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Tuesday, January 1, 2008

Hip Shaker

Yesterday I was in a blah mood. The thought of a frenetic New Years made me feel exhausted and a tad bit cranky. I pondered the social ramifications of spending the evening locked in my apartment with a book and, perhaps, Damien Rice. Would it appear too misanthropic? A bad omen for 2008? Was I just depressed about being dateless on New Years Eve? About not being able to drink a drop of alcohol due to antibiotics?

But it sounded so swell.

My phone buzzed with calls and text messages from friends wondering what the plans were. I ignored them all with a huff. When I left work at 3:00, I had successfully avoided the large majority of co-workers and made it home to the silence of my apartment.

The phone kept ringing. Finally at 6:00 I answered and decided, reluctantly, to put aside my reclusive dreams and go to dinner at Blackbird in south Minneapolis.

During dinner it was decided that we would head to Jitters for an evening billed as “Hip Shaker! The Twin Cities’ Rare Soul Dance Party.”

And suddenly, when we descended the stairs into the basement of Jitters and the groovin’ music rose up, it was like this, a dissipation of the bitter cloud and a cleansing wash with adrenaline and a slow smile. The sleeves rolled up.

I’m in a dancing mood.

Posted by Aaron on January 1, 2008 1:53 PM