Well and Widely Loved

Well, went out last night. Sarah graduated yesterday, and there was a bit of a day-long celebration, apparently, though I only showed up for the end of it. Heather was in town as well, and I was very very excited.

He took in the four a.m. show at the Clark
"Excitable boy," they all said
And he bit the usherette's leg in the dark
"Excitable boy," they all said
"Well, he's just an excitable boy"

So, I saw Heather at the Study Center while I was writing yesterday, and she promised to call later to tell me where and when the shindiggin' was goin' on, and I was, as I say, excited. So I went home and took a shower and put on the CDs I made for her and drank wine (I started drinking at noon yesterday, but metered it carefully so that I never actually got drunk) and danced around my apartment like a mad fool. I called it a warmup, 'cause I figured we were going to the Stonewall, and I'd be tipsy and do a little dancing and convince a few fellas to buy my drinks. But, as it happened, the call didn't come 'til a little before 1AM. I stopped drinking at about 11:30, talked to Amy for an hour or so, and then we decided to just go to bed (separately, I mean; we had been talking on the phone) and read and try to fall asleep. So when the call came, I was a little surpirsed, and almost completely sobered up, and in no condition any longer for dancing. Oh, well.
It's good to already be drunk before you get to the Stonewall, because the place is outrageously expensive. I mean, it's okay that some bars charge a ridiculous cover, and it's okay that some bars overcharge for their drinks, but they should never be the same bars. If I have to pay $5 to get in, and then you tell me that a glass of rum is $8 and a bottle of beer is $3, I'm gonna be pissed. Memo to self: next time, bring a secreted bottle of rum along with.

More so than when I started
I feel older and this bottle
Is the place I choose to hide
And when I looked out from my bottle
And I saw you standin' by
I invited you inside
If the bottle makes you happy, so could I

I wasn't too worried about it, because I've gotten a lot of drinks bought for me over the years at gay bars. But I must be losin' it, must be gettin' old, because last night only one guy hit on me, and he didn't get up the nerve 'til after last call. I was polite to him generally, but I did call him out on this.
"Okay, rule number one when picking someone up in a bar: The very first thing you ask is, 'Can I buy you a drink?'"
That's actually rule number two, though. Rule number one is, don't approach someone if you're too drunk to speak clearly unless that person is also blind drunk and desperate to get laid. You don't wanna make a bad first impression, and there's no way to make a good first impression under those circumstances. This guy was stupid drunk, and that is an absolute turn-off. When someone you already know and love gets drunk, that can be fun; at the very least, it inspires you to want to take care of them. When it's someone you don't know, you just want them to move as far away from you as possible. Even if I wasn't madly and paralyzingly in love with someone else, that guy would have no chance with me (well, and also, he just wasn't that attractive, and I'm shallow). I did give him my number (mostly just to get him to go away) so that I can scold him today when he's sober enough to understand what I'm saying. He blew it. But, you learn something new every day. This will be his lesson. I hope it makes him a better person.
Even without being the belle of the ball I had a good time, though. Tracy, Sarah's girlfriend, is a wonderful dancer, or at least I enjoyed watching her dance very much. And she and I have never really talked much, so it was nice to have conversation with her. Sarah and I decided that we have not talked enough in the time we've known each other. I don't know how shy she is, but when I have a conversation with someone they're gonna have to do most of the heavy lifting; I let other people carry the talk. Sarah is like that, too, I guess, and so I haven't been as close to Sarah as I would have liked to have been. But maybe after a lovely evening I'll be able to spend more time with Sarah and Tracy before they leave, and we can make up for lost time.
The consensus, by the end of the evening, was that Heather and Sarah loved me and Tracy thought I was cool but would have to know me better before she'd commit, which, I can dig it. And Heather let me hold her in the alley behind the club for a long, long time, and that felt wonderful. More than wonderful, really, and I felt well and widely loved.

There was love all around, but I never heard it singing
No, I never heard it at all, 'til there was...the Stonewall?

Hmmm, that doesn't look right. I kinda regret having written that now. It's a little bit creepy. But, what's done is done. And at least I've got a fond, glowing memory of the place now.
Anyway, yes, we had a good time. I only bought one beer, but I finished Heather's last one and had a bit of Schnapps in the parking lot (or what passes for a parking lot at the Stonewall), and we stopped at my place after so I could grab a bottle of wine, and then we set out to go to Sarah's house. But the line at Taco Bell was stupid (though I did finally get to try Heather's much-talked-about Fiesta Potatoes) and then we got caught behind an endless freight train, and by that time Sarah and Tracy were passed out all over each other in the backseat. So I had them drop me on campus and I walked home, finishing the wine on the way and singing to myself very loudly.
Mostly I sang Throwing Muses:

Dancing with scissors our bones full of wishes
We wait for our plans to come true
Why do I like you? 'cause I do
Why do I like you? 'cause I'd kill to be you
Sweet nothing, sweet dream, serene

It was the first completely student-free night on campus, and so I could sing loud and not worry about anyone calling MUPD. And my heart was full of love and joy and music, and I was getting drunk again, too. It was a very good ending to a wonderful evening.
So, this is a big thanks to Heather, Sarah, and Tracy for the best graduation night ever. Much love to all three of you. Hope to see you again soon.