fanciful

I had a very bizarre evening. I went to my work's "Appreciation Dinner", and talked E-Dawg into being my date (Oh E, will you ever forgive me? Believe me when I say that I didn't know). It was at the LeMont. I'd been there once before, and it was weird, but I was with close work friends (last job), and it was okay. But, this was really wonky all around. First of all, I shoulda known because yesterday I started asking all the peeps at work that I regularly converse with if they were going, and none of them were. The only people that said they were going were the more...socially challenged types (I work with all computer-genius-types, remember?) or ones that are kinda like the boss of me or just ones that I don't talk to much. But, I figured it would still be interesting, and free food & drink, right?

Wrong. It was a cash bar (and, for reals, I feel more appreciated when I'm being plied with booze). The only red wine option was an unnamed Merlot (I swear that the label was scraped off the bottle, too). And, the beer options were Augustiner, IC Light and Iron City. The whiskey was Jim Beam. E and I went for the merlot, which wasn't, actually, too horrible. But, still.

The veggies were crinkle-cut which leads me to believe that they were formerly frozen or sold in a giant-ass bag at Sam's Club or something, and there were deli cheese slices as hors d'oeuvres. Again, not bad, necessarily, but definitely bizarre.


The salad was way overdressed, the bread was day-old Breadworks salt sticks, my pesto pasta tasted like water-flavored paste, E's crabcakes tasted like WonderBread, the waiters (all men, by the way) seemed sorta criminally insane (one of them sported a Hitler-style moustache), there were weird fancy chandeliers in the drop ceiling acoustic tiles, E's "berry torte" was really a berry tart.

The moral of this story is to never, ever go to the LeMont. The view is spectacular, but everything else is crap.





But, now I feel guilty for not being grateful. Or, rather, I feel that I'll feel guilty if anyone from work ever reads this. Or, actually, I feel that I'll feel bad if anyone from work ever reads this and then they fire my ass.

Anyway.

We were all fanced-up, so we decided to hit the town afterwards. First stop was Remedy Lounge (formerly Ray's). I liked it better when it was Ray's. Even with Keri freaking out on Ray and the staff in front of you. Ah, memories.

Then a quick stop into the Blue Moon (Thursdays are Ladies Nights) where we ran into Vince (a bartender from Remedy/Ray's) who told us about a new gay bar that had just opened on 44th St, Cattivo. So, we went there. It's nice--big, clean, well-stocked, friendly bartender, good drink, pool tables, juke box.

[as an aside: last night was a blue moon. i told lots of people to look at it. and, i even went to a bar named "Blue Moon", and walked around outside a bit, but did i look up last night? um, that'd be a no. what the bleep?]

The funniest thing of the night, besides our running commentary, was that at one point this woman from across the bar stands up on her stool and stares at me for a second--with anger or something, but then stares at Ellen--with lust and desire. I think I came real close to almost having to fight for her. She was lookin' fine, but I'm a lover, not a fighter!