Manray, Worcester overnight!

[juldea]

So I was awake for 25 hours, and then caught about an hour's worth of nap... and now here I am at work, needing to stay awake for 8 more hours at least. This is going to suck. The reason why I got so little sleep, however, is worth it.

So yesterday laura47 got it in her head that she wanted to go to Manray, the big goth dance club in Cambridge. I've heard a lot about it and was up for showing up after dance practice for a little while.

Manray turned out to be pretty fun, actually. There were definitely some people taking themselves too seriously there, but I wasn't one of them. I got to dress sexy and dance, and that's always fun. isaiahblake, if you ever come back to Boston to visit I'm totally taking you there. And not for your own benefit, although you'd probably have a good time; I damn well want to dress you up and put you in that environment. Yum. Anyway.

Turned out there was a concert there last night instead of just a regular Wednesday night - the bands being Cruxshadows and Icon of Coil - so it cost more, $15, to get in, but Peter (no lj) fronted the extra for me. Yay Peter! He also bought me a drink later. :)

So, I was in there dancing around with laura47, baniszew, Peter, and friends tibbetts and N, when I turn around to look right into the face of doompuppy, one of londo's good friends from Worcester! We exclaimed and hugged and talked and danced for a while, which was fun. He had pigtails. Then we were both accosted by prowlingkitten and her friend B, from Crossroads! So many people I knew!

So while I was sitting there, wasting a weeknight at a goth club, I realize that if doompuppy got there from Worcester, he probably has some way to go back to Worcester that night. I ask, and yes he did... He came with a few others from Worcester, thirdson, jicklet, and E (thirdson's new roommate). So I ask the driver, thirdson, if he's willing to stop me by my house for 5 minutes and then give me a ride along with them to Worcester. He was wary, but agreed...

So after the show was over, we all met up and got in the car and headed for my place. thirdson said that I seriously only had 5 minutes, and I took 8, but hopefully that wasn't too bad. We drove back to Worcester, stopping at the little gas station McDonald's along the way - the first McD's I've had in probably years. It's not too bad in the dark when you can't see what you're eating. Anyway.

doompuppy and I were dropped off at his house, a few blocks from londo's. My idea was to surprise londo when he got home from work at 3:30-4:00ish. However, I had no clue when he'd actually be coming home, and doompuppy didn't want me walking there alone that time of night. The link that ties this all together, however, is that doompuppy's roommate J carpools with londo, so getting ahold of him would let us know what was going on. I was able to contact him only to find out that londo had gotten a ride home with someone else...

But no worries, J was pretty awesome and offered to give me a ride from their house to londo's and also called him with a convenient excuse to get him to come downstairs - told him that he had an envelope from their boss to drop off that night. So J drove me over, we saw londo descend the front stairs, and I got out of the car to leap into his arms when he opened the door and say, "I'm an envelope!" It was good. :)

All in all it was, oh, almost 4am when I got there, and I had to leave at 5:30 to catch the train back to Boston to get to work. But that was enough time for some smooching and cuddling... and some amusing moments as I lay there falling asleep in the middle of sentences and saying weird dream-induced things. (At one point I said something like, "Kissing is good, but we can't kiss when we're in the hospital," at which point he was very confused.)

I managed to make the 6:06 train to Boston and slept through most of it - I laid out on the 3-person seat while I could, but when things got too crowded I was forced to sit upright and lean against the window. Ah well. I still don't remember anything of the ride - boy was I tired.

So now I'm at work, and I need to have some green tea or something - sooooo tired. Getting through today will be interesting. I forsee myself going to bed right after I get home.

So, moral of the story: Manray can be fun, I actually run into multiple people I know there, and sometimes it's worth it to skip a night's worth of sleep to surprise someone you care for. :)

Comments

[invader-haywire.livejournal.com]

jicklet and thirdson are C an S.

Damn if I knew you were going to be there I would have went.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Thanks! Editing now.

[scirocco.livejournal.com]

U R A NUT. :) I think I'd DIE if I tried that these days. Oog.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Yeah, well, let's see if I survive the day.

Cruxshadows

[cristovau.livejournal.com]

Did you like them? I've heard their recordings and find them delightfully dark, pretensious and narcisistic. I can't take them seriously, but I enjoy the dramatic overdone quality of the band.

