Tag: nightlife

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personal

A mini-celebration

Dinner at The Mark

Him: Let’s get a date for dinner. With beautiful WAGs.
Me: Works for us!
Him: I was thinking The Mark?
Me: I’m more of a Grey’s Papaya kinda guy but that would work for us. We can’t do any earlier than 6:15, though, because of the rug rats.
Him: You can just leave them outside by the curb. OK, 7PM The Mark. More appropriate to the occasion.

The NFL Player and Thor dropped me a line the other day. They wanted to take me out to celebrate our getting engaged – wives and girlfriends included.

So, one cold evening, we bundled up, got our passports, and headed over to the east side of town to meet up at The Mark Hotel Jean-Georges restaurant.

I’d never been although I’ve driven by it dozens of times.

It was gorgeous inside.

It’s funny because the three of us were among the older people at our old gym; so, we immediately got to talking about alla our injuries.

Me: How’s your shoulder?
Thor: Eh, ok. How’s your back?
Me: (shrugging) Same.

On top of that, could barely read the menu because of the small print and the darkness of the restaurant so the NFL Player lent me his reading glasses.

Me: We’re hitting a new level here, fellas.

The NFL Player’s wife also deals with some back issues.

Her: You know, I could get you a pillow for your back. These seats will be difficult.
Me: OMG, I’ve reached this point in my life.
Her: (waving her hand) It’s fine. I’ll have one of the staff get you something.

And she did. And it was glorious.

The rest of the night was more highly inappropriate conversation, which I won’t repeat here.

Thor’s wife: …so lucky.
Me: (shocked and laughing) Jesus Christ, you barely had anything to drink yet.
Her: (dismissing it and laughing) Oh, I don’t need alcohol to be like this.

The food was absolutely killer – I ordered the steak…

…and got one of those tiny bottles of tabasco that I find so cute, to boot.

The Firecracker also enjoyed her dish and got dessert, which we shared, even though I really shouldn’t have.

Also tried some of Thor’s desert as well.

Afterward, we made our way back to the Upper West Side and civilization.

Her: Your friends are really nice.
Me: Agreed. I have no idea why they like hanging out with me.

Location: a winter wonderland(ish)
Mood: tired
Music: a middle aged man settled down on my soul but I’m not that old (Spotify)
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My annual office party

Sweet enough

Despite my not being regularly in the office since just before Alison got sick, I still get an invite to the law firm office party every single year.

Just like with my college buddies, I’m just happy to be invited.

This year, we went to Rossini’s, which was like stepping into a Mad Men restaurant in the 50s.

Waiter: Would you like some wine?
Me: I’ll have an Old Fashioned with rye, not very sweet if you got it.
Him: Not very sweet?
Me: Nah, I’m sweet enough.

There was a new paralegal who was originally from Texas that just started at the office.

Me: So, if one of us were to visit you in your small town, what would be the one place we’d have to go?
Her: (laughing) No place.
Me: None? There’s gotta be someplace.
Her: I’d have to bring you to Austin – cause there’s nothing to see where I’m from.

She’s going to law school at some point, so we got to talking about law school.

Me: Never thought I’d ever say this but, I look back fondly at law school.
Young Associate: Me too. It was a while ago. I graduated in 2015.
Me: Jesus, I graduated in 1998.
Another Associate: I wasn’t born yet.
Me: (nodding) Well, this party’s going well.

We also got to discussing some of the more interesting cases and clients we have. Because I’ve not been around the office as much, it was nice to feel back in the mix of things, however briefly.

Because of attorney-client privilege I can discuss any of the things we discussed but…man, I wish I could.

Me: Honestly, the law is great – both the practice and the mindset. The issue is always the client.
Partner: That is so true.

Afterward, we all parted ways outside of Grand Central.

Boss: No matter how many times I’ve been here, it’s always impressive. New York is always impressive.
Me: It is. That’s why I’m not sure I could ever leave.

Went through Grand Central to make it home.

There was a Christmas Market going on.

Gotta remember to bring the kid here to check it all out one of these days.

