Vignettes.

Last Saturday night I attended the celebration of a co-worker's last day working for CR before she heads off into the abyss of travel that is New Zealand and Australia. Being that I've worked at CR all of five minutes, I'm not extremely close to anyone just yet and actually hadn't met the fleeing guest of honor until the day of the gathering. But these are things you attend no matter what when you're off in foreign lands, searching for new friends and experiences. Needless to say, I was excited for the opportunity to get out on a Saturday night. Unfortunately I had to work until 7pm, and therefore, didn't attend the dinner portion of the evening. I looked at this as a possible benefit though, considering this town is excessively expensive and the food is nothing to write home about. By the time I closed the shop, had a bite to eat and threw on a dress and some heels it was already 10:30pm. No need to worry though, I already knew this group would be out until probably 6am the following morning. I'm not kidding. This seems to be the way of life for so many people in Queenstown and I have no idea how they do it night after night. And I had no intentions of joining them in said marathon drinking. This is an area I've given considerable thought to lately beecause I feel like a grandma. No offense, Grandma, because you rock. The conclusions I've drawn are not that I don't enjoy drinking. Let's not kid ourselves. I love a really good beer and its hard-pressed to find an evening where I don't enjoy a drink or glass of wine. But I'm really over the 'see and be seen' aspect of going to bars. I usually like to drink in three types of scenarios: 1) Out with one or maybe two girlfriends. Chatting, laughing...crying maybe. Good conversation. Good wine. 2) At dinner parties or small gatherings in peoples' homes. 3) Home alone with a movie or sitting out on my deck. Okay... 4) At any sporting event or Apres ski.

I wondered how so many people were able to stay out until 6am. What were they doing all that time? I quickly learned that the art of late-night cavorting is to bar-hop. I met up with them at Pub on the Wharf = a relaxing little spot close to the lake. Good music and plenty of room. Then it was off to Ministry to shoot some pool and tip a few back. By midnight we were on our way to Winnies, which is a restaurant that serves great pizza during the day, and turns into a hopping dance club at night. Last Saturday it just happened to be 80's night. All the bartenders were dressed to the tune of Flashdance and the fellow patrons missed no opportunities to wear neon pink and stone-washed denim. Had I been with close friends, I probably could've been talked into an epic night of dancing. Instead, I had the fact that my shift started at 9am the following morning and really, I wasn't entirely in the mood to get crazy with people I barely knew. At one point though I left the group to use the restroom, and when I made my way back through the crowd I looked around wondering if any of these people were aged more than single digits during the eighties. Do they even really know this music? I stood there, in the middle of the dance floor, amid a constant flurry of bodies bumping up against me. I felt as if I was participating in a scene from a Rom Com where the picture suddenly slows and then BOOM...que the music. This time, said music happened to be "I've Had The Time of My Life" from the soundtrack of Dirty Dancing.

The guy's voice starts:
"I've been waiting for so long. Now I've finally found someone to stand by me."

Gal's voice: "We saw the writing on the wall
As we felt this magical fantasyyyyyyyyy!"

Both: "Now with passion in our eyes
There's no way we could disguise it secretly
So we take each other's hand
'Cause we seem to understand the urgency"

Guy: "JUST REMEMBER!"

And the dance floor exploded. By this time, I'm literally standing there laughing hysterically - not at them, but somehow joyously with them - and gazing out at all these people around me in their finest hour. The passion and excitement guys AND gals alike were feeling for this song in this moment was so captivating. I'm not exaggering when I say it was almost as if it was their last night on earth, and here was the song they sang to celebrate the moment.

Gal: "You're the one thing..."

Guy: "...I can't get enough of."

Gal: "So I'll tell you something."

Both: "This could be love, because...

(CHORUS)
Both: I've had the time of my life!
No I never felt this way before.
Yes I swear it's the truth.
And I owe it all to you.
'Cause I've had the time of my life.
And I've searched through every open door.
'Til I found the truth.
And I owe it all to you."

I loved it. I stood there and watched - NOT DANCED, though I should've - and just watched people and enjoyed myself so much. I loved it. I love the 80s.

When the song was over I looked at my watch and decided that 1:45am wasn't too bad for a Grandma, and I walked out the door en route home.

RIP, Patrick Swayze!


(DIRTY DANCING - I've Had The Time Of My Life video)
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