Saturday: Brian, Elmyr, and Hexxt
Saturday morningwell, more like Saturday afternoonI woke up and Brian was here. Wed been expecting him but I was half expecting him to bail at the last minute like last time. So even though I knew he was coming I was surprised to see him. Its been a while since weve had any visitors from Asheville.
Brian and I went to Elmyr so we could catch up on things over a pitcher of PBR and yummy food. Elmyrs steak tacos are ecstasy for my taste buds. It was nice hanging out with Brian again after it being so long. It sucks that the stupid shit about hocking my camera had to come between our friendship for several months.
I also finally got the name of one of the waitresses at Elmyr. Ive been a regular there for a couple of years and the ladies that work there definitely make me feel right at home but Ive always been too shy to ask any of them their names. Even when one of them was getting me blitzed on free shots on my birthday. This time, though, it wasnt terribly busy and the waitress brought out a round of shots to do with us when she brought our check. So I took the opportunity to ask and she said her name was Kim. Kim is awesome. Id really like to get to know her better but I always feel like trying to get too personable with service staff would make them uncomfortable or annoyed. I suppose because Ive not figured out how to ask someone out platonically without feeling like it sounds like Im asking for a date. This is why I dont get to know a lot of people better that Id really like to get to know better. For a guy who sleeps between two lovely ladies and has a ton of friends and good acquaintances, Im awfully socially inept.
After Elmyr, Brian and I did a little shopping to get ready for Hexxt. I really wanted Brian to come out to Hexxt, both so he could see how awesome the people in the scene here are and so he could see how cool the venue Im having my birthday party is. Unfortunately, Brian is so used to the unfriendly, excessively cliquish and not fun scene in Asheville that it was hard to get him not to back out.
Fortunately, we did get Brian to come out with us to Hexxt and it turned out quite well. I cant remember ever seeing him so engaged in a public social setting. Normally at clubs he becomes withdrawn in the first hour but at Hexxt he was laughing and smiling and having fun all night long. The regulars all made him feel quite welcome and hes already eager to make another trip down from Asheville for the next Hexxt (and maybe next weekend for Phobia).
There were only two things about this last Hexxt that werent positive. The first was when I got there with Brenda and Brian (Debra had to wait until Mark got home to watch the kids before joining us) I had brought three bottles of alcoholic refreshment and was carrying it in a paper sack. The door people asked me to take the stuff out of the bag, which was fine, but one of them picked up the bag while I was still getting my bottles stickered and asked me if I wanted it. I said no, I dont need it to which he responded haughtily Well, I dont want it.
I know this is being kind of nit-picky and over-sensitive, but I have to deal with rude people enough at work. I dont like having to deal with them when Im at play. If he wanted me to do something with the bag he should have just said so. That would have been fine, as I recognize that ultimately the bag was mine and was therefore my responsibility. I was planning to throw it away anyway but since he picked it up and asked me if I wanted it, I made the natural assumption that he was offering to dispose of it since he was two feet from the trash can and I was preoccupied getting my party paid up and tagged. I guess from his response hed expected me to drop what I was doing, take the bag, walk around the counter to throw it in the trash can he was standing right next to, then walk back around the counter to finish getting checked in and had assumed I would understand that expectation from him asking me if I wanted the bag. Its just a small thing and not a big deal at all, but it definitely annoyed the crap out of me and stands out in my mind as the first low point of the evening.
There was really only one other low point, though far more significant than a minor bit of poor customer service. In the middle of the evening a freak show called Sleazoid performed. Essentially, this bands art is to wallow in pigs blood and simulated excrement while simulating masturbation with strap ons and imitating mongoloid scat fetishists. While the show itself was crap in and of itselffunny for the first few minutes then completely pointless after that as it was really all the same thing for the entirety of their setthe serious problem was the smell. They made the main room stink to high heaven. It was absolutely awful and I know at least a handful of people who couldnt stay after that. They also slimed Debra a little bit when they came outside to wash off and brushed by her. Very, very not cool. It really cast a damper on the evening. A lot of people were very, very put off by the use of pigs blood and intestines, which I hear the band had promised they wouldnt use. Live and learn, I guess. Hopefully it didnt scare away too many first timers.
Everything else about the evening was great, though. Artemis performed a bit with fire. Some of the costumes that were there were fantastic. I met some cool new people and hung out with some of my favorite familiar faces. We all had a great time, as we usually do when we go to anything at the Spring4th Center.
