edited.
status check - la la lovely
background ambiance - bushwalla & tprettyman, "november"


last night was one of those nights where (almost) everything feels right. laughing, drinking, spending time with friends around tables, on the dance floor and sharing the mic.


beyond the craziness of trying to meet up with everyone and whatnot, the evening went smoothly - better than smoothly, actually. johnoghue snagged some great seats for everyone at nectar's and we enjoyed a decent averi set that was enhanced by the fact that chad heeded my requested favor and wished becca a happy birthday shortly before "this liminal life." that part could not have worked out any better. i'd hoped to thank chad after the set, but that didn't work out. i think he knew i appreciated it - i KNOW he knew becca did.


the set was good, but i think our group was what made the night so fun. we were the few bodies on the dance floor, we were rocking out from our seats - we were just there to have a good time. others should have taken note. it was strange - it definitely came across to people from when we got there that the sense of looking forward to the evening was not shared. fine. but if you're going to be in an odd mood, don't come over and make me feel like i forced you to. don't give me a hug, just say hi or don't say anything at all. frankly, if it comes across to several people that you don't look like you want to be somewhere, you either shouldn't be there or you should make the best of it and have fun. to think that i had to briefly wonder what was really being thought about the crowd at the metronome show is sad.


but i had fun. my friends had fun. and, frankly, that's all that matters. stu walked by at one point and i was able to tell him that i thought he played a great set and he grinned and thanked me for saying it and thanked me for coming. when becca spoke with michael, he wished her a happy birthday and chatted with her for a few minuets. those little gestures are marks of good performers. chad should take note.


i'd been looking forward to seeing averi with my friends. turned out that i had a blast spending time with my friends while averi performed. and that's the way it should be.


moved on to manhattan's a little while after averi finished up (but not before becca made me proud - and chatted up the antisocial one), where we ran into more people (liz! mary! phil! work peeps!), continued the debauchery and, on a couple of occasions, rocked the keraoke (good god i can never spell it) mic. john and i continued the tradition of singing "babylon" and beth, michelle and i paid tribute to whitesnake (and matty nay) with "here i go again." we enjoyed our first fan waving a lighter in the air. we're rockstars, i tell you.