Monday, September 19, 2005

Perfect Girl Martini's and deep thoughts

The bar was hopping Friday night.

After spending my evening with 91 teenagers who would have much rather been out doing something other than band, I needed a drink. The original plan was to meet out some friends that were having a going away party for someone I worked with at my former job. He had found a better position at a bigger newspaper and as is the tradition, a night of drinking was called for. No one was in view when I arrived, so I greeted friend Laura, who also happens to be one of the bartenders, with a kiss on the cheek and settled into wait.

"What do you want sweetie?"

"Not sure...um...how about a Perfect Girl Martini?"

Laura raised her eyebrows at me.

"What?! I figure a Perfect Girl Martini for a perfect girl. Or at least one that pretends she is."

She just laughed and shook her head as she walked away to make my drink.

Soon the tasty bright blue drink was in front of me. I sipped and looked around. No one had shown up yet. Maybe they're upstairs, I thought. A few more sips and I'll head up to see what's going on.

I barely heard my phone ringing above the din of music and conversation around me.

James RL flashed on the caller ID. I hadn't talked to friend James in quite some time. He was let go, to put it nicely, from the Lobster and had recently found himself a new job. He had also found himself a girlfriend and as is the case, when a new girl comes on the scene I get forgotten about for awhile.

"Where are you?"

"Well hello to you too! I'm in at Stones waiting for some people. If you're not doing anything, come on over."

"O.k., I'll be there in a few."

While I was waiting I finished my martini and ordered up another. My tounge was turning blue if that gives any indication of the color of the drink.

Friend James soon arrived. He ordered up his usual, a Yuengling Lager, or just Lager to most people around here. We started catching up about work, the rise and fall of his relationship and other things that had been going on since the last time we talked. Then we fell into conversation about the future. He had planned on going back to school in the fall but now must put it off for another year. And what about me?

Since the whole writing thing isn't panning out, I had no idea. Other than spending November 30th in bed contemplating the sad state of affairs of my life as I head into my 3rd decade, I had no plans for the foreseeable future.

"But you have to have a plan. You mean to tell me you have no plan for your life? No idea of what you're going to do? I mean, in anything you do you should have some idea of how to move on. Jeez, I even have everything mapped out for the car (he's currently rebuilding a car)".

It was an astonishing thought. And it got the wheels turning so much that I realized, good God, I had been just floating along. With no real goal in sight. No real idea of what the hell I was going to do or even worse, how I was going to do it. I had always been the kind of girl that just kind of took things as they came. Other than planning to go to college and graduating, I hadn't really thought out where life would go from there. I just kind of figured it would all sort itself out. No muss no fuss.

Yeah. Right.

So now I'm reevaluating everything. And I mean everything. The possibility of going back to school has strong appeal, if not for my masters then for another bachelor's degree. Trips to the gym have become more infrequent. It's time to get back on track with that. And maybe, just maybe, start the search for Mr. Right. This time a little more seriously.




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