Saturday morningwell, more like Saturday afternoonI woke up and Brian was here. Wed been expecting him but I was half expecting him to bail at the last minute like last time. So even though I knew he was coming I was surprised to see him. Its been a while since weve had any visitors from Asheville.
Brian and I went to Elmyr so we could catch up on things over a pitcher of PBR and yummy food. Elmyrs steak tacos are ecstasy for my taste buds. It was nice hanging out with Brian again after it being so long. It sucks that the stupid shit about hocking my camera had to come between our friendship for several months.
I also finally got the name of one of the waitresses at Elmyr. Ive been a regular there for a couple of years and the ladies that work there definitely make me feel right at home but Ive always been too shy to ask any of them their names. Even when one of them was getting me blitzed on free shots on my birthday. This time, though, it wasnt terribly busy and the waitress brought out a round of shots to do with us when she brought our check. So I took the opportunity to ask and she said her name was Kim. Kim is awesome. Id really like to get to know her better but I always feel like trying to get too personable with service staff would make them uncomfortable or annoyed. I suppose because Ive not figured out how to ask someone out platonically without feeling like it sounds like Im asking for a date. This is why I dont get to know a lot of people better that Id really like to get to know better. For a guy who sleeps between two lovely ladies and has a ton of friends and good acquaintances, Im awfully socially inept.
After Elmyr, Brian and I did a little shopping to get ready for Hexxt. I really wanted Brian to come out to Hexxt, both so he could see how awesome the people in the scene here are and so he could see how cool the venue Im having my birthday party is. Unfortunately, Brian is so used to the unfriendly, excessively cliquish and not fun scene in Asheville that it was hard to get him not to back out.
Fortunately, we did get Brian to come out with us to Hexxt and it turned out quite well. I cant remember ever seeing him so engaged in a public social setting. Normally at clubs he becomes withdrawn in the first hour but at Hexxt he was laughing and smiling and having fun all night long. The regulars all made him feel quite welcome and hes already eager to make another trip down from Asheville for the next Hexxt (and maybe next weekend for Phobia).
There were only two things about this last Hexxt that werent positive. The first was when I got there with Brenda and Brian (Debra had to wait until Mark got home to watch the kids before joining us) I had brought three bottles of alcoholic refreshment and was carrying it in a paper sack. The door people asked me to take the stuff out of the bag, which was fine, but one of them picked up the bag while I was still getting my bottles stickered and asked me if I wanted it. I said no, I dont need it to which he responded haughtily Well, I dont want it.
I know this is being kind of nit-picky and over-sensitive, but I have to deal with rude people enough at work. I dont like having to deal with them when Im at play. If he wanted me to do something with the bag he should have just said so. That would have been fine, as I recognize that ultimately the bag was mine and was therefore my responsibility. I was planning to throw it away anyway but since he picked it up and asked me if I wanted it, I made the natural assumption that he was offering to dispose of it since he was two feet from the trash can and I was preoccupied getting my party paid up and tagged. I guess from his response hed expected me to drop what I was doing, take the bag, walk around the counter to throw it in the trash can he was standing right next to, then walk back around the counter to finish getting checked in and had assumed I would understand that expectation from him asking me if I wanted the bag. Its just a small thing and not a big deal at all, but it definitely annoyed the crap out of me and stands out in my mind as the first low point of the evening.
There was really only one other low point, though far more significant than a minor bit of poor customer service. In the middle of the evening a freak show called Sleazoid performed. Essentially, this bands art is to wallow in pigs blood and simulated excrement while simulating masturbation with strap ons and imitating mongoloid scat fetishists. While the show itself was crap in and of itselffunny for the first few minutes then completely pointless after that as it was really all the same thing for the entirety of their setthe serious problem was the smell. They made the main room stink to high heaven. It was absolutely awful and I know at least a handful of people who couldnt stay after that. They also slimed Debra a little bit when they came outside to wash off and brushed by her. Very, very not cool. It really cast a damper on the evening. A lot of people were very, very put off by the use of pigs blood and intestines, which I hear the band had promised they wouldnt use. Live and learn, I guess. Hopefully it didnt scare away too many first timers.
Everything else about the evening was great, though. Artemis performed a bit with fire. Some of the costumes that were there were fantastic. I met some cool new people and hung out with some of my favorite familiar faces. We all had a great time, as we usually do when we go to anything at the Spring4th Center.