Last night my boss set up a mixer with all of us gals from work and a group of her guy friends. We left work at 6:30 for 29th Street, on which the bar/hotel we were going to was located. As we left the office it started pouring, and I was caught without an umbrella. Hair, humidity, and rain don’t mix very well as I’ve come to learn. We ran to the subway, but couldn’t even get on because of overcrowding. We took a different train past our destination and then hopped a local one to take us closer to the bar.
I was so ecstatic when my boss asked me to join her and her friends for after-work cocktails. I love being involved with people, and meeting other people who are obviously pretty high up there in the design world. I think it’s healthy for people that work together to be friends and hang out outside of work. Isn’t there some sort of saying that goes “don’t mix work with play?” Whatever, that saying is b-a-d advice. I honestly feel like funny drunk conversations with coworkers build stronger relationships. All the lovely ladies from my office showed up, and I felt like a very mature and equal part of their group. It made me so happy.
I was talking to Mark the whole time. He was the creative director for a graphic design company in New York and was so much fun. We were laughing at my boss because her boyfriend showed up and they were all over each other. Mark grabbed my phone and said, “This is for you if she tries to give you a bad recommendation.” He then turned the flash on and took a picture of them over his shoulder. It was such a funny picture that I had to send it to her the next day when she texted me making sure I was alive. I think our night of pinot grigio brought Melissa and I closer together, and I think we’re friends now rather than simply intern and boss.
We were at a classy bar with big U-shaped couches at the Ace Hotel. All of a sudden I started hearing people around me saying things like, “Oh my gosh, I can’t even believe it!” I turned around and asked them what they were talking about and they said, “Recognize the DJ?” I looked two feet to my left to see I small man with a gap in his smiling teeth. It was Elijah Wood, and he was a real life hobbit! It was so weird that he was playing at the Ace because it was a very small and intimate venue. His DJ stand was only inches from the dance floor and there were only around 80 people there, with my party being in the very front row.
DJ Frodo was killin’ it until 11pm when a weird hipster band came on. The four members (male and female) were all wearing pink leggings and had frizzy bleached blonde hair with dark roots growing out. The crowd in the Ace turned into a strange group of overly excited hippies and I decided it was my cue to head to $1 beers at my new favorite bar—the 13th Step. I went with Lynn and her friend Mary (the two tallest/skinniest people I’ve become friends with since being here). They almost didn’t let me in the bar because of three reasons: my ID is way past its expiration date, it says “UNDER 21” directly on it, and it’s an Idaho ID. The bouncer had me list off all my identity information and ended up needing to see my passport. I thought it was so odd, because if I were to get a fake ID I would not get one that declared “UNDER 21” on the very front of it!
Always,
Alena Netia Horowitz