There really isn’t anyplace like NYC during the holidays.

The holidays are getting better for me, slowly but surely.

I still miss Alison terribly, but time makes things bearable.

Editor’s Note: I may or not post for Friday.

Hope you have a wonderful holiday, and I’ll see you soon.

Location: NJ, having dinner with the fam
Mood: caffeinated and egg-nogged, all at once
Music: I think I’m over thinking (Spotify)
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A pre-holiday party

Freedom, yeah!

After Alison died, I really retreated into myself and made a lot of new connections, most of which are gone now for one reason or another.

But I continued to be invited out to things by my friends, despite my usual reluctance to leave the house.

With the Firecracker, though, I feel like I’m back in the world again.

To wit, The NFL Player invited us all to his pad for a pre-Thanksgiving dinner party so off we all went.

Thor was also there, which made for some interesting conversation.

Thor’s Wife: I’ve had a few drinks, so I was wondering if the stereotype is true.
Firecracker: (showing up) What’s the conversation?
Thor: We’re talking about Logan and his [stuff].
Her: Oh, that? Pleasantly surprised. Not all stereotypes are true.
Thor: Yup.
Me: I asked you to keep that to yourself, Thor.

Needed a lot more alcohol after that as that was the topic of conversation for longer than I woulda wanted.

Having said that, I stuffed myself silly as there was an entire tray of smoked brisket.

Legit, I regret that I ran outta room to put more of it into me.

The NFL Player lives right on Central Park West with a killer view of the parade path.

This meant that, on the walk home, the kids got to run around in the streets – which were closed off – and fully took advantage of that.


My kid is yelling, “Freedom!!!” here.

It was a great night and everyone went home completely stuffed.

But Thanksgiving was the very next day and my family was coming over for the very first time, ever.

Location: my desk, wondering if I should take the gig
Mood: ache-y
Music: If legends are loud and built to stand out (Spotify)
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Big Apple Circus, Pt 2

44 years between shows

The rest of the acts were all equally amazing.

There was the acrobat that dangled above the hard floor without a net…

…and then reappeared later to hang off her partner’s neck.

Me: Man, my back hurts just watching that.
Him: (laughs)

Oh, speaking of backs, on the walk there, we were all getting drenched, but it was also destroying my back sitting there for a solid hour.

Me: (to the usher) Hey man, I’ve got a crap back. Can I do some squats in the hallway?
Him: (laughing) Sure. Sorry to hear about your back.
Me: (nodding and starting to do some squats) Yeah, I’m sorry to say it. Getting older stinks but is still better than the alternative.

There was only one animal act (dogs) versus what I remember as kids, but otherwise, it was still a lot of what I remember as a kid.

There were jugglers…

…tightrope walkers…

…aerialists…

…and clowns.

The boys were dying laughing with the clowns.

Walking home was absolutely brutal because the rain plus sitting for two hours destroyed my back.

But it was all worth it because the kids were so jazzed about seeing the circus for the first time.

Me: What did you think?
Him: I loved it! Can we go again?
Me: Sure, maybe next year?
Him: A whole year!?!
Me: Hey, I waited 44 years between shows.
Him: 44…?! Wow…you’re so old.

Location: about to head out to Japanese BBQ with the Firecracker’s family
Mood: beat tired
Music: sometimes the truth is harder than the pain (Spotify)
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Movie Premier: Gladiator II

(c) 2024 Getty Images

Cray Rachet

Scenic Fights got an invitation to a pre-release screening of Gladiator II the other day.

I got picked to go pretty much just because it’s walking distance from my pad.

So, the other night, the Firecracker and I got dressed and took a little walk to the movie theatre.

We arrived and immediately queued to have our pictures taken.

The main picture above is the Getty image that we took.

I asked the gentlemen to not be so much taller than me but, clearly, they didn’t comply.

While she was queuing, I went to get us drinks.

Me: Can I get a Gladiator for my date, and I’ll have the Roman Empire, but toss in like two shots of vodka for me?
Bartender: You got it and good choice with the vodka.

