Blame It On Rio

This weekend was a little different for me. We had a guest DJ come in and play for part of the night on Saturday. Basically, he used to live here and then moved back to Rio, where he's become a well known and well traveled DJ. I was acquainted with him when he lived here... anyway, he was in town for the weekend and wanted a chance to play for his adopted hometown crowd. As much as I enjoyed the prospect of a night off (well, half a night, at least), I have to confess that I was feeling a little territorial when I was asked if I would mind. Nonetheless, it was the right thing to do and I didn't hesitate when I was asked -- the right thing to do rarely is easy or fun.

Anyway, I vacated the booth at midnight, just when the crowd really starting to get into it. Again, not really happy about it, but a deal is a deal. I headed down to the dance floor and realized that I really didn't know what to do with myself -- so I took several laps around the bar and tried to be social -- its not one of my strengths, to be honest. If I like the music, I prefer to find a spot on the dance floor and keep to myself. In this case, the music wasn't really a style I cared for, which meant I needed to find a way to occupy myself, as the manager wanted me to hang around in case he decided to have me play for afterhours.

I've never been good at small talk - I tend to lose interest very quickly and move on, which makes for short conversations. Nonetheless, I made several laps to say hello to friends I don't get much chance to socialize with. It was strange being able to stay and chat rather than having to constantly run back up to the DJ booth.

And then a funny thing happened -- I met a friend of a lesbian friend of mine. She's straight, in grad school working on her Ph.D. and considering law school. To boot, her boyfriend is a DJ in LA. The connection was immediate and we just had a lot to talk about -- so much so that my friend complained that I was monopolizing her. Heh. So, I ended up giving her my phone number and e-mail address in hope that we could get a chance to talk later. Yes, the phenomenon of me giving my phone number to a woman is something from an alternate reality. Of course, for the record, this isn't a romantic thing by any means. Just someone I really connected and enjoyed talking with, maybe someone I need to get to know.

The strangeness of the evening didn't stop there. I ended up talking with a guy who had briefly worked for the bar, but that I hadn't seen in a few weeks. He was definitely someone I thought was quite attractive, but didn't give much thought to. This time around we actually got a chance to talk and he was intelligent and interesting. What's more, we ended up talking for a decent bit before he went to go locate his friends. I don't know if he's gay, I don't know if he's interested in the least. For once, though, I don't really care. Its nice to be able to enjoy getting to someone, even if its just a little bit, without any other motive... Will there be more to come? I don't know and even though I'd dig it if there is, the great part is being ok with things either way.

You know, doing the right thing can bring its rewards too, and that's a real comfort after this past week.