magicbeans. nothing if not awkward.

I spent most of the day in the Archive again. Working on a spec project with Daniel. Another 'great idea'. Possibly his best great idea, truly revolutionary eight years ago when he started thinking about it. No longer as revolutionary, but still prescient. He's very enthusiastic about it. I'm, unfortunately, not particularly enthusiastic about anything this week. Although I'm trying to summon a little bit of motivation to help him kick out stage one.

I had lunch at Life. It's the first time that I've ever been there for something other than brunch or late night drinks. Their veggie burger was not half bad, although I really would like to know who first thought that it would be a good idea to serve a veggie burger on a pita instead of a bun. It's such an omnipresent trend. And it's a bad idea. Take note restaurateurs.

Back to the Archive for a few hours. Home to eat some rice and play some feedback guitar. And out to Manhattan for Beatrice's going away party. 'I'm going bowling.'

'Sober bowling?'

'We'll see.' People were gathering in the bowling alley's bar when I arrived. I made small talk. Resisted ordering a drink. In spite of the peer pressure, which was coming from actual peers, people in their late-twenties and early-thirties. Peer pressure is not just a teenage phenomenon.

It was a little easier once we started bowling. Although everyone else continued to drink. And being sober didn't help my game any.

After bowling, the people who where staying out wanted to head on to a bar. (I would have stuck around and bowled for another hour, as would have Beatrice, I feel like we probably would have gotten along if we had every really hung out, but she's off home to Australia.) A few places were suggested. We ended up at a somewhat fancy, at least from a post bowling at Port Authority point of view, restaurant and bar outside of Times Square, where Beatrice's friend Jen, a puppeteer who is currently in Avenue Q on Broadway, is a regular.

I had to again resist the urge and peer pressure to drink. I swore off alcohol for a week on Monday, and really was only about proving something to myself at this point. But sometimes it's good to prove things to yourself. And eventually a salad (too many onions, not enough portabella mushrooms) gave me something to do and not need a glass in my hand.

And in the end I had a good time, even without drinking. I may have felt a little on the outside of things socially, but not paralyzingly so.