It was really pretty good.

Afterward, we took our pics and then went to the other room for food…

…so much food.

The Firecracker managed to snag one of these cool little Colosseum popcorn buckets.

My producer asked me to get as many shots of myself as I could but the lighting in a movie theatre leaves a lot to be desired.

Speaking of leaving a lot to be desired, the flick itself was pretty good – I was surprised what a good job they did linking it up to the original that came out close to a quarter century ago.

The issue was that we were sitting next to possibly the most rachet group of influencers out there.

They were clearly suffering from Main Character syndrome with zero interest in the film – they were just talking loudly and texting the whole time.

Luckily, they left with 1/3 of the film to go – like I said, they had zero interest in the film.

All-in-all, it was a nice night out with the Firecracker and a good excuse to get dressed up.

I told her that we needed to get invited to a premier like for The Killer, which was awesome.

Her: That was fun!
Me: I thought so – our seat partners notwithstanding.
Her: Can’t win them all.
Me: Evidently not.

Location: court, again.
Mood: annoyed
Music: drinking in the dark, I don’t know where I wanna go (Spotify)
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Frozen Picklebacks

If only for a few weeks

Him: I’m so excited to come home!
Me: Not as much as I am, kiddo!

I picked up my kid from my in-laws the other day along with the Firecracker.

We stayed for a dinner of pizza and other delicious things.

Didn’t remember to take pics until after we ate almost everything but here’s a pic of some watermelon.

The Firecracker also got her kid as well, but – before we got them – she took the day off work so we could have one last night to ourselves, so we started the night early around the way.

Because it was so early, we were the first people in the bar, so she did some stupid human tricks – as in the main pic of this entry – which I enjoyed.

In another bar, I asked the bartender about the pea green drink they had.

Her: That? It’s a frozen pickleback. The people that like it are just awful. Do you wanna try some?
Me: How could I say no?
Her: (later) What did you think?
Me: It’s admittedly pretty awful…but I couldn’t stop drinking it.
Her: (nodding) Yeah…

She liked us enough to comp us some more shots…

…and we rounded things out with more drinks.

The kids are now back and we’re now back in parenting mode, which we both happy about.

Still, it was nice to be carefree if only for a few weeks.

Location: Governors Island, with my favourite tiny human and some of my fave normal-sized humans as well.
Mood: fatty-fat-fat
Music: Oh, I’ve finally decided my future lies beyond (Spotify)
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Drinking in Jersey City

There’s a joke here, somewhere

The Firecracker and I wanted to get outta New York City but we also didn’t wanna spend a ton of time traveling so we decided to just hit up Jersey City for the weekend.

So, bright and early on a Sunday, we headed out 40 minutes or so to the Grove Street PATH Station…

…and walked down their still-somewhat-new promenade.

We didn’t get far because she wanted a snack and I wanted some more iced green tea.

But we got to exploring and found, amongst other things, a combination wine store and pharmacy.

Her: This is so weird.
Me: There’s a joke here somewhere, I just can’t think of it.

In fact, we hit up a number of wine shops because I’ve been on the hunt for some mead lately.

Him: What is that?
Me: It’s kinda like wine made from honey.
Him: (laughs) Nah, we got nuthin like that.

We ended up walking into a gorgeous apartment that had an open house.

The Firecracker and I have been chatting about next steps in our relationship but that’s an entry – or three – for another time.

Her: Think of what you could cook in this thing!
Me: It’s pretty cool, I gotta say.

Afterward, we went to Barcade for a bit to read and relax a bit.

But it was super loud, and we were both getting hungry and Barcade’s kitchen was on the fritz.

So, I ordered her a slice of pizza and then we walked over to Zepplin Hall, a beergarden, to meet up with my SIL.

It was pretty empty when we got there, which suited us just fine.

We ordered some food and then my SIL came.

It was only 5PM so I figured we’d be done by 7PM.

I was very wrong.

We ended up ordering FIVE pitchers of alcohol along with several individual glasses…

…plus even more carbs…

…but we did also order a salad? So, yeah.

