Story and it might be 900 square feet on the second floor of a building. Coleman knew quite a few people in there and some of them had heard of me. These men were so sweet, and we spent about 45 minutes laughing, talking and people watching.
From there Coleman walked me to Club Vertigo. I took an elevator to the penthouse level and ordered a glass of water. I walked around the space in awe of the view, and found a wall to lean on. This is when I was approached by Mark. I felt like I was on Jersey Shore, and he moved on as soon as he realized that I was not DTF. It was flattering but I might have been chopped up and put in his freezer, messing around with him. He was talking about wrapping me in bubble wrap and sneaking me out of there and his skills with Reiki massage, thanks but no thanks Mr. Mark.
That encounter was a sobering experience for me and I knew that I was ready to go home. I got a little turned around, but I figured it out. When I got to Hyde Park, I stopped at the Wok and Roll and ordered some cashew chicken, delicious. I would take that over 99 cent tacos at Jack in the Box, any day of the week. Lauren was up when I got home, I filled her in on the night's events and headed to bed. Downtown Chicago was everything that I hoped it would be. I had a very good evening, and I am looking forward to many more, just like this.
