Domino in The Stuff That's Not Interesting But Is The Most Interesting Stuff I'll Write

This week has been crazy. My next entry was actually going to go in the Sex Book, but I haven’t written it yet… I still might, so perhaps we’ll just bypass that part of the week and just talk about last night. Last night was one for the books.

I woke up late because I was still hungover from my mimosa brunch. TJ, my old neighbor/roommate/friend from Paris was flying into town for the weekend from Seattle. I visited him and his girlfriend Siera last year just before Christmas, but I hadn’t seen them since then, so I was excited to get back into their sphere. They weren’t going to arrive until around 10, so I knew I had some time to kill.

TJ used to be a total townie, but he hadn’t really been back in three years, so he wanted to see what new things were happening downtown. I was perfectly happy with that since I don’t really go downtown any longer, especially since I don’t really have anyone with whom I could do things.

My first stop was Benny’s. It’s a bar that’s been there for ages, kind of a dive institution. Sometimes I have a great time, sometimes I just wish the Earth would open up and swallow the entire building and all of its clientele. I sat there for about 45 minutes wishing for the latter when I heard someone yell out my name.

At this point, when someone calls out my name, I don’t even try to figure out who they are. It will either come to me or it won’t. So many people recognize me from performing and things like that, the vast majority of people who know my name are not people with whom I’m personally acquainted, so there’s always leeway.

Luckily, as she walked up to me, I recognized her as Kelli. She was best friends with my friend Katie. Ironically, the night before I ran into Katie’s ex who was in absolute tears because Katie took him to court for full custody of their daughter. So I got to hear both sides of that drama, and I don’t know who’s right, but I know their daughter is the one who’ll suffer the most, regardless of the outcome.

It was nice seeing Kelli and catching up. I hadn’t seen her in about 10 years which was around the time that she moved to Yosemite to live there full-time as some kind of caretaker of the woods or something. It never made sense to me, although I now definitely see the appeal of shedding all of technology and living off the land (even if I can’t do it personally).

It was nice to see someone who genuinely was my friend, with whom I spent a lot of time back in the day. She seemed sincerely happy to see me and was really invested in getting back in touch, which was nice.

While I was talking to her, TJ messaged me that he finally got into town and he wanted to meet up at some new bar called Frank’s. The minute I mentioned this to Kelli, she began giving her very strong opinion about Frank’s bar, and it wasn’t a very kind one. Nevertheless, I told her I was going to head out, but she was once again very adamant that we stay in touch. Okay, fair enough.

When I got to the area of Frank’s bar, I realized it was in the newly developed part of town they decided to call “The Ice Blocks”, which frankly, is the stupidest name for the area ever. It’s gross and just poorly designed.

Once I got inside, I realized that Kelli was probably right. The place was roughly the size of a train car and was designed to look like those seedy bars in LA that they started closing down and gentrifying to look like Apple Stores. Except the design of the whole place was really cheesy. Everyone kept talking all night about the bathroom and how hysterically bad it looked.

It was like the owner had bought a bar, didn’t know what to style it after until he read an Agatha Christie novel, but STILL didn’t know what that would look like until he saw Knives Out, and then used the design pattern off a CLUE board. It was bad. And overpriced.

So I suggested we all go to B-Side. We caught up with each other. TJ is writing for a magazine up in Seattle (which is so Seattle and soooo TJ). Siera is working for a holistic clinic that focuses on using Ketamine treatment (which sounds completely psycho, but I swear to God that’s what she said).

We got to B-Side and had much more fun. That place is my favorite bar in Sacramento. We were laughing, enjoying our drinks… when I noticed someone walk into the bar. I recognized him instantly. It was like adrenaline was shot directly into my heart. I ducked under the table because I didn’t know what to do.

TJ asked me what was up and so I told him. The guy that just walked into the bar was someone I went to church with and I had a huge crush on him. The thing is, when I say “went to church”, I’m not talking in my twenties, I mean while I was in high school. I met this guy the same year I met Joe.

Joe used to tease me about him until he came with me one time and then teased me even harder. This guy was the bass player for the church band and Joe said I clearly had a thing for musicians. What high schooler doesn’t want a boy in a band?

So I actually sat at the table and started charging my energy, physically moving it within myself and centering myself emotionally, and then I took off. I walked past him and then did a double-take and pulled the “I know you from somewhere” line. Suddenly, we were huddled at a table to ourselves chatting up a storm.

I had forgotten that he also worked at the Sac Gay Bars right when I turned 21.... so my high school crush that DID NOT become my boyfriend is bisexual, lives in LA and runs his own recording studio.

TJ quietly excused himself and Siera; they were tired from their flight. I was also thankful for the fact that he knew that look in my eye. TJ is one of the few people to have seen me when I’m in love with someone, not that I’m in love with this guy, but the crush did come back hard. Not even Richard has really seen me with someone I actually like, so TJ knows when to excuse himself and let me get on with it.

He calls himself Domino (because of course the man I’m interested in is named after a Bond girl) and we’re supposed to go out again tonight, since he’s just in town for a little bit.

He took a picture of us and sent it to his best friend from high school that introduced us. I hadn’t seen or heard from him since my sophomore year of high school, he pretty much vanished. I told Domino that I wouldn’t be remembered and I don’t have confirmation whether or not I was right, but I loved that picture of us so I put it up on my Instagram.

It was such a surprising night. I was out with people and my anxiety wasn’t overtaking me, I was functioning fine, and I didn’t get so drunk I made an ass out of myself because I was trying to self-medicate.

Last night was definitely a success.

Oop, gotta go, Domino just texted me. I guess we’re going to a Valentine’s Day Haunted House. Hahah that sounds fun