Thursday, July 8, 2010

Sit It Out Or Dance? Danse, Mai Oui

Last night was a Jazz night, despite the intermittent rain showers, I’m so glad we went. John Cleary: Piano, Drums, Bass Trio was playing and they were phenomenal! Bonnie Rait calls Cleary the 9th wonder of the world. His music is an inspired mix of classic New Orleans jazz, Caribbean rhythms, and smoky vocals. He has this crazy British-Cajun accent. Lovely! I will definitely be adding him to the playlist.

Our weekly jazz outing is a great place to meet up with friends and make new acquaintances. Last night the conversation was lively, fun, a little bit raunchy and then the guys left to dance with their daughters, an activity that I feel casts men, my husband in particular, in a charming light. Being a good father is a very hot quality. Anyway the women huddled closer to make conversing easier, but the conversation went from bright and buoyant to dull and dragging, like someone had flipped a switch. Suddenly we were talking about one particular woman’s blood pressure! She was telling us her stats – this number over that number. I actually thought: Am I going to let this too loud woman bore me to death or am I going find me something more pleasurable to do? I interrupted the woman’s prattle and said something like “Excuse me, I’m going to go dance with my husband now.”

Okay, this may not be a huge deal for anybody else, but normally I feel like I should be polite, not interrupt (especially for something as base as my own pleasure), be a good girl, all that nonsense. It was a little frenchy (some might say bitchy) moment for me- but it allowed me to savor one of life’s little bon-bons – a dance with my husband.

This experience also brings up the question of whether women (and men) are more interesting in each others’ company versus in same sex groups. Do mixed groups foster more entertaining repartee?

3 comments:

  1. This is a most interesting post. I do agree that mixed company lends to more interesting conversation rather than only women. There's an electricity in the air when the opposite sexes are around each other and to me, it's just more fun. Bravo for exiting the ailment talk and going to dance with your husband!

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  2. Stephanie - It seems like the topics of conversations are different among women only groups and mixed ones. I wouldn't just want one or the other, I love my girlfriend chats too, but I think mixed groups tend to bring out the best in both men and women in general. I think there's a flirt factor at play that keeps things light and lively in mixed groups -- and that's definately fun.

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  3. Your regular jazz night sounds wonderful. I am tres envious. You handled the bore admirably! I know what you mean about being polite. Sometimes I have sit and listened for far too long. I need to perfect the quick exit - easier when there is a group.

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