Closing Down the Bar

Last night I met up with a couple of friends I know from when I worked at the bar. One of them had her birthday yesterday, so we went out drinking. I was *this* close to not going because we were meeting at 10:00 p.m. and I'm a big wuss these days with teaching at 8:00 a.m. and all. But I thought about what Amanda would tell me to do and I did my hair, put on some makeup, and went out. It was a lot of fun.

We met at a bar I'd never been to before and it was crammed full of a young crowd. There were some cute guys and I tried not to avert my gaze as soon as I saw one looking my way. Gotta practice that whole eye contact thing, right? Well, let's just say I need more practice.

At around 11:30 we moved on to another bar which was a bit mellower. We immediately ran into a couple of other people we knew, which reminded me just how small this city can be. It was nice to goof off, good to catch up on some gossip, and I realized that this is what it's like to actually hang out with friends. One of the guys we ran into at the second bar called me a sex goddess, which was a change from my usual. He's a bit... well, let's just say I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole, but, you know, I don't mind a compliment.

On a side note, I have a new crush. I have a weakness for bartenders. It's the fault of two men in particular who I worked with at the bar - both, alas, married. Both guys are charming, good looking, and warm hearted and they left an impression. So, at the second bar last night when I spotted the good looking, late 20s bartender, I knew what was going to happen. Of course, he knew the birthday girl. Turns out, he also knows one of the other gals, J. - a gal who used to bartend at the bar I used to work at. She's a part owner of the place now, and the cute bartender walked over to us at one point to talk about his shift at their next week. Since I had just been talking to J. about how I ought to swing by the bar soon, this seems like perfect timing.

Then, for the first time since I was a waitress two years ago, I shut down a bar. That's the first time in a very, very long time that I've gotten home so late. I'm tired this morning, and just about ready to leave for a shift with the seasonal job, so I'm regretting the lack of sleep. It was worth it though. Very worth it. I guess I'm not ready to resign myself to old lady status quite yet.