Some would consider doing the same thing over and over again expecting different results, the definition of insanity, I consider it tradition. And what tradition perfectly encapsulates madness other than Black Out Wednesday? This past Thursday I woke up in matching pajamas, with no makeup on, missing a ring, and spinning…spinning so bad, and so very fast. I was not entirely sure what time I made it home, or when I managed to perform my entire skin and hair care routine. So I just rolled out of bed and my head began to pound, then a blurry memory of me sleeping on the floor flashed in my mind and I realized I must have had a few too many gin and tonics. In previous years my holiday hangover was caused by tequila, a night I’ll never forget even if I only partially remember it. I will say here and now that getting messy and overly intoxicated is not cute, you should drink responsibly and be safe. With that please note that I had five or so mixed drinks and three shots. The air was crisp; the sky was clear; my Steve Madden boots made me extra tall even though the heels are missing their caps; my jeans were extra low rise and my purse was a red jean bag from GAP. Can you see the vision? It was the perfect evening scenario to go to a local bar and see some familiar faces while trying not to flinch or freak at past friends and foes- a tradition that I think I’m over, and I simply am not. Today we are going to discuss Black Out Wednesday, or Thanksgiving Eve, and all the little things in between that make it such a stand out on the calendar for me. So grab a drink, perhaps a gin and tonic, and get comfortable because I will be talking in depth and detail about people I both saw and avoided, cin cin let’s begin!
Luckily, I do not struggle with FOMO, therefore I rarely ever feel left out from a night out. Especially when it seems expensive or crowded, I find myself pleased to be at home and sitting out. Up until about 8pm on Wednesday of last week I was indifferent about going out, I didn’t care if I stayed out till the sun came up or if I had two drinks and an Irish goodbye with my sister. But as predicted, I entered the venue and I knew that I wasn’t leaving sober… and I definitely wasn’t leaving soon. If I am being honest, I really enjoy nights out like these because it’s fun to see people, all different kinds of people. There are five reasons I enjoy attending this particular Wednesday night out other than simply just enjoying the tradition:
I like to be surprised!
Seeing past crushes of mine become less attractive, or annoying males in general, is fun.
There’s a dance floor with a live band, what a hoot!
My sister and I made a BINGO board for the evening and I wanted to see how many squares we could cross off, or how predictable people could be.
I like going out with my friends and accidentally not seeing each other at all so we can share our individual experiences with each other.
No matter where you are or who you’re with, I think the most important piece of a night out puzzle is our level of interest and comfort. Going out doesn’t have to be a night of blackouts, in fact it shouldn’t always be, but every once in a while I guess it’s bound to happen. Anytime I go out with my sister, I know it’s going to be an interesting evening because we typically make a game of it. Like this past Wednesday, we created a BINGO board to cross off throughout the night in the form of sips, drinks or shots. Some spaces on the board that were in fact checked off include: someone mentions their boyfriend, a couple that we thought broke up is still together, someone looks so different we don’t recognize them, and someone mentions my blog or tik toks. All of the previous prompts were completed within the first half hour of being in the bar. There’s nothing wrong with predictability, I quite prefer it myself. I like when I know what to expect from people, peers, and past pursuits. Like how I predicted being annoyed by certain men with poor fashion taste and odd facial hair… check! Or how I knew I’d see at least one of my nemeses… check! It’s all in good fun though. Observing can be just as fun, if not more, than interacting with such individuals. There were several moments last week where I found myself leaning against the wall or balcony observing people interact. Though it may sound creepy, that’s how I get the best intel. I also love to chit chat, I would consider myself a people person simply because when I drink I just can’t shut up. Meeting new people, talking to old pals, wandering around a bar that’s packed like sardines. I know some of my friends hate these kinds of gatherings but I’m not that friend. I am very lucky to have such a tight knit, supportive group of friends from every chapter of my life. At this point in my life I just wanna spend time with them, if that means going to a local bar with a fraction of our respective graduating classes then let’s do it. Families have traditions around the holidays that include home-cooked meals, gift exchanges, minor bickering, and sometimes major bickering. Traditions amongst my friends and I typically include having drinks and having fun regardless of the venue, and that happens yearly without fail. Some nights are just a little more blurry than others, like Thanksgiving Eve from two years ago in 2022.
It was a nice night, I’m assuming because I did not wear a jacket in downtown Buffalo on a November night. Rather, I wore leather pants that indicated a long night was ahead, with a black bodysuit and black heeled boots, and a newly thrifted purse. The night began at home, while I was getting ready and slowly sipping a tequila soda. Followed by a pregame at my friends house where I chugged two 14% margarita cans and took several shots of Espolon. Let me add that my cousin Chad, who I recently visited in London, was in town and anytime we go out together it is usually a late night… that tradition began this very night. So my friends, Chad, and I went downtown to Chippewa for Blackout Wednesday to begin. If you know the area and want more specifics, we went to Venu. As my memory serves, I walked in and ordered two double tequila sodas and charged up the stairs to the bathroom and slurped them down immediately. Next thing I knew I was seated at a bottle service table, though Venu’s bottle service isn’t anything grand, but the man beside me closely resembled Justin Bieber (at least that’s what intoxicated Paige thought). I don’t know what he said before or after this, I just remember one phrase and then BOOM, nothing. That phrase was something you never want to hear from a guy who may or may not look like Justin Bieber, “you don’t look so good.” He was totally right because suddenly I was back upstairs in the bathroom on the floor, my friends had woken me up abruptly and in the midst of all this chaos I vomited all over the place. All over me, my friend Becca, my friend Alyssa, and my newly thrifted bag. After the scene I caused I figured it would be in my best interest to go home, so I called my Aunt Lynn and told her someone threw up on me. Now I don’t drink tequila or wear leather pants. A cautionary tale to survive Blackout Wednesday: you need to eat before you drink- and when you drink, do it responsibly! As my father always says before I leave the house, “don’t be stupid!”
The past two Thanksgiving Eve nights have been far more tame in terms of vomit. I haven’t done that in a very long time because I think I have a very, very mild case of emetophobia. Now I drink gin and tonics which give me the worst possible hangovers I have ever experienced, but I’ll take the spins over a puke covered outfit. This year my outfit was kept perfect all night, a lot has changed this year for me but one thing has remained constant- low rise jeans. This past Wednesday I wore my favorite extra-low rise jeans to prance around my local townie bar and play a mysterious mental game of BINGO. All that matters, any night of the year, is that you are having fun and you feel comfortable. Going out doesn’t make you cool, staying home doesn’t make you lame. The coolest thing you can do is just be yourself and do what makes you happy, have fun in familiar spaces or create fun in new or scary places. If you’re going out on Blackout Wednesday to see who peaked in high school, you really don’t need to leave the house. Those are not concerns of mine, personally I don’t care if you peaked in high school , college, or when you won the Anne Frank Award in 8th grade for excellence in writing (that may just be me). What truly matters is that after all that time you’ve grown and you have found what makes you happy. If you have to go through life pretending to be someone you're not, that’s the lamest thing of all. And nothing is worse than lame traditions. Stay home, go out, do both, do neither, it doesn’t matter. This somewhat made up holiday is a tradition because people like you and I keep it alive. Make new traditions, keep the old. Have fun in a safe and secure fashion, spend time with family and friends, but most importantly do it intentionally even if it may seem insane. Till next time, stay flirty, stay thirsty, and keep traditions alive like having the absolute most dreadful hangover when it’s time to have some turkey!
See you soon,
Paige B.
P.s. My hangover lasted until Friday night the way.
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