The End of Boys Night Out...

So now more time stamps, I think I was confusing people....more of a cinematic thing so I'll abandon my creative side:

Continued from:

TIME STAMP 06/04/09 8:50 pm - 9:30 pm

Juan is down to Earth, funny, and genuine. Same with Nik...fate took me to the right place. Juan grabs his shift meal and to my astonishment asks us if we want anything. He got the appetizer combo plate, his usual and seems begging to share. We both decline but that doesn't stop him from whipping both of us up a plate with a sample of everything...doesn't stop us from wolfing it down either....

Juan is an old school bartender only 30 something,but he's still got the essences of the ones that you see in 1940s movies. extremely philosophical and good-natured. We all jaw about the Southwest and Broncos (Juan grew up in New Mexico for the most part). Talk about small towns and how his gas station is closed on Sundays so if you need to fill up you're walking 60 miles to the next one. I talk about how sometimes its necessary to snowshoe to school...Nik doesn't add much in about that but Juan playfully throws a Slumdog smart-ass comment in...we all laugh.

Terry shows up, another member of their Fiddler's Entourage...Terry is.....well LOUD. But the type of loud that you like to have around...Johnny "Drama" loud.

The place is clearing out quicker than cockroaches running away from the light. Apparently this os the "chill" spot from 4 pm- 9pm. The night rolls around and L.A. clubs fill up....

The guys seem to have a regular routine, a ritualized bonding consisting of drinking back at Juan's. I'm packing up to go and Juan quizzically asks me where I'm going.

"Home"

"No you're not, you're rolling with us, to 'The Towers'"

The towers he's referring to are La Brea Towers. Built to house all the WWII soldiers coming back from the war and dumping into the cities. We learned about it in Rural Sociology, it was known as the U.S. 'Great Urban Migration.' Anyway we head into the apartment and as you know by previous descriptions Terry cannot shut up...He's like Austin Powers after cyro-freeze.

We all stopped by 7-Eleven before and grab beer. I get Bud Light and they won't stop ripping on me...

"Hey guys you about ready to roll to the frat party"
"Who wants to play beer pong?"
"Hold on let me get some Busch Light"

I give it right back to them...

"You sure you don't want to wait 45 minutes to drink that wine, let the Tannens settle."
"You guys should come out with me tomorrow night, oh wait it's game night with all the other 30 somethings, don't you need to get a colonoscopy when you hit 3-0...no that's 40.....or are you there too?"

The conversation moves quickly as all these guys are accustomed to each others quips and tricks...I try to settle into their groove of friendship and do so fairly easily, until we start to talk about passed jobs.

Juan just had a pair of REALLY expensive Alligator skin shoes redone for 45 bucks. He's psyched because they're the only thing he wants to wear from his stint as a sales associate at Abercrombie and Fitch up in Beverly Hills.

His boss gave them to him along with a "Purple Suit." We're all talking about how snooty and pretentious Beverly Hills is...and the entire fake nature of that section of L.A. culture. They're asking why a stand-up, honest, heart-on-your sleeve kid like me wants to get into it.

"I want to be that guy that breaks the mold."

We continue to roast rich people and I stick my foot in my mouth.

"Like your boss, promising you all this cool shit and free stuff and what does he give you? A suit that you can only wear to a 70s party with a fluffy purple hat."

Followed by HYSTERICAL LAUGHTER....

5 minutes go by and they can';t catch their breath long enough to tell m what's so funny.

So this naive mountain kid didn't know "Purple Suit" refers to the tag and price. I guess its a $10,000 or up suit....Juan was bitching he's never going to use it because he doesn't wear outfits like that...and I thought it was velvet purple, made for a good story and great laugh.

We move up to the roof so they could give me the L.A. experience.

It's amazing....I did this before I saw the Hangover thank you very much.

But it was like that scene in the movie where they start on the roof...just no Roofilin.

Conversation ranged from politics (Talking to Terry is like talking to Ari Emmanuel's brother), to movies, to L.A. attractions (they all talk about how tourists see more of L.A. than them), to fashion (I guess there's an "Alley" in the "Fashion District" downtown that hawks all the newest designs and stuff for ridiculously cheap. All the stuff made for runways and shows, that either don't get a line or were specific to that show.

All in all it was a good night. I went home with my buzz wearing off and a great feeling that this town is all manicures and plastic surgery.