This is something I would be called twice in one night. There was a period in time when I liked to wear Von Dutch caps. I must confess my initial impetus to get one of the caps was watching an MTV special on "It" clothing and the first chance I got, I headed to nordstrom to get a hat or two. But unlike a lot of people who wore them mainly during that time period, I still wear mine on occasion.
Last night was one of those nights that's part-blur, part survival-horror movie waiting to happen, if somehow Washington D.C mysteriously had its water supply infected by a malevolent plumber recently kicked out of a closed doors Union meeting.
People would comment on my hat twice for the night. My first stop was a house party somewhere on Otis street. This is near the lovely Wonderland, to the tune of six or seven blocks. I always like house parties, because they remove the touch of skank that a bar can give to meeting someone, but if you have enough alcohol and people a house party can get skanky too.
This night wouldn't be skanky. A few people are watching an LSU home game, and before I say hello i'm offered Alligator meat. I cringe inwardly, trying to make mention of the fact that I eat little or no meat, but I'm trying not to come off like a prude when I'm in the house for thirty seconds. "Please have a bite!" my friend asks me, holding up a very red sliver of "gator meat". I smile.
"Can I get a drink before I start eating anything guys?"
Even though this does not sound humorous when I qoute this, it created enough laughs to create a temporary diversion. I then proceeded to the Kitchen to get something to drink. It was a nice place, fitting into the typical Row House theme i'm getting accustomed to seeing. This party was an LSU party, but grew to a bigger size because 70% of the people invited weren't LSU fans, and were out on the deck.
After a few minutes I found myself on the deck as well, talking passionately with a very Chirpy Archaeologist, a cool NGO worker, the head of fundraising for a Musician's committee and a bunch of other people. It was one of the three K's---three girls I would meet that night with extensions of the name 'Kat"--who would say something extremely interesting to me.
Kate, the archaeologist had that almost tv-like super-blonde bubbly energy. It was very cute.
"Tell me what you are passsionate about." She said, after telling me just why Archeology was just the coolest thing ever. I proceeded to go into a light talk about choosing a career and how often times if you are in school some classes you might hate, some you might like, but inevitably you might hate more classes than you like unless you choose the perfect career. Kat, who's career I was not aware of, explained her theory on it.
"I make all my classes interesting in my own way. For example, if I'm in a Math class, I just sit down and say to myself, 'well... what if you take X number of parents without children in Rwanda and Y number of Orphans in Bosnia and add them together?' that's how I do it."
I guess it made sense, but hopefully she was mixing her math class with her international relations one. This dialogue continued for a while and people sipped wine,wine wine. My friend gave me his reason why wine was so good two days before. "Wine is friendly with you. It sits with you in a nice, easy way, you know?" I have to agree. You can drink five or six glasses of wine, thinking it won't mess you up until you stand up and fall face first on the pavement. Thankfully, that wasn't me.
Our host hopped outside for a second, mentioning that they would be having a nice "recreation time" upstairs. "Ah," I said. "That kind of recreation."
"I don't do coke." she replied. "Maybe if I worked in a Law Firm in Georgetown, that would be expected, but its just weed here man."
I nodded as she said this (to me, "recreation time" meant smoking, not snorting.)
I was hoping the party would spillover into Wonderland, but apparently the night was hot. There were two more parties going on at various spots all nearby. "What are the parties" I asked Katherine---number three of three K's---who replied: "Well, there's a 70's party somewhere on Euclid and then there's a white trash party on 17th".
I'm not sure why it was a 'white trash' party, and I didn't ask. The 70's party sounded pretty interesting though. We walked down the road for a few moments, and I ended up talking about bikes with a guy who was at the party who reminds me of a really tall version of an actor I can't remember. This conversation about bikes became attractive, and a random guy in a straw hat and white shorts began explaining how he bought a Dahmler-Mercedes bike for 300 dollars and it was piece of crap. I didn't even know you had bikes branded that way (Dahlmer-Mercedes?)
I ran over to Wonderland for a brief moment. The staff were all wearing "Columbia Heights Day" shirts and tank tops and I was envious. I ran into a guy I've seen three times in my life. Once at my friend's Japanese party two yeras ago, second at Wonderland on Friday, and Thirdly on my five minute stop at the W on this Saturday. We talk black politics in bars for forty-five seconds(i.e they were there to get some white nookie). I shake the hand of his half-Japanese friend who is at least six-foot seven. I don't know what the other half is, and I don't ask. They both look ready to leave with two girls each, even they just enetered. I say goodbye and head down to the 70's party.
The 70's party becomes a blur in twenty minutes. I will meet even more Kate's at this party plus the three K's, who are all having fun dancing and chatting. The party is HUGE. When I approached, there were no less than forty people on the front lawn drinking smoking, and talking to each other. Inside was like a sweatbox. Even though it was dubbed a 70's party, the music was all hip-hop, all contemporary. I didn't mind.
I float through the crowd and within ten seconds a guy touches my shoulder.
"Von Dutch! Yeah dude! You're bringing it back!" I laugh to myself, say cheers and head towards the kitchen. As I saw a girl I met on Friday, (one of two Anna's) and she gave me the "oh shoot,he-met-meand-i-gave-him-my-number-and-I-didn't-call-him-back-but-let-me-act-l
ike-i'm-not-a-bad-person" look.
I smile with her and talk to someone else.
After leaving that Anna, I meet the second Anna in the kitchen. She is wearing a summer-esque black dress with a white belt and white shoes. For a brief moment, I am reminded of Sarah Jessica Parker, if she was a brunette and a million years younger. We both lament at the lack of liquor available and I tentatively hold a shot of Jose Cuervo in my hand. Then, I eye a large keg people are pumping beer from, and I decide to take the easy route. We chat for ten or so minutes and the night presses on.
I'm not sure how alcohol, language and interactions work, but the night goes pretty well. I find myself speaking Japanese with two girls from New York. (Eventually they would give me a ride home as well). Each time I go out, 30% of the girls I meet are visiting, and of this 30%, 95% of them are always VERY cool.
After I reach home I fall asleep and dream about having a punk-rock Malay band with a Middle-eastern lead singer. It was a good night.
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