July 11, 2004
Me siento viejo
I love girlie nights. I really missed them in Japan. I had female friends, sure, but usually they were "our" friends or "couple friends" and we all hung out in one big happy group. In two and a half years, McG and I only spent about a week apart.
Last night, in honour of Shalome and Rakhee's joint birthday, 14 succulent wild women ate tapas and downed sangria at Kanela Bar in Fitzroy, an awesome hot-bed of candied spaniards, dim red lighting and, at 9pm, flamenco shows.
I'd never seen flamenco in the flesh and the show blew me away (almost literally - I was sitting inches from the dancers' staccato tapping shoes). The single girls at the table gathered in collective awe and drool at the rather sexy male dancer and guitar player (if you like that kind of thing). It was all very grown-up. The perfect entertainment for a group of 30 something hotted-up chicks. You could smell the pheremones. If one girl had let out the Battle Cry, the poor bastards wouldn't have surfaced for days.
Afterwards, there were cries of "Let's go to the Builder's Arms and have a boogie!" (already showing my age here). It had been over 3 years since I was there last and when I hit the dancefloor I thought I was in Heaven. The mix was serious 80s classics with a healthy shot of Beyonce. There was nothing barring my path to an immaculate moment.
Then I looked up and saw that (infernally) massive mirror lining one of the walls and a slew of young beautiful-people checking themselves out and glaring derisively at the crowd, erm, like us...
Suddenly I felt really fucking old. Most of the crowd were late teens, early 20s, contenders to the Paris Hilton Throne of Attitude. I didn't relate to them. I didn't remember the Builders teeming with the little buggers and started to feel weird about being on the dancefloor. I don't know if it was the 5 litres of sangria I'd poured down my throat or if I was tired, or if I was seeing something that wasn't even there, but suddenly I had to get the hell out.
It was like the old-me that used to go out on the pull on Saturday nights and flirt the town pink, was giving me the bird and telling me to go home to my husband. That I didn't belong in that world anymore. And I realised that much as I love my girlie evenings and intend to have a shit load more of them now I'm back in Melbourne, I'm not interested in the meat-market vibe of the places I used to love the most - the Motel... the Marquee... all those crazy (cough, shallow) places.
Fuckit, I think I'm growing up. Where the hell is my pacifier?
I guess that's why I prefer spending time at Latin bars and clubs. In my experience, most Latin music places simply love bringing all kinds of people together and age doesn't matter. Even children are encouraged to be part of the crowd, and the people you end up dancing with are all different ages. You might dance with a willowy young teenager, or with a wizened old-timer, but the point is to have fun and to enjoy other people's company.
I used to love dancing disco back in 70's and early 80's. I went out at least twice a month. Since returning to Japan and getting older I haven't danced in almost 12 years. At 43 I'm unlikely to find much to attract me to most of the clubs any more.
Hear hear! Latin clubs are more my thing anyway. Thing is, I love a boogie and I really love R&B, which is staunchly the terrain of the thoroughly-modern-all-that-anklebiter. My lounge room is really starting to look appealing.
Don't worry Kinki
There are places to go for the "almost/turning/ thirty somethin's" age group.You just gotta dig a little deeper.
I have been in that position b4 where I suddenly catch my shadow or reflection at a club where I am desperately trying to recapture my younger selfs energy levels and dance floor supremacy. All you realise is that the rhythm has gone down a notch and you're jiggling in the wrong places.
Check out Alumbra on the Yarra (new dock area) for cool Latin action. You can get some ripper cocktails and smoke your own hookah and there is a wide variety of ages. No eighties music tho'. A Latin band plays on Thursday nights and you can do salsa lessons, so you can be stylish on the floor and blow off all those young things with your baleriac prowess.
Ah, you legend. I was gonna put the feelers out for salsa lessons and you read my mind!
Of course, that was long ago, but at the time it seemed like the present.
I know what you mean, but from my point of view we were there having a great time with our mates and I just wasn't bothered by the youngun's looking down their noses, I barely noticed. That's their problem, not ours! As you said, what's wrong with going out and being a dag, ok so we're not 18 anymore!!! Does that mean we should be kept locked up at home??? I don't think so baby. I think you do have to pick your venue though, unfortunately it was as if we stumbled into a Blue Light disco that night... but some of the pubs we go to on OUR side of the river (;->) are a much more mixed crowd and you don't get so much attitude. Don't give up on us old party gals yet Kinki!!
Ang, hon, I could never give up on the SWW! Usually it wouldn't bother me (in fact, on a good night I'd probably go try and rub my boobs in their faces) but yeah, I think I tried to explain it in the post "Revelation". Just got to get used to the Aussie Culture. I'm still in Never Never Land. And I got to try that place Nicole recommended. I can feel a SWW mega-salsa-blowout very soon.