For the past couple weeks, Candyce has been out in California, and I’m all alone here in Arizona. I keep my life busy by watching the Suns and catching up on odd jobs around the house. The first half of that sentence is cool, but the second half is boring beyond belief. I mean, really, watching Stoudemire dunk is awesome, and unloading the dishwasher is lame. But I decided that it’s okay to have a life, which meant that I’ve been going out like I was in college again. Read on.

The Pre-Show: The Mondrian

Friday night my roommate Tam and I decided to go out and have fun. Our final destination on Friday night was the Martini Ranch in Scottsdale to see Matt Weddle in concert, but we had some time to kill before the show started.

We stumbled upon a new restaurant in Scottsdale called The Orange Table, a locals-looking spot for arsty people. A DJ was spinning The Shin’s “New Slang”, so it was worth checking out. It ended up being customer appreciation night, so they offered free appetizers and drinks. Not bad.

We scooted over to the Mondrian Hotel to shoot some pool by the pool side. Tam’s ninja skills explode in unlikely places, like shooting pool. He made some amazing shots. It was so damn cold outside that I could barely hold my pool stick. People don’t realize how cold it can get in Phoenix. Especially this year, it’s been so cold.

For the record, this used to be the James Hotel, Scottsdale’s first boutique hotel. It was purchased by the same company that owns/runs the Hudson Hotel in New York, one of my favorite hangouts. So I’m excited to see what the place looks like once they re-open.
The Concert: Matt Weddle

Matt Weddle became an Internet sensation after he did an acoustic cover of Outkast’s song “Hey Yah.” It’s beautiful. It got picked up by our local alternative rock radio station, and before you know it, he’s a local celebrity:

The line was so long to get in. It took 30 minutes just to get to the door. Everyone was too cold to make small talk with the everyone else in line, so we all just stood there and watched the street. I was caught off guard by a guy-girl couple standing on the curb waiting for a friend to come pick them up. He was casually talking to her about something like any guy does with his girlfriend, and she erupted into what I guess was her sexy stripper dance routine.

She kept her clothes on, but she popped and grinded and flipped her hair. It only lasted about 10 seconds, but it was a bizarre thing to watch while standing in line with 100 scensters on a crisp 30 degree night. The saddest thing was that she actually thought she looked sexy, like she’d been waiting for this moment to show us what she could do and now she was doing it. It was the type of bizarre impulsive behavior you only see from crazy homeless people (who think they’re sexy.) Nobody was impressed. She got in a car and left. The line moved forward.

Going to bars/nightclubs is a bit odd for me because I’m not looking for women anymore. I didn’t realize how many things I did and places I went over the past ten years just to meet girls. So all that was left was the music. It was a good night for me, because Matt sang “Hey Ya” at the same time that Shane Battier of the Houston Rockets hit a game wining 3 against the Denver Nuggest. Two good guys doing two good things.
The After Party: AZ88

After the show Tam and I went to AZ88 to grab a bite to eat. That’s the most hip, pretentious place in Scottsdale. I like the atmosphere and enjoy the food, so I just ignore the arrogant waiters and just have a good time and act like I don’t belong.

On the walk to the car, we stepped into the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts to check out an exhibit in the atrium. I’d read about it in the paper. It’s basically a 15 foot tall pyramid with thousands of toy figurines standing on the steps. It would look trashy if the figures were thrown in boxes at a yard sale, but when you see the cartoonish army looking back at you in the face, it’s almost intimidating. I actually found a few long-lost toys from my childhood perched near the top. It was bizarre. If I had a camera, I would’ve taken a picture.
Saturday Night at Da Club

That was all last night. It’s Saturday night now, and I just got back from Nick’s birthday party at Sugardaddy’s. The best way to describe my group of friends is fun, responsible, and moral. Disciplined, maybe. We always have fun parties at my house. And if I’m not having people over, someone else will. But I’ve never been out with this group to a nightclub. It was fun to watch their personalities take on a new life in a place like that. It was a good time. I would’ve stayed out later tonight, but I was already tired from a long day of working on my old house (more news on that later.)

It’ll be nice when Candyce gets back to town. She’s awesome.