Tuesday, January 1, 2008

35 plus 25 = not much in common

It was a New Year's miracle. By 8:30 pm last night I was feeling surprisingly good, and so I got myself dressed up and went out with Ken.

We showed up at his little brother's place shortly after 9. Now, Ken is a few years younger than me; his brother is a few years younger than him; and his brother hangs out with guys who are even younger still. So I walked into a room full of guys in their mid-twenties, intently playing Guitar Hero II, drinking beer, and smoking up. I thought "This is going to be a long night".

How did we end up there? It's not like we have no friends our own age. But the social hub of our peer group is a couple who is currently coping with a teething 6-month-old, and without their invitation to draw us together, people all made different plans.

I was introduced to the group thusly: "Everyone, this is Spark. Spark, this is everyone." Which was perfect, because I really wasn't into memorizing their names. There was an indeterminate number of these 20-something guys in the apartment, and they all looked alike: skinny white guys wearing hoodies and and oversized jeans. That was the basic model. They came with a few options: glasses/no glasses, goatee/no goatee, and toque/no toque. It was all the more confusing because they kept getting up and switching seats in order to take turns at Guitar Hero.

I got bored. I don't drink. The way my body processes alcohol is that it skips the warm, fuzzy buzz and goes straight to feeling poisoned. But there were a lot of joints making the rounds. I've only smoked weed twice before in my life (I know- I'm such a goodie-two shoes) but I was so bored that I started smoking just to pass the time. By shortly after midnight, every other person present had a spliff in their hand, and the air was thick with smoke. I didn't smoke furiously, just took a few puffs here and there, but between that and all the second-hand toke, I was feeling pretty mellow by the time we excused ourselves.

And today? I am still totally sedated. My mind is working, but my body feels like it's moving through syrup instead of air. Stupid weed hangover! This is why I don't smoke more often. It always messes me up for a full 24 hours. And it's really not worth it.

9 comments:

Anonymous said...

Different ages definitely changes the dynamic of any party. I know how you feel though, it is so hard to plan things with people our age with babies, etc. Sounds like you still managed to make it through the night, ahem not drunk but relaxed...anyway, Happy New YEAR!

kate said...

... and then you get to the stage where you want to stay at home and watch tv! Did you try out Guitar Hero?

Happy New Year!! I hope your year brings lots of good things to you!

Karen said...

I was at a party of mid 30s plus and there was expensive whiskey and good wine flowing (and no pot smoking), but there was Guitar Hero. I have learned I am damn good when I am sober, but after a few drinks I loose all coodination.

Happy New Year, Spark.

R.E.H. said...

I hang with a lot of people in their mid to early twenties - yet I am rapidly moving towards the 40 mark myself... but, that's because I work mostly with the young'uns.

Hope your New Year will be a wonderful one!

The Frugal Princess said...

bah.

really. that's all i got today.

bah.

i'll come back tomorrow...

Sparkling Red said...

Age can make a lot of difference, or very little, depending on the person. I always enjoy hanging out with my 22-yr-old sister. And my oldest friend is 52. But if there are other differences, an age discrepancy will emphasize them.

I have tried playing Guitar Hero. Meh. I can take it or leave it. :-)

Tink said...

Guitar Hero and beer, yeah that sounds like a fun way to spend the New Year. *Eye-roll* What was that boy thinking?

Jameil said...

lmao @ weed hangover. i hear guitar hero is very hard. never played wii but it intrigues me. i will admit i had to look up toque. i so love your variations. quite amusing.

San said...

My husband and I had a busy week at our gallery the week after Christmas. When New Year's Eve rolled around, we were so tired, we went home, grilled steaks, watched a little TV, and went to bed. Not exactly party animals.

May 2008 be good to you...