Let's back track to Thursday.

Thursday after work I head for a little din-din with the legendary Maura, who's so cool she has her own domain and doesn't play around in these kiddie sites, and Gingi.

I left my office with $45, and arrived with $35 after the taxi, $29 after cigarettes. We left dinner and saw The Mooney Suzuki, who Gingi decidedly didn't like but I was open to giving a second chance. We didn't pay a cover because we were on a a list, but I bought a cocktail and that brought me down to something like $23.

We headed out of there after checking in with their management, catching the word on the street about View who is in-studio working on a hot album for RCA.

Bounced out of there and hit scene central, Max Fish, had a club soda and some crazy talk with the girls during which we discovered a freaky six-degrees connection among us.

We split from there, and I went to The Elbow Room to see a band of guys I went to high school with, who tracked me down through family friends and asked me to show up at their gig.

Now a few sheets to the wind and down to about $20, I break my last $20 for the 7 dollar cover and walk into this bar with $13 to my name. Not even enough to get me home via taxi. But who cares. I consider this a challenge.

I run into people I know, beers come flying at me. I'm introduced to some groupies from my home town, and one guy asked me where I grew up. I told him my street and he said, "Oh, from the *West End*" like it was Park Avenue or something.

Confused, I said, No, I'm from blah blah and he said "Yeah, a West End girl" wiggling his eyebrows. I looked at another girl and asked her what he was talking about and she said I'm from the "rich" part of town.

This is all news to me. I mean, I was going to school in the late 80's in a rusted '75 Ford Granada. My brother and I used to ask our Dad to drop us off a few blocks from school so the other kids getting out of used Volvo's didn't see us.

Of course, this caused our father to intentionally drop us both door to door and honk when we got out of the car and wave.

He's a little sick, my Dad.

After the show, I end up for an uncomfortable 10 minutes on the "tour bus" with the band, but quickly hightail it out of there and jump into another cab with a family friend who's been buying drinks for me all night.

I get out at my street, give her my $13, bang on the locked door of my bodega, get keyed in by the staff, add a pack of smokes and a diet coke to my tab, and go home.

Arrive home after 1AM. Sleep.

Wake up to phone ringing at 6:30AM. It's D., who's been up all night watching the world cup and boozing, telling me to come out and meet them for the US game.

Ignore phone.

Phone begins to ring again at 7:30am. Continue to ignore phone.

Wake at 9AM to my alarm, and open my eyes to a layer of heat similar to passing out on the beach in July at dawn and awaking mid-morning.

Vaguely wonder if I did just that. Reach conclusion that I did not pass out on said beach, but that NYC has turned overnight, into a bastion of heat and humidity.

Work for a few hours, pack a bag, somehow drag myself to the hair salon.

Emerge from salon hours later and head to Penn Station an hour early.

Head immediately to Hoolihans. Swear that I will not consume alcohol, but then spot a tantilizing Bloody Mary and order one.

Phone rings. D., somewhat sobered from the U.S. being ROBBED of their match, has now discovered her unemployment check has not been processed and she needs money to get a train home.

I'd help you if I could, I tell her, but I'm in Penn Station. Perfect, she's tells me, I'm on my way there.

Perfect, I say. Where are you, she asked.

Hoolihans, having a bloody. See you there, she says.

I'm on my second cocktail when she walks in, sweating. It's hotter than hell, she says.

Tell me about it.

I run out and get cash, come back, exchange money, finish cocktails and split for our separate trains.

I irritate the hell out of the guy sitting across the aisle from me on the train, by following up on some messages left for me on my cell phone. Even though I speak as quietly as possible, I can tell he's irritated. I hang up and fall asleep on my train, waking up in Phillie. Now hung over for the second time today.

Find my brother, also getting off a train, and we meet our friend waitng for us in her car outside.

Jump in her car and take off for the Trey show in Camden.

To be continued

previous next