Good luck surviving the day. Worship the coffee.

Re: Cruxshadows

[juldea.livejournal.com]

I'm actually not so much of a coffee fan - that's why it's tea for me.

I liked the first band's music better than Cruxshadows, but CS put on a really good show. The singer didn't take himself too seriously - I mean, c'mon, he sang someone a "gothic" version of Happy Birthday - and really interacted well with the fans, jumping into the crowd at least every other song. Plus they had some really hot chicks in skimpy outfits up on stage dancing and singing backup. And their violinist - wow!

I think they know that they're overdone and they love it.

I had never heard of them before, but now I have the chorus of "Marilyn My Bitterness" running through my head constantly. ;)

Re: Cruxshadows

[cristovau.livejournal.com]

When I was goth, I was a weird goth. I actually liked the music more than the attitude/clothes. I'm glad to hear that Cruxshadows don't take themselves too seriously. It was hard to tell.

One of the stealth appeals of good Goth is that the songs are simple and full of hooks. I think "Eurydice(don't follow me)" is even catchier than "Marilyn My Bitterness," but I understand how you might not be able to drive it from your brain.

Re: Cruxshadows

[juldea.livejournal.com]

You know, I really can't imagine you goth. You're too... bouncy.

Re: Cruxshadows

[cristovau.livejournal.com]

I wasn't good at it. Mostly I was pretty fringe.
I went seriously goth when I was a sophmore.
It lasted two months and then I cheered up.

Re: Cruxshadows

[jicklet.livejournal.com]

they might be pretenscious.. but they know that they are and are doing it on purpose.

The live show was even more dramatic and overdone, and Rogue really seemed to love their fans.. he kept jumping into the audience, grasping hands, singling out people to sing to...

/me swoons.

[laura47.livejournal.com]

peter has no lj, he is just peter. r == tibbetts

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Okiedoke. I try not to use people's real names online unless someone else breaks the precident or they give me permission. ;)

hee

[etherial.livejournal.com]

see, I do just the opposite. I use people's real names, and leave it up to them to use their LJ names if they want.

I mean, you have any idea how many *MIKES* there are in the world?

Re: hee

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Heh. But if they care about their online privacy, they'd make it so that you can't find out anything about them from their LJ name. Like londo.

exactly.

[etherial.livejournal.com]

You can find out ALL SORTS of things about Londo. His friends list, the fact that he is a gamer, the fact that he seems pretty keen on the First, Fourth, Fifth Amendments.

What information can you glean about Steve?

Re: exactly.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Yes, but these things do not lead you to his real name, address, place of employment, social security number, etc.

Enough personal information about Steve can do such a thing.

[jicklet.livejournal.com]

She was an "E", not an "A". I'm not sure if she has a lj. thirdson's new roommate.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Thanks! The A was someone else's guess... I really didn't catch her name at all.

[prowlingkitten.livejournal.com]

I'm glad I bumped into people I knew. It's always alot more fun when you know people there. And I had only bumped into one person I knew, usually I bump into at least five but I think everyone was hiding.

If I had tried staying up all night I think I would have crashed so hard today. I feel kinda old.

[juldea.livejournal.com]

So, doompuppy told me that was a very good night at Manray; is this true? Should I make sure not to expect so much the next time I go?

[prowlingkitten.livejournal.com]

it was a really good night at manray but I always have a good time going there. The music is always good and if you get up and dance and stuff you usually have a good time.

[oddharmonic.livejournal.com]

This is heading quickly towards off-topic, but clearmind periodically goes to Manray and posts about it.

On a clubbing note, next Saturday is naughty schoolgirl night at Lizard Lounge. I am being encouraged by a couple of friends to enter their costume competition, but I'm not sure if I stand a chance against the exotic dancers that usually make up the majority of the entrants. On the other hand, it would get the skirts we make some exposure and I could use the work...

[juldea.livejournal.com]

Well hey, if you don't have to pay to enter the contest then why not? Like you said, it gets you some exposure (har har!), and the worst you could do is not win vs. some blonde bimbo with implants.

I don't know clearmind. Should I?