nightlife in midwest city

I haven't written much about the social scene in midwest city, mainly because I've been crazy busy meeting the demands of a jf (junior faculty). Like most cities centered around big universities, a great deal of the social scene is catered to college students. We (meaning grown ass adults) typically stay as far away from the college drag in the evening as possible and venture to the other side of town where most of the locals live and hang out. Last night my coworkers/friends and I went to a weird ole lounge. And I do mean lounge. Post-wedding party goers were there. Long haired hippy dads took to the dance floor with their kids. This town is such a throwback from the seventies that I'm ready to break out my afro wig and bellbottoms and just surrender to the time lag.

But anyway, this lounge used to be a bowling alley and so it still sports a big pin on top of the building. It actually wouldn't have been so bad except for the band. A skinny blond with a terrible voice sang pop songs all night ... loudly! We couldn't eat and pay fast enough to get out of this place. Had there been no music or better music .. or more appropriately a drag show, we might have enjoyed the queerness of the place.

The real social enjoyment here comes with being with my new colleagues and friends. I count myself extremely lucky to have entered this new job with a crop of jf who are all around my age, all sort of doe eyed and overwhelmed just like me and who are hip enough to scout out restaurants that don't serve hummus with biryani and places to shop that aren't in a strip mall. Last night, after our lounge expedition, we went to a listening party held by a friend who has started his own band. The band set up shop in my friend's living room and we encircled them in different parts of his lovely home--along the staircase, in the dining room, in the hallway. It was really nothing like I'd ever experienced before. The people who have recently entered my life really make this scary transformation bearable. I'm looking forward to seeing what this new phase in my career and in my life will bring as I settle in to a place that leaves much to be desired but with the kind of people who are exactly what I need at this time. Hm.