Friday
Night Out
I have officially been in the city for over a year now, and
have gotten somewhat used to the hustle and bustle. Don’t like it really, but have gotten used to
it. I do enjoy the variety of the night
life, however. Although I tend to avoid
the downtown club scene (what, with all the nightclub shootings and all), I
have ventured out to a number of places in the surrounding areas.
I have been to Top 40 clubs, hip-hop clubs, rock bars, a
country bar and even an extremely hardcore dancehall club. At all of these places there have been a
number of strange guests, fights, odd clothing choices and questionable
behaviour. It doesn’t really bother me
anymore. I’m not saying I’m Carrie
Bradshaw quite yet, but I have started to become accustomed to the more
eccentric.
When my good friend invited me out to her neck of the woods
for a ‘girls night out’, I agreed without a second thought. She lived on the FAR FAR FAR east side of the
city. To true ‘City People” she didn’t
even live in the city. She lived in some
distant town that was connected to the real city by a train line. So, I assumed wherever we ended up going
would be tame, bland and on the up-and-up.
I’m sure you know me well enough that this was not the
case. I don’t bother to write about
typical events. If it was run of the
mill it would not be included on the “weekly funnies” web page.
The night started with me sitting on the highway in
traffic. There was no reason for the
highway to be blocked solid at
So I finally arrive at my friends place, annoyed and
cursing. I was late, and this seriously
infringed on the “Pre-Drinking” time. My
spirits improved when I heard “Dr. Jones” blasting from my friend’s house. This, you see, is our party song. As I approached the door, the music changed
to a classic 80’s song, and I forgot all about the traffic and rushed inside,
eager to get the party started!
A lot of giggling, “OH MY GODs” and talk about shoes,
clothes, men, favourite drink, favourite lip gloss, some more about shoes, some
more about men, a fashion show or two, picture taking and general jovial
behaviour followed.
Somehow when you take 3 smart, ambitious, career oriented
women with good jobs, a stable life, independence and class, mix them with a
fruity drink and 80’s pop music, you get the giggling and talk about shoes and
lip gloss.
Hey,
we talk about spreadsheets, accounts, managers, deadlines, financial statements,
project plans, meetings, team building activities, emails, time management,
train schedules, vacation preparation, dinner options, grocery lists, laundry,
fund raising and voice mails all day, give us a break if we want to be silly.
So, we were ready to head out. It only took us an hour and a half longer
then planned (a few wardrobe changes as well), but who cared! We were not on a schedule; we were being fun
and fancy free! We call a cab, and
saunter outside for some air while waiting for our ride.
Now came the talk of “so, where are we going exactly”? My friend informed us that we were headed to
a country bar. She assured us that it
was a lot of fun, and not to worry if we didn’t like or know country
music. Apparently they played a bit of
everything.
Now my friend had been to this place before, I have been to
other country bars before, however the third member of our party had never even
listened to a country song before in her life.
She was not too keen on the idea, however decided to give it a
shot. At that moment, our cab arrived.
It was a cab-van actually.
Oh good we thought, extra room.
Then we had a closer look.
There were glow sticks hanging from the rearview mirror, and
we can hear trance music blasting from the speakers. I think the cab-van was even rocking a little
with all of the heavy bass.
Tentatively we approach the vehicle, and notice a rather scary
looking man behind the wheel. He was
wearing several glow-stick bracelets and necklaces, and was bopping his head to
one side keeping the beat. We get in,
not sure what else to do. The cabbie
hands us some glow-stick bracelets and asks us where to.
We tell him the place, and he gives us a funny look. “Aren’t you going to put the bracelets on?”
he commands. We are too shocked to
argue. Before we have fully closed the
doors, Cabbie peels away, tires squealing.
He zipped through the "40 km/h" residential area doing about
80. Me and my two friends immediately
did up our seat belts and were all holding hands in fear. A few run-red lights later, and we arrive at
the bar in record time. The van screeches
to a stop, we all go flying into the seats in front of us, and rush out of the “rave
on wheels” scared to death.
Just a reminder, we are going to a COUNTRY bar. Glow-sticks are not part of the dress
code. Hats, boots and belt buckles the
size of your face are acceptable attire for a place like this. Neon sticks that glow and music laden with
heavy base just don’t fit.
Needless to say, when the "rave-mobile" pulls up to
the country bar, we get a few odd looks.
This nasty looking bouncer covered in leather and tattoos
glares at us. Do you think we looked out
of place, glow sticks and all? We could
hear this really twangy country music being played from inside, and the three
of us exchange looks of “what the heck is this!” What WAS this place? It felt like we were in Deliverance Country.
We enter the bar, taking off the glow sticks and trying to
blend in. OH MY GOSH. I can not describe it. Picture this:
Wood paneling. A musty
cigarette smoke smell. An extremely ugly
and unenthusiastic band pumping out country twang from the 60’s. Lots of empty tables. Several middle-aged men and women square
dancing on the dance floor.
It was a total hick bar.
Bikers, and old men with missing teeth, and no one under 40.
THEN we are asked to pay cover! HAHAHHAHAH we figured we better go in, or the
bouncer might take offence and come after us with a knife. We pay the money, and go inside. At
At the stroke of eleven, the band clears the floor, a DJ puts
on some peppy song, the old square dancers clear the floor, the bikers and
toothless old men vanish, and we are suddenly surrounded by young, good looking
men. HELLO This might just be a great
night afterwards!