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A Party, Church, & Chinese Food

Okay so a good friend of mine had just turned 30 the other day... Yes the often dreaded frequently discussed sometimes innocuous Big Three O. She is quite popular amongst our many circle of friends because she comes with a poignant personality, is aesthetically pleasing, and best of all has a charm and wit to match... Naturally a popular figure like herself on a somewhat quasi-momentous occasion, demands not just a small shindig but rather an extravaganza of sorts...

Sounds very, uhmm, Hollywood, doesn't it? Well, yeah... She does work in the movie business (editing...) and so does many of her close friends and peers. In fact, many of them not only work in the glamorous Movie Business, but live and mingle within and around the genial town of Hollywood itself. So, I think it is only fitting that a popular girl like herself have a grandiose celebration much like the Hollywood celebs do...

It is a little bit of a surprise that someone who is a bit of a recluse like myself, someone who might prefer a Cabin in the mountains over a Castle perched atop the Hollywood Hills, an old rustic Ford Bronco over an innovative Lexus, to be associated with such a trendy people, let alone mingle. That is why I chuckled upon receipt of her Birthday Evite. I like them people, but only for a few minutes at a time (I can be crass I know...). Of course the somewhat exciting and terrifying concept of possibly meeting interesting and half-intelligent women shall always entice me, so I did did think about possibly going for a minute. That plus we all know that parties are always more fun than going to Church on Saturday evenings anyway right? Right...

Now, let us Tarrantino this story a little...

I was labeled self-centered for not wanting to go because of the lack of "prospects", or single women in attendance (I suppose I brought that upon myself). Though, admittedly, some of my friends that attended the extravaganza, the same people who accused me of being self-centered by the way, did observe the lack single people in attendance (Not that it mattered to most of them Married folks). In fact, my main accuser, a very very good friend of mine said she didn't bother asking her boyfriend to go because she just couldn't foresee any interest in attending such a party, one although fraught with interesting and potentially beautiful trendy interesting people - though mostly married or soon to be anyway - from the movie industry, hosted by a gay Filipino couple in their fine home in Westwood (In Westwoood. Surprise surprise...). Who could blame him? Sure he loves her to death but to subject himself to such pretentious notions that he might enjoy himself at the party would be preposterous...

Yup as preposterous as if I had pretended that I longed to go. Okay okay I am not denying my self-centeredness in this case because there really isn't any way around that. But in my defense (and most guys would agree) we do have to allow ourselves some level of self-centeredness, otherwise we could be doing favors for people for the rest of our lives... Besides one less straight guy couldn't have hurt the party. And it was confirmed two days after the party that all in attendance were married couples and or gay couples. And i'm sure there is only so many married and gay couples a straight guy could take in one night....

Furthermore, and in the interest of expounding on the principles of selflessness and the idealism of subjecting ones self to such a party, I would argue that a single guy would & could only be so chivalrous to a woman friend before drawing the line. And I gotta tell ya, there need not be any chivalry nor is there any romance in attending her party... I do believe there is such a thing as a "level of friendship" and for as long as we have known each other we still couldn't be considered really close friends. At least not close enough to be willing to subject myself to such an evening to celebrate a birthday even as momentous as a 30th... Sure we do stuff here and there but that's not really saying much because we just happen to share a hobby. And we disagree philosophically at that, which seems to be what her and I are really good at...

I got nothing against gays and married couples mind you, I just would rather go to Church and order Chinese on any Saturday Night than to mingle with them... That, is, at least from the single mans perspective. One I share with my friend Sarah's bf whom I have never met...

Besides between the morning Studio Lighting Class I took, the early afternoon Mountain Bike ride, and Church early evening, I was possibly too tired to do anything else...........

Posted by: Marc Gabay
Monday, November 09, 2009