I had a late night last night.
First off, Sideways was a fantastic movie, and I laughed most of the way through it, even when there was a scene reminiscent of my Thursday Evening Experience.
I timed it well, the movie finished at 11:45 and I headed over to the Gay Palace-which was two blocks away-getting there in time to enter before the price went from 4€ to 8€. Unfortunately the club has a 50 cent fee to pee, so instead of going right away, I bought a beer and started – having fun.
Dutch men are taller on average than German men, and since I find tall men attractive, I was in heaven. There were at least 4 guys who I found really attractive, and two of them talked to me. Unfortunately it was loud and I couldn’t hear them, plus both spoke in Dutch. I didn’t feel like trying to find out what they were saying, so I just nodded and smiled, and kept dancing. I was there until 3:30 when I decided I needed to get some semblance of sleep-so I headed back to the hotel, where I asked for my key.
There was somebody I’d not met behind the desk so he asked my name-not unreasonable, considering. I fled pretty quickly up the stairs to my room, but the guy, who was talking to his friend (perhaps his boyfriend, my gaydar went off on both), wished me a good night and wanted to make sure I knew when breakfast was served. I probably should have stayed and flirted, but I was tired, and I said I was sure I would miss breakfast.
And… I did.
So this morning I headed over to Dudok, which is a wonderful restaurant café-I would say coffee shop, but this is the Netherlands, and it’s not a coffee shop, and in US terms it’s huge for what we would think of as a coffee shop). I ordered a bagel with salmon for breakfast, and it was absolutely excellent. I was on my second cup of coffee when a woman sat down at the table next to me, grabbed an ashtray, and started smoking.
Mind you, she was the only person smoking.
Suddenly the experience was ruined.
I paid and left-I was gone in less than 5 minutes, forgoing any more quality time.
Here’s the thing: I knew when I went to the Gay Palace that it would be smoky. Dumb fags smoke fags. I can deal with it. Heck, had I gone to Dudok and people had been smoking, I would have dealt with it.
However, when I’m in a venue that is smoke free and some bitch lights up, I get seriously annoyed. It was a sublime experience until she showed up, and I’ve had similar issues at German coffee shops and American restaurants.
So, to all the smokers out there: if you go somewhere, and nobody else is smoking, that means you probably shouldn’t either.
Cough, cough, choke!