The ladies chatted for a bit…

…while I went out to get a bit of fresh air.

It was after 10PM by the time we stumbled outta there, we’d been there for five hours.

Shockingly, it only took us about 45 minutes to make it home.

Me: Did you have a fun night?
Her: (half-asleep) Yeah, you?
Me: I was with you and family. How could it be bad?
Her: (snores)
Me: (laughs)

Location: Governors Island, with my favourite tiny human and some of my fave normal-sized humans as well.
Mood: fatty-fat-fat
Music: She said ohh, hold on, hold on, hold on (Spotify)
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A Bohemian Dinner Rapsody

Not having an internal monologue

For some 18 months, I’d been trying to get a triple date lined up with Bryson and his wife, The Frenchman and his wife, and me and the Firecracker.

Bryson and the Frenchman were friends first, with the Frenchman being a white belt in BJJ when Bryson was a purple belt.

But, because life gets in the way, Bryson’s now a brown belt (4th level) but the Frenchman’s a black belt (5th level) and I’m still – laughably after over 20 years on-and-off – a blue (2nd level).

Like I said, life gets in the way.

Only found out through social media that they knew each other and, after we got together last time around, we’d been trying to do it again with no luck.

This past week, we’d finally arranged something – or so we thought.

Bryson: Hey guys I did not read the calendar right. We are [away next week after all]. We can do this Thursday or Friday.
Me: I’m putting this on your list.
Frenchman: Argh…that’s July 4th…sorry got a plan already.
Me: Is tomorrow out?
Bryson: We can do tomorrow.
Frenchman: Tomorrow 6:30-7pm would be the earliest.
Me: Wait, that works for us as well. 7PM tomorrow?
Frenchman: Oh, wow it’s happening.

So, after months of trying to plan something, we just randomly decided to meet up around the Frenchman’s pad within 24 hours.

The Firecracker suggested Bohemian Spirit as she knows I like Slavic food and the other fellas were game so off we went.

The Firecracker and I got there first.

Me: Oh man, this place is super cute.
Her: I figured you’d want to be able to take pics.
Me: (later, to waitress) Hey, do the chairs on the wall/ceiling mean something?
Waitress: (laughing) It means my boss was bored during COVID.

After a while, everyone else showed up.

While the Firecracker had met the Frenchman’s wife, Tess, before, and briefly met Bryson’s wife, Nikki, the two wives hadn’t met each other yet.

But, since everyone’s so chill, we all fell into a really easy conversation pretty quickly.

The food was killer to boot.

Me: Did you know that about 30% – or something – of people don’t have an internal monologue?
Frenchman: Wait, what does that mean? You have conversations with yourselves?
Firecracker: What? You don’t?
Me: You don’t talk to yourself?!
Nikki: I don’t talk to myself either.
Me: Whoa, is that 30%?
Firecracker: Your math is off.
Me: Asians are not known for their math skills.

Turns out that the Frenchman – and possibly Nikki but she was sitting farther from me – don’t have internal monologues.

Evidently, he thinks in images and concepts but doesn’t actually have a conversation with himself.

This was a pretty hot-button topic for us to end out the night but that’s more their story than mine, so I’ll stop here.

The Firecracker and I were stupid full, and she suggested that we walk home from the Upper East Side to the Upper West Side.

Her: It’s just like a mile. We can do that easy.
Me: Fine, but you’ll have to protect me if someone attacks us.

Can’t remember the last time that I walked across the park at night.

It was nice.

Actually, the whole evening was nice.

I’d do it again. Although, hopefully, earlier than 18 months.

Location: at another bar, limiting myself to a single burger
Mood: hot
Music: Will you let me go? بِسْمِ ٱللَّٰهِ! (Spotify)
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Hanging with Andy, Rob, and the Firecracker, Pt 2

Worth the trip

Both the Firecracker and I really enjoyed seeing Andy Grammer in concert, but the crowd was clearly mainly there for Matchbox Twenty.

Me?

