You Shoulda Been Here Last Week

This is the phrase that seems to punctuate my social life.  If it is a recurring social function, chances are that I will show up the week after their best function ever. A congruence of planet alignment, social migration patterns, and kismet that descends on a particular social function once, and then next week I will arrive.

Last night, my husband and I went out to a local watering hole for a recurring weekly event that had been repeated described to me as a good time, a lot of fun, and other superlatives too numerous to mention. We agreed to meet a friend there. We then proceeded to experience one of the most ho-hum evenings ever recorded in the desert. This anomaly was apparently due to one or more of the following reasons:
1) It is winter (provided by my husband) Winter is high season here in the desert, so this does not fly.
2) It is just after the holidays (provided by a friend) Possible, but unlikely, considering the propensity for good times by the local and transient population of this locale.
3) It is cold outside (provided from numerous sources) Cold is a relative term, and cold should not be 61 degrees F, the temperature registered on the patio of the watering hole.

The most plausible explanation is that kismet and karma once again teamed up to laugh in my face. Part of this I would blame on my LA exile which recently ended. However, I found the same to be true out in Los Angeles.

Another night out, another watering hole, one featuring a world renowned drag show every Tuesday night.  I go out in mid-August, figuring that the confluence of college students returning to school and the height of the LA tourist season would at least present me with lots of people in a small space and the eye candy that would invariably show up. I was one of 10 people in the audience for the first show at 10:30pm, which is the appropriate hour to start showing up for gay nightlife. The drag queens look confused and still tried to rally our spirits, but with the fact that tips were going to be scarce that night, they phone in their performances. The bartender tried to assure me that this was an anomaly and said, "You shoulda been here last week, were were packed and the ladies were on fire."

The greater question is why do people feel the need to tell me this factoid. Already feeling a bit bummed by having a lack of a good time right now, why tell me about what a good time I missed last week. Is this supposed to assuage me in some fashion? I am supposed to feel better by the fact that other people on a different night had a blast at this particular establishment. The bigger question is, why are they not here this week to help me blow off some steam? I am not asking for a lot, just a repeat of the festivities of the week before to help me celebrate or de-stress my life.

I am not a complete Sad Sack, and I have had good nights out on the town with my husband and friends. But even when I am having a blast, I almost always here either a bartender, a bar back, or a patron say, "Yeah, this is good, but you shoulda been here last week." Really? Why deflate my good time with this little statement?

So the moral of this blog entry is, go out and have fun, no matter when. However, to ensure a great time, check my social calendar first, then show up the week before I do.