Fine Art

No this is not going to be about pieces at the Smithsonian or at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, rather this is about a different fine art, the art of meeting someone at a bar. For those of you who have found the love of your life, or the love of right now you have no need for this. But for the rest of us there is a certain dance that goes on when visiting a nightclub or bar and thinking about actually meeting someone. I am by no means an expert on this and still learning.

There is the first look, the look across the bar through the haziness of maybe one too many drinks. The look tries to define if both parties are interested and approve of the other one’s looks. Now in the past this was relatively easy for all you needed to do was look at any body of the opposite sec and you were good to go. Now however in the city we need to have our gaydar out to help identify if that person we are eyeing up is straight or not. But lets pass that right now, after that first look it is up to the guy to approach and with all the confidence of an NFL Linebacker engage in conversation. Now this is ripe with its own possible pitfalls as that first look might have been nothing more than a casual look catching eyes with multiples across the bar. By fear not once that first conversation is struck the ice is broken and you are in for the haul, long or short is for you to decide. There are times when conversation dies early due to lack of compatibility and then you have that gap in conversation, you know that awkward moment when both are trying to find an excuse to retreat to their separate corners without making it obvious that they are retreating. Otherwise armed with a phone number they might return as a general would after conquering the barbarians of the North.

If this all sounds complicated and a lot of work, well that’s exactly how it feels occasionally at the bar. Sometimes going for just a simple drink is not just that. Good night all I need to get some shuteye.