Over the past couple of months, the husband and I have been reliving our life as it probably was before we met, married, and fell in love. Yes, I did say it in the order that our relationship occurred. Met.
Married.
Then FELL IN LOVE.
I presume that the years will fare positively for both of us whether we remain together or go in separate directions. Whatever fate we create for ourselves, I'm sure we will always remain the best of friends.... at least, I know, I will always feel unconditional love for him.
With all of that being said, our adventure this Memorial Day weekend of 2013, we decided to go dancing. A couple weeks ago, we visited Zanzabar. This week, we headed over to Rumours in the Ala Moana Hotel. Yelp reviewers talk about the demographic of people that go out to Rumours on Friday nights: older, military, Black, Puerto Rican, etc. Given my affection for a particular demographic of men, in my single days I liked to frequent Rumours on Friday nights. The last time I visited this establishment was just over 10 years ago. Not much has changed, which is kind of a good thing if you think about it. They're doing something and it's working without having had to change any part of their business. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.
I made a couple observations last night since I spent most of it seated at a very comfortable counter area. It's what I like to do - people watch. I had a view of the dance floor, the two cages on the dance floor, the entrance to the bathroom area, both VIP rooms, and both bars. I was in a perfect seat. Actually, you could sit almost anywhere in there and have a great vantage point of the entire club. Rumour's dance floor is a decent size. The entire club is well-lit, tastefully-lit. The seating that surrounds the dance floor is stadium-like, perfectly tiered so that everyone can look down to the dance floor. I have to say that Rumour's is very well-designed.
NOTE: The WOMEN'S restroom is small but very clean.... it's located on the second floor.
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Observation #1 SERVICE: One thing that was absent is the presence of wait-staff. No one asked me if I wanted a drink or food. Nothing. That was very surprising to me as a good bulk of a club's income comes from sales, right? The security staff were dressed professionally and were very courteous. I was very impressed with that. The staff at the entrance were also professionally dressed. The gentleman in a suit and the young lady in a cocktail dress. The cashier was also in a suit and the bartenders in a button-up shirt and vest. Sharp!
Observation #2
MUSIC: Either I am just getting old or modern music producers are deaf. I was thoroughly disappointed with the selection of music that the music guy was playing (I wouldn't necessarily call him a D.J.). One can only stomach a limited amount of "bitch" and "colloquial-name-for-female-genetalia" in music lyrics, if at all. They boast "state of the art" audio, visual, and lighting but I could have done without the visual portion. They streamed the music video all night long. Let's see... if the lyrics are full of 'bitches' and 'colloquial-name-for-female-genetalia' then you can imagine what the videos were like. Do all hip-hop stars think that everyone enjoys watching a music video of women shaking their booty or dancing with a pole?
I have the slightest clue as to how I should dance to any song by Lil Wayne or 2 Chainz or worst yet a collaboration by both of them. **rolling my eyes** I am thoroughly disappointed by the state of hip-hop... fo' real! Earlier in the evening, they played good dance music like Timberlake's, "Suit and Tie" and some B.o.B but as the evening wore on all the good music faded. What's terrible about 2 Chainz? The beat is so very slow that a woman's only choice is to gyrate her hips and booty.
**heavy sigh**
And the women did do just that.
Observation #3
DANCING: I'm a little perplexed by the amount of lesbian activity on the dance floor. As a certified people-watcher, I noticed that women would behave one way off the dance floor and change all together when they got on the dance floor. In other words, straight (flirting with men) when they're seated but lesbian when they hit the dance floor. It could be that they're bi-sexual? I don't know and don't care. I witnessed a lot of lesbian loving on the dance floor. So the questions I came away with are as follows:
- If a woman is heterosexual, does she behave this way for attention or to attract a man?
- If a woman is a lesbian, does she feel like she has to express her sexuality in such an open manner? Isn't the beauty of intimacy intimate, private, personal? So the question would still revert to the first question, is the heavy petting for attention in an effort to attract men?
Observation #4
THE GAME: Some things will never change and I had quite a good time watching THE GAME unfold. There was a particular pair of women seated in front of me that I had an enjoyable time watching. Let's call them Erica and Sarah. Erica and Sarah sat near an entrance of the dance floor. Standing at that entrance was a pair of men. Let's call them Marcus and Dave. Marcus and Dave were standing there for at least an hour before Dave approached Erica and Sarah. Marcus went to fetch drinks for the women. He hands over the drinks then goes back to where he was standing. He does not socialize with the women at all. Dave eventually asks Sarah to dance. She refuses. Dave tucks his little tail under and goes back to where Marcus is standing.
A young man walks up to Erica and parks next to her. He stands there and just starts dancing and making small talk with Erica. Dave glares at the pair and he looks upset. Does Dave think he owns the pair of women because he just bought them a drink? Eventually, the dancing gentleman walks away. Erica was probably not responding to him the way he wanted her to.
Seated next to Erica and Sarah is another gentleman. Let's call him Tyrone. I was watching Tyrone also. He sat quietly for as long as I was seated behind all these people. I watched a young woman pass by several times. Let's call her Fiona because she reminds me of Princess Fiona from the cartoon, Shrek. All of a sudden, Fiona stops and asks Tyrone to dance. Tyrone refuses. I sit there and watch Fiona try to make a case for why they should dance together. Her boobs are pouring out of her dress and she keeps his face in her cleavage. 10-15 minutes later, Fiona is still trying to get Tyrone to dance with her. She finally attempts to leave then in comes Dave and asks her to dance and they both hit the dance floor. Dave and Fiona start gyrating and she looks like she's giving him a lap dance. It was really funny.
Observation #5
LAPS: I saw several men and women doing laps throughout the club. I can't help but remember doing the same thing when I was single. Me and the girls would circle the club hoping that the scenery would get more interesting. It never did.
One gentleman, let's call him Vince cuz he reminds me of a friend from the past with the same name. Vince had two or three very thin braids hanging out of his Kangol cap. He looked like a blast from the past. Hot mess! Watching him circle the club made me laugh so hard. I think I had a smile plastered on my face because of all the foolishness I witnessed.
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I had a really good time with my husband. We are definitely enjoying ourselves as we age. We spent a couple years being so prude. We are coming out of the restrictions of our former life and I don't think we or I will ever be that prude again. Husband ran into a former co-worker who invited us to an all-white party on Sunday evening. We might go.
My final conclusion: Rumours still has "it", in my opinion.
