Don't Date (or Eat Out) When Mercury is in Retrograde

I was going to pose the question as to whether or not you can date a man you don't get along with but that's really a stupid question. Contrary to what our elementary school teachers told us, there really are some stupid questions. I also know the answer to it: absolutely not! I recently attempted to do this.
What you can do with a man you don't like is to have really great sex. That's easy - you just don't talk. But seeing as though I was born under a very communicative astrological sign, not talking is almost impossible.

I came to this realization yesterday as I attempted to purge the memory of this dude by going out with friends. We had dinner at the new restaurant, Marvin at 14th and U named after Marvin Gaye. I figured, what could be better than good music, Belgian bistro fare, and a rooftop deck. Well, we never made it upstairs so I can't report on that. What I can say is that due to kitchen problems, the food took forever to arrive, came out cold, and someone seemed to have lost their tube of lipgloss in my garlic mayonnaise! To be fair, they did just recently open. So, I will go back. But what I thought was even more interesting is that our waitress attributed these strange occurrences to the fact that Mercury is in retrograde . This apparently takes place during three periods this year and one of those periods is right now (October 11th-November 1st). All I can say is that maybe she's on to something. These past two weeks have definitely been strange in many ways. And my very communicative astrological sign I spoke of earlier is one of two that is highly affected by Mercury.

So, my conclusion is this: opening a restaurant and attempting to date the sex buddy are probably bad ideas when Mercury retrogrades.

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Could DC Be Any Smaller?

As a regular party-goer, I am used to seeing people I know when I'm out. But sometimes it gets to be too much. And this is a direct result of there being so few nightlife destinations for a major metropolitan city with such a large population of young urbanites.

I mean really, why do I see the same suit and tie wearing posers every time I go to the latest club/lounge (Posh) with overly expensive, mundane food and drinks. Why do I see the same bohemian "artists" at any event featuring music you won't hear on MTV?
And for the love of single women everywhere, why must I see a guy I've dated whenever I'm having a bummy night of relaxing over a beer at my favorite bar?! Every girl knows that when you see a guy from the past you want to be to be looking fabulous and on a date.

Some solutions to my frustration:

• more accessible neighborhoods with several fun things to do - could the Convention Center area be more of a ghost town? One bar does not a destination make.
• a wider variety of events EVERY night of the week - shouldn't I be able to go dancing on a Monday night?

Just asking.

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Tired, Actually

This has been a long week. I think I was out every single night doing something or other related to business/networking/socializing combined.

The Girls Night Out Shopping Event was a blast! So much shopping and so many cocktails. Adding men just would have been dangerous but welcome.

I needed lots of RnR after two days of this event, so I checked out a new and an old favorite:

Axis is the epitome of a neighborhood bar with good food, friendly people, and even friendlier bartenders (Monday night). Luxury and comfort were calling after a day of humidity and collecting goodie bag items to give out at the event. Where did I go? Urbana was long overdue. It was perfect. From the beet salad to the cute, accommodating bartenders and dim lighting this was exactly what I needed. And I do love a classy hotel bar.

But it was the 2-day shopping event and Thursday after party that took center stage. Ladies and gents (can't beat free cocktails and tipsy women) don't miss it next year!

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Bad Girl Out at Night

Bad girls, talking 'bout bad bad girls, yeah... One of my favorite Donna Summer songs. I think I should make it my theme song. I've discovered over the past few weeks that many people disapprove of my nightlife lifestyle.

• I went on a date recently with a very nice guy. He might be perfect for someone else but I was bored stiff. When the date was over he offered to see me to my door but the night was young and I had some serious dancing to do. He took my decline as an example of how women don't know how to let men take care of them anymore. Interesting, patriarchal point of view, I thought.
• After telling my mother about a fun night out recently, I was told that I should have been at home and would never meet a good man after dark. Further, she told me to do something new like getting married and having a baby. Even if I were interested in those activities, they are unfortunately not completely up to me.
• While standing outside my favorite dive bar on a Tuesday night on my cell phone, a young man selling newspapers stopped to talk. He thought it was odd that I (a woman) was outside after midnight. As if I should be aware, he insisted that it was his duty to make sure I was ok. Seeing that I was speechless, he walked away.

To many, the night is associated with freaks (freaks come out at night), crime, and dirty, nasty, behavior. And apparently, not suited for women. My brother-in-law says that women shouldn't be out at night. Funny how I've seen much stranger things during the day than at night. I'm also more likely to be harassed during the day: at work, walking, at the bank, at the grocery store, on the train....

Indeed, nightlife gets a bad rap. Consider the differences between day and night. The sun, while beautiful, can be damaging to the skin and eyes. Not true of the moon. I absolutely love the moon. It's beautiful, dreamy, sometimes reminds me of cheesecake, and astronauts have walked on it. Nobody is trying to walk on the sun. The city is quiet at night which allows one to think more clearly. Very different from daytime with all the loud noises and the hustle and bustle. I've had the most interesting, satisfying, and enlightening experiences at night.

So I happen to be a night owl. Does that make me bad? If so, too bad. I have felt comfortable being me for several years now and it wasn't easy. I'm proud of that. Maybe one day we can all celebrate what makes us unique.

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