Her: (after my fourth plate of food) You know there’s a concert going on?
Me: (in between bites) Didn’t notice.

Seriously, though, they were both excellent – if you can catch them both live, they’re worth the trip.

After the concert, we made our way home when I related to her an observation.

Me: I’m the only person of colour here!
Her: No, that’s not true. (pointing) There’s one, and there’s another…
Me: This is still the whitest concert I’ve ever been to.
Her: (laughing) You’ve never been to a Kid Rock concert.

No plans to see one either.

This was honestly one of the best concerts I’d ever been to because I really liked both the opening and main acts.

Me: I woulda seen both of them separately for that amount of money.
Her: Well, if nothing else, you ate that much in food. You had FIVE plates of food!
Me: Your jealousy is palpable.

We actually got back to the city somewhat early.

Me: Do you wanna get a drink?
Her: Sure!

So, we popped into the Emerald Inn for a quick cranberry and vodka (I was just starting to get sick).

Her: Did you have a good night?
Me: Andy Grammer, Matchbox Twenty, unlimited food, and a nightcap with a hot blonde to end the evening? I’d say so.
Her: (beaming) Same.

Location: about to have some Slavic food
Mood: less sick
Music: I’m hopeless, I’m bleeding and broken, though I’ve never spoken (Spotify)
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Hanging with Andy, Rob, and the Firecracker, Pt 1

Seeing a concert

Me: Can’t on Thursday. I’m catching Matchbox 20 with the Firecracker.
Brother: Matchbox 20? Shouldn’t they be at least Matchbox 50 by now?

The last major music concert I went to was 16 years ago with Alison at the Prudential Center, just a year after it first opened.

That’s because there aren’t a ton of artists I’d wanna see in exchange for the hassle of getting to and from a concert.

I’m fully embracing my inner crotchety-old-man.

When I first met the Firecracker, told her that Matchbox Twenty / Rob Thomas and Andy Grammer were the only people that I’d see but that list has grown somewhat to also include:

But that girl pays attention.

She told me that Andy Grammer was opening up for Matchbox Twenty at the Prudential Center the other day, and she got us tickets.

Her: AND…I got us seats with unlimited food!
Me: What?!
Her: Yup!

See, Matchbox Twenty and Rob Thomas’s Streetcorner Symphany was on repeat during my first breakup with the Reporter.

And after Alison got sick, his song Her Diamonds would always make me cry.

Ergo, I was super jazzed to see them both on this double-header.

So, last Thursday, we headed out to see him from Manhattan…

…but ended up taking the wrong PATH train in NJ, so we had to hitch an Uber.

Her: I don’t wanna miss Andy Grammer!
Me: (waving hand) Nah, they never start on time.

He started right on time.

Opens mouth. Inserts foot.

As soon as we walked in, we heard him playing Fine by Me, one of our favourite songs.

But, while the Firecracker was anxious to get seated to enjoy the concert, I had other priorities.

She wasn’t joking about the unlimited food.

Ended up getting five plates of food and four full cups of drinks before the night was over.

Six plates if you count that the Firecracker got us dessert at the end.

Andy: I’m like the golden retriever of music and I’m ok with that.

Anywho, getting back to the concert, I particularly like Andy Grammar, not just because I enjoy his music, but also because he and I seem to share a similar point of view when it comes to our art.

His music routinely gets criticized because its relentlessly upbeat.

Yet, I don’t have an issue with that because, what is life if not a tragedy fulla joy?

We can focus on the tragedy part or the joy part.

In any case, I just missed seeing Andy in concert a while ago with RE Mike a couplea years back, so this was a chance to finally get to see him perform.

He didn’t disappoint.

Her: Man, he’s so good, live!
Me: He really is! (getting up to get more food)
Her: You’re getting more food? You’re missing the entire concert.
Me: The food’s not gonna eat itself!

I’ll wrap this up in the next entry.

Location: sick at my desk
Mood: see above
Music: I know it’s hard to remember sometimes but you gotta keep your head up (Spotify)
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