Friday, February 10, 2006

L'Chaim

After laying low for most of the week due to long hours and a blistering wind bashing my face on the walk home every night, I decided enough was enough when Thursday night rolled around. A girl friend of mine, one who I had sort of lost touch with was having a “I just quit my job” happy hour get-together at bar in my neighborhood.

The bar reminds of that Sam Adams commercial when the group of guys walk up to the bar ask “what kind of beer do you have?” and a beautiful German woman says “we have 245 different kinds of beer, here, at this now (drops a huge phone book style menu on the bar) and call me when you’re ready.” The guy, only seconds later says “I’ll have a Sam Adams please.” This place literally has a glazed wooden bar that is the length of a football field with taps as far as the eye can see. The lighting is really unique too. It almost has a ski lodge feel…there is just enough to see every face and every tap, but not much more. I only bring this up because after looking at my cell phone for a few seconds I looked up can had to readjust my eyes. Kind of like going to a matinee movie and then walking outside only to find a blinding sunny day!

The group of girls, four of them at this point were all very nice. They looked a little blah at first, their glasses were all empty and I thought they were actually getting ready to leave. But as it turns out, they were just waiting for their next round and were probably just as tired I was, from an ass-kicking week. I really had a good time talking to one girl in particular. She looked just like Tina Fay from SNL. The hair color, style, jaw line, she even had the glasses to boot! (looking back, it might have just been the glasses…just go with it)

We ended up talking about everything from the small liberal arts, women only college (a far cry from my academic institute, Arizona State University) she attended and met my friend to raising kids in private schools verses public schools. I love when good conversation happens when all you were expecting was a mish-mosh of small talk. We actually really didn’t have much of a choice to talk. We were jam packed in the middle seats of what was probably a 4-6 person seating area, which was now occupied by 8 people and their coats. That’s being in a bar, in a big city, in the dead of winter! However, coats and all, it was a pretty good time.

After a few beers of some foreign decent and distinctive flavor I departed for another bar in my neighborhood. I met a few friends of mine who were getting the first part of a bar triathlon going; PGA Golf, a staple in some bars and companion to some guys. Once that potion of this very trying athletic event was over, we moved to the next event, Darts. I love and wish I played more darts. The best part of playing was the two very attractive girls who asked if they could play winner. They were both Jewish (and before you jump down my keyboard for being prejudice, we were talking about how a classic early 90’s song reminded them of their Bat mitzvahs) and both very attractive. One a little more than the other, but isn’t that always the case?

They were both tiny and perfectly dressed. By that I mean they were dressed for the type of establishment they were experiencing. This would be a good time to tell you that this bar does dollar drafts and shot specials. A very local, almost perfect post college bar. There is nothing worse than being in a bar like this one, and seeing girls dressed to the nines! And I’m not saying these young ladies were wearing pj's, they just looked sexy with out going over the top. They are both attending law school here in the city and actually live about 500 yards from my building. One lives in a beautiful, twin towered, all windowed, white-gloved doorman building that I actually live across the street from…rough huh?

The only thing that I didn’t get or understand or possibly just missed was this: I thought the witty banter and flirtatious words were bouncing back and forth between the shorter one and I at a rapid rate. That is, until I mentioned something about Christmas. It was like as soon as the words came out of my mouth she was less interested or maybe not interested at all. I am not religious to say the least, but as she could now tell that I was not Jewish. (I know what some of you are thinking, there’s Jew-dar, just like gay-dar and that she knew I wasn’t Jewish the second I met her and that could be true) This kind of upsets me. I mean that would be like me not wanting to talk to her at all because she is Jewish. But why is it less severe or completely ok, for her to stop talking or lose interest because I’m not Jewish?

I know I’m probably blowing this out of proportion or just making a mountain out of a Matzo ball but let me know what you think…What if a Jewish girl were to meet a perfect match, that happened not to be Jewish, but would convert his life and beliefs for her, but she never gets to know that important piece of information because she doesn’t give him a chance???

Thanks for listening

8 comments:

  1. im on the emerald isle and found your blog:from the sound of you:how could any girls say no:jewish or not

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  2. HONGKONG-ORIENTAL CITY REPORTING IN-YOU SMOOTH WRITER-YOU ARE LIFE EXPERIENCED-DONT STOPPY

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  3. lol....I can't help but to wonder if someone is winding you up!

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  4. I think I have a feeling who the culprit is...Only time will tell though...

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  5. As a Jewish woman, I'm going to risk being kicked out of the tribe to let you in on a little secret. It's a three parter. For me, there's something about being about to kiss a man and then moments later swap stories about Passover and Bar/Bat Mitzvahs. For many other Jewish women, the goal in life is to simply segue from daddy's dole to a hubby's dole. She'll stick with similar traits to her dad (Jewish) because he hasn't let her down yet. Lastly, for some reason unkwown to me because I have yet to truly experience this rumor, Jewish men are known to take care of their women. The only women my ex's properly looked after was their mothers.

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  6. Thanks for the insight! I understand wanting to have common trends of the past to converse over, but are they essential to move forward. I hope that the differences between us and our pasts gives me something I could have never otherwise obtained. I imagine those differences being what makes "us" that much better of a person.

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  7. Dear Just Some Guy:

    Were you a philosophy major? You have a (wonderful) way of taking the mundane and making it interesting if not intriguing.

    All good points but when a princess wants to upgrade from shopping at Bloomies to shopping at Bergdorfs, "us" isn't the issue. Damn that is sad and pathetic. Which is why I stick with Saks, a retailer happily floating somewhere between the two B's, and leave it at that.

    Regards,
    A True Fan

    PS: Thanks for the link!

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